In the Rain Flower Cave, everyone sat on the long benches in the living room.
Yan Meng’er, Yan Ruyu, Mi Xue’er, and Xiao Xinyan flanked Yan Zhen on both sides, while Mentor Yu Xuan and Aunt Shui Bailan sat opposite them.
“You’re still crying.” Yan Zhen pinched his silly cousin sister’s cute little nose. “You’re all grown up now—counting your age from before you reincarnated, you’re practically—”
“Ah, Cousin! Don’t count, don’t count!” Yan Meng’er hurriedly gestured for him to stop. “You’re so mean~ Can’t Meng’er worry about you?”
“I’ve already come back. What is there to worry about? Learn from Cousin Ruyu—she’s so calm.”
“Cousin Ruyu wasn’t calm at all. When you hadn’t returned, she hid under the covers and cried secretly.”
Oh? Yan Zhen looked at Yan Ruyu with keen interest. Her face flushed red, and she bowed her head, slamming her thigh forcefully into her silly cousin’s leg.
—That idiot Meng’er spilling her secrets again!
Yan Zhen grinned cheekily.
“Cousin Ruyu is so cute~”
As he spoke, his mischievous hand sneaked behind Meng’er and landed squarely on Yan Ruyu’s rear, giving the full, moon-like curve a quick pinch. She grew even more bashfully embarrassed but didn’t dare show it, forcing herself to endure.
On the other side, Mi Xue’er clung to Yan Zhen and said in a coquettish voice, “Little Brother Yan Zhen, does that mean I’m not cute if I didn’t cry secretly?”
“Senior Sister Xue’er is always cute~” Yan Zhen smiled. “Especially in those moments~ Senior Sister Xinyan too.”
At his words, Mi Xue’er and Xiao Xinyan both blushed furiously. The “cute” Yan Zhen referred to was anything but innocent.
He had even called them the “bed-wetting duo” before. How mortifying.
“Ahem.”
Mentor Yu Xuan and Aunt Shui Bailan both cleared their throats across from them, signaling for some restraint.
“Yan Zhen, you brought Jiuyou back with you. What about the Evil Consort?” Mentor Yu Xuan lowered her voice. “She won’t lead Dead City in an assault on the holy land, will she?”
“No, she won’t.” Yan Zhen laughed. “Evil Consort Master is one of us now. Mentor, you can rest easy.”
“Evil Consort Master?” Aunt Shui Bailan stared in astonishment. “You took her as your master?”
“Well, it’s a long story.” Yan Zhen scratched his cheek. “In short, Dead City will migrate here soon to join forces against the Demon Domain. We’ve already discussed it with Master and Holy Lord Master.”
The women exchanged glances. This turn of events was completely beyond their expectations—especially for fellow reincarnators.
The Evil Consort had been their deadly foe in their previous lives.
“Could it be… the Evil Consort is a reincarnator too?”
“Yeah, she is. That’s why she abducted me.”
That explanation seemed to make everything click for them, and their gazes turned rather peculiar.
It appeared that everyone who had reincarnated harbored considerable affection for Yan Zhen.
After all, he was the one who had performed the time-reversal ritual.
It made a strange sort of sense.
“—Oh? Quite the lively bunch. What are you all chatting about?”
Her voice arrived before she did.
Turning to look, they saw Ji Ya arriving with Aunt Mu and Jin Tong and Yu Nu. The fair, rich beauty big sister still wore her figure-hugging red qipao, a fluffy shawl draped over her arm, sky-high heels on her feet, and her legs sheathed in alluring black stockings. She radiated feminine allure from head to toe, dazzling everyone with her vibrant charm.
Her coquettish face, perfect for both smiles and pouts, was as white as powdered jade. Her peach-blossom eyes lit up with a natural pink glow, her red lips gleaming with fresh gloss, and sparkling earrings dangled from her ears. Her hair was simply styled up.
The moment she appeared, she drew every eye in the room. Even the other women couldn’t resist her fox-demon-like, peerless allure.
Yan Zhen’s eyes brightened slightly. He smiled and said, “Sister Ji Ya, you’re here. Have a seat. We were just talking about the Evil Consort.”
