The next morning, whispers spread like wildfire throughout the Xiao Clan… and all of Wu Tan City.
> "Did you hear? The Xiao Clan's fourth young master—Xiao Ranyu—caught on fire last night!"
> "Like... literally?"
> "Flames. Smoke. Smelled like burnt pork and vinegar. I swear on my friend's love life!"
By mid-morning, it had escalated into full-blown gossip hysteria.
And naturally, the news found its way to two very specific young ladies—Xiao Xun'er and Ya Fei—who just so happened to be sipping tea together at a high-end pavilion.
Over the past few months, they'd grown surprisingly close—bonded by their shared love of gossip, mutual scheming… and, apparently, the same man.
---
"He said yes."
Xun'er leaned in, cheeks tinted pink, her tone calm but charged with quiet triumph.
> "I told him I liked him yesterday. And… he accepted."
Ya Fei nearly dropped her teacup.
> "Wait—WHAT?! You confessed first?!"
> "Mhm." Xun'er gave a smug little nod, lips curved in a sweet but victorious smile. "He didn't even resist. So… I claimed the throne first."
Ya Fei's eye twitched.
> "I haven't even confessed yet!"
> "Then do it tomorrow," Xun'er said breezily. "After the clan's annual test. You've been invited anyway, haven't you?"
Ya Fei puffed her cheeks in frustration.
> "Fine! I will!"
> "Good." Xun'er leaned closer, voice low and conspiratorial. "If we both end up with him, we might as well form a coalition. Keep that fire fox under control. And if he ever dares bring home new sisters…" she narrowed her eyes, "they better pass inspection."
Ya Fei smirked, lifting her teacup.
> "Only those who are truly fated—and accepted—deserve a place by his side."
They clinked their teacups like it was a silent pact between future sister-wives.
But just as Ya Fei raised hers for another sip—
> "I heard the fourth young master exploded into flames!"
> "He reeked like vinegar!"
> "They had to mop the hallway with spiritual dew!"
Both girls froze.
> "He actually caught fire?!" Xun'er gasped.
Without another word, they bolted out of the pavilion—hearts pounding, hairpins barely staying in place—as they dashed toward the Xiao Clan estate.
---
Halfway there, they collided—quite literally—with Gu Wenxin, Xiao Zhan, and Xiao Yan, who were clearly rushing in the same direction.
The adults blinked in surprise at the two breathless girls.
Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow.
> "Xun'er, I understand your concern, but... Miss Ya Fei?"
His gaze sharpened.
"Why exactly are you so worried?"
After all, she was the famously composed head of Wutan City's premier auction house—not someone who usually dropped everything for a teenage boy.
Gu Wenxin leaned toward Xiao Yan, whispering curiously,
> "Who is she?"
> "No idea," Xiao Yan murmured back. "But she's definitely too close to Ranyu."
Still, the situation was too urgent for interrogation.
---
When they reached Xiao Ranyu's door, Xiao Zhan knocked.
Moments later, the door creaked open.
And everyone… stopped breathing.
Standing there was not the Xiao Ranyu they remembered.
His once-dark hair now flowed like molten crimson silk, cascading down his back in glossy waves. A faint sigil pulsed on his forehead. His eyes shimmered like molten gold, and his skin practically glowed with a flawless, jade-like luster. A loosely tied robe revealed broad shoulders and a lean, sculpted physique that looked like it had been carved by the heavens themselves.
He looked less like a young master and more like an immortal flame deity on vacation.
Ya Fei and Xun'er turned bright red.
Even Xiao Yan had to look away.
Silence reigned until someone finally blurted:
> "Ranyu… what the hell happened to you?!"
Xiao Ranyu scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
> "No idea. I went to sleep… and woke up like this. Must've spontaneously combusted or something."
The group burst into chaotic laughter—equal parts relief, confusion, and "this cannot be real."
Everyone except the girls, that is.
> "You're even more attractive now!" Xun'er hissed. "This is dangerous!"
> "This is a problem," Ya Fei muttered darkly. "The number of thirsty women in Wu Tan City just tripled."
Speculation ran wild:
> "Failed cultivation technique?"
> "Secret bloodline awakening?!"
> "Divine inheritance!"
> "...A beauty breakthrough technique?!"
Eventually, Xiao Zhan excused himself to return to clan matters, and Xiao Yan wandered off to train.
But Gu Wenxin stayed behind—with Xun'er and Ya Fei in tow.
She smiled like a cat that had found two plump mice… and closed the door behind her with a quiet click.
---
Back in Xiao Ranyu's room, the three women sat comfortably while Xiao Ranyu stood awkwardly in the corner—like a criminal awaiting judgment.
Gu Wenxin turned her sharp, curious eyes toward the glamorous beauty beside Xun'er.
"So... you're Ya Fei, hmm?"
