Time slipped by; before anyone noticed, it was already three in the afternoon.
“Ugh… why does my chest feel so heavy?”
Freshly awake, Yugong Jingyue puzzled over the weight at her heart. She blinked—and found Yugami Rexiao and Yugami Rexi using her breasts as pillows.
“Mm… seriously, I thought a ghost was sitting on me.”
She stroked her sisters’ silky hair, a gentle smile like dawn mist. Then she sat up, letting them rest on her lap. Amber sunlight poured through the window, painting a quiet, unspeakable beauty.
“Wah—Second Sis?”
“What time is it, Lingxiao?”
The two rubbed their eyes and stared up, dazed—at Jingyue’s delicate, flawless face.
“Oh, you’re awake. Good afternoon, Lingxiao-chan, Lingsaki-chan.” Jingyue’s smile was warm as tea steam.
“Afternoon, Second Sis. How long did we sleep?”
“So… what time is it?”
They slid off her lap and sat up, eyes on her.
“Right now… three oh six.” She glanced at the clock and answered.
“We slept forever. Half the afternoon’s gone.”
“I want a glass of water. Lingxiao, Second Sis, do you want one?”
Feeling a dry throat, Yugami Rexi climbed down, set out cups, and lifted the kettle at the table.
“Yes, please—Lingsaki-chan. Thanks.”
“Thanks, Lingsaki.”
“Got it. One moment.”
She poured three cups, carried them back to the bed, and handed them to Yugong Jingyue and Yugami Rexiao.
She took a small sip herself, then looked to Jingyue. “Second Sis, any plans this afternoon? It’s boring to have nothing to do.”
“Yeah. Training eats time, but we did enough at the Daynight Sanctuary. We don’t want to spend the whole day cultivating again.” Yugami Rexiao nodded, sipping water.
“Plans? Nope. If we’re ranking the most laid-back clans in the world, the Mizumi Clan is hands-down number one.”
Jingyue shook her head, set down her half-full cup. “Besides, my days are blissfully lazy—chat with Mother, read manga, nap. The sun rises and sets before you know it.”
“Wow! That’s classic shut-in life!”
“A total homebody image.”
They marvelled and fell speechless at her lifestyle.
Jingyue just raised a brow at their teasing. “Do you think anyone in the Mizumi Clan can actually be busy? Is there even a lifestyle here that isn’t pleasure? As for being a shut-in—the entire Central Continent is our home. As long as you don’t leave it, you’re homebound, every day.”
“…It’s either training, being a maid, or enjoying yourself. The Mizumi Clan really only has those three ways of living. Okay, we were wrong. We shouldn’t have teased you, Second Sis.”
“So by Second Sis’s logic, the Mizumi Clan is basically a shut-in clan?”
Yugami Rexiao tilted her head, puzzled. Yugami Rexi answered fast. “Pretty much. But I’m curious—how is everyone so strong in this environment? I haven’t seen anyone below the Sacred Realm. Except newborns and toddlers.”
“That’s easy to understand!”
Jingyue clapped her hands with a crisp pat, utterly matter-of-fact. “The air and magic elements on the Central Continent are several times denser than on the other four continents. Add to that—every meal in the Mizumi Clan uses top-tier ingredients, just a step below heaven-and-earth treasures like the Ice Dream Lotus. A single Mizumi meal, priced outside, could buy several empires. No one could afford it.
“We treat god-tier materials as daily food—that’s the Mizumi Clan. In this environment, do you really need to grind cultivation? Just spend a few hours here and there. Hitting the Sacred Realm in your teens is normal.”
“…”
“…”
The sisters had no words for Yugong Jingyue’s explanation.
After a moment, Yugami Rexiao spoke, voice cautious. “But I heard Big Sis only reached the Sacred Realm after leaving the Central Continent. Before that she was stuck at the SSS-rank peak.”
“You mean Qianji? She’s a bona fide sword maniac. Aside from eating and sleeping, she’s always training the blade. As for magic—she remembers to practice for a few minutes sometimes. And do you know how strong Qianji is now?”
Jingyue paused and finished the last half-cup of water in one go.
“We don’t.”
“How strong?”
The sisters watched her, throats tight.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.”
Jingyue couldn’t help a playful smile at their anxious faces. “Before she became a Sacred Realm mage, Qianji could force back a mid-tier archangel of the Divine Realm. Now, she can absolutely defeat a peak of the Divine Realm—when she calls forth the power of the Sacred Life Sword. And that’s fine. A weapon’s part of your strength, right?”
“Mm. Big Sis is really strong. What about our dear brother?”
“Right, how strong is Brother now?”
Thinking of their most beloved—Yumigawa Sumeragi—the sisters leaned forward, eager.
“Little Emperor? He’s doing great! A year ago, he was no different from an ordinary person. Now he can fight to a draw with a Holy Peak powerhouse who’s awakened a divine artifact’s full might. By the way—his class is Sword Wielder.”
Jingyue adored Yumigawa Sumeragi, and it showed; pride and fondness lit her face like sun on water.
“Wow! Our dear brother is amazing! From a powerless ordinary man to a Sword Wielder rivaling the Holy Peak—in just one year.”
“As expected of Brother!”
The two burst into delighted praise, grins bright as paper lanterns.
“Heh, exactly. Oh, and I forgot one thing—Little Emperor is currently Xinuo Miss’s maid.”
“Our dear brother is… a maid? Wait, who’s Xinuo?”
“We’d love to see Brother in a maid outfit, sure—but he can’t just become someone else’s maid! Who is this Xinuo?”
Uh-oh. The sisters sounded a little angry.
“Xinuo Miss is the mentor who taught Little Emperor to become a Sword Wielder. Also—don’t oppose her. Our Ancestor was trained by her. In a certain sense, Xinuo Miss is greater than the Ancestor. Many apex powerhouses fear not the Ancestor, but her.”
Jingyue hurried to warn them, warding off future tragedy.
“Uuu… dear brother…”
“Brother…”
Right then, Yugami Rexiao and Yugami Rexi sank into gloom, almost in tears.
“Hey, hey, no need for this. Little Emperor isn’t the least bit unhappy being a maid. Honestly, he looks like he’s enjoying it. And Xinuo Miss really likes him—she’s practically handed her daily life over to his care.”
“That just means she’s super lazy, right?”
“Clearly she just wants Brother to serve her.”
