Chapter 901 – "Too Good at My Work"
Mist still hung over the plateau when Alex lifted his hand and finished what he'd promised at the shrine's end: proper clothes for Lian Xin.
Silken threads of mana spun out from his fingertips and settled over her like falling light, knitting themselves into a flowing, violet‑black ensemble trimmed in pale silver. The fabric caught the mountain breeze with a soft whisper, sleeves like ripples over water; delicate fittings at the waist and shoulders shaped to her exactly. It was elegant without weight, protective without looking like armor.
"Try it," Alex said.
Lian Xin drew the robe close. The moment the cloth touched her skin she faltered—not because of the garment, but because something inside her surged awake. The ambient mana around the shrine came into crystalline focus; the world felt brighter at the edges, the ground lighter beneath her feet. A single breath poured through her like a tide.
She steadied herself, blinking. "Sister… Xu Li… why do I feel—" She swallowed, stunned at her own clarity. "—like I'm at Level Nine?"
Lian Hua's head snapped up. Xu Li stared. Even Ying Hua, who had been watching with quiet satisfaction, tilted her chin, more amused than surprised.
Alex rubbed his thumb along his palm, almost sheepish. "Sorry," he said, matter‑of‑fact as a craftsman critiquing his own work. "I probably did a little too good with my work."
Lian Xin glanced down at the new robe, then back at him. "You mean the clothes—?"
"The body," he corrected gently. "When I make something, I don't make it low quality. When I rebuilt you, I optimized your vessel so it wouldn't fail your soul. Meridian paths are reinforced and clean, your core lattice is stable, and the anchors that tie your soul to your body are… thorough." He lifted a finger, sketching a tiny sigil that flared and vanished. "Endurance, recovery, resistance to corruption, and a ceiling high enough that you won't crack if power floods you. Level Nine is just where the system settled when everything aligned."
Ying Hua's lips curved. "Father's 'minimum' is overkill. If he carved a spoon, it would stir the sea."
A breathy laugh escaped Lian Xin, part disbelief, part delight. She flexed her fingers; mana moved as smoothly as thought. She turned her wrist and the incense smoke at the shrine twisted into a neat ring without dispersing. No strain. No hitch. Just control.
Lian Hua stepped closer, eyes bright in a way that had nothing to do with court composure. "Does anything hurt? Any resistance?"
"Nothing," Lian Xin whispered. "I feel… right. Like my body and I finally agree."
Alex nodded once. "Good. The robe only fits and conceals. The power is you." He touched the collar lightly; the fabric answered with a soft pulse. "This will mute your aura unless you choose otherwise. No need to announce yourself to every greedy eye on the road."
Xu Li exhaled, tension loosening from her shoulders. "Aunt… you look beautiful." Then, a little shyly to Alex, "Thank you."
Lian Hua bowed—an Empress, but a sister first. "You have returned the only thing the world could not," she said, voice low and clear. "I do not forget debts."
"I'm not keeping score," Alex replied. "Keep her safe. Live however you want to live. That's enough."
Lian Xin took a tentative step, then another, marveling at the simple act. Granite felt warm beneath her soles; breath tasted of pine. She lifted the side‑slit hem and made a small, playful turn; the silver embroidery flashed like caught moonlight. The mana of the mountain moved with her instead of against her. Alive. Whole. Strong.
"Thank you," she said again, to all three words at once—life, body, clothes.
Ying Hua drifted to Alex's side, silver‑grey hair beaded with mist. "Shall we go on, Father?"
"We will," he said. He looked back to Lian Hua and Xu Li. "This place is sound now. Come when you wish; it won't decay again."
Lian Hua's gaze slipped to the restored beams, then to her sister's steady stance. Some old knot in her chest loosened. "We will."
Before they parted, Lian Xin faced the shrine one more time and bowed—once for the years lost, once for the years returned. When she straightened, the new body's strength settled over her like a promise.
On the path down, the mountain breeze took the last of the incense smoke. Alex and Ying Hua moved ahead toward the quiet valley; behind them, Lian Hua and Xu Li walked with Lian Xin between, her steps sure, her aura tucked away beneath moon‑dark silk—power not flaunted, only owned.
