Chapter 107: The Treatment

The third-floor office was shrouded in shadows. Outside, the storm continued to batter the wooden shutters, isolating the room from the rest of the estate...

"Take off your boots," Theo said.

Liana reclined in the armchair, her sword resting against the armrest.

"Take off my boots... why?" Liana asked.

"For the treatment," Theo explained, rolling up his sleeves.

He retrieved a shallow copper basin from the corner of the room. He popped the cork on a jug of thirty-year-old plum wine and poured the entire vintage into the basin.

"Is the wine necessary?" Liana asked, watching the liquid fill the bowl.

"It acts as a vasodilator," Theo said smoothly, though he was entirely making that up.

He ignited a small wisp of karmic fire in his palm, heating the basin from below until the wine reached a soothing temperature.

"If you feel uncomfortable at any point, just tell me to stop."

Liana hesitated. She unlaced her tall leather boots and set them aside.

Slowly, she dipped her bare feet into the warm plum wine...

Theo stared.

Her skin was flawlessly pale, contrasting with the deep amber liquid.

The ambient heat caused a faint blush to spread across her usually snow-white ankles.

For a fleeting moment, Theo found himself thinking that pouring out this vintage later would be an incredible waste.

He forced his mind back to business.

"Just relax," Theo instructed, reaching into the basin.

Liana immediately turned her head away, staring at the rain lashing against the shutters.

She maintained her signature, emotionless facade, but Theo noticed her toes curling inward beneath the surface of the wine.

It was a subconscious tell. The Reborn Empress was nervous...

"Are you finished?" Liana asked after a minute.

"I have barely started," Theo replied, genuinely confused.

"It feels like you have been... lingering."

"Time passes slowly when the meridians are unknotted," Theo diagnosed confidently.

He found a dense cluster of qi near the arch of her foot and pressed down firmly to untangle it.

*Splash*

Liana’s leg jerked. Her wet heel narrowly missed Theo’s jaw, sending a spray of warm plum wine directly into his face.

Theo wiped the wine from his cheek. He looked up.

Liana was glaring at him. Her eyes were sharp enough to cut glass, conveying that if he pressed that specific pressure point again, she would draw her sword.

Theo coughed and adjusted his grip, opting for a much gentler approach.

The silence in the room stretched out... As Theo’s hands moved steadily up to her calves, kneading the tight muscles, Liana’s rigid posture slowly began to thaw.

She leaned back into the armchair, her breathing evening out.

"You spend a considerable amount of time staring at the Heavenly Mandate Stele," Theo noted, attempting to make idle conversation as his thumbs worked along her shins. "Are you trying to memorize the names?"

"I am analyzing the power structure of the domain," Liana replied, her voice softer than usual.

"I have been trying to map the internal runes of my *Crucible of Genesis* into an array," Theo mentioned. "If I can replicate the foundation externally, I could theoretically create an endless energy loop."

Liana shook her head, dismissing the idea. "That is suicidal. You cannot project an internal foundation into external reality. The friction between your personal qi and the natural laws of the world will cause a meridian collapse."

"I managed to forge seven External Qi-Cores," Theo pointed out.

"Cores are batteries," Liana countered. "You cannot overwrite the heavens with a drawing."

"Perhaps," Theo chuckled. "But what if I draw a really good array?"

Liana’s gaze shifted back to him.

She opened her mouth to lecture him on the fundamental laws of cultivation, but her words died in her throat.

She looked down.

While they had been debating magical theory, Theo’s hands had instinctively continued their upward trajectory.

They were currently resting just below her knees, his thumbs pressing against the soft inner curve of her calves.

"If this is uncomfortable, I can stop," Theo offered, noticing her sudden silence.

"It is..." Liana’s lips parted slightly.

Before she could finish her sentence, the chime of the System echoed in the quiet room.

[Ding!]

[The countdown has concluded... The provincial Fate Comparison results are finalized.]

[Heavenly Mandate Stele, Rank 1: Theo (Abyssal Sword Sovereign).]

[Heavenly Mandate Stele, Rank 2: Liana (Aurora Sword Empress).]

[Comparison Result: Defeat.]

Liana’s breath caught in her chest.

She had known the outcome was inevitable. Theo possessed seven External Qi-Cores and a supreme body-refining art. Her recent advancement could not bridge the gap in destructive potential.

But knowing the outcome did not prepare her for the execution of the penalty.

[Penalty Activated: The victor is permitted to manually trace the loser’s primary meridian network.]

[Requirement: Unrestricted physical contact across 80% of the body’s surface area.]

The text burned into Liana’s retinas.

Theo suddenly realized that the room had grown incredibly warm.

He looked down at his hands, realizing how far they had traveled up her legs. He was a cultivator, not a monk, and the proximity to the most beautiful woman in the province was beginning to severely test his composure.

His own meridians were running hot...

"Well," Theo said, pulling his hands back and drying them on a towel. "I think that is enough for the initial consultation. The technique clearly works. I will draft the business proposal tomorrow."

He stood up, fully intending to retreat to his own room and take an icy cold shower.

As he turned toward the door, a slender hand reached out.

Liana’s fingers wrapped around the fabric of his sleeve.

Theo stopped. He looked back, genuinely confused.

Liana was staring down at the floorboards. Her face, usually as cold as a frozen lake, was flushed with an heat.

Her hair fell forward, hiding her eyes, but he could see her eyelashes trembling uncontrollably.

"Wait," Liana whispered.

"Is something wrong?" Theo asked, stepping back toward the chair.

Liana tightened her grip on his sleeve. She drew a slow breath, struggling to maintain the last broken remnants of her imperial composure.

"You haven’t finished," Liana murmured, refusing to look up.

"Finished what?"

"The Full Abyssal Circulation," Liana said, her voice shaking slightly. "You said it was a head-to-toe service."