Six years had flowed by like a gentle stream through the Primordial Realm.
Tian was thirteen now, and the passage of time had been kind to him.
The cherubic adorableness of his childhood had refined into something more striking—the face of a young man who would one day make even goddesses pause in their tracks.
His features had sharpened just enough to hint at the handsomeness to come, while still retaining that boyish charm that made women of all ages want to pinch his cheeks and shower him with affection.
His eyes, those terrifyingly beautiful Eyes of Time and Reincarnation, had grown more expressive, holding depths that seemed to shift between innocent curiosity and ancient knowing.
His body had grown too—no longer the tiny infant who fit in the crook of an arm, but a lean, well-proportioned young teenager whose training across five forbidden forces had given him a foundation that would make Great Emperors weep with envy.
He moved with the fluid grace of someone who had learned the martial arts of dragons, the footwork of assassins, the poise of goddesses, and the presence of demon royalty.
But he was still, at heart, the same man from Earth who had wished for a harem and been reincarnated into paradise.
And paradise, currently, was the territory of the Ling family.
— The Ling Goddess Clan’s territory was not merely beautiful—it was the template from which the concept of “divine beauty” had been copied.
Floating islands of white jade drifted through a sky that shifted between soft gold and gentle lavender, each one suspended by formations so ancient and perfect that they seemed to be held aloft by the will of the heavens themselves.
Waterfalls of liquid starlight cascaded from island to island, their mist forming rainbows that contained colors mortals had no names for.
The air was thick with spiritual energy so pure that breathing it was like drinking liquid moonlight—cool, sweet, and impossibly refreshing.
The central palace rose from the largest island, a cathedral of divine architecture that seemed to have been grown rather than built.
Its spires were woven from crystallized starlight, their surfaces catching the eternal twilight and throwing it back in a million shimmering sparks.
Gardens of immortal flowers surrounded every structure, their petals singing soft hymns when the wind passed through them.
Bridges of woven light connected the islands, and on those bridges, goddesses walked with the serene grace of beings who had existed since the first prayer was uttered.
And everywhere, everywhere, there was the Ling family’s signature beauty.
Female cultivators with hair of deep blue—the color of the ocean under a full moon—moved through the gardens and halls.
Their eyes sparkled with motes of divine light.
Their figures were universally the perfect, full-figured hourglass shape of their race, and their auras radiated the untouchable majesty of true goddesses.
They were beings who had been worshipped by mortals since the dawn of civilization, and they carried themselves with the quiet confidence of women who knew exactly how breathtaking they were.
Currently, three such goddesses were laughing in a garden of eternal spring.
— Ling Xue had not aged a day in thirteen years.
Her hair was still that cascade of deep blue shot through with starlight motes, falling past her hips in waves that shimmered with every movement.
Her eyes were still those charming blue pools of divine purity.
Her body was still the perfect hourglass that had made her the head of the Goddess Race—full breasts that strained against robes of white and silver, a narrow waist, and wide, commanding hips.
Motherhood had only enhanced her beauty, adding a mature warmth to her divine radiance.
She sat on a bench of white jade, watching her children play with an expression of pure, contented joy.
And what children they had become.
Ling Yue and Ling Xing were twenty years old now, and the promise of their youth had bloomed into something truly breathtaking.
Ling Yue, the elder twin by exactly three minutes, was the living image of divine serenity.
Her deep blue hair—the same shade as her mother’s—was pinned up in an elegant arrangement held in place by a crescent moon ornament of white jade.
The style exposed the graceful curve of her neck and the delicate line of her jaw.
Her blue eyes, pure and sacred, held the calm wisdom of a future head of the Goddess Race.
Her face was a study in refined beauty—high cheekbones, a straight nose, lips the color of pale rose petals.
Her body had matured into the full, generous hourglass that her bloodline promised.
Her breasts were full and high, straining against the white silk of her gown.
Her waist was narrow, flowing into hips that curved with the promise of future motherhood.
She moved with the measured, graceful steps of someone who had trained in divine arts since she could walk, and her voice, when she spoke, was soft as a hymn.
Ling Xing, the younger twin, was identical to her sister in face and figure—and yet utterly, completely different in every way that mattered.
Her deep blue hair was worn loose and wild, cascading in waves to her hips with motes of starlight catching in the strands like captured fireflies.
Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief and energy, always dancing, always looking for the next source of entertainment.