Lian Hua circled her sister slowly, eyes narrowing as she took in the steady pulse of mana radiating from her. "Do you even understand what this means?" she said, her tone caught between awe and disbelief. "For most people, reaching the Ninth Level takes a thousand years of cultivation — and that is the minimum. Even the most gifted talents in the empire measure their lives by centuries to approach it."
She folded her arms, a faint, sharp smile tugging at her lips. "If the Emperor heard about this… he would probably bleed to death on the spot. That old man is out there right now, throwing armies into war just to find scraps of opportunity — a relic, a treasure, a forbidden technique — anything that could give him the breakthrough he needs. And even then…" She let out a short, cold laugh. "It's hopeless. His body is already rotting from time. He's just a dying man clinging to a dream that will never be his."
Ying Hua glanced sideways at her father, a shadow of amusement in her eyes. "So if we tell him you made someone Ninth Level overnight, Father, we might not even need to lift a finger. He'd drop dead out of envy."
Alex didn't answer right away. He adjusted the fall of Lian Xin's sleeve, making sure it rested exactly where it should. "We're not here for him," he said finally. "Let the dying chase what they'll never reach. I build for the living."
Lian Hua studied him a moment longer, and for once, didn't argue.
As they began their descent from the shrine, Alex's gaze slid toward Lian Hua. Her earlier venom still lingered in the air.
"You seem to hate the Emperor," he said, his voice calm but direct.
Lian Hua's steps slowed. "Hate doesn't begin to cover it," she replied. "It's something deeper. Something that's been in me for years — a poison I've learned to live with."
He said nothing, waiting.
She glanced ahead at Lian Xin, now walking lightly in her new body, the mountain breeze tugging at the robe he had made for her. "You already know her name," Lian Hua said softly. "Lian Xin. My younger sister. The one you just brought back."
Alex's expression didn't change, but his eyes sharpened slightly.
"Years ago, the Emperor took her," Lian Hua continued, her voice hardening with each word. "Not as a wife, not with honor — he simply took what he wanted. And when he was done, he left her to drown in shame. She couldn't live with it. One night, she ended her life before I could even reach her side."
The mountain wind carried the faint scent of pine between them.
"I swore on her death," she said, "that I would never forgive him. That I would see him dead before I let him grow old in peace. But power and politics… they bind me to the palace. I smile for the court, and I curse him when I am alone."
Alex's gaze shifted briefly to Lian Xin, now laughing softly at something Xu Li said, unaware of the conversation behind her. "And the child you carry?" he asked.
Lian Hua's hand brushed over her stomach, her expression unreadable. "His. An obligation of the throne, nothing more. I will raise it as mine, but it will never be his legacy. Blood doesn't erase truth."
Xu Li's fists clenched. "If I had the strength, I'd kill him myself."
Lian Hua's hand came to rest on her daughter's arm. "Then live. Grow. Be patient. Hate means nothing if you waste it before you can use it."
Alex didn't respond, but in his silence was an understanding that needed no words.
They reached the base of the mountain, the restored shrine now just a quiet silhouette above them. Lian Hua walked in thoughtful silence for several steps before speaking again.
"You've given me something I thought was gone forever," she said, glancing at Lian Xin ahead of them. "If you have the time… I would like to invite you to the palace. To thank you properly."
Alex's eyes shifted to the younger woman in question. "If we go, her face should be hidden," he said. "Some people might recognize her, and the wrong attention would ruin the life I just gave back."
Lian Hua nodded immediately. "I understand." She turned to her sister. "We'll find you a veil. No one outside the three of us needs to know yet."
The journey to the imperial city was swift under Alex's power. When they stepped through the palace gates, Lian Hua's demeanor shifted subtly — still regal, but with the faintly satisfied air of someone returning to her territory.
It didn't last long before she gave a low, almost mocking laugh. "It seems the Emperor isn't here. He's gone to the front again… chasing some war as if it will carry him to the Ninth Level." Her lip curled in disdain. "A desperate old man grasping at victories he thinks will make him stronger. It won't. All it will do is drain what little life he has left."
Ying Hua smirked faintly. "So while he's out there dying a little faster, we get to enjoy his palace."
Lian Hua's smile was thin, but genuine. "Something like that."
