The Slippery Waters of the Hot Spring

“How many rooms will you be needing?”

“One.”

Upon hearing Luochen’s unhesitating reply, a radiant smile bloomed on Su Yue’s face.

‘It seems I’ve been sleeping with my Senior Sister so often lately, she’s grown accustomed to it.’

‘This is for the best; as long as I continue to lower her guard, one day she won’t even mind if I reach out and touch her.’

‘The journey is still long, after all, and I can take my time.’

Their destination lay in the Cold Moon Nation, located in the northern reaches of the continent.

Luochen had decided to only use her flying sword for travel between settlements, preferring to walk through populated areas.

This approach was not only to experience the customs and scenery of this unfamiliar world but also to maximize her chances of detecting the aura of the Daughter of Destiny.

****

“Senior Sister, where shall we head next?” Su Yue inquired, straightening her expression as she curbed the upward curve of her lips.

“First, to Moyang City, then Qingniu Village,” Luochen replied casually, peeling an apple.

The dream from that day still haunted her, and the urge to revisit Qingniu Village grew increasingly pressing.

As for Moyang City, Luochen intended to search for any traces of Chen Ruan there.

‘Moyang City? If I recall correctly, that’s where Ye Yuli met her end, isn’t it?’

Su Yue took the apple Luochen offered and bit into it.

After a moment of hesitation, she spoke.

“Senior Sister, I actually believe Ye Yuli might be connected to my memories from before the orphanage.”

“Why do you say that?”

Su Yue recounted her earlier conversation with Aunt Wang, then, after a brief pause for thought, offered her conjecture.

“Memory deprivation is a specialty of the Ghost Soul Sect, and I’ve always suspected my memory loss is connected to them.”

“Considering the timeline, not long after the Scarlet Cloud Sect Master sent me to the orphanage, Ye Yuli ambushed and killed her.”

“Ye Yuli, as we know, was the Cult Master of the Ghost Soul Sect.”

“There might be a link between these two events.”

Luochen gently massaged her junior sister’s tightly furrowed brows, hoping to soothe away the worry etched between them.

Luochen suggested, “Perhaps we could visit the Scarlet Cloud Sect; we might uncover some clues there.”

“Conveniently, the Scarlet Cloud Sect lies along our northward route.”

“That would be good,” Su Yue nodded subtly.

“I’ve been walking all day; I’m going to take a bath now,” Luochen announced, stifling a yawn behind her hand.

Su Yue, still pondering the matters of the Ghost Soul Sect, suddenly found her attention drawn by a rustling sound.

They had reserved a ‘Heavenly Tier’ room, which came equipped with an en-suite bath.

At that moment, Luochen’s fair, lotus-root-like arm reached out from behind the screen separating the living area from the bath, carefully hanging the scarf Su Yue had given her onto the partition.

‘No way.’

Su Yue blinked.

The hand reappeared, this time hanging Luochen’s dress.

‘Could it be…?’

Su Yue swallowed hard.

After what felt like an eternity, Luochen’s hand finally emerged once more, placing her intimate garments on the screen.

‘Senior Sister’s intimate garments… what do they smell like?’

‘I really want to smell them.’

‘No, absolutely not!’

Su Yue slapped her forehead, forcing herself to calm down.

A soft splash echoed, signaling Luochen settling into the bath.

Then came the gentle ripple of water as Luochen began to move.

A soft moan followed, a sound of pure enjoyment from Luochen.

An image of a beautiful woman bathing, vivid and irresistible, formed in Su Yue’s mind.

‘I really mustn’t think about it anymore!’

Yet, the more Su Yue tried to suppress the thoughts, the more intensely the scene played out in her imagination.

‘Behind that screen lay skin of ice and bone of jade, a complexion like solidified snow.

Just a few steps forward, and it would all be revealed.’

‘Should I ask Senior Sister if I can join her?’

‘What if she thinks I’m a pervert!’

‘But if I don’t go, will I really let such a perfect opportunity slip away?’

Amidst her arduous internal struggle, the sounds from the bath suddenly ceased.

