My Xianxia Harem Life

It had already been a year since Riley married Anastasia, and Ruby decided the time had finally come to strike.

Life in Heaven's Gate City was stable, almost too stable.

Riley had built for himself a household overflowing with beauty, warmth, and loyalty, yet Ruby knew that such comfort came with cracks.

She had watched him closely—how his wives adored him, how he tried to divide his time between them fairly, how he exhausted himself just to make each of them feel seen.

It was noble, even admirable, but it revealed one undeniable truth: Riley could never truly say no to a woman who entered his life early enough.

His soft heart was his strength and his weakness.

And Ruby intended to carve her way in through that weakness.

She had not rushed. She had been patient, biding her time through twelve long months.

In those months, she gained a deeper understanding of him than most of his wives had managed.

She memorized his patterns, when he left the manor, when he trained alone, when he lingered in quiet thought.

Riley was rarely unaccompanied, but there was one place where he often sought solitude—the cultivation chamber, tucked at the heart of the estate.

It was his true sanctuary, where even his wives rarely disturbed him unless it was urgent.

That chamber was Ruby's doorway.

The night she chose to act was calm, the heavens cloaked in a silver moon.

Slipping through the estate was dangerous, but Ruby moved like a shadow, her presence masked by years of discipline.

The air grew heavy with concentrated spiritual energy the closer she drew to his chamber, the kind that weighed on the lungs and filled the soul with unease.

When she entered, she paused.

The chamber was as serene as the man himself—neatly arranged scrolls stacked on one side of the desk, the faint traces of burning incense still lingering, the walls humming softly with runes carved into the stone.

Ruby let her eyes roam the space as though she were stepping into his mind, intimate and private.

On the desk before her, she set down a single folded letter.

The parchment was scented faintly with her perfume, the seal marked with her personal crest.

The contents of the letter were written with delicate precision, her handwriting flowing like silk.

It wasn't a reckless confession, nor a desperate plea—it was a careful temptation, crafted with the knowledge that Riley's heart always leaned toward kindness, toward understanding.

It was a simple invitation to adventure. A little break to the monotony of city life.

Ruby pressed the letter gently against the desk, her lips curving into the faintest smile.

He will not resist. He never does. And when he comes, the first step will be mine.

Before leaving, she allowed her fragrance to linger faintly in the chamber, a subtle reminder of her intrusion.

Then, silent as mist, she vanished into the night, her heart pounding not from fear but from anticipation.

The stage was set. The trap had been laid.

And now, she waited for Riley to open the letter that would change everything.

***

One day later, Riley—appeared right before Ruby, just as she had hoped.

"So, what did you have in mind, Ruby?" Riley asked calmly. He held the letter she had sent, its seal already broken.

The message had been vague, only suggesting that she wished to spend some "quality time" with him.

Of course, Riley wasn't ignorant—he knew well enough what such words could mean.

But rather than confront it directly, he chose to let Ruby take the lead.

Part of him wanted to see what surprise she had in store.

Ruby smiled, hiding the quickened beat of her heart beneath her composed expression.

"I don't know… I just thought, since you love fishing so much, I found a place where the catch is said to be incredible. Do you have the time, Riley?"

At the mention of fishing, something in Riley softened. His eyes shifted slightly, as though a distant memory had surfaced, and his lips curved faintly.

"Sure. It's been a while since I last went fishing anyway," he replied with a nod.

"Perfect. Let's go then—right now." Ruby's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

She had counted on this.

She knew Riley's habits well enough, and she also knew he had been too consumed with cultivation, duties, and his wives to ever set aside time for such a simple pleasure.

This would be her opening.

The two didn't bother packing much.

Ruby had already prepared the essentials, and in just moments they disappeared from Heaven's Gate City, their forms slipping through the ether.

When they reappeared, a vast expanse stretched before them—a pristine beach where the waves rolled in slow, rhythmic arcs, their foam glittering under the afternoon sun.

The sea was impossibly blue, stretching to the horizon like liquid sapphire, and the air smelled fresh, carrying the faint scent of salt and flowers that grew along the shore.

Seagulls circled lazily above, their cries blending with the sound of the tide.

"Nice," Riley said simply, though the rare spark of delight in his eyes revealed more than his words. "I love it here already."

Without hesitation, he summoned his fishing gear, the movements practiced and fluid.

His expression grew calm, almost boyish, as he prepared his line and bait, his focus slipping away from everything else.

For once, he wasn't the untouchable cultivator or the leader of countless wives—he was just Riley, a man indulging in one of his favorite pastimes.

Ruby stood a little ways behind him, watching silently.

She had to admit, there was something disarming about this side of him.

The man who could crush empires with a wave of his hand was now crouching at the shore, carefully setting up his rod with the patience of someone who had all the time in the world.

His hair fluttered in the sea breeze, and his profile looked almost too perfect against the glowing backdrop of the ocean.

"You really do look happy when you're fishing," Ruby said softly as she stepped closer.

Riley chuckled lightly, casting his line into the water. "It reminds me of simpler times. Before… everything else. There's a peace here that's hard to find anywhere else."

Ruby let his words linger in the air before she sat down beside him on the smooth white sand.

She leaned back slightly, supporting herself with her hands, her gaze fixed on the endless horizon. "Peace… I guess that's something we all crave, isn't it? Even people like us."

Riley gave her a sidelong glance, his expression unreadable. "Even people like us," he agreed.

For a while, silence reigned, broken only by the whisper of waves and the occasional tug on Riley's fishing line.

Each time, he reeled in with practiced ease, catching one gleaming fish after another before tossing them into a small conjured basket.

Ruby pretended to be interested in the catch, but her attention never truly left him.

Every smile, every flicker of contentment on his face—it only deepened her resolve.

And all around them, the tranquil waves continued to lap against the shore, as though urging her to take one step closer.

For now, Ruby decided to bide her time.

The opportunity was already in her grasp—Riley was here, alone with her, far away from the watchful eyes of his wives.

There was no need to rush, no need to spoil something as delicate and important as this.

Instead, she would savor it, let the moment ripen until it became irresistible.

Every glance, every word, every gesture would draw him closer without him even realizing it.

Patience, she reminded herself, was the true weapon of a woman.

***

Riley caught a good number of fish and, with casual ease, began preparing them over a small fire he conjured on the shore.

The scent of fresh fish slowly roasting drifted into the salty breeze, filling the air with warmth and comfort.

While he cooked, Ruby slipped away toward the sea, her laughter soft as she waded into the crystal-blue water.

She swam with graceful strokes, her figure cutting through the gentle waves.

The sunlight shimmered on her wet skin, droplets clinging like jewels as she dove beneath the surface and rose again, hair slicked back and glistening.

For a moment, Riley tried to keep his focus on the sizzling fish, but his gaze kept wandering toward her—toward the way the ocean seemed to embrace her form.

By the time Ruby returned to shore, the fish was perfectly cooked, their golden skin crisp and fragrant.

She walked barefoot across the sand, water trickling down her legs, clinging to every curve before dripping into the ground.

Her thin dress clung tightly to her body, transparent in places from the sea's touch.

Riley looked up—and froze.

His calm composure faltered as his eyes swept over her.

The sight of Ruby, radiant and dripping under the sun, was enough to steal his breath.

His gaze roamed her figure instinctively, taking in every enticing detail.

Heat stirred in his chest, then lower, spreading through him like wildfire.

Before he even realized it, his body betrayed him—his desire already hard and insistent.

Ruby noticed.

She didn't miss the way his eyes darkened, nor the faint shift of his posture.

A slow, knowing smile curved her lips as she approached, each step deliberate, as though savoring the effect she had on him.