"Lucian, after all these years, someone besides you finally wants to drink my coffee..."
Upon hearing Fu Xuan's request, Himeko smiled, and it was a smile filled with genuine joy that came straight from the bottom of her heart.
In the very next second, Himeko immediately rose from Lucian's lap, opened her suitcase, took out a molecular saw and a bag of coffee beans, then made her way toward the nearby tea room to prepare a fresh cup of coffee with remarkable enthusiasm.
Watching that radiant, almost dazzling smile, Fu Xuan couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Her instincts, sharpened through countless divinations, warned her that she had just made a catastrophic mistake.
At the same time, Lucian remained seated, wearing an expression that practically screamed he was waiting to enjoy the spectacle, the obvious anticipation on his face only making Fu Xuan feel even more uneasy.
A few minutes later, Himeko returned carrying a steaming cup of her special coffee and gently placed it on the table in front of Fu Xuan.
Somehow, the liquid inside was as black as the deepest abyss, with a strangely thick texture that seemed to swallow even the light reflected from its surface. An overwhelmingly bitter aroma drifted through the air, assaulting everyone's senses the moment the cup touched the table.
"H-Hey, is this really meant for people to drink? Can this stuff actually make your breasts bigger?"
Fu Xuan asked as she stared fixedly at the pitch-black liquid while inhaling its overwhelmingly bitter aroma, her small hands trembling ever so slightly as she reluctantly reached for the cup.
"I think I can kinda see a heliobus floating in there..."
Baiheng remarked as she pinched her nose, her expression subtly twisting as though the smell alone had already dealt critical damage.
"I suggest giving up. Small is cute too."
Even Jingliu, who rarely showed even the slightest hesitation, subtly leaned back in her seat and shifted a little closer to Lucian, clearly deciding that maintaining a safe distance from the coffee was the wiser choice.
However, the moment Fu Xuan heard the word 'small' come from Jingliu's mouth, the last shred of hesitation in her heart instantly disappeared, and her pride was completely provoked.
"I refuse to believe this can kill me!"
Fu Xuan shut her eyes, took a deep breath to steel herself, tilted her head back, and gulped the entire cup down in one breath without leaving behind a single drop.
Silence instantly descended upon the room.
Everyone's eyes remained fixed on Fu Xuan, as though waiting for the inevitable outcome.
"Bweh!"
*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*
In the very next second, Fu Xuan's delicate face twisted into a miserable grimace.
Her tongue went completely numb as an overwhelming wave of bitterness, mixed with an indescribable shock, rushed straight into her brain.
Meanwhile, the color rapidly drained from her face before shifting from pale to bright red, then from red to green, finally settling into a disturbingly dark shade that left everyone watching in stunned silence.
"Water... give me... water..."
Supporting herself against the table with one trembling hand, Fu Xuan weakly reached the other toward Lucian, her voice quivering as though she were struggling to hold herself together.
Lucian hurriedly poured her two full glasses of water himself without wasting a second, hoping they would wash away the horrifying taste.
Unfortunately, what Himeko's coffee inflicted wasn't physical damage but psychological damage. Even the blessing of Abundance was completely powerless against such a devastating assault.
*Gulp-Gulp-Gulp—*
Fu Xuan frantically emptied one glass after another, practically chugging several glasses of water before she finally managed to barely suppress the terrifying aftertaste.
Even then, her head continued to spin violently, her stomach churned as though it had been turned completely upside down, every part of her body screamed in protest, and the horrifying bitterness lingered stubbornly in her mouth, refusing to fade no matter how much water she drank.
Summoning the last shred of her dignity, Fu Xuan shakily pushed herself to her feet.
"Uhh, this medicine is incredibly potent... I must circulate my energy to neutralize it... I shall bathe and change first... Everyone... make yourselves at home... Blegh..."
As she spoke, Fu Xuan practically fled the room at a hurried jog.
Even her retreating figure seemed to radiate the tragic determination of someone silently enduring unimaginable suffering while stubbornly refusing to admit defeat.
Watching her disappear into the distance, Lucian let out a helpless sigh before turning toward Himeko.
"Next time... add some sugar and milk for her... and don't use the molecular saw... or the adhesive."
Hearing that, Himeko let out a soft sigh of disappointment.
"It seems the Master Diviner is not my kindred spirit..." Himeko said before her expression gradually softened into a gentle smile as she looked at Lucian. "My only kindred spirit... is you."
Over the years, she had met countless people from countless planets and civilizations, yet only Lucian could calmly drink her coffee without changing his expression and even ask for another cup afterward.
In her eyes, that alone was enough to prove they shared an extraordinary bond.
