Jia Wei Xin stirred awake, her body feeling strangely light and refreshed, as if new energy surged through every vein.
The aches and injuries she had suffered before were gone—in their place was a deep, humming vitality, as if she had been reborn.
Blurry images flashed through her mind—
Zhang Tian slyly sneaking demonic qi into her while she was feasting. The periodic pains she had ignored. The escalating agony during sparring, the panicked collapse, Liu Mo Fei's furious expression calling her name—before everything had faded to black.
Now, her dantian—once on the verge of collapse—pulsed steadily with a denser, more potent energy. Relief flooded her chest.
---
And then—
She realized she was being hugged very, very intimately.
Jerking fully awake, she found herself lying sideways, her cheek resting lightly against a warm, broad chest.
Liu Mo Fei's arm was wrapped securely around her back and waist, holding her against him with a possessive tenderness.
Their legs brushed lightly under the quilt, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat thrumming against her ear, and his natural heat seeping into her skin.
---
Sifu... are you serious?!
Why are you hugging me so intimately?!
She screamed internally. Isn't there some Sect rule about male elders staying too long in female disciples' rooms?!
Alas, this was Liu Mo Fei's personal mansion. And Liu Mo Fei... was Liu Mo Fei.He made and broke the rules at will.
---
Technically, Liu Mo Fei wasn't taking any more advantage than he already had.
After the Sacred Pool healing was done, he had hastily fumbled to dress her again, his ears burning red, his eyes squeezed shut in exaggerated righteousness. As shameless as he was, he hadn't tried to take advantage even once.
He then carried her back to his personal quarters like a precious burden.
When he laid her down and looked at her unconscious face, he hadn't been willing to leave her alone. Since they had already hugged skin-to-skin under the Sacred Pool's sacred rites, Liu Mo Fei had reasoned—completely shamelessly, no doubt—that it was perfectly acceptable to lie beside her fully clothed and continue hugging her on the bed.
I'm going to marry her anyway, Liu Mo Fei thought sweetly, justifying himself.
Still—
---
Suppressing the urge to sigh, Jia Wei Xin carefully tried to untangle herself. But the moment she shifted, the arm around her waist tightened slightly—and Liu Mo Fei's dark lashes fluttered open.
He blinked at her, eyes sleepy and disoriented for a beat, then softened instantly with warmth and relief.
"You're awake," he murmured, voice low and thick with emotion.
His thumb brushed her hair absently, as if reassuring himself she was real.
Jia Wei Xin flushed under the intimacy and awkwardly cleared her throat.
"Sifu... can you get up and stop hugging me? It's not appropriate," she asked, trying to sound stern. "And... what happened yesterday, anyway?"
The moment her soft, clear voice reached his ears, Liu Mo Fei stiffened slightly.
He finally seemed to realize exactly how tangled up they were—and suddenly, blood rushed violently to his head. His cheeks flushed red, all the way to the tips of his ears.
---
"Ahem," Liu Mo Fei coughed loudly, loosening his hold like he had been electrocuted. He propped himself up on one elbow, looking half-embarrassed, half-defiant.
"Jia Wei Xin," he said grandly, recovering his usual dramatic flair, "this magnificent sifu has just saved your life."
Unable to resist, he reached out and pinched her cheek lightly. She looks too cute when she's trying to act fierce, he thought indulgently.
"Save me?" Jia Wei Xin repeated skeptically.
"You," he said, tapping her forehead, "recklessly absorbed too much demonic energy. That damned Zhang Tian must have been feeding it into you for days."
He conveniently skipped mentioning that his own intensive "special training" might have accelerated the crisis.
"Your core was on the verge of shattering, and your life hanging by a thread," he continued dramatically. "Luckily, I brought you to the Sacred Energy Pool, fed you a High-Grade Spiritual Fruit—which only appears once every hundred years—and infused my energy into you to stabilize everything.Oh, and by the way, you also broke through to Level 5—Intermediate Stage."
---
Her breath caught.
The Sacred Pool?! That was a resource reserved only for the most critical life-or-death cases.Even Sect Elders needed unanimous council approval to access it—and yet, Liu Mo Fei had carried her in without hesitation.
And Level 5—Intermediate Stage? No wonder her body felt so different and powerful now.
Seeing the incredulous and shocked look on her face, Liu Mo Fei straightened proudly, chest puffed out like a self-important rooster.
Smiling mischievously, he said,"Don't you think your sifu deserves a reward after such a grueling and exhausting night?"
Jia Wei Xin blinked at him warily.
"What reward does Sifu want from me? This disciple is poor and cannot give you much..." She tried to act pitiful and negotiate.
Before she could finish, Liu Mo Fei's lips descended on hers.
---
At first, the kiss was soft and teasing. But as he pulled her closer, feeling her body—warm and real against him—the kiss deepened, growing more urgent.
The softness of her reminded him—achingly—of the moment her fragile body had pressed against his in the Sacred Pool.
He had almost lost her last night.
Tasting her now, holding her now, was his way of assuring himself: She's alive. She's here. And she will be mine. Always.
Jia Wei Xin was caught off guard at first, trying to push him away—but Liu Mo Fei's strength was absolute. As his kiss deepened, her resistance slowly melted, until she surrendered, wrapping her arms weakly around his neck.
---
She might not recall every detail of the Sacred Pool healing, but she remembered clearly:
The way Liu Mo Fei had held her. The desperate anxiety in his voice. The warmth that had wrapped around her, stronger than the pain.
The feeling of being protected. The feeling of being saved—completely, utterly.
---
Liu Mo Fei felt his control slipping. He reluctantly pulled away, forehead resting lightly against hers.
His voice was husky, serious, almost pleading:
"Jia Wei Xin... marry me."
Jia Wei Xin blinked up at him, dazed.Her heart thudded strangely — not from fear, but from something harder to name.
"...What?"
"Marriage," he repeated solemnly, eyes dark and unwavering.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Then—he leaned in closer to her ear, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper:
"You see," he said gravely, "the sacred healing method... requires certain physical conditions to work. Skin-to-skin. No barriers. Absolute synchronization."
She froze.
"You mean—?"
He nodded gravely."Upper bodies completely bare. Otherwise, the energy wouldn't stabilize. Ancient, sacred tradition, you see."
Her brain short-circuited.
And Liu Mo Fei, sensing victory, smiled even wider.
"Since we have crossed that sacred boundary," he said with a serious face, "and since this was my first time too...Naturally, you must take responsibility for this poor, innocent sifu."
She gave him a deadpan stare.
This sifu is not just shameless, Jia Wei Xin thought wearily. He's a full-time, gold-medal-winning professional in shamelessness.