Savage Divinity – Chapter 724

 

Though the two terms are often used interchangeably, there’s a marked difference between having sex and making love, a discovery I only arrived at in recent months.

 

Sex is great. It’s fun, feels amazing, and at the end of the day, orgasms are just awesome, but when all is said and done, that’s all there is to sex. You get together, get off, and get gone, maybe right away or maybe the next morning depending on the circumstances, until it comes time to have sex again. Regardless of whether your partner is a complete stranger or a close and intimate sweetheart, the act of sex is largely about pleasure. Some people are selfish and seek only to sate themselves, others are generous and focus their efforts on ensuring their partner enjoys themselves, while most fall somewhere in between, but at the end of the day, sex is about fulfilling a primal urge designed to help propagate the human race. When the sex is over and done with, hopefully all you’re left with is a sense of satisfaction and pleasant memories of the act. Unless, yanno, you’re having sex for the express purpose of getting pregnant, or Heaven forbid chasing after one of those generally unintended consequences like a burning sensation when you pee.

 

Different strokes for different folks, and while I cannot say I will not judge, so long as all parties involved are happily consenting, informed adults, you’ll get no grief from me.

 

Now it sounds cheesy and corny to even think this, but as I lay beside my wife and look deep into Mei Lin’s eyes, I know that we have made love tonight, even if I can’t entirely describe the difference. This wasn’t so on my wedding nights with Mila and Yan, but that’s not to say things are better or worse. Both times were a magical experience where in we consummated our marriage and expressed our love and lust for one another in a physical manner, and I will forever cherish the memories of those nights. There nothing inherently wrong or inferior about what we did, but while we shared and took part in an expression of love, I had sex with Mila and Yan respectively on our wedding nights. Lots of sex. Great sex, phenomenal sex, but I am positive that we did not make love on those first nights or even in the days and weeks shortly thereafter.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love Mila and Yan, loved them both long before I married them, and they love me as well, but on our wedding night, we were still strangers in so very many ways. How could we not be, as we had not revealed so very much of ourselves to one another? As time passed by and we settled into our new and unfamiliar roles, we loved and learned until we were ready to make love for the first time, and it elevated our relationship to new and wondrous heights. The difference was like night and day, because while our sexcapades were always fun and exciting, making love was a whole different experience, one I am grateful to have shared with not one, not two, but three women now, and my love for them continues to grow by the second.

 

Now, this isn’t a whole spiel to say sex is hedonistic, meaningless and, empty, because that’s not true. You can find intimacy and fulfillment in sex, because even long married and loving couples will sometimes have sex rather than make love, while it isn’t impossible for strangers to make love the first time they get together. I don’t buy into the moral hierarchy in which sex is only valuable when performed between two loving individuals for the express purpose of baby making, but there is no denying that there is a difference between having sex and making love. The distinction between the two acts is not one of action or motivation, but of connection and emotion, because making love involves a level of intimacy that goes beyond the physical. Though there are unpleasant exceptions to the rule, sex in and of itself is already an intimate act, but making love takes everything a step further. You can have sex without love, but making love is more than just sex because it is a process that involves the body, mind, and soul, as opposed to only one or both of the first two. When two people make love, there is an amalgamation of needs, desires, and intentions until both parties become one in every sense of the word. You move beyond seeking pleasure and gratification, beyond deep feelings and fond affections, and together, take part in a profound act of care and connection filled with a sense of familiarity and affinity that is difficult to describe.

 

It took time to develop this intimate rapport with Mila and Yan, time in which we learned our preferences and tested our boundaries, but with Lin-Lin, there was no need to learn anything because she is utterly guileless. She has her secrets, but she never goes to any great effort to hide them, and she acts on her whims and desires without thinking twice, which makes it easy to read her. As for me, though I have more layers than an onion and secrets aplenty, I’ve never felt the need to hide who I really am from Lin-Lin and pretend to be someone I’m not. Though she is not privy to my secrets, she knows me even better than I know her, and our mutual understanding allows us to express our innermost desires without uttering a single word.

