"Okay then. I won't ask you to marry me. YET. And I will be your Sifu."
Liu Mo Fei announced it proudly, like he was doing her the greatest honour in the world. Again, Jia Wei Xin was caught off guard. Was he playing with her again?
She gave him a skeptical look.
Seeing her doubt, Liu Mo Fei leaned forward, voice calm. "I'm serious. You were right. We should get to know each other more. So, starting tomorrow, I will be your Sifu. That way, we'll have more time to understand one another."
He paused, eyes gleaming. "But... I do have one condition."
Jia Wei Xin narrowed her eyes. "What condition?"
Somehow, this made more sense. If he had no condition, she'd feel even more uneasy. Right now, Liu Mo Fei was acting more like a fox than the boring gentleman she initially thought he was.
"I can kiss you if I want to," he said casually, like he was talking about the weather. "But I won't force it on you. You just have to tell me to stop, and I'll stop. I promise to be more controlled. I won't go overboard like earlier."
Jia Wei Xin blinked. A sifu... kissing his student? "Is that even legal here?"
Liu Mo Fei chuckled. "You're not my legal student. Just temporarily. I'm only teaching you cultivation because I still intend to make you my wife one day. And since you'll be mine sooner or later, I won't rush you to accept me now."
Jia Wei Xin stared at him. Speechless.
This man—he was too arrogant. Too persistent. It was like marriage, to him, was just like buying fish from the market. Pick the one you want. Fresh, pretty, and yours.
She sighed inwardly. If she ever tried to talk him out of this whole marriage thing, they'd argue till sunrise.
Still... deep down, Jia Wei Xin felt she could trust him. Despite his overly bold behavior, he had stopped when she asked. He did seem like someone who had great self-control, and maybe—just maybe—he had really lost it earlier.
He would be her teacher now. Teachers were respectable. And next time, she would be more prepared to set her boundaries.
Of course, even though she believed she could handle it, what she didn't know... was how out of control things might get between them in the future.
"Deal?" Liu Mo Fei asked again, watching her closely, mischief hidden behind his cool tone. Her thoughtful expression was too cute.
Jia Wei Xin exhaled. "Deal. So, you're my Sifu."
Good student," he said with a grin, reaching out to pat her head like he was sealing an official pact.
Then, with a smirk, he added, "Just remember, even if I'm your sifu now… I'm still allowed to tease you. Especially when you make that serious face—it's dangerously cute."
Jia Wei Xin's jaw dropped.
Before she could say anything, she marched over and kicked him hard on the shin.
"Ouch!" Liu Mo Fei winced, hopping slightly. "So, I have a naughty student!"
His loud laughter echoed through the hut.
Jia Wei Xin cracked a smile despite herself. But in her mind, she was already making mental notes—this teacher of hers... was going to be a handful. And she needed all her wits just to survive his lessons.
___
The next morning, Liu Mo Fei was already up before the sun, as usual.
But this time, he wasn't cultivating.
He was wide awake—because he hadn't truly slept.
Not after that kiss.
His mind had replayed it over and over, from the way her lips tasted to the surprised softness in her eyes. He'd tried meditating, doing breathwork, even counting spirit beasts in his head... nothing worked. All night, her face haunted him.
And now, as golden slivers of dawn crept across the sky, he found himself grinning like a fool.
He—the great Liu Mo Fei—was actually excited.
Not just because he would be teaching someone his cultivation techniques for the first time outside his sect, but because that someone was Jia Wei Xin.
Her boldness. Her honesty. The way she kicked him after agreeing to be his student. Every bit of her intrigued him.
Sure, part of him looked forward to teasing her during training, to making her huff and glare and maybe kick him again. But deep down—far deeper than he liked to admit—he truly wanted her to grow strong.
Strong enough to protect herself, even when he wasn't around.
He had already seen glimpses of it—her independent spirit, her calm under pressure, her silent strength. He suspected she had gone through more hardship than she let on. That kind of quiet resilience wasn't common.
And now, she'd be his student.
His expression softened briefly before a wicked grin returned.
Oh, he was definitely not going to let her sleep in.
___
He strode across the hut and opened her door without hesitation.
He opened the door to find her sound asleep—sprawled out like a log.
"Hey, Jia Wei Xin. Get up! Training starts now."
No response.
She looked completely at peace—one leg tossed over the blanket, arm curled under her head, the tiniest bit of drool at the corner of her lips. Her hair was a wild mess, and yet somehow she looked impossibly... adorable.
Liu Mo Fei folded his arms and tilted his head.
She really has no clue how dangerous it is to sleep this defenseless in front of a man who wants to marry her.
His smile turned downright devilish.
"Time to get up, Jia Wei Xin," he called out, shaking her shoulder.
Still no movement.
Sleeping like the dead. Or a pig. Or both.
He sighed—and then smirked.
If she thought she could laze around under his watch, she was in for a rude awakening.
