Chapter 66: Jia’s Wings
Jia sat rigidly in the rising water, her wet, short hair plastered to her forehead as her face focused in deep concentration.
The sudden influx of Kian’s concentrated Yang essence hit her lower belly like a spark thrown into dry tinder, making her small frame shudder against his chest.
"Don’t fight the warmth," Kian whispered close to her ear, his hands resting steady on her bare hips to anchor her in the tub. "Just let it flow naturally through your pathways."
Her eyelids trembled as she finally found the thread, her breathing slowing to match the gentle lapping of the bathwater.
Within minutes, a bright, crystalline pop echoed in her spiritual sense, followed rapidly by another, and then another, until three distinct Qi sparks spun in a tiny, glowing orbit within her core.
Jia gasped, her eyes snapping open as the sudden warmth in her belly rippled outward, turning the cool skin of her collarbones a deep, flushed pink.
She stared at her hands beneath the water, watching the way her fingers trembled not from weakness, but from the sheer, buzzing novelty of the energy now circulating through her veins.
"I did it," she whispered, her voice cracking with a mix of awe and lingering disbelief as she turned her head to look at him. "I actually felt it, man—three of them, spinning right there."
Kian smiled, pulling her back against his chest and letting the warm bathwater swirl around them as her newly formed Qi began to settle.
"Three is a great start, but you are still behind Mia. She got seven."
"Why is that?"
"I think it has to do with the fact that more than half of it got stolen by your mother."
"Oh, true!"
She then turned to look at him, some respect in her eyes. "You really are something. When did you fuck my mother?"
"The day I met her, we made out."
"Damn! I figured your relationship was not normal the moment she entered the bathroom, but still. Have you been having sex all this time?"
"What did you think we went to do in the middle of our bath yesterday?"
"Don’t tell me... you guys were making out?"
"Yes, we were."
She was really speechless.
"Now let’s get you cleaned up."
"You are a literal demon," Jia said, though there was no real heat behind the words as she let him splash the warm water over her shoulders to rinse off the soap.
"Mia would be shocked if she learns of it."
Kian shook his head. "I am more surprised how you reacted to it. I didn’t think you’d just go along and suck me off with her. Damn, that felt great."
Jia became speechless thinking about it. "I just didn’t think it was bad. You guys are probably doing such things behind my back anyway, why should I be embarrassed at that point?"
"True."
Jia snorted, her face still flushed a deep crimson as she leaned her head back against his chest, watching the steam rise toward the ceiling. "Our family is so weird. If I have children, they’d have to call you father. And you’d also be their grandfather because their grandmother is with you anyways."
Kian realized the fact and he blinked.
"That is a crazy thought," Kian admitted "But as long as we keep it in the family, who’s going to complain? The neighbors?"
Jia scoffed, splashing a palmful of warm water at his knee, though her body remained soft and relaxed against him. "We don’t even have neighbors here who know us yet, which is probably for the best."
"They can think whatever they want while I’m running up their walls," Kian said, shifting his grip to lift her out of the tub as the water began to turn lukewarm. "Now up you go, my cultivator. Let’s go show Mia that you aren’t completely useless at cultivation anymore."
Jia let out a soft yelp as Kian hoisted her from the water, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck to secure her balance. Her wet skin glistened under the dim bathroom lantern, the warmth of her newly awakened Qi humming just beneath her flesh.
"I am not useless," she muttered against his collarbone, though her fingers tightened in his damp hair with a soft, affectionate squeeze. "I have three sparks now, which is three more than the average mortal will ever see in their entire lives."
Kian carried her out of the tub and set her gently onto the dry wooden mat, grabbing a thick cotton towel to wrap around her shoulders.
With a smile, he dried her off.
"Keep that attitude when we go outside, because Mia is definitely going to gloat about her seven."
"Seven sparks is just a head start," Jia declared, snatching the towel from his hands to vigorously rub her short hair.
Her jaw set into that familiar stubborn pout, but her dark eyes were bright with a brand-new, competitive fire.
"She only got that many because she’s older and has more fat on her. Just you wait, Kian. I’m going to surpass her, maybe even you!"
Kian smiled.
She had always had the fire in her.
She practically ripped her fresh sleeping robes off the rack and threw them on, barely tying the sash before sliding the bathroom door open with a sharp click.
"Mia! Get over here right now! I’m going to show you what real talent looks like, you bloated cow!"
Mia’s reply came just a second late. "Bloated cow? You mean flat floorboard?"
"What the fuck did you say to me?"
Kian laughed, adjusting his own robe as he followed her path of destruction into the living room, ready to watch the sisters tear the house down.
Mia was already standing near the low table, her hands on her hips and her brows raised.
"I said flat floorboard!"
Jia let out an outraged shriek and lunged across the tatami mats, tackling Mia by the waist and sending both of them rolling onto a pile of unpacked cushions.
Kian leaned against the table, enjoying the sight of their tangled limbs and flushed, laughing faces.
Meanwhile Feimei sat calmly in her chair, holding the small glass bottle of his essence to the morning light with a thoughtful, analytical hum.
"Don’t add it in my food, okay?" he said.
"Eh, why not?"
"Just don’t."
Feimei tilted the glass, watching the pearlescent fluid coat the walls before settling back into a dense pool at the bottom.
"I was thinking of infusing it into the morning tea," she murmured, her voice carrying a dry, academic amusement that made Kian’s eye twitch.
She added: "A single drop should be more than enough to test the usefulness."
Before Kian could reply to her teasing, a loud grunt from the cushion pile cut them off.
Jia had managed to pin Mia’s wrists to the floor, her face triumphant despite her rumpled hair.
"See? Three sparks! I can throw you around even easier now that I am a cultivator!"
Mia suddenly twisted her ankles, making Jia fall out of the cushions themselves, ruining her balance.
Looking at the fallen little sister, she stood up. "Little sisters are little sisters, big sisters are big sisters."
"You are barely 1 minute older than me!"
"Okay, little sister. Now behave yourself."
Kian turned to Feimei, then said: "Anyway, I am going to be busy for now, so I will leave the home to you."
"Where are you going?"
"To check some things out."
Feimei nodded.