Yan Zhen stepped out of the Crystal Stone Space to find the moon hanging high in the night sky. Fortunately, he had hung a “Cultivating, Do Not Disturb” sign on his door beforehand. Otherwise, they would have thought something had gone wrong with him in his room.
Patting his empty stomach, Yan Zhen headed to the kitchen. When he opened the door, however, he spotted a slip of paper tucked underneath it, bearing four bold words:
Remember to eat.
Yan Zhen smiled faintly. Sure enough, when he reached the kitchen, the stove was still lit with a fire crackling beneath it. A pot brimmed with rice and dishes, and beside it sat a steaming pot of soup.
The aroma of the food set his stomach rumbling. Yan Zhen dove in with gusto, polishing off every last bite and drop. He let out a satisfied belch, then set about washing the dishes.
“Let me help you with that.”
Mentor Yu Xuan’s voice sounded from behind him. Yan Zhen turned to see her gliding over gracefully in a different style of nightgown from the previous day.
Beneath the silken sleepwear, her creamy skin and voluptuous curves formed a picture of mature allure, tempting like forbidden fruit. He felt an urge to take a bite just to savor her taste.
After all, he was an impure teenage boy in the prime of youth.
Yan Zhen quickly tamped down the stirring in his heart and said, “Isn’t Mentor Yu Xuan going to bed yet?”
Mentor Yu Xuan stepped up beside him, rolled up her sleeves to reveal her pristine white arms, picked up a bowl, and began scrubbing alongside him.
“I don’t usually turn in early. I just finished my meditation and came out for some fresh air. When I saw the kitchen light on, I figured it was you… Feeling better now?”
“Yeah, completely recovered. I’ll head back to school tomorrow. Sorry for troubling you these past couple of days, Mentor.”
“What trouble is that? As long as you’re okay. After all, this mentor is counting on you to snag a top spot in the Monthly Assessment and bring some glory to my name~”
“No problem. I guarantee I’ll take first place in every Monthly Assessment from now on, so you can bask in the glory forever.”
“You and your cheeky mouth.”
Mentor Yu Xuan’s lips curved into a smile. Though she called him out, she truly believed he could do it.
In his previous life, he had never made such promises to her, but he had delivered regardless.
Yan Zhen chuckled and kept washing.
The atmosphere settled into a comfortable quiet, broken only by the trickle of water and the swish of scrubbing brushes.
Yan Zhen could smell the faint, enchanting fragrance wafting from Mentor Yu Xuan’s body. Like polished jade, her beauty carried a subtle, lingering scent that set his mind wandering.
His head throbbed a little. Having tasted such pleasures before, he was especially sensitive to them now.
This completely went against his protagonist persona.
His persona was that of a true man who, even poisoned by the Evil Dragon’s lust toxin and faced with two scantily clad beauties, could slam on the brakes in time. He’d rather handle it himself than violate their purity.
Aside from that initial moment of being dazzled by his fairy-like beautiful master, he rarely felt such urges afterward.
—So chaste, that’s me!
Yan Zhen steadied his breathing. As he reached for the last plate, Mentor Yu Xuan’s hand brushed forward at the same moment.
She grasped the plate, while he ended up holding her slender wrist.
Their skin touched, and both froze. They turned to face each other.
Under the warm lamplight, their gazes locked, and time seemed to halt.
For the first time, Yan Zhen examined Mentor Yu Xuan so closely. Her sky-blue eyes gleamed pure as gems, reflecting his image in their depths. Her lovely face held a touch of surprise, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush—perhaps from the warmth of the room—that lent her an extra air of charm.
—Mentor, you’re like a walking erotic illustration!
Mentor Yu Xuan, too, observed Yan Zhen up close for the first time. His features were less ruggedly handsome and more delicately pretty, with a clean, boyish tenderness. His bright, lively eyes held a spark of flame within, and the gaze they cast was as scorching as the sun, warming her body through.
—Does he… want it?
“Yan Zhen?”
“Sorry, Mentor! I didn’t mean to!”
Yan Zhen yanked his hand back like lightning.
Mentor Yu Xuan felt her ears burning—they must be bright red. Fortunately, she wasn’t wearing her hair up today to hide it.
“No worries. This is the last one; I’ll handle it. Have you showered yet? If not, go ahead.”
“Oh, right. I’ll head out then. Good night, Mentor.”
Yan Zhen bolted like a pardoned prisoner, flicking water from his hands as he turned to leave. But Mentor Yu Xuan called after him.
“Wait, Yan Zhen.”
He spun around tensely. “What is it?”
She hesitated a moment before murmuring softly, “About our earlier agreement… if you have any preferences, you can tell me. I’ll try to accommodate whatever you want.”
Agreement?
It took Yan Zhen a moment to recall—it was the promise of Secret Teaching!
Stay calm. He had a plan for this.
He’d just say he had no requests. At worst, he’d get a lecture on health and hygiene from Mentor Yu Xuan—moderation, safe practices, that sort of thing. Totally wholesome!
Like how they had health and sex ed classes starting in junior high back in Neon Country. Any problem with that? None at all!
“I don’t have any requests!”
Mentor Yu Xuan blinked timidly and confirmed, “None at all?”
—Like whether to wear her mentor uniform or casual clothes, black stockings or white, makeup mature or youthful… According to the book, boys always had their own kinks.
Yan Zhen shook his head vigorously, signaling that he would never dare make lewd demands of his mentor. He was a fine, well-rounded student in virtue, intellect, and physique!
“I see.”
Mentor Yu Xuan smiled shyly, her mood blooming brighter than the flowers in the courtyard.
Clearly, Yan Zhen meant that as long as it was with her, anything would make him happy.
Did he truly see her as his “heart’s beloved”?
After all, only with the one you love does everything feel joyful.
Things had gone so smoothly it almost felt unreal.
Having never dated herself, yet constantly hearing gossip from others about breakups, divorces, and separations, Mentor Yu Xuan had always thought love was arduous.
Was she just too lucky? Or had the heavens reborn her to make up for her past regrets?
“Then it’s settled for tomorrow night? I’ll come to your room—less chance of them noticing.”
Uh oh… Tomorrow night he had to learn Pill Refining with the beautiful master! And every night after that!
If the beautiful master found out he was studying naughty knowledge with Mentor Yu Xuan, she’d skin him alive.
“Mentor, could we do it during the day instead?”
“During the day?”
“Yeah, daytime—lunch break would be perfect. No one will notice, and your office would be ideal. Privacy’s great once the door’s shut.”
“…”
Mentor Yu Xuan was stunned.
Daytime, in her office? Wasn’t this kid’s kink a bit too peculiar?
Just imagining it made her squirm, yet deep down, it sparked a thrill of forbidden excitement.
She recalled a line from the Temptation Book she’d been reading these past days, between the protagonists:
—If you’re chasing thrills, go all the way~
—You’re such a tease.
“Got it. Whatever you want.”
/(//o/ω/o//)/
