Seeing the System prompt, Ye Luqing was momentarily speechless.
“The Dual Cultivation Sacred Body… what the heck is that now?”
But her mind had just been stuffed full of those three Earth-tier techniques. She had no energy left to scrutinize what “Dual Cultivation Sacred Body (Mid-Level)” actually was, or what the (3/6) behind it signified.
Ye Luqing carried the sleeping Ying Qianqian into her own courtyard, then looked at their sweat-soaked clothes and decided to heat some water.
Mm, time to brew a pot of delicious, fragrant loli soup.
Perhaps due to all the close contact with Little Ying on the way, her Dual Cultivation True Qi had recovered by more than half in just a quarter of an hour.
Even on the battlefield of the bed, the amount of True Qi was the deciding factor for who ended up on top.
She channeled a bit of her Dual Cultivation True Qi. Instantly, the firewood beneath the tub ignited with a pink flame.
The flame and burning wood gave off a pink smoke, filling the entire room with a faint pink, exotic fragrance.
?
Ye Luqing sensed trouble immediately. Of course, lighting a fire with this Dual Cultivation True Qi would cause problems!
“Mm…”
On the bed, Ying Qianqian seemed affected by the strange fragrance, her slender legs restlessly rubbing against each other.
Seeing this, Ye Luqing hurriedly opened the doors and windows to let the smoke dissipate and extinguished the Dual Cultivation flame.
She switched back to her original Water-Wood cultivation method, converting her True Qi into ordinary Wood-attribute energy, and relit the firewood.
“Phew…”
She wiped the sweat from her forehead. Her Shizun, Bai Yuhan, could likely sense everything that happened on Azure Sky Peak.
If Shizun saw her using a Dual Cultivation technique to “assault” her unconscious Junior Sister, and this trail led to other discoveries, things would get complicated.
She could at least explain the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Art she learned from the System. But if these Dual Cultivation techniques on her were discovered, she wouldn’t be able to wash herself clean even by jumping into Emerald Water Lake.
Besides, they still had to prepare for the Sect Grand Tournament tomorrow. With several Earth-rank items and title rewards on the line, it was better to conserve energy for now.
A moment later, the firewood had warmed the water.
Steaming mist hung in the room like a thin veil. Inside the enormous tub, the perfectly warm water wrapped around Ye Luqing’s body, melting away the fatigue from the evening’s training.
“Haaah—”
Ye Luqing let out a long, satisfied breath. A Golden Core stage cultivator could fully cycle internally. Aside from total True Qi exhaustion, they rarely sweated.
Even when they did sweat, using True Qi and ordinary techniques could quickly resolve it—there was no real need for a bath.
But even if her body didn’t need it, she, having once been a modern person, still thoroughly enjoyed the feeling.
After a while, Ye Luqing felt most of the fatigue in her body melt away.
She poured the water from the tub outside, then used her Water-Wood True Qi to refill it with clean water.
Approaching the bed, she saw that as her True Qi gradually recovered, the sweat on Ying Qianqian seemed to have been automatically purified.
“Little Ying, time for a bath.”
Ye Luqing leaned close to Ying Qianqian’s ear and skillfully slipped off her damp clothes.
The moment she touched the water, Ying Qianqian let out an unconscious, soft moan.
“Mm…”
As her entire body sank into the bath, she opened her eyes.
“Senior Sister Ye…”
“What’s… happening?”
She looked up at Ye Luqing, who was wearing a bathrobe, still utterly disoriented.
Her last memory was on the White Jade Platform of Azure Sky Peak. When she opened her eyes, she was here.
“You fainted on the White Jade Platform, so I brought you back here,” Ye Luqing said with a smile. “And since our clothes were soaked through, why not take a bath together?”
“Oh…”
Ying Qianqian was still in that chaotic, just-woken-up state, passively letting Ye Luqing tie up her hair.
After settling Ying Qianqian, Ye Luqing also removed her bathrobe, tied up her loose, flowing cyan hair, and stepped into the tub once more.
Flower petals in the tub swayed gently. The expanding ripples conveyed their shared body heat.
