"Mhmm... So stuffy!" Daemon mumbled, voice muffled as he half-woke in the soft press of warmth. Motherly arms, warm and gentle, were wrapped tight around his chest. He didn’t bother opening his eyes; the faint smile on his lips said enough. He drifted off again, safe in the shelter of Jia’s arms.
She watched him for a long while—an hour of just listening to his breathing, feeling his heartbeat under her cheek. When at last she stirred, she kissed him softly on the cheek, once, twice—unable to resist his sleeping face.
Carefully she pulled away, setting him down on the mattress and moving to her own. She crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and let her mind slip into ditation. The night’s chill seeped into the tent walls, but she barely felt it. Outside, she could sense Ippo’s steady training and her brother Ru’s presence by the creek—Water Qi dancing around him like mist.
'Big brother’s close to the Fifth Stage,' Jia thought, feeling the faint swirl of a breakthrough forming. She peeked at Daemon—still dead to the world—and stifled a giggle. 'What if it wasn’t Ru? What if it was an enemy? He’d sleep through it all!'
Outside, the creek hissed and churned. She stepped out just as Ru’s eyes snapped open. The fifth cloud of blue Qi had ford inside his Dantian—stable, strong. He turned, saw his sister’s smile, and returned it with a nod.
"I’m going to Blue-Luan Town," Ru said after a mont, brushing mud from his knee. "I’ll trade the Earth Spirit Stones and the last Evil-Eye Flower petal. It’s ti we get Spirit Resources for young master Daemon’s Body-Refinent."
Jia raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"A Barrier-Breaking Pill for you, maybe a protective Spiritual Treasure for both of us." He pointed at the Space-Pouch tied at her waist. "May I?"
She smirked, teased him with a mont’s hesitation, then untied it and handed it over. Ru wasted no ti—he flicked his Qi, runes glowed silver, and the pouch’s treasures were laid bare: rolled Talismans, dull stones, the gleam of coins.
He sighed. "Earth-Elent protective Spiritual Treasures. Wasted on us. Can you recognize these Talismans?"
Jia pointed them out one by one. "Gentle-Feather for Wind-speed, Bronze-Skin for tal defense—two hits max. Explosive-Fire summons a fire ring, useful in offense, restriction, and defense. Earth-Do seals you off from an inescapable-attack. And this?" She flicked a scrap of a map. "A fragnt. Mystery for another day."
Ru tucked it back. "Two Earth Spirit Stones, one Qi-Recovery Pill, a box of Mid-Quality Healing-Ointnt... and the Barrier-Breaking Pill."
Jia slipped the tiny box from the pile and winked. "I’m staying ahead of you, big brother."
He only chuckled and pressed the Wind Spirit Stone and Yellow-Scale Fruit into her hand. "Guard these well."
A pat on her head and he was gone—feet wrapped in Water Qi, boots whispering down the trail toward Blue-Luan Town.
Jia settled by a boulder clear of trees—far enough not to set the forest ablaze. She breathed deep, felt the pill’s warmth through the box. 'One step more,' she thought, giddy and sharp at once. 'From scrap to the High-Ranks in three days... who’d have guessed?'
She popped the pill onto her tongue—bitter as frost. Fire and Lightning Qi danced up her ridians, threading through her Spirit-Root. The old Burning-Embers Technique strained to guide the flow. She frowned, thoughts snagging on a single truth: 'I need a better Technique. This one’s too crude for the Lightning Dao. If I don’t fix that... ten years for the Seventh Cloud? Laughable!'
Rumble.Crackle.
Thunder woke Daemon before dawn. He cracked an eye open as wind rattled the tent’s flap. In the sa breath, new mories surged—Ru’s departure, Jia’s breakthrough, Ippo’s quiet vigil feeding him tiny streams of gathered knowledge.
""Man... hope Xia left food," he muttered, rolling off the mattress. He washed up at the creek, cold water biting his skin clean. He tossed his clothes in the basket, slipped on fresh ones, and headed for the kitchen corner of their rough camp..
Lifting the pot lid, he grinned. "Xia... guardian angel!"
"What does that make ?" Jia’s voice ca soft but sharp behind him. She was glowing, eyes bright with fresh power.
Daemon didn’t pause. "My Archangel," he said, mouth half-full. "You hug to sleep. You manage everything I ignore. Soday, you’ll carry my Bloodline. Poor Ippo will have to watch and learn with his master before he take his turn on you."
He pointed a spoon at her, wagging it with a wicked grin. "Beast in the making, that one. Hope you can handle him."
Jia’s face flushed crimson. She opened her mouth, but no words ca. Ippo, eavesdropping by the fire, flexed an arm and grinned like an idiot.
Daemon just laughed, scraping his bowl clean. The storm rumbled on overhead—but the camp, for now, felt warm as ho.
Here's a link to my discord server if you want to talk - .gg/HwHHR6Hds
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