Her voice reached Fad's ears like a cascade of crystal notes, each one shimmering with beauty, like a thousand songbirds singing in perfect harmony. And when she stepped into the light, her face unveiled a radiance that outshone the melody itself.
Her skin glowed like moonlight on still water; flawless, untouched by time or imperfection. Those lips, a sultry shade of rose, carried the gravity of silent poetry, drawing the gaze like a flame draws the moth.
Her eyes held a depth so pure it stole breath; soft, searching, innocent. And as she moved, it was as though the heavens had opened a stairway for an immortal to walk among mortals. Each step was grace incarnate, a moment suspended between realms, making Fad to completely fall for her.
It was unmistakable, she was the one he had fought through blood and venom to save. That golden spear slung across her back shimmered like a banner of fate, confirming what his heart already knew.
"I feared the poison had rooted itself deep within your heart," she said, her voice gentle, threaded with sorrow. "I thought you'd never awaken."
Her words sliced through his daze like lightning. Fad blinked, stared, then leaned forward abruptly, his finger aimed straight at her nose.
"It was you," he whispered, then burst out. "Aiyaah!" He clapped his hands in astonishment, stomping his left foot like a flustered child. "How could you do that to me? Now I can't even remember my first time now!" He cried out like a baby.
Fad dropped into a crouch, burying his cheeks between his palms, eyes wide and wounded, as if the very fabric of his dignity had come undone.
"Remember what?" she asked, innocence blooming across her face, puzzled by the erratic storm of emotion before her.
"You don't remember!?" he yelped, springing to his feet and striding toward her. "Aiyaah!" He halted mid-step, hands raised above his head in theatrical exasperation. "How could she forget that?" he murmured to himself. "Is she pretending? That's fine. If anything comes of this, I won't shoulder the responsibility... even for the child." He spoke, turned solemnly to her, face now composed, voice calm.
"Little miss," he said, with a respectful clasp of his hands. "Since it seems nothing happened... I'll take my leave."
With that, he walked past her, the weight of a thousand questions trailing behind him like shadows.
"You pervert!" she suddenly shrieked like a banshee, her voice exploding through the air like a thunderclap.
In one fluid motion, her leg swept upward in a ruthless roundhouse kick, aimed squarely at Fad's skull. "You think you can just walk away after what happened the other night?!" She screamed.
Time seemed to slow. Fad's instincts flared like wildfire. He felt the disturbance in the air, the vibration of fury coiling around her Qi-enhanced strike. Spinning with precise grace, he caught her leg before it connected, feet rooted, expression puzzled.
"Little Miss," he said, bewildered, brow furrowed with genuine confusion, "didn't you say… nothing happened the other night?" He questioned.
"You impisal!" she roared, Qi surging through her body like lightning in a storm cloud. She vaulted into the air, spinning mid-flight, a cyclone of emotion and technique.
Her kick sliced through the sky toward his temple.
But Fad, now tempered by evolution, saw the attack curve in from his peripheral vision.
He effortlessly raised his arm just in time. The impact reverberated through him like a gong, making him flinch, barely. His endurance absorbed the brunt, leaving his HP untouched.
'She's strong,' he thought, watching her arc backward and land with predatory grace. 'Wouldn't mind ten like her as wives..." A slow grin tugged at his lips. 'though one might be enough to kill me.'
On the other side, the girl steadied herself, her eyes scanning him like a puzzle refusing to solve itself.
'Was he hiding his strength? No—he wouldn't do that in a life-or-death battle against those spiders. So how did his cultivation rise this fast?'She thought
Their thoughts collided in silence, each veiled behind the calm before the next strike. The tension rippled, a battlefield of confusion, accusation, and something unspoken simmering beneath their clash.
""You…!" she growled, stepping forward with slow intensity, her eyes narrowed with conflicting emotions. "Do you really want me to admit it first?" Her voice trembled—not with fear, but with reluctant vulnerability.
"Admit what?" Fad blinked, genuinely baffled, his expression caught between curiosity and concern.
"You!" she snapped again, cheeks flushed crimson. ' Is he trying to embarrass me on purpose?' She thought, her fists clenched tight at her sides. 'Fine. I'll endure it for now. But I swear… he'll pay for this later.'
"We were poisoned by those spiders yesterday," she began, voice low, controlled, "and since you passed out, I took matters into my own hands and…"
"Say no more!" Fad interrupted, raising his palm like an imperial guard stopping a runaway carriage. His eyes quivered, glossed with disbelief. "So it really happened?"
Tears danced at the corners of his eyes.
"Why do you sound like I committed a crime?" she said, arms crossed, irritated. "If it weren't for me, you'd be long dead!" She spoke.
"Msm!" Fad snapped, shaking his head as he sank to the ground like a man who had just lost a dynasty. "You don't understand. The issue isn't survival, it's memory!" He clasped his head in despair. "How am I supposed to tell the boys over drinks that I don't remember my first time? What will I even say to my children when they ask how it all began? Rakaraaah" He buried his face in his palms, a dramatic sob escaping.
From the side, the girl just stared, half stunned, half tempted to hit him again as her eyes twitched.
'What first time is he even talking about? Did I save a fool… or just unlock a new headache?' She thought. 'But that doesn't matter.' She turned back to Fad.
"As per our sect's law," she declared, her tone like steel cloaked in silk, "since you deflowered me, you must marry me!" She commanded.
Fad's breath caught, his sorrow evaporating into dread. "Little Miss… I don't even know who you are," he muttered, eyes wide with disbelief. "How could I possibly marry you?"
This didn't stop the girl though, she stepped forward, grace woven into determination, and pressed her hands together in formal salute. "My name is Xin Ai," she said solemnly. "Second daughter of the House of Ai."
The words hit Fad like a divine thunderbolt. His knees nearly buckled. His heart skipped not one but three beats.
'The House of Ai?!' His eyes widened as if they were trying to flee his skull.
The seventh-ranked sect in the empire. Known across the land for its ruthless discipline, immense power, and imperial bloodline. And now… he had "wronged" their daughter.
In an empire overflowing with sects; many weak, many nameless; being ranked meant influence, honor, and unmatched strength.
His own Xu Sect, proudly fifteenth-ranked, stood tall among the middle powers. But the House of Ai? That was a mountain too tall to climb.
"You seem familiar with my family's name," Xin said with quiet menace. "So I ask you again, do you dare refuse me?"
Fad's jaw quivered. "How could I say no?" he whimpered, as if the heavens were pressing a blade against his neck.
"Good." She turned half-away, voice wrapped in cold certainty. "My father will arrive in ten days with an official proposal. I advise you not to try anything clever."
Fad blinked back his panic, trying to salvage pride. "Do you even know who I am?"
"Fad Xu," she answered without hesitation.
He blinked, mildly flattered. "I didn't know I was that famous." He smiled
"Don't flatter yourself." Her finger pointed at the prison cloth he still wore, his name printed across the chest like a grim joke.
Then, with casual authority, she extended her golden spear toward him.
"There are countless sons in the Xu bloodline. This will prove you are the one. Present it to my father, and your identity will be verified."
With nothing much to say, she turned without waiting, her figure retreating toward the cave's mouth like destiny walking away.
Fad stared after her, mouth agape.
"I'm dead," he whispered. Then louder: "I'm so dead."