Chapter 902 – "Behind Closed Doors"
Lian Hua led them through the marble corridors, her voice low so that only Alex and Ying Hua could hear. "We'll need some time to talk first. There are matters better spoken in private… before certain ears catch wind of your presence."
She stopped before a tall lacquered door inlaid with gold and carved phoenix motifs. "I've had this room prepared for you," she said, gesturing to the attendants hovering nearby. "Rest here. I'll join you once I've sent the servants away and… ensured no one is listening." Her gaze lingered briefly on Alex, an unspoken gratitude still in her eyes.
Alex inclined his head. "Understood."
Ying Hua stepped past her without ceremony, taking in the room at a glance — a spacious chamber with floor-to-ceiling windows veiled in sheer silk, polished wood floors reflecting warm lamplight, and a low bed piled with embroidered cushions. The scent of sandalwood hung faintly in the air.
"Not bad," she murmured, trailing her fingers along a carved table. "A little gaudy, but it'll do."
Alex closed the door behind them, and the muted sounds of the palace fell away. Ying Hua turned toward him, the hint of a smile curling her lips. "So… just the two of us for a while."
Outside, Lian Hua's footsteps faded as she moved to dismiss her staff and secure the corridors. Whatever conversation she had planned, it was clear she intended it to be uninterrupted.
While Alex and Ying Hua settled into the prepared chamber, elsewhere in the palace Lian Hua had withdrawn with her sister and daughter to a quieter wing. The room was lit only by the afternoon light filtering through carved lattice windows, the hum of the city muffled beyond the walls.
Lian Xin sat with her hands folded in her lap, the sheer veil hiding most of her features but doing nothing to dim the sharp new presence of her Ninth Level aura. She looked from her sister to her niece, voice low and steady.
"With this strength, I could walk into the throne room and end him before he drew his next breath," she said. There was no hesitation in her tone — only fact. "I could finish what he started when he took everything from me."
Xu Li's eyes hardened, but she shook her head. "Not yet, Aunt. The Emperor isn't without protection. He has a personal guard at the Ninth Level… and an ally, another cultivator at the Ninth Level, who would move against you the instant you struck. Even with your new power, you'd be fighting two at once."
Lian Hua placed a hand on her sister's arm, her grip firm. "And killing him now would only throw the empire into chaos. That might sound tempting, but chaos always births something worse if you don't control it. We can't allow another vulture to take his place — not until we choose who sits on that throne."
Lian Xin's jaw tightened, but she didn't pull away. "So you want me to wait?"
"To wait and to be ready," Lian Hua said. "Patience has kept me alive all these years. It will do the same for you now. When the time comes, there will be no guard, no ally, no one to save him. And when that moment comes…" Her voice dipped into steel. "…you won't miss."
Xu Li nodded, her gaze unwavering. "Until then, you'll stay hidden. No one can know you're back. If word gets out, the Emperor will move heaven and earth to destroy you — or use you."
Lian Xin exhaled slowly, the fire in her eyes dimming but not going out. "Fine. I'll wait. But the day you give the word, I will end him."
The quiet in the room shifted when the door slid open without warning. Ying Hua stepped in, silver-grey eyes flicking over the three women. She didn't apologize for intruding — she never did.
Her gaze moved from Lian Hua's face down to the swell of her belly. "You hate that child, don't you?" she asked plainly.
Lian Hua's lips pressed together, but she didn't deny it. "Yes. It's his blood. No matter what I do, I can't look at it without remembering him."
Ying Hua's expression didn't soften, but there was a glint in her eyes. She stepped closer, her presence filling the space like a slow-moving tide. "I understand that better than you think," she said, her voice low and deliberate.
They were all watching her now, even Lian Xin.
"I was born carrying a man's filth in my veins," Ying Hua went on, "a man who forced himself on my mother. I should have been a curse she had to endure for the rest of her life." She moved to stand just behind Lian Hua's chair, her tone dropping even lower, almost coaxing. "But my father — Alex — erased it. Every trace. He remade me before I was even born. The blood I carry now is only his. My body, my mana, my soul… all of it came from him. I belong entirely to the one man in all the worlds worth belonging to."
