He watched his parents leave.

Aaron Sinclair reached up and touched his head.

’Did I forget something?’

’Oh, right. Who was that person who wanted to dig out my Spirit Root?’

’Mom definitely knows.’

’Ah well, it’s a small thing. I’ll ask tomorrow. Besides, no matter who it was, a dead person isn’t important...’

「Elsewhere.」

Javier Sinclair carried Celeste Grant back to his bedchamber.

With a wave of his hand, the doors to the chamber shut behind him.

He set Celeste Grant down on a table. One of his hands gripped her slender waist while the other braced against the tabletop to her side.

It was as if she were completely encircled in his arms. The two of them were incredibly close. With her hands braced beside her, Celeste Grant just had to look up to see his face, inches away.

’This scene?’

Celeste Grant was reminded of scenes from certain TV dramas. ’This is a dangerous situation. Things might develop from here, maybe an ab reveal or something. Those shows full of romantic tension are always like this.’

At that thought, her gaze drifted slightly downward.

’Ooh! The chest and abs under these clothes... they’re definitely solid. If this were a novel, this would be the kind of content you’d need a premium subscription to see.’

She looked up at him and said, "The Exalted One, don’t you think our current position is a little... inappropriate?"

His grip on her waist tightened.

Her entire body was pressed even closer to his.

That familiar sense of pressure.

They were so close, Celeste Grant could feel Javier Sinclair’s breath.

She heard him say in a low, hushed voice, "What’s inappropriate about it?"

His arm wrapped around her waist, and he leaned closer, continuing, "This? Or this?"

Javier Sinclair’s eyes were fixed on Celeste Grant, a hint of playful mockery in their depths.

’This woman has always been the one teasing me, leading me around like a dog. It’s finally my turn to get some payback.’

Celeste Grant could see it now. ’This man is impossibly prideful. He’s trying to tease me.’

Celeste Grant raised a delicate eyebrow.

’But I’ve read countless novels and binged endless cheesy romance dramas.’

With that, she reached out and placed a hand on his chest. "So, The Exalted One carried me back here in broad daylight... Did you miss me? Or did you have... other ideas?"

Her fingers trailed lightly upward, stopping at his neck.

Javier Sinclair froze, completely still. When he felt her fingers touch his Adam’s apple, his face flushed red. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

But, being as prideful as ever, he said, "Where else do you plan on touching? Do you want to lose that hand?"

Seeing him put on a brave front, Celeste Grant laughed inwardly. She leaned in and whispered beside his ear, "What do you think, The Exalted One? Where should I touch? Here? Or here?"

As she spoke, her finger lightly grazed the side of his neck.

The next moment, he seized her wrist. "Is this fun? Do you really think I won’t do anything to you?"

Seeing the crack in his composure,

Celeste Grant smiled faintly.

"Want a kiss?"

Javier Sinclair: "..."

’I’ve been put on the defensive, but I can’t just let it happen.’

His gaze fell on her bewitching, flower-like face.

’This woman has turned the tables and started teasing me again.’

Cupping the back of her neck, Javier Sinclair crushed his lips against hers. If he couldn’t win with words, he would have to reclaim his advantage through action.

He held her by the waist, his arms tightening as they embraced and kissed...

’Since we’re together and the mood is right, we might as well do what people do before they become Taoist Companions.’

Celeste Grant had high standards, and Javier Sinclair happened to fit her criteria for a partner perfectly.

That night.

Celeste Grant relived her experience from the bamboo forest.

Only this time, instead of the bamboo forest, they were in bed...

「Afterward.」

Celeste Grant rested against his chest, a hand tangled in his hair.

"Archfiend, your hair is so silky."

Javier Sinclair didn’t speak, his eyes simply fixed on her face. In his mind, certain images were gradually becoming clearer.

He remembered now: she had been the one to grab his clothes.

At the time, her presence had felt so comforting that when she hugged him, he had instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist...

And that was the time.

He ended up with a son.

Thinking of this,

Javier Sinclair spoke. "Celeste Grant, I just remembered something."

Hearing this, she paused, tilting her head up to look at him. "Oh? What did you remember? Tell me."

"It’s about when we met in the bamboo forest all those years ago."

Celeste Grant froze.

She stared at him. "You remember?"

Javier Sinclair nodded slightly. "Yes. It turns out you were the one who grabbed my clothes."

Celeste Grant blushed and looked away. "Well, even if I was the one who initiated it, you didn’t refuse, did you? If you had been unwilling, what could I have possibly done to you?"

"That’s true."

He took her hand.

Javier Sinclair felt grateful that he had gone there that day and met her. Otherwise, he never would have imagined that his unchanging life could suddenly take a different turn.

’After centuries of being alone, I’ve suddenly landed a wife and a son!’

At that moment, Celeste Grant looked at his face and couldn’t help but think of the rumors about him.

She couldn’t resist asking.

"Archfiend, can I ask you something? Of course, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine."

"Ask."

"The rumors say you killed your father and your brother. Is any of that true? I just... I want to understand you better."

’They had basically confirmed their relationship now and would be Taoist Companions in the future. She wanted to know his story.’

Javier Sinclair paused when he heard this, his gaze settling on her. "You said it yourself—they’re rumors. No one else knows the real story."

Celeste Grant looked at him, her curiosity piqued.

Javier Sinclair said, "There’s no harm in telling you. The man I killed wasn’t my father. An Evil Cultivator’s Primordial Spirit had possessed my father’s body. It used his body to cause chaos. That thing demoted my mother to a concubine and even gave her to other men to be humiliated. When my mother learned it planned to use me for Alchemy, she risked her life to escape with me. It was snowing when she died. It was so cold the trees were coated in ice."

Hearing him recount such a heavy story in so few words, Celeste Grant felt a pang of sadness. She reached out and hugged him. "Okay, don’t say any more."

’Why did I have to ask about that of all things?’ she thought. ’I should have guessed it wouldn’t be anything good.’ "It’s okay now," she said. "You have me and our son. So, Archfiend, you’re not alone, and you’ll never be lonely again."

Javier Sinclair gave a faint smile and gently stroked her hair.

"So your parents... did they reincarnate?"

Javier Sinclair shook his head slightly.

"My father’s Primordial Spirit was devoured by that thing. My mother’s Primordial Spirit dissipated to save me."

’If a Primordial Spirit still exists, there’s a chance of resurrection. But if the Primordial Spirit dissipates, that’s true death. How did he ever survive his childhood?’

Celeste Grant remembered what Nerida had said—that when she found Javier Sinclair, he was being chased down the street by wild dogs. It was a miserable sight. The rumors said he had made a name for himself at a young age by carving a path of blood.

"They deserved to die. Killing them ten thousand times wouldn’t have been enough."

’No wonder the rumors said Javier Sinclair killed his father and brother. So this was the real story. Outsiders who don’t know the truth will only believe what they see. Who would bother to dig for the real reasons?’

"I’m sorry. I made you remember unhappy things."