Luo He immersed In the bath, steam curling around him as the heat softened the harsh edges of the day.
"It wasn't a command this time so you can refuse, without being redeemed a traitor by martial laws." He said. Jin Mulan studied him for a moment.
After a brief pause, she stepped aside, allowing him space. She removed the last of her outer garments without ceremony and stepped into the bath.
The water shifted, ripples spreading slowly across the surface before settling again.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence was not uncomfortable just unfamiliar. Outside, the fortress remained still.
The distant sea could be heard through narrow stone openings, waves crashing rhythmically against the cliffs below.
The sounds of soldiers and servants had faded, leaving only the low crackle of torches and the occasional drip of water against stone.
Jin Mulan remained nearby, arms resting lightly at her sides, her posture relaxed for the first time that day. "The island is yours now," she said eventually.
Luo He leaned back slightly, his gaze unfocused as if looking beyond the walls.
"No," he replied. "It's just a piece on the board." She frowned faintly.
"Hundreds of thousands of gold coins. A secured position. Control over the sea routes. Isn't that more than what we came for." She said as if surprised.
"And yet," he said. "None of it matters if it cannot be held." Her eyes shifted toward him again. "You think someone will challenge you already?" She asked worriedly.
"I expect it," Luo He said simply. "Power invites attention. Especially this kind."
The steam thickened slightly, blurring the space between them. Jin Mulan leaned lightly against Luo He's chest. "The pirates would have turned on you eventually," she said.
"They most certainly would, if it felt like they were benefited by betrayal." He replied calmly. She let out a quiet breath. "Then why give them so much?" She asked curiously. Luo He's lips curved slightly.
"Because then they think," he said. "That they have already won." She tilted her head. "And men who believe they have won grow careless." Luo He explained.
That answer lingered in her mind. Jin Mulan looked down at the water, watching the faint ripples settle again. "You planned everything," she said. "The letter. The scouts. The battle. Even the aftermath."
Luo He didn't deny it. "I removed uncertainty some time ago," he said proudly. Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"You also removed people." She said. "That too." Luo He accepted. There was no pride in his voice. No regret either. Just fact.
Another silence followed, heavier this time. Jin Mulan straightened slightly. "And what comes next?" She asked.
Luo He opened his eyes fully now, the calm returning to something more focused. "We build," he said. "Build what?" She asked.
"A position no one can ignore, and no one can easily take from our hands. A legacy that one day our children can carry. Then set back, relax and enjoy the finer things in life."
Luo He glanced toward her, his expression calm but intense. "The former pirate king commanded nearly twenty thousand men," he said coldly. "Divided under ten trusted division commanders."
Jin Mulan's brows tightened slightly.
"That's an army." She said. "Yes," Luo He replied.
"And if we move against them directly, we create too many enemies too early." He said as if planning something. She crossed her arms. "Then what's your plan?" She asked.
He paused for a moment, then said. "We let them destroy themselves." Her eyes sharpened.
"They already hold grudges," Luo He continued. "Power is gone. Leadership is gone. When we leave, they'll fight for the throne." A brief pause. "And the strongest takes control," Jin Mulan finished Luo He's sentence. Luo He nodded.
"And once that happens we remove them." He said. Jin Mulan studied him. "You're letting chaos do the work for you." She asked. "I'm guiding it," he said.
A brief silence passed before he added.
"And for that, we'll need more than just gold."
She understood immediately. "Men." Jin Mulan said. Luo He met her gaze. "Loyal ones?" Jin Mulan reassured. He gave a faint, knowing smile.
"As loyal as we can make them." She said at last. Luo He was really proud. on how well his wife had taken his lessons in to her heart.
Luo He let out a faint breath that might have been a quiet laugh. Luo He's arms tightened around her waist, holding her steady. He dragged her on to his lap, as if saying he was proud about his wife. The warmth of his body seeping in to her.
The cool air of the chamber was not the only thing that was now touching her skin. This made raising goose bumps appear along her arms.
"You are so beautiful, my wife." He said, the words sounding like a statement of fact, more than just flattery.
They shared a brief kiss. With that they just had sex for the first time. Non of them ever thought it would come so naturally.
Both of them enjoyed it a lot more than they initially expected to. They enjoyed this intimate bath for about an hour.
The water had cooled slightly now, the steam thinning as time passed. Luo He rose from the bath, his movements calm and unhurried.
He reached for a cloth, wiping away the last traces of the day, not just the water but the weight of command that had settled on him since morning.
Jin Mulan watched him for a moment with somewhat hurried breath. "You don't rest, do you?" She asked. "I am resting right now," he replied.
She gave him a weird look. "This isn't rest." She said. Luo He paused briefly, then looked back at her. "It's enough." He said. She didn't argue further.
Then, finish your bath and come out I will be leaving. With that he wore the new clothes meant for him, took his sword from the door handle and left silently.
Outside, the fortress stood quiet under the night sky. The island now claimed, renamed, and reshaped rested in uneasy silence.
Ships swayed gently in the harbour. Carrying gold, copper, and the remnants of a battle that had already begun to fade into a memory. But beneath that silence. Plans were already moving. Not loudly, Not visibly, but inevitably.
And at the center of it all Luo He remained exactly as he always was.
Calm. Unbothered. And already thinking three steps ahead, proudly standing on top of the castle balcony as a man who had really experienced new things.