Her hand brushed lightly over the curve of Lian Hua's shoulder, not in comfort, but in a quiet assertion of dominance. "He could do the same for you. For your child. That blood you hate so much? He could wipe it away like it was never there. Make it something you could love… without shame, without the Emperor's shadow."
Her words weren't rushed; each one seemed chosen to sink deep, to plant the image she wanted. There was something almost hypnotic in the way she spoke — not just persuasion, but temptation.
Lian Hua's fingers flexed against the armrest. Lian Xin and Xu Li exchanged quick glances, both visibly unsettled by the thought, but unable to ignore the pull of her certainty.
Chapter 903 – "Seeds in the Blood"
Lian Hua didn't answer right away. Her gaze was fixed on the opposite wall, but her fingers tapped once, twice against the carved armrest — a small, betraying rhythm that told Ying Hua she'd struck the right chord.
Ying Hua's lips curved faintly. She let the silence stretch before shifting her attention to Xu Li.
"I know your mother loves you," Ying Hua said, her voice smooth, almost gentle. "I can hear it in how she speaks to you. But her eyes…" She took a slow step closer, her gaze never leaving Xu Li's. "…her eyes are still filled with hatred. Not for you — for what you carry inside you. For the blood that ties you to the man she despises."
Xu Li's jaw tightened, but she didn't look away.
"My father," Ying Hua continued, her tone dropping into something almost conspiratorial, "can change that. Just as he changed me. He can take every drop of the Emperor's stain out of you — replace it with something pure, something strong. His blood. His mana. You could be wholly his, and never again feel the weight of being tied to that man."
She let the words sink in, then glanced back at Lian Hua. "He could do the same for your unborn child. You could raise them without that shadow hanging over your heart."
Lian Hua's hand moved protectively to her belly, but it wasn't rejection in her touch — it was something closer to longing. The rhythm of her fingers on the armrest had stopped.
"You speak as if it's so simple," Lian Hua murmured.
"It is," Ying Hua replied, her voice certain in a way that allowed no room for doubt. "All it takes is your will… and his hand."
For the first time since Ying Hua had entered, Xu Li looked away — not because she dismissed the idea, but because it had lodged itself too firmly in her mind to meet Ying Hua's eyes without revealing it.
Lian Hua's gaze lingered on Ying Hua for a long moment, as if weighing the risk of even entertaining the thought. Lian Xin watched her sister closely, sensing the shift but saying nothing.
Finally, Lian Hua exhaled through her nose, her voice quiet but deliberate. "If what you're saying is true… then I want to hear it from him directly."
Ying Hua's expression bloomed into a slow, knowing smile. "You will. And when you do, you'll see there's nothing my father can't take from this world… and make better."
Lian Hua's hand was still on her belly, but the tension in her shoulders had loosened. "I'll meet with him privately," she said at last. "To hear more."
"That's all I ask," Ying Hua replied, stepping back toward the door with a grace that felt like both retreat and victory. Her eyes lingered briefly on Xu Li before she slipped out, leaving behind a silence that felt far heavier than before she'd entered.
Xu Li glanced at her mother. "You're really considering it?"
Lian Hua didn't answer immediately. She simply looked toward the closed door where Ying Hua had gone, her expression unreadable. "I'm willing to listen," she said at last.
Ying Hua's hand was on the door when she paused, glancing back over her shoulder at Lian Hua. Her tone shifted — still soft, but with an edge of playful cruelty beneath the silk.
"One more thing," she said. "If you're willing to let him change your child's blood… if you're willing to let him touch the very core of who you are…" Her eyes narrowed, glinting with amusement. "…then why not go further? Why not become my father's sex slave?"
The bluntness landed like a stone in still water. Xu Li's eyes widened, and even Lian Xin's posture stiffened.
Lian Hua arched a brow, trying for composure, but there was a flicker in her expression — not offense, but the surprise of being asked so openly. "That's not exactly the kind of offer I hear every day," she said slowly.
Ying Hua stepped back into the room, her presence once again filling the space. "It's not just an offer. It's a question of truth. You've already seen what he can do — the robe, the body, the life he gave your sister. Imagine what it would mean to have all of that power bound to you… every moment, in every way. To belong to him completely, and to be kept, protected, and remade until there's nothing left of the Emperor's shadow anywhere in you."