Ya Fei straightened politely, offering a respectful nod.
"Yes, Auntie. It's an honor to meet you."
Gu Wenxin raised a brow, then smiled—warmly, but with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Oh? The head of the Miteer Auction House herself, running here in such a rush because my son 'caught fire'? How interesting."
Ya Fei's ears turned pink.
"T-That was just... concern as a friend."
"Mhm," Gu Wenxin hummed, clearly not buying it. She looked between the two girls and chuckled.
"Come now, both of you. Sit. Let's have a little chat, woman to woman."
She patted the cushion beside her.
"Since you came running like the wind the moment something happened to him, how could I not treat you like daughters from now on?"
Both girls flushed immediately.
Xiao Ranyu, meanwhile, turned a shade paler.
"Mother, please—"
"Shush." Gu Wenxin waved him off like an annoying fly. "The women are talking."
She poured them tea with practiced grace, then sat back, folding one leg over the other.
"You know, this isn't even the first time Ranyu caught fire." She sipped her tea dramatically. "The very first time was when he was a newborn."
Ya Fei and Xun'er blinked in unison.
"A newborn?!"
"Mhm," Gu Wenxin said, nodding with pride and exasperation.
"He sneezed. One tiny little sneeze—poof! Whole baby blanket went up in flames. We had to douse the crib with buckets of water."
"I... what?" Ya Fei choked on her tea.
"There's more," Gu Wenxin added with a smirk. "At age three, he tried to grill chestnuts with raw Dou Qi. Burned his eyebrows clean off. Wouldn't stop crying because he thought he'd never be handsome again."
Xun'er giggled uncontrollably.
"Oh, and of course..."Gu Wenxin grinned wider. "There was the time he tamed that tiny chick and declared himself the Emperor of All Chickens. He even made a crown from chicken feathers and paraded around the clan."
( Affected by his new Body)
Ya Fei doubled over in laughter. Xun'er nearly fell off her cushion.
Xiao Ranyu, standing stiffly in the corner, looked like he'd rather be struck by lightning than continue breathing.
"This is betrayal..." he muttered. "By my own mother..."
Wenxin ignored him completely, pouring more tea and chatting with the girls like they were old friends. To Xiao Ranyu's horror, she shared story after story—his adorable tantrums, his obsession with flame-shaped candy.
By the time the sun began to set, the girls were fully at ease, chatting with Wenxin as if they'd known her for years. Laughter echoed through the room—genuine, warm, and terrifying for one very flustered young man.
---
When the girls finally stood to leave, their expressions were far too smug.
"Emperor of All Chickens," Xun'er said sweetly, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Still smells like vinegar to me," Ya Fei added with a teasing wink.
As they stepped out, Gu Wenxin turned to her son with a suspiciously satisfied smile.
"I like both girls." She placed her hands on her hips. "They came running the moment something happened to you. If that's not love, I don't know what is."
She gave him a meaningful look.
"So behave, understand? Don't let either of them down. That talent of yours might be rare, but a good girl's heart is rarer."
Then with a final, ominous bam, the door shut behind her.
Xiao Ranyu stood in stunned silence, arms crossed, face blank.
"...I need to start reinforcing my door."
---
The Xiao Clan had seen many strange things in its long history…
But nothing—absolutely nothing—could have prepared it for the rebirth of Xiao Ranyu.
That morning, clan servants went about their duties as usual—until someone spotted Xiao Ranyu casually walking through the training courtyard.
Long, molten-red hair glinting in the sun.
A loose robe that somehow clung in all the right places.
A glowing sigil on his forehead.
That impossibly flawless, jade-like skin.
He didn't look human.
He looked like a celestial prince on vacation.
And that was the beginning of the end.
---
"W-WHO IS THAT?!"
> "That's Xiao Ranyu, the fourth young master... I think...?"
> "No way! He used to look like a cute mushroom! When did he turn into a walking divine artifact?!"
> "I'm going to faint. Someone catch me."
Servants began tripping over themselves. Junior clan disciples dropped their swords mid-practice. The elders on morning patrol nearly walked into walls.
---
Meanwhile… In Wu Tan City
The gossip spread faster than a plague—and far more enthusiastically.
> "Xiao Ranyu ascended to beauty immortality overnight!"
> "I heard he used to be cute, but now he's so hot my tea boiled just thinking about him!"
> "One look at him and I forgot my ex's name... and face... and everything else."
At the markets, in restaurants, even in the middle of street duels—everyone was talking about it.
Mothers dragged their daughters toward the Xiao Clan gates.
Auction house girls began scheduling "business visits."
Cultivation girls from minor clans were seen putting on extra makeup and pretending to "accidentally" stroll near the estate.
---
At the Miteer Auction House...
Even Ya Fei's subordinates were losing their minds.
