I alone am the Honoured One!

Ji Shuang's eyes softened the moment she heard those words.

"You don't have to decide right now..." she whispered.

He let out a soft breath "But… if I don't go, then what hope is there for Jing'er?"

With a nod, she spoke "I know her death haunts you, but you have to think if Jing'er really wishes to risk your life so that she can be saved?"

"And I am pretty sure there might be many other different ways to bring Jing'er back."

"If you die chasing this, then it won't just be you paying the price."

"Zhou Hanyue. Li Jia. Velnorah. Me and your lovers..."

She looked up at him and uttered in a desperate tone "Don't make me attend another funeral."

Zhao Tian's heart twisted as it was too much.

The desperation in her eyes and the fear in her trembling hands...

The memory of Jing'er's laughter.

The quiet smiles of Zhou Hanyue and the warmth of Li Jia, Xia Shenyi's affectionate slap, Fei Lingxi, Ziyu, and Norah.

His Mother, his Big Sister, and all his other wives.

Everyone's face flashed in his mind, and he gave a quiet nod "Hn."

Though tears clung to the edge of her eyes, she smiled gently and patted his shoulder. "Good..."

Looking at the smile on her lips, his gaze softened and relief flooded his heart "Thank you... for knocking some sense into me. Seems like I was pretty reckless."

Ji Shuang stood there for a moment and the silence stretched between them again.. but this time, it was comforting.

Then, in a voice almost too soft to hear, she said:

"It's late…"

Zhao Tian blinked and she glanced away for a second, as if hesitating, then back at him again with a quiet determination.

"You shouldn't sleep alone tonight."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise "Hm?"

She exhaled slowly, trying to mask the flicker of nervousness in her eyes

She gave a small, tired smile and nodded her head gently toward the corridor behind her. "Come to my room. Not for romance or anything like that. Just… stay. Be near."

"I want to sleep knowing you're still here."

Now? Zhao Tian hesitated for a moment as he was just having sex with Zhou Hanyue earlier, and if she woke up without him beside her...

With a soft breath, he gave a nod "Alright."

A visible tension in her shoulders eased, and her grip on his hand grew firmer for a brief second before she turned, leading him down the corridor toward her chambers.

Their steps echoed softly in the quiet hallway as the cool night air brushed through the open windows.

They soon reached her room arranged by the Empress and she extended a hand toward him.

He accepted it.

His fingers slid gently into hers, clasping her hand once more.

A single large bed adorned with dark silk sheets.

She didn't say anything as she pulled the covers back and slipped in first, giving him space.

Zhao Tian stood still for a moment, and then he slipped off his outer robe, folding it neatly and placing it over the chair nearby before moving toward the bed.

He pulled back the covers and slipped beneath them and the bed shifted slightly with his weight as he settled onto his back with eyes staring up at the ceiling for a moment.

But something was… off.

Too much space between them.

He turned his head to look at her and she noticed she haven't closed her eyes yet.

Instead, she was watching him out of the corner of her eye.

Then, in a voice quieter than a whisper, she spoke.

"Tian..."

He turned slightly toward her.

She hesitated.

And then, her voice cracked just slightly as she asked "Will you… hold me?"

Zhao Tian blinked for a second and then he simply moved closer.

Gently, he slipped an arm beneath her neck and pulled her toward him.

She came willingly, nestling against his chest with a soft exhale as his other arm wrapped around her waist.

Their bodies fit together naturally, like two puzzle pieces finally brought home.

She rested her head just beneath his chin, and he tilted his face down, burying it into her hair and inhaling her scent.

Ji Shuang's fingers lightly clutched the fabric of his robe.

And Zhao Tian just held her, gently running his hand up and down her back in slow, calming strokes.

Minutes passed.

Then, she shifted just slightly as her lips brushed the fabric near his collarbone.

"Tighter," she murmured, and Zhao Tian's arms tightened gently around her, pulling her even closer.

Their legs brushed beneath the covers.

He leaned in and his lips brushed her temple before slowly nuzzling his face into the curve of her neck, resting there.

Her skin was warm, and the scent of her hair and body was soothing to stay.

She let out a quiet hum, relaxing more into his embrace.

And then, slowly, he shifted again, pressing her closer and his cheek now rested just above her chest.

No words passed between them.

And somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, Ji Shuang whispered "Just stay like this… for a little while longer."

Zhao Tian tightened his arms around her and pressed a soft kiss against her collarbone.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Hmm..."

...

Morning sunlight crept through the open lattice windows, weaving soft golden threads across the silk bedding and painting the room in a warm, tranquil hue.

Zhao Tian slowly woke up and his eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the gentle light as he blinked away the remnants of sleep.

Warmth wrapped around him and he looked down at Ji Shuang.

She was still fast asleep, nestled closely against him.

His arms were still around her.

Her head rested near his collar, and their legs were faintly entangled beneath the sheets.

As he tilted his head slightly to look at her, his breath caught in surprise.

H-Huh?

Her delicate night robe had shifted during the night.

One side had slipped down, revealing her bare slender shoulder, and more than half of her breast was exposed to the morning light.

Her skin was pale and smooth, with a faint flush along her collarbone and her chest gently rose and fell with each breath.

Zhao Tian's gaze lingered only for a moment... before he gently looked away.

He exhaled slowly, carefully lifting the edge of the blanket higher up to cover her shoulder.

Still, the motion stirred her slightly.

She shifted closer, her brow furrowing faintly, and murmured softly, "Mmm…"

Her hand gripped his robe at the chest again, holding him close.

Zhao Tian's expression softened.

"Sleep a little more," he whispered.