 

It’s so strange to look back on my thoughts now and laugh at how silly my concerns were. In the days leading up to the wedding, I mourned the coming loss of Lin-Lin’s innocence while simultaneously eagerly awaiting the moment in which I would take it. The duality of man, a concept I have struggled with more than most. I worried I would scare her, disappoint her, hurt her, or worse, and imagined all manner of nightmarish scenarios playing out in my mind time and time again, but when the moment finally arrived, all those worries melted away when faced with her beautiful smile, so full of love and trust. For so many years, she has been the calming presence standing by my side, her curious, carefree attitude a much needed balm for my abused soul. Somewhere along the way, I lost track of the time and now she is a woman grown, one who has long since held the key to my heart in the palm of her dainty hand.

 

And so, after a long and mostly uneventful day of parades, receptions, ceremonies, and banquets, with plenty of laughter and tears shared with family and friends, the wedding finally came to an end and I was left with my sweet wifey. As I carried her over the threshold into our bedroom and set her down upon the bed, I gazed deep into her eyes as she stroked my cheek, and I knew I loved this woman with all my heart. We smiled, we kissed, we laughed, and we loved, a progress so natural we simply fell into our roles as husband and wife. There were no rushed movements or nervous pauses to mar the experience, as we wholly committed to expressing our love for one another on this most special of nights.

 

The first of many yet to come, though as I lay here breathless and see the glint in her beautiful brown eyes, I can tell my sweet wife is not yet ready to call it quits for tonight, and I am more than happy to rise to the occasion.

 

Several more times in fact, for long hours until I am faint-headed from repeated exertion, but my fun-loving wifey is not yet sated. Short of breath and cheek pressed against my shoulder, her eyes sparkle at the discovery of this enjoyable new experience and her appetite is still ravenous for more. Though she is lacking in stamina, my boundless libido has finally met its match in Lin-Lin, a thought which sparks my competitive nature much to my rival’s amusement. Our fingers entwine, our bodies embrace, and we make love once more until we are both truly sated and spent, our tired bodies panting heavily in sync as we bask in marital bliss.

 

Biting my shoulder softly, her eyes twinkle as she gazes up into mine, her aggressive affection conveying her disgruntled admission of frustration over her lacking endurance as well as a silent promise to pick this up later after she’s had a good rest. Tonight has thoroughly shattered my sweet wifey’s image of wholesome innocence and replaced it with one of a sensual woman wholly comfortable with her sexuality, and I love her all the more for it. Gathering her lithe body up in my arms, I cradle her close and wrap her in a clean blanket I left folded on the nightstand before carrying her away to freshen up. Uttering a soft sigh as I run a cool, wet cloth over her face, she closes her eyes and accepts my ministrations without resistance, and though I would much rather take my time to appreciate the experience, I work quickly as I can so that we can head back to bed and sleep the sleep of the dead.

 

Still carrying her in my arms, I Conceal us both and head over to open the door and let the floofs in. While Aurie, Mama Bun, and Ping Ping are quick to trot in with Blackjack, Pong Pong, and Guai-Guai respectively, Jimjam and the bears are slower to react, as they are all fast asleep and snoring without a care in the world. Well, not entirely true considering they were all pressed up against the door, likely unhappy over being left out in the hallway instead of being invited into the room, but such is life. I should have a second bedroom attached to mine, a bigger one with a bigger bed for only sleeping, so when me and my wives are done with the happy fun times, we can just migrate over and fall asleep with the floofs without so much of a hassle. The things we do for our pets, but only because we love them, and it soon proves well worth the effort as I lay down with Lin-Lin in my arms, Mama Bun, Pong Pong, and Blackjack stretched out across my chest, Ping Ping pressed against my flank, Aurie laid out over my legs, and two warm, fuzzy bears nestled up on either side, their chins pressed against the top of my head in a blatant attempt to steal my pillow. Though Jimjam doesn’t care to snuggle, he gives everyone a few good nuzzles before circling around to sleep on the other side of Baloo, laying out in the opposite direction with his cheek pressed up against Aurie’s by my feet.

 

“This is just the best,” I whisper, and my wifey giggles at the sound of my hoarse voice, for these are the first words I’ve uttered since carrying her into the bedroom so many hours ago. The moon must already be on its way down by now, though not quite yet ready to sink into the horizon, which means we might end up sleeping through the entire day and waking up to resume our recreational activities, but honestly, I don’t mind. There’s nothing planned for tomorrow anyways, and Luo-Luo can handle anything that crops up, so I might as well take the day off and catch up on rest, though I fear I might soon be trapped in a cycle of lust and exhaustion.

