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Sam followed the Sect Master into the grand, icy halls of the palace.
He didn't demand any grand banquets or special treasures.
He simply asked for a quiet cup of tea and a small tour of their beautiful home.
The women of the sect happily guided him through the stunning, snow-covered gardens and the crystal-clear hallways.
They treated him with deep respect, but they were also smiling and laughing.
For the first time in their history, they felt completely safe around a man.
Later that evening, Sam was resting alone in a quiet, warm guest room.
He was looking out the ice window, watching the snow fall gently from the dark sky.
Suddenly, he heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in,"
Sam said gently.
The heavy ice door slowly opened.
Xia Qingyue stepped into the room.
She was wearing a beautiful, simple white dress.
Her face was a little pale, but her eyes were full of absolute determination.
She walked to the center of the room, stopped, and began to untie the silk ribbon on her dress.
"Qingyue,"
Sam said quickly, standing up from his chair.
"What are you doing?"
Xia Qingyue stopped her hands, looking at him with a serious expression.
"I have thought about what you said in the forest,"
Xia Qingyue answered softly.
"About my father, and my brother. I realize now that I was being blind. But I still want to become strong. I still want to follow your path so I can protect the family I have left."
She took a deep breath, her hands shaking just a little bit.
"Jasmine said that power is not free. She gave herself to you. So... in exchange for your teachings and your help, I have decided to give myself to you as well."
Sam stared at her for a second.
Then, he let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
"Tie your ribbon back up, Qingyue,"
Sam said firmly.
Xia Qingyue froze, completely shocked.
She had always been told that men were greedy monsters who only wanted beautiful women.
But the man standing in front of her just completely refused her.
"Senior?"
She asked, confused.
"Do you find me ugly?"
"You are incredibly beautiful,"
Sam answered honestly, walking over and gently handing her the loose end of her ribbon.
"But I do not trade power for a person's body. I told you before, I respect women. And as for little Jasmine... I never asked her to do that. She just decided to give herself to me because she is a stubborn, angry little Star God who doesn't know any other way."
Sam smiled softly and sat back down.
"I will help you, Qingyue,"
Sam promised.
"I will teach you my path. I will help you become strong enough to protect your family, and strong enough to meet your mother as an equal. But I have two strict conditions."
Xia Qingyue quickly tied her ribbon.
She stood up straight and listened carefully.
"First,"
Sam said, holding up one finger.
"You must become a grown adult first. You are still very young."
"And the second condition?"
She asked nervously.
"If you want to be with me, you must actually fall in love with me yourself,"
Sam said gently.
"Not out of duty. Not to buy my power. But because you truly want me."
Xia Qingyue blinked a few times.
"Do I... do I have to love you to get your help?"
She asked, sounding very lost.
Sam couldn't help it.
He threw his head back and laughed loudly.
He felt like the women in this world had a very weird, twisted way of thinking about relationships.
"Yes,"
Sam chuckled, wiping a small tear of laughter from his eye.
"In my world, we usually fall in love first, and then we give ourselves to each other."
Xia Qingyue looked down at the icy floor.
Her cold, isolated life in the sect had never taught her anything about normal romance or complex relationships.
"But..."
Xia Qingyue whispered, her face turning a little red.
"I do not know how to love someone. I have only ever known how to train and how to fight."
Sam smiled warmly. He stood up and gently patted her head, just like he did with little Jasmine.
"You don't need to read a book or study a secret scroll to learn how to love,"
Sam told her kindly.
"Just start by thinking about it. When we spend time together, when we talk, just let yourself feel whatever you are feeling. The rest will come completely naturally."
"You are such an idiot,"
A tiny voice grumbled from the corner of the room.
Xia Qingyue jumped in surprise.
Little Jasmine was sitting on a wooden chair, crossing her arms and pouting heavily.
She had been listening the whole time.
"Why is he an idiot?"
Xia Qingyue asked, completely confused.
"Because he is throwing away a massive treasure,"
Jasmine huffed, glaring at Sam.
"Do you even know what kind of body you have, Qingyue? You have a very rare, special body. If he just accepted your offer, your special energy would give his cultivation a huge boost. It would be a great help to him."
Sam just shrugged easily.
"I don't need shortcuts to be strong,"
Sam smiled.
"And I definitely don't use people as tools to gain power."
He walked over to the little Star God.
Before she could complain anymore, he reached out and gently rubbed her soft red hair.
Jasmine's face instantly turned bright red.
She wanted to yell at him to stop.
She was a proud, deadly Star God!
But the warm, comforting energy from his hand felt so incredibly good.
Her angry pout slowly disappeared.
She closed her eyes for a second, almost melting right into his gentle touch.
She didn't try to push him away or refuse him at all.
Xia Qingyue watched them. Seeing this terrifying little girl act like a quiet, happy kitten made her smile.
For the first time, she started to understand what Sam meant by natural feelings.
