Pain is normal, seeing as it's the first time, after all.

Xuanyuan Ji picked up Ji Yin, leaped gracefully into a nearby pool of water, and waved his hand to cast a protective barrier.

Feeling a sudden wave of coolness, Ji Yin felt much more comfortable. She leaned limply against Xuanyuan Ji's embrace, no longer scratching and clawing blindly like a frightened kitten.

Xuanyuan Ji lifted her chin, a faint smile curving his lips. "Want to sleep with me? A bit too early for that."

Yet... he had no intention of playing the gentleman!

He gently leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Her soft, fragrant lips were as sweet as he had imagined.

This time, it was no mere brushing touch like a dragonfly skimming the water, but a passionate and lingering entanglement...

An endless, clinging entanglement...

This kiss acted like a fuse, gathering all the pent-up longing inside Ji Yin's body until she was on the verge of explosion.

She immediately pressed herself against him, her small hands tightly wrapping around his shoulders as she turned from passive to active.

Xuanyuan Ji allowed the little woman in his arms to nibble at him like a fierce little wolf cub.

Suddenly, those small hands began to wander restlessly.

He immediately caught and imprisoned her wandering hands.

A soft sound of dissatisfaction drifted from her lips.

"So young, yet you know quite a lot."

She pressed against him once more. Only by clinging to him could this agonizing sensation be slightly alleviated.

Her condition was far more severe than Xuanyuan Ji had anticipated. Daring not to delay any longer, he took a porcelain bottle from his tunic, shook out a single pill, and fed it to her lips.

As the pill slid down her throat, Ji Yin felt no relief at all; she continued to cling to Xuanyuan Ji, attempting to have her way with him.

"Stop acting up. This place cannot be touched." Xuanyuan Ji gripped her small hands tightly, preventing her from starting any more fires.

The waves of heat in Ji Yin's body had not yet fully receded, and her mind was not entirely clear; she was merely following her instincts, desperate to find some comfort.

Xuanyuan Ji kissed her softly. "Hush now, be a good girl, Yin. It will pass soon, just bear with it a little longer."

In reality, the one enduring the harsher torment was clearly him.

A quarter of an hour later, the searing heat in Ji Yin's body gradually subsided. Her body huddled tightly against his chest, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

"So cold."

Xuanyuan Ji scooped Ji Yin up and soared out of the water.

A cave lay just behind them, and he carried her inside. With a wave of his hand, the dry straw on the floor instantly burst into a warm flame.

Having been thoroughly exhausted by this ordeal, Ji Yin fell into a sweet, deep sleep against Xuanyuan Ji's chest.

"Little creature, you owe me one. This time, you will pay it back with heavy interest another day."

He raised a hand and gently stroked her cheek. Never before in this world had anything bewitched him so completely, driving him to such madness.

Xuanyuan Ji was different from ordinary men.

He was born missing a rib on the left side of his chest. It had been so since birth.

"If I am destined to be incomplete, then the missing part of me is you."

...

Ji Yin jolted awake, bolting upright from the straw bed and scanning her surroundings frantically.

A campfire burned before her. Nearby stood two wooden racks, upon which her clothes were hung to dry.

She hastily checked herself; she was dressed only in her undergarments, though fortunately, they were still neatly fastened. Reaching up, she felt for her Adam's apple—it was still there.

Where was this? Why was she here?

Her mind was a blank slate; she could recall nothing.

She vaguely remembered picking fruit to eat, and then she fell asleep. But after that...

"Little Mo."

She called out, but receiving no response from the Demic Cauldron, she quickly undid its seal.

"Great Mo!"

Ji Yin pounded her head in frustration. "It hurts."

"Hurts? Of course it hurts, after all, it was your first time."