 

Sensing my thoughts and Aura, Lin-Lin bites me again, this time with a little more force, a reprimand for my naughty thoughts and a reaffirmation of her promise to pick this up where we left off. Though I am thoroughly exhausted, I stay awake long enough to hear her drift off to sleep and bask in the sound of her adorably quavering breaths, so light and dainty it hardly seems fair to even call it a snore. Then the sweet embrace of sleep plucks me from the waking world and time stalls for a second that stretches on into eternity, the blissful oblivion of undisturbed slumber here to wick away my weary fatigue.

 

Once my mind decides it has rested enough, it sends out the call before retreating to my Natal Palace, where I emerge from the covers of my bed to find Ping Ping, Pong Pong, and Mama Bun already playing with Buddy on the ground. Pausing their game of tag, they all clamber onto the bed to come greet me while I try and make sense of the situation, my thoughts still muddled and tired from having just ‘woken’ up. How long have they been here? Did they just arrive, or have they been playing since I fell asleep? I know none of them mean me any harm and I have Buddy to make sure no one gets out of hand, but at the end of the day, they’re all still animals who might well do something harmful without meaning to. What if they accidentally take control of my body and make me doing something embarrassing? The thought of Pong Pong controlling me like a puppet in order to procure more shrimp sets me to laughing uncontrollably, even though I doubt he would ever consciously make the decision to do so. On the other hand, Mama Bun would most definitely have no qualms about borrowing my body, especially if it meant getting some Spiritual Plants in the process, a thieving bun who lacks a thorough understanding of morals and boundaries.

 

“Mm, too early hubby.” Uttering a small groan from beneath the blankets beside me, my sleepy wifey burrows her face into the pillow to escape from Buddy’s enthusiastic sniffing, his tail wagging so hard his entire butt is swinging back and forth with it. “If you’re gonna play with the floofs, then bring them outside please.”

 

“Sorry wifey,” I reply, braving a heavy tail lashing as I lift Buddy away and speaking up to be heard over his exciting yips and barks. “I’ll leave you here to… sleep…”

 

Wait. What?

 

“Wifey? What are you doing here?”

 

“Trying to sleeeeep.” There’s no pique in her tone, only mournful appeal, the poor girl so exhausted she doesn’t even realize she’s made it into my Natal Palace. Even as the thought strikes me, she lifts her head from the pillow to reveal half-lidded eyes below a brow furrowed in thought. “Is that a doggy?” The shoe drops as she comes face to face with Buddy, and excitement sweeps her lethargy away, her smile emanating sheer delight at finally meeting my best fried. “Buddy! Hi! You’re so cuteeeeee!” A woman after my own heart, she cups my dog’s cheeks and showers his head in kisses before wrapping her arms around him, so enamoured by my sweet dog and his adorably goofy expression that it takes several minutes for her to refocus her attention on her surroundings. “So this is your Natal Palace, ya?”

 

And here it is. The moment I’ve always dreaded. Seating in my king-sized bed and wrapped in sheets of the softest cotton, my sweet wifey scans the room from atop my Natal Throne and takes in everything there is to see. The glowing PC with spinning RGB fans and all the peripherals one would expect. The cluttered bookshelf bearing titles in a language she’s never seen, arranged next to toys, comics, and all manner of clutter like Lego spaceships and spindles of CDs. The superhero movie posters plastered across my ceiling and the steady white light illuminating it all. Lin-Lin’s eyes stop on each and every one of these never-before-seen curiosities and I watch with bated breath as the gears turn in her head, dreading her eventual realization that all is not right. How will she react? With confused discomfort? Horror and denial? Anger and disgust?

 

Here it comes. Something catches her attention outside the window. Her back straightens and eyes go wide, her muscles tensing as she draws in a deep breath. Her head turns and gaze matches mine, and in it I see…

 

Joy? Glee? Excitement? Anticipation?

 

“Hubby!” Pointing outside the window, Lin-Lin exclaims, “It’s home! We’re home! And we’re so high up!”

 

“Um… yea.”

 

“How are we so high up? Is this room in a big tree? Is there a balcony we can stand on to feel the breeze?”

