Yù Méi descended the last step and stepped onto the gravel of the mountain's basement. The girl hugged her arms to her chest, shrinking her shoulders beneath the golden silk. The air down there was cold. The wide cracks in the ground no longer glowed. The lava had dried, turning into a crust of black, dead rock.
— Liar… — she muttered under her breath. — They locked the door and left me waiting up there for more than an entire day. It's not even hot down here.
She walked slowly across the dark gravel. The silence of the place was heavy. But as she approached the end of the vault, a wet sound cut through the cold air.
Slap. Slap.
Flesh striking against flesh.
Yù Méi froze mid-step. The sound was accompanied by heavy breathing and muffled moans. She swallowed hard, pressed her back against a fallen bronze pillar, and peeked around the side.
At the back of the cavern, the obsidian wall had been destroyed. And amid the rubble, Zhì Yuǎn was sitting on a smooth block of black stone.
Yù Qíng was sitting facing him on her husband's lap. The navy-blue silk she always kept impeccable had been thrown onto the dirty floor. The eldest's pale skin shone, drenched in sweat. Her slender legs gripped the man's waist with desperate strength while she rolled her hips on his lap with blind urgency.
Yù Qíng's face, always cold and untouchable, was completely undone. Her head fell back, her black hair clinging to her damp neck.
— A-Yuǎn… ahh… deeper… — a strangled sob escaped her throat. She leaned forward, scratching his shoulders. — Fill me… don't stop… hold me tighter…
Yù Méi felt the blood rush to her face. The shock was so great that she almost let out a sound. That was not the sister she knew. Seeing Yù Qíng, always cold and superior, surrendering like that, rolling her hips on her husband's lap as if nothing else mattered… was something she had never imagined witnessing.
She remained paralyzed behind the pillar, unable to look away.
Zhì Yuǎn had noticed her arrival the moment the girl descended the stairs, but he did nothing. He simply continued holding his wife's hips and driving deep.
Yù Qíng, however, felt the movement.
Her hazy, tear-filled eyes slid through the air and found the shadow behind the bronze pillar. She saw her younger sister's pale, shocked face.
For a second, time seemed to stop.
Then something inside her broke.
Yù Qíng stopped moving. Her face, still red and sweaty, twisted into an expression of pure fury and sick possessiveness. She clenched her jaw and, without getting off her husband, raised one hand toward her sister.
— Get out of here.
Her voice came out hoarse, low, and laced with venom.
Yù Méi didn't even have time to react.
An invisible wave of force struck her head-on. The teenager's body was thrown backward as if she had been kicked by a horse. She flew several meters, hit the gravel floor, and rolled until she stopped near the staircase.
— I told you to get out! — Yù Qíng shouted, her voice echoing through the cavern. — This isn't a place for you to stay peeking and drooling over my husband! Wait outside until we're done!
Yù Méi lifted her face from the ground, her eyes brimming with shock and humiliation. Her body trembled. Before she could say anything, Yù Qíng had already started moving on her husband's lap again, completely ignoring her sister as if she had ceased to exist.
Yù Méi bit her lip hard until she tasted blood. Then she stood up unsteadily and ran up the stairs, her face burning with shame and anger, and a dark desire beginning to take root in her chest.
---
The sound of boots climbing the stone staircase broke the silence on the surface hours later.
Zhì Yuǎn emerged first from the darkness. Yù Qíng followed right behind. The woman's navy-blue silk was dusty at the edges, but her skin glowed with the freshness of someone who had just stabilized an entire ocean of energy.
In the destroyed courtyard, Yù Méi stood in the center of the square, wearing a new dress.
It was a dark golden silk qipao, luxurious and well-tailored. The fabric precisely outlined the curves beginning to define themselves on the teenager's body. Two deep side slits rose to her waist, exposing the girl's already well-developed thighs with every step. The design had no sleeves, leaving her slender, pale arms completely bare. The look was elegant, yet carried an adult charm that did not match her age.
Yù Qíng stopped walking the moment she saw her sister.
— Where are the sleeves of the dress I sewed for you? — the eldest's voice came out low and sharp. — I made sure to keep it decent.
Yù Méi didn't even look at her.
She walked straight toward Zhì Yuǎn and stopped right in front of him. With almost insolent naturalness, she raised her hand and lightly held the hem of the man's gray tunic. Then she lifted her gaze and asked in a sweet, provocative voice:
— How do I look, A-Yuǎn? Did you like the new dress?
The air in the courtyard seemed to drop several degrees.
Yù Qíng stopped walking. Her jaw clicked loudly. The use of the intimate nickname and the audacity of Méi presenting herself like that made the eldest's nails dig into her own palms.
— How did you just call him? — her voice came out low, but sharp. She took a step forward. — Say it again. I want to hear it.