Seeing the spots beside Yan Zhen already taken, Ji Ya had no choice but to sit across from him with Mentor Yu Xuan. Aunt Mu, Jin Tong, and Yu Nu stood guard behind her, though their eyes lingered on Yan Zhen.
“Little Brother Yan Zhen, what exactly happened to you in Dead City? We got interrupted by little sister Jiuyou earlier and didn’t get the chance to hear. What did the Evil Consort do to you? Are you… hurt anywhere?”
That was their greatest concern.
With a dozen gazes fixed on him, Yan Zhen felt a touch awkward and gave a simplified account of his experiences in Dead City.
The Evil Consort had tampered with his memories, making him believe he was the Evil Flame Holy Son, treating her as his master and Jiuyou as his senior sister. Then Holy Lord Master and Master had split up: one feigned an attack on Dead City to draw the Evil Consort’s attention, while the other sneaked in to help him regain his memories. Afterward, he chose to keep infiltrating, teaming up with the Evil Consort to slay Peacock Heavenly Monarch of the Demon Domain and wipe out his forces.
“The Peacock Demon Palace is basically done for. Holy Lord Master even sent Thunder Supreme to clean up the remnants. It’s a massive victory.”
“But the Evil Consort—”
From what Yan Zhen described, it was impossible to imagine how he’d ended up on good terms with her. Shouldn’t he have sealed her when he had the chance?
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek again and gave a stiff laugh. “The reasons are complicated. I don’t even know how to explain it. In any case, she’s my master from now on too. You don’t need to fear her—treat her like Master and Holy Lord Master… Oh, and Jiuyou. She might look all seductive and demonic, but she’s actually quite sensitive inside. Don’t reject her. Get along well.”
Ji Ya smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, Little Brother Yan Zhen. Sister already accepted Jiuyou as a little sister. I’ll treat her sincerely.”
The other women, directly or indirectly, expressed that they would get along well with Jiuyou. Yan Zhen was greatly relieved. He pulled Meng’er and Senior Sister Xue’er close, planting a kiss on each, then put on a serious face.
“No one’s leaving tonight. Stay and catch me up on everything that’s happened these days.”
His single sentence turned every woman’s face in the living room a deep shade of red. No one replied, but no one refused either. Their hearts fluttered in chaos, strange thoughts bubbling up in their minds.
They knew Yan Zhen was formidable, but ten at once was too much, wasn’t it? Would he wear himself out?
Mentor Yu Xuan said softly, “Yan Zhen, you just got back. Don’t push yourself so hard… It’s not like there’s any rush. We can take turns.”
Ji Ya chimed in, “That’s right, Little Brother Yan Zhen. If you wear yourself out, sister will feel so bad~”
Yan Zhen chuckled and released his mighty pressure as a powerhouse. Every woman in the room trembled, an urge to submit at his feet surging through them.
A Mystic Ancestor powerhouse had transcended mortality, existing on a different plane of life altogether.
Aunt Shui Bailan, still at Mystic Lord Realm, adjusted the silver-framed glasses on her nose and said in surprise, “You’ve broken through to Mystic Ancestor, Yan Zhen?”
Aunt Mu wore the same expression, sighing in admiration. “Little Uncle’s progress is too fast.”
She caught Yan Zhen’s resentful glare and paused, then hurriedly clarified, “I-I mean your cultivation.”
Yan Zhen shot her a sideways look. “I’ll let Aunt Mu feel a Mystic Ancestor’s true speed soon enough.”
Mu Xin’er flushed in embarrassment, ducking her head like an ostrich.
The other women felt a mix of anticipation and… fear—especially Yan Meng’er, whose mind was already conjuring images of her own helpless defeat.
Aunt Shui Bailan adjusted her glasses again and stood. “I-I just remembered something I need to handle. I’ll take my leave—you all— Ah!”
Translucent mental tentacles extended like an octopus’s arms, one wrapping around each woman and hoisting them into the air.
“Mm-hmm! I’ve been holding back too long. No one’s getting away tonight.”