Literally.
He bent closer, examining her peacefully sleeping face. Her cheeks were still flushed from the warmth of sleep, her long lashes resting like they had no worries in the world. Her lips were slightly parted, pink and soft.
Too soft.
And far too tempting.
I'm not going to kiss her, Liu Mo Fei told himself.
Immediately followed by: But what if I just... test? Just a little. A light touch. For scientific purposes.
He crouched by her side, muttering under his breath, "If you don't wake up soon, I'm going to do something you'll definitely complain about later..."
Still no response.
She didn't even flinch.
Unbelievable, he thought. This girl sleeps through warnings now?
He hovered closer, elbow braced beside her shoulder, leaning in as his breath mingled with hers. His face was now only inches away.
He paused.
This is a terrible idea.
...This is the best idea I've had in a while.
And then—he brushed his lips against hers.
Just a feather-light touch. Like a whisper of a kiss.
And that was supposed to be it.
But then she let out a soft moan. A sleepy, sensual, completely unconscious moan.
Liu Mo Fei froze.
His fingers curled slightly into the bedding. He stared down at her like she'd just cast a forbidden charm on him.
"Don't do that," he muttered at her sleeping form. "You're not allowed to be that... unfair while asleep."
Still no reaction. Just her soft breathing, calm and unaware.
He should pull away now.
Really, he should.
Instead, he leaned in again. His lips moved against hers slowly, more deliberately this time. Not too deep, not demanding—just enough to feel the shape of her mouth, to press a little closer into the warmth he couldn't stop thinking about all night.
Her body shifted slightly under him. One of her legs brushed his knee.
And then—another moan. This one even softer. But real.
No. Nope. Not safe.
He was this close to losing all sense of reason.
He planted both hands firmly on either side of her and started to push away—when her eyes fluttered open.
And met his.
There was a moment. A suspended, breathless second where neither of them moved.
Liu Mo Fei felt every cell in his body scream in panic and confusion. He was still on top of her, lips just barely parted from hers, hair dangling between them.
"I was... trying to wake you up," he said quickly.
Not his smoothest line. Not even top ten.
He half-expected her to slap him, kick him, yell.
But she didn't.
Instead, Jia Wei Xin just looked at him.
Her eyes were soft, still hazy from sleep, but there was no fear. No anger. Not even surprise.
Just... peace.
It completely disarmed him.
Jia Wei Xin had always been a heavy sleeper. Her bed was her sanctuary—a place where she dropped all her toughness and became her truest, most vulnerable self. No matter how hard her day, she found peace in sleep.
Sometimes she tossed. Sometimes she snored. But always, she felt safe.
So when she opened her eyes and saw Liu Mo Fei staring at her—felt the lingering trace of his kiss—she didn't panic.
In that moment, she trusted him completely.
It was like being a child again in a fairy tale world where everyone was kind. In a way, it was the purity of her soul shining through—untainted and radiant. That child soul, as it was called in the god realm, was what drew others to her.
Her presence, her energy—it healed others just by existing.
Jia Wei Xin whispered, "I'm awake now..."
Then added softly, "...Sifu."
Liu Mo Fei stared at her, stunned by her calmness, her absolute trust. Liu Mo Fei's lips curled into a smile.
He cleared his throat and finally stood, putting space between them with visible effort. "Get freshened up and meet me in the garden," he said, his voice gruffer than he intended.
As he turned and left the room, his heart was hammering in his chest.
___
By the time he stepped into the early morning light, his face was composed, his body relaxed.
But inside?
He was anything but calm.
This girl, he thought, is going to be the end of my self-control.
He stood in the quiet garden, dew still fresh on the grass, mist curling at the edges of the path.
This time of day had always brought him peace. It was when he usually cultivated, centering himself before the world stirred.
But today, the calm wasn't coming from the silence.
It was coming from her.
From that brief moment of being beside her. From her soft breathing. From the innocent trust in her gaze.
There was more to it than desire.
Fulfillment.
Calmness. And joy.
He imagined waking up beside her every morning—her messy hair, her sleepy voice, the way she burrowed into blankets like a spirit beast in winter.
Of course, it would take some effort to wake her.
But once she became his wife…
He'd have full liberty to go beyond just a kiss.
Liu Mo Fei smiled to himself, warmth blooming quietly in his chest.
This version of him—this sneaky, playful, fox-like version—would probably send the elders of his sect straight into early retirement. The old Liu Mo Fei had been terrifying enough: cold, brilliant, impossibly talented, and untouchable. No one had ever fooled him. No one had ever made him lose his composure.
But now?
Now he was smiling like an idiot in a garden, daydreaming about a girl kicking him in the shin and calling him sifu.
If the elders saw this, they would probably pack their bags, fake their deaths, and go live in seclusion just to avoid witnessing the downfall.
Too bad they weren't here.
And even worse—for Jia Wei Xin?
No one was around to warn her either.