“We’re ready!” the twins chirped. They gathered their swords and ran outside, ready to start their day.

When their lively little group reached the main grand hall, they busied themselves with setting up their peak’s flag. Sun Ying stared at the unfamiliar piece of cloth – its emblems and colours were the same as the one they had put out during his own try-outs, but its quality was near rubbish.

“Our old flag was better-looking,” remarked Sun Ying. “What happened to it?”

“I threw it away after seeing all the holes you chewed into it back then,” replied Sun Quan lazily. “Make sure you don’t chew this one up too; I had to cough up extra money just for it…”

Sun Ying rolled his eyes. Knowing Sun Quan and how ugly their new flag was, the money he’d coughed out probably wasn’t much. The tall redheaded youth didn’t complain, though – more money just meant better food on the table overall. He swung around and his large, thick ponytail slapped itself against something wobbly.

“……” Sun Ying looked down and saw that his hair had slapped against two beautiful, wobbling breasts.

Xian Lingli, beautiful as a fairy, smiled up at him.

“Sun Ying ah, where’s your sister?” she asked, looking around excitedly. “There’s something I want to give her. Ask her to come out, quick!”

“She’s not around,” Sun Quan stepped in briskly upon seeing his martial brother pale at the sight of the beautiful young woman. “What is it that you want to give her?”

“Well, I thought that if she was around, I’d give her this box of pearls and red imperial coral for her peak to use…”

Sun Quan pulled Sun Ying away immediately and shoved a pill into the latter’s mouth. As it smelled like herbal chicken, the hapless redhead swallowed it down as if on reflex.

“Shixiong, you——”

“Pearls, you brat, pearls!” he shook Sun Ying by his shoulders. “And red coral too! Sun Ying, do you know how many chickens you can buy with that?”

“How many?” asked Sun Ying, looking down at his large newly-formed breasts in grief.

“Six hundred!”

Sun Ying straightened up immediately and marched towards Xian Lingli like a soldier. He took the box from his elder martial cousin and bowed stiffly to her, much to her amusement. After that, she wrapped her arms around his arm and proceeded to drag him away.

Sighing in relief when he saw the box of pearls enter his martial brother’s sleeve, Sun Quan proceeded to continue setting up his peak’s flag. Sun Wu had already run off to greet the other peak lords as per protocol, so that left him to finish up the job. Just as he climbed down to the last three rungs of the ladder, he slipped.

“Whoa!” Sun Quan gasped, but his body never hit the floor.

A pair of arms steadied him by his waist, helping him down gently. Sun Quan turned around to look, and true enough, a pair of phoenix eyes gazed back at him seriously.

“Be careful,” said Xin Chen, his handsome brows as straight as swords and as solemn as ever. “Even if our cultivation levels are high, all sorts of mishaps await us in the world we live in. What will I do if my husband is injured?”

“Don’t call me your husband,” retorted Sun Quan flatly. “Besides, my injuries will heal after a pill or two. Don’t worry yourself.”

“Your bones might heal but the pain is still real,” replied Xin Chen with a sigh. “Husband, you might not know this, but I don’t ever want to see you in pain in any form or shape or way, even if it’s for a moment. It’ll hurt my heart deeply.”

Sun Quan lifted his brows. For the first time in a long time, he had no retort to the young man’s mind-boggling speeches. Somehow Xin Chen’s words struck him as heartfelt, and this caused him to swallow any words back into his belly.

——And for the first time in a long time, Sun Quan’s cheeks flushed red.

“Argh, get lost,” Sun Quan turned around to hide his face and waved his hand hurriedly, but he didn’t push Xin Chen away as the serious youth helped him carry the ladder and followed him away from the main area.