MadFireGod

  The night was silent and calm, the peacefulness broken only by the hushed voices of two maids as they made their way back to the servants' quarters after a long day of work.

  Their slow footsteps echoed faintly as they walked dowh that passed by the guest area of the Jin Manor. A soft glow spilled out from the window of one of the rooms.

  “That's where Lady Fan is staying, isn't it?” one of them whispered.

  “It is,” the other firmed.

  “Say, which young dy do you think will end up as the Young Master's lover?” The first maid giggled, leaning closer. “My guess is Lady Fan. She's his mother's disciple, and they have good chemistry, don't you think?”

  “Are you serious? Aren't both of them already his lovers?” the seaid asked, her toter-of-fact.

  “They are? Really?” The first maid blinked in surprise.

  The other nodded knowingly. “That's what I heard from the others.”

  As they passed by the lit window, faint voices from inside caught their attention. Curious, they slowed to a stop, straining to listen. The voices grew louder, cutting through the still night air.

  “Aaah! S-stop!” “This is necessary.” “Stop! Stop! Ah!” “We ’t stop yet.” “I-it hurts!” “Hold on, just a little more.” “AAH!! JIN SHU!!”

  The maids’ faces turned crimson, their wide eyes log on each other in shared shock. O out a hiccup, and without a word, they hurried off, their steps a pater.

  Ihe room, Jin Shu was leaning over Fan Biyu, his forehead slick with sweat as he worked with focused determination. Her face was flushed crimson, a mix of pain aion evident as her breaths came in ragged gasps.

  His qi-infused hands moved firmly down her leg, kneading the stiff muscles with increasing pressure. “Just hold still,” he said calmly, though beads of sweat trickled down his temples.

  Fan Biyu yelped in pain, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. Tears rolled freely down her cheeks, glistening like pearls as she whimpered through gritted teeth.

  Seds turned into minutes, and miretched into what felt like hours as Jin Shu tinued his treatment, his hands tirelessly wringing and massaging her leg like a soaked rag.

  Finally, around midnight, he exhaled heavily and climbed off the bed. “That’s it for tonight,” he said, stepping back.

  Fan Biyu gred at him through tear-soaked eyes. “I told you to stop!” she snapped, her voice hoarse with frustration and pain.

  “You read the instrus. It clearly said the first session would hurt, and if we stopped halfway, it could make your injuries worse,” he replied with a shrug.

  “Hmph!” She yahe b over her head, muffling her words. “Get out!”

  Jin Shu sighed, shaking his head as he made his way to the door. “I’ll be ba the m,” he said casually before stepping out.

  The moment he closed the door behind him, his posure shattered. He doubled over, his face flushing a vivid red. “Damn this body!” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head in embarrassment as he walked away.

  “Thank you for suppressing my body’s reas, Nano.”

  “You're wele. However, prolonged suppression may prove harmful.”

  “ I st a week?” Jin Shu asked hesitantly.

  “A week would be pushing it. Our reendation is no more than five nights. Any longer could severely impact your ability to reproduce.”

  Jin Shu choked at Nano’s ical response, his face flushing a deep red once more. “...Five nights, then…” he muttered relutly.

  ***

  Sleep eluded Jin Shu after the night’s events. Restless, he decided to work on something to occupy his hands and mind while he pnned for the future.

  He pulled out a sturdy wooden chair and began modifying it. His movements were deliberate, adding soft padding to the seat and backrest, and carefully affixing two pairs of iron wheels—smaller o the front and rger o the back.

  As his hands worked, his thoughts drifted.

  I o renew my old training. I don’t have access to the fighting teiques of this world, but I use what I learned oh. If I tweak my methods to incorporate simultaneous pistol-and-knife bat, alongside ueiques, it should work well with my enhanced physical abilities in this world. If I refi further, I might develop somethiirely uo myself.

  His mind tinued rag with ideas as he tightehe st bolt on the wheelchair. Satisfied with his work, he tucked the finished produto the ste spa his earring and finally retired for the night.

  ***

  Knock! Knock!

  Early the m, Jin Shu tapped on the door to Fan Biyu’s room. “Biyu, I e in?” he called softly.

  After waiting a few moments without a response, he raised his hand to knock again. Just as his knuckles hovered he door, it creaked open. His hand froze midair.

  “Good m,” he greeted, a polite smile tugging at his lips.

  He almost burst out ughing at the sight before him.

  Fan Biyu, normally the picture of elegand poise, looked utterly disheveled. Her luscious evergreen hair was a tangled mess, her eyes still red from st night’s tears, with dark bags shadowing them. Her usual grace was repced with a gring, sharp-eyed irritation that could have sent weaker men running.