Her body was the same perfect hourglass as her sister’s, but where Ling Yue moved with serene grace, Ling Xing bounced and darted and twirled with infectious enthusiasm.
And currently, both of them were chasing their little brother through the garden.
“Tian!
Stand still and let me braid your hair!” “Absolutely not!
You put flowers in it last time!” “Flowers are BEAUTIFUL!” “I looked like a garden!” “That’s the POINT!” Tian ducked behind a flowering bush, his heart pounding with genuine exertion.
His sisters had both reached the Saint Realm in their cultivation, and their speed was nothing to laugh at.
But he had trained with the Shadow Pavilion’s assassins for years, and his evasion techniques were— “Gotcha!” Ling Xing materialized in front of him, her spatial movement technique flawless.
Before he could react, Ling Yue appeared behind him, and he was neatly trapped between two giggling goddesses.
“You’re getting better,” Ling Yue said, her voice carrying genuine praise, “but you still can’t outrun both of us.” “Give him time,” Ling Xing said, already producing a ribbon from somewhere.
“Now.
Hair.
Braid.
Flowers.” “Xing, no flowers.” “Xing, YES flowers!” Ling Xue watched from her bench, laughing softly.
“Girls, don’t torment your brother too much.
He’s leaving for the Heavenly Moon Pavilion tomorrow.” The reminder made both twins pause.
Ling Xing’s mischievous expression softened.
Ling Yue’s serene smile flickered with something that might have been reluctance.
“Already?” Ling Xing asked, her voice smaller than usual.
“But he just got here!” “He’s been here a month, Xing.” “A month is NOTHING!
I demand at least three more months!
Four!
FOREVER!” “Xing,” Ling Yue murmured, placing a gentle hand on her sister’s shoulder.
“He has to visit all the families.
It’s only fair.” “I don’t care about fair!
I care about my baby brother!” Tian, still trapped between them, reached up and took both their hands.
“I’ll be back before you know it.
And I’ll bring you presents from the Pavilion.” Ling Xing’s eyes lit up.
“Presents?” “Presents.” “…Fine.
But they better be GOOD presents.” “The best.” “And you have to write!” “I always write.” “And you have to let me braid your hair right NOW!” “…One braid.
No flowers.” “TWO braids!” “One.” “…One braid but with a REALLY pretty ribbon.” “Deal.” Ling Yue laughed, a sound like wind chimes in a sacred temple, and settled onto the grass beside her brother.
Together, the twins worked on his hair—Ling Xing braiding with enthusiastic energy, Ling Yue smoothing out the tangles with gentle precision.
Tian sat between them, feeling their warmth on either side, and thought that this was, perhaps, the best part of being alive.
‘Beautiful sisters.
Beautiful mother.
Beautiful home.
If the villain path means protecting all of this…
then I’ll be the greatest villain the realm has ever seen.’ Ling Xue rose from her bench and glided over to join them, settling onto the grass with the easy grace of a goddess who had long since abandoned formality with her children.
She wrapped her arms around all three of them and pressed a kiss to Tian’s forehead.
“Tomorrow, you go to Sister Su,” she murmured.
“But tonight, you’re still ours.” “Always,” Tian said.
And the garden filled with the sound of laughter and love and the soft singing of immortal flowers.
— The departure the next morning was filled with hugs and promises and Ling Xing dramatically declaring that she would “waste away from brother-deprivation” until he returned.
“You said that last time,” Ling Yue pointed out.
“And I MEANT it!” “You ate an entire feast three hours later.” “Grief-eating!
It’s a thing!” Tian kissed both his sisters on the cheek, hugged his mother tightly, and boarded the Harmony of Five with a smile that didn’t fade until the ship was high above the divine islands.
His maids, all forty of them, welcomed him with their usual chorus of delighted greetings.
“Set course for the Heavenly Moon Pavilion,” he told Long Jin and Long Rui.
The dragon twins bowed.
“Yes, Young Master.” And the ship turned toward the realm’s greatest merchant house.
— The Heavenly Moon Pavilion’s headquarters was not a palace.
It was a city.
A city of commerce and luxury, where the wealth of the entire Primordial Realm flowed through streets paved with spirit stones and markets that stretched for miles.
Towers of black and silver rose into a sky that was always twilight, lit by the soft glow of a moon that never set—the Pavilion’s namesake, an artificial celestial body created by the Su family’s ancestors as a statement of their power.