The fatigue in Ying Qianqian’s body was also dispelled by the warm water. Under the influence of the steam and warmth, her small face gradually turned rosy.
“Senior Sister…”
“What is it?”
“Why do you have a bathtub?”
Azure Sky Peak had several baths for disciples. Moreover, as Golden Core cultivators, they didn’t normally need to bathe. Who would bother keeping a bathtub around?
When she helped Ye Luqing organize her room yesterday, it definitely wasn’t there.
Ye Luqing froze, not expecting Ying Qianqian to ask that.
She just liked bathing. Besides, this tub cost only ten points in the Corruption Value Shop. After buying the Lewd Trio technique bundle, the System had thrown it in for free.
“Ah… this is… because I have a habit of bathing…” she explained nonsensically.
She couldn’t exactly say it was a hobby from her life before transmigrating.
“Oh, I see…” Ying Qianqian nodded dully.
Seeing that, Ye Luqing sighed in relief. Little Ying was quite easy to fool in this state.
Awake, but not fully.
“But… I’ve never seen Senior Sister Ye bathing in the peak’s bath hall…”
“Does Senior Sister Ye’s fondness for baths come from a habit you picked up on Heavenly Sword Peak?”
Ying Qianqian slowly moved closer to Ye Luqing, the water’s surface rippling faintly.
She came to Ye Luqing’s side, lowered her head, and muttered softly:
“Senior Sister Ye… you must have bathed with Head Disciple Xiao many times before, right?”
Ye Luqing was instinctively stunned, momentarily unable to answer Ying Qianqian’s question.
“I can’t remember anymore.” She smiled apologetically.
This was the truth.
In the original plot, there was indeed a bathing scene with Xiao Qingxuan. But the current her wasn’t the one who experienced it.
“Oh, right—Senior Sister Ye lost her memory.”
At that thought, a bright glint flashed in Ying Qianqian’s eyes.
“Then… I’m the first person to bathe with Senior Sister Ye?”
Ye Luqing paused, then revealed a gentle smile.
“Mm, Little Ying is the first person to bathe with me.”
This was her heartfelt truth. In her past life as a young male chef, Ye Luqing had never had a bathing partner.
“Ehehe…”
Ying Qianqian laughed softly, then immediately pressed close.
Ye Luqing didn’t resist. Under the effects of the Soul-Molding Pill, this behavior was entirely natural to her.
If she were still that little chef, she would probably be blushing furiously and fleeing in panic by now.
Their shoulders leaned together, sharing their mutual warmth.
Ying Qianqian gradually relaxed, resting her head lightly on Ye Luqing’s shoulder. She closed her eyes, savoring the tranquil feeling of being surrounded by warmth.
“Senior Sister…”
“What is it, Little Ying?”
Ye Luqing tilted her head, just in time to see Ying Qianqian’s beautiful pink eyelashes, dotted with tiny water droplets.
“Senior Sister… you won’t forget me, will you?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Luqing’s pupils constricted, and her heart jolted violently.
“I…”
She was not a person of this world. After finishing the tasks the System assigned her, she had to return to Earth.
Though she would still remember Ying Qianqian after returning to Earth…
After she left and this world returned to its original trajectory, the Ye Luqing of that time likely wouldn’t possess these memories.
When that day came, Little Ying would be very sad, wouldn’t she?
At that time, would Ying Qianqian be like Xiao Qingxuan was now, searching the entire world for a way to restore her memories?
Thinking of this, Ye Luqing, who had transmigrated here all alone, suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.
She stroked Ying Qianqian’s small head and said in a relaxed tone:
“I’ll remember Little Ying for all my life.”
Ying Qianqian tilted her head slightly to look at Ye Luqing, a ripple of light flashing in her water-blue eyes.
“Mm, I’ll remember Senior Sister for all my life, too…”
She nestled quietly against Ye Luqing. Neither spoke another word. Only the whisper of water gently caressing skin and the intertwining sound of their calm breathing filled the air.
The rising steam blurred their vision, seemingly blurring time itself, leaving only pure warmth and tranquility.
