Finally, after all the loud laughter and bickering, Zhao Ren huffed and raised his arms. "I can’t stand this anymore. I sll like a dead sewer rat that took a nap beside another sewer rat."
He summoned his tal ability and slowly ford a small shield to block himself off from view. After that, a round tal tub appeared at his feet, and then he built a makeshift room around it—just enough to hide his bathing process.
Everyone watched in mild amusent as the guy who had just climbed out of a spider’s skull was now desperate to scrub himself clean.
Because even after dousing himself with more water, Zhao Ren grimaced. "Ugh. It still stinks. Like sothing fernted in my bones."
The others, who had tried to keep a safe distance, now exchanged glances and then collectively took a step back.
"You’re not the only one," Yan Lin muttered, covering her nose.
Sweat, spider guts, gri, dried blood—everyone was covered in layers of filth. After the long battle, they all looked like they’d been rolling in monster intestines.
"Zhao Ren, make a bigger room!" Yun Shou complained, "We need to wash too!"
"Yeah!" Ji Ming agreed. "If I spend another minute in these clothes, I’ll fuse with them!"
Zhao Ren clicked his tongue in annoyance but still obeyed. With a few waves of his hand, the tal room expanded. Separate sections ford inside, like private stalls, and each ca with its own tal tub.
"Happy now, your majesties?" he snorted.
Yan Lin rolled her eyes but stepped forward, swirling her fingers. Streams of clean water flowed into every tub, rising steadily. Then, with a slow spin of her wrist, steam began rising from the surface. The water was now perfectly warm.
Zhao Ren didn’t wait. The mont his tub was full, he peeled off his soaked t-shirt, revealing toned muscles beneath. His skin was covered in streaks of black gri, but even through the ss, the shape of his body was clear. He turned to Yan Lin with a wink.
"You sure you don’t want to stay and watch?"
Yan Lin’s face twisted with disgust. "At least let leave before stripping further, you shaless man."
But Zhao Ren only laughed and continued peeling off his clothes.
Muttering sothing that sounded like a curse, Yan Lin spun around and marched out, her boots splashing in the thin puddles left behind. "Next ti I’m freezing the water instead."
As the n took turns using the bathing stalls, Ji Ming pulled out fresh towels, soap, shampoo, and even a few clean shirts from his space. "Here, use these," he offered kindly.
Chen Wei and Liang Zihan shook their heads.
"We’re good," Chen Wei said. "You keep yours. We have our supplies too.."
"I’ve got my own stuff too," Liang Zihan added. "No need to use yours."
With that sorted, the n finally scrubbed themselves down. One by one, the gri fell away. Spider guts, dried blood, the lingering sll of rot—it all vanished under the steady stream of warm water and thick foam.
Wet clothes were washed, boots were scrubbed, and hair was rinsed clean. When they stepped out, each of them looked like completely different people.
Every guy walked out shirtless or in damp, clinging shirts that highlighted defined muscles and taut bodies. Their wet hair stuck to their skin, their freshly cleaned faces sohow looking even more handso under the sunlight filtering through the cracks in the villa roof.
Zhao Ren was the first one out. He deliberately walked past Yan Lin, humming a low tune and dragging his hand through his wet hair. The motion flung a few stray water droplets onto her face.
"Feeling refreshed is really good," he humd.
Yan Lin didn’t even flinch. She only rolled her eyes at him, her expression flat. She knew what he was doing. She always knew. But she didn’t respond. She chose to ignore him, letting the flirtation slide past like water off her shoulder.
As the boys wrapped towels around their necks and began to dry off in the sun, Yan Lin walked back toward the bathing area. She changed the used water into fresh warm water once more, this ti for the girls.
The boys, now clean and in a much better mood, promised to prepare food while the girls bathed.
"We’ll make sothing good," Ji Ming called out, waving a ladle he had just pulled out from his space.
Yan Lin snorted. "Don’t burn the rice."
Liora, already holding the child, walked with the others to the bathing stalls. She crouched down and spoke to him gently.
"Let help you bathe, okay?"
The boy imdiately shook his head and backed away, his lips pressing into a stubborn line. He made a few hand motions to show that he could do it himself.
Liora stared at him for a mont, then gave in with a small sigh. "Okay, okay. But here, use this."
She handed him a small bottle of body wash, a bar of soap, a travel-sized shampoo, and a clean set of clothes. Though plain, they were fresh and soft. The boy took them silently.
"If you need anything, knock on the wall. Or ask one of the uncles outside, alright?"
He gave a small nod and walked to his stall, clutching the items close to his chest like treasure.
Liora smiled faintly, then went to clean herself. Her skin was caked in gri, her jacket was long ruined with blood, and her clothes had torn in multiple places. She didn’t even try to save them. Instead, she tossed them aside and brought out a completely new set from her space.
The warm water in her tub was soothing against her skin. She subrged herself, letting the heat relax her sore muscles.
She scrubbed her body twice, hard, until her skin turned slightly pink. Her fingers worked the soap through her hair, rubbing out every trace of dried sweat and filth. When the water began to grow murky, she emptied half of it and poured fresh water from her space again.
Only when her skin felt soft and clean and the gentle floral scent of the body wash lingered in the air did she lean back against the edge of the tub and close her eyes.
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