If the heavens would not provide eternal moonlight for commerce, then the Su family would build their own moon.
The Harmony of Five docked at the highest spire—a private port reserved for the family—and the moment Tian stepped off the gangplank, he was greeted by a sight that would have made any merchant in the realm fall to their knees.
The maids of the Heavenly Moon Pavilion had assembled in formation, and every single one of them was at least at the Supreme Realm.
Fifty women.
Fifty breathtakingly beautiful women.
Fifty cultivators whose power could have founded their own holy lands, standing in neat lines with their hands clasped and their eyes sparkling with joy.
“Young Master!
Welcome back!” “You’ve grown even more handsome!” “Did you have a good trip?!” The Pavilion’s maids were dressed in elegant uniforms of black and silver—the Su family’s colors—and their figures were universally generous.
Full breasts.
Narrow waists.
Curved hips.
Their hair came in every shade of commerce: gold like coins, silver like spirit stones, copper like ancient currency.
Their faces were works of art, and their smiles were genuine with happiness.
Tian smiled back, and several maids pressed their hands to their hearts.
“I missed you all too.” Before he could say more, a blur of black and silver crashed into him.
“MY BABY!” Su Meiyao’s black-hole eyes were wet with happiness as she scooped her thirteen-year-old son into her arms and pressed him against her generous chest with the fierce love of a mother who had been waiting months for this moment.
Her dark hair cascaded around them both like a curtain of silk.
Her mature body, as voluptuous as ever, enveloped him in warmth and the scent of rare spices and old money.
“Mother,” Tian managed, his voice muffled, “I’m happy to see you too.” “Three months!
Three whole months!
Do you know how many ledgers I filled while waiting?
SEVENTEEN!
I was stress-bookkeeping!” “I missed you too.” “You BETTER have!” She pulled back and cupped his face in her hands, her black-hole eyes studying him with maternal intensity.
“Look at you.
So handsome.
So grown up.
The maids on the ship—are they feeding you enough?
I can have the Pavilion’s chefs prepare a feast—no, TEN feasts—” “Mother, I’m fine.” “You’re SKINNY!” “I’m not skinny.” “Skinny!
My baby is SKINNY!
Someone bring food immediately!” A gentle laugh interrupted her.
“Mother, let him breathe.” Su Lan stepped forward, and Tian’s breath caught in his throat.
She was eighteen now, and the quiet, intense twelve-year-old he remembered had bloomed into a woman of devastating beauty.
Her black hair—that deep, rich black that caught hints of silver in certain lights—fell past her hips in a straight, sleek cascade.
Her black-hole eyes, the same mesmerizing depth as her mother’s, had matured into pools of quiet intelligence that seemed to calculate everything they saw.
Her face had refined into elegant lines—high cheekbones, a straight nose, lips that curved in a small, knowing smile.
Her body had followed her mother’s template perfectly.
Her breasts were full and generous, straining against robes of black and silver silk.
Her waist was narrow, cinched with a belt of spirit stones that was probably worth more than most sects’ entire treasuries.
Her hips flared wide, promising the same mature curves her mother possessed.
She carried a golden abacus on her hip—the same one she had carried as a child, though it had been upgraded several times—and she moved with the quiet confidence of a woman who had been running merchant operations since before she could walk.
“Hello, little brother,” she said, her voice soft but warm.
“I see you survived the goddesses.” “Barely.
Ling Xing tried to braid my hair.” “Did she use the ribbon I sent her?” “You sent her a ribbon?” “For the express purpose of braiding your hair.
It was a coordinated effort.” “…You and Xing are in a conspiracy?” “It’s not a conspiracy.
It’s a sisterly alliance.
There’s a difference.” “What’s the difference?” “I’m not telling you.” Su Meiyao, having composed herself, wrapped one arm around Tian and the other around Su Lan and guided them both into the Pavilion’s private quarters.
The maids followed, still beaming, and the halls filled with the warmth of a family reunited.
— The month at the Heavenly Moon Pavilion was a blur of indulgence.
Su Meiyao, determined to prove that her son was indeed too skinny, arranged feasts that would have bankrupted holy lands.
Every meal featured ingredients that Supreme Realm cultivators would have killed for—meats from Saint-grade spirit beasts, fruits that grew only in secret gardens, wines aged for ten thousand years.
She personally fed Tian at least one meal a day, sitting him on her lap despite his protests that he was thirteen and too old for such treatment.
