Chapter 119 A Skilled Scene

The warm pool water rippled gently, and the swirling mist blurred the boundaries.

Yu Linglong finally moved behind Xiao Ming, just inches away from him.

The man's broad shoulders and back had smooth lines and well-defined muscles, glowing with a healthy sheen under the hazy water vapor and exuding an invisible sense of oppression.

She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes, damp with fine water droplets, trembling slightly.

Her sister Linlang's innocent, pure smile flashed through her mind, as did the fear and anxiety of walking on thin ice within the Demon Sect these past few days.

Finally, it settled on Xiao Ming's eyes, which seemed to hold a smirk and the ability to see through everything.

"For my sister... for Linlang!"

She took a deep breath, then slowly reached out, took a silk cloth, and gently laid it over Xiao Ming's shoulder blades.

Yu Linglong's fingertips inevitably brushed against the warm arms and firm back in front of her.

She began to carefully and diligently wipe Xiao Ming's back, stroke by stroke.

Although her movements were stiff, she was doing her best; she forced herself to focus on the task at hand, as if she were merely completing a duty that had to be done well.

The mist swirled, and the maiden's faint, slightly uneven breathing was close at hand, blending with the sound of the rippling water to create a quiet yet ambiguous atmosphere.

Xiao Ming half-closed his eyes in contentment, feeling the beauty behind him gently tending to him, his heart soaring with pleasure.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, just as Yu Linglong was beginning to immerse herself in this mechanical wiping that allowed her to temporarily forget her embarrassment, Xiao Ming suddenly reached an arm backward and precisely grasped the slender wrist that was moving across his back.

Yu Linglong's movements came to an abrupt halt, her whole body stiffening, and the silk cloth in her hand nearly fell. Feeling the scorching body heat radiating from his arm, her heart, which had just begun to relax, suddenly accelerated with a thud.

"Not bad at all." Xiao Ming's deep voice rang out with a hint of lazy amusement, sounding exceptionally magnetic—and exceptionally... dangerous—in the swirling mist.

He did not let go, but with a slight tug, he pulled the tense figure standing behind him gently to his side.

Yu Linglong let out a low gasp, nearly stumbling as she fell into the pool, landing right beside Xiao Ming. Warm water splashed up, drenching more of them both.

The distance between the two instantly closed, so close that they could clearly see the contours of each other's faces, adorned with water droplets.

Yu Linglong's hand was still held by Xiao Ming, while her other hand instinctively pressed against the pool wall beside him to steady herself; her white dress clung to her, outlining breathtaking curves.

Xiao Ming gently pinched her chin, forcing her to tilt her face up and look directly at him.

His gaze lingered briefly on the ethereal white dress and the hazy, seductive sight, before finally locking onto her eyes again.

"Alright," he said, his thin lips curling slightly, his voice dropping extremely low, filled with a bewitching tone. His gaze slowly swept across his own chest, and then... "How about here? Could you help this Saint... wipe this too?"

Yu Linglong's mind went "boom," instantly turning blank; only the man's deep words and scorching temperature remained, incredibly distinct in the swirling mist.

On the other side, a cute little thing had been pacing in front of the main hall for quite a while, and in the end, she could not suppress the pounding heart in her chest.

She tilted her head slightly, her slender fingers unconsciously poking her smooth, slightly pouted chin. Her clear eyes blinked as she gazed at the heavy, tightly closed door of the main hall.

"Sister Chi Lianer said... that Sister is busy with important matters with the Saint..." she muttered to herself, her rosy lips unconsciously pouting slightly, revealing a touch of innocent distress. "I suppose I shouldn't disturb them..."

But... her mind uncontrollably flashed back to previous scenes—the strange, blush-inducing noises she had vaguely heard outside the main hall's bedchamber last time; and the time before that, when she had accidentally stumbled upon the indescribable scene between the Saint and that stunningly beautiful woman... Every time she thought of this, it felt like a little rabbit was thumping inside her chest, pounding wildly, her curiosity feeling like a feather gently scratching at her heart.

"Just... just one look?" she whispered to convince herself, her toes already moving forward uncontrollably. "...It should be fine, right?"

The little voice of reason was shouting "No!", but the little voice of curiosity had already grabbed the kite string and was pulling her along. In the end, curiosity completely took the upper hand.

She looked left and right like a thief, and after confirming no one was around, she moved like a light, timid kitten, tiptoeing step by step toward the main hall door. Each step was cautious, for fear of disturbing anything.

Arriving at the hall door, she took a deep breath, raised her hand, and knocked lightly a few times. The sound was extremely faint, almost inaudible.

"Saint... Sister...? Are you inside?" She pressed her small face against the cold door, lowered her voice, and called timidly toward the crack in the door, her voice soft and sweet, carrying obvious trepidation.

The hall was silent, with only her own echo and heartbeat drumming in her ears. She waited for a long while, but there was no response.

"Is no one here?" Yu Linlang blinked, her curiosity instead flaring up like a small flame doused in oil. She recalled a similar experience last time—also knocking without an answer, and then...

She bit her lower lip, a flash of hesitation crossing her eyes, but it was replaced by a sense of adventure, a mix of "I knew it" and "Let's go see." Her small hand pressed gently against the heavy hall door, and she pushed with all her might—

"Boom—" The hall door, just like last time, slowly opened. A warm scent, mixed with sandalwood and another rich, maidenly fragrance, drifted out from within.

Yu Linlang's heart raced even faster, filled with the thrill of doing something naughty. She nimbly squeezed through the narrow door crack, then turned and gently closed the hall door behind her, her movements surprisingly practiced (it seemed the experience from last time had not gone to waste).

Standing in the center of the empty main hall, her large eyes darted around, and her gaze quickly locked onto an inconspicuous side door behind the main seat—that was the path to the bathing pool in the back.

Last time, it was also this location...

With almost no hesitation (or rather, curiosity had completely taken over her brain), Yu Linlang lightened her steps and walked toward that side door. The closer she got, the more obvious the warm, damp water vapor in the air seemed to become, mixed with several unusually pleasant scents. Faintly, there seemed to be an extremely slight, barely distinguishable... sound of water rippling?

She held her breath, carefully turned her head, and peeked half her little head out, her large, clear, and bright eyes, filled with curiosity and a touch of unease, peeking through the crack in the door to look inside...