I thanked the servers, turned, and took a playful leap. Half my body sprawled across the bed—soft as cloud-moss—and drowsiness pooled like warm tea.

“Phew—this feels too good.”

“Even an Emperor shows a childlike side sometimes.”

Lixue walked to the bed, slipped off her boots, and lay beside me. Our faces hovered close; her breath brushed my lips, sweet as spring nectar.

“It’s been ages since I saw a bed this generous. Hard to resist.”

I tugged off my shoes and stretched out in the middle. Lixue hugged me, her head pillowed on my left arm like a tame bird.

Her skirt lifted with the motion, revealing thighs sheathed in pantyhose, pale as moonlight. My fingers strayed, testing that familiar silk-softness.

Uh-oh. A serious problem dawned—this time it’s only me and Lixue. Just us, a lone man and a lone woman, the room a sealed lantern.

Before, with more people, our closeness scattered like leaves in wind. Now the air thickened with heat, and my calm frayed.

The key? Lixue stayed utterly unguarded—like a ripe peach offered right at my lips.

Maybe it’s time together; maybe Lingxiao and Lingsaki rubbed off on her. She’s grown fond of these intimate little rituals.

I don’t dislike it; honestly, I love it. But with just two people, I can’t take the slow burn. The air smells of peach-blossom ambiguity.

“Emperor, your body’s a bit stiff.”

Her whisper tickled my ear like a feather, and my composure slipped. Lying here with a girl my age, not kin—it’s too much.

“I’m fine. Aren’t we a bit too close, though?”

“We’re always like this. Emperor, you should be used to it.”

She yawned, soft as a cat in sun. After all we’d been through, a bed invites sleep like rain on dry fields. I felt it too.

…

Used to it? I guess I am. Truth is, I’m enjoying it—even if it’s a strain. Since Lixue doesn’t mind, I shelved the topic.

“Lixue, want to sleep?”

“Mm.”

She kept my arm as her pillow, ignoring the actual one—like a spoiled snow sparrow.

I sat up with Lixue cradled, slipped off her coat, then mine, and hung them on the stand like quiet flags.

We found a comfortable spot again. With the room’s chill air, a thin blanket felt right—light as paper, warm as dusk.

Now Lixue wore just a short-sleeved shirt, short skirt, and pantyhose. So close, just us two. Thoughts began to wander like bees to plum blossom.

Blessing or test? It looked like fortune, but it tried the heart.

I opened my eyes. Her delicate face hovered close enough to kiss, petals and dew within reach.

I tried closing them to shift focus, but the soft weight of her chest pressed like a tide and kept spreading.

“…Already asleep?”

Her breathing evened, a gentle bellows. I sighed, pinched her pale cheek lightly, set my thoughts adrift, and followed her into sleep.

In the days ahead in the Blessed Land, it’ll be Lixue and me together. I need to get used to a two-person world—fast.

…

An hour later, Lixue slowly opened her eyes. Emperor’s handsome face filled her view, quiet as a lake—still asleep.

“Just the two of us… it really does feel a little embarrassing.”

Her feelings mirrored mine. With crowds, being close felt natural. Just us, and she minded it a little.

She’s a girl in her blossom years, after all. Even so, she loves being like this with Emperor, like willow shade on a warm day.

“He may be a boy, but no matter how I look, he’s so beautiful.”

She watched his sleeping face for minutes, then set her small hand on it, stroking—smooth as jade.

Lixue grew up inside the Nine Cold Labyrinth, only meeting the outside world these recent years. Even so, she knows the basics.

Aside from FrostyLily Dream’s teachings, she’s read countless books—ink-scented bridges to common sense.

In general, for young men and women without a settled bond, frequent intimate contact is odd. Lixue understands that.

But she simply likes it—only with Emperor. She can’t say why; like a moth drawn to the moon.

“The girls around Emperor all love clinging to him, though most are his elder and younger sisters.”

Since leaving the Nine Cold Labyrinth, Emperor’s met many beauties, then parted for various reasons. Girls who stay—beyond family—are rare.

Thinking of that, Lixue’s heart lifted, bright as a paper lantern.

“Well, let it flow. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Sleep still veiled her eyes. Seeing it was early, Lixue nestled back into Emperor’s arms and drifted off again.

…

Around four in the afternoon, I woke. Sleep felt rich and clean. I sat up, stretched, and energy flooded me like sunlight.

“Huh? Lixue, when did you wake?”

No wonder no one was hugging me. Lixue had already gotten up and sat beside me, reading a history of the Blessed Land.

“Ten minutes ago. Emperor, what’s your plan next?”

She marked her page and looked my way, the question soft as rain.

“Yeah. I’m taking you to buy a few outfits. After our bath tonight, no spare clothes would be rough.”

Sure, with our abilities, we can clean and dry clothes in seconds. But wearing the same thing every day? I just can’t.

“Sounds good. When do we head out?”

Talking clothes perked Lixue up more than usual—girl’s delight shining like ribbon.

“No time like the present. Let’s get ready, then ask an attendant where in Haisha Town we can find a clothing store.”

“No problem.”

Ten, twenty minutes slipped by. Once ready, we left the room and found an attendant to state our need.

“If you’re buying clothes, the central commercial district has a high-end boutique called Garden of the Moon. It’s run by the same Sea-Moon Pavilion as us.”

“It can’t match the shops in the domain city—Clear Sea City—but it ranks top-eight in the whole Clear Sea Domain.”

“Here’s a map. I’ve marked the destination. Please take it.”

Right on cue, another attendant arrived with a map and handed it over. The routes lay clean as river lines, the zones clear as panes.

Shops and transit were annotated in detail—easy on the eyes, easy to follow, like waypoints under starlight.

“Thanks. We needed a map.”

“Glad to help. Hope you two have a lovely time.”

…