No Such Thing.

—

Turning toward Luo Yi, one of his friends with benefits, Tian Xing said to her, "Please? Just on this kind of occasion. I swear it will only happen when I'm feeling stressed about something."

Rolling her eyes as she looked at her lover, Luo Yi still nodded and said, "Okay, I'll trust you on this. But remember, only these kinds of extremely complex emotions. Outside of that, there's no smoking."

Chuckling and shaking his head, Tian Xing lit a cigarette made from the resources of the Three Heavens and asked, "Is my subconscious behavior skirting around responsibilities that obvious?"

Nodding and resting her head on his right shoulder, Luo Yi replied, "Yes. You still want to maintain a high moral standard for everything you've done. And this smoking—this subconscious action—is your way of coping with uncomfortable emotions, which isn't good if you want to become the highest Tian Ming Dao practitioner in all of creation. First, you need to embrace it to understand the perspective or fate. But don't stop there, Tian. You must also try to manipulate these uncomfortable complex feelings if you want to control all Predetermination."

Sighing, knowing his lover was right, Tian Xing smoked fifteen times in a row before flicking the cigarette so it turned to dust. Swirling a Lavender French 75 made from the resources of the Three Heavens while watching all of his lovers playing in the pool, splashing each other with soapy water, he sipped it for a moment before saying, "Let's stop adding more members to Serene Lotus Pavilion. Ten thousand lovers, as in ten thousand Dao, is enough."

Nodding, Luo Yi took the Golden Branch from the floor directly behind Tian. Turning toward Margarita, so her lover's wife could start controlling the Butterfly Echoes for Serene Lotus Pavilion's fate as a whole—who was currently giggling with Mai Shiranui and Guinevere, discussing making their relationship one of blood-related sisters—Luo Yi handed it to her and said, "Elder sister Rita, please do the honor."

Intrigued and amused at being called a sister, Margarita took the Golden Branch and asked, "You already know my decision and motivation to become one with all of you?"

Stunned, Mai Shiranui exclaimed, "Wait! What do you mean about becoming a Serene Lotus Pavilion member? Didn't you want to become the supreme wife? Don't you want me and Luo Yi to push you and bring Tian Xing to the ground so you can love each other? What happened?"

Looking at her lover Tian Xing, who continued to smoke and already had an inkling this day would come the moment he first expressed regret about creating a harem, Margarita sighed in heartache over the sweet short moment with her ex-husband. Not wanting to feel that heartache again or dominate like a pet just to please her ex-husband's wishes, she let Guinevere caress her aching chest before finally saying:

"There is no such thing as a supreme wife or supreme husband, only husband and wife. There is no such thing as a harem and main harem, only lovers and friends. There is no such thing as indomitable will or cunning dexterity, only resolve and deftness."

Turning toward Mai Shiranui, who had a hurtful expression with tears forming in her eyes, finally realizing that the domination she had previously wished for was no more than a subconscious desire to truly take her place, Margarita kissed her sister while cradling her and said, "And there's no such thing as giving up desires to step down to give someone else an equal chance. All of this is just an illusion Tian Xing and I created to ease our minds for whatever reason, not wanting to burden ourselves."

Gazing at her ex-husband and all of her sisters, Margarita smiled with relief, finally free from the burden of following someone else's hopes and wishes, "Because of that, my ex-Tian, let's remove this Yin Confusion and Yang Contradiction one by one so that our minds do not become muddled and convoluted by desires we cannot control. For you already know, my Tian, from the very start there was no such thing as a two-way commitment if there are three or more people involved."

Puffing the last of his cigarette and putting it out on the tray at the beverage station beside him, Richard stood up and sat directly beside his best friend Margarita, placing one of his hands on her shoulder. Slowly slumping down with her in his embrace in the jacuzzi, with the water slowly lowering so they wouldn't be submerged, Richard looked up at the sky, which had already turned dark, a setting arranged by Currie to give off the mood of complicated feelings. Enjoying the view with his Rita, he then looked directly into the eyes of his ex-wife.

Letting complicated, broken feelings permeate the air, Tian Xing first asked her, "Do you want to get out of this place? I—Ow! What was that for?!"

After pinching her lover's waist, Margarita once again reprimanded him, "You must take responsibility for all my sisters. Do you think you can skirt away again just like you did in many of your previous lives? No, at least provide us a home if you want us to satisfy our itch only with you and each other."

Rubbing his pinched waist, Tian Xing replied, "Alright, alright. You can all live together in my house. And I swear on my life this time, every one of my friends and your friends will be provided with the same thing."

Flicking his forehead, making him yelp in pain again, Margarita huffed, "Swear this, swear that, as if you can even keep your word."

Rubbing the spot where she flicked him, Tian Xing responded, "Yeah, I know, I know. I'll try my best this time."

Pausing and going back to enjoying the starry sky, he finally said, "So you knew everything all along? My subconscious thoughts?"

Closing her eyes and nodding, Margarita then snuggled closer to Tian Xing's embrace, saying, "My subconscious knew. But my conscious thoughts still wanted to follow you."

After staying quiet for a long time, Tian Xing kissed her forehead, following her lead with a decision that made him anxious for all the members of the pavilion who might leave him to find another man, "Since there is no love between us, then let me trust you, as well as all of my friends with benefits. You can leave my house whenever you want if you find someone to marry, for I will bless you with good luck in finally finding your soulmate. But I'll make sure this home is as comfortable as I can make it so that none of you want to leave."

Amused, one of the lovers, finally free from some of the Yang Contradiction and Yin Confusion, Margarita asked teasingly, "Then what about when you're in your dark mode? Do you think 'comfortable' will be a good description later on?"

Shrugging, finally coming to terms with himself that they were never his to begin with, Tian Xing simply answered, "Well, this house is a house of debauchery, after all. So if you want to leave me, I will only hope for the best for you."

Giggling, now truly free from heartache, Margarita extended her pinky finger, "Friends with benefits?"

Knowing all these relationships were now driven solely by benefit, since he didn't want to fall into the Yang Contradiction of love and twisted love, Tian Xing then locked her fingers, also replying, "Friends with benefits it is."

—