When the first tendril of wakefulness reentered Li Tianlan’s consciousness, the first thing he noticed was a familiar natural fragrance, which had pervaded his nostrils in an intoxicating manner.

Beyond the window, the sun thrived.

And even with his eyes closed, the brightness of the sun could be felt.

At that, Li Tianlan felt a twinge of disappointment followed by a feeling of reluctance.

The night of fantasy and wild passion had ended. And now, a new day had begun.

Li Tianlan inhaled deeply as he opened his eyes, all the while making sure to be as quiet as possible. His sight landed upon another pair of eyes, which held two pearlescent gleams in their irises, and were silently observing him.

Those were hands down the most beautiful pair of eyes Li Tianlan had ever seen. The soft luster in them contained only the slightest hint of coldness, yet they held not a single modicum of edge or toughness. The eyes are the windows to one’s soul. And as he peered into this particular window, all Li Tianlan could see was devotion and affection. The emotions he saw in them were so concentrated and thick that he doubted they could ever be dissolved.

“She’s my woman.” Li Tianlan thought.

“Morning,” he said, beaming.

Qin Weibai, who was lying beside him, returned the smile. “Not for long, though,” she said, “it’s nearly 10.”

A scanty cashmere blanket kept most of her curves hidden from his view. Only a portion of her smooth, snow-white shoulder remained exposed to the air. A sight that was extremely enticing and arousing.

Li Tianlan reached out and pulled her close. Once again, they were pressed against one another. Gently, he kissed Qin Weibai’s ears. And then he sighed. “When I woke up just now, I didn’t dare to open my eyes,” he said quietly, “I even thought last night was just another wet dream. That the moment I wake up, this will all be gone.”

Truth be told, he had not just been referring to last night. Because even right now, everything seemed so wonderful to him that it almost felt surreal.

Qin Weibai’s wild and feral side. Qin Weibai’s submissive side. Qin Weibai’s loveliness. Qin Weibai’s beauty. The way she tried to deny his touch even when her body was saying otherwise.

Images from last night flashed across his mind, replaying themselves over and over again as if they were stuck in an endless loop. The playbacks stopped only when they reached one image in particular—that of a tearful Qin Weibai clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

After last night, Li Tianlan felt thoroughly sated, both physiologically and psychologically. Still, the most unforgettable part had nothing to do with his satisfaction at all. To him, the most memorable part occurred after they had moved from the parlor into the bedroom. He could never forget them all: the way Qin Weibai had insisted on maintaining eye contact while she received his thrusts, the way her tearful eyes betrayed her discomfort and yet she behaved as though she was experiencing something cathartic.

The Qin Weibai of last night was delicate and fragile.

The Li Tianlan of last night was a frenzied beast.

But now that everything had calmed down, the recollections of the night before, of Qin Weibai staring back at him as she shed silent tears, brought an ache to straight to his heart. And it was the kind of pain that could not be expressed through words. Just like how he could not describe the type of anguish and suffering contained in those eyes he had seen the night before. It was not clear to him what had crossed Qin Weibai’s mind or what internal resolves she had made back then, but afterward, she became insanely sexy.

Their coupling had begun shortly after dinner last night. And it had lasted all the way through midnight. By two or three past midnight, they stumbled into the shower together, where they shared a bath. Afterward, they fell asleep in each other’s’ arms.

Li Tianlan’s eyes now sported a faraway look, and his hand crept towards Qin Weibai’s bare back on its own. “Just like a dream.” He mumbled to himself, his hand sliding across the expanse of smooth, lustrous skin in a gentle caress.

Qin Weibai’s head lifted from his chest. A pair of bright, unblinking eyes stared at him. A barely there smile flitted across Qin Weibai’s face. “So you’re saying that you want another round?” she asked.

At those words, Li Tianlan felt a surge of arousal. Then again, it was just arousal and nothing more. Not that he had anything left in the tank to take care of it, since he had gone a little bit too crazy the previous night. Lying flat on his back felt fine. But the moment he lay on his side, he would feel a numbness between his hips, one that could not be ignored even with the comfort of a beautiful woman’s body in his arms.

“Never mind,” Li Tianlan said, shaking his head. “We should rest for now. We’ll have time for that another day.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he could not help but marvel at his own choice of words. Another day, he thought as he tittered. Easing his hold on Qin Weibai’s figure, he sat up on the bed.

Almost at the same time, Qin Weibai made a grab for Li Tianlan’s shirt. There was obvious discomfort in her movements. Putting aside the fact that she was a woman with no Martial Arts experience whatsoever, even if she were some kind of martial badass who had entered the Invincible Realm, this kind of pain, the pain felt by a woman who had just lost her virginity, was not something that could be brushed aside. Biting down gently on her lower lip, she ignored her discomfort stood up from the bed anyway. And from the looks of it, she intended to help Li Tianlan get dressed.

