“You little rascal.”
“I am not,” Shen Qingci said, her eyes flickering guiltily.
Chi Yuan exposed her directly. “With all that buildup, A'Ci, you actually want to go listen to the Dao discussion, don't you?”
Shen Qingci choked.
Her senior sister's sharp intuition was truly overwhelming.
Because she had intervened, her senior sister hadn't fallen into the trap at Blood Thorn Ridge this time, and Lu Beichen hadn't been able to jump out and disgust them.
But what was meant to come could not be avoided in the end.
Once Blood Thorn Ridge was over, it was immediately time for “Sucker Number Two” to make an appearance. The person just happened to be in Xiange City and would definitely run into Lu Beichen at the Dao Discussion Conference the day after tomorrow.
The dog protagonist carried the Thousand-Face Illusion Veil left by his mother, which was a pseudo-Earth-grade magic treasure. No one below the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm could see through his disguise.
Meanwhile, the two Dao protectors by Jiang Wan's side had cultivations that were stuck exactly at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
As long as Lu Beichen wore this magic treasure to sneak into the Dao Discussion Conference, how was it any different from sneaking into a female cultivator's residence?
As the young sect master of the Miaoyin Sect, Jiang Wan was pure and naive. Even after learning the whole truth later on, she was still coaxed into a daze by a few sweet words from the protagonist. Just thinking about it made one speechless.
The expression on Shen Qingci's face shifted repeatedly—one moment she was gritting her teeth, the next she was sneering.
Chi Yuan waited for a long time without receiving a reply. Seeing her junior sister's face changing as quickly as turning pages, she offered a way out. “It's not that I won't let you go, A'Ci.”
“You are still young. It's not good to get exposed to these things too early.”
“At least... at least wait until...”
Shen Qingci snapped out of it. Catching only the word “young,” she instinctively straightened her posture. “Where am I small?”
Chi Yuan's gaze drifted down half an inch before quickly darting away.
Her little junior sister had completely different faces when in front of her and in front of outsiders. Just now, when interrogating the evil cultivator at Blood Thorn Ridge, she had been incredibly decisive and ruthless, but now she was full of “youthful petulance.”
She didn't feel like bickering with this little rascal, so she took Shen Qingci's hand directly. “Let's go.”
“Eh?” Shen Qingci was pulled forward a couple of steps. “Senior Sister, you agree?”
“With that expression of yours, weren't you just waiting for me to nod?”
“Senior Sister, when did you learn mind-reading?”
“I haven't, but I understand a little rascal.”
Shen Qingci couldn't help but laugh. She laced her fingers tightly with Chi Yuan's. “Then let's go to the Lingquan Annex under the Miaoyin Sect. If we spend twenty thousand mid-grade spirit stones, they'll give us two entry jade tokens for the Dao Discussion Conference with front-row seats.”
She paused, then added, “It's also the perfect chance to soak in the spiritual spring with you, Senior Sister, to cleanse the miasma from our bodies.”
Chi Yuan didn't stop her pace, nor did she say yes or no. But Shen Qingci knew that her senior sister's silence meant tacit consent.
The Lingquan Annex was at the end of the East Street, taking up nearly half the alley. Welcoming guests at the entrance were several female Qi Refining cultivators, outer sect disciples of the Miaoyin Sect.
They were uniformly dressed in lotus-root-colored, waist-high ruqun dresses, with lily-of-the-valley flowers of the same color pinned in their hair buns.
The lead female cultivator with an oval face walked up with a beaming smile. Her gaze lingered on their clasped hands. With a flicker of her eyes, she bypassed the regular guest rooms entirely and spoke directly: “You two Daoists have arrived just in time. There is only one Heaven-grade spiritual spring double pool left.”
She stepped half a pace closer and lowered her voice, her expression filled with a tacit warmth. “That pool is fed by running water where the underground fire vein and a cold spring converge. The water temperature is neither too hot nor too cold, and the spiritual energy is twenty percent denser than outside.”
“The pool walls are carved out of a single block of warm jade, with more than enough room for two people.” When she said “two people,” she paused deliberately, her eyes darting back and forth between Shen Qingci and Chi Yuan's faces.
