The inter-sect exchange entered its second week, and the Crimson Flame Sect buzzed with activity. Joint lectures, sparring matches, alchemy demonstrations—every event designed to strengthen ties between the two sects.
But beneath the harmony, tension coiled like a dragon in the depths.
Zhao Tian had noticed the change in his fiancée.
Ling Xue'er, once serene and composed in his presence, now seemed distracted. Her smiles came slower. Her eyes often drifted, as though searching for something—or someone—in the crowds. At night, she excused herself early, claiming the need to meditate and stabilize her sudden breakthrough.
Zhao Tian was no fool.
He confronted her privately in the guest pavilion gardens one afternoon.
"Xue'er, what's wrong?" he demanded, gripping her hands. "Ever since you toured those herb gardens, you've been… different. Your qi is stronger, yes, but your heart seems distant."
She lowered her head, black hair veiling her flushed cheeks.
"It's nothing, Senior Brother Zhao. The spiritual energy here is very yang-heavy. It's affecting my pure yin constitution. I just need time to adjust."
His eyes narrowed.
"Yang-heavy? Is some disciple bothering you? Tell me his name, and I'll crush him."
Panic flickered in her luminous eyes.
"No! No one is bothering me. Please… trust me."
He searched her face for a long moment, then pulled her into an embrace.
"I do trust you," he said, voice softening. "We've waited our whole lives for each other. Nothing will change that."
She clung to him, tears soaking his robe.
"I love you," she whispered fiercely.
But even as she said it, her body remembered warm golden qi, gentle hands, a kiss that tasted like forbidden sunlight.
And guilt gnawed deeper.
That same afternoon, fate—or the system's subtle manipulation—orchestrated an encounter neither woman was prepared for.
Su Qingxue had come down from Jade Phoenix Peak to oversee a joint pill-refining demonstration. As one of the sect's premier alchemists, her presence was expected.
Ling Xue'er, invited as the Pure Moon Sect's representative, stood quietly among the guests.
The demonstration hall was vast, filled with the scent of spiritual herbs and flickering pill flames.
When the session ended, disciples and guests mingled.
Su Qingxue felt it first—a pure, pristine yin aura brushing against her Nascent Soul senses.
She turned.
Ling Xue'er stood twenty paces away, staring at her with wide, awestruck eyes.
To the young saintess, Madam Su was a legend—the Ice Phoenix Beauty, paragon of loyalty and grace.
But to Su Qingxue, this girl was the one whose scent still lingered faintly on Xiao Yang's skin.
Their eyes met.
The air seemed to chill.
Ling Xue'er bowed deeply, approaching with perfect etiquette.
"This junior greets Madam Su Qingxue. Your reputation shines across the continents. It is an honor."
Su Qingxue inclined her head gracefully, masking the storm inside.
"The honor is mine, Saintess Ling. The Pure Moon Sect's saintess is renowned for her purity and talent."
They exchanged pleasantries—polite, flawless.
But divine senses spoke truths words could not.
Ling Xue'er's probed innocently, admiring.
She felt… warmth. Traces of extremely pure yang essence woven deeply into Su Qingxue's meridians. The kind that could only come from intimate dual cultivation.
Her heart stuttered.
Su Qingxue felt the girl's confusion—and the faint, familiar echo of Xiao Yang's yang qi within her.
Jealousy flared, sharp and hot.
He's already begun with her.
The conversation continued on the surface.
"You seem to have experienced a recent breakthrough," Su Qingxue said calmly. "Your aura is much stronger than the rumors suggested."
Ling Xue'er blushed.
"Yes… an unexpected opportunity during my visit."
Su Qingxue's smile was cool as winter frost.
"The Crimson Flame Sect's yang energy is indeed potent. It can awaken things long dormant."
The double meaning hung unspoken.
Ling Xue'er's cheeks burned deeper.
"I… I intend to meditate tonight to fully stabilize it."
