Was a woman.
Wangchen stared into the frozen room.
"She is a maiden."
His voice shook.
The realization hit him like a thunderbolt.
Suddenly, every strange moment between them made sense.
The way Ji’an pushed people away...
The way she always wore loose clothing...
The way she avoided being touched...
The way she became nervous whenever someone got too close...
The panic in her eyes when he had cornered her...
She thought she had fooled me.
A quiet laugh escaped Wangchen.
She had believed he had only been attracted to her male disguise, and thought the silver hair had distracted him.
She had no idea.
I would have loved you even if you were a man.
Wangchen’s expression softened.
I would love you even if you became a ghost.
But knowing the truth...
His heart beat harder.
Knowing that she is a woman...
His thoughts became dangerously focused.
He imagined her without the chest binding or whatever she used to hide herself, he imagined her long silver hair spread across dark silk pillows.
He imagined holding her close.
Not as a fellow warrior.
Not as his Vanguard Leader.
But as the person he wanted to protect more than anything.
He imagined wrapping her in his robes and pulling her against his chest.
Keeping her safe.
Keeping the entire world away from her.
She is mine.
The black ice around him suddenly spread across the walls.
She has always been mine.
But now he knew something important.
He knew how fragile, yet strong at the same time she really was.
Wangchen slowly wiped the frozen blood from his nose.
He would not expose her secret.
If Ji’an wanted to continue pretending to be the arrogant young master, then he would let her.
In public, he would still call her "Chef."
He would still treat her as the Vanguard Leader.
He would protect her secret with his life.
Anyone who tried to expose her would regret it.
But in private...
Wangchen’s lips slowly curved upward.
I will get closer.
I will stay beside her longer.
I will let her become used to me.
He would not force her.
He would simply wait.
The Ice Demon stood in his frozen room, completely lost in his own thoughts.
***
While Wangchen was dealing with his shocking discovery, the other male members of the Vanguard Retinue were having their own problems.
They were scattered across their rooms.
Their bodies were covered in large purple bruises thanks to Ji’an’s cast-iron spatula.
But none of them cared about the pain.
Their minds were completely focused on one thing.
Lin Ji’an.
They still believed she was a man.
But that did not stop them.
In the cultivation world, the Dao was far more important than ordinary ideas about gender. Soul bonds, sworn partnerships, and relationships between male cultivators were not unheard of.
Some of the greatest legends in history had begun with two male cultivators becoming Dao partners. And so, the entire Vanguard Retinue had come to one completely wrong conclusion.
They were in love.
Very, very much in love.
In his room, Gu Zhiwei was kneeling on the floor.
He was not meditating, but he was busy drawing a wedding pavilion.
"The main hall should be made from Szechuan Red Sandalwood," Zhiwei muttered seriously.
He added another line to his drawing.
"We cannot serve ordinary wedding food."
His eyes sparkled.
"We will have a forty-course hotpot tasting menu."
He paused.
"I will wear white."
Another pause.
"Brother Lin will wear his combat robes."
His face became dreamy.
"He looks very handsome when he is angry."
Zhiwei touched the huge spatula-shaped bruise on his nose.
He sighed happily.
"He struck me with the spatula of affection."
His eyes shone.
"He was simply overwhelmed by my sudden proposal."
He nodded as if this were perfectly logical.
"That is normal."
"Male brides are completely acceptable in the Azure Empire."
Zhiwei placed a hand over his heart.
"I will be a gentle and supportive husband."
He smiled.
"I will carry his groceries forever."
"Our Dao bond will be forged in chili oil!"
Two rooms away, Lu Jianheng was pacing back and forth.
The Sword Lord had polished Autumn Frost until the blade reflected his own red face.
"I was a fool."
Jianheng gripped the sword.
"I mistook him for a maiden."
He stopped.
"The silver hair and his beauty blinded me to his true masculine spirit!"
He stared out the window toward Ji’an’s room.
"I insulted his pride by proposing to him like he was some delicate flower."
His expression became serious.
"He is not a flower."
"He is a silver-haired valkyrie!"
"He is the Apex Anomaly!"
Jianheng’s sword aura began to rise.
"The Sword Peak does not discriminate."
His eyes burned with determination.
"A union between the Sword Lord and the Iron Wok Demon could create a political and martial dynasty that would rule this continent for ten thousand years!"
He suddenly looked inspired.
"I must change my courtship strategy."
"No more moon poetry."
"I will recite the formulas behind my sword strikes."
He nodded firmly.
"His mind is too brilliant for ordinary romance."
Meanwhile, in the merchant heir’s luxurious room, Wen Shiru sat behind a heavy oak desk.
His silver glasses reflected the candlelight.
He was not writing love poems.
He was calculating.
Click.
Clack.
Click.
His golden abacus moved at incredible speed.
"If the Chef becomes the Bride in a formal Dao partnership..."
He wrote something in his ledger.
"The Celestial Sword Sect will likely demand a large bridal price."
He tapped his pen against his chin.
"Master Jiu Zui may ask for three spirit-vein mines."
He frowned.
"That is expensive."
Then his eyes became sharp.
"But the benefits..."
He began writing again.
"Exclusive rights to his cooking."
"Exclusive access to his miasma-neutralizing bear ribs."
"Political protection from the Vanguard Leader."
"And the business value of his knowledge."
Shiru adjusted his glasses.
His expression became serious.
"The return on investment is enormous."
He paused.
A faint blush appeared on his neck.
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