Yun Xiu didn’t dare wake up.
She wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, and she was clutching Yan Zhen’s arm. Opening her eyes would mean instant social suicide.
Yan Zhen wouldn’t be leaving the tent first, so there was no way she was stirring.
She was the injured one, after all. Sleeping in a bit longer was perfectly normal.
Seeing this, it was Yan Zhen’s turn to panic.
—Fairy Sister, wake up already! If you keep sleeping, I’m gonna blow a gasket.
Early in the morning, and she had him pinned like a sandwich between them. If he hadn’t been through similar scenes before, he’d have summoned Second Master to swing a big knife around by now.
Jiu Youyue noticed Yun Xiu was committed to playing possum all the way. With a seductive little whimper, she languidly opened her eyes.
“Mm? It’s dawn already. I slept so well.”
As she spoke, she rubbed her eyes. Then, as if just noticing her predicament, she let out an “Oh no!”
“How did I end up holding Little Zhen Zhen? That’s weird~”
First, she drew her leg back from where it had hooked around him. Then she slipped her small hand out from under his clothes. Covering herself with the blanket like it was a towel, she sat up and smoothed out her tousled hair.
Now Yun Xiu and Yan Zhen were down to sharing a single blanket. They looked awfully intimate—like a pair of lovers fresh from a night of passion.
“Huh, I should snap a picture of this before they wake up…”
But Jiu Youyue shook her head.
“Nah, that wouldn’t be any fun. Better to wake them instead.”
Her words sent a chill through both Yun Xiu and Yan Zhen. Sure enough, Jiu Youyue called out:
“Little Zhen Zhen, Senior Sister—it’s dawn! Time to get up~”
Yan Zhen’s scalp tingled. Damn, how was he supposed to keep this up? He wasn’t a pig, for crying out loud.
But quick as a flash, inspiration struck. He let out some nonsense murmurs while slapping her hand away, grumbling impatiently:
“Don’t bug me. I wanna sleep more~”
In that moment, he resolved to become the ultimate bed slacker. No matter what Jiu Youyue said, he wasn’t leaving this cozy nest. Deep down, though, he hoped Yun Xiu would wake up.
Yun Xiu, however, remained stone-still. She secretly hoped Yan Zhen would quit faking and get out of bed already.
Jiu Youyue was at a loss for words.
“Fine, if neither of you is getting up, I’ll go ahead on my own.”
With that, she slipped out of the tent and headed to the waterfall at the cave mouth, cupping her hands to splash water on her face.
Without Jiu Youyue stirring the pot, Yun Xiu quickly pieced it together. Yan Zhen was only pretending to sleep to save her some face. No point in fooling herself anymore. She released his arm, pulled the blanket back over herself properly, and wrapped it tight. Relief washed over her.
Feeling a bit of strength return to her limbs, Yun Xiu slowly sat up. She glanced at Yan Zhen beside her and accidentally spotted the telltale little bulge. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she hurried out of the tent.
Only after a good while did Yan Zhen cautiously crack his eyes open. He let out a long sigh, his rigid body gradually relaxing.
If Yun Xiu hadn’t gotten up soon, he might’ve turned into a full-on wolf.
He sat up, slapped his cheeks to wake himself fully, and was the last one out of the tent.
Looking up, he saw Yun Xiu and Jiu Youyue at the waterfall, rinsing their mouths and washing their faces. Both women were wrapped in identical blankets like towels, their fragrant shoulders, delicate collarbones, slender arms, and dainty feet all on full display. Their outfits matched, but their vibes couldn’t have been more different—one sultry and bewitching, the other ethereal and refined. Standing side by side, the contrast was striking and easy on the eyes.
Yan Zhen couldn’t help but smile, his mood lifting.
“Morning, you two.”
Jiu Youyue turned around with a coquettish lilt in her voice.
“Little Zhen Zhen, I want to take a bath. Got any bright ideas?”
Yun Xiu frowned slightly.
“Why not just bathe in the pool below the waterfall?”
Jiu Youyue shot her senior sister a look.
“It’s freezing out here. A cold-water bath? What if we catch a chill? We’re already injured—if we get sick on top of that, we’ll just burden Little Zhen Zhen even more.”
Yun Xiu huffed inwardly. As if you have any real injuries. You’re clearly faking it just to get pampered by Yan Zhen.
“You two want a hot bath? I’ll get it ready.”
Yan Zhen didn’t mind the hassle. It was straight out of the plot beats, after all.
The two women were badly hurt and bedridden for a full three days before they could even move around. The moment they could, they wanted a bath.
But the weather was too cold, and their bodies too weak for an icy dip.
That’s when Yan Zhen would dig a little pool inside the cave, fill it with water, heat it up, and turn it into a makeshift tub for them.
With that in mind, he pulled the Tool Knife: Thunder Cut from his storage ring and headed to the flat ground behind the tent to start digging.
A Great Karma Item tachi like this could slice through a Mystic Master’s Mystic Force Armor purely on sharpness alone—like cutting through tofu when it came to rock.
In less than the time it took to brew tea, Yan Zhen had excavated a small pool big enough for three or four people and deep enough to reach the knees.
Once the pit was dug, he stowed the Tool Knife: Thunder Cut and summoned his Gold-Silver Fire. He scorched the bottom and sides dry and hard, ensuring the water wouldn’t turn murky later.
That done, he emptied the contents of a one-cubic-meter mini storage ring into the tent, then raced to the waterfall to fill it up. He poured every drop into the pool.
Next, Yan Zhen called forth the Gold-Silver Fire again, bringing the water to a perfect soaking temperature in moments.
Staring at the steaming little pool, Jiu Youyue’s eyes sparkled.
“You made it so quick! Little Zhen Zhen, you’re amazing. Thank you~”
Yun Xiu smiled faintly.
“You’ve gone to a lot of trouble.”
Yan Zhen nodded with a hint of proud arrogance.
“Mm-hmm. Go on in and soak. I’ll hide in the tent—no peeking. My turn after you’re done.”
“Little Zhen Zhen wants a soak too? Then come join us. Otherwise, the water’ll be cold by the time we’re finished.”
Jiu Youyue dropped the bombshell.
Yun Xiu had known this demoness junior sister was up to her tricks again. She shot back at once:
“Absolutely not! Men and women shouldn’t be so intimate!”
“Yeah,” Yan Zhen said, sweating bullets. Yun Xiu was acting just like in the script, so why was Jiu Youyue coming off so… off? “I can always reheat it if it cools. You two go first.”
“Senior Sister, you said yourself last night that Little Zhen Zhen is just a kid. We even shared a bed—what’s so improper about this?”
“I—”
Yun Xiu was tongue-tied.
When it came to verbal sparring, she was no match for the Demon Domain Enchantress.
“If Senior Sister doesn’t want to, then Little Zhen Zhen and I can bathe together.” Jiu Youyue continued breezily. “The Demonic Dragon Mountain Range is so cold—the water’ll cool off fast. If Little Zhen Zhen joins, he can heat it anytime. Way more comfortable that way.”
Ignoring Yun Xiu’s turmoil, Jiu Youyue darted behind Yan Zhen and pushed at his shoulders.
“Don’t be shy, Little Zhen Zhen. Let’s bathe together.”
“Th-this isn’t such a good idea…”
“Pleeease? Be my hot water bottle~”
There was an irresistible magic in Jiu Youyue’s tone—the seductive arts of the Demon Domain. By the time Yan Zhen snapped out of it, his clothes were off, and with one shove from her, he tumbled into the water.
