Unexpected Spills and Lingering Blushes

In the afternoon, I accidentally knocked over a large bowl of medicine with a sweep of my hand. Then, in the evening, my Master accidentally spilled another bowl. Adding insult to injury, the entire contents splattered directly onto me. ‘A Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, unable to hold a bowl steady,’ I mused to myself. While herbal medicine was naturally scalding, as a cultivator with toughened skin, Xia Niansheng scarcely registered any pain. Duan Xi Shen hurriedly retrieved the bowl, but by then, Xia Niansheng’s upper garment was utterly drenched, permeated entirely by the bitter aroma of the herbal concoction. A pang of guilt flickered across Duan Xi Shen’s face. “I… I accidentally zoned out…” she stammered. “It’s fine,” Xia Niansheng replied. Xia Niansheng shook his head, then rose to his feet and swiftly peeled off his sodden top. Duan Xi Shen, momentarily stunned by his swiftness, barely registered the sight before her: Xia Niansheng, now bare-chested. Strictly speaking, he was not entirely bare, for the right side of his torso and his entire right arm remained swathed in bandages. Yet, the rest of his upper body lay exposed. Ordinarily, when Duan Xi Shen needed to feed, Xia Niansheng would merely loosen his collar, revealing only his shoulder and collarbone at most. She had never before seen Xia Niansheng’s bare torso with such unreserved clarity. Xia Niansheng’s skin was notably fairer than that of most men; while clothed, he appeared somewhat slender, but with his top removed, a sculpted physique of distinct, yet not overly bulky, muscles became strikingly apparent. As Xia Niansheng had just risen, the bandages around his waist and abdomen clung tightly to his skin, tracing the contours beneath. Even obscured by bandages, the formidable definition of his abdominal muscles was unmistakable. Above the bandages, his chest proved far broader and more substantial than Duan Xi Shen had ever imagined, even possessing subtle, pleasing contours. His skin was fair, and remarkably… it was faintly pink. Just as Xia Niansheng reached for a fresh top from the wardrobe, he noticed Duan Xi Shen, who was momentarily lost in a daze. She was staring intently at his upper body. ‘Was she feeling sympathetic towards him?’ he wondered. Xia Niansheng found it genuinely difficult to articulate the true depth of his animosity towards Duan Xi Shen, or the precise extent to which he could now distance himself from her. Yet, seeing her so captivated, seemingly by the sight of his bandages, he couldn’t help but feel a certain, undeniable emotional resonance. Just as Xia Niansheng was about to utter a word, he witnessed Duan Xi Shen swallow hard. A distinct gulp echoed in the quiet room. Xia Niansheng’s gaze fixed directly on Duan Xi Shen. Duan Xi Shen met Xia Niansheng’s eyes for a fleeting moment, then, realizing he was staring intently at her, she hastily averted her gaze, letting her eyes fall to his chest. Yet, finding that still somewhat indecorous, she quickly lowered her gaze to the floor. From Xia Niansheng’s vantage point, Duan Xi Shen’s ears were entirely flushed crimson. “Hurry, hurry and change your clothes,” Duan Xi Shen urged Xia Niansheng, her voice a hushed whisper. ‘You were the one staring fixedly, and now you’re the one rushing me to get dressed,’ Xia Niansheng thought, a hint of amusement in his silent observation. Xia Niansheng, however, offered no further comment, simply turning to rummage for a fresh garment in the wardrobe. Duan Xi Shen inexplicably felt a flush spread through her, her eyes still cast down at the floor. By the time she finally looked up again, Xia Niansheng was already adjusting his collar with a single, practiced hand. ‘He can dress so quickly with only one hand?’ she mused internally. The sudden, tantalizing glimpse of ‘spring scenery’ had utterly vanished. To her astonishment, Duan Xi Shen felt an inexplicable pang of disappointment, a sensation that jolted her back to reality the instant it arose. ‘Though it’s true I usually straddle him directly when I feed,’ she thought. ‘And even then, it’s a result of considerable restraint on my part.’ ‘It must be that today’s myriad chaotic events have caused me to lose my composure so thoroughly.’ As Duan Xi Shen sat lost in thought on the chair, Xia Niansheng picked up a long, clean cloth. “Master, could you stand for a moment?” “Oh, I’ll do it myself,” Duan Xi Shen interjected, snatching the cloth from Xia Niansheng’s hand and bending to wipe the floor. Xia Niansheng merely sighed. ‘It’s not as if I’d be so presumptuous as to think Duan Xi Shen liked me just from this one incident,’ he thought. ‘It was simply that, despite Duan Xi Shen’s venerable age, she had, by all accounts, never experienced romance, much less truly *seen* a man.’ ‘A blush was a perfectly normal reaction,’ he concluded. ‘Still, he would have to be more careful in the future,’ he resolved. Once Duan Xi Shen had swiftly finished cleaning, Xia Niansheng, observing the sky outside the window gradually dimming, infused a trace of spiritual energy into a luminous spirit bead on the table. As if illuminated by a modern incandescent lamp, the entire room instantly brightened. Since one dose of the herbal medicine had been spilled, brewing another would prove too cumbersome. “I’ll go prepare another batch…” “No need,” Xia Niansheng said, shaking his head. “Master, you should go rest. I already had a dose of medicine at Wonderous Medicine Mountain.” Hearing this, Duan Xi Shen pondered for a few seconds before nodding in agreement. Still holding the cloth, Duan Xi Shen’s gaze drifted to the top Xia Niansheng had just discarded. “Oh, just leave that there, I’ll…” Before Xia Niansheng could even finish his sentence, Duan Xi Shen had already picked up his discarded long shirt. “I’ll wash it for you when I return.” “…” The year Duan Xi Shen brought Xia Niansheng back to the sect, he was eight years old, yet possessed the memories of an eighteen-year-old from the modern era, fully capable of self-sufficiency and certainly not requiring Duan Xi Shen’s care. Such trivialities as washing clothes were naturally tasks he managed himself. Never before had she washed clothes for Xia Niansheng. “There’s no need, Master,” Xia Niansheng reiterated. Once Duan Xi Shen had made a decision, it was notoriously difficult to sway her; she simply shook her head, her expression calm and unyielding. “Your hand is inconvenient, and besides, it’s merely a simple task of washing clothes.” “Alright…” **** Finally, Duan Xi Shen departed. Truth be told, Xia Niansheng already felt utterly exhausted from the day’s tumultuous events. Getting knocked unconscious in a fight was one thing, but to return after waking only to have Duan Xi Shen continue to disturb him was another entirely. Even if it was all with the best intentions of caring for him… Xia Niansheng settled by the window, and with a casual wave of his left hand, spiritual energy coalesced into a potent gust of wind, utterly dispelling the lingering, pungent aroma of herbal medicine from the room. Today, or perhaps more accurately, ever since he had declared his intention to journey to Kyushu Dragon Abyss to seek a cure for her, she had been behaving rather oddly. First, she had insisted on caring for him, and now she was taking his clothes to wash. ‘What was this all about?’ he pondered. ‘Duan Xi Shen, do you feel guilty?’ Xia Niansheng gazed out the window at the starless night sky. ‘What good is guilt now?’ he thought. ‘When her longsword swung towards me, her eyes glittered with tears, mixing with my own spilled blood. Did she not feel guilt then?’ ‘Some things, if even I forget them, would truly be helping others to oppress my past self.’ **** Duan Xi Shen quickened her pace as she left. Her steps towards her own mansion were so swift they were almost a run. This hurried departure gave Xia Niansheng a distinct impression of unease. Indeed, there was a certain unease. For Duan Xi Shen, her sudden warmth towards Xia Niansheng, whom she had always treated with a measure of indifference, felt somewhat awkward. It was like a perpetually absent parent suddenly showering a child with concern; both parties would inevitably feel uncomfortable. There was also another reason: for some inexplicable reason, ever since that day, whenever she faced Xia Niansheng alone, her heart would inexplicably quicken. Especially when she saw Xia Niansheng bare-chested… This feeling, this peculiar sensation… she had never experienced it even when facing Senior Aunt Xue. Duan Xi Shen, still feeling a touch of unease, returned to her mansion, clutching Xia Niansheng’s top. The bitter scent of herbal medicine completely masked Xia Niansheng’s unique, inherently pleasant, and addictive scent. Had his natural fragrance completely vanished? Duan Xi Shen’s curiosity was piqued. Holding the garment Xia Niansheng had just taken off, she, as if compelled by some strange impulse, slowly brought it closer to her nose.