As Liam had predicted, it was hard for couples to keep their hands off each other, and he wasn’t solely to blame.

Grace grew bolder, brazen even, after each intimate session. Both her mind and heart caught up to the new depth of the relationship, becoming comfortable with what had embarrassed her in the past, enabling her confident, teasing nature.

The same went for Liam. A seal had been removed, and there was no locking it back, especially when Grace was so compliant, often taking the initiative herself.

Still, it wasn’t just about heatedness, the opposite, actually. As intense as Liam’s desires were, they didn’t lead to selfishness in the act. He had seen that with Melissa already, and Grace got to experience how much he prioritized treasuring over individual pleasure.

Grace perfectly matched that. She was bold on the outside but transformed into a clingy little girl as soon as Liam embraced her. She held him as if she were terrified that he would disappear once she let go, that trait stemming from the trauma caused by her Clan.

It was sweet and loving rather than basic and primal, with both sides learning more about their respective souls instead of just what made their physical receptors rejoice. Grace sought to be held protectively, as if she were the most valuable item in the world, and Liam did exactly that because it was the truth in his heart.

Nevertheless, Liam and Grace didn’t just forget about everything else. They couldn’t. Too much had happened and was still unfolding. There was business to be done, strategies to plan, people to address, and more.

The two had also fully recovered, so they had no reason to delay things.

Liam had truly made a mess with his actions against the Mercenary Guild. He didn’t regret any of it. Lady Jessica was also on his kill list like Dominic had never been, but there were harsh repercussions to be had, with most enshrouded in uncertainty.

With Andrew alive to tell the story, it took no time to connect the branch’s assailant to the Black-Qi User and anyone he and his Dao partner had interacted with.

The Heavenly Sword Cult wasn’t a force easy to bully, but Mairis was, especially with a furious branching expert flying all around the border looking to repay the insult.

The Mercenary Guild had less agency in that part of the Kingdom, but Grace and Liam had to tread carefully. Rumors and direct communications had it that many wanted to do business with them, but most, if not all, could be traps to draw them out.

Despite being the culprit, Liam left it to Grace to untangle that mess, which didn’t make him any less busy.

The loot from the Guild featured ingredients, which Liam put to use to refill his collection, adding notes over notes to his personal jade. He had done another test run after all, learning more about his unique status, prompting him to tinker with some recipes.

There was also the matter of Grace’s talent. Liam wanted her cultivation to stay away from alchemical products a bit longer, but he could start amassing resources in the meantime.

And, as alchemy always did, Liam saw his reflection once he started concocting, and he felt enlightened.

Liam’s injured state and Grace’s condition had prevented him from appreciating his improvements after his long introspection. However, they were fine now, and another revolution had descended upon his perspective.

Sex was a true connection of two beings, both physical and spiritual, at least in the way Liam and Grace did it. It was incredible, empirical proof of how different individuals could become one in body and heart.

Liam could apply that to alchemy as nothing else had ever done in his life. It was just too fitting. Seeing how he and Grace could merge taught him to do the same with the concoctions on a profound level he had been unable to see until now.

That sent Liam into a frenzy. He concocted nonstop, addicted to the practice, emptying all his stashes to immerse himself deeper in alchemy, even creating products he didn’t need.

Liam’s mind was overflowing with ideas, which increased in number and clarity with each concoction. Even his Master’s inheritance gained new meaning, as if he had finally obtained a mind capable of understanding it.

Of course, Liam’s stashes were far from enough to appease his frenzied state. He did what he could before being forced to note down everything else he planned to pursue once he regained access to ingredients.

Truth be told, Liam’s personal jade was taking quite a marvelous shape. It wasn’t anything remotely close to his great Master’s inheritance, but its contents were slowly approaching the priceless status.

Naturally, Liam also smoked whenever he could. With everything going on, he couldn’t forget about the most crucial aspect of the cultivation world.

No matter what Liam desired and decided to pursue, he needed strength at his foundation. The entirety of the political array could turn on him, and the number of his enemies could multiply to a catastrophic level, but being powerful enough to face all remained the easiest solution and mandatory requirement.

Liam actually took time to think deeply about the topic in a more schematic way. He split his entire being into fields, be it techniques, alchemical products, or even sheer physical prowess, studying himself, searching for what he was lacking so that he could better himself.

