In the bathroom, steam rose, ethereal and hazy, like a dreamlike illusion.
As pieces of his small clothing were draped over the screen, Ning Wan slipped off the embroidered shoes from her lotus feet, her long, beautiful legs still clad in the gossamer-thin, skin-toned stockings. Holding her Tianyu, she stepped into the generously sized bath.
“Splash…”
Ripples spread outward. A layer of beautiful rosy red dusted Qu Qirong’s peerless face. She too removed her embroidered shoes and thin stockings, her perfectly flawless, bare feet stepping into the bath.
Now, the two mature and graceful beauties faced each other. Soaked by the warm water, their dresses had turned hazy and translucent, revealing the full, graceful outlines of their figures.
One was a mature, seductive beauty in a crimson-red Peony-and-Water mist skirt. The front of her dress traced the full, ample contours, her enchanting curves extending from her waist down to her peach-like, full buttocks, and further to her well-proportioned, snow-white smooth legs.
Because they were soaked, the skin-toned stockings on her plump, beautiful lotus feet appeared more translucent and dreamlike. The purple nail polish on her ten delicate toes glittered like flawless violet gems, shimmering with a seductive, inviting luster.
The other was a mature, noble beauty in a black cloud-patterned palace gown. The full, proud curves of her front were no less impressive than the other’s. Her mature, voluptuous body sat poised, her smooth, fair jade-like leg tucked to one side.
Her flawless, beautiful feet were curled inward, her delicate toes adorned with blue flower petals, resembling blue butterflies dancing among flowers, exuding elegance and soft charm.
The two peerless, mature beauties possessed entirely different auras—one was a bewitching, demonic siren, a calamitous beauty; the other was noble and elegant, a city-toppling celestial maiden.
And between them lay a small figure, eyes closed, breathing evenly, apparently sound asleep.
Luckily, the room’s wooden tub had been replaced by a bathing pool; otherwise, with three bathing together, the picture would have been an extremely cramped crowd.
The tips of his nose caught two distinct feminine fragrances, faintly interwoven with the rich scent of breast milk, stirring ripples in the heart of the feigning-drunk, sleeping Deng Tianyu.
His current mood was extremely complicated. Even a pie chart wouldn’t be able to express it.
Heaven only knew how a perfectly good evening banquet had devolved into this situation.
“Madam, as the Sect Master’s Wife, your reputation is of paramount importance.”
“Yet now, you are not only sharing a bathroom with Tianyu, but also the same bath. Doesn’t this damage your name?”
Ning Wan picked up a silk cloth, dabbed it with soap, and began gently wiping her precious disciple’s shoulders.
Her movements were fluid and natural, imbued with a Shizun’s affection and a mother’s tenderness, putting Deng Tianyu completely at ease.
“Tianyu is my family. Although my care for him now might be slightly improper, it’s entirely understandable.”
“On the other hand, Sect Master Ning, though you are Tianyu’s Shizun, you are still a woman, and one who has yet to find a Dao Companion. Does this not equally affect your reputation?”
Qu Qirong was not to be outdone. While responding to Ning Wan, she also picked up a silk cloth, lathered it with soap, and gently wiped her Tianyu’s back.
This wasn’t the first time she had helped Deng Tianyu bathe. There had been one time before, during their cultivation of the Extreme Yin Spirit Fusion Art.
And besides bathing, she had done even more intimate things, like letting him nurse from her. So naturally, she was no longer so shy.
“From childhood to now, I have lost count of how many times I have bathed Tianyu, how many times we have shared a bed. How could the Madam ever understand the deep feelings cultivated through that?”
Ning Wan gave an enchanting smile, reaching out to grasp the shaft between Deng Tianyu’s legs and carefully cleaning it.
“Though my time with Tianyu has been short, the depth of feeling is no less than what Sect Master Ning feels.”
Qu Qirong’s brows furrowed, but recalling that Ning Wan had raised Tianyu since he was small, she didn’t know how to retort.
Then, biting her lip, her peerless face flushed. Unwilling to lose ground, she also reached out gently to grasp it.
The feigning-sleep Deng Tianyu, desperate not to expose his act, could only silently recite the Tranquil Heart Mantra in his heart.
[The mind is like ice, unshaken even if the sky falls; Amidst myriad changes, remain calm, spirit at ease.]
[Forget the self, guard the one; stabilize the senses and point; cultivate Qi, selfless and effortless.]
Even so, it was nearly impossible to suppress the sensations. The two jade hands, as if vying for dominance, wiped and stroked along his shaft, sending wave after wave of pleasure surging through him.
Deng Tianyu was truly at his wit’s end. He should never have pretended to be drunk.
Now he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Ning Wan half-closed her seductive eyes, tenderly letting her precious disciple rest his head on her full, ample bosom. She spoke pointedly, “You should be clear: Tianyu’s feelings for you are merely those of a junior for an elder.”
Meeting Ning Wan’s gaze, Qu Qirong spoke softly, drawing their Tianyu from Ning Wan’s embrace. “Sect Master Ning is not Tianyu. How would you know?”
“I’ve been with Tianyu for sixteen years. I know perfectly well what he thinks.” Ning Wan blocked her movement, countering, “But what about the Madam?”
“If not for that accident back then, Tianyu should have been cared for by me.”
“Had it not been for that, the one by Tianyu’s side wouldn’t be Sect Master Ning, but me!”
At this point, Qu Qirong raised her head, her words sharp as a blade. “I received the Princess Consort’s approval. Did you, Sect Master Ning?”
Though her cultivation paled before Ning Wan’s, for Deng Tianyu’s sake, she feared no one.
“I received the approval of Tianyu’s Mother Consort?” Ning Wan smiled, her expression growing ever more bright and charming. She continued, “Indeed, my relationship with Tianyu’s Mother Consort naturally cannot compare to the Madam’s.”
“And yet, despite that, Tianyu ultimately became my disciple, forming an unbreakable bond of fate with me.”
“Was that an accident? A coincidence? Or could it be called the blessing of Heaven itself?”
She wasn’t lying here, merely stating facts.
If she and Deng Tianyu were truly not fated, then when her life hung by a thread during the eruption of the Profound Cold Curse, why was it that Deng Tianyu happened to be the one to resolve it?
That kiss was the first time Ning Wan and Deng Tianyu had ever kissed—and it was the beginning of their emotional entanglement.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the bath grew tense and confrontational once more.
The feigning-sleep Deng Tianyu was freaking out.
What was this?
Had they just shifted the battlefield?
The battlefield was in the courtyard before, and now it was in the bathroom?
Couldn’t they just let him have a peaceful bath, then go back to their own rooms and have a quiet sleep?
Despite thinking this, Deng Tianyu knew he had no choice but to intervene.
“Cough, cough…“
Suddenly, the sound of coughing arose.
Ning Wan and Qu Qirong only then noticed that their tugging just now had sent splashes of water onto their Tianyu’s face.
Seeing this, the two peerless, mature beauties hastily used their own clothes to wipe the water droplets from his face.
Realizing his objective was achieved, Deng Tianyu breathed a sigh of relief.
Good thing he was quick-witted; otherwise, he’d be squeezed between the two again!
“Alright, I will not dispute these things with you further, lest we wake Tianyu.”
With a flick of her slender finger, Ning Wan deployed her True Essence, evaporating the water droplets from Deng Tianyu’s body and from her own clothes.
Only after that did she dress her precious disciple in a loose, small nightgown and slowly walk out of the bathroom.