 

“…Yea, there’s a balcony.” Confused by her lack of reaction towards all the unfamiliar things, I slip out of bed fully clothed and conjure up a robe for her to wear before leading her out into the condo proper. The couch, TV, fridge, stove, and all the other modern amenities continue to go unremarked as Lin-Lin takes my hand and skips alongside me with a train of animals hot on her heels. Opening the sliding glass balcony door, I study her expression as she comes face to face with the screen mesh which most surely must raise some questions, but she is wholly enraptured by the sprawling horizon laid out before her. The moment her path is no longer obstructed, she steps out onto the tiny, concrete balcony and props herself up on the banister, lifting herself up until her dainty feet dangle off the ground so she can lean over and see more.

 

“Wah!” Her exclamation is filled with unmitigated delight, and she leans her head back to flash me a grin. “It’s an entire building, hubby! How’d you build it so tall? The village is so pretty from all the way up here. Look, look, you can see your house, and Nai-Nai’s house on the peak, and my house all the way over there! And that lake! Is that the Azure Sea? How’d you fit it in without changing where everything else is? I mean, the village is laid out a little differently, but it just looks right from all the way up here, ya?”

 

“Um… good question.” Taking a good look at our surroundings, I glance back into the condo at all the oddities Lin-Lin ignored, and against my better judgment ask, “Is that… all you have to ask? Don’t you have any other questions?”

 

Sensing my trepidation, Lin-Lin follows my gaze and asks, “You mean about all those shiny things? Nope.”

 

“…Why not?”

 

Hopping down from the banister, Lin-Lin turns to face me and squishes my cheeks, holding my head in place to see her beaming smile. “Because you’ve never mentioned any of them before, so there must be a reason, but since you don’t wanna talk about it, I won’t ask.” After pulling me in for a long, lingering kiss, she releases her hold on my head and spreads her arms wide for an embrace, one I happily provide. “You do the same for me, which is why you’re the best, ya?”

 

Releasing a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding, I revel in the moment feel so many of my worries melting away. I’m not the only one with secrets, as it’s clear she knew about her dad and Hua Lie being Ancestral Beasts, and I’ve never held it against her, nor have I bothered her about the other secrets she keeps, so why am I so surprised when she offers me the same space? Actually, I don’t think I’m surprised at all, just relieved things worked out as expected, which is probably why I was able to invite her here in the first place. I always knew that if anyone could accept me for who I am, it’d be Lin-Lin, and its gratifying to know I was right, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and off my chest. Granted, there’s a good chance I’m not giving the rest of my loved ones enough credit, as they love me just as much as Lin-Lin does, but the difference is that my wifey has always been a little different and out there, a special girl with a special way of going about things, which is why I can accept her reaction. Everyone else is more grounded and normal, and the normal thing to do when learning my deepest, darkest secret would be to recoil in horror away from the stranger I’d become.

 

“Hubby?” Resting her chin on my chest, Lin-Lin hits me with big, teary doe eyes and asks, “Can you take me Cloud-Stepping around your Natal Palace?”

 

Be still my beating heart. How can one person be so god-damned adorable? “I can do better.” Putting aside all my questions regarding how she made it in here and the mechanics behind it, I gather her up in my arms and conjure Mama Bun’s flying inflatable raft next to the balcony before resizing it so that we can all fit. After loading everyone in, I use it to bring us up to the roof and smile as Lin-Lin shoots me a quizzical glance after I jump off, unsure why we’re stopping here instead of zipping around through the air. Silently promising her an even bigger surprise, I close my eyes and focus on the image I drew a few weeks back, one I mailed off and have yet to hear back about, but that’s neither here nor there. At the sound of Lin-Lin’s girlish squeal of excitement, I open my eyes and see the hang-glider I’d envisioned and materialized, bearing a white triangular sail dyed with blue accents and an undercarriage with space enough for the floofs and honorary floofs to lay down on either side of the control bar. After getting everyone into place, I grab the bar with Lin-Lin and match her grin as we lift the hang glider and get a running start off of the condominium roof, both of us screaming as we leap off into the great nothingness and sail away through the air. Within seconds, my sweet wifey has already figured out the controls and has us zipping through the air while I lay back and enjoy the ride. I thought I’d have to magic up the hang glider to fly like Mama Bun’s raft, but evidently, the high winds within the upper atmosphere of my Natal Palace are enough to keep us afloat, though I cannot discount Lin-Lin’s intuitive grasp of aerial navigation, which is quite literally breathtaking to behold.

