"Don't worry. It won't happen."
Xiao Jietian's voice was steady, absolute.
"Within that egg, there will be only the little one's soul. No other presence will intrude."
He paused.
"Moreover, a body will be nurtured within—one tailored to her bloodline. This will only benefit her. There will be no harm."
Medusa stared at him.
His words were certain. Unwavering.
He has never lied to me.
A warmth spread through her chest—slow, inexorable, melting the icy walls she had so carefully maintained.
She had never even heard of such methods. The scroll. The egg. The pill. The sheer impossibility of what he was offering.
How difficult must it have been for him to obtain these?
Her throat tightened.
"Xiao Jietian."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Then she moved.
She threw herself into his embrace.
Her face pressed against his chest. His scent filled her senses. His warmth enveloped her.
She didn't speak. She didn't need to.
His hand rose, settling gently on her back.
"Between us," he murmured, "there is no need for words."
A pause.
"I believe you will succeed."
She stayed there for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she withdrew.
Her expression had already recomposed itself—the proud queen, once more in control.
But her eyes… her eyes were softer now.
"First, stabilize your emotions," Xiao Jietian said. "Then we begin."
She nodded.
She sat cross-legged on the floor.
With a wave of his hand, the surrounding furniture shifted aside, clearing a wide space.
Five breaths. Six.
She parted her lips.
"I am ready."
"Good. Open the scroll… then…"
He repeated the instructions—slowly, carefully, leaving nothing to chance.
Medusa gazed at him.
She looked at his face, his eyes, the slight furrow of concentration between his brows.
I will remember this.
She unrolled the scroll.
She pressed it against her smooth, jade-like forehead.
The strange power entered her.
Wave after wave, drilling into her Sea of Consciousness.
Her brows furrowed. Her complexion paled.
It begins.
Outside the palace, the women had gathered.
Their expressions were solemn. Their gazes were sharp, sweeping across the surroundings—vigilant, protective.
Little Fairy Doctor ascended to the palace roof. She sat cross-legged, her Dou Zun aura emanating in slow, steady pulses—a warning to any who dared approach.
The others exchanged glances.
Fei Yan…
Sister Fei Yan…
You must succeed.
"Hold on." Xiao Jietian's voice reached her, threaded with concern. "Steady your mind. Do not yield."
Medusa's eyes remained shut.
"This king is not so fragile." Her voice was strained, but her words were defiant. "A mere sliver of pain… what is it to this king?"
Liar, her body screamed.
The energy within her churned like a storm-tossed sea. Countless needles—invisible, infinite—pierced her Sea of Consciousness, her soul, her very essence.
Her face contorted.
She gritted her teeth.
Do not cry out.
Do not show weakness.
Sweat beaded on her forehead. Rivulets traced down her temples, her cheeks, her jaw. Strands of hair clung to her damp skin.
Her hands—once relaxed at her sides—curled into fists. Nails bit into palms.
Blood seeped between her fingers.
She did not feel it.
The pain intensified.
Her body trembled uncontrollably. Low groans escaped her throat—involuntary, agonized.
Her consciousness sank.
Darkness swallowed her. An abyss without bottom, without light, without end.
Fear.
Cold.
Alone.
A pill touched her lips.
The Soul Pill.
It dissolved on her tongue—pure energy, surging upward, toward her crown, toward the depths of her soul.
And through the darkness—
A figure appeared.
Radiant. Blinding. Like a sun descending into the abyss.
He extended his hand.
Through the holy light, she saw his face. His brows, slightly furrowed with concern. His eyes, burning with unwavering faith.
I am here.
You have nothing to fear.
At the precipice of death, Medusa understood.
The truth she had never permitted herself to admit. The feeling she had buried beneath pride, beneath duty, beneath the cold mask of a queen.
This is what it means… to care for someone.
This is what it means… to be cared for in return.
Strength—not from power, not from cultivation, but from somewhere deeper—surged within her.
She reached out.