Her gaze slid to Xu Li. "And you? You've already thought about it, haven't you? Don't pretend you haven't wondered what it would be like."
Xu Li's breath caught, and she looked away, but she didn't deny it.
Ying Hua smiled faintly, satisfied. "Think about it. When I bring him to you, don't just ask about the blood. Ask yourself if you're ready to give him everything."
Chapter 904 – "Only a Fraction"
The air in the room still felt heavy from Ying Hua's last question, but she didn't let it linger in silence for long. She stepped closer to Lian Hua again, her eyes steady and unblinking.
"What you've seen so far," Ying Hua said, her tone calm but carrying that quiet, magnetic pull, "is just a fraction of what my father can do."
Lian Hua's brows drew together slightly.
"You saw him restore a shrine that time itself had broken. You saw him bring your sister back from the dead, not as a ghost or a half-formed shell, but alive — breathing, stronger than she ever was in life. You've felt the work of his hands in the body he rebuilt for her." Ying Hua's lips curved faintly. "And that was without him even trying."
Lian Xin lowered her gaze at that, remembering the effortless way Alex had worked, how she had woken in a body that felt flawless. Xu Li shifted in her seat, the thought clearly gnawing at her.
"My father can unmake and remake anything," Ying Hua went on. "Bloodlines. Bodies. Weapons. Lands. Even souls. He could take everything the Emperor ever gave you, everything that ties you to him, and burn it out of existence — without leaving a scar." She let the words hang for a beat before adding, "And that's only the smallest part of what he is."
Her voice dropped slightly, taking on that same coaxing cadence as before. "You think you know what it would mean to be his… but you don't. Not yet. What you've seen? That's just him being… polite."
Lian Hua's lips parted slightly as if to respond, but no words came. Xu Li glanced between them, her mother's silence speaking louder than an outright answer.
Ying Hua smiled — not in triumph, but in certainty. "I'll bring him to you soon. Then you can decide for yourself whether you want only a fraction… or everything."
Ying Hua's gaze lingered on Lian Hua for a moment longer, then she tilted her head slightly. "Tell me… do you know about the Frost Moon Palace sect?"
Lian Hua's expression shifted into mild recognition. "A name I've heard in passing. A female-only sect in the north."
A slow smile touched Ying Hua's lips. "Then you don't know the truth of it. Every single person in that sect — all 2,500 of them — are Ninth Level."
The words landed like a physical blow. Lian Hua's eyes widened slightly. Lian Xin's fingers curled against her robe. Xu Li straightened in her seat.
"That many…?" Lian Hua asked quietly.
Ying Hua nodded. "And these aren't just the kind of Ninth Level cultivators you're used to. One of them could crush an ordinary Ninth Level without breaking a sweat. Their strength isn't just power — it's precision, unity, and the kind of cultivation that comes from being remade by my father's hand."
The three women exchanged glances, their shock barely concealed.
Ying Hua's smile turned sharper. "And do you know what else they have in common?" She let the pause stretch, watching their curiosity lean into the silence. "…Every single one of them is my father's sex slave."
Lian Hua drew in a slow breath, unable to hide the faint flush of disbelief — or intrigue — from her face. Xu Li's lips parted, as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure if she should. Lian Xin simply stared at Ying Hua, as though weighing whether she was exaggerating.
"They serve him willingly," Ying Hua continued, her tone carrying a quiet, dangerous certainty. "They live for him. They fight for him. And in return, he gives them more power than they could ever dream of reaching on their own. That is the reality of Frost Moon Palace."
The room was silent for several beats, the weight of her words settling in.
Ying Hua took a step closer, her tone softening, but her words still sharp enough to cut through the air. "And my father… he never chained them up. No collars of iron, no cells, no orders to stay by his side unless they wished it. Every woman there is free to leave whenever she wants."
She let that sink in before continuing. "Some of them — after gaining his strength — chose to go out and take revenge for the lives they lost, for the wrongs done to them before they belonged to him. And when they told me their plans, I told them the same story I'm telling you now."