 

Though at first it seems like sheer luck, I soon discover a method to her madness while she brings us up and around on invisible currents of air. Turning us this way and that, she gives life to our glider as we swoop and swerve about in search of rising warm air to lift us ever higher into the sky, all so she can turn the nose downward and send us plummeting down towards the sea at a breakneck pace. Then once we’ve descended far enough, she pulls up and brings us away from the water in search of those rising currents so that we might ascend and descend once again. I have no idea how she’s finding the right currents because even I can’t tell the difference in the moment and would have to mentally step away and check the computer to find out. I’m sure I could find something on there to give me a real time tracker of the wind, air pressure, and such, but Lin-Lin just has a knack for feeling out where to go. It’s a blend of instinct, intuition, and just general intelligence, growing bolder and more confident as she becomes familiar with the hang glider and figures out how to make it truly fly.

 

She’s an amazing woman, my sweet wifey here, a genius to match Mila and Yan both.

 

The animals all have a grand old time coming along with us for the ride, especially Ping Ping who cannot Cloud-Step on her own, squeaking with glee and tapping her legs as she lays flat in the undercarriage and cranes her neck out to stare at the ground below. Mama Bun and Buddy sit on either side of Lin-Lin and me with their noses to the wind, sniffing out all the different scents to take it all in, while Pong Pong is more amused by our reactions than anything else, shifting his gaze to watch us all in turn and enjoy our company on this trip. Judging by his Aura, it seems he thinks it’s funny how we’re so excited despite moving so slowly, but he’s kind enough to let us have our fun without interruption.

 

That’s a lot of emotional maturity for a turtle, especially one who has yet to learn how to swim upstream while pooping so as not to get covered in his own filth, but then again, maybe I’m putting too much thought into his reaction. That being said, his delight only grows when Lin-Lin finally deigns to set us down in the sea, her maniacal cackle echoing as we all swim away from the sinking glider which was not at all designed for aquatic landings. After settling a soggy Mama Bun into her properly-sized raft, I retaliate against my impish wifey’s wicked prank by controlling the waves to come and sweep us all away. So begins the great water wars of the evening, and we spend hours splashing and playing around as I show her all the ins and outs of my Natal Palace, including all the nifty features like wave pools, riptide roller coasters, tidal surfing, and more. All too soon however, it comes time for us to leave and get back to sleep, else we might sleep through the next day and night, which would only needlessly worry everyone given my penchant for falling into comas.

 

To wind down the play session, I bring everyone away to continue our tour, though things are a little different now that I have a guest who understands everything I say. Breaking out the puppercinos for the floofs, I stop Lin-Lin from trying one and conjure up a waffle cone of blue-berry ice-cream yogourt for her instead, which she accepts with gusto while still eyeing the puppercinos with curious interest. “It’s just sweetened whipped cream,” I tell her, to which she responds with a shy smile at having been seen through. “I can make some for you later after we wake up, but I can’t make ice-cream without ice, which means it’ll have to wait until we get back home.”

 

“That’s a promise then.” Wrapping her arm around mine, she settles in beside me as we stroll by the seaside, uttering a small sigh as we transition from the docks to the village replica proper. “I miss home. I’ve never been away for so long before, ya? I hope everyone is doing well. They’re gonna be so surprised when they see you again. You look so different now.” Peering up at my face while enjoying her ice-cream, she licks her lips with a frown and flicks my nose. “Ah. This is wrong though. Your eyes are the wrong colour, your head is shaped different, and your face should be younger and more handsome. Fix it please.” A moment of focus is all it takes to shift my features to match my physical body, though I doubt the change will last. My mental self-image is just too different from the Falling Rain everyone else sees, though I suppose that’s changed as well if Lin-Lin took this long to notice. “That’s better,” she declares, beaming at me with joy, and any underlying worry about questions or reservations flies out the window as she moves on. “Your Natal Palace is really amazing, hubby. So much fun to be had with all these yummy treats, not to mention how much thought you put into everything. I see why they love coming here.”