> "Miss Ya Fei! That Xiao Ranyu—he's so—he's—how are you staying calm?!"
Ya Fei, holding her forehead, muttered darkly:
> "I'm not calm. I'm dangerously close to committing a murder-suicide pact if another woman calls him their 'fiery husband.'"
---
At the Jia Lie and Ao Ba Clans
> "That pretty boy from the Xiao Clan is making waves."
> "Didn't he used to be the quiet one?"
> "Yeah. Now he looks like he stepped out of a cultivation romance poster."
---
Back at the Xiao Clan...
Xiao Ranyu couldn't take five steps without someone bowing, complimenting, or fainting.
He tried going for a walk—and returned ten minutes later, visibly shaken.
> "Why... why did that auntie ask for my hand in marriage?"
Xiao Yan, sipping tea nearby, chuckled.
> "It's your own fault. You went from little brother to celestial dreamboat overnight. I give it a week before someone forms a 'Ranyu Protection Alliance.'"
Xiao Ranyu facepalmed.
---
A New Legend Begins…
By nightfall, a new nickname had taken root across Wu Tan City:
> The Scarlet Flame of the Xiao Clan.
Poets wrote about him.
Artists sketched him.
Fan clubs were already forming.
---
At the Miteer Auction House
Inside Ya Fei's office, two girls sat in the shadows, sipping tea in silence.
Xun'er narrowed her eyes.
Ya Fei cracked her knuckles.
> "It's started," Xun'er said darkly.
> "We must protect what's ours," Ya Fei replied. "And eliminate the competition."
They clinked teacups like generals signing a war pact.
---
Later, in Ya Fei's room...
Two very determined girls sat cross-legged on a silk cushion—tea forgotten, brows furrowed in deep thought.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Serious.
Even ominous.
Xun'er tapped her finger against her chin.
> "At this rate, every girl in Wu Tan City is going to fall for him."
Ya Fei exhaled slowly, a deep frown etched on her usually smiling face.
> "Some already have. I saw a merchant's daughter faint just from watching him stretch."
> "A stretch?" Xun'er twitched.
> "Arms up. Robe slipped a little. Six-pack flash." Ya Fei sighed. "It was devastating."
They both stared off into the distance in silence.
Then slowly turned toward each other—eyes gleaming with the same dangerous thought:
> We have to nerf him.
---
Ten Minutes of Brainstorming Later...
> "Can we put a curse on him?"
"No. Too dangerous. Might backfire and make him even hotter."
> "Should we stuff him in seclusion for a month?"
"Won't work. The moment he steps out—boom, public chaos again."
> "Tie his hair into an ugly bun?"
"Xiao Mei said it made him look even more princely."
A heavy pause.
Then Xun'er clenched her fist.
> "There's only one thing we haven't tried yet…"
Ya Fei's eyes widened.
They spoke in unison.
> "The Mask."
---
They rushed into action.
Tailors were summoned.
Silk, spirit beast leather, and enchanted thread were brought out.
Ya Fei took charge of the design—sharp, minimal, and sleek.
Xun'er focused on enchantments—heat resistance, identity shielding, and minor anti-flirt repellent.
Within hours, it was ready.
A deep black half-mask, cut to cover the lower half of Ranyu's face—from just under the eyes to just below the jawline. Elegant, yet intimidating.
The style? Something between a mysterious noble and a legendary assassin.
Winter Soldier meets Immortal Cultivator.
When they held it up in the moonlight, it shimmered faintly.
> "He'll still be handsome," Xun'er said confidently. "But the damage will be reduced."
> "By at least 43%," Ya Fei added, pushing up her glasses like a strategist. "Hopefully."
---
Xiao Ranyu's Room.
He was brushing his hair in front of the mirror—shirt loose, collar open, sleeves rolled up.
Three maids were already passed out on the floor from blood loss.
Xiao Ranyu blinked as the girls stormed in like two generals confronting a wayward war criminal.
> "Um... good evening?"
> "Wear. This. Now," they said in unison, shoving the mask at him.
> "...Huh?"
> "No questions. No arguments," Xun'er snapped.
> "Unless you want to be mobbed every time you leave your room," Ya Fei added.
He looked at the black mask, then at their dead-serious faces.
Then sighed.
> "You two are treating me like some kind of magical beast…"
> "You're worse," Ya Fei said dryly. "You're a walking public safety hazard."
---
He reluctantly put it on.
The result?
Even more devastating.
The mask somehow made him look even more mysterious—like a hidden sect master returned from exile.
His molten red hair and glowing eyes above the mask only enhanced the effect.
The girls stared in stunned silence.
Then Xun'er turned away, covering her face.
Ya Fei pinched her nose to stop a nosebleed.
> "W-We might've made it worse..."
> "Abort mission?" Ya Fei whispered.
> "...No. We stick to the plan. One problem at a time."