Liam knew that he was strong. It was the undeniable, objective truth, but that just wasn’t enough. Fellow rooting experts would call him crazy if they heard his thoughts, but he didn’t even account for such normal standards.

After all, Grace wouldn’t have gotten hurt if Liam had been stronger. He should be hunting Jessica, not the other way around. That was the standard he had set for himself, and the chance to pursue it in more ways than one eventually arrived.

"They are almost here," Grace warned from the hall’s center, storing a torn strip of paper and the scrolls around her. Part of the loot from the Guild involved information about its business, and it was up to her to sort it out.

Liam withdrew his attention from the two jades in his hands, storing them while taking one last puff from the pipe. With nothing else to do at the moment, he had opted for studying and smoking in the hall’s corner, his minor roots now amounting to fifty-five.

"Has it been two weeks already?" Liam asked, bearing the dizziness caused by the black smoke before putting the pipe away, heading for the short table and pillows Grace had already arranged.

Liam settled on a pillow and poured the wine on the table into four cups. He had seen enough of those meetings to learn their formalities.

Grace didn’t take long to arrive, but wrapped her arms around Liam’s head, elegantly lowering herself to sit sideways on his lap.

"Perhaps you’d be more aware of the passage of time if you spent less of it on my breasts," Grace smiled teasingly, caressing Liam’s face, not a trace of embarrassment in her voice.

"I can’t help it," Liam responded honestly, playing into that banter without any embarrassment, either. "I love them."

As the couple had grown more used to their intimacy, their private interactions had also changed, but that topic had deeper reasons.

It wasn’t that Liam disliked Grace’s breasts, the very opposite. They weren’t big, but Liam saw them as perfect, too appealing even to attempt holding back.

However, Grace’s chest also had the nasty scar, and Liam paying special attention to that spot was his way of conveying that it didn’t disgust him. Grace might have said otherwise, but the way she clung to Liam when he showed his appreciation of the area exposed her partial lie.

Of course, Grace knew about those intentions. She felt Liam didn’t need to be so worried. She truly welcomed that scar as long as Liam didn’t mind, but she also loved that part of him, creating that now-common tease.

"I’m pleased to be to my dear Master’s tastes," Grace exclaimed, leaning in to whisper in Liam’s ear. "Please enjoy your prized possession to the fullest whenever you desire."

Grace retracted her head to leave a short kiss on Liam’s lips. She couldn’t look happier at the hungry eyes watching her slip out of the hands on her thigh and waist while settling on the pillows at Liam’s side.

"You are truly terrible," Liam jokingly cursed as Grace leaned against his arm. She knew what she was doing, and it wasn’t her first time. She enjoyed riling him up when he couldn’t act upon it, as if ensuring that he kept her in his mind even if the situation demanded his attention elsewhere.

It was a sense of ownership of Liam’s thoughts that played directly into Grace’s greed, also involving her twisted idea of her value. Liam might have claimed the forbidden fruit many times already, but that couldn’t mean that the currency that was Grace was spent.

Besides, if Liam couldn’t stop seeking Grace, it meant she was worth a lot, constantly going against the shadow of her Clan’s evaluation.

"It would be an unforgivable failure as your woman if I stopped being the object of your desires," Grace calmly stated, drawing her tablet to open the underground hall. "If you don’t wish me to despair, embrace me a lot and shower me with praises."

Liam shook his head but gave up on the matter. There was no winning against the way Grace had phrased things. It was another one of her traps, and Liam couldn’t escape it.

Footsteps soon resounded through the passage, and the only allies Liam and Grace could be confident about entered the hall, the opening closing behind them.

The two men were clad in tight black robes, with cloth covering their faces, but the swords sheathed on their waists more than announced their identity.

"If it isn’t the most infamous Dao partners in this corner of the Kingdom," Lucas announced as he lowered the cloth from his face. "Greetings. It’s an honor to meet you again. I hope you have been well. Now, can you save our assess?"

Liam couldn’t help but laugh. After what the two had done for Grace, he had placed the swordsmen in the friends category, removing his wariness and allowing for more genuine behavior.

Moreover, even if it weren’t for that debt, Liam would still seek to make a deal with the two. After all, they were his ticket to fixing the last weakness in his arsenal.