Chains forged from Heavenly Flame energy bound Medusa's wrists, while her ankles were spread and locked to either side of the bed. The flame chains held no heat, yet they were impossibly tough. With another gesture from Xiao Tian, her Dou Qi was sealed away entirely.
Medusa jolted awake in an instant. She found herself restrained, her Dou Qi inaccessible, her body utterly immobilized. She stared at the flame chains wrapped around her limbs, then met Xiao Tian's aggressive, predatory gaze. Her mind detonated. She stammered, barely able to form words.
"What are you trying to do?"
"I want to."
Xiao Tian smiled and slowly closed the distance between them, tilting her chin upward with a single finger. "How is it? Does this feel familiar? Was my performance earlier to your satisfaction?"
Medusa's pupils shrank. All of his previous actions—every last one—had been deliberate. She had thought she stood on the second floor, but Xiao Tian had been in the stratosphere all along. The conquering pleasure she had reveled in just hours before was swallowed whole by the sea. Damn it. She, a queen, had been played in the palm of his hand.
"Look… it's getting rather late. Why don't we each return home?" Medusa feigned calm, scrabbling to salvage some shred of dignity. Her tone had shifted entirely, a thread of compromise woven through it.
But inside, her heart was already churning like a storm. She knew she had reached her limit earlier. She could fight no longer. She didn't dare imagine what would become of her if this continued.
Xiao Tian ignored her expression entirely and mimicked her earlier arrogance with flawless precision. "Do not resist. The more you resist, the more excited I become."
"Now the offense and defense have shifted, Cai Li. What you could do, so can I."
"Let us reverse the situation."
He leaned down and began his new assault.
"You… you bastard… don't you dare…"
Medusa started to speak, but Xiao Tian silenced her by pressing his mouth to hers.
…
Time passed. How much, neither could say.
By the end of it, Medusa looked as though she had been dragged from the depths of the sea. Her pupils were unfocused, her entire body trembling and twitching sporadically. Xiao Tian leaned back against the headboard, gazing down at her with a deeply satisfied smile. He reached out and gently stroked her enchanting, beautiful cheek.
"You… you… this King… this King will make you pay…"
Even in her unconscious haze, Medusa mumbled the same fragmented threat, her lips moving of their own accord.
Xiao Tian let out a soft chuckle. He glanced at the sky outside—the sun was already high. He gathered her into his arms, replaced the ruined bedding with fresh sheets, and then held her close as sleep claimed him.
…
Several hours later, as dusk settled over the palace, the door was kicked open from the inside by a pair of long legs sheathed in red high heels. A stunning woman in a crimson dress fled through it, utterly disheveled.
"That man is truly a beast—he never gets his fill."
As she fled, the beautiful woman grumbled under her breath, frantically smoothing her dress and taming her wild hair. Under the strange, knowing gazes of Ya Fei and the other women, she escaped back to the sanctuary of her own palace.
Inside the room, Xiao Tian stared helplessly at the empty space before him. He had merely woken with a natural reaction. At most, he had wanted a simple morning workout. He hadn't expected Medusa to react so violently—throwing on her dress and kicking the door clean off its hinges in her desperation to escape.
Back in her own palace, Medusa let out a heavy, trembling breath. Her legs were still quivering beneath her, not yet fully recovered.
…
Xiao Tian emerged from the palace, fully dressed. His palace door lay quietly on the ground a short distance away, looking for all the world like it was waiting for its lawyer before uttering a single word. With a wave of his hand, Xiao Tian restored the door to its proper state.
He turned and saw Yun Yun and the other three women watching him, their faces straining to hold back laughter.
"Truly, look how you've tormented Cai Li. Such a proud and powerful queen. Have you no pity for women at all?" Yun Yun came to his side, smoothing the creases from his robe as she scolded him with a warm smile.
"Ahem. I'll be more careful next time."
"You still expect a next time? Cai Li will probably hide from you for weeks." Ya Fei thought of Medusa's flustered escape and laughed so hard her chest heaved. She had to lean against Xiao Tian's shoulder just to steady herself. Seeing her like this, Xiao Tian could only wrap a protective arm around her waist to keep her from tipping over.
After chatting with the four women for a while, he made to leave and check on Han Yue's condition. Seeing his intention, Ya Fei adopted a mock wounded expression. "Off to find your new sister already? How pitiful we are—cast aside the moment a new love appears."
Slap!
Xiao Tian pulled her over without ceremony and delivered a firm smack to her shapely rear.
"Ow! That hurt!"
"Sister Yun Yun, Sister Xian'er, look—he's bullying me! I'm sure it's gone all red."
Xiao Yi Xian couldn't suppress her laughter at Ya Fei's theatrical antics. "Is that so? Then perhaps Xiao Tian should inspect it for you. Give it a good rub."
"Sister Xian'er, you don't love me anymore! You're bullying me too—and you won't even take my side!" Ya Fei pouted, latching onto Xiao Yi Xian's arm and stamping her foot.
"You brought this upon yourself. I cannot help you." Xiao Yi Xian tapped her forehead with a fond smile. Qing Lin and Yun Yun watched the playful scene unfold, their faces glowing with quiet happiness.
Xiao Tian gave each of them a hug and a kiss. When he reached Ya Fei, he also gave her sore spot a mischievous pinch before vanishing from the Eternal Heaven Realm, his roguish laughter trailing behind him.
"Damn it! Damn it all! Just wait until you return—see if I don't bite you to pieces!" Ya Fei clutched her aching rear, snarling at the spot where Xiao Tian had disappeared.
"Is that so, Sister Ya Fei? Somehow I suspect that bite of yours might be… of a rather different nature," Qing Lin teased from the side.
"Oh? Qing Lin, you've learned your young master's wicked ways. Now you're even mocking your elder sister!" At those words, Ya Fei's outraged expression twisted into one of vengeance. She lunged, her fingers finding Qing Lin's most ticklish spots.
"Hehehe… Hahaha… I can't… I can't take it anymore!" Qing Lin gasped for breath, completely at her mercy.
Slap!
Another crisp smack rang out. Ya Fei's hands flew once more to her sore spot. She spun around to confront her attacker, but the instant she saw who it was, her pout dissolved into an ingratiating smile.
"Oh! Sister Cai Li! Good evening."
Medusa fixed her with a dangerous, playful gaze. "I heard every foul thing you said about me just now."
"Ahem. I, your humble younger sister, have urgent matters to attend to. I shall take my leave." Ya Fei's feet began to edge away from the scene of the crime, but before she could escape, she was caught. What followed was a storm of retaliatory slaps.
The captured Ya Fei flailed wildly, dragging everyone else into the battlefield. For a dizzying moment, the innocent were caught in the crossfire. Joyful laughter and yelps of pain echoed across the pavilion. The five women played and tumbled together, their voices ringing out across the small lakeside pavilion in a constant symphony of mirth.
What about Yun Yun and Ya Fei's pregnancies? It was no concern. In the cultivation world, as long as one avoided life-and-death battle, there would be no harm. Especially with the lingering protective energy from the physique card Xiao Tian had used on them before.
…
When Xiao Tian emerged from the Eternal Heaven Realm, he briefly checked on Boundless Gate. Xiao Yu, Hu Jia, Wu Hao, and Ah Tai were managing everything flawlessly. There was nothing that required his hand. Xiao Tian was perfectly content with this—he only needed to serve as the faction's spiritual pillar.
He made his way toward the Qi Refining Tower. Under the Grand Elder's orders, he descended without hindrance until he reached the floor where the Heart Flame Body Tempering was underway. The chamber had already begun to change.