Her gaze swept slowly over Lian Hua, Xu Li, and Lian Xin, making sure none of them looked away. "He didn't stop them. He didn't lecture them about mercy or force them to stay in the palace. He let them go. And if they were injured, broken, or even killed while chasing their vengeance…" A faint smile touched her lips, almost proud. "…he brought them back. Stronger. Faster. Sharper. Until the day they could face the people who wronged them — and win."
Lian Hua's lips parted slightly, as if she had an objection ready, but no words came. Lian Xin's fingers tightened in her lap; the thought of that kind of freedom and power was difficult to ignore. Xu Li, though silent, was clearly imagining such a path for herself — one that didn't end with her bound by the Emperor's name.
"This is what it means to belong to my father," Ying Hua said, her voice low, steady, and deliberate. "Not chains. Not orders. Only power, and the choice to use it as you see fit."
Ying Hua's voice stayed steady, each word carefully placed. "And it's not just about revenge. My father never limits people to just staying in the sect. Some women wanted to explore distant continents, chase rare treasures, or simply see the world they'd been denied before."
She let her gaze linger on Xu Li, who was listening intently. "He let them go. No demands to return on a certain day, no leash to pull them back. Some stayed away for months, others for years — and when they came back, they were welcomed the same as the day they left. Because to him, belonging isn't a prison. It's a choice you make every day."
Lian Hua shifted slightly in her seat, her expression betraying the smallest crack in her guarded composure. Lian Xin's eyes were fixed on Ying Hua now, the weight of the offer beneath her words growing heavier with each example. Xu Li sat forward just a fraction, as though pulled toward the idea without even realizing it.
"That," Ying Hua finished, her voice dipping lower, "is what life is under my father's hand. Strength without chains. Freedom without fear. And the knowledge that, no matter what you choose to do, he will always be there to make you stronger than before."
The room was quiet, the air thick with the pull of her words.
Chapter 905 – "The White Choker"
Ying Hua's fingers drifted up to the slim white band around her neck, the soft material catching the light like satin. She tilted her head toward Lian Hua, Xu Li, and Lian Xin. "Do you know what this can do?"
The three women glanced at the choker, but none answered.
"This isn't just an ornament," Ying Hua said, her tone carrying the weight of both pride and secrecy. "It has more functions than most people can imagine."
Her thumb brushed the surface, and a faint pulse of light rippled along its edge. "The simplest is communication. Anyone wearing one can speak to another choker bearer instantly, no matter how far apart they are. Words pass directly to the mind — clear, without delay. Some people even create group channels, chatting together as if they were sitting in the same room, even if they're scattered across continents."
Xu Li's brows lifted slightly.
"Then there's the teleportation function," Ying Hua continued. "If you want to go to someone else wearing a choker, you can — instantly. Distance doesn't matter. It can be across a city or across the world; one thought, and you're there."
Lian Hua's gaze sharpened at that.
"It also has storage," Ying Hua went on, her voice smoothing into something almost casual. "A pocket dimension with ten to a hundred times the capacity of a standard storage ring. You could keep an armory in there and still have room for treasures." She let that sink in before adding, "And those are just the obvious functions."
She smiled faintly. "There are many others. My father doesn't tell you all of them at once — he lets you discover them yourself. Each one is… surprising. Some are small conveniences, others are powers that change how you move through the world."
Her fingers lingered on the choker's surface. "There's also camouflage. Activate it, and even a Ninth Level cultivator won't be able to detect you. Not your aura, not your presence — nothing."
The three women exchanged looks, their expressions a mix of curiosity and disbelief.
"And there are still other abilities I haven't mentioned," Ying Hua said, her tone dipping low, like she was revealing a secret meant only for them. "It isn't just a tool. It's a bond. One that makes you part of something greater… and keeps you connected to him, no matter where you are."
Ying Hua's lips curved, and for the first time in the conversation, her voice took on a playful edge. "You want to know how much these chokers can change your life? Let me tell you a story."
She leaned back slightly, eyes glinting. "One of my father's sex slaves — a woman with a wanderer's heart — decided to go exploring. She was the type who couldn't sit still, always chasing some hidden ruin or forgotten treasure. She'd been gone for almost a month, deep in territory so far away that even the palace's maps barely showed it."
Lian Xin tilted her head slightly, intrigued.