“I can manage on my own.” He blurted out quickly.

Inadvertently, Li Tianlan’s hand reached over to take back his shirt. The moment he laid eyes on Qin Weibai’s face, which had grown ashen due to pain, Li Tianlan suddenly remembered the blood stains left on the couch. Not just any ordinary blood stains. Instead, those symbolized a woman’s chastity, her purity. And yet last night, while in the throes of passion, he had completely neglected to clean up. The moment they decided on a “change of scene”, any thoughts of cleaning up went straight out the window. Ran Huo had most likely noticed those stains by now. At that thought, he felt a strange feeling of unease in his heart.

“I insist,” Qin Weibai said with a light shake of her head, though her demeanor was firm and assertive. Her hands clung on to the shirt like a vice. “I think these are the things that a wife should be doing.” She went on. “Camos are easier to put on. But if you’re to suit up in the future, then I’ll tie your necktie for you every day, okay?”

Li Tianlan nodded blankly. His eyes flicked towards Qin Weibai, where they lingered. Then he took in the entire scene before him. Qin Weibai, with her body peeking out from beneath the blanket, helping him get dressed. And for the first time in his life, he understood what it felt like to be standing in a room filled with intimacy—the intimacy between a man and a woman.

Qin Weibai carried on dressing Li Tianlan in his shirt. Her movements were soft and gentle, though her face now sported a full-blown blush. That was hardly a surprise, since she had to endure the amorous ministrations of Li Tianlan’s hands on her body from time to time. After just one night, he had already mustered enough boldness to start bullying her like so. Where was that bastard who, just yesterday, had been speaking of how inferior he felt when facing himself?

It took them both nearly half an hour to get dressed. And by the time Li Tianlan and Qin Weibai (the latter was walking a little funny) left the bedroom, it was already close to 11.

Ran Huo, who was going through some documents, had been sitting in the parlor the whole time.

Her features shifted into a scowl the moment she saw Li Tianlan walking out with Qin Weibai in tow. She shot a murderous glare at Li Tianlan. Contained within Ran Huo’s eyes was nothing but the disgust she felt at seeing her boss, a woman of beauty and class, tainted by such an unworthy man. It was like staring at a pile of cow dung which had a delicate flower sticking out from its top.

Ran Huo had never imagined that the boss had such streak of madness in her. Neither had she anticipated such audacity from Li Tianlan. Last night, she had left the mansion on a duty to escort Yu Donglai back to his home, which took her less than two hours to complete. And yet, by the time she returned, that son of a b**ch had already defiled her boss through and through.

Naturally, she knew what those blood stains on the couch meant. Even if she did not, the noises the two of them had produced during their “nightly activities” were considerable.

Ran Huo’s room was situated just beside Qin Weibai’s anyway. Anyone with functioning ears would know what the noises from the next room entailed.

Li Tianlan smiled when he noticed the look Ran Huo was giving him, which bordered on homicidal at that point. He did not feel any anger at all, only acceptance. Since Qin Weibai had become his woman, he figured he would be at the receiving end of such looks quite often. So he would have to get used to them at some point even if he hated them.

It was obvious that Qin Weibai, too, had noticed the change in Ran Huo’s comportment, though she did not comment on it. Instead, she tilted her head to look at Li Tianlan. “Will you be having lunch at home?” she asked softly.

Li Tianlan nodded. “I’ve got two brothers, but right now it seems they’re staying over at their relatives,” he said, “I’ll meet up with them after lunch.”

Qin Weibai descended the stairs in small, tentative steps, all the while feeling a bit disappointed at the fact that Li Tianlan had not intended to bring her along to meet his friends after all. But she made no comments on it. Instead, she pressed her lips together and nodded meekly before turning her attention to Ran Huo. “I feel a bit unwell today. So you’re in charge of lunch later. Make something spicy. But not salty,” Qin Weibai said to Ran Huo, who had already stood up from the couch where she had been sitting.

This was obviously an attempt to pander to Li Tianlan’s tastes, Ran Huo thought.

Ran Huo flicked a glance at Li Tianlan, her face emotionless. And then she nodded and headed straight to the kitchen.

Li Tianlan felt a sudden tingling in his scalp. That look in Ran Huo eyes spoke volumes of the contempt she felt for him. Heck, at this point, he would not even be surprised if she ended up spiking his portion of lunch with something. Maybe not poison, but he was pretty certain that Ran Huo had no scruples at all about the use of laxatives.