  “What do you want?” she snapped, her voice dripping with annoyance.

  Jin Shu held back his ughter, clearing his throat. “Um… I brought you a gift,” he said carefully, taking in her chaotic appearance.

  She extended a hand impatiently. “Hand it over and leave.”

  “It’s not a small gift, see?” Jin Shu gestured as his earring released a soft glow. A wheelchair materialized in the open space outside her doorway.

  Fan Biyu stared at the traption, her sharp gaze softening into curiosity as she studied its design. The chair added with jade-green silk and sported two small iron wheels at the front and twer o the back. The backrest had two hatached at the top.

  “What is it?” she asked, eyeing it warily.

  “It’s called a wheelchair. Here, sit down,” Jin Shu said nontly, ing an arm around her shoulder to guide her into the chair.

  Too engrossed in examining the strange traption, she didn’t react to the casual touch.

  “fortable…” she murmured, running her hands over the smooth silk padding.

  “Do you like it?” Jin Shu asked with a gentle smile, watg her explore the chair.

  “I still don’t know what it does.”

  “Here, try this. Hold onto the handles of the rge wheels and push them forward,” he instructed.

  Following his dires, she grasped the wheels and pushed. The chair moved smoothly, rolling forward.

  However, she uimated her strength and the chair surged forward, heading straight for Jin Shu.

  “Ah!” she yelped, panig as she lost trol.

  The moment, she tumbled from the chair. Jin Shu lunged forward and caught her before she hit the ground—only to lose his own bahey both colpsed, Jin Shu hitting the ground with a heavy thud, Fan Biyu nding on top of him.

  For a moment, her moved. Their breaths mingled as they stared into each other’s eyes.

  Then, Fan Biyu felt something press against her stomach. Without thinking, she reached down to move it away, her hand brushing against—

  Jin Shu moaned involuntarily, his face flushing bright red. Both their eyes widened in realization.

  “OH MY!!” a loud voice shrieked from the courtyard gate.

  They turheir heads in unison to see a maid standing there, her hands c her mouth. “Excuse me!” she squeaked, turning on her heel and fleeing, smming the gate shut behind her.

  Jin Shu and Fan Biyu slowly turned back to face each other, mortified.

  Jin Shu tried averting his gaze, but as his eyes dropped, they nded on her chest pressed tightly against his own. His body reacted before his mind could stop it, and his little brother twitched against her hand.

  He jolted upright, shoving her bato the wheelchair in a panic. He quickly turned away, one hand shielding his lower half as his face burned in embarrassment.

  Clearing his throat, he stammered, “T-that was just a physical rea! I-I didn’t mean for that to happen!”

  Fan Biyu didn’t respond immediately. She was staring down at her hand, her expression unreadable.

  “Biyu?” Jin Shu ventured hesitantly.

  She slowly looked up, pausing briefly as her gaze passed his pelvic region before meeting his eyes. “What happened?” she asked, her tone genuinely curious.

  Jin Shu blinked in fusion.

  She tilted her head. “Weren’t you going to teach me how this wheelchair works?”

  Jin Shu scratched the back of his neck, his face still red. “R-right… the wheelchair,” he muttered, eager to steer the versation back to ral territory.

  He turoward the chair, carefully avoiding looking directly at Fan Biyu, and crouched to point at the wheels. “So, as I was saying, you just roll these fently. Not too hard this time, okay?”

  Fan Biyu tilted her head, her curiosity rekindled. “Like this?” She pushed the wheels slowly, the chair rolling forward a short distance.

  Jin Shu smiled, relieved. “Exactly. And if you o stop, just hold the wheels steady.”

  Fan Biyu practiced for a moment, her movements growing more fident. A soft smile repced her earlier irritation. “It’s… actually pretty useful,” she admitted.

  “Of course it is. I made it, after all,” Jin Shu said, his usual fideurning as he straightened up.

  She rolled her eyes at his smug to didn’t deny his craftsmanship. “Fi’s det.”

  As she turhe chair to test its maneuverability, Jin Shu’s voice stopped her.

  “And one more thing,” he said, his tone softer now.

  “What?” she asked, gng over her shoulder.

  “I just… wao say I’m sorry about st night,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck again. “The treatment was rough, but I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  Fan Biyu blinked, her expression softening further. For a moment, silence lingered betweehen, she smirked.

  “If you’re really sorry,” she said, her voice teasing, “you bring me mifts.”

  Jin Shu chuckled, the tension breaking. “Don’t push your luck.”

  They both ughed, the awkwardness fading into a lighthearted warmth.