"Mmh..."
A muffled groan sounded right by her ear. Yuan Shu whipped her head around and immediately met Zhai Shuo's embarrassed face.
Those deep, crimson eyes looked at her with a hazy yet deeply appreciative gaze.
Yuan Shu froze completely, seemingly scared silly. Resting against his chest, her head didn't dare to move an inch.
For a moment, both their hearts beat wildly, thumping at a frantic pace.
Zhai Shuo looked at the person on top of him. The hands at his sides uncontrollably gripped the hem of her clothes, and his breathing suddenly grew heavy.
This was the normal reaction of a normal man.
Such a breathtakingly beautiful woman was sitting in his arms, so close to him, especially right after such a particular moment.
He wasn't a monk; he couldn't just severe himself from all mortal emotions and desires!
Zhai Shuo stared at Yuan Shu unblinkingly. The moment their eyes met, he saw the panic and nervousness in hers, like a little deer that had accidentally wandered into a trap in the forest.
Zhai Shuo could hear his own increasingly violent heartbeat. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "S-Seventh Junior Sister..."
Yuan Shu seemed to only just realize what was happening and hurriedly struggled to get up.
But the more anxious she was, the messier it got. She tried to get up a few times, only to fall back down each time.
Zhai Shuo only felt his heart being utterly tormented. His cheeks were burning as if he had a fever, and the breaths escaping his lips were uncontrollable, carrying faint groans.
"S-Seventh Junior Sister, y-you, please stop moving!"
Yuan Shu indeed didn't dare to move anymore. Lying in his arms, she nervously raised her eyes to look at him.
The small face so close at hand had fair cheeks flushed with red, like a ripe peach. Her clear, deep eyes met his gaze without blinking.
Zhai Shuo had originally wanted to calm himself down, but looking at Yuan Shu's face and smelling the fresh, gentle scent on her body, he just couldn't calm down!
In fact, the wicked fire within his body burned even brighter!
Driven by some inexplicable urge, Zhai Shuo lowered his head and kissed Yuan Shu on the forehead.
Once he realized what he had done, Zhai Shuo's expression changed, and he hurriedly turned his face away.
Yuan Shu seemed startled. She covered her forehead, looking as if she hadn't quite processed it.
"S-Second Senior Brother?"
"Seventh Junior Sister, I'm sorry. I-I just couldn't control my feelings a moment ago. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it on..."
Before the word "purpose" could leave his mouth, Yuan Shu reached out and pressed her fingers against his lips.
"Second Senior Brother, Master taught us to be fair. How could you just suddenly kiss me? That's not fair to me!"
Zhai Shuo froze for a moment and instinctively followed her words, asking, "Then what would be fair?"
Yuan Shu gave him a look of exasperation. "You're so silly, Second Senior Brother. Of course, it's to kiss you back!"
With that, Yuan Shu reached out her arms, hooked them around his tall neck, pulled him forward, and then planted a light, fleeting kiss on his lips.
Zhai Shuo's eyes suddenly widened. Looking at Yuan Shu's triumphant, smiling face as she pulled back, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a moment.
What just happened?
Seventh Junior Sister... she kissed him?
And on the lips, no less?
He had clearly just kissed her forehead. If she wanted to be fair and return the favor, she should have only kissed his forehead!
A senior brother kissing a junior sister's forehead was a sign of affection and protection, but what did a kiss on the lips mean?
What did Seventh Junior Sister want to do?
Zhai Shuo felt like his brain had crashed. He sat there dumbfounded, completely unable to process it.
It wasn't until Yuan Shu got up from his arms and genuinely picked up the basin to walk out.
"Seventh Junior Sister..."
"What is it, Second Senior Brother?"
Yuan Shu turned around, looking at Zhai Shuo with an innocent and confused expression.
The question on the tip of Zhai Shuo's tongue got stuck again.
"N-nothing."
Yuan Shu gave him a slight smile, then left with the water basin, leaving a wide-awake Zhai Shuo alone in the cave, his mind a chaotic mess.
After a long time, he slowly raised his hand and gently touched his own lips.
His gaze uncontrollably drifted downward, and upon seeing his "undignified state," his expression slightly darkened.
Seventh Junior Sister must have been scared, right?
A while later, Yuan Shu came back in carrying fresh warm water. Her gaze casually glanced toward Zhai Shuo's waist.
The previous state of the clothing's hem could no longer be seen.
She immediately felt it was a pity!
Zhai Shuo's physique was genuinely spectacular; he was truly blessed by the heavens.
Even if he didn't rely on his strength to make a living, just putting those assets on display would have plenty of female dual cultivators flocking to him!
Top tier, truly top tier!
It had to be said, Yuan Shu had set her sights on him!
Previously, it was because of his exceptionally robust physique and that top-tier fire element spiritual root, but now... it was because of the man himself!
Zhai Shuo—she absolutely had to conquer him!
"Second Senior Brother, I just changed the water. Shall I give you a second wipe-down now?"
"S-Seventh Junior Sister, d-do you not mind?"
Zhai Shuo looked embarrassed. Given what had just happened, with Yuan Shu falling on him and stumbling so many times, she must have known.
Under these circumstances, Yuan Shu still wanted to help wash him a second time?
Yuan Shu's cheeks reddened slightly. She raised her eyes, her bright, shimmering gaze glancing shyly and timidly at Zhai Shuo before quickly looking down again.
"Second Senior Brother was just sick earlier. You didn't do it on purpose, I know."
Saying this, Yuan Shu reached out and undid the front of his robes once more.
Her tender, white little hands brushed across his chest again. Even though he had been silently reciting the Heart-Clearing Mantra to calm himself down...
His body once again began to heat up uncontrollably.
Although Zhai Shuo hadn't experienced this firsthand, even if he hadn't eaten pork, hadn't he seen a pig run?
He roughly understood that he had developed a physiological attraction to Yuan Shu, this Seventh Junior Sister.
As long as she approached, as long as she reached out to gently stroke him, his eyes would uncontrollably fall upon her.
He couldn't look away, couldn't move.
And since Seventh Junior Sister knew about what just happened but still didn't mind getting close to him again to wash him...
Did that mean Seventh Junior Sister also... also had feelings for him...
As soon as the thought arose, Zhai Shuo suddenly reached out and grabbed Yuan Shu's hand.
"Seventh Junior Sister, I... I..."
"Second Senior Brother? Seventh Junior Sister? What are you two doing?"
A sudden exclamation came from behind, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere and interrupting the two just as they were about to touch upon something important.
Zhai Shuo's expression stiffened slightly. He turned his head and saw Long Yunhui, now awake by the opposite wall, rubbing his dizzy head and looking at them in shock and uncertainty.
At this moment, one of Yuan Shu's hands was held in Zhai Shuo's grasp, while her other hand rested on his chest. The two were extremely close!
This posture was more or less quite ambiguous!
Even ordinary fellow disciples probably wouldn't be in such a posture, let alone the fact that they were personal disciples of the same peak!
Long Yunhui's eyes widened. What exactly was he looking at? Why was he seeing this scene?
Second Senior Brother was such a body-cultivation maniac. Normally, he would only appear in the arena, in monster-gathering zones, or in beast tide defense battles.
When had he ever grabbed a woman's hand like this, staying so close, looking as if he were about to whisper some secret?
No, no, his eyes must be playing tricks on him!
Long Yunhui reached up, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.
Zhai Shuo hurriedly let go of Yuan Shu's hand. Looking embarrassed and with his face entirely red, he avoided Long Yunhui's shocked and suspicious gaze.
?
Just now, was Second Senior Brother really holding Yuan Shu's hand?
