Mu Tianyi spent the entire afternoon undergoing Mu En's special training.
Because of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Mu En temporarily changed the training regimen.
Instead of gradually teaching him how to use and understand the Bright Sacred Dragon as before, he immediately ramped up the intensity.
Maintaining his state under extreme pressure, smoothly switching between yin and yang power, recovering his stamina after releasing the fusion form...
One task after another left Mu Tianyi unable to catch his breath.
The old man sat at the edge of the field drinking tea. He occasionally offered a few pointers, but most of the time, he simply watched him with those deep eyes without saying a word.
Mu Tianyi was so exhausted that he could barely lift his arms. He had only one thought in his mind:
Xuan Zu is training me like a beast.
As for that Dragon Core, Mu En merely mentioned it in passing:
"I was going to pass it on to you anyway. Sooner or later makes no difference."
Mu Tianyi had just finished training and was lying on the ground gasping for breath. He did not even have the strength to thank him.
Night fell.
Mu Tianyi dragged his nearly broken body back to the small courtyard.
Moonlight spilled across the lake, making the ripples shimmer. The night breeze passed through the parasol tree leaves, carrying a hint of coolness.
He pushed open the courtyard gate, walked down the path, and opened the door.
The lights were on inside, warm yellow light spilling out from the living room.
The moment he stepped over the threshold, a figure rose from the sofa and walked toward him.
"You're back?"
Zhang Lexuan's voice was soft and gentle, carrying an effortless concern.
Mu Tianyi looked up, then... his whole body froze.
Zhang Lexuan had changed into a light pink, gauzy set of sleepwear. The fabric was so soft and light that it resembled a layer of mist, draping loosely over her body.
The neckline was not particularly low, but its half-hidden quality was more lethal than anything else.
The light shone in from the side, outlining her figure through the thin gauze.
Her slender waist, the hazy pale skin beneath her collarbones, her rounded shoulders...
Faintly visible, hazy and indistinct.
P.S. Let me insert a picture. The author tried generating it with AI. I originally wanted to use the above description as the prompt, but the AI flagged it as erotic, so I had to tone it down.
Even though Mu Tianyi had seen countless films in his previous life and prided himself on his self-control, his old face could not help flushing red. He hurriedly looked away.
Zhang Lexuan did not seem to mind, or rather, she had not noticed anything unusual about him at all.
She naturally took the coat Mu Tianyi had casually left by the entryway, hung it on the nearby rack, then turned and asked him:
"Tianyi, have you eaten dinner?"
"Not yet." Mu Tianyi cleared his throat, his voice sounding a little unnatural.
Zhang Lexuan frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.
"You still haven't eaten this late?"
As she spoke, she had already turned toward the kitchen. She rolled up her sleeves as she walked, exposing her fair, slender forearms.
"Rest for now. I'll make you a bowl of noodles. It'll be quick."
Mu Tianyi stood in the entryway, watching her retreating back.
The hem of her gauzy sleepwear swayed lightly with her steps, vaguely revealing the line of her calves.
He suddenly felt that there was an indescribable naturalness to the way things were between him and Sister Lexuan.
He came home, and she was there.
He was hungry, and she cooked.
It was as though... they were an old married couple.
Mu Tianyi shook his head, tossing the thought out of his mind as he headed for the bathroom.
"Thank you, Sister Lexuan. I'll take a shower first."
"Mm. The water's already heated. Just turn it on."
Zhang Lexuan's voice drifted out from the kitchen.
A quarter of an hour later.
Mu Tianyi emerged from the bathroom, having changed into a clean set of cotton loungewear.
Steam rose from his body, and several strands of damp black hair clung to his forehead.
He had already looked at his current appearance in the bathroom mirror.
Though he did not possess the burly, over-six-foot stature he had during the Yin-Yang Divine Dragon Transformation,
his body had indeed undergone considerable changes after all this time of continuous transformation.
The thin, childish frame he had possessed as an eight-year-old had grown quite a bit taller.
Though it was not an outrageous height yet, he was visibly around five feet tall. Among children his age, he would absolutely stand head and shoulders above the rest.
His shoulders had broadened slightly, and distinct muscle definition had appeared on his arms and calves. Yet he did not look rough or bulky. Instead, he was lean and well-proportioned, carrying the unique wiry quality of youth.