“Too old?
TOO OLD?!” she had exclaimed.
“You are NEVER too old for your mother’s love!” “Mother, the maids are watching—” “The maids agree with me!” “We do, Young Master,” the maids chorused in perfect unison, their eyes sparkling with amusement.
Su Lan, for her part, continued her mission of turning Tian into a financial genius.
She had him sit in on trade negotiations, explained the intricacies of inter-force commerce, and quizzed him on profit margins over breakfast.
“If you buy a container of Frost Serpent scales at two hundred spirit stones per scale and sell them to the Divine Sword Sanctuary at a thirty percent markup, but the transport costs are fifteen percent—” “Su Lan, I’m eating.” “Multi-tasking is an essential skill.
Now, the answer?” “…Two hundred and fifty-one spirit stones per scale.” “Correct.
But you forgot the import tax.” “There’s an import tax?” “There’s ALWAYS an import tax.” But it wasn’t all feasts and finance.
Tian also continued his favorite game—the one that had become legendary among the maids of all five forces.
“Young Master!
Over here!” “Catch me, Young Master!” “I’m hiding~!” The maids of the Heavenly Moon Pavilion had learned of the hide-and-seek tradition from their counterparts on the Harmony of Five, and they had prepared accordingly.
The Pavilion’s grand hall had been transformed into a maze of curtains and cushions, and forty beautiful Supreme Realm cultivators were hiding throughout it, giggling with anticipation.
Tian, blindfolded, moved through the maze like a wolf among sheep.
He caught the head maid first—a voluptuous woman with copper-colored hair whose gasp of surprise was positively musical.
He caught three more in quick succession, each one pressing against him with delighted laughter.
“Young Master’s hands are so bold~” “Young Master, that’s my—oh!—that’s my—” “Young Master caught me!” By the end of the game, every maid in the Pavilion was flushed and smiling, and Tian had accumulated enough memories to fuel his imagination for another year.
‘When I’m older,’ he thought for the thousandth time, ‘when I’m older…’ [The Host’s patience is admirable.] ‘System, you’re not helping.’ [This system is providing moral support.] ‘This is not moral support.
This is teasing.’ [The Host loves being teased.] ‘…Shut up.’ — The end of the month arrived too quickly, as it always did.
Su Meiyao held him for a full five minutes at the docking platform, her black-hole eyes shimmering with emotion.
“You’ll visit again soon?” “I always do, Mother.” “I know.
I just…
I miss you the moment you leave.” Su Lan hugged him next, her embrace warm and firm.
“Remember what I taught you.” “Import taxes.” “Import taxes,” she confirmed, a rare smile crossing her lips.
“And write to me.
I want detailed reports.” “You want me to file reports?” “Proper documentation is the foundation of any healthy relationship.” “You’re so weird.” “I’m financially responsible.
There’s a difference.” The maids gathered for their farewell, and Tian found himself buried in a tide of soft bodies and warm kisses.
“Come back soon, Young Master!” “We’ll miss you!” “Don’t forget us!” “I never could,” Tian said, and he meant it.
He boarded the Harmony of Five and waved from the railing as the ship rose into the sky.
Su Meiyao and Su Lan waved back until the vessel was a speck in the distance, and then they returned to their ledgers and their trade routes, already counting the days until his next visit.
— “Set course for the Xia Dynasty,” Tian said as he settled into his favorite chair on the observation deck.
Long Jin and Long Rui bowed.
“Yes, Young Master.” The dragon twins had grown even more beautiful over the years.
Long Jin’s golden hair—the color of sunlit wheat—fell in waves past her hips, and her blue eyes were as warm and gentle as ever.
Her figure had matured into full, generous curves that her maid’s uniform hugged perfectly.
Long Rui’s pale gold hair—the color of moonlight on frost—was as sleek and straight as always, and her amber-gold eyes still held that sharp, protective edge.
Her figure was slightly more voluptuous than her sister’s, her curves a touch more pronounced.
Both of them had served Tian faithfully for eight years now, and they were as devoted to him as the day they had first bowed before a five-year-old prince.
As they departed to carry out his orders, Tian sank into his chair and let out a contented sigh.
Two maids immediately appeared—one with a platter of fresh grapes, the other with a cup of spiritual juice pressed from a dozen holy fruits.
A third maid began massaging his shoulders with expert hands.
‘This is the life,’ Tian thought, accepting a grape from the first maid’s fingers.
