Ivy Shen's piercing scream sent all six men charging in without a second thought.
"Ivy—!" All six shouted her name in alarm as they burst inside, terrified she was in danger. But what they saw was Ivy Shen standing in the middle of the pool, shivering uncontrollably, her clothes soaked through. The white silk clung tightly to her curvy figure, her glossy black hair cascading down both sides, a few strands dripping water along her cheeks, making her snow-pale skin look even more dazzling. Her lips, as pink as peach blossoms, were bitten by her white teeth. This scene was so seductive, the group of handsome men couldn't help but gulp audibly.
"Cockroach, cockroach!" Ivy didn't care that her appearance was making the handsome men practically nosebleed—she just kept trembling and pointed at the black cockroach by the rocks. Back in the 21st century, cockroaches were her biggest fear. What did it matter if she was a martial arts master or a genius? In the face of that nightmare bug, she was just a helpless little woman.
"Huh?" Seeing her shout didn't get a reaction, Ivy looked up—and saw six pairs of eyes staring at her in absolute shock.
Following their gaze, Ivy looked down at herself. Instantly, she squatted in the pool and yelled, "What are you all staring at?!"
Her words finally snapped the six men out of it. They nervously asked, "What happened? Are you okay?"
"Cockroach! There's a cockroach over there!" Ivy squatted in the water, frantically pointing at the spot.
Butterfly Rogue was the first to rush over, eager to show off his manliness. He lifted his foot and squashed the cockroach in one go, then turned to Ivy with a proud grin: "See? Problem solved!"
"Ugh, that's disgusting! Get rid of the corpse!" Killing people had never made her flinch, but bugs like cockroaches? Ivy was still completely grossed out and uncomfortable.
"Okay!" Seeing Ivy still shrieking, Butterfly Rogue quickly reached out and dragged the squashed cockroach away.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen finally let out a sigh of relief and looked up—only to find five guys still staring at her, totally dazed.
"What are you doing?" She sank a little lower into the water, puzzled by the unexpected crowd. Wasn't it just Adrian Night and Lucian Vane here before? How did all the rest end up in the bathhouse too?!
"Uh, well... just keep bathing, we'll wait outside for you," Adrian Night, the eldest, finally regained his senses and said awkwardly. Then he looked at the others: "Alright, let's go. Let Ivy finish up." With that, he quickly turned to leave—any longer and he was afraid he'd lose control and just carry her off. She was just too dangerously tempting.
Caleb Miles stood there, stunned, unable to react. Over the past few days he'd seen so many sides of her: mischievous, playful, clever... but never this panicked, vulnerable little woman. Suddenly, all he wanted was to protect her—really, really protect her.
"Caleb Miles!" Adrian Night turned back, voice full of warning and annoyance when he saw Caleb just standing there. The message was clear: what are you still doing here?!
Hearing that, Caleb glanced at Ivy—who looked as pure and ethereal as a fairy—then turned and followed the others out.
None of them noticed that Ivy's face was turning pale. Maybe she'd soaked too long, maybe the shock had made her cramps worse—her legs felt weak, and she started to sink.
"Hurry up and get out!" Butterfly Rogue yelled from outside. He'd tossed the cockroach corpse and was about to come back in, but Lucian Vane blocked him, announcing that nobody was allowed in. All he could do was envy the others for getting an extra peek.
Just as he was about to step through the curtain, some impulse made Caleb Miles glance back at Ivy. He didn't know why he was so hung up on her—he'd had plenty of women throw themselves at him, and he'd never reacted. But seeing her in the bath like this, he felt something he'd never felt before.
But that one reluctant glance nearly made his heart leap out of his chest.
"Ivy!" Caleb Miles shrieked, and in the next instant, he dove straight into the bath.
Caleb's scream jolted the others—they all rushed in and, seeing Ivy sinking, dove into the bath after him, one after another.
"Ivy..." For the first time, Caleb Miles felt panic—so this was what it meant to truly worry, to be afraid. In this moment, he realized he was falling for her.
"Ivy..." Everyone shouted, faces pale with fear. There was no jealousy, no rivalry, only raw terror. Caleb clutched Ivy's limp body, his heart aching as he stared at her, drenched and unresponsive.
"How is she?" Adrian Night asked anxiously, watching Lucian Vane and Ethan Chu as they each took Ivy's wrist to check her pulse.
"Ivy..." Liam Willow saw Ivy's deathly pale face and couldn't stop his tears from falling. No one knew how scared he was—he was terrified of losing her, terrified she'd never wake up, truly, deeply afraid...
Of course, he wasn't the only one. Every husband present looked more worried than ever, waiting in silence for Lucian Vane and Ethan Chu's verdict.
"Her breathing's a bit chaotic. We should channel true qi into her," Lucian Vane said quickly, releasing her hand and looking at the others.
