"Wow, the bed in this chamber is enormous," Hua Manting marveled, her eyes sweeping over the oversized expanse. "If we lay out side by side, at least five or six could sleep comfortably, and there's still space at the foot for two more rows, each with three or four."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Xie Ziyin asked with a smile, yet his hands remained busy, swiftly producing a blanket and thrusting it toward the boy. "Go get some sleep early."
After the boy retreated to the study, Xie Ziyin returned to the bed, seated himself, and leaned back, sprawled across its surface. "Are you hoping I stay here for the night?"
"Goodness, you!" Hua Manting laughed, tugging at his arm. "Get up and go lie down outside. I'm the one who's sleepy."
"You've been napping half the day and you're still tired?" Xie Ziyin remained motionless, eyes closed in mock indifference.
"You're not helping either," Hua Manting retorted, releasing his arm. She moved to the other end of the bed, sat down, and let herself fall backward, luxuriating into a stretch. "That little girl faints and you rush to save her with your skills—but when I pass out, you don't even think to help me!"
Xie Ziyin chuckled, propping his head with one hand and turning to face her. "Even a little child makes you jealous?"
Hua Manting grabbed a pillow and flung it at him, eyes still shut. "Who said I was jealous? You've got quite the imagination!"
"I acted immediately when she fainted. Who knew you'd be out cold for so long? I was desperate to find a way out," he said, a tinge of lingering discomfort coloring his tone.
Having little experience with the Herbal Sect, his healing abilities were limited. Watching Hua Manting lie unconscious while he was helpless had left him anxious, restless, and frustrated. He smiled wryly. "And yet, it took a mere dumpling to wake you."
"I don't know why—it's always been like that. If I get seasick, I can sleep through an entire day and night," Hua Manting giggled. "The first time it happened, my mother was terrified."
She propped herself up on her hand, turning to lie sideways across from him.
But as their gazes met, an invisible tether seemed to bind them. Dizziness washed over Hua Manting. "Xie Ziyin… what spell have you cast on me? What are you trying to do?"
"No, it's not me—I'm dizzy too!" Xie Ziyin struggled toward her. "You've studied the Herbal Sect; can you undo it?"
"I cannot counter it," Hua Manting admitted, clutching his arm. "The forces here are too sinister, too potent. We stand no chance—no resistance is possible."
As they drew near, their hearts surged, bodies alight with burning heat.
Xie Ziyin seized her waist, pulling her close, and pressed his lips to hers.
Hua Manting's remaining consciousness flared; she attempted to push him away, but her body betrayed her. Upon contact, her resistance collapsed entirely, and her hands found his waist, responding with abandon.
Suddenly, a sharp sting shot through her calf. Clarity returned instantly, her strength renewed. Seeing Xie Ziyin pressing her to the bed, lips ravenous, and one hand tugging at her sash, she slapped him without hesitation.
"Smack!"
The sound rang sharply.
In her fluster, the slap landed squarely on Xie Ziyin's fair cheek, leaving a bright red imprint. Hua Manting stuck out her tongue, still pushing him away forcefully.
Xie Ziyin shook his head, slowly opening his eyes, the pain snapping him fully awake. "Why did you hit me?"
She pointed at her waist. He looked down, realizing his hand had undone her sash, his face flushing crimson as if bitten by a snake. In panic, his fingers fumbled, nearly tearing the sash completely.
"I—I—I didn't mean to," he stammered, rolling upright and turning away, only to find the boy standing at the bedside, staring intently.
Startled, Xie Ziyin nearly lunged in shock. "Wh-what are you doing here? Since when—?"
The thought that the boy might have seen everything made him burn with embarrassment.
"Hey! Look!" Hua Manting tugged his arm.
He turned and froze at the strange sight before him, caught between shock and shame.
"Can you see them too?" Hua Manting asked. "Is it me… or an illusion?"
Before he could respond, Xie Ziyin bounded off the bed like a startled flea.
Hua Manting noticed the boy at the bedside, a hairpin in hand, and her heart skipped.
Xie Ziyin covered the boy's eyes, whisking him away to the study and sealing the room with a crystalline barrier.
Returning a few steps, he shouted, "Go sleep soundly!"
Back in the bedroom, the sight again flushed him with heat. He dragged a wide-eyed Hua Manting from the bed. "Stop staring!"
"You can see it too, right?" Hua Manting's voice trembled with excitement. "Then it's not me—it's this cursed room."
She peeked once more. There, a woman identical to her and a man identical to him writhed together, their passion ignited, clothes disheveled, teetering on an intimate brink.
Xie Ziyin's hand covered her eyes, hustling her to the outer hall.
"You're addicted to looking at that!" he exclaimed, chest aflame, ears ringing with imagined murmurs, body aching to combust.
