Dead City, God Mountain, Consort God Palace.
The Evil Consort propped her chin on one hand as she lounged sideways on the Skeleton Throne. A screen of light hovered before her, displaying the sight of Yan Zhen and Jiu Youyue playfully frolicking in the bath.
She watched the pair with an expressionless face, her pitch-black eyes devoid of any gleam.
She had deliberately tested Jiu Youyue by making an excuse to leave, allowing the wretched girl to be alone with Yan Zhen.
As expected, Jiu Youyue had started asking questions here and there, probing for flaws in Yan Zhen’s memories.
Unfortunately for her, the tampering was flawless, without a single loophole!
Even so, that wretched girl still couldn’t be trusted.
Among her three secondary bodies—or rather, her three daughters—Jiu Youyue was the smartest, the one with the most schemes, and the most like her. She had a strong will of her own, making her harder to control than the timid-as-a-mouse Infant Spirit or the blindly adoring Faceless Woman. Naturally, she couldn’t be relied upon.
It had been the same in her previous life, and it was the same now.
The reason she kept Jiu Youyue around was to make the identity of the Evil Flame Holy Son even more authentic.
If she performed well, the Evil Consort would show mercy. But if she made any more little moves, she would sooner have a obedient puppet!
As she pondered, the young couple on the screen climbed out of the water. After steaming away the moisture from their bodies, they slipped into robes and headed toward the main hall.
The Evil Consort immediately understood what they were about to do next. After hesitating for a long while, she finally waved her sleeve to dispel the screen. Then she shifted to the White Bone Grotto-Heaven and began meditating to regulate her breathing.
Casting the Fate-Altering Technique had cost her a great deal of vital blood; she needed to recover properly. Otherwise, if Jialan located Dead City and came knocking, things would get dicey.
…
Nine Palace’s main hall, bedroom. On the incense bed draped with curtains, Jiu Youyue straddled Yan Zhen’s lap, her hands braced under his armpits as she gazed down at him.
Yan Zhen lay perfectly still, meeting his senior sister’s eyes. He found her utterly enticing and desperately wanted to take a bite—then savor every inch of her flavor.
“Senior Sister~”
Feeling restless, Yan Zhen reached out to embrace the alluring beauty atop him. But Jiu Youyue pinned his wrists and smiled with narrowed eyes.
“Little Zhen Zhen, answer a few questions for me first, and then I’ll consider spoiling you.”
Yan Zhen’s expression turned pure and innocent.
“What questions? Can’t we skip them?”
“Simple ones. Just answer honestly, Little Zhen Zhen.”
“Then go ahead and ask, Senior Sister.”
“Hm…” Jiu Youyue pondered briefly. “When was our first time?”
“In the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range,” Yan Zhen replied without hesitation. “We were there collecting the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame when we accidentally punctured the dragon’s Lust Sac. Then, somehow, we just—”
At that point, Yan Zhen grinned shyly with meaningful intent.
Jiu Youyue was quite satisfied with the answer and pressed on.
“What about the second time?”
Yan Zhen’s smile faded.
“Didn’t we talk about this at lunch? It was after refining the Great Crimson Heaven Flame in the Great Marsh Desert. I lost control and… did it with you, Senior Sister, plus Yun Xiu and the Myriad Snake Queen.”
The second time matched too.
Jiu Youyue’s satisfaction ticked up another notch.
“And the third?”
Yan Zhen looked embarrassed.
“The third was when Evil Consort Master discovered we’d lost our Primal Yang and Primordial Yin. So she arranged for us to dual cultivate.”
Jiu Youyue’s satisfaction dropped. So it started diverging from the third time? Unwilling to give up, she asked:
“What about the fourth?”
“The fourth was my reward from you, Senior Sister, after winning the championship at the Grand Dan Fighting Competition in Garo Kingdom.”
…
The time and place were spot-on. One could call it a reward, but really, she’d been the one craving it—after all, they’d been apart for over a year by then.
Jiu Youyue felt a complicated mix of emotions.