"That's right. There's some strange, icy force controlling her qi. I can't figure out what it is, but Lucian's right—only by channeling true qi can we wake her up," Ethan Chu concluded.
"Alright, let's carry her upstairs first," Adrian Night said hurriedly.
"Uh..." Just as Caleb Miles was about to pick her up, Ivy suddenly furrowed her brows and murmured softly, making everyone freeze in concern.
At the sound, everyone crowded around, anxiously watching the person in Caleb's arms, barely daring to breathe.
"Uh..." Ivy slowly opened her eyes, greeted by everyone's worried faces.
"Ivy, are you okay?" Seeing Ivy Shen open her eyes, everyone finally couldn't help but ask, their voices full of urgency.
Ivy looked at their anxious, heartbroken faces and smiled weakly. "Sorry, I was just a little tired..." Actually, she'd tried merging two types of qi to ease her pain, but fainted instead. She must've scared them half to death!
"Are you really okay?" Liam Willow couldn't help but sob again.
"Little Bunny..." Liam Willow stood nearby, his handsome face streaked with tears and snot, looking utterly pitiful.
Seeing this, Ivy gently stroked his cheek and said softly, "Silly brother, why are you crying?"
Liam Willow grabbed her hand, sobbing, "Ivy, promise you won't ever scare us like that again, okay? We were all so worried. Seeing you like that—I was terrified, really terrified. I've never been so scared before..." With that, he turned and cried loudly against the edge of the pool, his orange serpent tail slowly appearing and trembling.
Seeing this, Ivy's heart ached too. Liam Willow almost never reveals his tail—he must be truly terrified.
"Liam Willow..."
Wiping his tears, Liam Willow swung his tail as he came over, forcing a bitter smile. "Sorry, I shouldn't cry—I'm a man... but you have to promise, never do this again, okay? We were really worried, so scared..." Just thinking about it made his heart race, as if she might vanish forever...
Ivy glanced at Adrian Night, Lucian Vane, Butterfly Rogue, Ethan Chu, and Caleb Miles, noticing that each looked anxious and deeply afraid.
Sorry, I promise I'll never do that again.
"Never scare us like that again, understand?" Adrian Night forced a smile through his panic.
"Mm." She nodded firmly, as if making a promise to all of them. But as soon as she finished, pain twisted her face again. She urgently told Caleb Miles, "Quick, put me down!"
"Huh?" Caleb Miles blinked, not sure what she meant.
"Hurry, hurry!" Ivy shouted, struggling out of Caleb's arms and dropping herself into the water. A splash—and a golden serpent tail flicked above the surface. The men stared, awkward and stunned.
They were all men—they knew what it meant when a woman's tail appeared. It could only mean... her period had come.
"Um, you guys should go upstairs," Ivy mumbled, mortified. Her tail had appeared right in front of them—wasn't that basically announcing her period?!
Caleb Miles, still holding her, stared in disbelief. "You... you're a princess?" In Soaring Phoenix Realm, only royalty could have a pure gold tail.
He wasn't the only one shocked. Except for Adrian Night, Lucian Vane, and Liam Willow, no one knew her true identity. Even Liam only knew because Ivy told him. Seeing her golden tail for the first time, he was speechless—he knew it meant both perfection and danger.
'Are you a princess of Soaring Phoenix Realm?' Ethan Chu asked calmly, though inwardly he was shaken. Why would she attack Song Zhijue if she was royalty? What secrets was she hiding?
"Are you planning to tell your aunt about her identity?" Lucian Vane asked Caleb coldly. He and Adrian Night had wanted Ivy to avoid everyone during her period, but all their precautions had failed.
Everyone's gaze followed Lucian's words, focusing on Caleb Miles. After all, the Poison Peach Forest incident had revealed his connection to Silver Consort.
Caleb's face darkened. "What do you take me for? I didn't choose my family, but I've never agreed with my aunt's methods. If I'd wanted to help her, I wouldn't have saved you in Poison Peach Forest. Besides, you all know I can't stand Song Zhijue—he's not fit to rule!"
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Caleb had said before that he disliked Silver Consort helping Song Zhijue, and even before knowing Ivy's identity, he'd helped them. They had no reason to doubt him.
"Brothers, what are you talking about? Aren't you tired? Come on, let's all bathe together!" Seeing the tension rising, Ivy quickly distracted them.
"What? Ivy, what did you just say?" Butterfly Rogue immediately perked up, turning to her eagerly.
"Let's bathe together," Ivy said, tilting her head and flashing a dazzling, mischievous smile that instantly drew all their attention.
***
PS: Haha, anyone hoping for a 6P is so naughty! But I can tell you, there'll be a real 7P later—I'll have to figure out how to write that big battle without making the heroine pass out from exhaustion! Pfft!