My Xianxia Harem Life

Chapter 240: Chapter 240 Character

Riley glanced down at his hand, brushing the last traces of ash away before replying.

”It’s nothing but a small trick,” he said calmly, as though the act had cost him nothing. ”A method only I can use.”

In truth, it was no ordinary trick. It involved spatial anchoring and soul-bound transmission—techniques using his infinite clone technique that even powerful cultivators at the apex level of this world would find nearly impossible to replicate.

But there was no point explaining such things to her now.

He took a slow breath, his gaze falling once more on her trembling form.

The antidote was gone. His pill was useless.

And the realm itself had sealed off every other conventional option.

It seemed there truly was no other way.

He clenched his fists silently. He hadn’t expected this when he first chose to help her.

But now that he had, abandoning her wasn’t an option.

His gaze softened slightly.

”...It seems I’ll have to do it with you after all,” he murmured under his breath.

Diana looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat.

He didn’t speak the words aloud for drama or effect. It was simply the truth.

This realm had stripped away the easy choices, and now they stood at a crossroad where survival came at a cost of dignity—for them both.

But Riley had already made his decision.

”I won’t take advantage of you,” he said. ”But if this is the only way to save you... then I’ll carry the burden.”

Diana’s eyes widened, a mixture of relief, gratitude, and something else—something softer, unspoken.

”Thank you...” she whispered. She was a strong cultivator and so she would easily choose this path over death.

There were lots of possibilities left to do when alive but death, death was final.

The forest held its breath as the light around the tree grew just a little warmer, and the howls in the distance faded away.

Riley didn’t move hastily. Though the situation called for urgency, he took his time.

He understood that this wasn’t just a physical act—it carried weight, consequence, and unspoken pain.

Diana lay quietly beneath him, her breathing shallow, eyes unreadable, but he could sense the tension in her muscles, the subtle way she held herself rigid as if preparing for battle.

She wasn’t ready—not emotionally, not mentally.

So he backed away slightly and reached into his connection to the outside.

From it, he retrieved a thick, body-sized cushion made of cloudweave—a rare material in this continent, soft as air and warm as fur.

He laid it down gently on the ground, then pulled out several plush blankets, folding them with care before layering them atop the cushion.

Diana blinked, momentarily taken aback by the gesture. ”This...”

He said nothing, only offered her a faint smile.

The mystery around him deepened.

With her divine sense sealed and her strength suppressed by the secret realm’s rules, she couldn’t see through him—couldn’t even guess at his cultivation.

For all she knew, he could be a mortal... or a peak cultivator like her in disguise.

She studied him in silence, her lips parting, then closing again as if weighing her words.

Finally, her voice came out soft but firm. ”I don’t even know your name.” She asked again.

Riley paused. The request wasn’t new—she’d asked earlier, but this time there was a different weight behind her tone. A finality.

”Tell me your name,” she repeated, her eyes locking with his. ”If I’m going to give this to you... if I’m going to give myself to you... then I deserve to know who you are.”

He looked at her for a long moment, then turned his head to the side.

For some reason, the question touched something inside him—something buried beneath layers of lies and old regrets.

His real name felt too vulnerable to speak. Too dangerous, maybe.

So he reached for a memory from another life, a name of one of his favorite fictional characters.

”...Ben,” he said at last. ”My name is Ben.”

The lie was smooth on his tongue, but there was no malice in it.

Only a desire to give her something—anything—that might offer her peace.

He adjusted the mask on his face, shifting it slightly so that it now revealed his lips while concealing the rest of his features.

His expression was gentle, even kind, but unreadable beyond that.

Diana stared at him for a few heartbeats longer.

She didn’t know if that was his real name. Maybe it wasn’t.

But somehow, it didn’t matter anymore.

”Ben,” she echoed softly, as if testing it. Then she laid back on the cushion he had prepared, letting her body relax just a little bit.

”Alright... Ben.”

