The memories buried deep within his soul painted vivid pictures of his younger years oh. Cold streets, his only panioy fists, his only tools. He had fought, scraped, and struggled, turning solitude intth. Then came the Army—where he found brothers and sisters in arms, a family fed in the fires of camaraderie. For them, he would fight to his st breath—had fought to his st breath.

  In this life, however, he had known only warmth. Sheltered by endless love, he grew up safe, yet the unyielding will to protect carried over.

  Now, with the bined will of both lives spurring him on, Jin Shu would let nothing stand in his way. Not Buddha, not demons, not gods, nor even the heavens themselves. Any who dared would face down the smoking barrel of his guns, and it would be the st thing they'd see.

  Drawing a deep breath as he stirred from his memories, he murmured, “Nano, you’re wrong. I don’t enjoy killing. But if it’s to protect what’s dear to me, then it’s a good thing killing is what I’m best at.”

  “If you say so,” Nano replied, sounding unvinced.

  ***

  The seventh night had finally arrived. Fan Biyu’s legs would be fully healed, and they could set out for the Immortal Phoenix Sect. These thoughts weighed on Jin Shu’s mind as he approached her room and knocked on the door.

  Before his knuckles could meet the wood a sed time, the door swung open.

  Fan Biyu stood in the doorway, her dark green hair damp and her cheeks a delicate rosy hue, as though she’d just stepped out of a bath. A warm smile curved her lips, and Jin Shu felt his heart qui at the sight. He silently willed himself to calm down, but the youthful side of his psyche roared within his soul, demanding more than just restraint.

  Clearing his throat, he asked, “How are ys feeling?” His voice was awkward as he fought to avoid eye tact.

  “Fine,” she said, her smile unwavering. “Just a little numbness.”

  She stepped aside, gesturing for him to e in. As Jin Shu passed her, her eyes flicked to the scratches on his fad his empty shoulder.

  “Is Yiill upset?” she asked softly, her tone carrying a hint of guilt. She likely bmed herself since she had asked to keep Yin’er for the night.

  “No, she’s fine now,” Jin Shu replied with a bright smile, thinking fondly of Yin’er’s antics. “Back to her usual rambunctious self.”

  “That’s good.” A note of cheer returo her voice.

  “Well, let’s get the treatment done, shall we?” Jin Shu motiooward the bed.

  “Hm.” She nodded lightly, climbing onto the bed and pulling the hem of her robes up to her knees.

  Jin Shu followed, kneeling in the space between her legs. He rubbed his hands together, allowing his qi to flow ale into a steady rhythm. It served both to warm his palms and distract his thoughts. Once ready, he pced his hands on her calves and began kneading the soft skin. His touch was firm yet careful, the energy pulsing ile waves through her legs.

  All the while, Jin Shu struggled to quiet his inner voice—the part of him still ruled by youthful impulses. His gaze repeatedly betrayed him, drawn to Fan Biyu’s beauty. He chastised himself but knew he couldirely bme his teenage self. She was simply too stunning, especially to someone ihroes of adolesce.

  For her part, Fan Biyu leaned back against the headboard, her face tinged with a deep blush. A soft smile pyed on her lips as she watched him work. When Jin Shu gnced up briefly, their eyes met, and he quickly looked away, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. Her expression was too much for him—too much for both sides of himself.

  At least his body had adjusted to these nightly treatments, sparing him the more embarrassiions from earlier days.

  Time passed both painfully slow and all too fast. Before long, the treatment was over. Jin Shu stood, ready to leave, but a geug on his sleeve stopped him.

  He turned, meeting her pleading gaze.

  “Don’t go just yet,” she said softly. “Stay and chat with me for a while, please?”

  Jin Shu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Uh… I guess I could.”

  His body no longer overreacted as it once had, and he wasn’t in a rush tonight. A brief chat wouldn’t hurt.

  They sat at the small table in her room, the sileretg between them. Jin Shu opened his mouth to say something just as Biyu did the same. Their gazes met, and they both gestured for the other to go first. Another beat passed, and once agairied speaking over each other, their words colliding awkwardly.

  After a few more false starts, they finally broke into ughter at the sheer absurdity of it all.

  Biyu’s ughter gradually faded. “Jin Shu, you speak first.”

  He hesitated, about to protest, but thought better of it. If he argued, they might spend the entire night deg who should go first. “Alright… I’ve always been curious. How did you bey mother’s disciple?”

