Chapter 43: I’ll make you wish you were dead

There were only five ripe fruits, their golden skin glistening softly in the light, each hanging heavily from a slender branch. Yet together they were worth even more than the serpent Kael had just killed.

They really had struck it rich.

Kael was well acquainted with the Apples of Divine Providence. He had already learned about them from the many books the former owner of this body had devoured over the years.

To most cultivators, they were nothing more than pretty fruits with little practical use, except in a few very specific cases.

Even so, the market for them was enormous. Those who truly needed them were willing to pay a small fortune for a single fruit.

"System... does this fruit affect the mysterious boxes?"

[Yes! A hundred-year-old variant like this can increase your luck by 20%! The effect of each fruit lasts about an hour, so it’s best not to waste it.]

Upon hearing that, Kael’s eyes sparkled, fixed on the golden fruits hanging from the branches. They swayed gently in the damp forest breeze, their smooth skin catching the faint light that filtered through the leaves.

"Do you want these fruits?" Seraphine asked, noticing the gleam in his eyes. "They aren’t that important to me, so you can take them all."

Kael turned his face toward her. His hand slid slowly down the curve of her back and gave her butt a gentle pat.

"Silly concubine, I’m your man—everything that’s mine is yours. Don’t worry; next time we come across a fortune, you can choose whether to keep it all for yourself or share it with me."

Seraphine simply looked away, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue almost the same color as her hair.

Soon, however, she forced herself to move.

One of her older aunts in the Purewind Family had trained her for years in the art of harvesting spiritual fruits and herbs without damaging their essence.

Her nimble fingers worked carefully, plucking the five fruits from the branches one by one, each detaching with a soft snap. Then she handed them to Kael.

The handsome young man rewarded her with a kiss on the lips—stolen too quickly for her to pull away—which drew an irritated huff from her.

Her acceptance bar remained stuck at forty-nine, something that puzzled Kael a bit.

What would he need to do?

In the end, he simply sighed and continued onward through the secret realm with Seraphine at his side.

The island was enormous, and with just over three hundred disciples scattered across it, they had no unwanted encounters.

Kael kept slaying beasts along the way, his spear cutting through one after another with ease.

The metal tip tore through hide and muscle with a wet sound, blood splattering onto the leaves while the smell of iron mingled with the damp forest air.

Seraphine fought from time to time, but she preferred to stay in the back, gathering fruits and treasures with the calm of someone strolling through a garden.

For the next two days, they neither slept nor rested, focused on gathering as much wealth as possible as they advanced toward the heart of the island.

Seeing that his temporary spatial ring was already nearly half full, Kael let out a soft gasp, a satisfied smile spreading across his lips.

After that, of course, they needed to rest a bit.

Kael used his Qi to shape the trunk of a fallen tree. The wood creaked softly as it bent and smoothed under his will until it formed a small platform, and he sat down on it.

"Aren’t you going to make a bench for me, too? What happened to all that talk about ’beloved concubine’?" Seraphine asked, crossing her arms as she watched Kael lean back, completely relaxed.

She didn’t want to sit on that damp ground.

Well, deep down she already knew the answer to her own question, and Kael didn’t hesitate.

Grabbing Seraphine’s delicate figure by the waist, he pulled her against him.

The bench creaked under the added weight, but it held.

Seraphine’s butt landed on Kael’s lap, the rounded flesh spreading and molding to the shape of his thighs while her back came to rest against his broad chest.

She shifted slightly, seeking a more comfortable position, and the rubbing of that plump bottom against his lap—a slow swaying from side to side that made Kael tighten his arms around her slender waist.

Beneath his palm, her belly was smooth and warm, rising and falling with her still slightly quickened breathing.

Kael pressed his nose into her pink hair.

Seraphine was a very clean woman; she even wasted Qi to ensure she always smelled good, even after two days without rest.

Kael drew in that soft scent, closing his eyes.

He’d spent his whole life jumping through the windows of heartless sons of bitches to fuck their wives.

Honestly, he had to admit that, especially for a passionate man like him, having a woman all to himself—and only his—felt incredibly good.

"Lucian is with David and Sol... they’re going to come after us; you know that, don’t you? Are you planning to join them and kill me as soon as they show up?" Kael finally spoke, his voice low against her ear.

Seraphine didn’t answer. She bit her lower lip, feeling her whole body tense against his, her shoulders stiff and her fingers slowly clenching around her own knee.

"I-I..." In the end, she could only stammer before forcing herself back into silence.

Kael shook his head, sighing as he spread his Qi senses throughout the surrounding forest.

He could sense figures approaching—three in total.

Two were running at full speed, while the third could barely keep up.

"I can feel them getting closer—maybe about fifteen kilometers away." He stood up, carefully helping Seraphine to her feet.

Then he looked at her, his expression calm but his gaze steady.

"If you want to betray me, fine. I won’t judge you, but I’ll make you wish you were dead. If you want to fight by my side, very well."