Because she remembered Diana Toba was still nearby, Lila Li struggled fiercely, but Ian Song refused to let her go. His kiss grew more intense, and his hands wandered restlessly over her body. Gradually, Lila’s resistance faded, and in the end, she seemed to forget Diana’s presence entirely, instead moving in sync with Ian’s rhythm.
Diana Toba watched, dumbfounded. A wave of jealousy surged in her heart—clearly, Lila Li was more important to Ian. Unable to bear it, she decided she couldn’t stay here any longer.
Just as she was about to leave, Ian reached out and pulled her to his side, turning his head to seal her lips with a kiss.
Diana’s resentment vanished the moment Ian kissed her.
After a long while, Ian finally let go of Diana, whose cheeks were flushed from the kiss. Then, with a flicker, he wrapped his arms around both women and vanished from the study, appearing before a large bed.
"Husband, what are you planning to do?" Lila Li asked, blushing deeply as she came to her senses.
"Ian, don’t tell me you’re thinking—?" Diana Toba also snapped back to herself.
"Heh heh!"
Seeing this, Ian couldn’t help but breathe a huge sigh of relief.
That day, Master Heaven-Secrets suddenly arrived with Hannah Murong to say goodbye.
To Ian's surprise, Lila Li also asked to enter the Divine Temple to cultivate alongside Diana Toba.
Ian didn’t refuse.
With both mistresses in closed-door cultivation, the Song Residence grew quiet. On the second night after they entered the Divine Temple, Ian took Lena Ling to bed and, through dual cultivation, helped her break through to the Combined-Body stage.
In the following days, Ian met several times with his fellow playboys, including Ethan Eastwood and Mason Moon. He also had a secret rendezvous with the Silver Fox Princess.
Life was very comfortable.
However, the system still hadn’t issued a third mission or announced a date for his return, making Ian uneasy. Did he really have to complete a hidden mission to go back?
One day—
Ian met secretly with the Silver Fox Princess again at a secluded teahouse.
The Silver Fox Princess said, "The Empress wants to push reforms and establish cultivation academies in every province to select talent for the court. What do you think, Young Master?"
Ian pondered, "Although the Great Zhou Empire belongs to the court, governing it isn’t just the court’s responsibility—many sects are involved. Once cultivation academies are set up, that’s digging at the sects’ foundations, and they’ll surely push back."
Having been an emperor himself, Ian immediately saw the difficulties and dangers involved.
The Silver Fox Princess frowned slightly. "Do you have any ideas, Young Master?"
On their second meeting, the Silver Fox no longer called him General, but Young Master.
After a moment’s thought, Ian said, "This matter shouldn’t be handled by the Empress herself."
The Silver Fox Princess nodded. "And what else?"
Ian continued, "Don’t move too aggressively, or you’ll alarm the sects. It’s best to use the ‘boiling the frog’ strategy!"
The Silver Fox Princess frowned slightly. "What’s the ‘boiling the frog’ strategy?"
Ian explained, "If you toss a frog into boiling water, it’ll jump out immediately. But if you put it in warm water and slowly raise the temperature, by the time it realizes the danger, it can’t escape."
You’re brilliant, Young Master!
The Silver Fox Princess praised, her gaze toward Ian changing. "But the Ten-Yao Continent is about to unify. Once its forces are consolidated, they’ll pose a major threat to the Southern Continent. So, while ‘boiling the frog’ is clever, I’m afraid the Empress lacks the patience! Do you have any other ideas?"
Ian shook his head. "Haste makes waste. Reform is dangerous—either the court uproots the sects, or the sects overthrow the court. Every step must be careful; you can’t rush it."
"But we don’t have that much time!" The Silver Fox Princess said, her face anxious.
Ian sighed softly and didn’t say anything more.
Half an hour later, in the rear garden of the Imperial Palace.
The Empress, dressed in a purple-gold dragon robe, finished watching the recording stone the Silver Fox Princess had brought back and nodded in praise. "This Ian Song is truly insightful. It’s a pity he’s already joined the Phoenix Heaven Church; otherwise, I’d make use of him!"
The Empress looked about thirty, with a voluptuous figure, but her bright, authoritative eyes made people afraid to meet her gaze.
Standing before her, the Silver Fox Princess and Camellia Highgate said nothing.
The next moment, the Empress looked at the two women and asked:
"Silver Fox, Camellia, who do you think should handle the founding of the cultivation academies?"
After a brief silence, the Silver Fox Princess said, "Princess Claire."
The Empress nodded slightly, her gaze thoughtful.
Camellia Highgate agreed, "Princess Claire is the best choice."
The Empress smiled faintly. "Then let Princess Claire handle it. You two can assist her."
"Yes, Your Majesty," both women answered respectfully.
The Empress looked out at the vast sky, her eyes full of determination.
She murmured, "No matter how difficult, this reform must succeed."
The meeting ended, leaving the garden silent and tense.
At the same time, news of the upcoming academies began to spread throughout the capital.
Ian, unaware of the Empress’s decision, continued his cultivation and household affairs.
But soon, he would be drawn into the storm of reform sweeping across the empire.