While her thoughts hadn’t fully formed, she was pulled into the water by He Liansheng. He drew a water-repelling talisman on her forehead, easing her sense of suffocation.
He released his hold on her waist.
All Xing Shuishui could see were small bubbles from their breathing. Looking down at her floating skirt, she raised her eyes to find the young man before her. What was he doing?
The city lord’s people stood nearby, looking around and seeing no one. They spoke to someone behind the screen: “You must have heard wrong. There’s no one behind the screen. Hurry up. After bathing, we still need to clean the blood worm pool. That man the city lord captured isn’t behaving – damn it, he nearly bit my hand off last time!”
Blood worm pool! Amid her emotional turmoil, Xing Shuishui gave He Liansheng an anxious look. Brother. Blood worms. These two words together made her increasingly uneasy. Lin Lan probably suffered plenty of torture from blood worms in that state. Could they rescue Xue Sansi quickly…
He Liansheng’s hand caressed her cheek, his fingers entwining with her temple hair.
Xing Shuishui froze.
The young man’s face slowly drew closer, his profile blurry in the water, every angle impossibly perfect.
She thought he was going to kiss her.
But he always stopped just within reach.
He simply took her hand and quietly wrote a few characters. Xing Shuishui’s lips moved as she slowly pieced them together.
Shuishui. Don’t be afraid. I’m here.
These six characters.
It was these six characters.
These were the six characters he wrote.
They touched the softest part of her heart. She gripped his hand tightly, silently processing her swelling emotions.
He Liansheng raised his arm, glancing aside as the Taoyuan sword at his waist flew out. His five fingers gripped the scabbard. Rippling light danced as their clothes floated in the water.
The young man handed her the Taoyuan sword.
Xing Shuishui didn’t understand why he suddenly did this, but instinctively reached out to take it. The Taoyuan sword was hostile to everything except her.
She lowered her head and quickly saw her own name carved near the sword’s mouth: Xing Shuishui.
The sword tassel tangled with the young woman’s sleeves. Every character was deeply etched; she almost wished she didn’t recognize her own name.
Xing Shuishui’s hands trembled.
The people above the bath quickly packed up and left. Only the two of them remained.
The young man said softly: “Shuishui, if I die, you’ll be Taoyuan sword’s only master. If I’m fortunate enough to live, you’ll still be the first person Taoyuan sword protects.”
A life-bound sword was called such because it would only protect its master.
Yet he had set her as the first person it would protect.
This way, if it ever came down to a life-or-death situation between them, she would always be the one to survive.
Tears fell in large drops from Xing Shuishui’s eyes as her heart clenched painfully.
She clutched his clothes, lowering her head against his chest as she cried: “But does it hurt… does it hurt… does it hurt?”
Carving her name on his life-bound sword defied the sword’s very purpose. It would cause spiritual backlash. Damage to the spirit was irreversible – it must have been extremely painful.
But He Liansheng just smiled faintly and said: “It’s not too bad.”
The young man earnestly cradled her face, his lips pale. Though they were in water, he seemed to want to lift her to the heavens: “Shuishui, I love your name so much. You’re the only person I’ve ever liked, and you’re the only one I can like. Because I like you so much, I want you to like me a little more too. I’m sorry for trying to win your affection this way.”
One speech. Five “likes.”
The young man was as sincere as his sword.
Though she had a water-repelling talisman on her forehead, Xing Shuishui felt like she was drowning. Her throat was full and bitter, as if she had swallowed an unripe fruit.
She said hoarsely: “You waited until now to tell me you carved my name on your life-bound sword… I feel… compared to you… my feelings don’t amount to much.”
The Taoyuan sword she gripped in both hands grew hot, its tassel coming alive like flowing fire.
She raised her eyes to look at him.
He Liansheng’s expression shifted slightly as he interrupted her: “Shuishui, love isn’t about comparing how much. Love is just love.”
“What I mean is, you can do whatever you want without worrying about the consequences. Because I’ll be by your side.”
You can do whatever you want… but He Liansheng, I care about you too.
Xing Shuishui moved closer, her face serene. Her fear of water stemmed from nearly drowning as a child, but He Liansheng would never let her come to any harm.
She pressed her fingers against the back of his neck and actively pressed her lips to his.
Her voice trembled: “Tell me… won’t this help ease the pain you felt then?”
All the world’s sounds vanished in an instant.
He Liansheng froze, opening his eyes. This little peach spirit moved stiffly, the peach blossom tucked by her temple swaying in the flowing water. She only knew to press hard, not knowing what to do next.
Her lip corners were ice-cold, her lips exceptionally soft.
Xing Shuishui hadn’t opened her eyes at all, her eyelashes fluttering gently as she listened to the water flowing past her ears and the young man’s increasingly heavy breathing.
That should be… enough, right?
She opened her eyes, only to see He Liansheng’s palm pressed against the back of her head, not letting her hide or pull away, eyes wide. She regretted it – she shouldn’t have softened towards him.
The young man’s fingers threaded through her hair, his other hand gripping her wrist as he lowered his brow and smiled: “Don’t know how? I’ll teach you.”
Xing Shuishui’s neck stiffened. He lowered his head and took control, his voice husky: “Shuishui, you’re the one who tempted me to err.”
Rippling water light played across He Liansheng’s cheeks, every feature exquisite. Xing Shuishui’s lips were forcefully parted by him, her ears burning red. She could hear his heartbeat, and her own.