Qin Weibai frowned, causing her small and delicate brows to wrinkle. Carefully, she sat down on the couch and reached for her clutch. From her purse, she produced a card, which she passed to Li Tianlan. “Here, take this,” she said softly, “there are some funds available on this account for your use. And the card doesn’t require a pin. You must know that things work differently here in Huating than what you’re used to back at the academy. In the academy, money means nothing, but in Huating, it’s the exact opposite. You won’t last in Huating without money.”

At her words, Li Tianlan took the card without any qualms and pocketed it. He did not know much about money anyway. And it had been that way ever since he was young. Besides, the person giving him the money right now was Qin Weibai. Last night, he had already taken away her most precious possession, something that could never be quantified by monetary standards. Hence, it would seem a bit unreasonable and ridiculous if he were to pussyfoot around a card.

Li Tianlan smiled. “This feels really strange,” he said without much thought.

Qin Weibai folded herself into Li Tianlan’s arms, her eyes squinting. Her entire face gave out an air of lazy allure. “My body already belongs to you,” she said, “so whatever that’s mine belongs to you, too. What’s so strange about that?”

Li Tianlan’s arms tightened around her figure as his eyes narrowed slightly.

Through Qin Weibai’s body, he had changed from a boy into a man. And it also seemed that all his wild ambitions had been reawakened because of her.

He had always made it his personal responsibility to bring his grandfather and the others out from the borders into the world. But about half a year had passed since he first arrived in Huating. And during that time, he had gained an understanding of the general trends in Zhongzhou. And he had indirectly experienced the arrogance and tyranny showed by Wang Family and Kunlun City. Now, as he basked in Qin Weibai’s warmth, he knew that everything had changed. Everything he ever knew, and everything he ever desired, they had morphed into something else amid last night’s display of wild and torrid passion. His metamorphosis was complete.

Bringing his grandfather and the other elders out of the border region?

That went without saying.

But it was more than that now.

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Reopening his father’s case?

Again, it was much more than that.

There, with Qin Weibai cocooned in his arms, something took form in Li Tianlan’s heart, something he had never felt before: desire. The desire for strength.

So powerful was this desire that it felt as if an entire paddock of wild weeds had formed in his heart.

The winds stirred.

The entire paddock shook with unbridled ferocity.

Despite the flames in his heart, Li Tianlan eyes grew more and more still.

Time drifted away in the river of silence. They stayed the way they are, wrapped in each other, until Ran Huo broke Li Tianlan out of his reverie with her announcement that lunch was ready.

Li Tianlan lowered his head.

Qin Weibai, who had not uttered a single sound for a long time, turned out to be wide awake. Throughout the entire time, she had contented herself with the act of pressing herself up against Li Tianlan. She had been watching him unblinkingly with eyes that emanated liquid warmth.

Li Tianlan took the initiative. “I’ll carry you over,” he said.

Qin Weibai nodded her acquiescence before reaching to wrap both arms around his neck.

…

Although Ran Huo had been quick in her lunch preparations, the product of her efforts nearly reduced Li Tianlan to tears. And he could not tell whether this was due to her lack of culinary skills, or the fact that she had deliberately misheard Qin Weibai’s instructions. All six dishes for lunch were so salty that they were outright inedible. And as for chillis, well, Li Tianlan had not spotted even a single one in all six dishes.

Qin Weibai tasted a bite, and then she glanced at Ran Huo briefly before returning to her rice. No comments were made as she ate, though a lot fewer attempts were made at savoring any of the dishes. And as for Li Tianlan, it had reached a point where he could no longer tolerate numbness brought upon his lips by the saltiness. So he hastily stuffed down two bowls of rice before he stood up from the table.

Ran Huo, who had been chewing and swallowing her food at a snail’s pace, stole a glance at him. Her face portrayed its usual coldness, yet her eyes held a mixture of mirth and mockery.

Due to his usual perceptiveness, Li Tianlan had caught on to Ran Huo’s games. A surge of anger coursed through him, and he halted his steps. Bending down, he planted an ardent kiss on Qin Weibai’s cheeks. Then he left the mansion with a huge smile on his face, feeling as if he was on cloud nine.

Ran Huo ground her teeth at what she saw. Since she could no longer bring herself to swallow another mouthful of rice, she sat quietly in her chair and stared at nothing.

Qin Weibai smiled, not bothering at all to wipe off the oil stain Li Tianlan had left on her face. She set down her bowl. “The dishes are salty,” she said flatly.

“I know,” Ran Huo answered in a muted tone.

She made no attempts to refute her boss’ comment.

“He doesn’t like it.”

Qin Weibai said nothing. After a while, she broke the silence, “He doesn’t like it.”