Ji Shuang's eyelashes fluttered slightly before her eyes slowly opened, meeting the mellow light filtering into the room.

For a moment, she looked dazed, as if caught between the remnants of a dream and the comfort of reality.

Then her gaze fell upon the man beside her.

Their faces were close, with their breaths gently brushing against one another.

She blinked slowly… and then noticed the weight of the blanket shifted just slightly lower than she remembered.

Then her eyes lazily traveled down.

Her night robes had slipped further during sleep, revealing a generous curve of her chest and heck, even if it moved a little, it would show her nipples.

The morning air kissed her exposed skin, and a blush bloomed faintly across her cheeks.

But she didn't flinch or pull the covers back up.

Instead, she gave him a slow, knowing look… and a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Well," she said in a sleepy, teasing tone, her voice husky with the remnants of slumber, "You've really seen a lot this morning, haven't you…?"

Zhao Tian's eyes widened just slightly and his lips parted as if to respond, but the words caught in his throat.

"I—" he began, but she silenced him with a soft laugh.

"Relax," she said, shifting slightly so her arm could drape over his chest.

"It's not like I'm upset… Besides, I was the one who invited you to bed, remember?"

Her voice lowered, just a hint of warmth curling in her tone "I trust you."

Zhao Tian looked back at her, "You are not even trying to fix it."

Ji Shuang leaned a little closer with her eyes half-lidded as she murmured, "Maybe I didn't want to."

That earned a raised eyebrow from him. "Oh?"

She chuckled and then sighed softly, resting her head back on his shoulder. "You're so tense… even after waking up next to a beautiful woman in the same bed."

With a dry smile, he replied "I was trying to be respectful."

"I know," she replied, smiling. "That's why I let it slide. If you weren't, I'd have kicked you off the bed by now."

Zhao Tian chuckled lowly. "Sect Master Ji Shuang, are you flirting with me?"

She closed her eyes and answered in a soft, contented voice "I'm just being honest. Besides… maybe I've earned the right to tease you a little."

He exhaled with a gentle smile, brushing a strand of her purple hair away from her face. "You have."

Ji Shuang nodded her head and muttered "Do you want to see my breasts? They are quite big... Or maybe you don't like them?"

Zhao Tian blinked.

For a moment, he thought he had misheard her.

Ji Shuang didn't open her eyes after speaking, though her cheeks did flush a delicate shade of pink, visible even under the warm light of dawn.

He stared at her for a few long seconds, processing her words "...What?"

Ji Shuang opened her eyes slowly, not turning her head, just looking up at him from where she lay curled against him.

"I'm not trying to seduce you, Tian," she whispered and her eyes were still half lidded.

"But… you were staring. And for a moment, I thought maybe you found me lacking."

Eh? He was taken aback "Lacking?"

She gave a faint shrug, the silken robe shifting slightly again. "I know how I look. I've seen the women around you—Jing'er, Hanyue, Velorah, Xue, Nue… They're all so radiant."

"I've always been the Sect Master, never allowed to be soft. Never allowed to be seen as… desirable."

He raised her chin to look at her face "You are also radiant."

"I don't know what gave you the idea that I wouldn't find you beautiful… And yes," he added with a small smile.

"Your body is… very attractive. But even if you didn't show me a single inch of skin, I'd still be drawn to you."

"Oh…" she mumbled, her voice laced with amusement and the smallest hint of shyness.

Her lips curled in a smile that was more teasing than embarrassed, as if she wanted to say more, but the words were caught somewhere in her throat.

But then, just as she shifted in the bed, the silken fabric of her night robe, already loosened during the night, slipped even further down her shoulder.

Neither of them moved fast enough to stop it.

Zhao Tian's gaze shifted.. just for a moment and then he froze.

Her robe had fallen away from her chest slightly, just enough to reveal the soft curve of her breast… and the small, pink bud at its center.

His eyes widened slightly. Huh?

"Inverted?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"H-Huh? Wait—!" Ji Shuang blinked, then immediately reached to pull her robe back up.

"Did you... did you see?!"

Zhao Tian turned away abruptly, "No, no! I didn't— I mean—okay, maybe a little, but I wasn't trying to!"

"You definitely saw! Don't lie!"

"I'm not lying! I was surprised! That's different from looking!"

Ji Shuang groaned, burying her face in her hands as the warmth in her cheeks deepened. "You weren't supposed to see that part… especially not now."

Zhao Tian rubbed the back of his neck, unsure if he should apologize, explain, or laugh. "It's not a bad thing, you know. It's actually… kind of cute."

"Cute?" she peeked at him through her fingers and her eyes squinted in suspicion.

He gave a sheepish smile "Yeah. I mean, it's just a part of you. And I already said I find all of you beautiful... so that includes your little secret."

He paused, then added with a smile, "Besides… now that I've seen it, I guess I'm part of a very exclusive club."

They fell into a brief silence, the tension melting into something warmer.

Ji Shuang pulled her robe back over her shoulder and settled back into the covers as her hair spilled over the pillow like a violet waterfall.

Zhao Tian lay down beside her again, facing her now and their eyes were only inches apart.

"Sorry for seeing something I wasn't supposed to," he murmured.

She shook her head. "It's fine. I was just… caught off guard."

She hesitated, then added softly, "But I wasn't upset. Not really."

"Then what were you?"

Ji Shuang exhaled gently "Embarrassed, a little."

And with that, she laced her fingers through his again and gently tugged his hand against her chest, just above her heart.

"You've seen something vulnerable," she whispered. "Now… hold it like it's precious."

His gaze softened and he replied "I will..."