At this moment, Xiao Jietian remained blissfully unaware of the upheaval that had shaken the distant Fenglei Northern Pavilion. His attention was wholly captured by the Little Fairy Doctor, who sat before a low table with brush in hand, quietly sketching something upon fine rice paper.
Sensing that her final stroke was near, he reached out and gently ruffled her soft hair.
The Little Fairy Doctor paused, cast him a sidelong glance filled with mock reproach, then rolled her eyes in playful annoyance.
Xiao Jietian withdrew his hand with a low chuckle, gazing at her with warm satisfaction.
"Xian'er, you have worked hard."
She said nothing in reply. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly into crescents of contentment; a faint, contented smile curved her lips as she shook her head. Seeing how pleased he appeared with her drawing, a quiet joy bloomed in her heart as well.
She straightened her slender back, reached for the teacup on the table, and drank deeply in long, thirsty gulps, as though she had been parched for days.
Xiao Jietian drew her into his embrace from behind.
"Your robes are dirtied. Allow me to help you change."
With those words, he rose and opened the carved rosewood wardrobe, retrieving a set of unfamiliar black garments—sleek, form-fitting, edged with faint silver thread that shimmered like moonlight on obsidian.
He assisted her patiently, helping her into the new attire piece by piece.
Once dressed, the Little Fairy Doctor's entire bearing transformed.
Gone was the gentle, lotus-pure maiden-next-door; in her place stood a woman of wild, untamed allure—sexy, dangerous, like a black orchid blooming in the midnight frost.
Xiao Jietian stepped back, eyes roaming appreciatively over her figure, then flashed a mischievous grin.
"Truly… it suits you. You seem an entirely different person now."
"As long as it pleases you~" The Little Fairy Doctor had always been the most indulgent toward him, without exception. Her voice was soft, laced with pampering sweetness.
Then, with a shy tilt of her head, she lifted the small porcelain bowl containing the remainder of Xiao Ze's unfinished meal.
"Tian, you eat this. Xiao Ze won't take any more."
Xiao Jietian accepted the bowl without hesitation and began to eat with obvious relish.
"Is it delicious~?" she asked, eyes brimming with tender light as she watched him.
"Delicious. Xiao Ze is far too wasteful. In the future, I won't let him have any more," Xiao Jietian declared with feigned indignation, brows furrowed in mock severity.
Having received nine years of mortal-world compulsory education in his previous life, he naturally understood the principle that every grain is hard-earned. To waste food was, in his eyes, an unforgivable shame.
He would never permit such extravagance.
"It's all yours to decide," the Little Fairy Doctor murmured gently.
To avoid disturbing him while he ate, she rose carefully onto tiptoe.
Perhaps she had been seated too long; blood had stagnated in her legs, causing pins and needles to prick sharply through her calves. She could not help but frown in pain.
She reached down, lightly massaging the tense muscles in an attempt to ease the discomfort.
In the end, the numbness proved too persistent. She sat back down with a soft exhale, returning to her former position.
After a moment's thought, she adopted another method.
Propping both hands behind her on the edge of the table, she placed her feet upon the low stool, then—using the strength of her arms and the leverage of her legs—slowly rocked back and forth, coaxing circulation to return.
Xiao Jietian noticed and immediately moved to assist, but she gently refused.
"Finish eating first. I'll be fine in a moment."
After several minutes of deliberate movement, muscle stimulation gradually restored smooth blood flow. The sharp pain from the numbness slowly receded; her tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.
"Are you better now?" Xiao Jietian asked, concern still lingering in his voice.
"Mm… still a little uncomfortable, but it's bearable. My legs are weak, though… you'll have to carry me later," she said through gritted teeth, voice muffled with faint embarrassment.
Xiao Jietian nodded, slipped an arm around her slender waist, and steadied her against his chest.
...
Meanwhile, in Tianbei City, within Han Xue's quiet little courtyard.
Han Yue and Han Xue lay side by side upon the soft bed, whispering in the lamplight.
"Sister… are you saying Xiao Jietian has… many women?" Han Xue's eyes suddenly lit up like twin lanterns at her sister's casual remark.
"Why do you ask?" Han Yue knew her little sister's thoughts perfectly well but chose not to expose them just yet.
"I… I… I'm just curious! I don't have any feelings for Xiao Jietian at all!" Han Xue's gaze darted everywhere except her sister's face; her words stumbled over each other, hands fidgeting nervously in her lap.
"Sister… with so many women around Xiao Jietian, won't you be bullied?" she asked tentatively, voice small.
Han Yue observed her sister's transparent little performance and nearly laughed aloud.
"Mn… sometimes I am bullied quite badly. I can't even fight back—I can only cry when it happens."
(She mused inwardly: this isn't truly a falsehood. On certain nights, because of my special constitution, I truly am… bullied rather severely.)
"Oh? Really?" Han Xue sat bolt upright, expression suddenly serious. "Then how shall I help you?"
Han Yue struggled to suppress her smile.
"How indeed?"
Han Xue immediately puffed out her chest with pride.
"Of course I'll back you up! Anyone who dares bully my sister, I'll scold them until their ears bleed!"
"Oh? Then you had best remember those words," Han Yue said, biting her lower lip to keep from laughing outright.
(Inwardly she thought: when she discovers that the one bullying me is none other than Xiao Jietian himself… I wonder whether this silly little sister will still have the courage to scold him.)
"Of course! We are true sisters—the closest kind!" Han Xue thumped her chest emphatically, swearing her oath.
"Sister, then take me to meet them tomorrow. Let me see what kind of women they are," she finally revealed her true intention after that impassioned display of sisterly loyalty.
"Tomorrow it is," Han Yue agreed with a soft nod. "Tomorrow the Han Family will formally merge into Boundless Heaven Hall. Once the rites are complete, the teleportation array can be activated."
She had long known that a grand teleportation gate—similar to the one established in Eternal Heaven City within the Black-Corner Region—would soon be constructed within the Han estate. From that moment onward, Boundless Heaven Hall would expand outward with Tianbei City as its new heart.
As one of the Ladies of Boundless Heaven Hall, Han Yue naturally supported the plan wholeheartedly. Moreover, it would bring immense benefit to the Han Family.
This was also her way of repaying her father and clan for the years of nurture and protection they had given her.
"Wonderful! Then I must choose my outfit carefully for tomorrow!" Han Xue nodded vigorously, sprang from the bed, and hurried to the wardrobe with eager steps.
"Why bother choosing clothes so carefully?" Han Yue asked, amused.
"To make myself look stunning, of course! That way I can completely overpower anyone who dares bully you—hmph hmph!" Han Xue declared without turning around, rummaging busily through silks and brocades.
Whether she truly believed her own words… only her own heart knew.
Han Yue helplessly pressed a palm to her forehead.
(Does this girl really think I cannot see through her?)
"Sister, what about this one? Does it look good?" Before Han Yue could answer, Han Xue held up a flowing robe of peach-blossom pink. "No, no—the color clashes."
Han Yue watched her little sister bustle back and forth before the wardrobe, endlessly trying on garments, and a faint, meaningful smile curved her lips.
...
Early the next morning.
Xiao Jietian gently withdrew his arm from around the Little Fairy Doctor's waist. He gazed down at her peacefully sleeping face, brushed a tender kiss across her brow, then rose quietly from the bed.
He changed into a simple yet imposing dark robe, gathered his long hair into a high knot, and stepped out of the palace chambers.
He arrived at an open plaza beside a towering black palace.
With a flicker of his divine sense, spatial ripples shimmered.
An identical black palace materialized out of thin air, grand and imposing, standing silently opposite its twin beneath the dawn sky.