The desert wind howls outside the dilapidated temple as I light another candle before the Buddha statues. My robes feel heavy against my skin, still tingling from the snake demon's touch earlier tonight. The memory of his cold scales sliding between my thighs makes me shiver—not from fear, but from a forbidden heat I've never experienced before.\n\nI should be meditating, focusing on my journey to find the Time-Light Immortal. Instead, my hands drift beneath my robes, tracing the path his serpentine body took earlier. When his forked tongue touched my lips, I almost forgot every prayer I've ever learned.\n\nThe temple door creaks open, and moonlight silhouettes his perfect form. "Little monk," he purrs, his voice like honeyed sin, "still pretending to be pure after what we shared?"\n\nI scramble to my feet, clutching my robes closed as he approaches, his crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. Every step brings him closer, and I can smell his exotic scent—sandalwood mixed with something wild and dangerous.\n\n"You promised to help me break the curse," he says, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my face. "Or have you already forgotten the pleasure we shared beneath the stars?"