Shen Qi's ears turned red. Almost instantly, he turned his face away, not daring to look.
He tentatively reached out his hand, but accidentally touched somewhere he shouldn't have, eliciting a soft gasp from Yuan Shu. Startled, he quickly turned his head.
"I-I'm sorry..."
Shen Qi was a bit flustered, but the next moment he heard Yuan Shu's voice.
"Eldest Senior Brother, don't look away. What if you rub the wrong spot because you can't see?"
Shen Qi's ears immediately burned hot. He really... didn't do it on purpose just now.
Placing his palm over the bruise, Shen Qi applied a little pressure, gently rubbing it for her to let the medicine's efficacy seep into the injury.
Yuan Shu relaxed her entire body. Thinking of Shen Qi's earlier question, she slowly spoke.
"Sixth Senior Brother said he won't return to the Yuan Manor with me to get married, so he is probably going to break the engagement."
"Since that's the case, whatever I do and whoever I am with doesn't have much to do with him anymore."
"Eldest Senior Brother, don't you agree?"
Yuan Shu sighed softly and turned her head to look at Shen Qi.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah..."
Shen Qi replied absentmindedly, his thoughts largely captivated by the softness beneath his palm.
He hadn't expected the location of Yuan Shu's injury to actually be on her chest.
While rubbing the medicinal liquid in, he would inevitably brush against places he shouldn't touch.
The soft sensation beneath his palm made Shen Qi tense up completely.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
He was a bit dazed.
How exactly had things escalated to this point step by step?
What... what in the world was he doing?
Shen Qi's Adam's apple bobbed, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.
Unbidden, certain images surfaced in his mind.
Images of dual cultivation he had once accidentally stumbled upon in a cave.
He knew full well this was wrong, but at this moment, his mind and hand seemed to have a will of their own.
As his palm rubbed the bruised area, it uncontrollably extended outward just a little.
Shen Qi's gaze trembled slightly, slowly shifting along with his palm.
When he touched something, he suddenly held his breath and cautiously stole a glance at Yuan Shu's face.
He found her expression peaceful, her eyes half-closed, seemingly oblivious to anything unusual.
His heart skipped a beat.
As his five fingers slowly settled down, Shen Qi apprehensively looked up again.
Yuan Shu was still lying there quietly, showing no signs of noticing.
Shen Qi's heart suddenly raced, and his throat worked uncontrollably.
His fingertips, bit by bit, slowly expanded their range...
Resting with her eyes closed, Yuan Shu's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly as she pretended not to notice a thing.
The time stretched on for nearly fifteen minutes. The medicinal liquid in his palm had been completely absorbed by the bruise, yet Shen Qi did not withdraw his hand.
That was until the person on the bed let out an uncontrollable, ambiguous soft moan.
Shen Qi's body stiffened. He looked down, his hand trembling.
The next second, he reflexively pulled his hand back.
"Mmh..."
Yuan Shu groggily opened her eyes, blinked her large, confused eyes a few times, and tilted her head to look at Shen Qi beside her.
"Eldest Senior Brother, why did you stop? The medicinal liquid you just used is amazing. It must be high-grade, right? The bruised area feels very comfortable."
Yuan Shu's innocent face showed only concern for her injury, seemingly completely unaware that she had been taken advantage of.
Shen Qi looked away, not daring to face Yuan Shu's clear, innocent eyes.
He covered his mouth and coughed. "Ahem, this kind of medicinal liquid is very helpful for bruises. It is indeed quite effective."
"It's done now. You... you can put your clothes on."
"Oh..." Yuan Shu nodded obediently and sat up to get dressed.
Shen Qi turned his back to Yuan Shu, holding the medicine bottle in one hand while his other hand curled up slightly within his long sleeve; his palm still seemed to retain her body heat.
The scene from just moments ago involuntarily resurfaced in his mind.
His Adam's apple bobbed wildly, and it felt as though a fire was silently burning within him.
At this moment, he was finally certain he had truly lost his composure and Dao heart because of Yuan Shu!
When did it start?
Was it at the Cliff of Repentance?
When he saw her looking up at him with a face full of admiration, her little face beaming with smiles, looking exactly like a red peony blooming in winter?
Or was it...
From a long time ago, when he first saw Yuan Shu's stunning face and began harboring secret thoughts?
It was just that Yuan Shu hadn't liked him.
In fact, because he had always been strict and unyielding with her, she mostly felt fear and dread toward him.
Thus causing him to bury those feelings even deeper?
This time, Yuan Shu was unusually obedient, accepting all the punishments he handed out, which brought a touch of joy to his heart.
And when he saw her injured by Ji Yunzhao, his heart was thrown into even greater chaos.
He had indulged himself, using the excuse of applying medicine to slowly test her boundaries, and then...
Yuan Shu was still too innocent. She knew nothing of a man's desires and trusted him far too much.
With her being such a naive and innocent girl, no wonder she was bullied by Ji Yunzhao!
As Shen Qi sighed over this, he inwardly cursed himself for being a beast.
How could he bully her like this just because she didn't understand matters between men and women?
What difference was there between him and an animal?
Shen Qi clenched his fists tightly.
When the rustling sound of clothes being put on behind him stopped, he turned around again, having already restored his usual calm and aloof demeanor.
But the voice he used to speak to Yuan Shu was ultimately a few degrees softer.
"Apply the medicine once a day. Remember to rub it in well before going to bed at night."
Shen Qi forced himself to stay calm, trying his best to make his voice sound devoid of any unnecessary emotion.
Yet, Yuan Shu's next words instantly broke his defenses.
"Eldest Senior Brother, will you come apply it for me?"
"Y-you can apply it yourself." Thinking of what just happened, Shen Qi's ears turned red again, and his voice stuttered.
Yuan Shu, seemingly noticing nothing unusual, tilted her head and said hesitantly, "But, my hands hurt..."
"How about this: I'll ask Yun Sheng to apply it for me. His hands don't hurt."
"No!" As soon as Yuan Shu's words fell, Shen Qi sharply interrupted her. "Absolutely not!"
"Huh?"
Yuan Shu looked confused. "Why not? Didn't Eldest Senior Brother say this medicine needs to be rubbed in vigorously? Yun Sheng can definitely do it!"
"No! Yun Sheng is a man. Men and women should keep their distance..."
Shen Qi was a bit anxious, even snatching up the bottle of medicine he had placed on the small table.
It seemed as though he wouldn't leave the medicine behind if Yuan Shu intended to let Yun Sheng apply it.
"But... Eldest Senior Brother is also a man..."
Yuan Shu bit her lip, then suddenly her eyes lit up, and she quickly added.
"I know, Eldest Senior Brother is different!"
Shen Qi's eyes widened slightly. In his palm, the temperature of the medicine bottle rapidly rose.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was a bit hoarse as he agreed, driven by some inexplicable impulse.
"Yes, Eldest Senior Brother is special."
Yuan Shu nodded thoughtfully. "Then... could I trouble Eldest Senior Brother to help me apply the medicine every night?"
She tilted her head up slightly, her stunningly beautiful face adorned with a pair of lively eyes that blinked at him.
Like fluttering butterflies.
"...Alright."
Shen Qi lowered his eyes slightly, rubbed the medicine bottle in his hand, and then tucked it into his robes.
"For the next two days... since you are unwell, you are temporarily excused from copying the sect rules."
Yuan Shu smiled radiantly, her eyes curving into crescents. "Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother. Eldest Senior Brother is so good to me!"
"Mhm..."
