Samaya stirred, consciousness returning like an irritated tenant forced back into a house it didn't particularly like. She remained still as a statue, not even the most minuscule change in her breathing pattern or heartbeat. Waking up - being instantly alert - without allowing any of the signs of waking up to peak through, was a habit that Siwang had drilled into her. Not that she did not have it already. But in this world, where the slightest change in breathing could be detected by cultivators, she had to perfect it to a t. She didn't open her eyes right away - didn't need to. Her senses filled in the picture quickly enough.

Warmth. Too much of it. And this time, not from a robe swaddled around her, but from something - someone - behind her. Solid. Alive. Breathing. Radiating heat like a sunburned furnace.

Then came the scent. Pine needles crushed underfoot, sandalwood laced with the faintest whiff of iron. She knew that smell. She hated how much she knew it. The heartbeat she could feel against her spine was steady, maddeningly unhurried. It took a moment for her memories to come back. She'd woken up briefly, and practically nestled herself against the man, rambling about her past. She had not even realized when she'd passed out.

How embarrassing.

She exhaled softly.

"Finally decided to stop pretending to be asleep," came Huang Yasheng's voice, low and calm and annoyingly amused.

She did not ask how he knew. He would not answer her anyway. He would just give her an annoying, arrogant answer that he could back up perfectly fine.

Samaya didn't sigh—she refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead, she cracked an eye open just enough to take in the dim stone ceiling of the cave.

"Still here, huh?"

She sighed softly and pushed off him, straightening. A shiver ran through her as the cold air hit her warm, slightly damp back. She raised a hand, clenching and unclenching her fist. The slight tremors she had felt last night seemed to be gone. She then lifted her eyes, looking around. The daylight reflected through the water onto the cave, creating beautiful, glowing patterns all over. These were not as pronounced last night due to the fire.

She must have slept a lot. And using the man as her chaise too!

"How long was I asleep?"

"Since you last woke up? A bit over 9 shis. It is past noon."

She straightened in surprise. She'd slept for over 18 hours? Damn. Though … she should not be surprised, given how fast-acting that poison had been. If not for the antidote, it would have taken her at least a few days to burn through all of that on her own. She'd probably slept around 5-6 hours the first time around, waiting, and 18 hours now. So, around 24 hours. That was a terrific recovery rate for the kind of poison she'd been given. She supposed imperial antidotes were in a league of their own. She was kind of jealous.

"We suppose you are rid of the poison now?" The man's questions pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Maybe," she replied, testing her hand again. It did feel like it, for the most part.

She let her hand fall and turned her body slightly to face the man. "What about you?"

The man paused for a second, as if in thought. "I do believe mine has been dealt with."

Samaya raised an eyebrow. "Did it help?"

The Emperor blinked up at her. "Did what help?"

Samaya resisted the urge to huff in annoyance. "Body warmth."

The man's lips quirked up ever so slightly, and Samaya could see a hint of amusement in his eyes. "It did. Indubitably. Sped the process right up."

Jerk.

"Liar."

A soft chuckle left him. "You are, perhaps, the only person in this empire who would call Us a liar to Our face."

"Good." She said. "Someone ought to keep you in check."

"That is what the Imperial Censors are for, beloved concubine. You need not worry. We are kept plenty in check."

She rolled her eyes and pushed off the ground, spreading her arms and stretching. She could feel the man's gaze on her, and if she really concentrated, she could feel those roaming across her body, tracing her curves, the outline of her breast slightly visible from the side. She found she did not quite mind. She even found herself stretching a bit more … strategically.

It was fun to tease. It had been a while since she'd deliberately teased someone.

"Well, since you have clearly been awake far longer than I, have you figured out how to get out of here?" She asked as she turned her attention back to her body. She felt none of the heaviness from last night. Perhaps a bit weaker. But considering that she had been poisoned and had not eaten anything for well over 24 hours, that was a given.

"The Shadow Guards found us," the man replied casually. "They are waiting for us outside."

That was a relief. "So it is safe?"

"Yes."

She then paused her stretching and turned towards the man. "And Manu?"