Bending down, he thought, I've never been so humiliated, tugging at the hem of her gown. "You can make barriers, right? One that blocks sound?"
Realizing the embarrassment, Hua Manting instantly cast a barrier over the bedroom, silencing and shielding it in black. She repeated the same over the study.
Watching Xie Ziyin slump in defeat, she stifled a laugh, retrieved a drink, and nestled on the couch, sipping leisurely.
After a while, Xie Ziyin rose, straightened his attire, and approached the couch, closing his eyes as he pressed his fingers to his forehead.
Hua Manting pushed a cup toward him. "See? This room feels different than before."
He blinked in surprise, scanning the surroundings. "This… this really isn't my room!" He lowered himself from the couch, noting its modest height and outdated style, unnoticed earlier.
They examined the contents carefully. "These items aren't contemporary," he remarked. "They seem relics from a previous dynasty."
Hua Manting nodded. "The attire of the couple we saw—the man in crimson, the woman in green, finely tailored—resembles the legendary red-and-green wedding garments of the old dynasty. The room's decorations are festive too."
Xie Ziyin's lips curved in a knowing smile. "The black-clad woman said only those sharing memories within twelve lifetimes could occupy the same chamber. Could it be… we were husband and wife eight centuries ago?"
"And we coincidentally arrived at the bridal chamber," Hua Manting teased.
"Then what about the boy?" she asked. "Was he our son?"
"A son wouldn't remember his parents' wedding night," Xie Ziyin scoffed. "Servants must have attended outside. Perhaps he was female in that lifetime."
Hua Manting frowned. "Servants at a wedding night?"
Xie Ziyin chuckled. "Shy, are we? That's payback for peeking at me!"
Hua Manting snorted. "I'll tell my brother you assaulted me, tore my sash, and I'm annulling the engagement!"
"Ah!" Xie Ziyin's face flushed. "It wasn't deliberate—we were under a spell. I didn't control my actions!"
Still indignant, she ignored him. He climbed the table, tugging her sleeve in mock appeal. "Stop joking about annulling! The wedding is in your princess manor. I'll obey your decisions."
She finally laughed, hiding it behind her head.
"'Princess Jinshu,'" Xie Ziyin murmured. "I wonder what my celestial father intended with that title."
Hua Manting swatted his hand away. "Which title? Sunflower King? Sunseed King?"
"Both, I suppose," he replied earnestly. "My parents chose it together—my mother liked sun vegetables, and I was born during okra season. Sunflowers and sun vegetables signify utility and growth, hoping I'd be of use to my people."
"Meanwhile, my father wished I'd be like a sunflower, always turning toward my elder brother," he explained, smiling. "A large family fears fraternal strife, especially one destined to rule the Divine Palace."
"Being a carefree prince would be ideal," Hua Manting mused, refilling his glass.
Xie Ziyin gazed at her; a little girl's image overlapped with hers. "My parents named me Jinshu and you Hua Manting, my brother Hua Sijin, wishing for ordinary, joyful lives."
Hua Manting smiled, eyes sparkling. "I know of my famed grandaunt—my grandfather's youngest sister, and my uncle Hua Luoshui's mother, Princess Jiangliang, Hua Duiying."
"Indeed, her story has been told for three generations," Xie Ziyin said.
Hua Manting sighed. "But it mattered little—her life was unhappy. Deep affection brings misfortune; exceptional wisdom, inevitable sorrow."
Xie Ziyin refilled her cup. "Thus, your parents gave you mundane names and titles—not demanding brilliance or romance, but a life of simple joy."
"Exactly!" Hua Manting laughed. "My father had standards for my brother; for me, just eat well, sleep well, and be happy forever."
"I'm sure you'll manage all three with ease," Xie Ziyin grinned.
Hua Manting smacked his arm. "So you think I'm perfect for being a pig, huh?"
"Not perfect," he quipped, leaping down. "You are the pig!"
"What did you say?" she shot up, chasing him.
Xie Ziyin dodged, teasing: "I said—you're the pig!"
Hua Manting shouted, "You dare call me a pig!"
"Foolish me!" he yelled as he ran.
"You insulted my whole family!" she pursued, scolding.
Xie Ziyin abruptly stopped. Hua Manting, unprepared, collided with him, tumbling onto the bed together.
He cushioned the fall with his cultivation, but she knocked him painfully.
In that moment, a fleeting vision flashed through his mind, instantly dispersed by the jolt.
Hua Manting used the momentum to vault gracefully into a series of spins, landing lightly on her feet.
"You okay?" she asked, alarmed at his curled, rolling figure, crouching. "Did you hit somewhere when you fell? Where does it hurt? Let me check."