The mask dropped from Hou Jingshu’s nerveless fingers. She brought a hand to cover her mouth. Her eyes stung, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the face that had been hidden for so long, a face she would recognize anywhere.

He’s grown more mature… and more handsome.

Those were her first thoughts. The young man before her had very pale skin, possibly because he had been covering his face with a mask for so long. His eyes were a kind brown. They exuded a quiet confidence and profound sorrow. She could only imagine what horrors he must have gone through to have eyes like that. His chin was a bit narrow and his face a tad feminine, but he still retained many masculine traits like his strong jaw and nose.

Is this real?

Hou Jingshu could not believe that Wu Jian was still alive. He had died along with his clan, hadn’t he? They had never recovered his body, but there was no way he could have survived the attack back then. He hadn’t even turned sixteen at the time. That meant he hadn’t been able to cultivate. It was impossible for someone who wasn’t even at the Hunger Realm to survive a brutal night raid by cultivators.

With all that being the case, she could only conclude one thing.

I must be dreaming. I still haven’t woken up. That’s the only explanation I can think of. But why is my dream so different this time? Is it because I wanted Jian Wu to be Wu Jian? Because that was my hope? Is this karma’s way of helping me come to terms with my grief? Is it giving me the chance to do all the things I wanted to but never could? That must be it. There were so many things I wanted to tell Wu Jian, so many things I wanted to do with him. I’ll never get the chance to do them in real life, so I should at least do them in my dreams.

Once Hou Jingshu concluded that she must still be dreaming, she gained a courage to do all the things and say all the things she wanted that she hadn’t been able to before. This might be her only chance. Even if it was just a dream, she would not waste it.

“Jingshu, I…”

“I missed you,” Hou Jingshu interrupted Wu Jian by placing her hands on his face. His cheeks were warm, and redness blossomed on them as she held his face in her hands. “I missed you so much, Jian. You don’t know… how hard it’s been for me since I heard about what happened.”

“I’m… sorry,” he said.

“It’s okay. You’re here now. It doesn’t matter if this is just a dream.”

Wu Jian made a face. “A dream?”

“Yes. A very good dream.”

Hou Jingshu smiled even as tears streamed down her face, and she leaned up on her tiptoes to press their lips together. Wu Jian’s lips were stiff at first, but they soon relaxed as he let her kiss him. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her forward. Hou Jingshu slid her hands down his neck, until they rested on his shoulders, then wound her arms around his neck as she opened her mouth.

I’m kissing Wu Jian. I’m really kissing him.

“Haaaah… haaah… mmmm…”

Hou Jingshu kept their lips tightly pressed together, even as she deepened their kiss. Tears continued to leak from her face, but she didn’t care. She wanted this moment to last forever. She wished it would never end.

But it did eventually.

She needed air.

“Aaaaah… haaaah… Jian… that… that was the kiss… I withheld last time. I should have given it to you when I had the chance. I’m sorry for taking so long.”

Wu Jian looked a little dazed, but he still responded. “It’s okay. I, uh, yeah, it’s fine. Don’t worry. We’re kissing now. That’s what matters.”

“Yes. Yes, you’re right.”

Hou Jingshu smiled. Then she kissed him again. His mouth was warm and soft, his arms strong around her body. She felt safe and secure. His arms were powerful and reliable. She knew that nothing would ever harm her so long as she remained trapped within his embrace.

Yet as the kiss continued, Hou Jingshu decided she wanted more. This was just a dream anyway. Why shouldn’t she take advantage of this moment to do all the things she wanted? Who knew if she would ever get this chance again.

“Whoa!” Wu Jian squawked in surprise as Hou Jingshu pushed him backward until he fell onto the bed. “Jingshu, what are you do—oooh.”

Hou Jingshu straddled Wu Jian’s waist and began kissing him again, but she didn’t kiss his mouth this time. She placed kisses all over his face; his cheeks, his forehead, his jawline, his chin. She wanted to mark every spot on his body before moving down to his neck.

Wu Jian squirmed underneath her as she began biting his neck. She probably bit him a little harder than necessary, but she wanted to leave evidence of her actions. She wanted to leave a mark. Hou Jingshu felt quite satisfied when she found a shiny red love bite on his neck.

