That night was the happiest for them, but for another man, it was a sleepless torment.
At dawn, Xiska Mon stood by the third-floor window, gazing into the distance, feeling oddly empty. For the first time in over twenty years, he couldn’t sleep!
His mind was restless for the first time.
For the first time, even breathing felt difficult.
Xiska Mon’s brows knitted tightly. This feeling was unbearable—something he’d never experienced before!
Suddenly, his eyes widened. Could this be that ‘love’ his mother once talked about?!
Knock knock knock—someone tapped lightly at the door, and Fire God’s voice followed: "My king, are you awake? May I come in?"
"Come in," Xiska Mon replied, his voice tinged with exhaustion.
A sleepless night and a restless mood left his face looking pale.
At his reply, Fire God quickly pushed open the door. The waiting maids rushed in, preparing water for his face and helping him dress.
"My king, breakfast is ready. Do you wish to eat in your bedchamber or in the main hall?" Ice God approached and bowed respectfully to Xiska Mon.
"Prepare extra food," Xiska Mon instructed, feeling an odd certainty that they would soon appear.
"Huh?" Ice God blinked, puzzled. Extra food? The king hardly eats much in the morning—why today...?
"Is there a problem?" Xiska Mon asked, not turning but his voice slightly displeased.
"At once, Your Majesty." Ice God shivered and hurried out, snapping to attention.
Just then, Xiska Mon glanced out the window and asked calmly, "What's all that noise outside?"
Fire God hurried to respond, "My king, all the ministers are here today with matters to report, and—and the commoners have gathered outside the main hall."
"Huh?" Xiska Mon raised an eyebrow at the mention of the commoners.
Seeing this, Fire God rushed to explain, "The people say they want to thank the goddess for the rain, and... and they want the goddess to marry the king. They believe if you and the goddess unite, Flame Valley will have even more miracles and hope, so, so..." Fire God trailed off, unsure how to continue.
But instead of anger, Xiska Mon’s lips curled into a smile—he seemed quite pleased.
Seeing the king’s involuntary smile, Fire God frowned even deeper. The king had clearly shown interest in the goddess last night, but she didn’t seem interested at all—what now?
"My king..." Just then, Ice God rushed in, flustered.
At the sound, Xiska Mon turned to the usually composed Ice God, "What’s got you so worked up?!"
"My king, my king, she, she..." Ice God stammered, totally frazzled.
"No need to report, I’m already here." Ivy (Shen Bingxin) shoved Ice God aside and strode into the bedchamber.
Ice God was furious. His cultivation could freeze people to death, but last night Fire God warned him not to offend her—she was the king’s chosen woman. He’d held back, but now she’d barged in before he could report. Outrageous!
Seeing Ivy, Xiska Mon couldn’t help but smile, but noticing she was alone, he asked, "Where are they?"
"How do you hope they turned out?" Ivy raised her brows, utterly fearless. Before Xiska Mon could reply, she shrugged, "Sorry, the outcome you wanted didn’t happen. Oh, and those annoying women? I killed them all." She said it lightly.
"What? You killed them all?" Fire God was stunned.
Hearing this, Ivy shot Fire God a look and smirked, "What, are you reluctant? Or do you want to go down and test their skills yourself?"
Y-you… don’t say such nonsense! Fire God blushed, embarrassed by her wild talk.
Seeing Xiska Mon glance outside, Ivy said directly, "No need to look—they’re eating. Didn’t you have Ice God prepare food?"
The king told me to prepare food, but he didn’t say it was for you all! Ice God had just seen her in the corridor, and when she asked what he was doing, he only said he was preparing food. Yet she let her people sit down and eat! If the three elders hadn’t stopped him, he’d have killed those rude men with his ice sword.
You’re clever. The food was indeed prepared for you all," he said, raising an eyebrow. "You let them eat so boldly—aren’t you afraid I might have poisoned it?"
I believe you’re not that despicable," Ivy smiled, her tone openly provocative.
You… mind your manners! Ice God, usually calm, couldn’t stand her attitude and yelled.
Don’t—hold it, hold it! Fire God, usually the hothead, tugged at the furious Ice God. The scene was a total reversal of their usual roles.
Everyone out!" Xiska Mon’s voice was calm but brooked no argument.
At his command, all the servants and the angry Ice God stormed out. Fire God hurried after. How could Ice God be so clueless—couldn’t he see the king liked the goddess?
You came to my bedchamber alone—aren’t you afraid? With everyone gone, only the two remained. Xiska Mon looked at her calm demeanor, unable to resist asking.
Faced with his question, Ivy glanced around. "I wanted to bring them too, but their stomachs were growling—they were starving!" She turned to him. "I couldn’t just let them go hungry, could I?"
"That’s why you came alone?" Xiska Mon was incredulous.
"What else did you expect? I’m a very kind person!" She stuck out her tongue, smiling sheepishly.
Xiska Mon’s heart thumped. In all their time together, he’d seen many of her expressions—mostly cold or angry—but never this playful. Her real smile was surprisingly beautiful.
"Screwball, when will you give me what I want?" Ivy looked around at the king’s chamber, inwardly noting the ceramics and the sense of history.
"Screwball?" Xiska Mon frowned, confused by the unfamiliar nickname.
"Huh? Is there a problem?" Ivy put her things down and stared at him with wide, innocent eyes. Seriously, wasn’t 'Screwball' easier to remember than all those complicated names?
"My name is Xiska Mon," he said formally.
"Whatever, Screwball. When will you give me my stuff?" Ivy ignored his introduction and pressed on.
Xiska Mon took a deep breath, realizing how stubborn she was. Fine, let her be.
"What you want isn’t so easy to make," he finally got to the point.
"What do you mean?" Ivy asked seriously.
Seeing her reaction, Xiska Mon explained slowly, "Flame Valley got its name from a volcano."
"A volcano? In the desert?" Ivy was stunned. She didn’t know much about this world, but logically, a volcano shouldn’t exist in a desert!
"What’s wrong?"
"It’s impossible, right? First, having a volcano in the desert is weird. Second, if there really was a volcano, it would be huge, so we should’ve seen it. But we didn’t see any volcano at all," Ivy voiced her doubts.
Xiska Mon smiled, "You’re observant. Let me tell you—the volcano is in the desert, but it’s underground."
"Huh? Underground?" Ivy looked down at her feet. "You mean, right under us?"
"It’s under the rear mountain, ten thousand fathoms down—that’s Flame Valley. Magma flows there, the valley’s essence gathers, and the Ten‑Thousand‑Year Iron is there too."
Hearing this, Ivy pressed, "Screwball, you said you’d keep your promise—so when will it be ready?" She was anxious for an answer.
That’s right, I promised. Don’t worry, I’ll help you make it. But…
But what?
But… as for how long it’ll take, I have no idea.
You’re cheating!
All’s fair in war. I promised to make it, but I never said when.
You’re shameless! What do you want?
Marry me!
Keep dreaming!' Ivy shouted in fury. The next moment, the bedroom door was kicked open. Her seven handsome husbands stood in a row, each face dark with anger. How dare this jerk threaten their Xin’er—shameless!