"It's tolerable—who could bear it?!"
"A scholar may be killed, but not humiliated!"
Subei's knees snapped upright, voice filled with defiance.
Zi Ji was momentarily stunned, her long lashes fluttering. His sudden courage broke through the web of her teasing dominance.
He held her face firmly between his palms and declared in mock dignity, "Did the storytellers of the human world never teach you? The three obediences, the five virtues? A concubine should remember well, obedience to her husband, respect for her lord!"
Zi Ji blinked before a smile crept back, wicked and sweet. "No… but I can learn, my King. I'm very good at learning."
Her expression was half shame, half play. Even she realized she had fallen too deep into this strange "roleplay" with him.
"Sir, it's late," she purred. "Rest, won't you?"
"…Yes."
Subei's hands, mischievous now, teased the proud curves of her figure and squeezed—the proud little tyrant playing the serf turning over songs.
Zi Ji's cheeks bloomed dusk-pink.
Outside the Abyss.
A green silhouette cut through the Star Dou canopy like a shard of spring light. Long, slender legs, fairer than moonlit jade, pressed lightly upon the cliff edge of the Black Dragon Abyss.
It was Brigitte.
From fissures in the stone emerged two immense vipers, scarlet-yellow scales gleaming faintly. They hissed and coiled, their bodies easily fifty meters long.
"The Seven-Star Vipers," Brigitte murmured after a glance. Their cultivation was sixty to seventy-thousand years—sufficient to guard the Abyss's gate. "Why do you stop me?"
"Sysshhhh—!"
The serpents hissed warnings, their signals translating: Lord Zi Ji's command. Within five hundred meters of the Demon Queen's Cave, no beast may enter.
Brigitte's emerald eyes tightened, though the compassion in her voice remained. "I am Brigitte, matriarch of the Jade Swan clan. One of the Ten Great Beasts, kin and friend of Zi Ji herself for thousands of years. Let me pass."
The vipers shivered. The name Brigitte carried weight unlike any other—healer of Star Dou, benevolent matriarch, revered like a mother. Even the most obstinate beast bowed to her will.
But duty bound them. They hesitated.
Brigitte's lips pressed faintly. Her usual gentleness steeled. "Move aside."
The aura of five-hundred-thousand years erupted from her, no longer hidden. The forest roared under her pulse, a tidal field of healing and majesty that could still crush mountains.
The serpents, trembling, slithered aside in shame.
She leapt, emerald light trailing, plunging directly into the abyss.
The deeper she flew, the darker it became. Until finally—voices echoed faintly in the cavern's hollow.
"…Ah—don't scratch there, sir. Ha-ha—it's too itchy, stop—no, don't stop, it's itchy, so itchy, so itchy~!"
"Then I'll scratch even more! Who dares ride on my head and tease me?! Be happy!"
Brigitte's pupils shrank. Shock flared across her gentle face—then horror. That Zi Ji… with the King?! Daring not only to toy with him, but in such ways—! And he's still only a child!
Her aura exploded, five-hundred-thousand years of cultivation shaking the cavern. The walls quaked, mushrooms shattered, stalactites cracked.
The laughter inside froze.
On the agate bed, Subei and Zi Ji turned in startlement, their play abruptly broken. The boy's cheeks still ruddy, Zi Ji's violet eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Brigitte?" Subei breathed first, relief and wariness mixing.
The healer stepped forward, her robes glowing with soft emerald, though her expression brimmed with storm.
"King," she said in her calm, gentle tones, "I heard you were in danger. I came to heal and examine your injuries."
Subei stiffened. Again with the body examinations. Again with hands about to pry off his clothes in the name of health. Why is everyone always so eager to check my body…? My body is private!
Out loud, though, he forced a faint smile. "You came at the right time, Brigitte. But… I'm fine. Truly."
Zi Ji's lips twisted in annoyance. This interruption shattered her web. She forced her tone neutral: "The King has no issues, Elder Brigitte. I will tend to him carefully. You need not worry."
Brigitte's eyes softened but her voice was quiet steel. "I can see that he is close with you." Her gaze lingered with faint reprimand.
She walked forward, kneeling gracefully before Subei. Her palm, warm as sunlight in spring, brushed his crown. A gentle surge of healing spirit force blossomed through his veins.
His body immediately relaxed, warm like a hot spring wrapped him. He murmured half-asleep: "Do I… need to take off my clothes again…"
Brigitte giggled softly for the first time. "Oh no, my King. That won't be necessary. But… if you choose to, I won't refuse."
"…No, no need," he muttered quickly. His ears flamed.
After a moment, she leaned back, nodding. Her gentle lashes curved. "Truly, you are safe. In fact… stronger."
Her expression melted further, motherly pride mixing with astonishment. "In just these months, your frame has grown taller. Gone is the childish roundness—you've begun to shed it, showing instead youthful heroism. A man already."
Her hand caressed his cheek. "In you, King, growth is a storm. Soon, too soon, you will be an adult."
Zi Ji's eyes flickered darker behind her smile. She hid her scowl, but not well.
Brigitte's voice dropped tender now, almost secretly personal: "What adventure blessed you in the human world? What fortune could raise you so fast?"
Subei looked sideways at Zi Ji. She knew perfectly well, for she had stalked his shadow for many nights. Would she admit it?
She only smiled. Subei shook his head softly. "No. Nothing worth mentioning."
Brigitte's eyes narrowed faintly, but she said no more.
Zi Ji, however, felt her heart twist. She'd followed him for months unseen, drinking his silhouette like wine, but even she hadn't measured this transformation. This boy—not yet a man—was already rivaling common five-thousand-year beasts in raw nature.
Such talent… terrifying. Even for a proclaimed King, his growth defied belief.
For a moment, both Zi Ji and Brigitte studied him, torn between devotion, rivalry, and something even heavier. They saw not only a boy—they saw a throne. And each coveted the right to stand beside it.
--
Unlock 50 exclusive advanced chapters for just $10 – don't miss out! Check the synopsis/description for the link! 🚀
Loved this fic? 🔥 Then you'll absolutely binge my other hits — "Douluo Dalu: Ten Thousand Years Early System!" & "Douluo Dalu: The Godly Drunkard System" — don't miss out!