Lucian chuckled helplessly before slowly rising to his feet.
"Anyway, night's almost here. Ladies, let's all take a bath and turn in early today."
Right after saying that, Lucian headed toward the private bathhouse beside the main house, accompanied by the beautiful women gathered around him, chatting and laughing together along the way.
Meanwhile, Fu Xuan remained shut inside her room, desperately brushing her teeth as the horrifying bitterness, powerful enough to make anyone burst into tears, still lingered stubbornly in her mouth.
Since she would be spending intimate time with Lucian later, she absolutely refused to let that awful taste ruin the atmosphere.
Determined to erase every last trace of it, she gritted her teeth and brushed with all her strength, repeating the process ten full times without the slightest intention of stopping early.
===
By now, the bathhouse within Lucian's private residence had been transformed into what seemed like a paradise hidden away from the mortal world.
Hundreds of years earlier, Fyxestroll Garden had originally been a scenic retreat built by the foxians. Had it not become infested by heliobi and taken on such an eerie, unsettling atmosphere, it never would have fallen into abandonment.
One had to admit that the foxians' craftsmanship had always been exceptional. Every pavilion, pathway, and hot spring had been meticulously designed, making the scenery throughout Fyxestroll Garden perfectly suited for retirement, quiet relaxation, and secluded living.
As an Emanator of three Paths, with every woman in his household possessing extraordinary strength, Lucian had absolutely nothing to fear from heliobi.
If one appeared, he caught one.
If two appeared, he caught both.
Compared to the noisy bustle of the city, the peaceful serenity of this place was simply beyond comparison.
Half an hour after the coffee incident, Lucian leaned comfortably against the edge of the spacious bath pool as the pleasantly warm water rose to his chest, allowing the soothing heat to gradually wash away the day's fatigue.
Jingliu and Baiheng rested against him on either side, quietly enjoying the comforting warmth while gentle steam drifted through the bathhouse.
A short distance away, Himeko sat with a faint trace of shyness, using a wooden ladle to slowly pour warm water over her snow-white shoulders. Droplets traced their way down her delicate skin before disappearing beneath the water's surface.
Not far from her, Fu Xuan submerged herself until only her eyes remained above the water's surface, quietly blowing bubbles as she tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
'Guh, they're so big... and so fair... I'm so jealous...'
Fu Xuan thought with mounting frustration as her gaze never left Himeko—or, more specifically, it never left Himeko's chest.
"My, this water feels amazing~"
*Splash!*
Baiheng giggled as she casually splashed some water toward Jingliu.
Yet her mischievous eyes kept drifting toward Himeko across the bath, and a wicked grin slowly spread across her face as a playful idea suddenly crossed her mind.
"Jingliu, check out Himeko's figure. Seriously, even I'm impressed. Someone's starting to feel inferior, huh?"
Hearing that, Jingliu slowly opened her half-lidded crimson eyes and cast Baiheng a cool, emotionless glance that carried a faint hint of warning.
"Baiheng, is your tail itching again?"
"Hey, I'm just telling the truth!"
Baiheng deliberately snuggled even closer to Lucian while continuing to stir up trouble without the slightest intention of stopping.
"Just look at those curves and that figure..." Baiheng said, making exaggerated gestures with both hands. "Darling, don't you think she's got way more than Jingliu?"
Just as Lucian opened his mouth, about to answer, Jingliu suddenly moved with lightning speed, effortlessly catching Baiheng as she tried to dodge. In one smooth motion, she pulled the startled foxian across her lap, pinned her firmly in place, and lightly smacked her pert buttocks as punishment for her relentless teasing.
*Pa!*
In an instant, the crisp sound of flesh being slapped echoed throughout the bathhouse, reverberating against the wooden walls before gradually fading into silence.
"Wah! You totally sneak attacked me!"
Baiheng immediately twisted and struggled in protest, trying to free herself, though the bright smile on her face never disappeared.
"Darling, look at her! Jingliu's bullying me! C'mon, do something! Teach her a lesson!"
Before Lucian could respond, Jingliu's lips curled into a faint, amused smile as she, in one smooth, practiced motion, locked Baiheng's arms and legs with a flawless grappling technique before applying just a little pressure with her thighs.
As a result, Baiheng's slender legs were now gently yet firmly forced apart, leaving her beautiful cave, with a small patch of light purple hair adorning the soft skin above it, completely and openly exposed before Lucian's gaze.
Looking toward Lucian, Jingliu maintained her calm, composed smile, her icy crimson eyes carrying a faint yet unmistakable hint of challenge, as though silently inviting him to see how he would respond to the intimate sight before him.