The man's brow furrowed slightly. He did not usually let it on that her choice of name for her son bothered him. He must be feeling a bit uninhibited. Well, too bad. Manu was her son, it was the name she had given him. He would always be Manu to her.

"Ah-Xu has been found by checkpoint guards," the man replied. "Or, it would be better to say that he approached them. Apparently, a man whose face he didn't see saved him."

The statement had a probe to it. She ignored it and exhaled softly. Ah-Liu had succeeded in getting him to safety. Not that she had doubted him, but she could not help but worry.

"Who was he?" The Emperor asked directly.

"Someone trustworthy." Her answer had a pointed finality to it.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The Emperor seemed to get the message. They'd had a deal, after all. He would ask nothing of her past so long as it did not affect him or his place.

The man sighed softly and stood, closing the distance between them with barely two steps. He stopped barely an inch from her, and despite the distance, she could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"That was dangerous, Ya'er," his voice was soft, yet it echoed in the cavern.

Samaya gave a small shrug. "Well, it worked, did it not?"

"You could have died."

"Everyone dies, Your Majesty. That is life."

"Ya'er-"

"I'd rather it be me who dies than my son." She cut him off, her brown eyes boring into his golden ones. "Besides, it was not as if I had a plethora of options."

The man stared at her for a long moment… and then his hand came up, to gently cup her cheek. Samaya froze, her body taut, her mind on the edge of a cliff as she tried to figure out what, exactly, was happening. His thumb pressed and caressed her cheekbone gently, as if checking something.

After a moment, she exhaled sharply and let go before turning around. He muttered something under his breath, and her mind - caught between a strange combination of haziness and hyper alertness - caught the tail of his sentence, which sounded suspiciously like "death of me."

There was an awkward pause before the man spoke again.

"Let us get dressed. We need to leave."

Samaya closed her eyes and took a deep breath to get her mind to focus. Just because the object of her desire was there - too close and looking hot as fuck - did not mean she needed to lose control of her own goddamn mind. She let out a long exhale.

Focus, Samaya.

She opened her eyes. "Okay."

She turned around and grabbed her clothes from where they had been hung up to dry. Where did he even get those ropes? Now that she looked closer… it seemed he made makeshift ropes with some sturdy white cloth. It seemed that the thin yet strong clothes used to bind sleeves when hunting were used as ropes. The man sure was resourceful. She shrugged and began putting on her clothes, not bothering to even turn from the man. He'd already seen most of her upper body. She did not need to hide just to keep up a pretense of modesty on her part.

"How are we leaving?"

"Well, now that I've recovered, we can just jump out." The man jerked her thumb back at the fountain.

Samaya raised her eyebrows. "You want me to get soaked again?!"

The man chuckled softly. "Worry not. We have talismans that can dry you."

She huffed. "You better."

It took a few more minutes for them both to secure their clothes properly. They even had to help each other. Not for the first time, she cursed these elaborate outfits.

"What are you smiling at?" The Emperor asked as he tied the sleeves of her robes.

Oh, she had not realized she was.

"Nothing. It's just … it's amusing to see you help someone else for once."

The man's hands paused for a moment before he let out a chuckle. "Well, We are glad you enjoy being served by the Emperor. Quite high standards you have, don't you think?"

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the soft chuckle that built in the back of her throat.

Once they were done, the man did not step back. Instead, he gently rested a hand on her hip. "Shall we?"

Samaya nodded in answer. Immediately, the man's hand snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against him. She could not help the surprised gasp that escaped her lips. It was soft, barely audible, but with how close the man was, she might as well have put a loudspeaker over her mouth. She grabbed his shoulders to anchor and stabilise herself, and she felt his hand tighten on her waist and seemed to pull her even closer, if that was even possible.

And then, he leaned down and lifted her up bridal style.

"Hey!"

The man did not even look at her as he said, "It's easier this way. Hang tight."

He pushed off the ground. Samaya thought she felt the floor crack, but she had no time to pay attention to that as they rushed headfirst into the fountain. She heard the rushing of the water get more and more thunderous and clenched her eyes shut on instinct, the second before they hit the water. It felt like a few shapeless bricks falling on her head and shoulders before sliding off. It almost reminded her of the high-pressure cold showers she used to love so much back home, only a thousand times stronger. She held onto the man for dear life. The pressure lasted only a moment before they broke out of the fountain.