  “She saved my life,” Biyu replied, a sad smile tugging at her lips.

  “She did? How?” Jin Shu asked, but the mencholy in her expression made him hesitate. “Uh, only if you’re fortable sharing.”

  “No, it’s fine,” she said softly. “I’ll tell you. It’s… a long story, though.”

  “That’s okay,” he reassured her with a gentle smile. “I have time.”

  Biyu paused, anizihoughts. “Let’s see… where do I start? I’ve old ahis story before, so I guess I should start at the beginning.” She took a deep breath. “When I was young, I was… different from everyone else in my vilge. Even as a child, I was strohan most of the adults.”

  “So, you were born with the talent of a cultivator?” Jin Shu asked.

  “ly…” she murmured, trailing off. “I was born with a special physique. Cultivators call people like me Heaven’s Blessed. But for me, it was more of a curse than a blessing.”

  “How so?” Jin Shu asked, puzzled. “Isn’t being Heaven’s Blessed something to celebrate?”

  “For those who uand what it means to be Heaven’s Blessed, maybe. But to a small vilge of mortals? I was an outlier, a freak, even a monster. It didn’t help that my features ged—my hair and eyes turo this jade color.” She gestured treen hair and eyes.

  “Oh…” Jin Shu blinked. “I thought those were natural…”

  “They are, teically,” she expined. “It’s part of my physique. But the people in my vilge didn’t know that. To them, I was a monster—or worse, a carrier of misfortuhe withering of the crops since my birth? That became my fault.”

  “And your parents? Surely they didn’t believe that,” Jin Shu said, leaning forward.

  “I never knew my mother,” Biyu said, her voice tightening. “She died during childbirth. As for my father…” Her hands ched into fists, knuckles whitening. “He bmed me for her death. He was the first to call me a monster—long before anyone knew I was different.” Tears welled in her eyes, trembling on the verge of falling.

  Jin Shu’s chest tighte her words. “Ah, Biyu… you don’t have to talk about this if it’s too painful.”

  He regretted askihe weight of her story pressing on him like a stone.

  She held back her tears, her voice trembling but resolute. “No, I o tell my story.”

  Jin Shu hesitated for a moment before standing and moving to sit beside her. He awkwardly ed an arm around her shoulders, the gesture clumsy but sihis was the first time iher of his lives that he’d tried to fort someone. “It’s okay to cry,” he said gently. The words felt ie, but they were all he could muster.

  “I’m not going to cry over something like this,” she said, her voice sharp with defiance. But the tears streaming down her face told aory, betraying the dam that had burst within her.

  Without a word, Jin Shu pulled her closer. She didn’t resist, allowing her head to rest against his shoulder. Slowly, softly, she began to weep.

  Her sobs were quiet, barely audible, yet Jin Shu could feel the weight of her pain in every shaky breath. It was a sound that pierced deeper than any scream, and it filled the room with an unspoken sorrow.

  He tightened his hold slightly, his fingers brushing against her arm in a silent reassurance. For now, words were unnecessary. All he could do was offer her his presend hope it was enough.

  Sniff…

  Gradually, her sobbing subsided. “I’m alright now.” Biyu pced a gentle hand on his chest, pushing herself back slightly. “Thank you…” she whispered, so softly that Jin Shu barely caught her words.

  He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came. Somehow, a simple you’re wele didn’t feel adequate. Instead, he nodded silently, her a reassuring look.

  Biyu exhaled slowly, her gaze distant as she tinued. “It was when I turned sixteen that the vilgers—led by my father—decided I was better off dead. To this day, I’m still surprised they eve me live that long…”

  Her voice faltered briefly before she pressed on. “They tied me up with the stro ropes they could find. But they were so brittle, I could have shem with a siug. Even so, I didn’t fight back. I was so sad… so lonely. I thought maybe it would be better to let them kill me. To just disappear forever.”

  Her words hung in the air like a heavy weight, and her expression became so desote that Jin Shu couldn’t remain silent.

  “That’s not true!” he burst out, his fists g. “No one deserves to die like that—well, no, that’s wrong. You didn’t deserve it. What they did to you wasn’t your fault! They were… they are disgusting humans! If anyone deserves nation, it was them!” His voice trembled with anger, and by the end, he anting, his chest rising and falling sharply.

  Biyu stared at him, her eyes wide for a moment, before a soft ugh bubbled out of her.

