Xiao Tian caught her by the scruff of the neck with a backhand grip, spun her around, and draped her entire body across his lap. Zi Yan had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what was coming. Her short legs kicked frantically. "You… you wouldn't dare! I'll go report you!"
"Oh? And who exactly do you think will stand up for you?" At Xiao Tian's words, Zi Yan's mind instantly replayed the scene she had witnessed that night—the night Medusa had promised to teach Xiao Tian a lesson. The memory alone had frozen her in place for a solid half hour. She melted instantly, her voice dripping with flattery and desperation. "Xiao Tian Gege~ Please let me go, alright? I'll never do it again. I swear."
Xiao Tian didn't release her. Instead, he pinned her hands and feet, pulled her closer, raised his palm, and brought it down on her small bottom.
*Slap, slap, slap!*
"Ah, ah, ah~" The crisp sound of each smack and Zi Yan's yelps echoed across the lake. After a thorough spanking, Xiao Tian set her down. Zi Yan rubbed her stinging rear, her lips pursed in open defiance, muttering furiously to herself. *Big bad guy. What kind of decent person spanks someone after pulling their pants down?* Had Xiao Tian known her thoughts, he would have laughed aloud. She called him a good person when she wanted pills. Now he was a big bad guy.
He'd only put on a show to teach her a lesson. After all, Zi Yan only let her mischief loose in front of him. Outside, she was perfectly reliable. "Will you dare pull something like that again?" He stowed the Heavenly Dreaming Gold rod and pinched her cheek, chuckling.
"I won't dare! I know I was wrong! I definitely won't do it again!" She put on an award-winning performance of remorse, the very picture of repentance. Xiao Tian ruffled her hair and walked toward the dining hall. Behind his back, Zi Yan waved her fists at his retreating figure several times, as if flinging her resentment into the air.
---
Over the course of this year, everyone's strength had undergone earth-shattering transformations. Zi Yan now stood at the peak of Dou King. Ya Fei at Six-Star Dou Huang. Han Yue at Seven-Star Dou Huang. Qing Lin at One-Star Dou Zong. Yun Yun at Nine-Star Dou Zong. Xiao Tian himself had reached Three-Star Dou Zun. Medusa at Two-Star Dou Zun. Xiao Yi Xian at Seven-Star Dou Zun. Even the little ones, Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng, were already at One-Star Dou King. Xiao Huiying's strength was comparable to a One-Turn Dou Zun. The Xiao Family's current power, even measured against the Central Plains, was far from weak.
---
In the bathhouse of Xiao Tian's private quarters, he leaned back against the edge of the tub, basking in the warmth of the hot spring. Across from him, Medusa, Han Yue, and three others were gathered together, thoroughly studying Han Yue. Medusa turned to Xiao Tian and shook her fist. "That's enough. You can't keep bullying Yun'er like that."
Xiao Tian glanced at her and replied lazily, "Understood. But it also depends on all of you, doesn't it? Or would you like to help her?"
"You wish! I'm busy, and it's hardly convenient right now. Ask them." Medusa rolled her eyes and instantly sold out her sisters.
"It's not my turn today. And it's too uncomfortable."
"I don't want to either."
The women all shook their heads, crossing their arms in unified refusal. There were simply too many people, and the shyness was overwhelming. Han Yue, meanwhile, had no chance to answer—she was currently the subject of their enthusiastic study.
Xiao Tian felt his sound transmission stone vibrate wildly. He frowned, retrieved it, and absorbed the information within. His expression shifted into something deeply amused. The others caught the change instantly. Xiao Yi Xian glided over, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "What is it?"
"Just something interesting. See for yourself." Xiao Yi Xian took the stone. Qing Lin and the others crowded around, and the moment they read the message, soft laughter rippled through them. Xiao Yi Xian reached out and patted the water's surface. Yun Yun emerged, tidying her damp, tousled hair. She accepted the stone Xiao Yi Xian handed her. "What's wrong?"
"Take a look."
Yun Yun's eyes swept the information, and instantly her face was a mask of exasperated lines. The message was from Yun Shan. The first line was four simple, almost pitiful words: *Son-in-law, save me!* What followed was his explanation. The three great empires—Chu Yun, Luo Yan, and Mulan—had jointly launched an assault on the Jia Ma Empire. Xiao Tian's odd reaction wasn't solely due to Yun Shan's desperate address and plea for rescue. It was because the three empires were attacking the Jia Ma Empire over a full year earlier than expected.
Xiao Tian turned to Xiao Yi Xian. She drifted to his side, clearly puzzled. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing. I just realized you're even more beautiful than before." He pulled her close and gently touched her faintly swelling belly, sensing the life within.
Just then, a perfectly flat stomach was thrust directly in front of him. He looked up, past the mountains, and found Medusa's enchanting face. She had her head tilted, eyes darting anywhere but at him. Xiao Tian chuckled silently. *Such a tsundere. She clearly wants me to touch her pregnant belly too, but she has to pretend she doesn't care.* Without hesitation, he gently stroked her stomach as well. Medusa retreated contentedly and settled to the side.
Nearby, Yun Yun finally processed the full weight of the information. She looked at Xiao Tian with eyes brimming with unspoken pleas, a thousand words poised on her lips yet unable to find voice. Xiao Tian waved a hand, and her body floated into his arms. He caressed her face tenderly. "Don't worry. Your teacher is safe for now. Tomorrow, Hui Ying and I will return. You know her speed. Besides—I still owe Yun Shan a favor."
Yun Yun understood perfectly which favor he meant. It was a debt he had incurred for her sake. Gratitude flooded her eyes, and a decision crystallized in her heart. This time, she would fully repay her teacher's nurturing kindness. Another, quieter resolution formed alongside it.
At that very moment, Xiao Huiying was in Zi Yan's palace, where the two of them were putting Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng to sleep.
"So don't overthink anything. Leave it all to me. You just focus on managing the Heaven Punishing Divine Palace well and expanding the Xiao Family's descendants. Give me ten or eight children. And that applies to all of you too."
Hearing this, Yun Yun swatted Xiao Tian's chest. "Do you take me for a sow, to birth so many?"
"Pfft." The other four women let out a collective scoff. But in the midst of it, a quiet, earnest voice slipped through. "Young Master… Qing Lin is willing." *Oh no. There's a traitor among us.*
"Traitor!" ×4
The four women descended on Qing Lin's most ticklish spots without mercy. She twisted and squirmed, trying desperately to evade their demonic claws.
Yun Yun watched the five of them tussle and bicker, then tilted her head to study Xiao Tian's handsome profile. A happy curve graced her lips. She reached down, placed a hand beneath the water, and rose slightly. Her fingers curled gently, testing the heat. To avoid scalding herself, she lowered herself slowly, letting her body acclimate. The water seemed far too hot at first, forcing her to rise again, then sink once more with patient deliberation. She couldn't suppress a small frown. Only after fully adjusting did her brow gradually ease. Perhaps it was the water's enveloping warmth that drew a sound of pure comfort from her lips—a sound steeped in deep contentment and relief, her worries cast aside in an instant.
Gentle ripples spread across the water's surface. Her skin grew rosy and impossibly soft in the heat. Ya Fei and the others noticed at once. Even the pregnant Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa drew near, content to simply bask in the moment together. For a long, suspended stretch of time, the women's joyful voices filled the bathhouse. The water's surface undulated in an endless, rhythmic dance. The sound of lapping waves and their mingled voices wove together, slowly, into a melody of exquisite beauty.