Luochen gracefully emerged, her hair cascading wetly over her shoulders, her nightgown barely reaching her thighs.

The loose nightgown did little to conceal her form; a slight bend of her waist was enough to reveal a glimpse of her charms to Su Yue.

Her mountains half-revealed.

“Junior Sister, why do you look so disappointed?”

Luochen, in the midst of drying her hair with spiritual energy, noticed her junior sister’s expression seemed rather off.

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

‘I can hardly tell her that she emerged from the bath just as I’d decided I didn’t care if she thought I was a pervert!’

Su Yue offered a sheepish smile and walked into the bath.

“Oh, Junior Sister, the water hasn’t been changed yet.”

Luochen’s voice drifted in from outside.

“No need,” Su Yue murmured in reply.

‘This is heaven.’

Gazing at the steaming water in the bath before her, she plunged in.

****

When Su Yue emerged again, her cheeks were flushed a vibrant, dewy red, utterly captivating.

She practically walked backward, fumbling her way to the bed before collapsing onto it.

This way, she wouldn’t have to meet Luochen’s gaze.

With her back to Luochen, Su Yue pulled the blanket over her head and remained silent.

“Junior Sister?” Luochen asked, a hint of bewilderment in her tone. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing…” A tiny, muffled whimper came from beneath the covers.

‘There’s definitely something very wrong with this junior sister!’

‘Not only does she avoid my gaze, but she isn’t even cuddling with me tonight.’

A mental question mark hovered above Luochen’s head.

From her junior sister beside her, steady breaths emanated, suggesting she had fallen asleep.

‘I’ll just ask Junior Sister what’s wrong tomorrow.’

With that thought, Luochen extinguished the lamp.

In the profound silence, Su Yue let out a long breath.

‘Good, I managed to get away with it.’

****

The following day.

Recalling her actions from the previous day, Su Yue still couldn’t bring herself to meet Luochen’s eyes.

That’s right, she had taken a sip.

Though she kept trying to convince herself she had merely choked.

The truth remained: she had taken a sip.

Despite a prolonged internal struggle.

The outcome was, she had taken a sip.

“Junior Sister?” a soft, warm voice spoke from beside her.

Luochen set down her steamed bun and sat opposite Su Yue.

“You’ve seemed rather odd ever since last night,” she observed.

“Have I? Haha, I don’t think so.”

Su Yue dared not look up, simply continuing to eat her steamed bun.

‘Something feels very suspicious.’

Watching her junior sister, who was utterly focused on devouring her meal, Luochen stroked her chin in thought.

“Old man, why is your village called Sword Burial Village? That’s quite an inauspicious name,” a burly man from the adjacent table remarked to the man across from him.

“Ah, you wouldn’t know,” the old man replied.

“Legend has it that before the Sword God Li Wansheng retired, he hid his divine weapon, Chixiao, which had accompanied him for many years, in the back mountains of our village.”

“Oh, really? And no one’s found it?”

“Not yet.”

“How could such a divine weapon be easily discovered?”

“Hahaha,” the burly man laughed.

“You can try to fool me, but don’t fool yourself.”

“Isn’t this just a ruse to get people to come here and try their luck?”

“Otherwise, how could such a small village like yours afford to build such a beautiful inn?”

“You see things clearly,” the old man said, shaking his head.

“It’s a pity, though; fewer and fewer people have been coming these past few years.”

Su Yue, who had been listening intently to their conversation, felt her eyes light up slightly, and her movements as she ate her bun slowed.

“What’s wrong?” Luochen asked, noticing her junior sister’s change in demeanor. “Do you want to go take a look?”

Su Yue nodded.

“Actually, as soon as I arrived in this village, I sensed a faint, mysterious aura.”

“What that man said might be true.”

“Oh, so that’s why you’ve been acting strangely lately, Junior Sister?” Luochen realized with a sudden understanding.

‘No, no, that’s not right… oh, wait, yes, it is.’

“Precisely,” Su Yue shamelessly admitted.

“In that case, we shouldn’t delay.”

“Let’s go search for it ourselves.”

Luochen seemed brimming with enthusiasm.