46. In bed...

Leaving the kitchen, Kim Lian finally understood what that gaze, overlooking the world, meant.

She hadn't expected this manor to hide such a figure. But unlike Zhao Yu, she thought differently. In a world where the strong thrive and the weak fall, someone who could make two great scholars submit, reshape the laws of heaven and earth with a word to reconstruct a body… How formidable must they be? Great Ascension Tribulation? An ascending sage? No, he stood at a level beyond all.

This token… Indeed, danger often comes with opportunity. Serving under such a person was an honor one might not encounter in a lifetime. Now, the priority was to become useful, not lose her value. Must quickly restore strength. As for Luna and the others, no need to worry too much. The urgent task was to complete the token's missions, earn rewards, gather resources…

Unconsciously, she walked into the courtyard and saw a tree, the charm of the Dao swirling around it.

…

In the garden, flowers flourished, fragrance soothing.

Despite the cold weather.

Noah lay resting on the bed, gazing through the window, body trembling. Mind somewhat uneasy.

"This system only makes me feel cold, while everyone else is fine. Yet none of them said anything! Made me look foolish this morning…"

…Growing more aggrieved…

"…If not for my cleverness, you'd all be bandits by now… Why am I the only one punished?"

Complained a sentence, he sighing…

"I, the master of this place, if I don't enter hell, who will… Truly, I'm a man of virtue…"

"Feels like something's missing, though."

"This bed, Lalatina just lay here. Her scent lingers, so pleasant…"

Below the trousers…

"Calm down, you. Soon, she'll be ours."

…

In the maidens' room, Lalatina, Liora, Luna each lay on a shared bed. As cultivators with extraordinary bodies, they hadn't napped in ages. But the Manor Lord himself ordered it, leading to this scene of three lying together.

Liora, holding an egg, giggled endlessly.

Luna, dozing nearby, annoyed but could only plead.

"Liora, it's been ages since I napped, don't ruin it, please."

Liora, knowing her fault, whispered an apology.

"Yes, Sister."

Turning to Lalatina, she murmured softly.

"Sister, I can't sleep. How did the Manor Lord help you earlier?"

Lalatina couldn't sleep either. Her body now restless, burning. She reached out, pulling Liora into her arms, murmuring dreamily.

"Liora, you once said the Manor Lord had designs on our bodies, remember?"

Liora, feeling something large and soft pressing against her chest, blushed shyly but answered softly.

"Yes, I said that, but now I think he just likes teasing."

"Why are you so warm?"

"Liora, you're so sensitive. I thought the same about the Manor Lord. This morning, he helped me focus my thoughts. But the method was strange. He touched my entire body… Listen, it wasn't what you think, he avoided all sensitive places. I felt so at ease. His technique was miraculous… If he had intentions, I'd have fallen into his hands then."

"But now my body feels uneasy, Liora, come bathe with me, alright?"

Luna, awake at some point, sat up, exclaiming.

"Sister, could the Manor Lord have bewitched you? A woman touched all over, what's left? He's too much!"

Lalatina raised a hand to her lips, signaling silence.

"Luna, lower your voice. I'll tell you a secret. We were chosen for this manor because… I resemble someone from the Manor Lord's past… You don't believe me?"

"You should know, the higher one cultivates, lying or acting against one's heart risks detection by Heavenly Dao, regressing cultivation. So, at higher realms, we can't lie like that. Let alone someone with his divine powers."

"The Manor Lord is a man of eternal devotion. He looks at me as if seeing another. He wanted to touch me… but when he did, he knew I wasn't her… So…"

"I'm saying this so you won't misunderstand him anymore."

Liora and Luna fell silent, pondering. Luna looked seriously at the dreamy-eyed sister before her.

"Sister, do you have feelings for him?"

…Silence…

"Luna, do I look like a lovesick maiden to you?"

Luna nodded, certain, unmistakable.

Lalatina, hearing this, burst into laughter, a smile like a thousand blooming flowers.

"I admire a devoted man, a love enduring through time… We've all lived in palaces, seen deception, love tangled with gain, you must've witnessed plenty… But seeing a love that never fades still stirs my heart. Liora, you're young, you don't understand yet. When you grow up, you'll see how precious a love without schemes is."

"Luna, you're not young anymore, surely you've loved and been loved… Tell me, did that person abandon you for gain?"

Luna, silent, listened to Lalatina's heartfelt words. Indeed, such a love is moving. She wondered how happy she'd be if someone loved her that much.

Seeing Luna quiet, eyes shifting from pensive to smiling, Lalatina teased.

"Ha… Looks like Luna's heart already holds someone's shadow… Who's so fortunate? You must introduce him to us sisters. If he ever bullies you, we won't let him off… Haha!"

Luna's face reddened, mumbling.

"Sister, what are you saying, he wouldn't bully me…"

Flustered, Luna changed the topic.

"Lalatina, didn't you say your body felt uneasy? Go bathe."

Lalatina hugged Liora tightly, laughing uncontrollably, hands roaming over Liora's not-yet-matured body.

"Liora, I hit Luna's sore spot, now she's annoyed and chasing me away. Liora, come bathe with me, alright?"

Liora, nestled in Lalatina's grasp, struggled but couldn't escape, crying out.

"Sister, where are your hands touching, aaaa!"

And so, through Lalatina's efforts, all three went to bathe together.