‘Absolute paradise.’ [The Host seems comfortable.] ‘I am extremely comfortable.’ He chewed the grape thoughtfully and initiated a conversation he had been meaning to have for some time.
“System.” [Yes, Host?] “I’ve been thinking.” [A dangerous pastime.] “Hush.
I’ve been thinking about the Maiden Calamity Body.” He accepted another grape.
“I think it’s the best physique I have.” [Oh?
The Host favors it over the Eyes of Time?
The Primordial Dragon Body?
The Hundred Demons Body?] “Those are all combat physiques.
Incredibly powerful, yes.
But the Maiden Calamity Body…” He gestured vaguely at the maids feeding him grapes and massaging his shoulders.
“It makes my life better.
Every day.
Every moment.
I’m surrounded by beautiful women who adore me, and half of them literally fell into my arms.” [The Host makes a compelling argument.] “Right?
The Eyes of Time can see through fate and whatnot, but the Maiden Calamity Body got me two fiancées, six devoted sisters, four demon queens and princesses who want to marry me, forty maids who play hide-and-seek with me, and—” [This system understands the tally.
The Host is very fortunate.] “I’m not just fortunate.
I’m the luckiest man in the Primordial Realm.” He paused.
“Well.
Boy.
I’m thirteen.” [The Host will not be thirteen forever.] “You keep saying that.” [Because it remains true.] Tian laughed and accepted a sip of spiritual juice from the second maid.
The drink was cool and sweet and filled with enough concentrated energy to make a Supreme Realm cultivator break through on the spot.
“System,” he said, growing more serious, “I have a question.
You said that if I humiliate Sons of Fortune, steal their opportunities, and take their heroines—their Daughters of Luck—I would get Luck Points.” [Correct.] “And you said I’ve already formed grudges with multiple Sons of Fortune.
The demon king whose succubus and banshee treasures I consumed.
The protagonists whose Daughters of Destiny I’ve been charming for thirteen years.” [Also correct.] “So why,” Tian asked, his voice carrying genuine curiosity, “haven’t I received a single Luck Point?
I’ve charmed countless Daughters of Luck.
I’ve stolen one of the greatest opportunities in the realm—the holy fruits of the Succubus and Banshee Clans.
Shouldn’t I be drowning in points by now?” The system’s beautiful, mature voice was patient when it answered.
[Host, you will receive your Luck Points when the protagonists activate their protagonist halos.] Tian frowned.
“Their what?” [Protagonist Halos.
The moment when a Son of Fortune’s journey truly begins—when they awaken their bloodline, discover their cheat, or are pushed off a cliff and find an Emperor’s legacy.
Until that moment, they are merely individuals with high Luck Values.
They are potential protagonists, not active ones.] [Currently, no Son of Fortune in the Primordial Realm has begun their journey.
The era of protagonists has not yet dawned.
When it does—when the first Son of Fortune takes his first step toward the pinnacle—then the system will calculate the Luck Points you have accumulated through your actions against them.] Tian absorbed this.
“So I have to wait for the protagonists to actually…
start?” [Precisely.
You have already planted the seeds of your future fortune.
You have crippled one protagonist’s future by consuming his destined treasures.
You have bound multiple Daughters of Destiny to your side, severing their connections to their original fated partners.
When those protagonists activate their halos and realize what they have lost—that is when the points will flow.] “And until then?” [Enjoy your grapes, Host.
They are very good grapes.] Tian laughed despite himself.
“You’re impossible.” [The Host loves this system.] “I really don’t.” [The Host’s vital signs indicate otherwise.] “Stop monitoring my vital signs!” [Never.] Tian sighed and accepted another grape.
The maid feeding him was smiling, her cheeks flushed with the quiet joy of serving her young master.
The maid massaging his shoulders had worked her way down to his back.
The ship hummed beneath them as it cut through the clouds toward the Xia Dynasty.
‘So I just have to wait,’ he thought.
‘The protagonists haven’t started yet.
But when they do…
all those years of charming Daughters and stealing opportunities will pay off in one massive windfall.’ [Correct.
The Host’s patience will be rewarded.] ‘How many points are we talking?’ [Impossible to calculate until the first protagonist activates their halo.
But based on current accrued actions…
significant.
Very significant.] Tian smiled and closed his eyes, letting the massage and the grapes and the gentle hum of the ship wash over him.
