The embers in Han Li's hearth glowed low, casting soft orange shadows that seemed to breathe with the room.
He sat on the edge of his bedroll, Lanfen's taste still faint on his lips, the winter chill pressing at his back, and the Root Sense purring like some lazy cat in his chest.
[Side Quest Progress: 48%. Lanfen's interest secured. Warning: Emotional entanglement risk rising.]
The System's voice was a faint hum in his mind — easy to ignore when compared to the warmth curling through his meridians. The priest's warning drifted back to him instead: pleasure and peril.
So be it.
If hunters were coming, he'd meet them with sharper tools, deeper roots… and more than one flower in his garden. Tonight, the seeds were planted, whether she knew it or not.
Sleep didn't come quick, and when it did, it was restless — scraps of her smirk in moonlight, the spark of her qi when their lips met, the almost dizzy tug of her yin energy.
Before dawn, he woke already warm. The Root Sense pulsed faintly, mapping invisible threads between him and every woman nearby. Mianhua's was steady, a calm pulse in the dark. Lanfen's burned bright and a little restless, even in sleep.
[Optimal Engagement Window: Morning, post-physical exertion. Suggestion: Controlled encounter to raise Emotional Resonance without saturation.]
Han Li smirked in the dim light. So the System wanted him to spar with her.
By sunrise, he was in the training yard — just hard-packed earth and a few upright logs, but enough. Breath steady, movements deliberate, qi cycling with each shift of weight. The cold bit at his skin and cleared his head.
Footsteps came up the packed dirt path. Light, quick. Not a farmer's tread.
"You work early," Lanfen's voice called, that lazy, amused drawl of hers.
Han Li finished the stance before turning. She stood in a short, fur-lined cloak, hood down so the morning caught the sheen of her hair.
"You here to watch, or to interrupt?"
"Both." She stepped closer, boots crunching frost. "The boys here train like they're afraid of sweating. You…" Her gaze took its time over his shoulders, his stance. "…look like you know what you're doing."
"That a compliment?"
"A question."
He crooked a finger. "Come find the answer."
Her brows rose. "You want to spar with me?"
"Unless you'd rather keep guessing."
She grinned, the first real one of the morning, and tossed the cloak aside. Underneath, a fitted tunic and trousers — practical, but still flattering enough to make it clear she knew exactly how she looked.
They circled. Han Li kept loose, giving her the first move. She lunged — fast, sharper than he'd expected — but he deflected easily, letting her momentum slip past.
[Physical Contact: +2 Emotional Resonance.]
She came again, testing him. Each exchange was half-feint, half-intent, her style quick but imperfect — like someone who usually won without being pushed. He caught her wrist once, guided her spin another time. Always letting her feel his control without pressing it.
By the third round, her breath was coming faster. Not exhaustion — anticipation.
"You're dangerous," she murmured, the same word he'd used last night.
He leaned in just enough for her to hear, "You've barely seen dangerous."
Her pupils widened.
[Emotional Heat: Moderate. Yin Flow rising.]
She stepped back, snatched up her cloak. "We'll see how dangerous you are when you're not ready for me."
And just like that, she was gone, the fur hem of her cloak swaying as she walked away.
[Side Quest Progress: 62%. Engagement successful.]
Han Li rolled his shoulders, the faint scent of her still hanging in the cold air. She'd left before the heat could peak — smart. Kept them both hungry.
That evening, she returned. No pretense. Just leaned in his doorway as dusk bled through the trees.
"You didn't think I was done with you, did you?"
"I was hoping not."
She stepped inside without asking, eyes scanning his sparse hut. "You live simply."
"I live efficiently."
"Efficient can be dull."
He shut the door slowly, enough for her to notice the deliberate weight of it. "You don't seem easily bored."
"Not if I'm given a reason not to."
Silence stretched. Han Li let it. Men who rushed to fill it usually lost the upper hand.
Finally, she broke it. "Tell me what it felt like."
"What what felt like?"
"When you fought the bandits. When you killed him."
He met her gaze. "Like pulling weeds. Necessary. Satisfying."
Her lips curved — not in humor, but something like approval. "I think I like that answer."
[Compatibility Spike: +5%. Emotional Resonance Level holding.]
She stepped closer, her hand brushing his — not by accident. "You could have died."
"I didn't."
"Would you, for this village?"
He saw the real question under it. "For what's mine."
Her chin lifted. "And what if I wanted to be?"
[Potential Bond Flag triggered.]
Han Li stepped in, close enough for his breath to stir a loose strand of her hair. "Then you'd better be ready for what that means."
The air between them was hot despite the winter beyond the walls. She searched his eyes for a crack. Finding none, she smiled like a gambler pushing the last coin forward.
"Maybe I am."
This kiss was deeper, slower — no testing, just claiming. Her fingers curled in his tunic, their qi flaring together, electric in the space where they touched.
[Dual Cultivation Micro-Burst: Meridian Clearance +4%. Yin Absorption efficiency boosted for 6 hours.]
When they finally parted, her breathing was uneven but her gaze bright. "Not bad… but I think you can do better."
She left as quickly as she'd come, plum blossom scent lingering in the warm air.
[Side Quest Progress: 74%. Emotional Hook secured.]
Han Li sat, feeling the warm coil of qi settling inside him. The Root God had smiled for a reason — each bond a step, each step a rise. And Lanfen, wild and sharp, was a ladder all her own.
He smiled to himself. Tomorrow, he'd let her think she was chasing him.