Chains of multicoloured flame energy coiled around Medusa's wrists, binding them firmly to the headboard.
Her ankles were separated, locked to opposite sides of the bed.
The chains radiated no heat, yet they were unbreakable—tougher than any steel, more absolute than any seal.
A single gesture, and her Dou Qi was sealed.
Medusa's eyes flew open.
Bound.
Sealed.
Helpless.
She stared at the chains encircling her wrists, then at the man whose gaze now burned with unrestrained aggression.
Her mind went blank.
"…What are you doing?" Her voice was unsteady—something it had not been in decades.
Xiao Jietian smiled.
"What am I doing?"
He leaned closer, his fingers lifting her chin.
"Does this feel familiar?"
A pause.
"How was my acting earlier? Convincing enough?"
Medusa's pupils contracted.
Deliberate.
All of it.
His panic. His struggles. His helplessness.
All an act.
She had thought herself on the second floor, looking down.
He had been in the stratosphere all along.
The triumphant pleasure she had savoured earlier—shattered. Drowned. Replaced by the dawning, mortifying realization that she, the proud Queen Medusa, had been played like a pawn.
She swallowed.
"…It's getting late." Her voice was carefully even. "Perhaps we should each return to our own quarters."
Her tone held a note of compromise—something no one had ever heard from her lips.
Her heart was a storm.
I've reached my limit. If we continue… I don't know what I'll become.
Xiao Jietian ignored her words.
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a murmur.
"Do not resist."
His smile was her own—returned to her, perfected.
"The more you resist… the more excited I become."
A pause.
"Now the offense and defense have switched, Fei Yan."
Another pause.
"What you can do… so can I."
His eyes gleamed.
"Let us reverse the situation."
He descended.
"You… you bastard… don't—"
Her protest was cut short.
Time passed.
How long, neither could say.
When Xiao Jietian finally stilled, Medusa lay beside him like a woman pulled from the sea—drenched, trembling, her pupils unfocused.
Occasional shivers ran through her body.
He leaned against the headboard, gazing at her with quiet satisfaction.
His fingers traced her cheek—still flushed, still beautiful.
"You… this king… this king will…"
Her unconscious murmur trailed into silence.
He chuckled softly.
Outside, the sun was already high.
He gathered her into his arms, changed the bedding, and held her as sleep finally claimed them both.
Hours later.
Dusk.
Xiao Jietian's palace door was kicked open from within—by a pair of long, elegant legs sheathed in red high heels.
A stunning woman in a crimson dress fled through the doorway, dishevelled, flustered, her composure utterly shattered.
"Insatiable beast," she muttered, frantically straightening her robes and hair. "Like a dog that never gets enough."
Under the strange, knowing gazes of Ya Fei and the other women, she retreated to her own palace at speeds approaching teleportation.
Inside the room, Xiao Jietian stared at the empty space beside him.
I just woke up with a normal reaction, he thought. At most, I wanted some morning exercise.
Was that really worth kicking the door down?
In her palace, Medusa collapsed against the door.
Her legs still trembled.
Xiao Jietian emerged, fully dressed.
His palace door lay quietly on the ground a few metres away, wearing the expression of a door that had seen things and was choosing to remain silent until its lawyer arrived.
A wave of his hand, and it was restored.
He turned.
Yun Yun and the other three women were watching him, their expressions hovering on the verge of eruption.
"Really." Yun Yun approached, smoothing the wrinkles from his robe with gentle hands. "Look how you've tormented Fei Yan. Such a strong queen, reduced to this. Have you no pity for women?"
"Ahem." Xiao Jietian cleared his throat. "I'll be more careful next time."
"Next time?" Ya Fei's laughter shook her chest. She leaned against his shoulder for support. "Fei Yan will probably hide from you now, hehehe…"
Xiao Jietian wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her.
He spoke with them for a while. Then he prepared to leave—to check on Han Yue's condition.
Ya Fei immediately adopted a tragic expression.
"Ah, so you're going to find that new sister now." Her voice dripped with theatrical sorrow. "We are so pitiful. Forgotten already, abandoned for a newer model…"
SMACK.
Xiao Jietian pulled her across his lap and delivered a firm slap to her shapely backside.
"Ow! That hurts!"
She turned to Yun Yun and Little Fairy Doctor with wide, pleading eyes.
"Sister Yun Yun! Sister Xian'er! Look at him! I'm sure it's all red now!"
Little Fairy Doctor laughed. "Is that so? Perhaps Xiao Jietian should examine it for you. Rub it better."
"Sister Xian'er!" Ya Fei pouted, linking her arm through Little Fairy Doctor's. "You don't love me anymore! You're bullying me too!"
"You brought this upon yourself," Little Fairy Doctor said, tapping Ya Fei's forehead. "I cannot save you."
Xiao Jietian embraced each of them in turn. Kissed each forehead.
When he reached Ya Fei, his hand strayed downward.
He pinched.
Then he fled the Eternal Heaven Realm, leaving behind a trail of mischievous laughter.
"Just wait until you come back!" Ya Fei clutched her offended posterior, glaring at the spot where he had vanished. "See if I don't bite you!"
"Is that so, Sister Ya Fei?" Qing Lin's voice was sly. "I think that 'bite' of yours might be quite…"
"Qing Lin!" Ya Fei's face flushed. "You've learned bad habits from your young master! Mocking your elder sister now!"
She pounced.
Tickling ensued.
"Hehehe… hahaha… I can't—I can't take it anymore!"
SMACK.
A crisp sound.
Ya Fei yelped, clutching her already-abused posterior.
She turned, ready to glare at her assailant—
And immediately produced an ingratiating smile.
"Oh! Sister Fei Yan! Good evening!"
Medusa gazed down at her, one elegant eyebrow raised.
"I heard everything you said about me."
Ya Fei's smile froze.
"Ahem. Your younger sister suddenly remembers urgent affairs elsewhere. I shall take my leave—"
She attempted escape.
She did not succeed.
The captured Ya Fei flailed, dragging everyone else into the fray. What began as a targeted punishment evolved into a free-for-all—joyful shrieks, helpless laughter, and the occasional yelp of pain echoing across the lakeside pavilion.
Yun Yun and Ya Fei, both pregnant, participated without restraint.
The cultivation world is different, Xiao Jietian would have said. As long as it's not a life-or-death battle, there's no danger. Especially with the residual energy from the Physique Card protecting them.
The five women tumbled together in the pavilion, filling the evening air with unbridled joy.
Xiao Jietian emerged from the Eternal Heaven Realm.
He briefly inquired about Pan Gate's affairs. Xiao Yu, Hu Jia, Wu Hao, and A Tai managed everything efficiently. His presence was not required.
Good, he thought. I prefer being a spiritual pillar. Let others do the paperwork.
He made his way toward the Qi Refining Tower.
The Great Elder's orders ensured his passage was smooth. Soon, he stood once more on the Heart Flame Body Tempering floor.
The chamber had changed.