In the quiet cave, the only sound was the splashing of water as Yuan Shu wrung out a handkerchief.
Yuan Shu reached out and pulled open the front of Zhai Shuo's upper garment, revealing the robust, bulging muscles underneath.
His wheat-colored skin was firm and powerful, with distinct textures. Every muscle looked as if it had been carefully sculpted, with incredibly exaggerated lines.
His two arms were thick and strong, his biceps full and bulging, and the muscles on his forearms were knotted and taut, with veins faintly visible.
His shoulders and back were broad and thick, exuding a steady sense of power, like a dormant beast!
With just one glance, Yuan Shu was reminded of those body cultivators who were dedicated to physical tempering.
They would temper their muscles under extreme conditions, gradually enhancing their defense, strength, attack, and agility.
Although their spiritual power was not the strongest, their bodies, which were like refined steel and stone, were enough to completely crush cultivators of the same level or even higher.
No one dared to underestimate them!
Zhai Shuo was clearly also a body cultivator, and likely one who used the fire element to temper his body in desperate situations.
Yuan Shu reached out and touched his chest.
Before Zhai Shuo, looking embarrassed, could open his mouth to say something, she preemptively unfolded the handkerchief in her hand and pressed it against his chest.
"Second Senior Brother, you have many old wounds from before. I will wash them clean and apply some medicine for you so they heal faster."
"During this process, I might accidentally touch you. You won't mind, will you?"
Yuan Shu's gaze toward Zhai Shuo was open and clear, not looking the least bit like she had any ulterior motives.
Zhai Shuo glanced at the hand resting on his chest. It was fair, tender, and slender, much like a pale green scallion.
It formed a stark contrast with his slightly wheat-colored skin.
Seventh Junior Sister probably didn't touch him on purpose just now... right?
Seventh Junior Sister was such a pure and kindhearted person. She only wanted to help him clean his wounds; how could she have any dirty thoughts?
He was being too narrow-minded!
Having figured all this out, Zhai Shuo shook his head. "I know this is out of Seventh Junior Sister's good intentions. I... I won't mind."
His life was saved from the hands of the demons by Seventh Junior Sister; how could he mind anything?
What he feared was that Seventh Junior Sister would find him repulsive.
In the past, the female cultivators in the sect looked down on body cultivators the most, and they especially disliked his type of physique.
They felt his muscles were too bulging and utterly disgusting.
Therefore, for so many years, he had chosen to train outside and rarely returned to the sect.
If anyone were to mind, it would only be Seventh Junior Sister minding him. How could he mind Seventh Junior Sister's touch?
He should just hope he didn't dirty her hands!
Yuan Shu smiled. A bright smile appeared on her stunningly beautiful little face, looking exactly like the brilliantly blooming white pear blossoms on a branch, delicate and moving.
"Thump, thump."
Zhai Shuo heard his own unusual heartbeat; it was somewhat violent.
Snapping back to reality, he quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look at Yuan Shu's pretty face anymore.
He couldn't let Seventh Junior Sister hate him, he couldn't look at Seventh Junior Sister with that kind of gaze, and he couldn't scare Seventh Junior Sister!
But... what was that small hand on his chest doing?
Zhai Shuo leaned back against the stone wall behind him, feeling the warm fingertips on his chest slowly caressing his skin bit by bit.
Neither too light nor too heavy, it was like a kitten scratching an itch, making his heart itch along with it.
Zhai Shuo uncontrollably tensed his body's muscles, and his slightly raised Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
Yuan Shu's fingertips suddenly moved, and his body suddenly went rigid. He almost couldn't suppress a groan from escaping his lips.
Fortunately, a warm sensation soon spread from his chest, alleviating his tense state of mind.
This was Seventh Junior Sister wiping the dirt off his body. Just now... it must have been an accident.
On the other side, Yuan Shu had copped a feel and was already prepared to be questioned.
To her surprise, the man beneath her hands merely tensed up for a moment before quickly relaxing again, allowing her to do as she pleased!
The corners of Yuan Shu's mouth curled up. Her beautiful phoenix eyes slightly lifted, and the movements of her fingertips became even more excessive.
Finally, Zhai Shuo couldn't control himself and let out a muffled groan, opening his eyes with an embarrassed expression.
"Se-Seventh Junior Sister, are you done wiping?"
The hands resting by his sides clenched tightly, and his body trembled slightly uncontrollably.
An unprecedented fiery heat surged from deep within his body, as if some switch inside him had been ignited.
He felt a bit uncomfortable and could hardly hold back anymore. After hesitating again and again, he finally spoke up to Yuan Shu.
"Not yet. Second Senior Brother, these wounds have been here for many days, and the surrounding dirt has also been there for days, making it quite difficult to clean."
Yuan Shu leaned in close to him and said this, her tender white little hand gently stroking the knife scar on his chest.
"Second Senior Brother, you are in such a hurry. Did I not wash it well somewhere?"
As Yuan Shu spoke, she raised her eyes and looked at him with somewhat anxious brows and eyes.
With that small and beautiful face so close at hand, Zhai Shuo seemed to catch the faint, pleasant scent of pear blossoms on Yuan Shu's body.
Fresh and tranquil.
He inconspicuously took another sniff and shook his head as a conditioned reflex. "N-no, you washed it very well."
How could he say that Yuan Shu's kindness to him was wrong?
How could he deal a blow to Seventh Junior Sister's self-confidence?
Even if he was very uncomfortable, he couldn't say it!
"That's good."
Yuan Shu visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and her gaze toward Zhai Shuo was filled with admiration.
That intense stare made Zhai Shuo feel so embarrassed that he turned his head away again, not daring to look at her.
Yuan Shu's hand began to cause trouble again.
From his firm and powerful chest muscles, it slowly wandered to his smooth V-lines, and then to his clearly defined eight-pack abs.
Perfectly elastic and incredibly great to the touch!
Not bad, not bad at all!
Yuan Shu was having a blast playing around, while her other hand wasn't idle either, holding the handkerchief to help wash Zhai Shuo.
This left Zhai Shuo unable to find a reason even if he wanted to question her.
Seventh Junior Sister had already said that she might touch him during this process. He couldn't act like a little girl and fuss over every detail.
But his body felt so uncomfortable, as if a fire was burning inside.
Moreover, there seemed to be some unspeakable changes happening?
Zhai Shuo was immersed in his own thoughts when a sudden exclamation sounded in front of him, startling him into quickly opening his eyes.
He saw Yuan Shu in front of him staring fixedly at his body, her eyes wide open and her face full of shock.
Zhai Shuo froze for a moment and reflexively followed her gaze.
When he saw clearly, a wave of heat rapidly surged up. In just an instant, Zhai Shuo's wheat-colored face flushed completely red!
Disregarding the injuries on his hands, he hurriedly propped up his body and shrank back in embarrassment, reaching out to pull his clothes over himself.
But it was too obvious; a mere hem of his clothes couldn't cover the issue at all!
"I-I'm sorry, Seventh Junior Sister, I'm sorry. I-I don't know what's going on..."
The innocent Second Senior Brother thought he was simply being too much of a beast. Seeing that his remedial measures were useless, he could only look up at Yuan Shu and apologize.
His handsome and resolute face was filled with utter embarrassment and awkwardness.
Yet beneath this nervousness and anxiety, there was a faint, indescribable feeling that even he himself couldn't identify.
"S-Second Senior Brother, I... I'll go change the basin of water for you..."
Yuan Shu seemed to have been frightened as well. She held the basin and stood up in a panic.
However, her footing was unsteady. The basin slipped from her hands, and her entire body fell uncontrollably right into Zhai Shuo's embrace!