 

They meaning the floofs, who are happily exploring alongside us, even Pong Pong who follows them around like a concerned older brother. “Thanks,” I reply, unsure how to respond to her praise as I’m not used to receiving any. “I mean, it’s mostly just a copy of the village with a bunch of water in the middle. I’m not even sure if the sea is an accurate recreation of the Azure Sea or just something I hand-waved into existence.”

 

“What about the currents? You didn’t put those in on purpose?”

 

“Mm some, but generally only the ones for all the rides.” Seeing Lin-Lin’s brows furrow in confusion, I explain, “The log on rails and the riptide river that carried us around? Those rides.”

 

“Oh, the water currents.” Shaking her head, she raises her waffle cone to point at the sky and says, “I was talking about air currents.”

 

“What about them?” Glancing up even though I know I can’t see the air moving, I shrug and say, “They exist. That’s about the full extent of thought I’ve put into them.”

 

“Then how come they’re so real?” I have no idea what Lin-Lin is talking about, and I suppose it shows on my face. “The hang glider,” she adds, as if that’s supposed to explain everything, but I am still completely lost. “You felt it right?”

 

“Felt what?”

 

“You know…the air currents.” Unable to give a better explanation, Lin-Lin stops to take a few aggressive bites of frozen yogourt and carefully consider how to give voice to her thoughts. “We were in the glider, and I could feel the air moving, so I just followed it to where I wanted to go. It all made sense, like out in the real world, ya?” Pulling my arm to direct me to sit in the grass, my sweet wifey plonks herself in my lap and leans back to gaze at the clouds in the sky, gesturing at them in a broad and unspecific manner. “That’s not all either. The air gets colder as you move over the sea and it warms back up over land, which is exactly how it’s supposed to work. As we got higher, it got harder to breathe, even though we’re not really breathing, which is just amazing. The clouds move too, slowly drifting towards whatever direction the dominant wind is pulling, while the horizon stretches out in every direction without end. The sun is warm on my skin, and even though I never saw it rise or fall, it was mid-morning when we started playing and now it’s getting ready to set. I bet you could even make it rain and everything would happen the right way. You made the sky in your Natal Palace hubby, with almost everything that comes with it, and it’s so genuine I’m almost not sure if this is real or just a dream.”

 

I honestly have no idea how I did any of the things that she just mentioned, aside from the never setting sun which I just sorta locked in place because I like it better when the sun sits about a hand-span over the horizon. Truth be told, I didn’t even know I had air currents in my Natal Palace, much less ones that adhered to the laws of physics, though I vaguely remember having worked on cloud movements and shadow casting in the beta version of my Natal Palace. Seeing my confusion, Lin-Lin shakes her head before sinking into my arms with a sleepy little smile. “If this is a dream,” she says, sighing softly as she nuzzles up against me, “Then you better be careful when you come wake me, ya? I finally married my Rainy and made him my hubby, so I’ll be really mad if this whole day didn’t actually happen.”

 

“It’s real.” Carefully hugging her for fear of squeezing too tight, I contain the urge to crush her into my chest so that she can never leave. Cute aggression is all too real and I need to be oh so careful with my wifey, who I absolutely adore and cannot live without. “Besides, if it wasn’t real, telling me to be careful won’t do a thing since I’d just be a figment of your imagination.”

 

“Shush.” Sticking her tongue out with a smile, she lounges in my embrace while I snuggle her close, both of us luxuriating in the warmth and comfort of each others company while staring up at the sky and out at familiar surroundings. “I’m so happy you brought me here hubby. When I was younger, I always imagined us getting married back home, ya? In the courtyard of our new house, which changed every time I thought about it, but it was our house, not a borrowed one in a fortress so far from home. I wanted a big tree in the courtyard, like the ones you find in the forests outside Shen Huo, with a ladder to climb up to a little shack on one of the bigger branches, where we’d sit and have tea in the afternoon. That’s where we’d have the tea ceremony every time, even if everything else was different.”

 

“Sorry for failing to live up to expectations and for making our wedding so political. Not the best way to start off our happily married life together.” Truth be told, aside from the time spent receiving gifts and eating, I was almost always out and about doing something or the other all day, leaving her to her own devices for the most part. My wifey is a sweet and simple woman who cares little for wealth or luxury, and though she likes dressing up, changing into seven different outfits in one day could not have been fun.

