Bathing

Lu Qiancha felt as if she had been in a very, very long dream.

In the dream, she was being hunted down and had even become the daughter of a Wolf King… then she was teased and tormented by the people around her.

What a terrifying nightmare. She had slept for too long… it was time to wake up.

She forcefully lifted her heavy eyelids—

The first thing that came into view was an unfamiliar… bathhouse?

The sound of trickling water was right next to her.

She confusingly turned her somewhat stiff neck—and her gaze landed on a dazzling expanse of snowy white skin right before her…

Martial Aunt Xuan Mo had her back to her, meticulously wiping her wet, smooth back, where droplets of water were meandering down… and that breathtakingly full and rounded…

“?!”

Lu Qiancha’s azure eyes instantly went wide!

Her mind was a complete blank!

Could it be that she… was still dreaming?!

Her fingertips rose uncontrollably and pinched her own cheek hard—

“Ow~ That hurts!”

The tip of her claw scratched her tender skin, and the sharp pain instantly made Lu Qiancha cry out. It wasn’t a dream!

The cry immediately drew Xuan Mo’s attention. She turned to the side, her gaze precisely catching the fresh scratch on the little wolf cub’s face that was beginning to bleed, and the small paw still held by her cheek…

“…”

Xuan Mo’s fine brows furrowed slightly, and she let out a helpless click of her tongue. “Those claws of yours really need a good trimming.”

She extended her long, fair fingers, and a warm immortal energy flowed from them, gently brushing over the tiny wound. The blood and the cut were erased as if by an invisible pen, leaving only flawless, pink skin. She even wiped away the tears that had welled up in the corner of her eyes from the pain.

The stinging on her face disappeared, but Lu Qiancha became even more rigid! Because what was directly in front of her… was an even more stunning visual impact! Gulp… She could clearly hear herself swallowing. A phrase suddenly shot through her mind—”An unparalleled view lies before you, please bear witness.”

No! Stop!!! I can’t look anymore!!!

Whoosh!

Lu Qiancha’s small face suddenly turned rosy. She squeezed her eyes shut, her long, thick, curly blue eyelashes trembling violently like the wings of a frightened butterfly. She covered her eyes tightly with her hands, muttering to herself in an attempt to self-hypnotize, “See no evil, hear no evil… Form is emptiness, emptiness is form…”

“Hmm?” Xuan Mo looked at her, who was acting as if she were facing a great enemy, and tilted her head in confusion, a few strands of wet hair clinging to the side of her fair neck. “Is the steam too thick, blurring your vision?”

“N-no!” Lu Qiancha shook her head vigorously as if her tail had been stepped on, sending a few droplets of water flying from her hair.

Finally, she mustered all her courage, lifted a small paw, and pointed at Xuan Mo, her voice cracking, “M-Martial Aunt! I… I’m a b-boy! Y-y-you… This… this is highly improper!!!”

“A… boy?”

A strange expression appeared on Xuan Mo’s face. She thought for a moment; this little martial niece of hers did seem to have been a boy before… She pondered for a second, then suddenly threw out a bizarre question, “…So does that mean… you don’t know how to bathe yourself?”

“?”

Lu Qiancha was completely bewildered by this leap in logic. W-what kind of question was that? Her subconscious reaction made her blurt out, “O-of course I know how to bathe!!”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized something was wrong and began to stomp her feet in frustration. “No! That’s not the point at all—!”

“Oh?” Xuan Mo crossed her arms, looking at the bristling little wolf cub with an even stranger expression. “Then you telling me you’re a boy…” She paused, drawing out her words with a hint of teasing, “…are you trying to say you don’t know how to bathe like a girl?”

“That’s not it!” Lu Qiancha’s cheeks puffed out like she had stuffed them with pinecones. “I’m saying! M-men! And! W-women! Should! Not! Be! So! Intimate—!!!”

Intense shame and indignation made her stand up abruptly from the water. Her small figure was a little unsteady from the agitation.

She stood with her hands on her hips, trying her best to puff out her chest and glaring up at Xuan Mo, attempting to use her presence to prove her stance on the “distinction between sexes.”

“Heh.”

Xuan Mo let out a light laugh, her tone teasing as she said, “You’re a girl right now.”

Seeing Lu Qiancha’s defiant expression, about to retort, a cunning arc formed on Xuan Mo’s lips. She slowly lifted a slender finger, and before Lu Qiancha could react, she swiftly swiped it across a certain soft ‘focal point’ that rose and fell slightly with her breathing!

“Eeeek~☆”

A strange, numbing sensation, like an electric shock, exploded in an instant! Lu Qiancha’s whole body trembled, and a sticky, shameful whimper escaped her throat uncontrollably!

“Ahhh! Martial Aunt—!!!”

She clamped her arms tightly to her chest, retreating several steps like a frightened little ostrich, her cheeks scalding hot. Her blue eyes instantly filled with accusatory tears of shame and anger. “W-what are you doing—!!”

“Just helping a certain little one recognize herself.”

Xuan Mo was calm and composed, even taking a step closer, leaning her tall, graceful body down. The majestic sight of her peaks loomed over Lu Qiancha’s vision with immense pressure.

Her eyes held a playful smile as she examined the little wolf cub, who was on the verge of fainting from embarrassment, at close range.