‘Good.’ — The Xia Dynasty was a Supreme-level force, second only to the ten forbidden forces themselves.
Its territory spanned a continent, and its capital city was a marvel of mortal and immortal architecture—towers of white stone that rose into the clouds, streets paved with polished marble, and formations that kept the entire city at a perfect spring temperature year-round.
The Harmony of Five did not bother to announce itself.
It simply flew through the sky above the capital, its massive silhouette blotting out the sun, and every cultivator in the city looked up and felt their blood run cold.
Deep in the capital, of the anicent top family’s in the ancestral land of these powerful familys for millennia, the sleeping ancient ancestors stirred.
They were beings of the Quasi-Great Emperor realm, ancient patriarchs and matriarchs who had slept for tens of thousands of years to conserve their longevity. Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
They had seen dynasties rise and fall.
They had witnessed the birth of holy lands and the death of legends.
They were beings who feared nothing in the Primordial Realm.
And they all felt the ship pass overhead.
And they all remembered.
“That aura,” one ancestor whispered, her ancient voice trembling.
“That’s…
the Harmony of Five.
The vessel of the five forbidden forces’ prince.” “The child of the five clans,” another breathed.
“The first male.
The one with 5 Immortal Physiques.” “The one protected by the Rakasha herself.” A wave of terror rippled through the sleeping chambers.
These were beings who could shatter continents.
Who could erase sects with a thought.
And they were terrified.
They all remembered what had happened 4 years ago .
Of how the empress came to power .
“Send word to the descendants IMMEDIATELY,” the first ancestor commanded, her voice cracking with urgency.
“No one—NO ONE—is to provoke that vessel or anyone on it.
Anyone who does will have their soul destroyed by my own hand!” “Already sending the message!” “The guards—warn the guards!
Warn EVERYONE!” “Tell the clan leader !
Tell her NOW!” Across the capital, clan leaders paused mid-sentence as urgent spiritual messages slammed into their minds.
Training grounds fell silent.
Merchant negotiations stopped.
Political arguments died on lips.
And every single leader gave the same order: “Do not provoke them.
Do not approach them.
Do not even LOOK at them wrong.
Anyone who disobeys will answer to the ancestors personally.” While some of the ancestors where worried but most of them were not.
They were even happy beacuse qin Tian has arrived they might even be blessed .
And if the clan leaders of the ancestors who are now afraid .
Told them that they wouldn’t need worry and tell them they had done smothing like making friend with the young master qin the ancestors would even burst out laughing in there sleep.
But clan leader who didnt told there ancestors would definitely be scolded but thats fine .
But certain protagonist who hadn’t appeared would definitely curse all of the clan leaders and ancestors for generations for why have done for qin tian .
The capital, which had been bustling with activity moments before, fell into a state of tense, careful normalcy.
Everyone went about their business while very deliberately not looking at the massive ship that had just parked itself above the imperial palace.
— Tian, blissfully unaware of the panic his arrival had caused, was finishing his tea.
The tea was made from Dao leaves—leaves harvested from a tree that had grown at the moment the Dao itself was defined.
A single cup could grant a cultivator deep, profound understanding of their chosen path.
A single leaf was worth more than most sects’ entire treasuries.
Tian drank it like it was ordinary breakfast tea.
“Delicious,” he said, setting down the cup.
“My compliments to the chef.” The maid who had prepared it beamed with pride.
He rose from his chair, stretched, and made his way to the gangplank.
His maids followed in neat formation, their beauty so overwhelming that the Xia Dynasty’s city guard captains —who were all Supreme Realm cultivators themselves—felt their mouths go dry.
But the guards said nothing.
They had received the ancestors’ warning.
They knew exactly who this was.
At the base of the gangplank, a delegation awaited.
They were the Phoenix Guards, the personal protectors of the Xia Dynasty’s Empress.
Every single one of them was a woman, and every single one of them was beautiful.
Their uniforms were elegant armor of crimson and gold, hugging their generous curves without restricting movement.
Their faces were lovely—some soft, some sharp, all striking.
Their bodies were well-trained, with the lean muscle of elite warriors beneath their feminine curves.
But the most beautiful of them was their captain.
Xia Yurou—no relation to Mo Yurou, but sharing the same given name by coincidence—was a woman whose beauty could have made her a holy maiden anywhere else.
Her hair was black as ink, straight and sleek, falling to the middle of her back.
Her eyes were a striking shade of dark brown, almost black, with a sharpness that spoke of someone who missed nothing.