“Fifth time.”
Yan Zhen’s face fell with sudden disappointment.
“The fifth was when you came specifically to help me break through to Mystic King, letting me harvest your Primordial Yin to supplement my Yang. You were weakened for quite a while afterward, and I didn’t like it.”
Evidently, they’d just inserted a third encounter that never happened; the other four matched her memories perfectly.
Jiu Youyue smiled radiantly, released Yan Zhen’s hands, and caressed his cheek with seductive charm.
“So this makes it the sixth?”
Yan Zhen’s eyes lit up as he nodded eagerly.
Jiu Youyue leaned down, gazing into his eyes from inches away.
“Call me Jiu Youyue, Little Zhen Zhen.”
“Eh?”
“Call me by name. Not Senior Sister.”
“Oh… Jiu, Jiu Youyue.”
The words had barely left his mouth when Yan Zhen felt a strange sensation, as if he’d always called her that way. He tried again:
“Jiu Youyue~”
“From now on, when Master isn’t around, call me like this, okay?”
“Mm! Jiu Youyue!”
Jiu Youyue’s heart had long been aflame. Hearing his eager call, she immediately leaned in and kissed him.
It was a deep, long-overdue kiss, pouring out all the longing she’d pent up. Like a siren, she greedily claimed the sweetness in his mouth.
Only when breathing grew difficult did she pull back. With eyes misty and alluring, she continued gazing at him.
“Little Zhen Zhen, no matter what you’ve become, you’re still my Little Zhen Zhen… I’ll definitely find a way to help you recover your memories.”
With that, under Yan Zhen’s burning gaze, she kissed him again.
Their clothes gradually slipped away, skin met skin, and in the end, they became one.
…
In the White Bone Grotto-Heaven, the Evil Consort sat cross-legged atop the towering Skeleton Throne. Though she tried to focus, she couldn’t quite settle into meditation.
Her mind was fixed on the image of Yan Zhen and Jiu Youyue, clad in robes and hand in hand, heading to the bedroom.
“Just a quick peek, to make sure that wretch doesn’t pull any tricks.”
With that self-justification, she waved her pitch-black sleeve edged in silver, summoning the scene from Nine Palace once more. Her beautiful eyes instantly widened, unable to look away.
An hour later, as the clouds parted and the rain ceased, the Evil Consort finally snapped back to herself. She forcefully dispelled the screen with a flick of her sleeve. A faint blush colored her pale, glamorous face, and her breathing came heavy and ragged—partly from anger, partly from embarrassment.
“To make the Flame Emperor fully hers, this was necessary.”
Muttering to herself, she gradually calmed and resumed her meditation.
Some time later, she heard Yan Zhen’s call:
“Evil Consort Master, I’ve come to find you. I want to refine the Solar Essence Flame as soon as possible.”
The Evil Consort opened her eyes, ending her cultivation state. She rose to her feet, her gaze piercing through the White Bone Grotto-Heaven to Yan Zhen in the grand hall. With a sweep of her jade hand, she opened a Space Portal and sent her voice through:
“Come in, Yan’er.”
Moments later, Yan Zhen streaked in as brilliant starlight and landed before her. Tilting up his face, he smiled.
“Evil Consort Master~”
A trace of softness flickered in the Evil Consort’s night-black eyes. She raised her jade hand, summoning a wide White Bone Dao Platform between them.
“Sit properly up there. This Palace Lord’s yin-attributed mystic power can help you suppress the Solar Essence Flame.”
Yan Zhen hopped right up and settled into a cross-legged position, then gazed at her expectantly.
The Evil Consort was puzzled.
“What’s wrong, Yan’er? Another question?”
Yan Zhen looked equally puzzled.
“Aren’t you coming up too, Evil Consort Master?”
She grew even more confused.
“Why would this Palace Lord go up there?”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek and murmured:
“Before, you always helped me refine Extreme Flames through dual cultivation…”
Eh? The Evil Consort’s expression stiffened.