  “What?” Jin Shu frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No, not at all,” she said, shaking her head with a small smile. “It’s just… Master said something very simir.”

  “My mother?” His brows furrowed. “What did she say?”

  Biyu’s expression softened as she reted the memory. “When the vilgers—no, when my father—was about to plunge a ko my heart, Master appeared. I don’t even know where she came from; one moment I was resigo my fate, and the I heard gasps and looked up to see her standing in front of me, shielding me.”

  She paused, taking a deep breath as her voice wavered. “Master asked them, ‘What has this young girl doo you that she should die?’”

  “My father replied, ‘She killed my wife!’”

  “And the vilgers added, ‘She’s a mohat brings misfortune!’”

  “Master calmly responded, ‘The only monsters I see here are the ones about to kill an i child.’ Her voice was steady, unwavering. Then, with a wave of her hand, fire burst forth, searing the skin of the vilgers. Each of them was branded with the word ‘Monster’ on their foreheads.”

  “My father wasn’t spared either,” Biyu tinued, her tone shifting to a mix of awe and sorrow. “But uhe others, his entire body was marked. Words like ‘Monster,’ ‘Garbage,’ ‘Scum,’ and tless others appeared, burning into his flesh. It was as if Master’s fire had spokeruth of their souls.”

  “Then Master said, ‘You vile humans will live with this nation for the rest of your lives.’ Her words carried so much weight, like an unshakable judgment. The vilgers fell to their knees, weeping, but Master didn’t stay to watch. Somehow, in the blink of an eye, we were miles away from the vilge. Just the two of us standing in a quiet forest.”

  Biyu’s expression softened, her voice growing quieter. “That’s wheuro me and said, ‘You will bey first disciple.’”

  She stopped, the memory lingering in the air between them. Jin Shu watched her carefully, his a the vilgers slowly giving way to admiration for his mother’s decisive as.

  “She saved you in every way,” he said softly, breaking the silence.

  “She did,” Biyu replied, her lips curving into a faint smile. “And I’ve done my best to live up to her faith in me ever since.”

  After a brief silence. “You would have saved me as well,” She said suddenly, her voice filled with quiet certainty.

  Jin Shu blinked, caught off guard. After a moment, he tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “Well, I wouldn’t have taken you as a disciple, though.”

  “Oh?” Her lips curved into a teasing smile. “Then what would you have done?”

  “You’re so beautiful, I would have asked you to be my wife,” he said with a ugh, expeg to get a rise out of her.

  “Okay,” she said softly, her cheeks blooming with a blush.

  “Wait, what?” He blinked, unsure if he’d heard her correctly. “What did you say?”

  “I said I’d be your wife,” she repeated, leaning closer.

  Jin Shu instinctively leaned back, but she grabbed his shoulders, holding him firmly in pce. S, was his first thought, followed by a stark reminder of her cultivation level. She was at the 8th stage of the Qi Realm, far above his 4th stage, despite his strength surpassing most 6th or 7th stage cultivators.

  His thoughts scattered as her face drew closer, her warm breath brushing against his skin. Just as their lips were about to meet—

  Bang! Bang!

  “Daddy! You left me alone again!” Yin’er’s high-pitched voice rang out from behind the door. “Are you sleeping with Big Sister Biyu? Wake up!”

  The spell was shattered. Jin Shu and Biyu froze, their eyes wide before they hurriedly separated.

  Clearing his throat, Jin Shu quickly stood and made his way to the door. He ope and looked down to find Yin’er sitting oep, her fluffy cheeks puffed out in an exaggerated pout.

  Jin Shu couldn’t help but ugh at Yin’er’s exaggerated pout. His tiny baby tiger was just too adorable. “Hello, Yin’er. Daddy was just about to e back, okay?”

  Her pout softened, but she stayed quiet for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

  “Alright, let’s go then,” he said with a smile, scooping her up into his arms.

  As he turo leave, Biyu’s voice called out, “Why don’t you two stay here?”

  Yin’er perked up, noddihusiastically. “Yeah! Big Sister Biyu is more fortable than Daddy. She’s soft and squishy. Daddy’s too hard—so not fortable.”

  Jin Shu froze, his fastantly heating. Without turning back, he tinued walking, his voice steady despite the blush creeping up his neck. “Goodnight, Biyu,” he called over his shoulder, quickly closing the door behind him.