 

“Don’t be silly hubby. I never told you about the big tree in our courtyard, so how could you have known? Besides, this makes up for it, ya? We didn’t get married here, but it’s everything I ever wanted, even the big tree house high up in the sky. Can we keep this a secret though? From everyone, ya?”

 

“You being here? Erm… sure?”

 

“I don’t want Mi-Mi and Yan-Yan to get jealous is all.” Though somewhat true, it’s not the whole truth, but I would much rather not have to explain why Lin-Lin can make it into my Natal Palace when no other humans can, mostly because I don’t really have a good answer. It would break my heart and theirs as well if I had to admit I didn’t trust Mila and Yan enough to let them into my innermost sanctum, my mental man-cave where I go to be alone and ponder the past, present, and future.

 

Sure I spend a lot of time playing with the floofs here, but that’s just an added bonus.

 

“Good. Also, before we wake up, I have something to say, hubby.” Reaching up to poke me in the cheek, Lin-Lin pouts in full force and my heart threatens to explode in my chest. “You shouldn’t have spent so much time playing with that stinky Yong-Jin today. You were too nice and let him lead you by the nose right up until the end, when you smashed the log out from under his feet. That’s how you should’ve done it from the start hubby, overwhelm him with strength and show everyone why you’re the best.”

 

“To be fair, Yong-Jin isn’t exactly weak, though I’m pretty sure he had multiple Runic objects helping him focus his Chi skills, like that bangle of yours that helps with Lightening.” Maybe that’s why Shen ZhenWu has been in hiding all this time, so he can avoid giving me more wedding gifts. Stingy jerk. It’s just a Runic bracer, how expensive can it be? “I’ll admit I could’ve been more careful to avoid stepping into their trap, but I was caught well and good before I even realized it.”

 

“That’s not the problem hubby. You were up against an old fogey who even Luo-Luo can’t figure out, so of course you took the bait, even though you didn’t hafta be so enthusiastic about it. The problem isn’t that you fell for their trap, but how you handled it afterwards.” Raising her dainty little fist, my sweet wifey scowls and says, “If you just kicked Yong Jin’s stinky butt right from the start, then he would’ve had no choice but to slink away with his tail between his legs. Instead, you took it easy and let things play out because you thought you’d win anyways and wanted to see what they had planned. You can’t do that hubby, because it encourages everyone else to keep trying, and next time you might not be so lucky.”

 

She’s not entirely wrong, and there’s something particularly endearing about her ruthless and bloodthirsty ways. Though no Warrior herself, Lin-Lin has lived her whole life immersed in the Martial culture and seen all manner of people trying to take advantage of her father, so she knows exactly what she’s talking about. That being said, I do take issue with one part of her statement, namely that tiny little bit at the end. “Lucky? I beat Yong-Jin fair and square, and only humiliated him when he pushed me too far.”

 

“That’s the problem hubby. You waited too long to show your fangs, and people will wonder why. I know and you know it’s because you were being nice, but who knows what everyone else will think?” Poking me in the leg with a steely finger, Lin-Lin grumbles, “The next time someone stupid challenges you, you beat them silly without giving them a chance to recover okay? Don’t let them off so easily either, you should’ve taken one of Yong Jin’s arms or legs as the price of admission. Or better yet, chopped off that dumb man-bun which he loves so much. You’re my hubby now, so you need to show everyone that your time and efforts are too valuable to be wasted on those smelly stupid heads.”

 

“Oh? Now that we’re married, it seems like you’re ready to show your fangs.” Laughing as her cheeks turn a deep shade of red, I hug her tight and add, “Well, not like they were very well hidden to begin with. Don’t you worry, I always knew they were there and still love you, fangs and all.” After thinking over her words for a bit, I add, “You’re right though. I was too lenient with Yong Jin, which played right into their hands. I don’t think he was ever meant to beat me, just… diminish my reputation a bit. If he didn’t push his luck too far at the end there, then I would’ve walked away and left the whole Citadel believing that Yong Jin wasn’t too too far behind me in terms of Martial Strength. I never went all out, but he came close to throwing me into the water more than once, which he never could have accomplished against someone like Dad or Nian Zu.”

 

“He wouldn’t have been able to do it to you either, not if you were serious from the start.”