"One afternoon," Ying Hua went on, "her friend in Frost Moon Palace sent her a message through the choker. Just four words: 'He's going to cook.'"
Xu Li blinked. "That's it?"
"That's it," Ying Hua confirmed, her smile widening. "The moment she heard those words, she didn't even think about where she was or what she was doing. She activated the teleport function and appeared in the palace dining hall less than a heartbeat later — still covered in dust from the road — just to make sure she didn't miss a single bite of his cooking."
Lian Hua gave a reluctant half-smile at the image, while Lian Xin let out a quiet laugh. Even Xu Li's lips twitched.
Ying Hua's tone softened, but the warmth remained. "That's the kind of life you get when you belong to him. No matter how far you go, you're never really away from home — or from him."
Ying Hua chuckled softly. "And here's the best part — the chokers don't just let you teleport to someone. They can also send you right back to where you came from."
She spread her hands, painting the scene. "That adventurer? After she finished her meal and got her fill, she simply activated the return function and was instantly back in the exact spot she'd left — like she'd never gone at all. The only difference was that she was full, happy, and probably thinking about when she could use it again."
Xu Li's eyes widened slightly. "So… you can jump across the world, see someone, and then just… go back?"
"Exactly," Ying Hua said. "And it works both ways. If something happens — danger, trouble, or just missing someone — you can teleport to any choker bearer, no matter how far. When it's over, you can return to your original location and continue whatever you were doing."
She let the weight of that freedom settle in the room. "It means you're never truly stuck anywhere. You can explore the farthest reaches of the world, and still be a heartbeat away from home… or from him."
Lian Hua exchanged a glance with her sister, the practicality of such an ability clear even beneath her composed exterior. Lian Xin looked faintly amused, but her eyes betrayed interest. Xu Li, however, was already imagining how she could use it.
Lian Hua finally voiced the thought all three of them seemed to be holding back. "Why go to such an extent?" she asked. "From what you've said, it's nothing like a prison. If anything, it sounds like he's giving them more freedom than they'd ever have otherwise — and the strength to ensure they're never oppressed again."
Ying Hua's expression softened in a way it rarely did when she spoke to outsiders. "Because that's exactly what he wants — to protect the people he loves, and those around him. To make sure no one can touch them, no matter who they are or where they are."
She stepped away from the table, her gaze distant for a moment. "The idea of having sex slaves didn't even come from him. It started with Yu Mei, and then… almost every other woman who came to love him followed that same path. They offered themselves to him willingly, because they wanted to belong to him in the most absolute way possible."
Lian Xin raised a brow. "And he accepted?"
Ying Hua nodded once. "He didn't seek it out, but he never turned away someone who truly wanted to be his. For him, it isn't about ownership for the sake of control — it's about making sure they can live freely, without fear, while still staying connected to him. The chokers, the teleportation, the strength… all of it is his way of keeping them safe while letting them choose their own lives."
Xu Li leaned back slightly, her earlier guardedness giving way to something else — curiosity, maybe even the beginnings of understanding. Lian Hua, however, remained quiet, but her gaze was sharper, as if reassessing everything she thought she knew about him.
Ying Hua's lips curved into a small, unapologetic smile. "And since we're speaking honestly… coming to the Eastern Continent was my idea."
That made all three women look at her.
"I invited my father here," she continued, "told him it was just for a trip. Sightseeing, food, a change of scenery." Her voice dipped, carrying a sly edge. "But in my head, I was planning something else entirely."
Lian Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. "And what would that be?"
Ying Hua didn't hesitate. "Finding new sex slaves for him. Specifically, the two of you." She let her gaze linger deliberately on Lian Hua, then shift to Xu Li. "You both have the strength, the beauty, and the potential. More importantly, you have reason — real, personal reason — to want the kind of power and freedom he gives."
Xu Li's breath caught, but she didn't look away. Lian Hua's expression didn't break, though there was the faintest flicker in her eyes — not outrage, but calculation.
Ying Hua tilted her head, the white choker catching the light. "I told you before — he didn't start this idea. Women chose it. And I can already see that part of you has started wondering what it would be like to choose it too."
Her words hung in the air like a lure, soft but impossible to ignore.