the soft glow of lantern light bathed the room in a golden hue as steam rose lazily from the water, curling around zhao tian.
he lay submerged in the tub, his arms resting on either side, his head tilted back against the edge as he stared at the ceiling in deep thought.
’raphaela celeste ravenscroft’
his gaze squinted in thought ’and i am vester alden ravenscroft? until now, i thought she was the maverick who gave birth to me and my real mom.’
’so... my father is maverick? and my mother is ravenscroft? i need to ask yixian if she knows any ravenscroft family back in astral realm.’
his gaze dropped to the rippling water, his reflection distorted by the tiny waves ’so she gave birth to me.. but later handed me and ying’er to zhao ning, who came to earth from the astral realm and gave us to her sister, zhao suyin.’
’wait a minute...’
his hand glowed faintly as he retrieved two small rectangular golden plates from his storage ring and saw the names engraved on them.
his thumb traced over the engraved letters as a faint smile tugged at his lips
’vester maverick.. elayne maverick.’no?v(el)b\\jnn
’then big sister must also have a ravenscroft name?’
(a/n: check chapters 76 and 77 if you are confused.)
as he was thinking, the door to the bathroom creaked open, and he turned his gaze to look at the woman who just barged in.
"oh, master?"
yao jing had a playful smile on her face as she leaned to the doorframe.
without a hint of hesitation or modesty, yao jing strolled into the room barefoot, as she approached the edge of the tub
"don’t look so grumpy, tian’er." she chuckled softly, bending slightly as she sat on the edge of the tub.
her delicate hand dipped into the water, scooping up a handful before splashing it playfully onto his face.
-_-
zhao tian blinked as droplets trickled down his cheeks, "what are you doing here, master? can’t you see i’m bathing? why are you barging in... and peeping on your disciple?"
yao jing feigned a look of innocence, though her smile betrayed her amusement. "peeping? don’t flatter yourself, tian’er. i was just curious."
yao jing smirked, leaning forward again. "very thoroughly. i even scrubbed behind your ears. you’re welcome."
he sighed, running a hand over his face as if trying to wipe away the sheer absurdity of the situation. "master, you are... impossible."
"and you’re fun to tease," she shot back with a grin.
"it’s a perfect balance, don’t you think?"
"you’re lucky i am not in the mood to kick you out right now," he muttered, reclining back in the tub.
yao jing chuckled, clearly unbothered by his threat, "oh, i’m not worried; you wouldn’t dare hurt your beloved master, would you?"
she tilted her head, looking at him for a moment before her playful demeanor softened slightly. "you know," she said, her tone quieter now, "i was genuinely worried about you during the tribulation."
her sudden shift caught him off guard, and he raised an eyebrow. "were you?"
"of course i was." she crossed her arms, looking almost offended by his doubt.
"do you think i barged in here just for fun? well, okay, maybe a little for fun. but mostly because i wanted to make sure you were okay."
upon hearing this, a smile appeared on zhao tian’s smile "oh, is that so? well, if you care about me that much, master..."
without warning, his hand shot out, gripping her wrist firmly.
"tian’er, what are you-"
her words were cut short as he pulled her toward him with a swift motion and the momentum caused her to lose her balance, her bare feet sliding against the slippery edge of the tub.
"wait, wait-"
*splash!*
yao jing landed in the steaming water, her clothes immediately soaking through as they clung to her figure.
her hair cascaded over her face in wet strands, and she gasped as the warmth of the water enveloped her.
"ahh! tian’er!" read exclusive chapters at empire
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i hope you guys liked this chapter!