“Most importantly, the soundproofing array was personally set up by a Nascent Soul array master. Not a single sound from inside can be heard outside.”
Chi Yuan's brow twitched slightly. Just as she was about to refuse, Shen Qingci beat her to it. “How about we take this one? If we spend twenty thousand mid-grade spirit stones, we get the jade tokens for the Dao Discussion Conference, right?”
The oval-faced female cultivator smiled even sweeter. “Exactly. The day after tomorrow in the afternoon at the third quarter of the Wei hour, at the Miaoyin Pavilion in the center of the city.”
“Since you two Daoists are the ninth guests for the Heaven-grade double pool today, I will throw in an extra pot of spiritual fruit brew. It clears the heart and moistens the lungs, making it perfect to drink while soaking in the spring.”
Shen Qingci paid decisively. She spent twenty thousand spirit stones without even blinking.
Chi Yuan watched this and smiled helplessly, ultimately saying nothing more.
Her own little rascal—was she really going to beat her?
The female cultivator handed over two jade tokens and a small wooden box containing the restriction jade buckle for the double pool.
Shen Qingci took the items and pulled Chi Yuan toward the backyard.
Spiritual bamboo was planted on both sides of the corridor, rustling softly as the breeze swept through the leaves. The two walked side by side, their shadows stretched long and short by the warm light beneath the eaves.
Arriving at the entrance of the Heaven-grade courtyard, Shen Qingci pressed the jade buckle against the restriction.
Click!
With a flash of white light, the courtyard gate slid open automatically.
The sweet fragrance of Jialan flowers wafted out.
This floral scent had a mild aphrodisiac effect. It was neither strong nor faint, like a whisper warmed by body heat, gently brushing against the heart.
In the center of the room was a spiritual spring pool about three zhang in diameter. The pool walls were constructed of solid warm jade, and the spring water rippled with a light green hue, with layers of thin mist floating on the surface.
Two soft couches sat by the side of the pool. On a low table lay tea sets, a plate of spiritual fruits, and the pot of newly delivered spiritual fruit brew.
Chi Yuan swept her gaze across the room. Shen Qingci was already squatting by the edge of the pool testing the water temperature, turning back to urge her, “Senior Sister, the water temperature is just right.”
Chi Yuan did not dawdle. She unfastened her outer robe and draped it over the soft couch, then took off her soft armor and folded it neatly. Wearing only a plain white inner robe, she stepped down the jade steps into the water.
In just a few breaths, the teasing remarks Shen Qingci had prepared in her head—such as “Senior Sister's abs look so good,” “Do you want me to scrub your back, Senior Sister?” or “Your legs are so long”—were all choked back down her throat.
“A'Ci, didn't you say you wanted to soak?” Chi Yuan leaned against the pool wall, resting her arms on the edge of the warm jade. She looked at her through the water mist and teased, “Yet you're just standing there in a daze.”
Shen Qingci's earlobes burned slightly as she replied, “Oh, coming.” She quickly shed her outer robe, stepped down the jade stairs into the water, and sat down right next to her senior sister.
The spring water was slightly warmer than body temperature, opening up all the pores of her body upon soaking. The medicinal dew added to the spring water began to draw out the miasma. Wisps of grayish-black mist seeped out from her hair and skin, quickly absorbed by the purification array on the pool walls.
Shen Qingci let out a comfortable sigh, tilted her head, and leaned against her senior sister's shoulder.
Chi Yuan's shoulder stiffened for half a breath before she adjusted her posture to let her little junior sister lean more comfortably.
They soaked like this for half an hour.
At first, she only felt warm all over, but gradually, that warmth felt off. It was as if something was boring through her meridians into the crevices of her bones. Shen Qingci frowned, assuming it was just the fatigue after the miasma was fully extracted.
Until a stream of heat suddenly surged in her lower abdomen without any warning, causing her entire body to shudder.
That heat grew rapidly, burning through her limbs in the blink of an eye.
Her heartbeat pounded heavily against her eardrums. Her skin became extremely sensitive; even the gentle brush of the spring water brought waves of trembling.
A dry heat clogged her chest, impossible to breathe out or swallow down.
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