The moment she felt the pressure cease, she opened her eyes.

The view… was breathtaking.

It felt like they were flying. The sun was on its way to set, and the soft, almost orange-ish sunlight reflected off the fountain and the rapids below, painting patterns onto the cliffs and landscape surrounding them.

And then… they started falling. She must have felt more anxious than she thought because her arms tightened around the man. He chuckled softly and Samaya resisted the urge to smack him. Exhaling softly, she relaxed. No matter how annoying the man was, she trusted him to be competent, at the very least.

And she was right.

The man pressed one foot lightly against the rapids and pushed off again as if it were not hurtling water but solid ground instead. What was this? Naruto?

That push off took them a few meters ahead before the man repeated the process. Again. And again. And again. And then they reached a cliffside. It took a few more push-offs from barely visible footholds across the cliffsides before they finally landed on solid ground on the cliff.

Han Qin was already there, with a few Imperial Guards standing behind him. Samaya could not see the Shadow Guards, but she had no doubt they were close by. She could vaguely feel them, but she was in no mood to concentrate.

Samaya's attention was brought back to the entourage waiting for them when they knelt.

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Rise."

It took a moment for Samaya to realize that she was not only sopping wet but also still in the man's arms.

"Let me down," she hissed at the man. "And where's the talisman?!"

The Emperor chuckled softly and put her down. Samaya missed the looks the Imperial Guards exchanged behind Han Qin as she stabilized herself.

"Qin, my friend, you would not mind making a few drying talismans, would you?"

"Already did, Your Majesty."

Han Qin sounded … amused. Samaya blinked up at him. That was a surprise. Han Qin rarely ever showed any emotions. Han Qin was looking at the Emperor with his lips ticked up in the corner ever so slightly. A silent communication passed between them before the Emperor huffed and snatched the talismans Han Qin held out.

Samaya felt… slightly jealous. There was camaraderie between the two. She could tell that these were two people who fought back to back, went through life and death together. She'd left all that back home. She missed it, sometimes. Her throat threatened to close up at the memories of her fellow agents. People she'd die for. People she'd killed for.

Unbeknownst to her, her eyes turned misty, her gaze faraway, staring into nothing. She was brought back to herself as she felt someone pressing something onto her back. She blinked and looked up, only to find those unreadable golden eyes looking down at her.

He felt the man press two fingers on her back even as he held her gaze, right at the spot where he'd pressed some sort of paper - probably the talisman. She felt a spark of heat on the spot before a warm breeze seemed to rush through her. The next moment, she felt all the water on her evaporating.

"There, all dry."

She forced a smile. "Thank you."

The man stared at her for a moment longer before he turned around. Samaya turned to Han Qin as the Emperor repeated the process on himself.

"Have you seen Manu?"

Han Qin nodded. "Yes. I met him at the gates. Don't worry, he's safe within the Palace."

She exhaled softly. "Alright. Then, we'd better get back to the Palace."

"No," the Emperor's voice cut off her suggestion with finality. "The sun is about to set. If we go now, we will reach the Palace during chǒushi. That would not do."

So after 1 am.

She frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

"We cannot go back in the middle of the night, Ya'er," the man said firmly. "We must be seen going back, unharmed and in full glory."

A statement to whoever sent the assailants.

She understood. But still…

"Manu-"

"Is alright. I have had the Shadow Guards tighten the security around ,and the Imperial Guards are scouring for any hidden tunnels they might have missed."

Her expression still must have shown some anxiety because the man stepped forward and cupped her cheeks gently, ignoring their audience.

"Ah-Xu is safe, Ya'er. I have made sure of it. It is only one more day. You will not be able to do much even if we do go back tonight, exhausted as you are. It'd be better if you were well-rested before going back."

Samaya searched his eyes for a moment. Seeing nothing but certainty, she exhaled softly and nodded.

"Alright." She looked around. "Where are we staying tonight then?"

"There is a town nearby. It would take us about half a shi to get there. The Imperial Family has an estate there."

"Alright," she repeated before turning to the man, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Shall we?"

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