Suddenly, loud shouts echoed from the courtyard outside.
"Look at the sky!"
Someone yelled in pure terror.
"It is a monster! A beast of fire is coming toward the palace!"
Sam stopped rubbing Jasmine's head.
He turned and looked out the ice window.
High up in the dark, snowy sky, a massive, beautiful bird made of pure golden and red fire was flying straight toward the Frozen Cloud Asgard.
The burning light was so bright it turned the dark night into day.
Xia Qingyue pulled out her ice sword, looking very worried.
"Is it a profound beast?"
She asked quickly.
"Should I help the Sect Master fight it?"
"No,"
Sam chuckled softly.
"You don't need to, Qingyue. That is just my wife."
Before the panicked women outside could launch an ice attack at the giant firebird, Sam raised his hand.
A bright yellow gem—the Mind Stone—began to glow warmly on his hand.
Using the stone's infinite cosmic power, Sam gently connected his mind to every single person inside the icy palace.
*Do not be afraid, and do not attack,*
Sam's calm, peaceful voice echoed perfectly inside the heads of the Sect Master, the elders, and all the disciples.
*The fire will not burn your home. She is not an enemy. Please put your weapons down and welcome my family.*
Outside in the snow, Gong Yuxian and the other women gasped at the voice in their heads.
But they felt the absolute safety and warmth in Sam's telepathic message. They slowly lowered their ice swords.
They watched in pure awe as the giant golden firebird landed gracefully in the center of the courtyard, ready to reunite with the man who had just saved them.
The golden fire in the center of the courtyard slowly began to fade.
The massive bird of flames shrank down.
The bright light spun in a beautiful circle until it gently turned into the shape of a woman.
Jean stood quietly in the snow. Her bright red hair blew gently in the cold wind, and her warm, cosmic energy made the freezing courtyard feel like a comfortable spring day.
Sam walked out of the heavy ice doors of the palace, smiling widely.
Xia Qingyue and little Jasmine walked closely behind him.
When Jean saw Sam, a massive, happy smile completely took over her face.
She ran across the snowy courtyard and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
"I missed you,"
Jean whispered, burying her face in his shoulder.
She hugged him as hard as she could.
"I missed you too,"
Sam smiled warmly, holding her close and kissing the top of her head.
He pulled back just a little bit to look at her beautiful green eyes.
"But how are you here, Jean?"
Sam asked, very surprised.
"My spaceship is the only machine that can cross the dark ocean between our worlds."
"I didn't need a ship,"
Jean explained softly, keeping her hands resting on his chest.
"The Phoenix Force heard my heart. It told me that to a true cosmic being, universes are just different rooms in a very big house. It simply opened a door for me and let me walk through."
Sam let out a soft breath of pure amazement.
"That is incredible,"
Sam said.
"Did it really open a door between universes just because you missed me?"
"That was the first reason,"
Jean smiled, a deep, loving warmth in her voice.
"But there is a second reason I came. The Phoenix Force asked me to do a very important favor while I am here."
"What kind of favor?"
Sam asked, his voice full of deep curiosity.
Jean looked past Sam for a moment.
She noticed Gong Yuxian, Chu Yueli, and all the women of the Frozen Cloud Asgard watching them in absolute awe. Then, she looked back at Sam.
"In this universe, there are beautiful birds of fire and ice,"
Jean said, her voice turning very serious but gentle.
"They call themselves Phoenixes. Millions of years ago, they managed to tap into a tiny, tiny spark of the true Phoenix Force."
Sam nodded slowly, understanding immediately.
"And because of that small spark, the people in this world worship them as True Gods,"
Sam guessed.
"Yes,"
Jean agreed.
"But they are not true cosmic beings. Because they only hold a tiny piece of the fire, they are completely shackled by the strict rules of this universe. They are trapped inside this box, unable to ever grow."
Jean looked deeply into Sam's eyes. Her own eyes glowed with a faint, beautiful golden light.
"The Phoenix Force feels very sad for them,"
Jean told him, her voice filled with a motherly kind of sorrow.
"It called them its little daughters. It wants me to find them, Sam. It wants me to help them break their heavy chains so they can finally fly free."
Sam smiled and gently brushed a piece of red hair behind her ear.
"Then we will find them,"
Sam promised her easily.
"We will help them break their chains."
Standing a few feet away, Xia Qingyue watched the way Sam and Jean looked at each other.
She saw the deep trust, the absolute respect, and the quiet, easy warmth between them.
She looked at Jean, a woman who possessed enough power to shake the heavens, yet melted completely in Sam's arms.
*So this is what love looks like,*
Xia Qingyue thought to herself, her heart beating a little faster in her chest.
Down by her side, little Jasmine just crossed her arms and stared at Jean.
"Another monster,"
Jasmine muttered under her breath, though her eyes were wide with pure shock.
"First the Cultivator, now a woman with the aura of a True God... just what kind of crazy universe did these two come from?"