"What are you waiting for? Thrust your dragon into her."
Seeing the captivating scene before him and hearing Jingliu's invitation, Lucian raised an eyebrow before calmly standing and walking over without the slightest hesitation.
Step by step, Lucian approached the two women until, in the next moment, his shadow slowly fell across Baiheng's restrained body.
"No, wait! I don't wanna be first!"
Baiheng's loud protests echoed throughout the bathhouse, ringing against the wooden walls again and again, but as the seconds slowly passed, her complaints gradually lost their momentum, her voice weakening bit by bit until they dissolved into increasingly helpless pleas and soft, breathless moans for mercy.
Watching everything unfold before her eyes, Himeko was completely stunned, her gaze fixed on the unbelievable scene as she struggled to process what she was witnessing.
More importantly, she could clearly sense that the current Lucian had become even stronger than he had been in that dream.
Far stronger.
Far more terrifying.
Especially the aura surrounding him, his overwhelming vitality, and the almost oppressive presence he unconsciously radiated were all on an entirely different level from what she remembered.
'No wonder they accepted every new wife so easily... so this is why... they want me to help share the burden...'
Himeko was intelligent enough to piece everything together almost instantly.
By the time Baiheng's punishment finally came to an end, she lay limply on the wooden floor with flushed cheeks, tearful eyes, and ragged breathing, looking as though every ounce of strength had been completely drained from her body.
Even then, she stubbornly continued muttering somewhat absentmindedly between uneven breaths.
"...Not fair... You're always picking on me... Himeko's the newcomer. Why don't you see what kinda fighter she is... Maybe she's even stronger than me..."
As soon as those words left her mouth, not only Baiheng herself, but even Jingliu and Fu Xuan, who had been pretending to be invisible the entire time, all seemed to light up simultaneously.
In the next instant, three pairs of eyes turned toward Himeko, who was still staring blankly at everything that had just happened, her cheeks burning a brilliant shade of crimson.
"!!!"
Almost purely on instinct, Himeko took a step backward, intending to retreat.
Only then did she realize that, without her noticing, the three women had already surrounded her from different directions, silently cutting off every possible escape route.
"Get her! Hurry! Let's give our new little sister a taste of the family rules too!"
Even though Baiheng was still catching her breath while leaning against Lucian's embrace, she excitedly pointed toward Himeko, her eyes sparkling as she enthusiastically urged the others on.
Jingliu was the first to act.
Without saying another word, she calmly stepped forward, her movements as composed and decisive as ever, before reaching out and gently but firmly seizing Himeko's wrist.
"That's right! We share blessings together! And hardships too!"
Fu Xuan exclaimed with unusual enthusiasm as she emerged from the water, then quickly wrapped her arms around Himeko's waist from the opposite side. Her small face overflowed with eager anticipation, as though she couldn't wait to drag Himeko into sharing the same fate.
"W-Wait! What are you all doing?!"
Thankfully, Himeko's graceful footwork allowed her to slip past Jingliu's repeated grappling attempts with elegant precision and evade Fu Xuan's embrace, weaving effortlessly through every coordinated pincer attack launched by the two women.
If not for the power of the Emanator of Trailblaze supporting her, she truly would have been helpless against their relentless pursuit.
"You've got some skill. Let's see how I catch you."
As those words left her lips, Fu Xuan actually activated her third eye to predict Himeko's movements in advance, coordinating seamlessly with Jingliu's exceptional combat skills as they gradually cut off every possible escape route.
Just like that, the three women chased one another throughout the bathhouse—whenever Himeko fled, the other two pursued her without hesitation. Yet no matter how skillfully she dodged or how desperately she tried to escape, every path forward was eventually blocked, making her escape seem increasingly impossible.
Meanwhile, Baiheng, who had already been thoroughly exhausted by her earlier punishment, ultimately didn't have enough strength to join the chase. Left completely drained, she could only lean against the edge of the bath and cheer enthusiastically from the sidelines.
Watching the lively yet undeniably seductive chaos unfolding before him—especially Himeko's embarrassed, flustered expression, her slightly disheveled appearance, and those misty, pleading eyes—Lucian, who had been silently observing from the side the entire time, felt his throat tighten slightly.
In the end, he couldn't suppress the fire burning inside him any longer.
In the next moment, Lucian's figure vanished in a blur, and before anyone could react, he appeared directly behind Himeko in the blink of an eye, effortlessly catching her in his embrace before she could slip away again.
Warm, soft sensations instantly spread through Lucian's hands as Himeko's attempt to escape came to an abrupt halt.
"Himeko, surrender peacefully... or you'll end up just like Baiheng."
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 300 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]