After a long discussion about fabrics and colors for the tank tops Tian Li was designing for the women heading south, Jin Shu finally learned the reason behind them. They would be stuck in a desert for months, surrounded by demonic beasts and possibly demon worshipers, and needed to conserve the qi normally used to regulate body temperature.

"Why not use robes inscribed with frost or wind runes to stay cool?" Jin Shu asked.

"That would drain even more qi than regulating our bodies directly," Tian Li said, shaking her head as she worked on the stitching.

"But you could add a qi-drawing rune to fuel it with ambient qi."

She paused, slowly turning toward him. "You think that would work?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've never used runes on clothing, but I've had a similar rune carved into my body before."

"Hmm…" Tian Li tapped her chin, considering. "It might work, but if I use mundane silk, the constant qi flow will wear it down. The fabric would unravel and leave us… exposed."

"Are there special silks that can handle it?"

"There are." She nodded. "The best is silk spun by icy silkworms. It naturally carries cooling properties. But it only comes from the northern region, and a single spool costs a dozen high-tier qi stones."

"So expensive? Why?"

"Because it lets ice cultivators halve their training time," Sun Mei'er answered. "And the north has the largest concentration of them."

Jin Shu blinked, having almost forgotten his mother was in the room.

"Are there cheaper alternatives?" he asked.

"Well, the south has flame silkworms, but their silk does the opposite—heats the body. Good for fire cultivators, but useless in a desert. I'll still bring some back, though. As for other options… the silkworm spirit beast clan produces excellent silk, but they live in the west under the Beast Tamer Sect's control."

Jin Shu's brow twitched. He had never thought much about the Beast Tamer Sect before, but now that he was bound to spirit beasts—both as a reincarnation of one and father to another—it left a sour taste knowing humans enslaved them. No wonder his mother's sect despised them. The Immortal Phoenix Sect had been founded by the Phoenix Clan, after all. That thought stirred another question.

"Mom, are there still spirit beast clans in our sect?"

"Of course." She nodded. "Remember the elders' council—the dozens you didn't recognize?"

"I do."

"Those were our spirit beast elders. They stay separate from the main sect but remain part of us."

"But they didn't show any beast features."

"That's because sect rules require spirit beasts to take full human form while inside the sect. Even Feng Lian follows it."

"That's… a strange rule."

"It was made centuries ago to ease human fears. Personally, I think it's outdated, but the elders insist on keeping it." She rolled her eyes. "If it weren't for the four strongest voices in the sect vouching for you, they would've thrown you out already."

"Four? I thought it was three—Chen Ai Yun, Feng Lian, and you."

Sun Mei'er shook her head. "Zhu Jian vouched for you as well—probably because you saved her niece. Otherwise she never bends. She's the sect's rule enforcer, after all."

He filed the information away. Knowing some elders were spirit beasts—and that Zhu Ren's aunt held him in good regard after he saved her niece—might prove useful later. But as the light outside dimmed, Jin Shu remembered his real purpose here. He still needed to track down the two troublemakers and speak with Li Xue.

"Tian Li," he said, turning to her, "would you like to join me on the sect's extermination mission?"

"Sure," she replied absently, her attention still fixed on her stitching.

"Good. We'll leave tomorrow." He stood, brushing off his robes, ready to search for Yin'er and Ji Ji.

"You're forgetting something," his mother said.

He glanced back at the table, puzzled. He hadn't brought anything with him to forget. "What did I forget?"

"You forgot to give Tian Li a kiss," her voice whispered directly into his ear through a sound transmission.

His brow twitched—but then a slow smirk curved his lips.

"Mom, could you arrange a grand wedding after we return from the south? I've got three girls I'd like to marry."

Ding!

Tian Li dropped her needle, spinning around with a stunned look.

Sun Mei'er smirked. "Only three?"

"Yes," he said evenly.

"We'll see about that." She gave him a knowing glance. "But fine—I'll arrange a wedding fit for an emperor."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved her off, then turned back to Tian Li with an easy smile. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

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"Uh… sure…" she mumbled, quickly glancing away.

Jin Shu went looking for two troublemakers but instead found three.

In a clearing inside the bamboo grove of Chen Ai Yun's courtyard, Yin'er and Ji Ji were standing on a table, deep in conversation with none other than Li Xue. Hidden among the shoots, Jin Shu guided the wind to carry their voices to his ears.

