by ArkGodZ | DaoVerse Studio
The world was too quiet to be real.
Jian Yu awoke with shallow breath.The cold of the stone beneath him clashed with the heat that still pulsed under his skin.
It wasn't fever.It wasn't pain.
It was… want.
As if his body had memorized a touch—and now begged for another.
He turned his head.She was there.
Yue Shuang.Back straight, eyes half-lowered, hands resting on her knees.
Still as before.But… something was different.A tension in her shoulders.A flicker in her gaze—almost imperceptible.
— You stayed — he said, voice hoarse.
She didn't answer right away.Then softly:
— You're not ready to be alone.
Silence.
His heart beat like it was trying to remember something his mind couldn't yet reach.
— Why does it still burn here? — he touched his chest, where the lotus had bloomed.
She stared at the spot.
— Because it doesn't close.It lingers.
He rose slowly.His body felt light, but unstable.The memory of the clash with Wei Renshu still echoed in his veins like a muffled thunder.
He had nearly made the most feared Inner Disciple step back...with nothing but an impulse.
And yet, he didn't know where that power came from.
— I need air.
She didn't stop him.But she didn't look away either.
— Don't run from what you felt — she said.
— I'm not running. I'm trying to breathe.
— Then come — she replied. — The air you seek… is outside.
They walked together.
Cold stone hallways.Round windows leaking silver moonlight.Each step echoed like whispers through ancient temples.
When they emerged, the breeze touched Jian Yu's skin.But it didn't refresh.It felt like the wind was whispering secrets he had no right to know.
In the central courtyard, dozens of disciples trained.
One shaped blades with sound alone.Another danced among blue flames that didn't burn.A girl floated midair, eyes closed, petals orbiting her like moons.
Everything was beautiful.Precise.Cold.
"They master their emotions.I can't even name mine."
As he passed, Jian Yu felt glances.
A disciple leaned toward another and whispered.A third furrowed his brow.
— He's the one who made Renshu retreat — someone murmured.— But… with what? — another asked. — It was like… desire incarnate.
He closed his eyes.Inhaled deeply.Tried to channel Qi.To force it into the shape others used.
But it didn't come like submission.It came like a warm breath at his ear.
It came like touch.Like memory.Like hunger.
"Why does everything in me pulse… like it's being touched again?"
Yue Shuang appeared beside him.She didn't touch him.But he felt it.
— You're trying to cultivate like them.
— I'm trying to calm down.
— They calm to control.You must feel… to survive.
She walked away.This time, Jian Yu followed.
They entered a chamber bathed in silver fire.Ancient symbols danced along the walls.It felt like a temple that listened to desire.
She sat in the center of a glowing circle.
— Sit across from me — she said. — And breathe.
He obeyed.Legs crossed. Hands relaxed.But his body… too tense to fake peace.
— Close your eyes — she said.
When he did, all he saw was her.
Her scent.The sound of her breath.The heat.The memory of her hand.
The flame returned.But it didn't scream.It flowed like velvet under his skin.
Soft.Hot.Impossible to ignore.
He felt a vibration.
Not in the ground.Between them.
As if a cord had been stretched—fragile, trembling, ready to snap.
Her fingers moved.Didn't touch.But his Qi surged as if she had pulled him into her.
He shivered.
His mouth opened slightly.His entire being begged for her to—
Anything.
When he opened his eyes, she was already watching him.
But this time, she didn't hide it.
Dilated pupils.Slightly parted lips.Skin paler than before.
Yue Shuang breathed deeper.As if she was fighting, too.
"She feels it."
He wanted to say something.But the moment was too delicate for words.
He stood.
The heat rushed to his limbs.He wanted to leave. He wanted to stay.
She remained still.
Calm.But not cold.
— You… felt it — he whispered.
She stayed silent.Then turned her gaze away.
— You still don't understand me.
She rose.Stepped past him.
And as she passed, her arm brushed his—and she shuddered.
Just for an instant.
She stopped.Her voice came out like breath slipping through her teeth:
— I should keep my distance…
And softer still:
— …but this flame… it's in me, too.
⚔️ End of Chapter 4
Next: Chapter 5 – Ember Unleashed