The entire pavilion was quietly enveloped in Shadow Mystic Force, sealing off all sounds from within.
In broad daylight, the back courtyard remained peacefully serene, while the chamber of commerce buzzed with activity.
Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce, top floor of the back courtyard pavilion, within the bedroom.
Yan Zhen lay sprawled on the bed with his eyes narrowed, completely relaxed.
To his left was Sister Ji Ya, to his right Aunt Mu. The former buried her face against his chest, the latter pillowed her head on his arm. Mistress and servant alike wore blissful expressions. On top of that, Jin Tong and Yu Nu were draped across his legs, staring blankly at the simple, sketch-like Evil Dragon Pattern. They poked at it like it was a fuzzy caterpillar. When it glowed faintly and emanated an evil aura, their identical little faces both showed expressions of Mystic confusion. If they had voice acting, they would surely be saying—
“Ooh la la~~~”
Yan Zhen stroked Sister Ji Ya’s hair, then turned to plant a kiss on Aunt Mu’s forehead. After the moment of tenderness, he got down to business.
“When does Sister Ji Ya plan to move to the Holy Land? I’ve already prepared residences for you all on Holy Son Peak.”
“Once the venture is up and running and we’ve produced the new Reflecting Light Mirrors, we can head to the Holy Land worry-free… It’ll probably take a month. After all, Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce’s current assets are still modest. We’ll need to act under your name, Little Brother Yan Zhen, to ensure everything goes smoothly.”
“A month it is, then. Perfect timing—I’ll be coming for the major auction in a month anyway. I can pick you up on the way.”
“My darling Little Brother, Sister loves you to death. Mwah~”
With things out in the open, the lingering frustration in Yan Zhen’s heart dissipated. Aunt Mu chimed in from the side,
“What does Little Uncle plan to buy at the auction?”
“Sea God Blood,” Yan Zhen said honestly. “My master and Holy Lord Master both told me that the Merchant Alliance’s once-every-decade major auction will feature a drop of Sea God Blood.”
Ji Ya came to a sudden realization.
“Ah, of course. Divine Blood is essential for Little Brother Yan Zhen’s body refining.”
Aunt Mu, however, looked puzzled.
“Why not have the Merchant Alliance offer it up directly as tribute?”
“It’s a long story. It’s not just a last-minute addition to the auction—it’s also a trap deliberately set by Heavenly Gu Elder…” Yan Zhen grew serious. “In any case, we can’t tip our hand. Let things proceed as they did in my previous life.”
“There won’t be any issues, will there?”
“No. My Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame completely counters Heavenly Gu Elder’s gu worms—he can’t touch me. Plus, with Master and Holy Lord Master around, I’m not even afraid of Evil Consort showing up, let alone some old bug-sprinkler like Heavenly Gu Elder. Watch me take him do—oh~”
Before he could finish, Yan Zhen let out a strange yelp. Ji Ya and Mu Xin’er looked down to see that Jin Tong and Yu Nu had grown bored with the poor Evil Dragon Pattern and had started fooling around enthusiastically, making sounds reminiscent of someone savoring cherries. It was enough to make the two women feel a bit tempted themselves.
—Cough cough. Not to the point of competing with those two girls.
The women withdrew their gazes awkwardly, exchanged a glance, and tacitly began planting strawberries on Yan Zhen’s chest. He quickly pressed down on their heads.
“Stop, stop—I still have something to say.”
Aunt Mu obediently halted, all meek compliance. Ji Ya did not. She looked up at him.
“What else does Little Brother Yan Zhen have to say?”
Yan Zhen took a gentle breath before replying,
“I’ve prepared a little gift for each of you.”
He retrieved three small boxes from his storage ring—one with a bright red base, one black, and one in gold and silver hues—and handed them out respectively.
With a snap, the small boxes opened. A golden light and a silver light flew out, circling the sisters a few times before settling into their upturned palms, transforming into a Golden Cat’s Eye Stone Ring and a Silver Jade Treasure Ring.
The two sisters blinked in a daze, glancing at each other. Then, as if suddenly understanding, they allowed the rings to slip onto their left ring fingers. They held their hands together, admiring them happily.
“So pretty~”
“So sparkly~”
Ji Ya and Aunt Mu’s eyes widened, their breathing quickening in an instant.
Rings!?
The two women wasted no more time pretending to be reserved. They hurriedly opened their own boxes. Similarly, lights emerged—one red, one black. The red one was a Big Red Peony, while the black one had a cool, aloof vibe like a Night Crow.
Ji Ya impatiently snatched the hovering bloom from the air and spread her palm open. The Big Red Peony transformed into a Big Red Peony Ring.
Seeing this, Aunt Mu extended her jade-like hand, letting the Night Crow land in her palm. She watched intently as it became a Black Feather Ring.
Mistress and servant both slipped their rings onto their ring fingers. The bands automatically resized, fitting perfectly.
Ji Ya held her hand out to Aunt Mu, showing it off gleefully.
“Look, Aunt Mu…”
Aunt Mu extended her own hand as well, her face beaming with excited delight.
“Eldest Miss, yours is gorgeous.”
“Yours too, Aunt Mu.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Seeing how much they all loved the gifts, Yan Zhen broke into a smug grin. His crafting skills and taste were still on point. Aside from his mother-in-law’s mild disapproval, everyone adored their presents.
“Little Brother Yan Zhen~” Ji Ya threw herself against his chest, that bountiful pair of hers flattening into soft pancakes. “Is this a proposal ring?”
“Mm-hmm~” Yan Zhen wore a cheeky grin, smug as if he’d scored the best deal and loving every second of it. “If I said yes, what would Sister Ji Ya say?”
She found his shameless expression utterly endearing, blushing as she replied coyly,
“Of course I’d say yes—a hundred times, a thousand times, yes~”
Yan Zhen’s masculine ego swelled with immense satisfaction, but it still wasn’t quite enough. He turned to the mature and alluring Aunt Mu. Her cheeks flushed pink. Catching his gaze, she nervously tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and murmured softly,
“I-I would naturally follow the Eldest Miss’s lead.”
A beautiful woman blushing shyly—double the satisfaction!
He looked over at Jin Tong and Yu Nu next, hoping they’d say something. The sisters just tilted their heads, their big, watery eyes blinking at him. After a long moment, they each managed to squeeze out a halting phrase:
“Son-in-law… gift… like?”
“Thanks… son-in-law?”
Both came out as questions, clearly unsure if that was the right response.
Fair enough—they’d done remarkably well to get that far.
Yan Zhen reined in his greedy heart.
“Oh, right, Little Brother Yan Zhen. Sister has something for you too.”
Ji Ya suddenly remembered, sitting back up. She fished a small gourd, just the right size to fit in one hand, from her storage ring and gave it a shake.
“It’s got the Extreme Flame List’s number 105—a water-attribute Extreme Flame called Verdant Flame. I remember you need this to forge your Lifebound Sword, right?”
Yan Zhen was pleasantly surprised. Even Sister Ji Ya had prepared an Extreme Flame for him. She must have gone out of her way to ask someone to secure it.
Adding this to the ones from Yun Xiu, Xian’er, and his own stock, he now had four flames for sword forging. That would save him a ton of effort.