Yù Méi tilted her head slightly, still holding the hem of Zhì Yuǎn's tunic, and answered with almost provocative sweetness:
— A-Yuǎn. Why? Can't I?
Yù Qíng took another step. The stone floor cracked beneath her foot.
— You shameless little thing… — she hissed, teeth clenched. — You think you can rub yourself against him and call him that in front of me? And still dress like that?
Yù Méi did not step back. On the contrary. She gripped the hem of the tunic a little tighter, as if seeking protection, but the gleam in her eyes was that of someone clearly enjoying the situation.
Inside, a bold little voice whispered:
How far will she let me go?
Yù Qíng took another step. The murderous intent leaked from her so clearly that the air around them seemed heavier.
— Take your hand off him. Now.
Yù Méi opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak, a tired, grave voice cut through the air:
— That's enough, both of you.
Zhì Yuǎn sighed, massaging his forehead with two fingers. He looked at the two of them with the expression of someone already completely detached from the atmosphere that had formed.
— Before we head back home, we need to sweep through what's left of the pavilions. Let's gather whatever remained in the pavilions of the dead elders and clean out this sect's vaults.
Yù Méi raised her gaze to him, her almond eyes shining with a mixture of innocence and calculated provocation.
— You don't need to worry about that, A-Yuǎn. While you two were down there, I walked around the courtyard. I went into the main pavilion and cleaned the shelves. Everything that looked valuable, some herbs, and the energy stones are already packed in the cargo wagon.
Zhì Yuǎn raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
— You cleaned out the sect by yourself?
— Mm. — Yù Méi smiled, satisfied. — It was easy. I'm much stronger now.
The man's large, calloused hand descended and gently patted the top of her blonde head twice.
— Good work.
Yù Méi closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the touch.
As soon as his hand moved away, Zhì Yuǎn had already turned his back and was walking toward the front of the carriage to release the brakes on the draft beasts.
Yù Méi lifted her chin and looked directly at her sister. The sweet, innocent smile vanished from the youngest's face. In its place appeared a sharp look, filled with pure mockery and territorial provocation.
Yù Qíng stared at her as if she wanted to kill her right there.
Yù Méi did not look away. She simply tilted her head slightly, as if silently saying:
And, sister? What are you going to do?
Zhì Yuǎn wasted no time with the sisters' little theater. He walked to the front of the Mobile Palace, climbed onto the driver's seat, and took the thick leather reins. The draft beasts were already saddled and ready.
The passenger cabin door was open. Yù Qíng climbed the metal steps and entered the luxurious compartment, adjusting her navy-blue silk. She stopped at the entrance and looked back, waiting for her sister to enter.
But Yù Méi did not board the cabin.
The teenager walked around the front wheel, stepped on the running board, and climbed the side of the carriage with agility. She sat directly on the driver's seat, right beside Zhì Yuǎn, smoothing the dark golden skirt over her thighs.
Through the small glass that separated the cabin from the driver, Yù Qíng's eyes narrowed. The eldest's jaw locked tightly, but she did not shout. She simply closed the heavy wooden door from the inside with a dry slam and sat down on the velvet seat, staring at her sister's back.
On the driver's seat, Yù Méi adjusted her new dress and turned her face toward her brother-in-law.
— You said during the trip that we would go straight to the largest sects in the south after we got our revenge — she said, her voice sounding confused. — But now…
Zhì Yuǎn snapped the reins. The copper-scaled beasts pulled the weight and the armored carriage began crushing the red earth, descending the volcano toward the main road.
— The plan changed — Zhì Yuǎn's rustic voice sounded calm above the noise of the wheels. — The core I tore from the furnace changed my foundation in a way I didn't expect. There's an empty space in my chest now that swallows everything. I need time and silence to understand how this works. Marching south with an unstable body is stupidity.
He kept his eyes on the road.
— We're going back to Qīngshān. Our cabin didn't burn.
Yù Méi's eyes widened slightly, but she did not question his logic. The swaying of the carriage continued in silence for a few minutes. She stared at the road ahead, the wind lightly brushing her blonde hair.
Zhì Yuǎn slowly turned his face and looked at her from beneath the brim of his black hat.
— You looked beautiful in that dress, but you were stunning yesterday while you were killing — he said, direct. — Your body adapted quickly to the impact. You were born for this, Méi.
The teenager's breath caught. Her heart pounded hard against her ribs.
— When you learn to shift your weight properly and stop wasting movement, people will break into a cold sweat just from feeling your presence — he continued, returning his gaze to the road.
Yù Méi's face burned. His blunt praise was worth more than any gold in the world. She squeezed her hands in her lap, feeling her chest overflow with a sharp courage.
— Then teach me — her voice came out low, but firm, filled with hungry determination. — Guide me, A-Yuǎn. Like you always have.
