The junior disciples instantly stopped sweeping and offered deep, respectful bows upon recognizing the gray apron and the Third Generation jade token at her belt.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle Lin!" they chimed in unison, though they kept a wary eye on her spatula, clearly still believing the rumors that she regularly turned disobedient juniors into spicy hot pot.

"At ease, kids," Ji’an waved her hand dismissively. "What’s the situation on the peak? Did... did a weather array break? Why is it so peaceful? Where is your Senior Brother Xie?"

The two disciples exchanged a bewildered glance.

"Senior Brother Xie is in his private quarters, Martial Uncle," one of the boys replied, scratching his head. "And... the peak is peaceful because nothing has happened? Aside from Elder Qin confining himself to the inner sanctum to recuperate from a sudden Qi fluctuation, everything has been perfectly normal."

"Normal," Ji’an repeated, squinting suspiciously. "You mean to tell me that your senior brother Xie hasn’t been out here freezing waterfalls or destroying granite boulders with his bare hands? Are you guys sure?"

"Oh, Heavens no!" the other disciple gasped, looking horrified at the mere suggestion. "Senior Brother Xie has been the picture of absolute serenity all week! He has been mediating quietly in his room, occasionally tending to the frost-lotus garden. He hasn’t even raised his voice at us for once! He’s been wonderfully calm."

Ji’an’s brain suffered a minor, stuttering system error.

’Calm?’ Ji’an’s inner voice echoed. ’Gu Zhiwei told me he was a walking volcano of ice just two days ago! Did the golden retriever lie to me? Or did Wangchen suddenly achieve enlightenment while I was busy scamming the Black Market?’

A massive, overwhelming wave of relief crashed over her, entirely washing away the knot of anxiety that had been sitting in her stomach all morning.

If Wangchen was calm, it meant he wasn’t dwelling on the incredibly awkward, highly scandalous bathhouse incident.

It meant he had processed her sudden departure rationally. It meant the "sworn brother" dynamic between them was intact!

"Fantastic. That is fantastic news," Ji’an beamed, her arrogant, cheerful chef persona instantly returning in full force.

She reached into her deep apron pockets and pulled out two perfectly wrapped, golden-brown Lotus-Paste Mooncakes.

"Here," Ji’an tossed the pastries to the bewildered juniors. "For your hard work. Consider it a tip from your friendly neighborhood Martial Uncle. Do not tell Elder Qin I was here, or I’ll replace the salt in your dining hall with crushed alum."

The juniors eagerly caught the pastries, bowing profusely as Ji’an bypassed them, practically skipping down the winding, frosted pathways toward the inner courtyards.

.

.

.

Xie Wangchen’s private quarters were located at the very edge of the peak, overlooking a breathtaking, sheer drop into a seemingly endless sea of white clouds.

Ji’an didn’t bother knocking. She was a Martial Uncle now, and more importantly, she was carrying premium braised pork. She pushed the sliding wooden doors open and stepped inside.

"Wangchen! Delivery!" Ji’an called out cheerfully.

She paused, looking around the room. She had never actually been inside his personal bedroom before.

It was, in a word, immaculate. The room was expansive, paneled in dark, polished spirit-wood that smelled faintly of sandalwood and crisp pine.

There was no clutter. A low, sleek tea table sat in the center of the room over a woven tatami mat. In the corner rested an exquisite, silver-stringed guqin.

The walls were adorned with simple, elegant calligraphy scrolls depicting the flow of ice and water.

It was austere, beautiful, and completely matched the cool, detached aesthetic of the Flawless Ice Root.

"Wow. You could shoot a minimalist architectural digest spread in here," Ji’an muttered to herself, wandering further into the room.

She set the jade bento box down on the tea table and walked over to the massive, open balcony doors to admire the view of the cloud sea.

"It really is gorgeous," she sighed, leaning against the polished wooden doorframe. "No wonder he likes to brood so much. The lighting in here is perfect for tragic staring."

She heard a soft, muffled sound from the attached bathing chamber. The sliding paper door shifted open.

Ji’an turned around, a bright, rehearsed apology on her lips. "Hey, Little Puddle, sorry I’ve been MIA, I was—"

The words died a sudden, violent death in her throat.

Lin Ji’an collided squarely with a solid, immovable object. She let out a soft oof, stumbling backward a half-step.

She looked up.

It was like her subconscious had breached the barrier between dreams and reality, manifesting her deepest, most panicky bisexual nightmares directly into the waking world.

Standing in front of her, having just stepped out of the bathing chamber, was Xie Wangchen.

He was not wearing his heavy, pristine, multi-layered Inner Sect robes. He was wearing only a thin, white silk inner robe, and it was tied entirely too loosely around his waist.

The front of the robe gaped open, exposing the pale, flawless expanse of his chest and the sharp, terrifyingly perfect lines of his abdominal muscles.

His dark hair, usually pinned up in an immaculate silver crown, was completely unbound. It hung in thick, wet strands around his face, dripping water onto his collarbones.

A single drop of moisture traced a slow, agonizingly deliberate path down the column of his throat, slipping over the smooth plane of his chest before vanishing into the edge of the white silk.

He smelled of cold mist, crushed mint, and the faint, clean scent of expensive soap.

For a full five seconds, Lin Ji’an’s brain ceased all cognitive function.

’This...’ Ji’an’s internal monologue flatlined. ’Holy... The dream is happening. I am awake, but the dream is happening. Why is he wet?! Why is the robe open?! This is a health hazard! My blood pressure cannot take this!’

Wangchen stood perfectly still. His dark, bottomless eyes looked down at her. He didn’t flinch, he didn’t scramble to cover himself, and he certainly didn’t look surprised to see her standing in his bedroom.