"Once you safely emerge from seclusion, I'll give myself to you as a reward."
Xiao Tian's eyes lit up the instant he heard Han Yue's words. Fortunately, he had weathered countless beauty traps by now. His willpower had grown quite firm. If he had heard these words in the past, he would have swept her up and ridden off without waiting for any seclusion.
"Good. Then you'd better wash up and wait for my favor."
He wrapped his arm around her waist, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Do you think you're an emperor, bestowing favor? Are you going to flip a card too?"
Medusa's teasing voice drifted over to the two who were lost in their own world.
Only then did Han Yue remember—they were not alone. When her emotions had surged, she had completely forgotten the others were there. She was so mortified she buried her face deep in Xiao Tian's chest, as if saying, *You can't see me.*
Xiao Tian gently stroked her back. "It's alright. Later, you'll get your chance to tease them back."
The moment he finished speaking, his hand stiffened. Everyone else was shooting death glares straight at him. If Xiao Tian had looked up, he would have seen a massive "DANGER" sign hovering over his head.
"Ahem. I should go into seclusion now."
And with that, he simply vanished.
Han Yue, still braced in his arms, was left utterly bewildered. Where did such a large Xiao Tian go? How could he just disappear?
She turned and caught the looks in the others' eyes. Combined with Xiao Tian's parting words, she instantly understood why he had fled. She couldn't help but let out a soft "pfft" of laughter.
"Oh, Yue'er. Are you laughing at us? It seems you've also been thinking about what Xiao Tian said."
Ya Fei looked at Han Yue with a mischievous gleam. The others slowly gathered around.
"No, no, no! You're mistaken!"
Han Yue stared at the women closing in and felt an overwhelming sense of threat. Her body retreated, step by step, but no matter how much she stepped back, she seemed to be walking in place.
"Sister Xian'er! You're being completely unfair!"
Han Yue instantly understood the situation. Xiao Yi Xian had made her move.
"I suggest you stop struggling. It's useless. Just obediently accept your punishment."
As the women drew closer, Han Yue grew more and more flustered. Right now, she was a little lamb surrounded by five wolves. They closed in, and one by one, their wicked hands reached out, tickling Han Yue's softest spots without mercy.
"No—no—hahaha!"
Han Yue tried to push their hands away, but two fists could never beat eight hands. In the end, she could only twist and squirm, laughter and desperate protests tumbling from her mouth.
But as the situation spiraled, it evolved from a group attack into a full free-for-all. Several women revealed quite a bit of their charm in the chaos. In an instant, the whole place became a garden of spring. Even a hundred blooming flowers would pale beside their playful, frolicking beauty.
Still, besides themselves and Xiao Tian—who was preparing for seclusion—no one else had the privilege of witnessing these peerless beauties at play. Even the bathing scene of the female demons in Journey to the West couldn't match this frolic. (Speaking of Journey to the West—such a shame. All those beauties, and they only focused on the monkey.)
If Xiao Tian had come out at that moment, he would have feasted his eyes. But more likely, he would have been caught and mobbed by the women. That was an undeniable fact. These women were good sisters for life.
Hearing their playful noise, Xiao Tian let a knowing smile touch his lips. This meant his harem was harmonious. No palace intrigues. No schemes. He genuinely loved this lively, warm atmosphere.
As the saying goes—a harmonious family brings prosperity in all things. His women were all broad-minded and understanding. Not the kind whose heads were full of power struggles.
Xiao Tian didn't keep watching their frolic. After this commotion, Han Yue would be fully integrated among them. Medusa and the others had done this deliberately—to help her blend into the Eternal Dream Palace faster.
---
Instead of beginning his cultivation immediately, Xiao Tian brought out his medicine cauldron.
With a wave of his hand, a massive pile of medicinal herbs appeared on the floor. Every single one contained immense energy. That's right—Xiao Tian didn't know how long this seclusion would last. He planned to refine a batch of pills first, so he wouldn't break his promise to Zi Yan right after making it. She would always have pills to eat. Breaking a promise the moment it left his lips would leave a terrible impression. And if this wildly talented Magical Beast ran away—where would he find another?
About an hour later, Xiao Tian stared at the jade bottles on the ground and muttered to himself, "These more than five hundred pills… that should be enough for her to eat for a long time, right?"
He stopped thinking about it. These surplus, energy-rich herbs were all he had at the moment. The rest—all the other energy-heavy ingredients—were ones he needed for himself.
He flicked his hand forward. The large jade bottles transformed into streaks of light, shooting out of the palace toward where the women were gathered.
They sensed something approaching, but none of them moved. The aura belonged to Xiao Tian. Every one of them was absolutely certain he would never do anything to harm them. Xiao Tian doted on them all, spoiled them endlessly—except, perhaps, for certain moments when he made them bleed.
The streaks of light landed steadily on the table before the women. They stared at the jade bottles, puzzled. Through the bottles, they couldn't sense much, but they could see the contents—pills resembling medicinal pellets.
Xiao Tian's voice slowly echoed in their ears. "Yue'er, these herbal pellets are for Zi Yan. If she comes looking for me later, give these to her."
"Hmm… you don't need to hand them all over at once. Half at a time is fine. Too many and she might lose control."
Han Yue answered with a quick "Alright."
"Good. Then I'm going into seclusion. All of you should spend this time cultivating as well. You can challenge the Trial Tower too. Yun'er, Fei'er—you two can go directly to the warehouse and take energy crystals."
The women all nodded at Xiao Tian's arrangements. Though he hadn't spelled out his intentions, they had already caught the taste of battle in his voice. Thinking of how Xiao Tian's mind worked, they could guess what his words truly meant.
---
After Xiao Tian's voice faded, Ya Fei glanced curiously at the jade bottles on the table, then looked at Han Yue. "Sister Yue'er, who is this Zi Yan?"
The name sounded unmistakably like a girl's. The others turned their gazes over as well.
Han Yue briefly explained Zi Yan's identity, even mentioning that Xiao Tian had told her Zi Yan was actually a Magical Beast.
"So that's it. And here I thought he was hiding another beauty on the side."
Yun Yun smiled as the picture became clear.
"But it seems Xiao Tian plans to bring her into the Eternal Heaven Divine Palace. After all, she's topped your academy's rankings multiple times. Her talent must be extraordinary."
"At first, when I heard she looked twelve or thirteen, I was terrified Xiao Tian had developed some strange hobbies."