"Xiao Tian, I need you to help me cultivate."
Medusa's alluring and slightly shy words drifted into Xiao Tian's ears. He had heard her use similar phrasing once before—during one of her… hobbies—when she had overheard him speak to Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.
"Hm?" Xiao Tian thought he had misheard. He stared at her, bewildered. "Didn't you always say you would never submit to anyone?"
Medusa grabbed him. In the next breath, he found himself thrown onto the bed. His Dou Qi was sealed. His body was confined.
She straddled him, her long legs spreading wide, her fingers tracing lazy, deliberate strokes across his chest. Xiao Tian looked up at her. In that moment, she resembled a jackal who had cornered her prey, hunger having swallowed all reason. The emotions she had uncovered during those moments on the edge of death had stripped away every last pretense.
Medusa leaned closer, her cheek brushing against his face, a finger pressed delicately to her crimson lips. A half-smile curved them. "Of course. How could this King ever submit to anyone? So you shall obediently lie beneath me. You mustn't resist, understand? The more you resist, the more excited I shall become."
"You—a man with a lustful heart but no courage—let this King properly discipline you."
Xiao Tian strained to break free, but it was useless. His body was firmly pinned. He averted his gaze, his voice utterly devoid of conviction. "I… I simply hadn't found the right moment."
At the sight of his flustered expression, Medusa's smile grew bolder. She stopped stroking him and instead tilted his chin upward with her index finger, admiring him like a trophy. Her long, narrow eyes brimmed with appreciation—and with arrogance. "How could the greatest Queen of the Snake-People Tribe ever humble herself before a man?"
Medusa heard his words and nodded in agreement, yet her body did the opposite. Her hands resumed their wandering across his body. This time, however, they were wreathed in fire-attribute Dou Qi. In an instant, every stitch of Xiao Tian's clothing was reduced to ash.
Xiao Tian panicked, his composure crumbling. He thrashed and struggled, and at his reaction, Medusa's excitement only mounted. She cast aside her own encumbrances, letting them tumble to the floor beside the bed. Her jade-like hands glided slowly, ceaselessly, over the bare expanse of his chest.
Trapped and unable to move, Xiao Tian felt as though a thousand ants were crawling over his skin. As Medusa pressed closer, he finally closed his eyes, as if to signal he could bear to witness no more.
Medusa found his reaction impossibly endearing, impossibly amusing. When they first met, this man had been so arrogant, threatening her with his bodyguards. Now, the accumulated emotions in her heart had reached their peak—and erupted all at once.
When the last barrier of clothing disappeared, she seized the future in an instant and began to move.
"Your body's reaction seems to tell a rather different story than your mouth does," Medusa murmured as she continued her motion.
She had finally achieved her goal. Her mind was crystal clear, her head held high like a proud peacock. But what she could not see was the look in Xiao Tian's eyes. There was no panic anymore. No humiliation. Only endless satisfaction and pleasure.
On the rooftop above, Xiao Yi Xian's face flooded with crimson. She fled the spot at once, her mind replaying that final expression on Xiao Tian's face. *I never imagined that Cai Li, a Queen, could be so easily deceived. Truly a naive fool. She thought she was the hunter, but all along she was the prey.*
"Sister Xian'er! How is Cai Li? Is she safe?"
The other women saw Xiao Yi Xian descending and rushed forward, their voices overlapping with concern. They had no idea what had transpired inside and had not dared to probe with their senses, lest they inadvertently disturb something critical.
"She is safe…"
Xiao Yi Xian nodded. The heavy stone in their hearts finally dropped. They all exhaled in relief. After so long together, their bonds had grown as deep as those of true sisters.
"Then why haven't Young Master and Sister Cai Li come out yet?" Qing Lin asked.
"Uh…"
Xiao Yi Xian recalled the scene inside, and her face flushed anew. Though she was now a Dou Zun, her gentle, easily embarrassed nature had not changed. Seeing her expression, the others looked at her in confusion. "What is it? Is there still a problem?"
"Uh… this… that… Oh, just go see for yourselves. I—I truly cannot say it!"
At Xiao Yi Xian's words, the women, brimming with curiosity, extended their senses toward the palace. As their awareness delved deeper, they found Medusa—swaying gracefully, utterly in command. They hastily withdrew their senses, inwardly scoffing, their faces blooming into rosy hues.
The women exchanged smiles. They were now truly a family, and a radiant, genuine joy lit their faces.
"They finally took this step. I thought it would take far longer," Ya Fei said with a knowing smile.
The others recalled the two of them—how both clearly harbored feelings, yet one had been waiting for the right moment and the other had been too proud, too stubborn, to make the first move.
"But Cai Li's current appearance is so captivating that even I, a woman, am completely charmed. Yet Xiao Tian's reaction seemed… off," the ever-innocent Yun Yun murmured.
Xiao Yi Xian chuckled. "Xiao Tian was clearly putting on an act to trick Cai Li. You know how full of mischief he is." She recounted the entire previous process to them, and aunt-like smiles spread across every face. Truly, those in the midst of the game were blind to it, while the onlookers saw everything.
"I wonder how Sister Cai Li will react when she discovers the truth later."
The women walked arm in arm away from Xiao Tian's palace. They had already taken to living together now, to care for Ya Fei and Yun Yun. And they had discovered that cultivating side by side, thanks to their unique physiques, could even accelerate their progress.
…
After an unknown stretch of time, the commotion inside the palace slowly quieted.
Medusa now reclined against the headboard, while Xiao Tian lay motionless on the bed, utterly still. She gazed at him, then at the vivid crimson stain, a blissful smile gracing her lips. Sleep gradually wrapped its arms around her, and she lay down to rest. Before long, she had drifted into slumber.
As Medusa's breathing steadied into the deep rhythm of sleep, Xiao Tian's figure slowly sat up. He looked at Medusa beside him, and an inscrutable expression flickered across his face. Because this level… was still far from meeting his requirements.
Xiao Tian rose to his feet. He looked down at the sleeping Medusa, a roguish smile curling the corner of his mouth. He reached out his hand toward her, and streams of energy began to emanate from his palm.