Interlude: Imperial Cloud City
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Shao Zhilan of the Divine Frozen Palace wakes up in the embrace of three men.
Gently, she extracts herself from the bed, carefully navigating through the tangle of silk sheets and limbs to avoid waking her husbands. Not that she thinks that is possible. Last night’s activities have taken a significant toll on them. Such is what happens when the disparity between partners is too great. Alas, her husbands had been eager to please, and she would never be so cruel as to deny them.
With graceful and silent steps, Shao Zhilan makes her way to the baths. As an Emperor Realm cultivator, a single burst of Qi would be enough to completely purify her body. Nevertheless, she spends over an hour relaxing in a marble pool large enough to fit several dozen people. No servants accompany her there. Bathing is a time for introspection. It requires solitude.
Besides, the sight of her naked body is one reserved solely for her husbands.
Once she is done, Shao Zhilan puts on a sky-blue dress decorated with rubies and sapphires. The dress is made of very thin material, shows much, and promises more. She is not particularly enthused about having to wear blue so often, but she is in the capital as the representative of the Divine Frozen Palace. It is important to always look the part. Clothes, jewels, perfume. All have to be picked carefully.
“How do I look?” she asks Tie Leji, her closest aide, friend, and husband.
“Marvelous as always,” her husband replies, the lines on his face creasing as he smiles.
“And the job I told you about last week?”