Jia Wei Xin landed back in her hut, slightly dazed but somehow still holding half a sweet roll.
She blinked at it.
Then took a thoughtful bite.
"…Could've just waited five more minutes," she mumbled.
Behind her, the air stirred.
Of course he followed her.
She didn't turn around yet.
"Teleporting a person mid-dessert is a crime in at least seven realms, you know."
No answer.
She glanced over her shoulder.
Liu Mo Fei was standing there—arms crossed, jaw tight. The flicker of restraint in his eyes didn't go unnoticed.
Oh yeah. He was definitely jealous.
But she wasn't really mad.
In fact… it was kind of flattering.
She stood, brushing crumbs from her robe. "I know you're mad about the whole 'Zhang Tian helping me reach level two' thing."
Still, he said nothing.
"I didn't ask him to do it," she added. "And… it did feel a little wrong. Not because of the power. But because—well, you're my sifu."
That got his attention.
He looked at her then—really looked. There was something unreadable in his gaze, like he was analyzing more than just her words. Like he was reading her soul.
"I know you train me like you want to kill me half the time," she added with a small, crooked smile, "but it worked. I made it to level one with you. In hours. That wasn't luck."
A flicker of emotion crossed his face. He stepped closer, eyes narrowing as he scanned her energy.
"You didn't absorb any corruption from the demonic energy."
"I didn't feel any."
"Your qi is… clear. Balanced." He frowned, almost puzzled. "Almost too pure."
"Are you saying I'm suspiciously awesome?"
"I'm saying," he murmured, "there's something about you I haven't figured out yet."
Jia Wei Xin smiled, eyes glinting. "Good. I'd hate to be predictable."
Liu Mo Fei took another step closer.
Close enough that the air between them shifted. The space crackled—tense, charged, intimate.
He was looking at her differently now—not like a sifu, not like a guardian.
But like a man who had just realized he wanted something… and could no longer pretend otherwise.
"You're full of surprises," he said, low and rough.
Jia Wei Xin stood still, heart beating fast, throat dry. She could feel it—something coiled beneath his calm. A storm barely contained.
___
He moved before she could speak.
One step. One breath.
And then—he kissed her.
His lips were warm. His hand came up to cradle the back of her head, fingers threading into her hair like he needed to ground himself in her presence. As if he'd been holding back for too long and couldn't bear another second.
From the moment she collapsed in training, he'd been tense. But seeing her tonight—laughing, eating, smiling beside Zhang Tian—had lit a fire he couldn't extinguish. Then, when he scanned her qi and saw it was unharmed… something in him snapped.
She was still herself. Still whole.
Still his.
The kiss deepened, searing with heat and something else—something tender. Protective. She didn't pull away. Her hands gripped the front of his robes. Her fingers, almost instinctively, slid down—over his chest, to the ridges of his abs.
Just like she'd imagined.
Hard. Solid. Infuriatingly real.
A sigh slipped from her lips—soft, helpless. It made his restraint crack further. He drew her tighter, pressing her against him like he was afraid she might vanish again.
But just as the world began to blur into sensation—he stopped.
He pulled back, barely, breath ragged.
"You really are… full of surprises," he murmured, voice hoarse. "You know the cost if I can't stop, right? You'll be more tired than yesterday."
Her cheeks flushed. Her breath caught. But her smile?
Bright. Wicked.
"You started it," she whispered.
He didn't argue.
___
Instead, he turned toward the door.
"Pack your things. We're leaving for Cloud Serpent Peak."
"Leaving?" she blinked. "Where?"
"My sect."
She gawked. "You have a sect?"
Honestly, he had always seemed more like a rogue cultivator—too free, too powerful, too strange to belong anywhere.
"Why now?"
Liu Mo Fei's expression didn't change—but inside, the thoughts were racing.
This was the second time he had lost her. The second time she vanished from under his nose.He hadn't sensed Zhang Tian coming. No energy disturbance. No spiritual tear. One moment she was in bed, the next—gone.It had taken him less than a minute to track her, and yet that minute felt like a lifetime. A thousand 'what ifs' clawed at his mind. What if he had been too late? What if something had gone wrong during the infusion? What if she never came back?
He hadn't realized how much it would affect him. How deep it already ran.
He loved his solitude. The peace of living away from the sect's noise, away from meddling elders, away from responsibilities he never asked for. But that peace… meant nothing if he couldn't keep her safe.Zhang Tian had crossed a line. And Liu Mo Fei would not let him get a third chance.He didn't trust the world outside—not with her. Not anymore.So he would take her back. Back to the one place Zhang Tian wouldn't dare touch.
"Because Zhang Tian won't dare step foot past the barrier built by the Ten Elders of Cloud Serpent Peak," he replied coolly. "Unless he wants to trigger a thousand-year-old defensive formation that turns people into spiritual porridge."
Jia Wei Xin squinted. "You're bringing me to a fortress of ancient death traps… just to keep Zhang Tian out?"
"Yes."
"You're—serious?!"
"Deadly."
Of course, she didn't know the full truth.
The truth was—he didn't want to go back either.Cloud Serpent Peak was peaceful, yes… if you ignored the politics, the nosy elders, the competitive disciples, the gossipy swordmaidens, the matchmaking aunties, the bureaucratic nonsense about robe length regulations, and the ten thousand scrolls of sect protocol he had once "accidentally" set on fire.He had left for a reason. Peace. Solitude. Sanity.And now here he was—voluntarily marching back into the snake pit, dragging along a beautiful, talented, utterly chaotic mortal who had already caused him to lose sleep, spiritual focus, and—apparently—his self-control.But Zhang Tian had changed the game. And if the choice was between facing one smug demon prince or a hundred meddlesome sect flies, he'd take the flies. Swat them one by one if he had to. With a broom.He just hoped the Peak still kept brooms around.
He inhaled slowly.
He exhaled. Slowly. Deliberately.
He knows he will going to be so busy.
He extended his hand toward her.
"Pack your things," he said, voice calm but firm. "You're coming home."
Jia Wei Xin stared at his outstretched palm.
"...Do I get to bring snacks this time?"
His eyes narrowed. "Only if you finish them before we cross the barrier."
She took his hand anyway, muttering under her breath, "Cloud Serpent Peak better have decent food…"
As their hands touched, she felt the shift.
It wasn't just about hiding.
This was a line being crossed.
And deep down, she knew—once she stepped into his world, nothing would ever be the same again.