She sat up a moment later and loosened her robes. Wu Jian’s face turned bright red when she cast her robes aside. She wasn’t wearing her breast bindings.

“Ahhh. Jingshu, I don’t think we should do this…”

“It’s fine. This is just a dream. At least let me do this in my dreams.” Wu Jian was covering is face with his hands, which made her bite her lip. “Jian… please look at me. Don’t look away from me.”

Wu Jian slowly lowered his hands. There was great hesitation in his actions. Yet the moment he looked at her, his eyes went wide.

“S-so beautiful…”

Hou Jingshu’s entire body flushed with pleasure. Just hearing his honest thoughts was enough to make her heart race. Who cared if this was a dream? If she was dreaming, then she never wanted to wake up.

“You too. Remove those clothes too.”

“Uh… Okay.”

Wu Jian sat up and removed his shirt. Hou Jingshu had already seen his bare chest before, but it was different now. This wasn’t Jian Wu’s chest anymore. This was Wu Jian’s chest. It almost amazed her how knowing that made a difference.

Her mouth was dry, her heart was beating like a wardrum, and she was… wet.

She reached out for the necklaces dangling around his neck. There were two. Her pendant and a necklace she didn’t recognize with strange symbols etched into it.

“Leave them on,” Wu Jian said.

She bit her lip but retracted her hand.

Wu Jian hesitated after reaching for his pants, but Hou Jingshu was having none of that. She grabbed his pants and tore them off. A loud ripping sound echoed around the room.

“Can’t you be a little more gentle?!” Wu Jian cried out.

“Sorry. I can’t seem to control my strength right now.”

“Well, please try.”

Hou Jingshu said nothing as she stared at the thing that was supposed to go inside of her. Were they supposed to be that big? Was this a dragon? There was no way something like that could fit inside of her. What was she going to do if it got stuck?!

“Uh… we… don’t have to do this…” Wu Jian tried to say.

Don’t have to do this? Of course we have to do this! I am going to do this!

The first thing she needed to do was get it wet. She knew all about sex. Since siring an heir was one of her duties, she had been taught about everything that was involved. Getting it wet would help it slip inside of her. She also needed to warm up a bit. First times were supposed to be painful, and this thing looked like it might tear her in half if she wasn’t careful.

She undid the string on her underwear, letting it flutter onto the bed. Wu Jian’s eyes grew even wider as he looked behind her thighs. Hou Jingshu knew this was just a dream, but she still felt very self-conscious when she noticed where he was gazing.

“D-don’t look, please.”

“I’m… sorry.”

Wu Jian looked back at her face. She felt a bit of relief. She was already embarrassed just doing this.

Hou Jingshu straddled Wu Jian again and then began rubbing herself against him. Her breathing came out in sharp pants as she ground her hips and gyrated her waist. She felt her body growing warm. The area between her legs felt especially hot as she continued to grind against Wu Jian.

A pair of hands grabbed onto her hips. She shrieked in surprise and fell. Now pressed chest to chest, her nose was so close to Wu Jian’s they were touching.

“Oh…”

Wu Jian leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed back. It was sloppy and passionate, containing all the emotions she had been holding back. She reached out and made a mess of his hair, running her fingers through it.

Wu Jian bucked his hips, and the sensation was like lightning coursing through her body. She had never felt anything like this! Was this what it felt like? This was way different from when she did it herself! The hands on her rump were rugged and manly, and the way they dug into her bottom only heightened her sense of touch.

“I… I think that’s enough,” Hou Jingshu said after somehow managing to pry her tongue out of his mouth. She wanted to continue kissing him, but she wanted to become one with him more. There was no telling when this dream would end. Every second counted.

She sat up and raised her hips. She lowered them, but ended up missing in her face. She furrowed her brow, bit her lip, and tried again. She missed. Again. It shouldn’t be this hard, should it? Growling as she almost got it in only to have it slip away, she grabbed the thing. It twitched in her grasp and she almost screamed in surprise.

She also yanked harder than intended.

“Be more gentle, please.”

“S-sorry. I just got surprised.”

