As night fell, Chen Yin found Nan Xiaoxiang in the hut she used as a clinic.
The entrance was crowded with villagers lying on straw mats, their bodies bandaged and wounded.
Nan Xiaoxiang was tending a fire beneath a dicinal cauldron, her face etched with concentration, her usually pristine white robes now stained with soot and dust.
The miasma of the Wu Xuan Cave made it difficult to keep the fire going, and she struggled to fan the flas, her brow furrowed with effort.
“Let do it.”
She looked up, and Chen Yin, with a wave of his hand, adjusted the flas to the perfect temperature.
“You… know how to control the fire for dicinal herbs?” Nan Xiaoxiang asked, surprised.
“I’ve watched you do it enough tis.”
Chen Yin glanced at her face and couldn’t help but smile.
Nan Xiaoxiang, realizing she probably had soot on her face, blushed and turned away.
“Don’t laugh at !”
Chen Yin took out a handkerchief, gently lifted her chin, and wiped the sweat and soot from her face, his gaze eting hers.
She wasn’t used to his gentle touch.
“It’s fine…” she mumbled, “I can do it myself—”
“Your hands are ant for healing.”
Chen Yin said seriously, “I can handle these small tasks.”
Nan Xiaoxiang paused, then couldn’t help but say, “Learning new ways to flatter won, Young Master Chen?”
“I’ll stop if you don’t like it.”
She didn’t reply.
Because she liked it. She enjoyed his complints, although she couldn’t explain why.
Chen Yin glanced at the injured villagers, their numbers overflowing the small hut. “You don’t have to work so hard. I can heal them with my spiritual energy.”
Nan Xiaoxiang shook her head.
“You know that using spiritual energy to heal mortals is dangerous. It requires channeling it directly into their ridians. And that can be harmful to those without the aptitude for cultivation. Besides, I’ve already treated their wounds. The rest is up to their bodies to heal.”
Chen Yin thought for a mont. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Nan Xiaoxiang hesitated, then blushed and said softly,
“I… would like to take a bath.”
“But I can’t boil that much water. Could you help ?”
She looked at him with pleading eyes.
Chen Yin nodded without hesitation.
That evening, in Nan Xiaoxiang’s room…
Steam rose from behind a screen.
Chen Yin sat by the hearth, tending the fire, keeping the water hot for her bath.
Nan Xiaoxiang needed soone to constantly replenish the hot water.
Chen Yin didn’t mind.
After all, the image of a beautiful woman bathing, even just the sound of splashing water, was enough to fuel his imagination.
He listened to the soft sounds coming from behind the screen and, whenever the water was ready, he would place the bucket by the screen.
A slender arm would reach out, take the bucket, and disappear behind the screen.
The room was quiet.
As if to break the awkward silence, Nan Xiaoxiang’s voice suddenly ca from behind the screen:
“Young Master Chen… are you done with your business?”
“Yes,” Chen Yin nodded. “We’ll return to Mount Yu with the Grand Witch in two days and cure Ye Ling’er. Then we’ll just wait for the Triennial Day.”
“The Triennial Day…”
Nan Xiaoxiang sighed softly. “What will happen on that day?”
Chen Yin was silent for a mont.
“I don’t know.”
“But for a mortal like ,” she chuckled wryly, “if there’s truly a disaster, all I can do is wait for death, right?”
“Are you afraid of dying, Miss Nan?”
“I’m not afraid of death,” she said softly, “but I still have so much I want to do. My dical skills are still lacking. There’s so much I haven’t learned yet. I don’t want to die aninglessly.”
Chen Yin looked at the screen and shook his head gently.
“Don’t worry.”
“I won’t let any of you die.”
“…No matter what happens.”
The splashing sounds behind the screen stopped.
After a long silence, Nan Xiaoxiang’s voice ca again, a hint of hesitation in her tone:
“Young Master Chen, we’ll be returning to Mount Yu tomorrow.”