The most obvious change was his bearing.
No matter how composed he had once been, his face had still been that of a child.
Now, some of that childishness had faded from his brows and eyes.
His features had become more defined, and the occasional golden glint flashing through his dark eyes added an inexplicable sense of pressure to his presence.
In short,
he now looked about the same age as Zhang Lexuan.
Mu Tianyi came out while drying his hair and happened to see Zhang Lexuan carrying a bowl of noodles out of the kitchen and placing it on the dining table.
"Come eat."
Mu Tianyi walked over and sat down, lowering his gaze to look.
It was a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup. The broth was clear and golden, topped with a poached egg, chopped scallions, and a few green vegetables.
It was a simple combination, yet it immediately whetted his appetite.
"Sister Lexuan, thank you for your hard work." Mu Tianyi picked up his chopsticks.
Zhang Lexuan sat across from him, propping up her chin with both hands and tilting her head as she watched him. The corners of her lips curved slightly.
"Eat quickly, before the noodles get soggy."
Mu Tianyi lowered his head and slurped up a large mouthful of noodles. They were so hot that he hissed, but the rich fragrance rushed straight to his head.
He gave her a thumbs-up and mumbled, "Delicious."
"Slow down. No one's going to steal it from you."
Seeing him bare his teeth from the heat, Zhang Lexuan could not help laughing. She reached out and pushed the cool tea on the table toward him.
Mu Tianyi gulped down a mouthful of cool tea, swallowed the noodles in his mouth, and let out a long breath.
"Sister Lexuan, I'm not bragging, but if you opened a noodle shop outside, your cooking could feed half of Shrek City."
The tips of Zhang Lexuan's ears reddened as she lightly smacked him.
"Stop spouting nonsense."
"I mean it." Mu Tianyi picked up another mouthful of noodles and said seriously, "You made these noodles yourself, right? They're springy, not soft and mushy like the ones sold outside."
"And the broth was simmered too. You didn't just fool me with plain water and seasonings."
Zhang Lexuan's eyes widened slightly.
Clearly, she had not expected him to taste all those details.
She really had prepared these in advance.
Mu Tianyi gave her a thumbs-up and grinned until his eyes curved. "Sister Lexuan, from now on, you're our family's head chef. The sky is vast, the earth is vast, but Sister Lexuan is the greatest."
"Huh? Ah?"
Zhang Lexuan's ears turned red at his words. She pursed her lips without replying, but her gaze quietly drifted elsewhere.
What did he mean, the sky is vast, the earth is vast, but Sister Lexuan is the greatest?
Why did this little guy speak so... improperly?
Her lashes lowered as her fingertips unconsciously twirled a strand of hair hanging over her shoulder. Her heart beat several times faster than usual, and even the roots of her ears were burning.
What was this supposed to be?
Was he flirting with me?
Zhang Lexuan bit her lower lip, her thoughts a little muddled.
She knew that she was Mu Tianyi's fiancée.
Ever since the day it had been decided, she had never regretted it. She had also prepared herself to spend the rest of her life with him.
But preparation was one thing. When the moment truly came...
she realized that she was still a little flustered.
After all, she was only a teenage girl.
At the age when love first blossomed, there was someone in her heart.
She would secretly be happy for half the day over one careless remark from him, and her heart would race because of a casual glance from him.
She wanted to appear more natural, yet the corners of her lips stubbornly kept curving upward, impossible to suppress.
Mu Tianyi, however, did not notice anything unusual about Zhang Lexuan. He kept his head down, slurping noodles to his heart's content.
The richness of the chicken broth, the springiness of the noodles, the tenderness of the poached egg...
Bite after bite, he simply could not stop.
Only when the bowl was empty did he finally raise his head.
He saw the girl across from him resting her chin on her hands as she watched him, the blush on her face not yet completely gone.
"Sister Lexuan, why is your face so red?" Mu Tianyi asked in confusion.
Zhang Lexuan paused, then reached up to touch her cheek. It really was a little hot.
"...It's a little hot in the kitchen," she said.
Mu Tianyi did not think much of it and merely nodded. "Oh."
Before you continue