Six months passed on the Moonlight Peak.
Su Mei was no longer just Su Mei. She was the Ice Fairy, the personal disciple of the Sect
Master, the youngest genius in a hundred years. Her name was spoken with awe in the tea
houses and fear in the sparring arenas.
Li Wei was known as "That Servant." Or sometimes, "The Leach."
He lived in a small wooden hut behind Su Mei's grand jade palace. His days were filled with the
mundane tasks of a high-level servant: tending the spirit herbs in her garden, brewing the
high-grade spirit tea she now required, and washing her robes.
He didn't mind the work. The work was honest. What he minded was the silence.
Su Mei spent weeks in secluded meditation. When she came out, she was distant. She would
ask for reports on the herb garden or the pill supply. She rarely asked about his day. Why would
she? His day consisted of dirt and insects. Her day consisted of deciphering the laws of the
universe.
One crisp morning, Li Wei was kneeling in the garden, carefully pruning a Seven-Leaf Fire
Flower. The System allowed him to see the "health bar" of plants, making him an exceptional
gardener. He used his Support Points to buy fertilizer from the System Store, ensuring Su Mei
had the best resources.
"Hey! You! Servant!"
A voice boomed from the entrance of the garden.
Li Wei stood up, wiping the soil from his hands. A young man in purple robes strode in. He was
handsome in a sharp, aggressive way, with a sword strapped to his back that hummed with
electricity.
This was Zhao Feng. The Senior Disciple of the Lightning Peak. And Su Mei's most persistent
suitor.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Zhao," Li Wei said, bowing low. He knew the rules. Eye contact was
an offense.
Zhao Feng sneered, looking around the garden. "Where is Junior Sister Su? I brought her a
Core Cleansing Pill. It is a gift from my grandfather."
"My... Mistress is in seclusion," Li Wei said, catching himself before he said 'Wife.' Su Mei had
never told him to hide their marriage, but the sect assumed he was just a servant she was fond
of. Correcting them usually led to beatings.
"Seclusion again?" Zhao Feng kicked a stone, destroying a rare orchid Li Wei had nurtured for a
month. "She works too hard. She needs a Dao Companion. Someone to guide her. Not a mute
servant like you."
He walked closer to Li Wei, invading his personal space. The smell of ozone and arrogance was
suffocating.
"Tell me, slave," Zhao Feng whispered. "Rumor has it you sleep in the back hut. But
sometimes... late at night... you enter her chambers. Is that true?"
Li Wei kept his head down. "I serve her tea, Senior Brother."
"Tea," Zhao Feng laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You are a stain on her reputation. A
mortal lingering around a phoenix. It's disgusting. People talk. They say she keeps a pet."
He reached out and grabbed Li Wei's collar, lifting him off the ground with effortless strength. Li
Wei choked, his feet dangling.
"If you care about her," Zhao Feng hissed, "you should leave. Or die. You are holding her back. Do you think a mortal can understand her? When she talks about the Dao, do you nod like a
monkey? She needs a dragon, not a worm."
Li Wei couldn't breathe. But the words hurt more than the lack of air. Because Zhao Feng was
right.
"Put him down."
The voice was quiet. Absolute zero.
Zhao Feng froze. The electricity around him sputtered and died.
Su Mei stood at the entrance of the palace. She wore robes of pale blue moonlight. Her hair
was floating freely, unpinned. Her eyes were glowing.
"Junior Sister Su!" Zhao Feng dropped Li Wei instantly, turning on his charm. "I was just...
disciplining your servant. He was being disrespectful."
Li Wei fell to the grass, gasping for air, massaging his bruised throat.
Su Mei didn't look at Li Wei. She looked at Zhao Feng.
"Disrespectful?" she repeated. "He is my servant. If he is disrespectful, I will punish him. Who
gave you the right to touch my things?"
My things.
Li Wei flinched. Not 'my husband'. Not 'my man'. My things. Like the orchid Zhao Feng had
kicked.
"I... I was only looking out for you," Zhao Feng stammered, stepping back as frost began to
crawl up his boots. "Sister, this man is a liability. I offer you my clan's alliance. Together, we
could—"
"You are noisy," Su Mei interrupted.
She raised a hand. A cage of ice erupted from the ground, trapping Zhao Feng instantly. The ice
spikes pressed against his neck, drawing blood.
"This is my peak," Su Mei stated. "Everything here belongs to me. The grass. The stones. The
servant. If you damage my property again, I will take your arm."
Zhao Feng turned pale, terrified by the sheer gap in their power. "I understand! I apologize!"
"Roll," she commanded.
She dissolved the cage. Zhao Feng scrambled away, fleeing down the mountain without looking
back.
Su Mei watched him go, then finally turned her gaze to Li Wei.
She walked over to him. Li Wei looked up, expecting concern. Expecting her to ask if he was
hurt.
Su Mei looked at the bruised orchid on the ground. She frowned.
"That was a Spirit Gathering Orchid," she said, annoyed. "It takes three months to grow. You
should have stopped him from entering the garden."
Li Wei stared at her. He touched his bruised neck. "He is a Foundation Establishment cultivator,
Su Mei. He lifted me with one hand. How could I stop him?"
Su Mei looked at his neck, then at his eyes. A flicker of something—annoyance?
realization?—crossed her face.
"You are too weak," she said matter-of-factly. "It is troublesome. I cannot always be here to swat
flies."
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a jade token. She tossed it to him. It landed in the
dirt next to his hand.
"A defensive formation token," she explained. "If someone attacks you, activate it. It will block
three strikes from a Core Formation cultivator. Don't lose it. It cost me a lot of sect contribution
points."
She turned around and walked back toward the palace. "Brew a new pot of tea. The excitement ruined my meditation focus."
Li Wei sat in the dirt, clutching the cold jade token.
He had been saved. He should be grateful.
But as he watched the "Ice Fairy" walk away, he realized that the woman who used to bandage
his papercuts was gone. In her place was a goddess who viewed him as a fragile, inefficient
piece of furniture that she was fond of, but found increasingly difficult to maintain.
"System," Li Wei whispered, his voice cracking. "Does she still love me?"
[Analysis: Beneficiary views Host as a 'Cherished Possession' and 'Root of Stability'.]
[Romantic Love: 15% (Critically Low).] [Possessiveness: 95% (High).]
Li Wei laughed. A dry, broken sound.
"Possession," he muttered. "I am a possession."
He stood up, dusted off his gray robes, and went to brew the tea. He made it exactly how she
liked it—lukewarm, bitter, and perfect. Because that was all he was good for now.