Her face was elegant—high cheekbones, a straight nose, full lips that were currently pressed into a line of professional composure.
Her body was a study in athletic grace.
Her breasts were modest but full, perfectly proportioned to her frame.
Her waist was narrow and toned, visible even beneath her armor.
Her hips were wide, and her rear—framed perfectly by the crimson silk of her uniform—was round and full and drew the eye with an almost magnetic pull.
Her legs were long and powerful, ending in armored boots.
She stepped forward and bowed deeply.
“Young Master Qin.
The Empress has been expecting you.
I am Captain Xia Yurou, commander of the Phoenix Guards.
It is my honor to escort you to the throne room.” Tian looked at her, a small smile playing at his lips.
He had known Xia Yurou for years now—the Xia Dynasty was a frequent stop on his rotations.
She always started formal.
She always ended up flustered.
“Why so distant, Captain?” he asked, his voice carrying warm amusement.
Xia Yurou’s professional composure cracked.
A flush crept up her elegant neck and touched her cheeks.
Her dark eyes, so sharp moments before, softened with something that was decidedly unprofessional.
“…Darling,” she whispered.
The Phoenix Guards behind her erupted in giggles.
“Did she just—?” “The Captain called him darling—!” “I KNEW she had a soft spot—!” Xia Yurou whirled around, her blush now reaching her ears.
“SILENCE!
All of you!
This is a formal escort!” “You called him darling,” one of the guards said, grinning.
“I—that was—it’s a term of—BE QUIET!” The guards fell silent, but their smiles remained.
Xia Yurou turned back to Tian, her composure in tatters, and gestured stiffly toward the palace.
“Young Master, if you would follow me.
The Empress awaits.” “Of course, Captain,” Tian said, his smile never wavering.
As they walked, Xia Yurou’s voice dropped to a murmur.
“You do this on purpose.” “I have no idea what you mean.” “You always tease me in front of my subordinates.” “I’m merely being friendly.” “Friendly.
Right.” She rolled her eyes at him .
but one can see joy in them and love .
“You’re the one who called me darling.” She made a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a laugh.
“You’re impossible.” “I’ve been told.” The Phoenix Guards escorted Tian’s maids to their living quarters—luxurious suites that had been permanently reserved for the young prince’s visits—while Xia Yurou led Tian through the imperial palace.
The halls were magnificent, all white marble and crimson silk, with murals depicting the Xia Dynasty’s glorious history.
At last, they reached the throne room doors.
Massive panels of gold-inlaid wood, carved with phoenixes in flight.
“Wait,” Xia Yurou said, her hand pausing on the door.
“Yes?” “When you’re done with the formalities…” She hesitated, her blush returning.
“I’ll be…
around.
If you want to…” “I’d like that,” Tian said.
Her face lit up with a smile that transformed her from a stern captain into a beautiful young woman.
Then she straightened, composed herself, and pushed open the doors.
“The Young Master of the Five Forbidden Forces, His Highness Qin Tian!” Tian stepped into the throne room.
It was vast—a cathedral of power and beauty, with pillars of white jade and a ceiling painted with the entire history of the Xia bloodline.
Ministers and generals lined the sides of the room, and every single one of them was a woman.
Beautiful women in elegant robes and polished armor, their faces turned toward him with expressions ranging from curiosity to barely concealed anticipation.
On the throne at the far end sat the Empress herself— But Tian didn’t get a chance to see her.
Because the moment his foot crossed the threshold, a blur of motion crashed into him, and his face was buried in the most generous bosom he had ever encountered.
“TIAN’ER!
MY LITTLE DARLING!
YOU’RE HERE!” ‘So soft,’ Tian thought, his mind going blank.
[The Host is currently suffocating in the Empress’s embrace.
Would he like assistance?] ‘No.
No, I’m good.
This is fine.
This is MORE than fine.’ [The Host is perverted.] The system’s says in ger charming voice.
‘I learned from the best.’ [This system is not responsible for the Host’s behavior.] One hear the system giggling.
‘You literally are.’ Qin tian thinks the system is to dramatic.
[…Objection noted.] The system says playfully .
The ministers and generals watched with fond smiles as their mighty Empress, the ruler of the Xia Dynasty, hugged a thirteen-year-old boy like he was the most precious treasure in all the realms.
And honestly?
To her, he was.
— END OF CHAPTER 9