Bo Saixi's Satisfaction

The corridor was silent, broken only by the crisp, steady click of her high heels against the floor, as if keeping time with the chaos in her heart.

The closer she came to Li Qing's room, the more her steps slowed without her meaning to. A faint sheen of sweat even gathered in her palms.

The feeling was both unfamiliar and frustrating.

At last, she stood before the familiar door. After only a moment's hesitation, Bo Saixi raised her hand and gently pushed it open.

Inside, Li Qing sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. He seemed to have just finished meditating.

Hearing the door open, he opened his eyes and looked over.

When he saw the familiar red figure in the doorway, clear surprise flashed in his eyes. Then a radiant smile lifted his lips.

"Sister? You're finally willing to see me?" The boy's voice rang out, bright with undisguised delight, as though he'd completely forgotten the disastrous proposal a month ago that had sent Bo Saixi fleeing.

But that familiar form of address and that familiar smile were like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of the emotions Bo Saixi had struggled to suppress.

She felt her cheeks warming again and hurriedly looked away, unable to meet Li Qing's overly bright eyes. She kept her voice as steady as she could, though it carried a deliberately distant edge.

"Qian Daoliu has arrived on Sea God Island with his granddaughter, Qian Renxue. They're on their way to Sea God Hall. You... get ready, then come with me to wait in the main hall."

She spoke a little faster than usual. As soon as she finished, she turned to leave, as if staying another second might bring about something terrible. This place had become a minefield for her unsettled heart.

But just as she was about to step out, Li Qing's voice came from behind her, tinged with teasing curiosity.

"Sister, have you... been avoiding me this whole time?"

"!"

Bo Saixi's delicate frame shuddered, as if struck by a faint electric current.

She wanted to deny it at once, to rebuke him sternly for talking nonsense. But the words that came out carried a tremor and a guilty note she herself didn't even notice.

"W-when did I avoid you? I... I've just had a lot to deal with on the island lately. I've been... busy!"

She didn't even dare look back, afraid Li Qing would read something on her face. Her words came faster as she urged him, "Hurry up and get ready. Don't keep our guests waiting!"

Then she all but fled the room. The hem of her red robe fluttered with her hurried steps before she vanished around the corner.

There was no mistaking the panic in her retreating figure.

Only after she had put plenty of distance between herself and Li Qing's room did Bo Saixi lean against the cold stone wall and catch her breath.

She raised a hand to her cheeks, hot once more, and felt a deep helplessness and humiliation well up inside her.

She was Bo Saixi, the supreme High Priestess of Sea God Island, a level-ninety-nine Peerless Douluo who had lived for more than a hundred years. What situation had she never faced?

When Spirit Hall's army stood at her doorstep, she had remained unruffled.

When Tang Chen had offered his devotion and Qian Daoliu his admiration, she had taken it all in stride.

Yet now, a mere question from a twelve-year-old boy had left her so flustered that she'd fled in disarray?

It was... a crushing humiliation!

She swore to herself that even when she had faced the courtship and rivalry of two Peerless Douluo, Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen, she had never been this rattled and at a loss.

What was it about that little rascal?

After finally settling her roiling emotions, Bo Saixi composed herself and set off for the main hall of Sea God Hall with measured, dignified steps.

She had to welcome Spirit Hall's guests in the grand hall at her very best, especially... the girl who might become Li Qing's fiancée.

She stepped into the vast, majestic main hall and stopped beneath the enormous statue of the Sea God, doing her best to make her heart as calm as the unruffled ocean before her. Then Qian Daoliu's gentle voice rang out from beyond the hall, his presence impossible to ignore.

"Bo Saixi, High Priestess of Sea God Island, Qian Daoliu has come to pay a visit with his granddaughter, Qian Renxue."

The moment had finally come.

Bo Saixi took a deep breath and forced every distracting thought down. Her exquisite face regained its usual composure and authority.

With a light sweep of her right hand, a gentle yet immense wave of Soul Power surged forth. The heavy doors of Sea God Hall slid silently open, revealing the golden sunlight outside and two figures standing beneath it.

Her gaze first settled on Qian Daoliu.

The old rival, the old friend, still seemed as unruffled and unfathomable as ever.

She gave him a slight nod in greeting.

But when her gaze passed over Qian Daoliu and fell upon the graceful young woman standing half a step behind him, even Bo Saixi, with her century of experience and keen eye, couldn't hide the amazement that flashed across her face.

The young woman looked about eighteen or nineteen. She was tall, with flawless proportions.

She wore a simply styled dress, perfectly tailored to accentuate her slender waist and graceful curves.

A matching gauzy shawl rested over her shoulders, stirring gently in the breeze and adding to her ethereal elegance.

Most striking of all was her brilliant golden hair, as if woven from sunlight. She'd left it mostly unadorned, loosely gathering it at the back of her head with an old-fashioned white jade hairpin. A few strands fell against her neck, making her already snow-white skin seem even more luminous.

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, as if each feature had been carefully carved by a god. Every line was perfect, and together they formed a beauty that stole one's breath.

Her brows were like distant mountains brushed with ink, her eyes like violet dew, her nose delicate and straight, her lips cherry-red, and her skin soft as jade.

Simply standing there, she radiated an air of nobility and holiness, as though she had no place in the mortal world. Her violet eyes were particularly striking, deep and mysterious, as if they held a sea of stars. In the way she looked about, she had both a young girl's freshness and the calm authority of someone long accustomed to a position of power.

Her allure came not only from her beauty, but from her bloodline, her Martial Soul, and the life she had lived.

In appearance, she was every bit as beautiful as Bo Saixi. Perhaps the vitality of her youth and the holiness brought by her Angel Martial Soul gave her an entirely different, breathtaking charm.

In bearing, she was noble and sacred, while Bo Saixi was graceful and divine. Each had her own distinct splendor.

Bo Saixi's gaze lingered on Qian Renxue for a moment, and she found herself nodding inwardly.

As expected of Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, the bearer of the Angel Bloodline. Such looks, such bearing, such talent... truly peerless.

More importantly, the moment Bo Saixi saw Qian Renxue, the heavy stone that had hung over her heart seemed to settle a little.

A woman this outstanding was more than worthy of Li Qing, that little monster, by any measure.

Once Li Qing met her, he was bound to be drawn to her. Then surely the boy would stop harboring those ridiculous thoughts about her.

At that thought, Bo Saixi felt inexplicably lighter, even faintly relieved.

A flawless, dignified smile befitting the High Priestess of Sea God Island appeared on her face. She gestured for the two visitors to enter, and her clear, melodious voice echoed through the hall.

"You've come a long way. Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner. Please, come in."