"So, you two want revenge on Jin Shu and Tian Li?" Li Xue asked.

"I don't. She does." Yin'er pointed straight at Ji Ji. "Daddy let her get hugged by Auntie Li."

Jin Shu pinched the bridge of his nose. The way Yin'er referred to Tian Li was entirely Tian Li's fault—chasing her around the first time they met had left a terrible impression.

"Huh!" Li Xue gasped dramatically. "How awful!"

"It was awful!" Ji Ji bobbed her head furiously. "She pressed me against her cheek and nearly rubbed all my feathers off! And Jin Shu didn't help one bit!"

"And how are you planning to get revenge?"

Jin Shu's ears sharpened at Li Xue's question.

Ji Ji tilted her head, thinking hard. "...I don't know."

"Do you know what the best kind of revenge is?"

"I know!" Yin'er shot her hand into the air. "Revenge is best served cold!"

Where in the world did she learn that? Jin Shu groaned inwardly.

"Um… no," Li Xue said, baffled. "The best kind of revenge is mental anguish."

What in the hell is she teaching them?! Jin Shu nearly stepped out of hiding right then, convinced she was about to start a torture lesson. But her next words stopped him.

"You have to play a prank!"

"A prank?" Ji Ji cocked her head. "What kind of prank?"

"What kind do you know?" Li Xue asked.

Yin'er raised her hand again.

"Yes, Yin'er?"

"Make them eat veggies."

"But they like veggies."

"Oh…" Yin'er deflated, then brightened again. "What about making them think they're getting a treat, but instead you trick them into taking a bath and don't give them the treat afterwards?"

"Uhh… I think that would be a huge reward for Jin Shu…" Li Xue muttered, blushing.

Jin Shu wanted to deny it—but paused. No, she was right. Getting tricked into a bath with Tian Li would be nothing but a win.

Wild fantasies began to run in his mind, and he had to shake his head hard to clear them.

Just a few more months. Once they're my wives, those fantasies won't need to stay fantasies.

"Then what should we do?" Ji Ji pressed, bringing her wings together in a pleading gesture. "Can't you tell us?"

"I've got just the idea." Li Xue leaned in, a sly smile on her face. "Here's what we'll do…"

She whispered conspiratorially. Even with the wind carrying her voice, Jin Shu couldn't catch it—and pushing any harder would risk giving himself away. Against a wind qi cultivator like Li Xue, it was already a miracle he remained undetected.

Minutes later, the three pulled apart from their huddle, laughing in unison—dark, evil laughter.

Jin Shu waited a few minutes for their laughter to die down before stepping into the clearing. They noticed him at once—Yin'er lit up, Ji Ji grimaced, and Li Xue turned toward him wearing the sweetest, most innocent smile, as if she hadn't been plotting mischief a heartbeat ago.

Yin'er leapt from the table and flew straight into his arms with a delighted cry. "Daddy!"

"Hello, Yin'er. Did you have fun with Ji Ji and Li Xue?" he asked, stroking her soft silver hair. Outwardly, he was calm; inwardly, he was already aware they'd been conspiring a prank against him and Tian Li.

"Yup! Lots of fun!" she purred, nestling against him.

"That's good."

Privately, he couldn't help wondering why his daughter was such a good liar. Then again, with Sun Mei'er as her grandmother, the answer wasn't exactly a mystery.

His gaze shifted to Li Xue. For a moment he considered questioning her the same way he had Biyu and Tian Li, but quickly dismissed it. Unlike them, she wasn't shy about her feelings—in fact, she could be downright pushy. Out of the three… perhaps even four women he'd come to love, Li Xue was the one who most resembled his mother. Not in looks—she lacked Sun Mei'er's beauty and shared little besides a short stature and brown hair—but in personality, the resemblance was uncanny.

"Li Xue," he said, "tomorrow you, Biyu, Tian Li, and I will be joining a sect mission to exterminate demonic beasts. Alright?"

"Okay." Her angelic mask didn't slip for an instant. "Can we bring these two?"

His brow twitched. Was that request part of the prank she was plotting, or just another whim? Either way, he had already decided. Ji Ji needed the adrenaline rush as part of awakening her bloodline, and Yin'er—though he wasn't thrilled about it—needed real combat experience if she was ever going to protect herself.

"Sure. I was going to bring them anyway."

"Perfect!" Li Xue clasped her hands together with suspicious delight. "I'm sure it will be fun!"