The wine jar felt heavy in Jingliu's hands.
She did not linger. She walked back to Kanzaki and placed the jar on the low table. The tea room was quiet, thick with the rich, sweet aroma of plum blossom wine. She poured a full cup for her master with quiet respect. The liquid caught the light as it filled the cup, sending faint ripples across the surface.
"Master."
Kanzaki lifted the cup and took a slow sip. Jingliu watched him, then finally spoke, her voice soft, almost casual.
"I've noticed you are far more lenient with Jing Yuan than you ever were with me. Your methods are completely different. Why?"
Kanzaki set the cup down. His tone remained even.
"Because the two of you are different."
Jingliu's lashes lowered, hiding the flicker of hurt in her crimson eyes.
"Different… So it is because I am dull-witted and less likable than Jing Yuan."
"You are overthinking it."
Kanzaki glanced at her.
"Jing Yuan has a flexible mind and quick adaptability. His strengths lie more in strategy than on the front lines. Furthermore…" He paused, his gaze drifting briefly to her hands still resting on the wine jar. Old memories surfaced, and some of the usual distance in his voice softened. "That child never had the same training conditions you did. They cannot be compared."
Jingliu's fingers tightened slightly around the jar.
"…What conditions does Master mean?"
Kanzaki chose his words carefully.
"…His foundation was not as solid as yours."
He did not elaborate further. In truth, Jing Yuan's natural talent had been greater, but his childhood had lacked the same driving force that had shaped Jingliu. She had carried hatred as fuel. Jing Yuan's desire to join the Hunt had come mostly from admiration and duty. The difference in what they could endure was vast.
Jingliu's tense shoulders eased.
So that was it.
It was not that Jing Yuan was better than her. It was that he could not have withstood the same intensity of training. Master had not been biased. Master had simply believed only she was strong enough to bear that level of tempering.
The small, bitter knot in her chest dissolved, replaced by a quiet, secret warmth.
Master still values me the most after all.
Her expression softened. Even her movements as she refilled his cup became lighter.
They spoke of the past for a while — old matters of the Xianzhou Cangcheng, the plum blossoms and snow outside. The atmosphere between master and disciple was gentler than it had been in years.
After several cups of plum blossom wine, however, Kanzaki's gaze began to change.
The cold, striking beauty of his disciple's face seemed even more striking under the lamplight. Her crimson eyes held a quiet pull that stirred something restless deep in his chest. A dangerous heat began to rise through his body.
Something was wrong.
Kanzaki set his cup down and pressed his knuckles to his brow.
"I am tired. I will rest in my room."
He stood and left without waiting for a reply, his steps carrying a trace of unusual haste.
Jingliu watched his retreating figure, a faint smile lingering on her lips. She finished cleaning up, then made her way toward the private hot spring.
Half an hour later, steam curled thickly above the warm pool.
Jingliu rose from the water, her skin flushed and glistening. She reached for the bath towel on the rack and had just secured it across her chest when hurried, heavy footsteps approached from outside.
An all-too-familiar presence burst into the private space without warning.
Why would Master come here—?
Before she could turn or speak, strong arms wrapped around her waist. The world spun. She was pulled into a scorching embrace.
Kanzaki's usually ice-cold face was burning. Two unfamiliar flames blazed in his eyes as he looked down at her.
Before Jingliu could react, his lips claimed hers.
Her eyes widened. Her mind went blank.
Master… is kissing me?
The shock left her dazed, but her body responded before her thoughts could catch up. This was the person she had yearned for day and night, the one she had only dared to reach for in dreams. Now he was here, holding her, driven by something raw and uncontrollable.
Instinct and long-buried desire surged forward. Jingliu closed her eyes, trembling, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her kiss was clumsy, desperate, and full of everything she had never been allowed to say.
Lips and breath mingled. The sound of heavy breathing filled the steamy air.
At some point the towel slipped away. Kanzaki's robes were pulled open. Their bodies sank together into the warm water, sending ripples across the surface.
Kanzaki kissed her with fierce hunger, trailing down her jaw to the slender column of her neck. Jingliu felt the heat of him pressing close, the moment of crossing drawing near.
A soft, involuntary sound escaped her throat.
"Gently… Master…"
The gentle, almost sweet tone struck Kanzaki like lightning.
His entire body stiffened. The fire in his eyes vanished, replaced by sudden, sharp clarity.
He pulled back abruptly, pushing her away as he staggered two steps back against the pool wall. His chest rose and fell hard.
"That wine…"
His voice was low, almost dangerous.
"Where did you get it?"
Jingliu was still lost in the haze of what had just happened. She answered without thinking.
"It was on the most visible shelf in the cellar…"
Kanzaki's expression darkened. He drew a deep breath, forcing the remaining heat in his body under control, and turned to leave.
"Don't go!"
Jingliu lunged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist from behind. Her wet body pressed against his back.
"Master… don't go…"
Her voice trembled.
"You can do whatever you want. I'm willing. I'm willing to do anything…"
Kanzaki froze. Then he reached down and pried her hands away with firm, unhesitating strength.
"…Let go."
Jingliu refused. She clung tighter, moving around to face him. She looked up, eyes misty and pleading.
"Why? Why am I the only one you won't touch? If I've done something to displease you, just tell me! Senior Xueyi and Senior Hanya have been allowed for years. You've been with them countless times. Why am I the only one left out?"
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Am I really not allowed? Master, I love you. You're the only one in my heart. You've always been the only one!"
Kanzaki's brows drew together. For a moment, seeing her on the verge of breaking, he nearly softened.
He forced the feeling down.
He schooled his expression into cold detachment, his voice stripped of warmth.
"What happened just now was the wine's doing. It was my failure to control myself. But Jingliu, your words are out of line. Put those thoughts away. We are master and disciple. That is all we can ever be."
"I don't believe you! Master is lying!"
Jingliu's tears fell harder.
"Your body clearly wanted me! I could feel it. And you must have felt how much I wanted you too!"
If it was truly just the wine, then why had he kissed her like that? Why had he held her like a man starved?
Kanzaki did not answer.
He simply turned and walked out of the hot spring without looking back.
Jingliu stood alone in the water, the steam still rising around her, and the warmth that had filled her chest only moments ago slowly turned to ice.