Zhì Yuǎn raised one eyebrow, not hiding a small smile.
— That was already the plan — he replied calmly.
Behind them, on the other side of the thick glass of the cabin, the temperature seemed to have plummeted. Yù Qíng's gaze burned like acid into the youngest's back. Zhì Yuǎn's promise to train Yù Méi cemented the girl's presence in their routine in an official way.
Yù Qíng slowly crossed her legs, her nails scratching the expensive upholstery of the armchair. Her black eyes did not blink as she watched the two on the driver's seat.
She said nothing.
But inside the silent cabin, the promise of revenge was already taking shape.
---
The journey back lasted five days.
And every night turned into hell for Yù Méi.
As soon as the sun disappeared and Zhì Yuǎn stopped the Mobile Palace at the side of the road, Yù Qíng imposed her law without mercy. She would open the cabin door just enough to throw a wool blanket onto her sister's chest and order her to sleep on the roof of the carriage, exposed to the elements.
The problem wasn't the cold. Yù Méi's new foundation repelled the wind with ease. The problem was the sound.
The armor blocked attacks up to the early Eighth Mortal Stage, but it did not muffle the sound of flesh striking against flesh. The rhythmic jolts made the entire vehicle creak. And amid the heavy friction, Yù Qíng's euphoric voice leaked outside, calling her husband's name and climaxing loudly in the dark.
Yù Méi endured the first two nights. On the third, she could no longer take it.
While the Mobile Palace rocked with the wild rhythm inside, she rose from the roof, descended in silence, and disappeared into the forest. There was no relief. All that remained was to release everything through raw force.
She ran until she found a clearing. There, she let everything out. She punched trees until her knuckles bled. She kicked trunks. She screamed lowly until her throat hurt. When her body finally grew tired, she threw herself onto the ground covered in dry leaves, panting, her chest rising and falling.
Even so, the heat between her legs did not fade.
On the fourth day, the pattern repeated — only this time more violently. No beast or wild animal that crossed her path escaped. She hunted until her body could no longer endure it, until her voice failed, until her frustration turned into pure exhaustion. Even then, when she returned to the roof of the carriage, the fire inside her continued burning.
On the fifth night, when her sister's moans echoed inside the carriage once again, Yù Méi didn't even try to endure it anymore. She climbed down from the roof immediately and walked until she found a shallow creek hidden among the trees.
She carefully removed her golden dress, folded the garment over a dry stone, and stepped naked into the cold water. The thermal shock did not help. Her body burned from within.
Yù Méi sank to her waist in the current and closed her eyes. The shock of the cold water was immediate, but it brought no relief. She stayed there for a long time, trying only to breathe, trying to cool her body and mind — without success. The fire continued burning inside, stronger than before.
The muffled sounds she had left behind still echoed in her head — the heavy rhythm of flesh against flesh, her sister's hoarse moans, his name being called with desperation. Every detail returned with cruel clarity.
Her own fingers slid slowly down her damp neck, descending over her chest. She bit her lip hard, almost until it bled.
In the darkness of the creek, she imagined they were his hands.
The same large, calloused hands she saw every day. The hands that held her sister's hips with that brutal, controlled strength. She imagined those thick fingers making their way inside her with the same certainty with which he held the carriage reins. She imagined the weight of his body on top of her, the smell of clean linen mixed with sweat and that warm energy that always left her dizzy when he stood too close.
Her breathing became irregular. Her legs trembled in the running water. Pleasure rose quickly, almost violently, but even when her entire body shook and a muffled moan escaped her throat, it brought no relief. It only left a deeper emptiness.
Yù Méi stayed there for a long time, until her legs stopped trembling. Then she slowly stepped out of the water, dressed with slow movements, and returned to the camp before the sun rose — the fire inside her still burning, hotter and more insatiable than before.
At the end of the afternoon on the fifth day, the landscape changed.
The dirt road descended the familiar slope. The valley of Qīngshān appeared on the horizon.
Zhì Yuǎn pulled the reins. The carriage stopped at the top of the hill.
The smoke from the fire had already disappeared. The entire village was nothing but ruins and charcoal. But the terrain was not empty.
Dozens of imperial white canvas tents had been set up around what remained of the main house and were scattered throughout the eastern bamboo grove. Gray-armored guards patrolled the rubble. Officials and investigators walked among the ruins, poking through the remains of the burned houses.
On the driver's seat, Zhì Yuǎn leaned back against the wooden bench. His dark gaze descended upon the white tents, observing the mortals marching over his family's courtyard.
— Looks like we have visitors — his voice sounded low and calm, but laced with coldness.
He snapped the reins. The carriage axle groaned heavily. The Mobile Palace began descending the slope, carrying the three of them back home — ready to sweep away the trash that had dared to camp in their bamboo grove.