The morning sun filtered through the high windows of the Cloud-Peak Pavilion, casting long beams of light across the floor of the master bedroom. Wang Jian lay on the expansive bed, his arm draped possessively over the waist of his wife, Yue Lingshan. The air in the room was calm, smelling faintly of the sandalwood incense Lingshan preferred, a sharp contrast to the musk-heavy atmosphere of the secret chambers he frequented.
Wang Jian watched the dust motes dance in the light, his mind calculating the next move on the chessboard of the Fragrance Melody Sect. He had conquered the mother and the daughter in the shadows, but shadows were fragile. To truly secure his dominion, to expand his resources without suspicion, he needed to bring at least part of his conquest into the light.
He shifted, his movement stirring Yue Lingshan. She opened her eyes, blinking sleepily before a warm smile spread across her face.