A pause.
Su Qingxue's voice dropped, just enough for the girl to hear.
"Be careful, Saintess. Some flames burn too brightly. They can melt even the purest ice… or consume the moon itself."
Ling Xue'er paled.
Before she could respond, Zhao Tian appeared, wrapping a possessive arm around her waist.
"Madam Su," he greeted with a bow. "Thank you for your guidance to my fiancée."
Su Qingxue's eyes flicked to his hand on the girl.
"It is my pleasure," she said smoothly. "Young love is a beautiful thing. Cherish it well."
As she turned away, her divine sense brushed Xiao Yang's one final time.
She knows something is different about me. And I… felt you inside her.
Only traces.
It is enough to hurt.
That night, Ling Xue'er returned to the moon-viewing pool earlier than before.
Xiao Yang was already waiting.
She flew into his arms without a word, kissing him desperately.
"I met Madam Su today," she confessed between kisses. "She's so beautiful… so powerful… and I felt your qi in her. Deeply."
He held her tightly.
"Yes."
Pain flashed across her face.
"Do you… love her?"
He hesitated—then answered honestly.
"Yes."
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"And me?"
He cupped her face.
"I'm falling for you too, Xue'er. Against everything I planned."
She sobbed once, then kissed him harder.
"Then take all of me tonight. I don't want to be half yours. I don't want to keep pretending with Senior Brother Zhao when my heart and body both ache for you."
They sank to the mat together.
This time, there was no hesitation.
Robes fell away completely.
Her body was youthful perfection—slender, soft, untouched. Small breasts with pale pink nipples, flat stomach, narrow hips, and between her thighs, a sacred valley glistening with innocent need.
He worshipped her slowly—kissing every inch, bringing her to peak twice with mouth and fingers alone.
When he finally positioned himself at her entrance, she was trembling with anticipation and fear.
"Will it hurt?" she whispered.
"Only for a moment," he promised. "Then only pleasure."
He pushed in gently—slow, careful.
She gasped at the stretch, nails digging into his shoulders.
Then relaxed as his yang qi enveloped the pain, turning it to warmth.
When he was fully seated, their dantians aligned perfectly.
The Harmony Scripture roared to life.
Pure yin and heavenly yang cycled in explosive harmony.
Ling Xue'er's eyes rolled back.
"So full… so perfect…"
He began to move—slow, deep strokes.
Her legs wrapped around him instinctively.
Soon she was meeting his thrusts, moans rising uncontrollably.
The breakthrough came like thunder—her virgin yin essence erupting as she stepped into early Nascent Soul.
He followed moments later, flooding her newly opened womb with thick yang essence.
They clung together through the aftershocks, bodies glowing with shared spiritual light.
When it faded, she lay beneath him, crying softly.
"I'm no longer pure," she whispered. "I gave everything to you."
He kissed her tears away.
"And I'll cherish it always."
She nestled against his chest.
"I still love Senior Brother Zhao… but it feels like a child's promise now. What I feel for you is… deeper. Scarier."
He held her until dawn approached.
Then, gently: "I have to go."
She clung tighter.
"Will you come back tonight?"
"Yes."
As he left, the system chimed triumphantly.
But Xiao Yang felt no triumph.
Only the weight of two broken promises—and two hearts now bound irrevocably to his.
When he reached Jade Phoenix Peak at dawn, Su Qingxue was waiting naked in bed, eyes red from a sleepless night.
She pulled him down without a word.
Their lovemaking was slow, tender, laced with shared pain.
Afterward, she whispered against his chest:
"Bring her to me soon. I need to see the girl who stole part of your heart… so I can decide if I can share it."
He kissed her silver hair.
"Soon."
Outside, the sun rose over Crimson Flame Mountain.
And in the shadows, Zhao Tian stared at the guest pavilion, suspicion hardening into certainty.
Something—or someone—had taken what was his.
And he would find out who.