Those words—that quiet acceptance of defeat, that gentle release from obligation—hit something primal and stubborn deep in my core.
My jaw clenched as I looked down at her, something dark and possessive flaring in my chest that had nothing to do with system notifications or cultivation benefits.
Using Qi telepathy to keep the conversation private from Yue's increasingly suspicious glare, I leaned closer to Ying Jia's ear.
'Will I be a man if I can't claim the women I've laid eyes on?'
The words were crude, vulgar, completely inappropriate for someone in her condition. But they carried an undertone of absolute determination that made her breath catch.
Ying Jia blinked up at me, processing the sheer audacity of what I'd just said.
After everything she'd suffered, all the heavenly issues that had been heaped upon her, here was this man talking about claiming her like she was some prize to be won.
It should have been insulting. Degrading.