Ran Huo, who had been expecting a reprimand from her boss, was now at the brink of a complete mental meltdown. No longer able to contain herself, she raised her head. “Boss, what’s so good about him?”

She knew that she should not have asked that question. If it were any other members of the 12 Masters of Samsara Palace, like the Horsewoman or the Strategy Counsellor, for instance, they never would have asked the question. They would not have dared to.

But things were different for Ran Huo. Throughout the years she had stayed by Qin Weibai’s side, their relationship had grown beyond their working relationship. It was more like a sisterhood now, rather than just a relationship between a boss and an employee. From Ran Huo’s perspective, her boss was way out of Li Tianlan’s league despite the staggering potential he possessed. But now? Not only was her boss defiled by him, but it was as if he had utterly bewitched her boss with some kind magic potion. So much so that he virtually had her boss eating right out of his palm. The only way Ran Huo could remain calm and indifferent after seeing all that was if she were truly emotionless.

Smiling, Qin Weibai glanced at Ran Huo. “He’s my man,” she said, “so naturally, he’s the best.”

Qin Weibai’s words came to a halt, and she paused. “The best.” she went on after a brief moment.

Ran Huo set down her bowl and chopsticks, still looking dazed.

“Ran Huo,” Qin Weibai said, “I expect more civility from you towards Tianlan in the future.”

Qin Weibai went silent for a moment. And then she said, “Or else I won’t mind sending you off to Europe for other missions.”

A faint tremor shot through Ran Huo’s body. “I’ll pay more attention from now on,” she said, lowering her head in despair.

Qin Weibai nodded. And then, having decided not to dwell further upon the matter, she changed the subject. “About Tianlan and Sky Academy,” she said, “did you leave out anything?”

“No,” Ran Huo said in a decisive tone.

Li Tianlan’s activities and circumstances at the Sky Academy was a top priority to Qin Weibai. The moment Ran Huo got word of any happenings within the walls of the academy involving Li Tianlan, she would report back to Qin Weibai at first notice. And that would include every incident, regardless of size.

Qin Weibai nodded. “Huating’s Liu family, Gu Yunxia, and then there’s also Wang family, whose motives and standpoints remain unclear…” She trailed off, frowning. Suspicion rose within her.

“Outside there’s Horsewoman watching over him,” Ran Huo said, “and within the academy, he’ll be under Zhuang Huayang’s protection. They won’t dare to make a move.”

“It’s still risky,” Qin Weibai said, “once they go mad, is there anything that they won’t do?”

Qin Weibai shook her head, and paused for a few seconds. Then suddenly, she asked, “Isn’t the Sky Academy looking for someone from Sigh City to take over the assassination course? Have they decided on someone yet?”

“Can’t be sure for the time being,” Ran Huo answered.

After a few moments’ hesitations, Ran Huo continued, “It’s hard for us to gather any intel related to Sigh City.”

“Then it’s time for you to take a trip to Sigh City,” Qin Weibai said decisively, “I need you to relay a message to the governor.”

Ran Huo’s brows rose in surprise. Her boss’ request came across as a bit peculiar. Even though there had not been any clashes between Samsara Palace and Sigh City in the past. But then the same could be said for any forms of interaction between the two. Neither had crossed the other’s path before in the past.

“Forget it,” Qin Weibai said, shaking her head. “I’ll write the message down on a piece of paper. And then I want you to travel to Sigh City and hand it directly to Situ Cangyue.”

Qin Weibai stared at Ran Huo gravely, and then in a calm voice, she said, “You must pass it right into her hands.”

Ran Huo nodded solemnly.

Qin Weibai wrote two short lines on a piece of paper and slipped the paper into an envelope. “Depart now,” she said, handing the envelope to Ran Huo, “I’ll have Strategy Counsellor handle Tianlan’s protective detail, and Horsewoman can handle mine. There won’t be problems.”

Ran Huo took the envelope, uttered a ‘yes’, and then she left the mansion without so much as a backward glance.

Qin Weibai sat alone at the dining room. Through the floor-to-ceiling window, she watched Ran Huo’s retreating form.

She could not tell whether Ran Huo’s trip this time would be a boon or a bane to Li Tianlan. But there were some things that required one to make a choice, or even to make a gamble.

Regardless of whether Ran Huo’s trip would pan out, there was one thing that she could predict: From now onward, a new influence would force its way into the Sky Academy.

An influence originating from Sigh City, one that was beyond the control of Wang family, Kunlun City, and the academics.

Such influence was bound to be colossal, be it in the present or in the future.

Beyond the window, shafts of beautiful sunlight mingled with the flowery fragrance of the air with the birds singing their praises.

Silently, Qin Weibai watched the scene before her. After a long time, she whispered, “A wind is about to rise.”