Autumn deepens in the courtyard.
Nearly nine months have passed since Jiang Huai arrived in the upper realm. In three more months, Jiang Ning will be able to temporarily seal the Void Dark Night and return to White Dew Mountain.
Only three months left.
Consequently, Jiang Huai has been feeling rather anxious lately. The late autumn weather is slightly cold, but fortunately, Ning Yuzhu has prepared hot pot in the courtyard. Various ingredients are neatly arranged, creating a lively atmosphere, and everyone’s wine cups are filled with osmanthus wine.
Jiang Huai ate until his belly was full and drank a good amount. When Jiang Zhi raised her cup, she would look at him, and he had no choice but to raise his cup. Ning Yuzhu would also look at him when she raised her cup, and of course, he had to too. Fang Moye did the same.
Before long, he had consumed two full bottles of osmanthus wine.
For some reason, Jiang Huai felt a sense of foreboding. Based on recent subtle clues, he suspected that the scheming Ning Yuzhu was harboring malicious intentions. Ning Yuzhu always reminded him of Wanwan. If they met, they would likely get along exceptionally well.
Would that mean double torment for him, Jiang Xiaohu? He could already barely handle one Wanwan. Jiang Huai had a strange intuition that the good days were yet to come.
By the time all the ingredients on the table were eaten, Jiang Huai had already drunk five pots of osmanthus wine, his head feeling a bit dizzy. He heard Ning Yuzhu say, “Let’s go, time to bathe.”
“Hehehe…”
Jiang Huai wondered if it was a bathhouse play today. Dazedly standing up, he was led by Ning Yuzhu to the bathhouse. Upon entering the bathhouse and just as he was removing his outer clothes, he turned around and realized Jiang Zhi and Fang Moye were also behind him.
Ning Yuzhu had brought him to White Dew Mountain’s largest hot spring pool. The water was clear, and mist swirled around. Before Jiang Huai could speak, Ning Yuzhu untied his sash and said softly, “It’s good to bathe, isn’t it? I like the scenery by this pool.”
There were clusters of red maple trees by the pool. Jiang Huai, in his daze, was led into the pool by Ning Yuzhu. However, she didn’t take off her clothes, allowing her white dress to soak in the water and cling to her skin. Jiang Zhi and Fang Moye also came into the pool, though Jiang Zhi swam to Ning Yuzhu’s side. Fang Moye quietly leaned in a corner, feeling the warmth of the pool water enveloping her skin.
Jiang Huai felt a bit uneasy at first. Fortunately, he soon discovered that no one was paying him any attention. Instead, Jiang Zhi and Ning Yuzhu quickly started playing in the pool, and their play soon moved to Fang Moye, where they began to tug at her clothes. Ning Yuzhu muttered, “How can one bathe while still wearing clothes?”
Fang Moye’s face showed no shyness or annoyance, only a calm response, “I’ll take them off myself.”
Soon, her clothes were removed, and the bodies of the three women were submerged in the pool, only their shoulders floating on the surface like mermaids. Jiang Zhi and Ning Yuzhu seemed to have conspired to tease Fang Moye, gathering around her and claiming they would help their senior sister bathe. Fang Moye’s body was touched by the two for quite some time, until she slightly frowned. Ning Yuzhu then said in a flustered tone, “Alright, alright, if you keep playing, Senior Sister will get angry.”
The two then swam over to Jiang Huai to tease him, hugging his arms from left and right, their chests rubbing against him. In his daze, Jiang Huai blindly grabbed one into his embrace. Before he could say anything, Ning Yuzhu, who was in his arms, grabbed his arm, flipped over, and then straddled him. She put her arms around his neck, her eyes looking at him playfully yet gently, “Uh-huh?”
“It’s just bathing, Junior Brother, no bad thoughts allowed,” Ning Yuzhu’s fingertips lightly tapped his forehead.
“Ah?”
All his fantasies in his mind were shattered once again.
The next moment, laughter erupted from Jiang Zhi and Ning Yuzhu in the pool. Both women were shaking with laughter, Jiang Zhi laughing the most joyfully. She said, “See, I told you! He’s definitely thinking he can bully all three of us tonight.”
Jiang Huai silently sank to the bottom of the water, unwilling to play with these two wicked women.
So bathing was truly just bathing, with none of the scenes Jiang Huai had imagined. After bathing, Ning Yuzhu and Jiang Zhi began to put on their clothes by the pool, looking at Jiang Huai playfully, as if making fun of him and shattering his fantasies was particularly amusing.
Jiang Huai silently curled up in a corner of the pool, soaking in the hot spring, not wanting to talk to them. They were all wicked women.
Jiang Zhi and Ning Yuzhu both put on their nightgowns and then discussed going to the mountaintop to watch the moon. They then left with light steps. Jiang Huai watched them go into the distance with a wistful sigh. Glancing back at the pool, Fang Moye slowly stood up, seemingly preparing to leave.
“Ancestral Master, you’re leaving too?”
“I’ve finished bathing,” Fang Moye replied calmly, and she also walked out of the pool. Water droplets rolled down her porcelain white body. She picked up her nightgown, about to put it on, when Jiang Huai by the pool suddenly grabbed her ankle. Fang Moye lowered her head and looked at him, “What are you doing?”
“I want to talk with Ancestral Master.”
“You’re supposed to accompany Ning Yuzhu tonight.”