Her hand grasped his.
"A mere pain of soul separation…"
Her voice was weak, but her will was iron.
"…How could it make this king retreat?"
Then—
Release.
She felt it.
The severance. The separation.
Her soul and the little one's soul—once fused, once bound in endless struggle—now drifted apart.
Complete. Whole. Free.
The pain receded.
The Soul Pill's remaining energy flowed through her, replenishing what had been lost. Her consciousness, battered but unbroken, slowly steadied.
She had endured.
The little one's soul gazed at her.
Its intelligence was not yet mature, but it understood enough. It had heard everything—Xiao Jietian's words, Medusa's determination.
It smiled.
A tiny tongue extended, licking Medusa's soul-face in a gesture of pure, innocent affection.
Medusa's weak soul let out a soft laugh.
"Little one," she murmured, "I endured all that pain, and you receive all the benefits. You've truly profited well."
The little one drew closer, nuzzling against her like a spoiled child seeking comfort.
Xiao Jietian saw the agony on Medusa's face gradually ease.
His tension loosened—but only slightly.
"Fei Yan." His voice was quiet, urgent. "Send the little one's soul into the egg."
Medusa nodded.
She gathered the little one's soul within her own, shielding it from the harsh external world. Then, slowly, she guided it out from her Sea of Consciousness.
Xiao Jietian's powerful soul force immediately enveloped it.
He guided it into the Monster Egg.
Then—he separated a thread of his own soul force and offered it to her.
His face turned pale.
Worth it.
He crushed another pill and sent its energy into the egg, nourishing the little one's fragile soul.
Above the Eternal Heaven Palace—
Dark clouds gathered.
They churned, dense and menacing. Lightning coiled within their depths, ready to strike.
Xiao Jietian's gaze lifted.
His expression darkened.
"What is the meaning of this?"
His voice was not loud. But it carried—across the palace, across the heavens.
"Here… I am the master."
A pause.
"Scram. "
The clouds scattered.
Sunlight broke through.
Xiao Jietian exhaled.
All steps completed. All obstacles overcome.
He glanced at Medusa, still seated cross-legged before him. Her soul was stable. No complications. No hidden dangers.
With me, the favoured Son of Luck, as her auspicious qilin…
Of course nothing could go wrong.
He smiled.
Then Medusa opened her eyes.
And looked at him.
It was not the same gaze as before.
The coldness was gone. The pride remained, but it was softer now—tempered, like fine steel repeatedly folded.
Her crimson lips parted.
"Xiao Jietian."
Her voice was low. Steady.
"You said we would discuss your price after I succeeded."
A pause.
"What do you want?"
Xiao Jietian blinked.
He had not expected her to ask so directly.
He opened his mouth—
But before he could speak, she continued.
"The Snake-People tribe? You already have the power to protect them. You don't need my permission."
Her gaze did not waver.
"Treasures? Secret techniques? You have the Eternal Heaven Realm. You lack nothing."
Another pause.
"So what is it? What do you truly want from me?"
Xiao Jietian looked at her.
This proud queen, who had never bowed to anyone, who had never shown vulnerability, who had never—not once—permitted herself to want.
She was asking him directly.
What do you want from me?
He could answer lightly. He could deflect, tease, evade.
But she deserved better than that.
He met her gaze.
"What I want…"
His voice was quiet.
"…is not a price."
A pause.
"It is not a transaction."
He reached out and took her hand—gently, deliberately.
"What I want is you. Not as payment. Not as compensation."
His thumb traced slow circles on her knuckles.
"I want you to stay. Because you want to stay. Because this is where you belong."
He smiled softly.
"That's all I've ever wanted."
Medusa stared at him.
Her lips parted. Closed. Parted again.
No words came.
Her heart—that cold, guarded heart she had worn for so long—cracked.
And through the cracks, light poured in.
"…Fool."
Her voice was barely audible.
"What kind of price is that?"
But her fingers curled around his.
And she did not let go.