Chapter 7 – Kiss of Heat and Shadows
Zhao Feng moved fast, the wind tearing past him as he cradled Tang Xinyi's unconscious body against his chest. Her skin burned with waves of fevered heat, and crimson phoenix markings pulsed faintly along her collarbone.
"She's burning up," he muttered, heart pounding. "Dammit, Tang—what did you do to yourself?"
The old medicinal cave he remembered from the sect's forgotten archives loomed ahead. Hidden behind a waterfall, it had once belonged to the Phoenix Sect's ancient healers. Untouched for decades. Secluded. Safe.
He pushed the stone seal open with his foot and stepped inside.
The air was thick with stale spiritual energy and dust, but it was better than nothing. Zhao laid her down gently on the softest patch of moss he could find. Her brows furrowed in pain, body twitching slightly as if fighting something from the inside.
And then, he saw it.
Her flame—a thin veil of translucent ash-colored fire—danced faintly across her skin. It wasn't ordinary qi. It pulsed with a soul-deep frequency, something far older than anything he'd ever seen.
The Ash Lotus was awakening inside her.
And it was tearing her apart.
"System," Zhao whispered urgently. "Scan her."
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: PHOENIX FLAME HOST DETECTED]Vital signs: UNSTABLEPhoenix flame synchronization: 42%Ancient Soul Resonance: 76% — nearing breach thresholdRECOMMENDED ACTION: Stabilize host using Qi Transfer Protocol immediately. Soul rejection imminent.
He cursed. "Qi Transfer... That means I'll have to match her flame rhythm. If I mess this up..."
But there wasn't a choice.
Zhao sat behind her, placing one hand gently on her back, the other over her heart. Her qi pulsed like a war drum—fierce, erratic, burning too hot.
"Come on, Tang. Hold it together."
He channeled his internal flame slowly, syncing breath with hers. The moment his qi touched her core, he felt it—
A roar.
Not physical. Soul-deep.
Like the shriek of a phoenix waking from centuries of death.
Flames burst around them in a sudden vortex, wrapping them both in a spiraling cocoon of gray fire and light. Zhao gritted his teeth, maintaining the sync, trying not to lose himself to the heat.
And then… her hand gripped his wrist.
Her eyes fluttered open—half-lidded, dazed, golden irises glowing faintly like twin suns. Her lips parted.
"Zhao… Feng?" she whispered.
"I'm here," he said softly. "You're safe."
She blinked slowly, confusion clouding her gaze. "You... idiot. Why are you always... rushing in?"
His lips twitched. "Habit."
Her fingers curled into his robes. Their faces were inches apart now, heat and energy mingling in waves. Something primal stirred in the air between them—unspoken, unfinished.
The air grew still. Neither moved.
And then, without warning, she leaned up.
Their lips met.
It wasn't soft or hesitant. It was urgent. Wild. A desperate tangle of breath and flame. Her qi flared uncontrollably the moment they touched, and Zhao's hand gripped her waist instinctively.
His system flickered in his mind—
[ALERT: Qi Signature Merge Detected]Soul Flame Compatibility Threshold Reached: 58%WARNING: Mutual ignition may trigger latent bond inheritance.
He ignored it.
Just this once, he didn't care what the system said.
But then—her back arched, her body trembling. The markings on her skin blazed like fire brands.
And Zhao felt the burn.
Not metaphorical. Literal.
Her flames licked across his skin like molten ribbons, searing into him, yet not harming him. Instead, it felt like they were... recognizing him. Binding him.
Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror.
"No—stop! The Phoenix Seal... it's breaking!"
The cave trembled as energy pulsed outward in a shockwave. Zhao pulled her close, shielding her as debris fell from the ceiling.
When it passed, everything went silent.
Tang Xinyi panted in his arms, sweat slicking her brow. "I… I didn't mean to. The seal inside me… it's reacting to you."
Zhao looked down at her, heart hammering.
"What do you mean... reacting to me?"
She hesitated. "When I kissed you… something ancient inside me recognized you. A presence. A memory that's not mine."
His stomach tightened.
"You said you died once," he said quietly. "You think this is connected?"
She nodded slowly, eyes distant. "I think… whoever I was… before... knew you."
Later That Night…
They lit a small flame orb for light. Zhao sat cross-legged near the cave wall, while Tang Xinyi rested on a roll of dried cloths nearby. Her qi had stabilized, though barely.
"You risked your life," she murmured after a long silence. "Again."
He looked over. "It wasn't even a question."
"You're reckless," she said softly. "And stupid."
He chuckled. "But charming."
She rolled her eyes, but her lips curved faintly. "...Yeah. That too."
He leaned forward. "Tang… when you kissed me..."
"I thought I was dying," she cut in, but the pink in her cheeks betrayed her.
"No. You didn't." He paused. "You remembered something, didn't you?"
Tang stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Not fully. Just... fragments. A battlefield. Fire. Screams. And you—standing in black robes, holding a woman bleeding from the chest."
He froze. "That... wasn't me."
"Maybe not in this life," she said, voice low. "But it was you. Your aura. Your flame."
Suddenly, her eyes glazed over.
And another voice spoke from her lips.
"I burned for you once," it said, older, regal, and sad. "And I died by your betrayal."
Zhao's heart nearly stopped.
The Phoenix Empress.
He rushed to her side. "Tang?!"
Her eyes rolled back.
And then—
She screamed.
[SYSTEM ALERT: SOUL IMPRINT ACTIVATION IN PROGRESS]WARNING: Host undergoing partial Phoenix Soul Fusion.Danger Level: CRITICAL
TO BE CONTINUED...