Chapter 4 – "Seven Nights Under Heaven"
"The union of man and woman
is not the meeting of bodies…
but the merging of fates."
The wedding had been a storm of lantern light, music, and whispered envy. Every clan in Qingmu City had attended, their eyes fixed on the young man who had claimed the untouchable phoenix of the City Lord's mansion.
When the last guest departed, the moon hung high and silver, watching silently as the bride was led into the Red Phoenix Pavilion — the bridal chamber.
Wudi Tian entered without haste. Yan Xue sat at the edge of the bed, her veil hiding her face, her hands resting in her lap like calm waves hiding deep currents.
> Wudi Tian: "They call this the bridal chamber… yet it feels like a battlefield."
Yan Xue: softly "And you are the general who already won."
He lifted the veil. Her eyes met his — bright as fire, soft as dusk. For a moment, the world beyond the room ceased to exist.
---
The First Night
They spoke more than they touched. She asked of his past, but he only smiled, speaking in riddles.
"A story untold is a sword unsheathed —
once shown, it cuts through all pretense."
Their laughter melted into silence, and silence into closeness. The moon slid across the sky, and in its pale light, the first knot in their bond was tied — not of silk, but of soul.
---
The Seven Nights
The days that followed were as much a cultivation of hearts as of bodies.
On the second night, they shared wine until their cheeks were warm, and she told him of her childhood dreams — to see the Upper Realm, to ride a dragon above the clouds.
On the third night, he taught her breathing techniques that made her inner qi flow smoother, his hands guiding hers with patience.
On the fourth, they simply sat together in silence, listening to the rain strike the paper walls.
On the fifth, he whispered verses in her ear:
"Even a phoenix rests its wings in the nest,
but when it takes flight again…
the heavens tremble."
On the sixth, she dreamed, and he entered her dream — calming a restless storm in her heart with the touch of his Chaos energy.
On the seventh, they rose before dawn, standing on the balcony as the sun rose over the city. Her hand was in his, their qi flowing together as one stream.
By the time the sun was high, her eyes shone with a new light — the first spark of life forming within her.
---
A New Journey
Three days later, the City Lord himself summoned them.
> City Lord: "She is with child already… truly, you are a man of Heaven's blessing."
Wudi only smiled.
> Wudi Tian: "It is not blessing… it is destiny catching up."
That night, Yan Xue rested in their chamber, her hand absently stroking her still-flat belly. Wudi packed a simple bundle, fastening the sword case to his back.
> Yan Xue: "You're leaving again."
Wudi Tian: "I am walking forward. And you are walking with me."
She blinked in surprise — then smiled, realizing he meant to take her along.
---
The next morning, they left Qingmu City together. The gates closed behind them, and the road stretched endlessly ahead.
"The world is wide,
but it will not remain so.
For step by step,
we will make it ours."
As they walked side by side, the wind carrying the scent of spring, Wudi Tian glanced at her and thought of the many threads yet to weave — the wives yet to meet, the sons yet to be born, the realms yet to kneel.
And so began the next chapter of his mortal journey — with a phoenix by his side and a child of Heaven growing within her.