Riley looked down at the woman lying beneath him—the softness of her features, the tension in her posture, the way her hands gripped the blankets with silent uncertainty.

Diana was beautiful beyond words, but it wasn’t just her outer form that stirred something within him—it was the fragility in her expression, the quiet trust she had placed in a man she barely knew.

He could feel it in the way she trembled slightly, not from fear, but from anticipation, perhaps confusion.

She was likely untouched—untamed by passion or experience. A virgin.

That knowledge made him more careful, more aware of every small gesture and breath.

There was no room for recklessness today.

Of course, he had come here in his true body. Sending a clone for something like this... no.

That would’ve been an insult—to her, to the moment, and to whatever strange bond was beginning to form between them.

Some acts demanded authenticity. Presence. A soul behind the touch.

”You’re beautiful,” he said quietly, as if the words were too small to carry the weight of the truth he saw in her.

Diana’s lashes fluttered. A blush colored her cheeks, blooming slowly like the first light of dawn.

She didn’t respond with words.

She simply closed her eyes, her breath shallow, her hands curling slightly at her sides.

She was waiting. Not eager. Not resistant. Just... surrendering.

She had braced herself for pain, for urgency—for him to tear her dress aside and plunge into her without warning.

That was what she expected of men. That was what she feared.

But instead, she felt warmth.

Lips.

A kiss.

Soft. Patient. Real.

Her eyes snapped open, wide with disbelief. This... this was a kiss? Her first.

For a moment, she froze. She didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to respond.

But Riley didn’t push. He simply stayed there, lips brushing hers with a tenderness she had never imagined could exist.

Her body, uncertain but yearning, slowly began to melt beneath him.

She closed her eyes again—not out of fear this time, but to feel more deeply.

She could smell him. He carried the scent of fresh rain, cool wind, and something indescribably warm.

His touch wasn’t demanding—it was respectful, as though she were a treasure being unwrapped, not for ownership, but for appreciation.

Then something shifted inside her.

A heat.

A pull.

Her thighs pressed together involuntarily as a wave of unfamiliar warmth surged through her.

She gasped quietly into his mouth.

Her chest rose and fell more rapidly now, her heart pounding.

Her mind was spinning with sensations she couldn’t name.

”Hmmmm...” she moaned softly, the sound slipping from her lips without conscious thought.

Riley smiled against her mouth. He could feel her pulse quicken.

He knew this moment wasn’t about rushing toward the end—it was about teaching her how to feel. To be seen. To be cherished.

He pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. ”You’ve never been kissed before, have you?”

Diana looked away, embarrassed. Her cheeks were on fire.

But she gave the smallest shake of her head.

”I figured,” he said gently. ”Then let me show you how it’s supposed to be.”

He kissed her again—this time a little longer, a little deeper.

His hand found hers, fingers brushing against her palm before intertwining.

He didn’t touch her anywhere else yet. There was no urgency in him. Only presence.

Only care.

And for the first time since she had stepped into this strange, secluded realm, Diana felt something entirely unexpected.

Safe.

She didn’t know who this man truly was.

She didn’t know where he came from or why he wore that mask.

But in this moment... she trusted him.

And for now, that was enough.

”Ahhhh...” Diana couldn’t help but moan softly into the kiss as Riley’s tongue finally entered her mouth.

The shift in sensation was startling—warm, wet, and intimately invasive.

His tongue explored her slowly, teasing hers with gentle licks and playful strokes, coaxing her into responding.

She gasped against his lips, her heart fluttering in confusion and growing desire.

It didn’t take long before her instincts awakened.

Shyly at first, she began to kiss him back—tentatively pushing her tongue forward, meeting his strokes with her own.

The kiss deepened, turning into a slow, swirling dance between mouths and breath. It was lewd, yes—but there was nothing crude about it.

It was deliberate, consuming... intimate in a way that made her feel not just wanted, but seen.

She felt like she was being tasted and cherished all at once. Completely vulnerable, completely present.