Her back had somehow already pressed against the jade stone pool edge, her head above water, hair dripping wet. Amid her shame and anger, she tried to push him away with her arm, but her wrist was pinned to the pool edge. When she tried to kick him, her thigh was blocked by his knee, slightly parting her legs.
“He! Lian!” Before she could finish calling his name, her mouth was filled with muffled sounds again.
“I’m… angry… mmph…”
She gasped violently, unable to speak clearly, her throat full of He Liansheng’s breath – domineering and wanton, yet not lacking the wildness a conqueror should possess.
She squinted, not daring to look at him, only lowering her gaze slightly to his neck. The lines were clear and smooth, without an ounce of excess flesh, like a handful of winter snow; pale butterfly wings; perfectly blending with the crimson at his collar – truly pleasing to the eye.
But she had no mind to appreciate it. Water splashed up in white foam, her dress completely soaked and clinging to her skin. The sensation of his fingertips was infinitely magnified, giving her an intoxicating, dreamlike feeling.
He only knew how to bully her!
Xing Shuishui was truly a bit angry at being kissed like this. Seeing that being gentle wouldn’t make him let her go, she decided to use force. Her calf hooked around his ankle between his legs, trying to suddenly trip him into the water, moving quickly and unexpectedly.
They did separate for a moment, but only a moment. He Liansheng curled his lip scornfully, snatched the Taoyuan sword from her hand, and used the scabbard to wrap around her waist. Xing Shuishui was pulled back into the water by him, nearly swallowing a belly full of water. She raged: “You’re finished!”
She raised her hand to grab He Liansheng’s belt, but the young man caught her arm, pressed it back, pinning her underwater and beneath him. Her entire arm was pressed against her chest, the Taoyuan sword stuck between her legs, leaving her no way to kick him.
His face drew close, examining her with an absolutely dominating posture.
The young man sneered: “Had enough touching?”
Xing Shuishui blushed: “Who’d want to touch you!”
He Liansheng said huskily: “Then do you believe what I said last time now?”
Last time? Which time? What did he say?
Seeing Xing Shuishui’s confusion, he said: “Fengdu City. Lovers’ Incense.”
“…”
What a rogue.
Xing Shuishui said awkwardly: “Haven’t you heard? The most inadequate men like to talk about these things the most.”
He Liansheng leaned down again, viciously lifting her chin. This kiss carried a hint of revenge, and he seemed to have anticipated she would bite him. When she did bite, he didn’t make a sound, the taste of rust spreading in their throats, true blood mixing.
Xing Shuishui’s whole body went soft, whimpering with watery eyes, obediently stopping her struggle.
Only then did the young man let her go, pressing his forehead against the corner of her eye as he said softly: “Let’s go find your brother.”
Xing Shuishui fixed her clothes and braid, firmly deciding that in the future they would only communicate spiritually, not dual cultivate. Otherwise, she’d make him leave. If just one kiss could be like this, what would actually joining with him be like!!!!
“What are you thinking about?”
This insufferable man was still haunting her with questions.
Xing Shuishui asked irritably: “Did your master teach you all this?”
“My master practices abstinence and doesn’t understand these things,” He Liansheng said coolly, “But I’m Lingshan’s genius, best at figuring things out on my own.”
“…”
Some genius of Lingshan indeed…
Xing Shuishui made another firm decision – if they ever slept in the same bed in the future, she would definitely tie up his limbs with his headband before the candle went out. He clearly didn’t sound like someone who would behave himself.
Alright, back to the matter at hand. They had just heard those people say Xue Sansi was trapped in the blood worm pool, so there must be an existing pool, and Guan Wushan wouldn’t need to dig one.
Xing Shuishui shared her thoughts with He Liansheng, and asked how things were going with Du Dizhu.
Just as she was about to send a spiritual message to Du Dizhu, she heard his exasperated voice: “What were you two doing just now, ignoring so many messages! This Lin fellow is driving me crazy, constantly hugging me and crying about his family’s misfortunes. What’s it got to do with me? Am I his ancestor?”
Xing Shuishui said with a straight face: “Didn’t hear them, we were dealing with small fry just now.”
Du Dizhu said: “As long as you two weren’t getting frisky at an inappropriate time, anything’s better than that.”
Xing Shuishui: “…”
She was silent for a moment, then asked: “Is everything alright on your end?”
Du Dizhu said: “It’s fine here. The Lingshan people aren’t doing so well though. Maybe they’ve been proper sect members for too long and looked down on doing sneaky things with me, so they got discovered. They’re fighting outside now, don’t know if they’re winning. This damn Guan Wushan is nowhere to be found, or I’d go out and fight too.”
Xing Shuishui said: “It’s not normal that he hasn’t appeared. Just don’t let your guard down.”
Du Dizhu scoffed: “What if he does appear? I’m the ancestor of his mirror techniques. Just watch how this old man handles him, little girl.”
Xing Shuishui thought it was pointless to say more – he wouldn’t listen anyway. She turned to He Liansheng and said: “Your sect mates have been discovered.”
He Liansheng said: “Oh.”
Xing Shuishui was startled.
He Liansheng asked: “Did you find out where the blood worm pool is?”
Xing Shuishui asked Lin Lan and said solemnly: “In the city lord’s main hall.” He Liansheng turned and asked: “Are you afraid?”
Xing Shuishui held his sleeve and smiled: “No.”
Because you’re here.
Her gaze passed over He Liansheng’s waist – the sachet was still there. That was reassuring.
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