Although there was no agreement stating one could not dual cultivate with another person if they were supposed to accompany someone that night, this seemed to be an established rule. Yet, at this moment, Jiang Huai broke this rule. Looking at Fang Moye before him, “It’s not evening yet, Ancestral Master, how about… accompanying me for a little while?”
Fang Moye was silent for a moment, then put down her nightgown. She stepped back into the pool with her white and tender little feet, sitting right next to his shoulder. They both looked at the red maple trees in the distance.
She was completely unclothed, yet every inch of her body had been kissed by Jiang Huai. At this moment, it seemed like there was no difference whether she was wearing clothes or not.
Looking at her profile, Jiang Huai’s drunkenness seemed to sober up slightly. After a slight hesitation, he asked softly, “How many cycles can we dual cultivate between us, Ancestral Master?”
“The last one.”
Yes, even though Fang Moye might have been suspected of slacking off, there was only one cycle left at this moment.
Once this last cycle ended, they would no longer have a reason to dual cultivate. Jiang Huai hesitated for a long time before softly asking, “After we finish cultivating this cycle, in the future…”
“We can’t,” Fang Moye replied coldly.
Jiang Huai wanted to say something but stopped. Fang Moye was silent for a moment, her voice lowered, “I am your Ancestral Master.”
“Also,” Jiang Huai lowered his head slightly, looking at the water’s surface.
“Are you so attached to my body?” Fang Moye asked softly, watching the red maple leaves slowly fall from the branches.
“Indeed… a little.” Jiang Huai answered truthfully.
At this moment, he was no longer fixated on whether he loved Fang Moye. He seemed to truly covet Fang Moye’s body. He coveted the satisfaction in his heart during dual cultivation with Fang Moye, and he also liked the moments they embraced each other in bed after dual cultivating with Fang Moye.
“Even if you say that, we still can’t.”
“I know,” Jiang Huai replied, looking at Fang Moye’s profile. “Then shall we finish cultivating this cycle now?”
Fang Moye hesitated for a moment and gently nodded.
She stood up, and with her Daoist magic, she guided the water in the pool to lower slightly. She looked at Jiang Huai, hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised a long, snow-white leg. Her snow-white, slender calf emerged from the water and gradually lifted, until she placed her ankle on Jiang Huai’s shoulder. She leaned closer, her body pressing against his, “This way, it’s more convenient.”
Jiang Huai turned his head slightly, seeing her white and tender soft little feet. Not long ago, Jiang Huai had discovered a rule: if he kissed her white and tender little feet while teasing her, she would tremble uncontrollably and might even cry.
It was unclear whether it was due to shame or because her white and tender little feet were too sensitive.
“Since this is the last time we’ll dual cultivate, Ancestral Master, will you do it with me a few more times?”
“Alright.” This time, Fang Moye agreed quite easily.
***
Later that night, Jiang Huai went to Ning Yuzhu’s room.
Ning Yuzhu was wearing a nightgown now, gazing at him with gentle eyes. “Shall we rest tonight?”
Jiang Huai lay down in the bed and looked at Ning Yuzhu. “Huh? Senior Sister guessed?”
“Didn’t I leave you all in the bathhouse so you could discuss future matters properly? Judging by the look on your face as you entered, Senior Sister didn’t agree?”
“It’s not that simple,” Jiang Huai said, falling silent, unsure how to explain.
Every sentence carried its own subtext, and the expression when speaking those words was the basis for judging their truthfulness. Jiang Huai felt that Fang Moye’s attitude was not as firm as it appeared on the surface. If he were a bit more shameless, a bit more excessive, a bit more wicked, perhaps he could trick Fang Moye into agreeing? Even if he couldn’t trick her for the future, tricking her into continuing to embrace and sleep together before returning to the lower realm might not be that difficult.
But Jiang Huai couldn’t bring himself to say such things. Perhaps it was because her expression was too dignified, or perhaps he saw that hint of awkwardness in her eyes. In the end, he said nothing.
It might also be because he felt indebted to Chu Xianning. Jiang Huai had been thick-skinned his whole life, rarely feeling truly guilty. This was one such instance.
However, during that last cycle in the bathhouse, they had done it many times. During the final time, Fang Moye suddenly cried, then pushed him away, curling up with her knees in the pool, looking at his face, “I want to be alone for a while.”
Knowing her personality, Jiang Huai did not offer comfort but obediently left.
So he returned to Ning Yuzhu’s room. Ning Yuzhu was now nestled in his arms, gazing at him with gentle eyes. After a while, she chuckled softly, “Actually, no matter what you do, your Senior Sister will feel uneasy. If you trick her into continuing to do bad things with you, she’ll feel sorry for her disciple. If you don’t trick her, she’ll feel disappointed. No matter what you do, it’s wrong, so I don’t blame you.”
“But since you chose it yourself, you can’t be sad.”
“I know,” Jiang Huai pinched Ning Yuzhu’s face.
“But you owe me tonight, and you’ll have to compensate me double next time,” Ning Yuzhu huffed softly.
“How will you compensate me?”
“Foot punishment.”
“Huh?”
“I like seeing your unwilling yet obedient expression when I verbally humiliate you while you’re giggling under my feet. It’s very amusing.”
Jiang Huai pouted his head down in frustration, nuzzling his forehead into her chest. After a while, Ning Yuzhu gently hugged him, patting his back with her palm, coaxing him to sleep.