“If you’re free… could you accompany sowhere?”
Chen Yin blinked.
“Where?”
“…Just a place.” Her voice was filled with a quiet lancholy. “After all these years, it’s probably just ruins now. The na doesn’t matter anymore.”
Chen Yin nodded slowly. “Alright.”
A mont later, the sound of splashing water resud, and Nan Xiaoxiang erged from behind the screen, her body wrapped in a thin white cloth, water droplets clinging to her skin, her hair piled up on her head, revealing her delicate neck and shoulders.
Her eyes were clear and bright as she looked at him, one hand clutching the cloth to prevent it from falling.
“I haven’t had such a relaxing bath in a long ti.”
“Thank you, Young Master Chen.” She bowed her head slightly.
Chen Yin’s gaze lingered on her for a mont, captivated by her beauty.
Nan Xiaoxiang suddenly smiled. “Do I look good, Young Master Chen?”
“Uh… do you want the truth, or a lie?”
“The truth, of course.”
“You look beautiful,” Chen Yin said seriously. “Alluring and elegant.”
He had thought she was being sarcastic, but she just sat down at the table and poured herself a cup of tea, her voice casual.
“When we first t, you almost saw like this.”
Chen Yin rembered kidnapping her and chuckled awkwardly.
“I was just trying to save a life. And I did wait for you to finish your bath.”
“But at the ti, I really thought you would barge in and carry away.”
Nan Xiaoxiang’s lips curved into a playful smile. “You surprised , Young Master Chen. You’re a true gentleman.”
“I’ve always been a gentleman.”
Although he said that, Chen Yin felt a little flustered.
…Nan Xiaoxiang was sitting there, just a thin cloth draped over her body, her skin still damp and warm from the bath, her hand gracefully holding a teacup.
He had never seen her like this before.
She was usually so reserved and modest, her deanor always proper and elegant.
Now, she was practically naked before him, showing no hint of shyness.
Did she really trust him that much?
And he had to admit, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Her unique blend of mortal and ethereal beauty, her flawless features, were enough to make any man lose his mind.
Under her intense gaze, Chen Yin couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious.
“If you like what you see, Young Master Chen, feel free to admire the view.”
She said with a playful smile, “You might not get another chance.”
Although tempted, Chen Yin reluctantly looked away and scoffed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have plenty of opportunities to see the full version.”
“Are you that confident? Are you still planning on making fall for you, Young Master Chen?”
“Don’t you believe ?”
Nan Xiaoxiang suddenly giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, her expression playful and teasing.
“If I said I didn’t believe you, wouldn’t that only fuel your desire to conquer ?”
“So don’t play with fire.”
Chen Yin grinned mischievously. “What if I accidentally set myself on fire?”
Nan Xiaoxiang didn’t answer.
She just smiled faintly, her eyes downcast.
“Yes, what if…”
“What if I really do get burned?”
“…What then?” She looked out the window, her voice light and carefree, making Chen Yin wonder if she was joking or serious.
“It’s getting late, Young Master Chen. You should go back and rest.”
“It’s already so late,” Chen Yin said with a pitiful expression, “won’t you take in for the night, Miss Nan?”
Nan Xiaoxiang didn’t get angry, just smiled at him playfully.
“The bed in this room is quite big.”
“But… are you sure you want to stay here?”
“Isn’t there soone waiting for you in your room?”
Chen Yin’s face fell, and he chuckled awkwardly.
…She was right.
A certain foolish girl who had just fought a life-or-death battle was probably still asleep in his room.
He had to take care of her. He didn’t have ti for Nan Xiaoxiang’s gas.
And she had seen right through his playful teasing.
He sighed and said, “Then wake up tomorrow morning before you leave.”
“I’ll go now.”
After he left, Nan Xiaoxiang smiled softly.
Under the cool moonlight, she removed the thin cloth, revealing her bare back and shoulders, and walked towards the bed.
She blinked, the moonlight reflected in her eyes.
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