The Bargain

The dynamic shifted.

Han could no longer look at her with disdain. He looked at her with wariness, like a man eyeing a cliff edge he wanted to jump from.

He found her on the balcony the next evening. She was staring at the stars.

"You saved my cultivation," Han said stiffly. He stood ten feet away.

"I saved your life," Chloe corrected. "There's a difference."

"To me, there is not."

He hesitated. "You wish to return to your world."

Chloe turned. "Yes. I had a cat. I had plants. I had... plans. I didn't want to die, Han. I just needed a vacation."

Han looked at the stars. "When I ascend to the Ninth Heaven, the barriers between realms will thin. The energy released will open a rift. If you are standing in the formation, I can direct the energy to send you home."

Chloe’s eyes lit up. "You can send me back? To Earth?"

"Yes."

"Why would you do that?" Chloe asked suspiciously. "I'm your battery."

"Once I ascend, I will be a god," Han said, his arrogance returning, though it felt like armor now. "I will have no need for a stabilizing vessel. You will be... redundant."

"Redundant," Chloe scoffed, but she smiled. "Fine. I'll take redundant. So we have a deal? I help you ascend, you send me home?"

"A Dao oath," Han agreed.

He stepped closer. "But until then... you must not tempt me. My Vow requires purity of heart. If I fall to desire, the tribulation lightning will destroy me."

"I won't tempt you," Chloe promised. "I'll just be my charming self."

Han looked at her, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. "That is the problem, Luo."

"My name is Chloe."

Han paused. "Chloe."

The way he said it, testing the foreign syllables, sent a shiver down her spine.

"Chloe," he repeated. "We have a bargain."

They shook hands. His grip was firm, warm. He didn't let go immediately.