Though it was a bit tortuous, or perhaps a little intimate, Deng Tianyu finished bathing.
When he came out, he saw Li Shishi sitting before the bronze mirror, combing her glossy black long hair with a fine-toothed comb.
Watching her crimson hair turn back to jet-black, Deng Tianyu frowned. For some reason, he always felt that when her hair color changed, Li Shishi’s personality shifted slightly as well.
Black-haired Shishi was as adorably silly as ever, clinging to him with a special attachment. Red-haired Shishi, on the other hand, carried an extra layer of maturity and allure, and every gesture held a regal majesty—and she seemed more obsessive and infatuated with him.
Deng Tianyu mused, “Is it really just that special cultivation technique?”
Strangely, he thought back to Long Kui from a past life’s Sword and Fairy 3—blue for gentle and obedient, red for cold and domineering!
Suspicious but not voicing it, Deng Tianyu buried the thought and slowly entered the cabin.
Space on the Dharma Boat was limited, so there was only one room, though it did have two soft couches.
Seeing her Senior Brother walk in, Li Shishi’s beautiful eyes lit up. “Senior Brother, help me comb my hair!”
“Alright!” Deng Tianyu didn’t refuse. He walked behind her, took the comb, and began gently brushing.
He hadn’t just started helping Li Shishi with her hair; ever since she finished bathing, she would ask him.
“By the way, Senior Brother, are you cultivating a special body tempering technique? I heard from Shizun that after training in it, there are many benefits…” Li Shishi asked, as if remembering something.
Normally, she had no interest in body tempering arts. But learning that her Senior Brother practiced one changed everything. If she cultivated it too, she could use the excuse of exchanging insights to get closer to him.
Deng Tianyu’s expression stiffened for a moment. There really was a body tempering technique, but it wasn’t that kind of body tempering technique.
Feeling awkward inside, he kept an indifferent facade and asked, “What, you want to cultivate it too?”
“Mm, what does Senior Brother think?” Li Shishi nodded.
Deng Tianyu glanced at her and said flatly, “Before this body tempering technique can be started, you must temper your meridians with vast spiritual energy. It’s like standing in a cavern of blazing magma, gritting your teeth against the unending scorching heat that devours and erodes you.”
She swallowed and asked, puzzled, “But why did Shizun say cultivating it is extremely pleasurable? Sometimes like drifting among clouds, sometimes like soaking in a hot spring…”
“Shizun has already reached the entry stage of this art—the first layer. Bitterness first, then sweetness. Before entering, it’s bitter; after entry, it turns sweet. The second layer is bitter again, the third sweet, cycling like that!” Deng Tianyu explained unhurriedly.
Li Shishi already felt like retreating and asked again, “After cultivating, will my whole body become muscular and sinewy like a Body Cultivator?”
A trace of laughter flickered in Deng Tianyu’s eyes. He pretended uncertainty. “I’ve only reached the second layer, so I’m not sure if that change will happen.”
“Oh, then forget it!” Li Shishi was very resistant to unknowns like that. If she really trained and ended up with bulging muscles, she’d have nowhere to cry.
Deng Tianyu set down the comb and said softly, “Done, Shishi.”
“Senior Brother is the best!”
Looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror, her long, glossy black hair shimmering, Li Shishi was utterly satisfied.
“Time to rest. Tomorrow we need to return to the sect early.” Deng Tianyu reminded her and lay down on the left couch.
Aunt Rong was coming to visit Purple Cloud Sect tomorrow, so he had to be back early.
But at that moment, a curvaceous figure slipped into his bed and snuggled against him.
The tip of his nose caught a unique fragrance, and his chest was pressed by softness. Deng Tianyu said with a hint of exasperation, “Shishi, your bed is on the right.”
“The day isn’t over yet. Senior Brother and I are still Dao Companions. If we’re Dao Companions, isn’t sharing a bed perfectly reasonable?” Li Shishi’s beautiful eyes sparkled with mischief as she wrapped her arms around her Senior Brother’s neck.
Deng Tianyu rolled his eyes at her. “Then sleep obediently.”
He remembered the last time Li Shishi had drunk alcohol and, craving water, accidentally treated him like a kettle.
Li Shishi pursed her lips and protested, “I never move around in my sleep.”
Deng Tianyu didn’t argue. He ruffled her hair. “Sleep.”
“Mm!” Li Shishi beamed, her flawless, delicate cheek rubbing against his chest. She burrowed deeper and closed her eyes.
Seeing that, Deng Tianyu also closed his eyes to sleep.
But not long after, Li Shishi opened her eyes and traced circles on his chest with a finger. “Senior Brother, I can’t sleep.”
Deng Tianyu sighed lightly. “Want a story?”
“Mm!” Li Shishi nodded eagerly and added, “Can Senior Brother tell a lingering love story about a Senior Brother and his Junior Sister?”
Deng Tianyu’s mouth twitched. “Never heard one.”
“What about a lingering love story of a Junior Sister and her Senior Brother?”
“Is there a difference?”
“A huge difference! The first one’s protagonist is the Senior Brother; the second one’s is the Junior Sister.”
“I don’t have that either.”
“Can Senior Brother make one up?”
Deng Tianyu’s face darkened. He directly resorted to spanking.
A crisp “Pa!” echoed.
“Aah…” Li Shishi cried out in shock, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief as she clutched her pert rear.
The next moment, her flawless, exquisite face flushed peach-red, and her breathing grew ragged.
Deng Tianyu shot her a look. “I’ll tell whatever story I want. Take it or leave it.”
Did she think he was a search engine? Make one up on the spot?
Li Shishi’s eyes glistened with tears, her expression aggrieved. “Senior Brother, what if you break me?”
“Then I’ll swap you for another Junior Sister, one who’s well-behaved and cute. There are plenty of cute and obedient Junior Sisters in the Inner Sect.” Deng Tianyu wasn’t falling for her act.
Whenever Li Shishi got in trouble—with him or with Shizun—she always resorted to pouting and being cute to skate by.
“Which Junior Sister does Senior Brother like better?” Hearing that, Li Shishi felt a pang of jealousy and asked huffily.
“What, are you planning to sabotage someone?”
“Uh… how did Senior Brother know?” Li Shishi looked taken aback and blurted out her inner thoughts.
Deng Tianyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I wouldn’t replace you with anyone. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
“Really?” Li Shishi’s face lit up instantly.
“Really.”
“How about we swap out Ning Wan, Senior Brother? She’s always sending me to face the wall. I think Shishu Xu is great. How about transferring to her tutelage…”
Deng Tianyu’s mouth twitched. Looking at his utterly rebellious Junior Sister, he didn’t know what to say. If Shizun were here, she’d likely gift her an extended wall-facing package.
