Shyness

Xia Ya stared at Beilixiya, his mind blank for a few seconds.

Maintaining scales?

That’s it?

Beilixiya knocked on his door late at night, looking like the sky was falling, just to… have him help her maintain her scales?

Xia Ya’s tense nerves instantly relaxed, and he even felt a bit dumbfounded.

He let out a long sigh, and the irritability that Tikona had stirred up in his thoughts dissipated a lot.

“So that’s what it is.”

Xia Ya’s tone lightened.

“You scared me, I thought something had happened. Come in, close the door.”

Beilixiya quickly slipped inside, reaching back to gently close the door, her back against the cool door panel, as if drawing a little support from it.

She didn’t dare look at Xia Ya, just pushed forward the special essential oil that exuded a clear pine scent, which she was holding tightly in her arms.

“It’s… it’s from the battle today… stained with blood… and some places… Beilixiya can’t reach myself…”

Her voice was getting lower and lower.

“Understood, understood, timely maintenance after a battle is necessary.”

Xia Ya walked over and naturally took the essential oil jar.

He walked to a corner of the room, where a comfortable single sofa and a low stool were placed.

“Sit on the sofa, facing away from me, just loosen your robe a bit, enough to expose the area that needs maintenance.”

His tone was calm and professional, as if ordering something completely ordinary.

Beilixiya obeyed and walked to the sofa, sitting down with her back to Xia Ya, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, feeling all the blood in her body rushing to her face and ears.

Her trembling fingers fumbled with the tie of her robe, hesitating again and again, before slowly untying it.

The silk robe slipped down her rounded shoulders, piling up at her slender waist.

The moon-white silk strapless bra was unreservedly exposed to the light, the pearl-like luster setting off her shoulders and back skin, making it even more fair and delicate.

Her skin, still moist from the bath, gleamed alluringly in the soft light. She hunched her back slightly, trying to hide, but instead, it more clearly outlined the beautiful lines of her shoulder blades and the shallow groove in the middle of her spine.

Silver-gray scales dotted her smooth skin, mainly concentrated below the shoulder blades, on both sides of the spine, and near the waist dimples, exactly where she couldn’t reach herself.

These scales shimmered with a metallic cold light under the light, but if you looked closely, some of the ones near the edge were indeed stained with imperceptible dark red blood stains.

Xia Ya’s gaze swept over that delicate skin and the scales dotted on it, his eyes clear, without any distracting thoughts.

He unscrewed the essential oil jar, a richer, clear pine aroma spread out, and he walked to the low stool and sat down, right behind Beilixiya.

“Relax, Beilixiya, it’s not the first time.”

Xia Ya said casually, his fingertips dipped in some cool, viscous, milky white essential oil.

“The last time I helped you was… hmm, your twelfth birthday? That time you were injured in training, and several scales were scratched.”

As he spoke, he accurately pressed his fingertips, dipped in essential oil, onto a blood-stained scale below Beilixiya’s left shoulder blade.

“Ugh!”

Beilixiya’s body trembled violently, as if electrocuted.

A cool, slippery sensation instantly spread from the scale, followed by Xia Ya’s fingertips rubbing with warm strength.

His fingers were nimble and strong, carefully massaging and kneading along the texture of the scales, cleaning away dirt and possible tiny blood scabs, while trying to allow the cool essential oil to evenly penetrate into the gaps of each scale.

Xia Ya’s technique was indeed “bold” – because he didn’t treat this as something to avoid at all.

In his mind, this was a necessary “equipment maintenance” task, no different from oiling a weapon or waxing a leather armor.

He even commented while rubbing, “Hmm, this one is a bit dull, a bit too much force… the edge here is a bit rough, pay attention to protection in the next battle…”

His finger movements were smooth and natural, the strength was moderate, and even because he was too focused on the “maintenance effect,” his fingertips would inadvertently slide over the smooth, warm skin at the edge of the scales, or gently press the sensitive muscles on both sides of her spine because he had to rub the scales on both sides of the spine.

Each touch was like a small electric shock to Beilixiya.

The cool fingertips with essential oil sliding over the scales brought a strange tingling sensation; the warm fingertips pressing on her skin aroused waves of unfamiliar tremors; his steady breathing would occasionally brush against her bare nape and the roots of her ears, bringing waves of indescribable itching…

Beilixiya bit her lower lip tightly, so as not to make a strange sound.

Her hands tightly grasped the fabric of the robe piled at her waist, her knuckles straining until they were white.

The current Beilixiya even felt clearly the heat of her cheeks and ears, surely they were red beyond words! How could the young master… be so natural…

“This side is done, switch to the other side.”

Xia Ya was unaware, and pointed to a scale below Beilixiya’s right shoulder blade with a clean finger that was not stained with essential oil.

Beilixiya’s body stiffened again, resigned to slightly turning her body, exposing her right shoulder.

The same “torture” was staged again.

Xia Ya’s fingers lingered on her sensitive skin and scales, that focused and “bold” technique, every press, rub, even the inadvertent sliding of his fingertips across the edge of the spine… made her heart race, her breathing disordered, almost suffocating.

She felt as if her whole person was being roasted on a fire, half cold shame, half hot throbbing.

Xia Ya’s breath was close at hand, the touch of his fingertips was incredibly clear… this was completely different from the cold feeling when she maintained it herself!

This was too… too comfortable!

“Huff~ Okay, finally these two on the waist, a bit low, you can’t reach them yourself.”

Xia Ya’s voice interrupted Beilixiya’s chaotic thoughts.

His fingers dipped into the last bit of essential oil, and moved with a clear target towards the two groups of scales near her waist dimples, close to the edge of her robe.

When those fingertips, carrying cool essential oil and warm body temperature, landed clearly and unhindered on the most sensitive and tender skin on her waist, and even slightly sank into that soft waist dimple because he had to rub the scales –

“Woo!”

Beilixiya could no longer control herself, and let out a suppressed, tearful, short whimper.

Her body trembled violently, and she suddenly jumped up from the sofa!

“Young… Young Master! It’s… it’s done! Thank you, Young Master! Beilixiya… Beilixiya takes her leave!”

She shouted incoherently, not even daring to look back at Xia Ya, grabbed the fallen robe in a panic and wrapped it around herself haphazardly, not even having time to fasten the tie, she lowered her head, like an over-frightened fawn, pushed open the door, and stumbled out, disappearing into the darkness of the corridor, leaving only a flurry of footsteps and the faint scent of pine essential oil in the air.

Xia Ya was still in the posture of holding out his hand, his fingertips retaining the slippery touch of essential oil and the warm elasticity of the girl’s skin.

He looked at the empty doorway, then looked down at his fingers stained with essential oil, his face full of bewilderment and confusion.

“…What’s wrong with her?”

He scratched his head, completely not understanding why Beilixiya’s reaction was so big.

“My technique is pretty good? The scales are much brighter… Could it be that the essential oil was too cold? Or did I use too much force and hurt her?”

He stood up, puzzled, and walked to the door, only to see the door to Beilixiya’s room at the end of the corridor being closed with a “bang,” making a huge noise.

“Weird.”

Xia Ya muttered, shrugged, and turned back to clean up the essential oil jar.

He had no idea what kind of “fatal” impact his “professional” and “bold” maintenance technique had caused to a dragon-kin girl who was just beginning to experience love and was sensitive.

He just thought Beilixiya was particularly shy today, probably because she had grown up and was more sensitive?

“Next time… be more gentle?”