The days passed quickly, and it had now been four days since Fan Biyu received treatment from Dr. Chi. The massage therapy with Jin Shu was progressing well; she no longer winced in pain during the sessions, and she had grown adept at using the wheelchair to navigate the Jin manor’s spacious grounds.

This morning, she was seated comfortably in the training room, watching Jin Shu and Li Xue sparring.

Jin Shu lunged toward Li Xue, his left fist darting forward with lightning speed. Li Xue dodged to her left, but his attack was a feint. His true move—a powerful right-handed uppercut—arced toward her stomach.

Before the blow could land, Li Xue vanished, reappearing behind him in an instant. Her right fist lashed out, aimed directly at the center of his back.

Jin Shu dropped to the floor, narrowly evading the strike. He had fallen for this trick before and wasn’t about to let it work again. His leg swept out in a low arc, intending to trip her feet.

Li Xue jumped, avoiding the sweep effortlessly.

Jin Shu smirked—he had been waiting for this. Rising like a coiled viper, he lashed out with another uppercut, this time perfectly timed to catch her midair.

Li Xue reacted instantly, twisting her body and launching a kick aimed at his head.

Jin Shu tilted his head just enough to evade the strike, her foot passing harmlessly by.

He saw his opening. Instead of striking her vulnerable midair position, his arm curved around her waist, pulling her toward him. In a fluid motion, he caught her against his chest.

“You lost,” he said, his voice steady as his gaze locked onto hers. He held her securely, their faces mere inches apart.

Li Xue’s hot, panting breaths filled the space between them. Her eyes searched his, and slowly, she began to inch closer.

“Ahem!”

The sharp sound broke the moment like a snapped string. Both turned toward the corner of the training room, where Fan Biyu sat watching them. Her expression was pointed, her gaze cutting through the tension like a blade.

Jin Shu cleared his throat awkwardly and gently released Li Xue, stepping back. Li Xue straightened herself, brushing off invisible dust as though nothing had happened.

Fan Biyu’s lips twitched, but she said nothing. Her pointed stare spoke volumes.

Jin Shu excused himself to wash up before practicing his runes. He had a new set he was determined to master by the end of the week.

***

That evening, Jin Shu performed Fan Biyu’s massage as usual. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to keep his composure. Her pain had long since turned to pleasure, and instead of pained yelps, her labored breaths filled the room. Each sound sent a wave of heat through his adolescent body, making it harder for him to focus on the task at hand.

***

By the fifth morning, Jin Shu and Li Xue had settled into their new sparring routine. This time, however, Fan Biyu decided to get involved, offering unsolicited advice from the sidelines.

“Xue, don’t dodge with your whole body! You’re faster; you can make smaller adjustments!”

Li Xue hesitated for a moment before nodding. She began shifting her movements, starting with broad adjustments and gradually refining them as the spar progressed. By the end, her dodges had become so precise they were nearly imperceptible.

“Shu, you’re not using enough footwork! Look at Xue—she’s running circles around you!”

Jin Shu, who had been holding a stationary defensive stance, frowned at the critique. Following Fan Biyu’s advice, he switched to a more fluid approach, blending martial art footwork from boxing, taekwondo, and karate. His erratic, bouncing movements disrupted Li Xue’s rhythm, causing her to misstep during a dodge.

Bam!

“Ah!”

Li Xue staggered backward, clutching her chest where Jin Shu’s fist had landed. Luckily, her ample padding absorbed most of the blow, though it still left her wincing.

“You! This is all your fault—I was just about to win!” she snapped, marching over to Fan Biyu and jabbing a finger in her face.

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“You were going to lose regardless,” Fan Biyu said with a dismissive wave.

“You—!” Li Xue stomped her foot in frustration. After a moment, she huffed and crossed her arms. “How old are you, anyway?”

Fan Biyu raised an eyebrow, looking her up and down. “Why? Feeling insecure about being smaller?” she teased.

Li Xue glared, puffing up her chest. “I’m nineteen! I bet I’m older!”

Fan Biyu gave a nonchalant nod. “I’m only eighteen, not yet an old woman like you.”

“Argh!” Li Xue reached out as if to yank Fan Biyu from her wheelchair but stopped herself just in time.

“What? Thinking of resorting to violence against an injured person?” Fan Biyu asked with a sly smile.

Li Xue clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down. Then her expression turned smug. “I’m older, so I’ll be the main wife,” she declared triumphantly, crossing her arms.

Fan Biyu smirked, unfazed. “Hmph, too bad for you. Master already promised that I’ll be the main wife,” Fan Biyu shot back, her tone equally defiant.

Li Xue raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Who’s your master? Why do they get to decide that?”

“My master is Jin Shu’s mother!” Fan Biyu’s chest puffed up with pride.

Li Xue’s mouth hung open in shock. “...Fine, you can have the main wife spot. But! I’m claiming second wife!”

“I’m not arguing,” Fan Biyu replied with a shrug, raising her hands in surrender.

“Really?”

Fan Biyu nodded.

“Really, really?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, good.” Li Xue beamed, suddenly pleased with herself.

Jin Shu, meanwhile, lay on the floor of the training room, pretending to be oblivious as he watched the two girls bicker over him. Internally, however, he was anything but calm. His two split psyches—one adult, one child—were on the verge of clashing again. The adult psyche couldn’t ignore the stark age difference of a decade or more between him and the girls, while the child psyche argued that this was the perfect chance to secure two beauties for life. The internal debate was growing louder, pulling his fragile mental connection apart.

He needed a solution, and fast.

Suddenly, Jin Shu felt a warmth spreading from under his robes, over his heart. Pulling his collar aside, he saw the Rune of Unity glowing softly. The light seemed to knit the connection between his psyches back together, but it came at a cost—his qi was draining rapidly. Worse, the two sides of his mind were still arguing. He needed to find a compromise, even quicker.

Then, an idea struck him.

He could follow his younger psyche’s suggestion, with a slight adjustment. Acknowledging the girls didn’t have to be in the sexual way his younger self imagined. His adult psyche’s perspective was more measured—they were still young, and there was plenty of time ahead. In this world, he was younger than them, after all. If he gave them time, perhaps they’d realize they didn’t want to be with him after all.

Both psyches immediately rejected that last thought. Surprisingly, the rejection brought them into perfect synchronicity, and the mental connection stabilized entirely.

Jin Shu stood up and approached the girls. “Shouldn’t I get a say in who becomes my main wife?”

The girls looked up at him as though he’d lost his mind.

“What are you talking about?” Li Xue asked, genuine confusion coloring her tone.

“I mean you two arguing over me,” Jin Shu said with a chuckle.

The girls exchanged glances. A flicker of understanding passed between them before they turned back to him.

“We seriously don’t know what you’re saying,” they replied in unison, their voices deadpan.

Jin Shu hesitated. They sounded so convincing that he started to doubt himself. Still, he pressed on.

“Whatever the case,” he said, straightening up, “you’re both mine. And if either of you wants the main wife spot, you’d better behave.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. A wave of embarrassment surged, but he masked it with a laugh as he walked out of the training room, leaving two furiously blushing girls behind.