“Now…” Xuan Mo’s red lips were almost at her trembling, pointed ears, the warm breath she exhaled brushing against the sensitive earlobe. “You tell me…”

“Right now…” Her voice was like a little hook, “Are you a boy?”

“Y-y-you… stay… stay away from me…”

Lu Qiancha was so overwhelmed by the pressing heat and presence that she could barely breathe. She retreated until her back was against the cool jade wall at the edge of the bath, the chill finally jolting her.

Her body was as taut as a bowstring, her azure eyes filled with the terror of “Waaah, I’ve run into a big baddie, I’m going to be eaten,” as if she would burst into tears at any second.

“Why are you so nervous? It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”

Seeing the little one’s terrified expression, Xuan Mo sighed inwardly.

‘If I keep teasing her, I’m really going to have to console a crying child…’

‘Fine, I’ll let her soak for a while and calm down.’ With this thought, Xuan Mo casually picked up a new bath towel and leisurely began to wrap her long, wet hair.

She turned around, preparing to gracefully sink into the depths of the hot spring and enjoy this rare, relaxing bath.

“Waaah—!”

Just as Xuan Mo turned and began to lower herself—

A terrified scream came from behind her.

In her state of high tension, Lu Qiancha had tried to take another step back to create more distance, but her delicate foot suddenly stepped on a round, smooth pebble.

Slip—

Splash—

Thump—

Her foot slipped, and her body lost its balance. Her small hands flailed in panic.

Then came a dull thud and a cry of pain—her forehead had slammed, completely unguarded, into the hard wall of the pool.

Although, with her cultivation realm, this little bump couldn’t really hurt her… but!

It really, really hurt. And the sense of grievance in her heart instantly magnified a hundredfold!

“Wuuu~~~”

Lu Qiancha completely deflated, like a small mushroom beaten down by a storm. She covered her rapidly reddening forehead with both paws and crouched in the water.

Her fluffy blue ears also drooped listlessly, plastered against her wet hair. She pressed her lips together tightly, trying her best not to let the tears welling in her eyes fall, only squeezing out small, broken whimpers from her throat.

“So clumsy…”

Hearing the commotion, Xuan Mo knew what had happened and helplessly moved closer again. Seeing the little one’s pitiful appearance as she held back her tears, she softened her tone, “Where did you hit it? Let go of your hand, let me see.”

“…”

The only response she received was the faint whimpering of a wounded little animal. Her paws remained firmly clamped over her forehead.

Xuan Mo sighed and had no choice but to gently take hold of the slender wrist and, with a gentle force that brooked no resistance, move the stubborn little paw away from her forehead.

The red forehead was exposed in the warm mist.

Xuan Mo’s right palm covered it, and a gentle, warm, healing immortal light emanated from her palm.

“Let’s see if you run around recklessly next time.”

Under the light, the swelling visibly subsided. Xuan Mo’s tone was a mix of helplessness and an imperceptible fondness. “The bottom of this bath is covered in slippery stones. You could fall and get completely disoriented.”

After her lecture, she then playfully pinched Lu Qiancha’s puffed-out, aggrieved cheeks. Then she opened her arms and gathered the small body, which was still giving off the fragrant scent of soap and warm, moist steam, into a firm, warm embrace.

“Ugh…”

Lu Qiancha struggled symbolically for a moment, but under the comfortable warmth, the healing light that was soothing the pain on her forehead, and the shock she had just received, she finally resigned herself and went limp. The faint, reassuring floral scent from Xuan Mo’s body filled her nostrils, and her tense body gradually relaxed.

Just then, a slender figure wrapped in a moon-white velvet bathrobe stood silently amidst the rising steam.

The newcomer’s silver-white hair, like frost and snow, was draped over her shoulders, untouched by a single drop of water. Her blood-red eyes, clear and cold without a ripple of emotion, accurately locked onto Xuan Mo in the hazy mist… and the wet, timid-looking little blue-haired wolf cub in her arms.

“Xuan Mo, where did you pick up this little demon?”

A voice as clear and cold as ice and jade striking against each other sounded. Her gaze was like that of someone looking at a novel, or even an object to be appraised, devoid of any warmth.

“Greetings, Senior Sister Xuan Ling.” Xuan Mo maintained her embrace, her attitude neither servile nor overbearing, and answered calmly, “She is the new neighbor on Tianquan Peak, the daughter of that Wolf King.”

“…Mm.”

Xuan Ling simply replied, but the scrutiny in her blood-red eyes did not waver. She raised a hand and untied her sash. The velvet bathrobe slid down her smooth shoulders, revealing a perfectly proportioned body that glowed with a jade-like cold light. She stepped slowly into the pool and sat down a short distance from the two.

The warm water of the pool reached her waist, but the icy aura about her did not melt in the slightest.

Lu Qiancha could feel that cold, probing gaze had never truly left her. She felt like a little lamb being stared down by a top predator.

She was so flustered she didn’t dare to look up, and could only pretend to be engrossed in studying the sparkling water droplets on her paws. But the feeling of being stared at was like needles on her back, making her spine go rigid.

“Eek!”

In the midst of this strange silence—

A large, warm, wet hand landed without warning on her soft, slightly cool back.

Xuan Mo’s leisurely voice came from behind, laced with a helpless certainty, “With those little paws of yours…”

Her fingers slid lightly down the delicate spine. “I’m afraid you can’t even reach your own back, can you?”

“Tonight’s bath… I think I’ll have to take care of it for you.”