Yilan gasped softly, her hand flying to her chest. "Quasi-Tier 4? That requires the soul force of a Golden Core master to stabilize! Yu'er, with your current... condition... and lack of Qi..."
He looked at her with a humble, pleading expression, the perfect picture of a nephew needing his aunt's support.
"When the time comes to refine the pill, I will need to borrow your hands, Aunt Yilan. I will guide the process and handle the ingredient fusion, but I will need you to provide the Qi flame."
Yilan's chest swelled with pride and determination. "Of course! Whatever you need, Yu'er. I will be your hands."
"Thank you, Aunt," Shen Yu smiled warmly. "Also, I have given Matriarch Meng a list of the 108 necessary auxiliary herbs. She will be sending her people to our apothecary to purchase the ones we have in stock. It should be a significant profit for the clan."
Yilan beamed. "You... you have really thought of everything. Not only did you save yourself, but you've also brought business to our door."
The tension at the table dissolved into a warm, celebratory atmosphere. They finished the meal in high spirits, discussing the future of the Shen Clan.
As the servants came to clear the table, the trio stood up to leave.
"Rest well, both of you," Yilan said, stifling a yawn. "It has been a long day."
"Goodnight, Aunt Yilan," Shen Yu said.
"Goodnight, Mother," Lixue added.
Shen Yu and Lixue turned and walked out of the dining hall, heading toward the residential wing. The corridor was long and dimly lit by moonlight filtering through the paper windows.
Yilan stood by the dining table for a moment, watching them go. A warm smile played on her lips as she watched the two children she had raised walking side by side. They looked like a perfect match, the handsome scholar and the beautiful swordswoman.
Suddenly, her eyes widened.
As they walked into the shadows of the corridor, Shen Yu's hand, which had been swinging by his side, drifted out. With a casual, almost practiced motion, his hand landed firmly on the plush curve of Lixue's rear.
He didn't just touch it; he grabbed it, his fingers squeezing the soft flesh through her pale blue dress.
Yilan expected Lixue to jump or slap his hand away; she was the "Ice Fairy," after all, known for her propriety.
But Lixue didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned into him, her hip bumping against his thigh, allowing his hand to stay there, kneading her as they walked.
Yilan's face instantly flushed a deep, beet red. The heat rushed to her cheeks, and a strange, fluttering sensation settled in her stomach. Seeing the intimate, possessive gesture, and her daughter's willing acceptance of it, made her feel like she was intruding on something private and incredibly adult.
"Oh my..." Yilan whispered, her hand fluttering to her chest.
She quickly turned around, her heart beating a little faster than usual, and hurried toward her own chambers, trying to scrub the image of Shen Yu's large hand on her daughter's body from her mind.
----------
The corridor was silent, save for the soft rustle of silk and the rhythmic tap-tap of their footsteps on the wooden floorboards.
Shen Yu didn't remove his hand. In fact, as they turned the corner, breaking the line of sight from the dining hall, his grip tightened possessively on Lixue's soft flesh. He kneaded the plush curve of her glutes through the thin fabric of her dress, enjoying the way her breath hitched with every squeeze.
"Mother... she definitely saw that," Lixue whispered, her voice trembling between mortification and a dark, heavy thrill. She didn't pull away; instead, she leaned heavier into his side, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Let her see," Shen Yu replied, his voice a low, vibrating purr against her ear. "You are my fiancée. It is only natural for a husband to touch his wife."
Lixue shivered, her legs feeling weak. The word 'husband' made her heart pound against her ribs like a trapped bird.
They reached the door to Shen Yu's private chambers. He pushed it open and pulled her inside, kicking it shut with his heel. The moment the latch clicked, the atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The gentle, scholarly air Shen Yu maintained in front of Yilan evaporated, replaced by the heavy, predatory hunger he had been suppressing for hours.
Lixue wasted no time. She turned to face him, her eyes still burning with that lingering, sharp jealousy.
"Now," she demanded, though her voice lacked its usual bite, sounding breathless and needy. "Show me. Show me what you did to her."
Shen Yu looked down at her, a wicked amusement dancing in his golden eyes. "Are you sure, Lixue? The Spirit-Dredging technique is quite... intense."
"I am a cultivator," she insisted, stepping closer until her chest brushed against his. She reached out, her fingers trembling as she began to undo the belt of his sash. "I can handle it. I want to know exactly how you touched her. If you don't show me... I will imagine it, and that will drive me mad."
Shen Yu caught her hands, stopping her. He brought her knuckles to his lips, kissing them slowly, maintaining eye contact.
"Very well," he whispered. "Turn around."
Lixue hesitated for a single, thundering heartbeat, then obeyed. She turned her back to him, standing in the center of the room, her silhouette bathed in the pale silver moonlight streaming through the lattice window.
Shen Yu stepped closer until his chest brushed against her back. He leaned down, his hot breath ghosting over the sensitive shell of her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
"First," he whispered, his voice thick with a dark, performative lust, "I told her to get naked."
Lixue's breath hitched sharply. "N-Naked?" she gasped, her mind reeling. She couldn't imagine the dignified, untouchable Jade Goddess of the Jin Clan stripping for a man. "She... she actually complied?"
"She had no choice," Shen Yu murmured against her neck. "The technique requires absolute, direct contact with the skin."
His hands moved to her waist, finding the sash of her pale blue dress.
"Before she disrobed, she asked me to turn my back," Shen Yu narrated softly. He pulled the knot of Lixue's sash. The fabric loosened, and the robe fell open. "I obeyed... but even with my back turned, the room was so quiet."
His hands slid inside her open robe, his warm palms resting on her bare hips.
"I could hear it," he whispered, pushing the fabric over her shoulders. "The heavy sound of silk sliding against skin... falling to the floor. Just. Like. This."
Swish.
Lixue's robe pooled around her ankles. She stood shivering in the cool air, completely exposed, listening to him describe another woman.
"Then," Shen Yu continued, his hands sliding slowly up her bare stomach, "she asked me to turn around."
He paused, his hands stopping just beneath Lixue's perky, athletic breasts.
"And when I did... I saw them."
He squeezed Lixue's waist, his voice dropping to a husky growl that tore at her confidence.
"Massive. Heavy. Two mounds of soft, mature flesh... so large they could not even fit in my hands."