 

“Yea, and that’s the problem. I wasn’t serious, and almost made everyone think I’m weaker than I really am. Half of my newfangled popularity is because I’m so strong, so it could have really set me back in terms of reputation if I left things as they were after our little game.” Shrugging, I sigh and give thanks to my ability to fail upwards time and time again. I almost made a major blunder today, but then I lost my temper and threw a little tantrum, so now it looks like I was toying with Yong-Jin the whole time. “Oh wow… I knew I was lucky, but I didn’t even realize how lucky until just now.” At Lin-Lin’s silent prompting, I explain, “I might’ve actually lost against Yong-Jin if I hadn’t figured out Domain Plating while getting changed for the reception.” Compressing my Domain against my body and forming a Shroud around me (which is what I now know as the proper term for the Exo-Suit I envisioned), I narrate the chain of events that took place withing my changing room just before I set out to accept Shuai Jiao’s gift. “So yea. If it wasn’t for Domain Plating and my Shroud of Reinforcement, Yong-Jin might well have thrown me into the water and embarrassed me in front of the crowd.”

 

“And it would’ve served you right.” Giggling at my feigned outrage, she cleverly pivots back to the topic of Domain Plating and asks, “So how come you weren’t able to Plate your clothes and armour? Seems really, really weird, ya?”

 

Being the terrible actress that she is, it’s clear my wifey is trying to direct me to an answer she already knows, which again leads me back to questions regarding her secrets, but if she’s not ready to tell me, then I’ll just wait until she is. Thinking the question over, I stick with what I think is the correct answer. “Because the clothes are not a part of me. I can merge my Domain with my physical body because they’re two parts of the same puzzle, but my clothes are pieces from a different set, and therefore incompatible.”

 

“Maybe.” Which means close, but no cigar. I wish she could just tell me the answer, but it could do me more harm than good if I don’t agree with her reasoning and insisting on hearing it will only make her clam up and claim ignorance. Still staring up at the sky, Lin-Lin asks, “The Domain is a part of you yea, and your clothes are not, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to Domain Plate your clothes. You just hafta figure out the right process, yea?”

 

“True.” She’s not saying I’m entirely wrong, only partially so regarding the whole incompatible bit. “It’d just be really difficult probably, involving something silly like becoming One with the Clothes.” Chuckling at the absurdity of so many ones, I stop mid laugh when it dawns on my that that’s probably the actual answer. So long as I become one with the clothes and make it a part of me, then I should theoretically be able to Domain Plate it. I’ve seen it in action before too, like with Mahakala’s spade, the Abbot’s fish drum, Guan Suo’s pipe, and probably Shuai Jiao’s stinky robes which he never changes.

 

And…

 

…Nothing. Nope. Just forget it and move on. It’s doesn’t matter anyways.

 

“What is it hubby?”

 

“Nothing,” I lie, nuzzling my sweet wifey to remind myself I love her more than life itself and I shouldn’t be jealous of other people’s skills. “I just had a weird thought, but it wasn’t important.”

 

“Oh.” Nuzzling me back, Lin-Lin stretches her arms and lets loose with the daintiest of yawns before settling back into my arms. “Anyways, you should probably forget about Domain Plating clothes. You never cared about ruining your outfits before, so why go to all that effort now? Instead, I think you should think about other things you could Domain Plate.”

 

“Like what?” Even as I ask the question, the answer comes to me as I turn towards my Natal Sea, and I could almost kick myself for not seeing it sooner. This is the answer I’ve been looking for all along, the key to utilizing my Blessing of Water effectively. I can conjure up Water Chi that behaves just like water, which is less than useful in a fight, but what if I Domain Plated that Water Chi to make it harder than steel or razor sharp?

 

Water Bullets, Water Shields, Water Swords, and Water Tentacles, so many possibilities lie before me, but all that can wait until later. I have at least an entire month to practice before my army is ready to sail west, so I can spare a few days to relax and enjoy my honeymoon with my sweet wifey. Life is good, so I should take the time to appreciate it while I can. That’s the whole point of struggling through all these trials and tribulations, to enjoy the good times while they last.

 

A lesson I learned far too late in life, but one I will make sure never to forget.

 

Chapter Meme

 

– Volume 40 end –

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