Hou Jingshu felt a little contrite, but this was just a dream, so it was okay. It was okay because none of this was real. That was what she told herself as she slowly lowered herself onto Wu Jian.

“Mmmmnnnggggg!”

She clenched her teeth as Wu Jian filled her up. He hadn’t even reached her hymen but it already hurt! Why did this hurt so bad? Was that natural? Gritting her teeth, she lowered herself even further, until she reached her hymen. She took one deep breath, then slammed her hips down the rest of the way.

“Aaaaaaah!”

“A-are you okay?!”

“D-don’t move! Stay like that!”

Wu Jian had nearly sat up, but his movements made her feel incredible pain. He laid back down and went still as she placed her hands on his chest. She took several slow breaths, waiting as the pain eased. She waited several seconds longer, then began rocking her hips.

“Oh… that… doesn’t feel bad…”

It didn’t hurt anymore, and the sensations she got as she rocked her hips was kind of tingly. She wished she could describe it better, but her brain felt like mush. It felt good. That was what mattered.

Wu Jian reached up and touched her chest. His fingers sunk into her flesh. She felt embarrassed, but she let him do it. He seemed to like it. Was he getting bigger? Was it because he was touching her chest? Maybe he liked big chests? They were only kids when they parted ways, so she had no idea what his preferences were.

Only a minute seemed to pass before Wu Jian shuddered. Something warm filled Hou Jingshu’s insides, but she was almost too shocked to notice.

“W-was that it?” she asked.

Wu Jian covered his face with his hands. “I-I’m so sorry.”

“Ah. Oh, no. I, um, I heard this happens to men their first times. Don’t worry about it.”

“But you just look so disappointed! How can I not feel ashamed?!”

“W-we can do it again! No one said you can only go once, right?”

“But what if I can’t get it up!”

“Stop worrying about that! This is my dream! Just do as I say and get it up!”

Wu Jian tried to slide out from underneath her, as though to escape so he could hide his shame, but she was not going to have that. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him into the bed. He said something, but she didn’t hear it. Hou Jingshu leaned down and hampered his mouth as she rubbed herself against him.

Just like she thought, he was able to get up again. She didn’t even change positions this time as she slid him inside of her. It was easier the second time around. She kept kissing him as she lifted and slammed down her hips.

Wu Jian began helping, and she was feeling good again. No. She felt better than good. She felt great. Her body was on fire and there was a pleasant tingling in her groin. She hadn’t understood why so many young masters and mistresses enjoyed sex, but now she did. She understood.

Sex was great.

She continued rocking her hips and kissing Wu Jian. She moved from his mouth to his chest. It was big, strong, and reliable, but right now it was putty in her hands. Hou Jingshu enjoyed the sense of power she felt as she all but had her way with his chest. She wanted also wanted to lick his stomach, but she would have to remove him from inside of her to do that, and she wanted him right where he was.

Sitting back up, she pressed her hands against his chest and gasped for breath as she was rocked her hips at a frantic pace. Wu Jian matched her. He was getting better. It was just like she thought. Once he felt that first release, he could hold it in much better that second time.

Her end came too soon in her opinion, but that release felt sweeter than anything she could imagine. Every muscle in her body tensed for several glorious seconds before they all relaxed and she fell boneless onto Wu Jian’s sweaty chest. She tried to regain control of her breath, but it was hard. She was gasping.

A pair of hands began rubbing her back. She shuddered in pleasure.

“Wu Jian… I love you so much,” she said.

“I love you too. I’m sorry for keeping this a secret for so long.”

“It’s okay. You’re here now. I don’t even care if this is just a dream. I’ll accept that. But, please, promise me you won’t leave me ever again. Promise me you’ll always be there for me.”

Even if this wasn’t real, she wanted to hear him say those words.

“I promise.” A pair of lips caressed her forehead. “I’ll stay by your side from now on. I won’t leave you again.”

“Thank you…”

Hou Jingshu struggled to keep her eyes open. She was worried that Wu Jian would vanish the moment she closed them, but she had spent all of her energy. This entire night had been one roller coaster of emotions, and that along with what they had done had drained her dry. She was… so sleepy.

Hou Jingshu soon drifted off within the arms of her beloved fiance, hoping against hope that he would still be there when she woke up.