After Zi Yan and Medusa had talked for a while, they discovered their personalities were strikingly similar. The more they spoke, the more they clicked. Medusa had practically adopted Zi Yan as a younger sister. In an ancient dynasty, they would likely have sworn an oath of sisterhood by now. Xiao Tian watched the two of them getting along so seamlessly and realized things weren't unfolding as he'd pictured. Shouldn't Zi Yan be causing chaos while Medusa played the gentle older sister? How had it turned into the two of them in cahoots instead? What he didn't realize was that, thanks to certain experiences, the current Medusa had already begun to stray from her original path—and it was the kind of straying where she was letting her true nature loose. The moment Xiao Tian brought Zi Yan into the fold, the birth of the three scourges of the Heaven Punishing Divine Realm was all but guaranteed.
Xiao Tian was currently buried in the affairs of the Heaven Punishing Divine Palace. The Black-Corner Region was in the middle of unification. Subjugating territories didn't require him to act personally—Hai Bodong handled most routine matters, while Old Wen or Xiao Yi Xian directly deployed "nuclear options" for the major obstacles. By now, the only Dou Zong left in the entire Black-Corner Region was that Old Man Yinshan, skulking in whatever hole he'd found to hide in. As for the Dou Huangs and Dou Kings of the various major powers—they had either surrendered or gone to the underworld. There was no third path.
Xiao Tian stared at the dense stacks of documents and files and rubbed his forehead. "This is truly not a job meant for humans. I still need to find a secretary. How can a boss of my stature handle this personally?" Still, he had to find someone reliable. The last thing he needed was to emerge from seclusion one day and discover his outsourced subordinates had left him a "big surprise."
After Xiao Tian finished everything, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. A pair of hands reached out from behind him, settling on his temples, and began to massage with gentle pressure. Xiao Tian quietly enjoyed it, letting his mind drift. About ten minutes later, he pulled the person behind him straight onto his lap. She nestled into his embrace without resistance.
"Fei'er, you should be handling these matters. I'm far more suited to supporting you from behind."
Ya Fei covered her mouth and laughed softly. "Hehe. I thought you'd give up after a single day. I never expected you, the hands-off boss, to last three whole days."
"I was only trying to be considerate. I had no idea there was this much to do." Xiao Tian buried his face in the curve of her neck and breathed deep.
"You insisted on shouldering everything yourself. Our sisters have already divided the work among us—we can clear it quickly." Her finger traced lazy circles on his chest as she spoke, her laughter like chimes.
"Then leave these matters to you from now on. Don't even think about slacking off. Just come to me if anything comes up." Xiao Tian surrendered any further ambition of tackling the work himself. He simply wasn't built for it. Fortunately, he had several highly capable wives. His stomach wasn't strong, so he was far better suited to "eating soft rice"—easy to digest. A pity he hadn't yet reached the level of "eating soft rice while acting tough" like a certain Uncle Da. Aside from one particular queen who had already gone completely useless, the other women were the true pillars of the Heaven Punishing Divine Palace. Within the palace, he was merely a spiritual totem.
*Queen Medusa: Just report my ID number.*
"The sisters all knew you wouldn't last long at this. But right now, I do have something I can't resolve on my own—and I need you to support me from behind."
At Ya Fei's sweet, coaxing words, Xiao Tian immediately sealed the entire office in a barrier of Dou Qi. "Of course. If you need me, I'll accompany you without question. Speak freely here. But first…" His finger traced lightly across her lips. She understood his meaning perfectly. She shot him a glare, then poked his forehead with a gesture dripping in charm. "You only know how to bully me."
"How can you call that bullying? You should know—you're my most favored."
"I don't believe a word of your nonsense. You say that to every sister."
"Impossible. Right now, you're my absolute favorite. My most beloved. My most cherished." Hearing his shameless declarations, Ya Fei rose from his lap, straightened her clothes, and pointedly refused to look at him. As she approached the door, a large python suddenly darted out, startling her. She knew it was Xiao Tian's pet, but she'd been lost in thought and hadn't been paying attention.
Women generally feared snakes, let alone a fierce python. But Ya Fei had seen this one countless times—had even fed it on many occasions. When she saw it bare its fangs at her, she immediately seized it by the vulnerable spot behind its head. The python, realizing its weak point had been captured and recognizing its captor as one of its mistresses, immediately shifted into a fawning posture. Ya Fei watched it squirm and wriggle in her grip. The more she looked, the cuter it seemed. Her irritation melted away. She even gave it a kiss, and the python's obsequiousness redoubled. Though cold-blooded by nature, that applied only to wild snakes—this one was thoroughly domesticated. Feeling her friendliness, it stretched its serpentine body out comfortably, making it easier for her to interact with it. She was endlessly curious about the creature. It usually slept, waking only under specific circumstances. Every time she saw it, she adored it completely.
After playing with the python for nearly half an hour, she seemed to recall something. She turned, leaned over the desk, and began rifling through its contents as though searching. The python, seeing the mistress who had been playing with it suddenly stand, followed curiously to help. But it was only a python—it couldn't comprehend such things. Watching her expression shift and change, it swayed its body continuously, hoping to bring her joy and soothe her emotions. For nearly an hour, the python soothed her without pause. At last, Ya Fei found what she needed among the table full of documents.
Xiao Tian moved his pet aside. Gazing at the desk, now thoroughly disheveled from her searching, he pinched her cheek. "You've made a complete mess of my desk. How am I supposed to work now? And I haven't even had my meat buns yet—you've made the juice spill everywhere."
Ya Fei glared at him without a shred of guilt. "You didn't eat them yourself. How can you pin that on me? That's your own problem. At most, I'll compensate you tonight."
"Fine then. Don't go back on your word." Xiao Tian nodded with studied indifference, though his reminder was pointed.
"You still don't trust me?" She arched a brow.
"Then tonight, call Yue'er as well. I have some things to instruct you both about." Xiao Tian explained a few more matters to her. After he finished, Ya Fei took her leave. Returning to the Eternal Dream Palace, she relayed the tasks Xiao Tian had assigned. She found herself looking forward, with some anticipation, to whatever Xiao Tian planned to instruct them.