A Lovers' Bath
The house, entirely made of wood, was very large and built against the mountain, resembling a bandit's stronghold. It was also quite old, with a stream flowing gently through its center. This was the residence of the Demon King, Wood Lady Mu, who ruled over this area for thousands of miles? Yue Qianchou was initially incredulous. He hadn't seen the other Demon King or Ghost Kings of the Demon Ghost Domain, but he had seen Meng Yan's underground palace—that place exuded the aura of a local tyrant. This powerful Demon King seemed far too simple. Could it be that she knew he was coming to collect protection money and deliberately made it like this? Damn it, with this setup, I'm almost embarrassed to even speak.
After Wood Lady Mu confirmed it several times, he reluctantly believed her. Once inside the mountain village, magnolia trees were everywhere, their blossoms dotting the green leaves and releasing their fragrance. They walked along, encountering few people, and most of them were women.
"Is this all you have under your command?" Yue Qianchou asked as they walked. The Wood Lady Mu, who was leading the way, replied, "Sir, you are unaware that the spirits of plants and trees are not like the spirits of animals. They shouldn't be separated from their bodies for long periods. I only summon them when there's a reason. Uh... I was confused. I'll summon them to pay their respects to you immediately!"
"That's not what I meant, no need to go to all that trouble." Yue Qianchou waved his hand like a leader inspecting work, then suddenly pulled at his collar and sniffed it, saying, "I was sprayed all over by the man-eating flower earlier, do you have a place to take a shower here?"
"Yes, there is." Wood Lady Mu asked, "Would you like the clear spring water or the hot spring water, sir?"
"You have a hot spring here? Haha, then let's use the hot spring!" Yue Qianchou finished speaking, Wood Lady Mu Niangzi immediately whispered to him, probably arranging for someone to prepare it.
A little later, the two arrived at the largest main hall in the village, presumably where Wood Lady Mu was in charge. The elegant and exquisite furnishings, the thick pink carpet, all reflected a woman's taste. Wood Lady Mu gestured to lead the way, saying, "Please follow me, sir."
Yue Qianchou nodded and followed her out of the back hall. The view suddenly became more elegant, with a winding stream and several small wooden bridges spanning it, giving it a charming atmosphere of a traditional Chinese village with flowing water and a few magnolia trees scattered among them. It was hard to believe that this was the residence of a Demon King.
The two arrived at a cave. The arched, semi-elliptical entrance was carved with exquisite patterns, all depicting magnolias in various blooming poses. Wood Lady Mu pulled up the pink gauze hanging at the cave entrance and said, "This is the bathing place. The conditions are simple, but it is the only slightly better place in the entire mountain village. Please don't mind, sir."
Yue Qianchou glanced at the pink gauze curtain she had drawn and asked with a strange expression, "Is this where you bathe?"
Wood Lady Mu nodded calmly. She had no choice; other places were even more rudimentary, and only the place she used herself was the best, so she had no choice but to lead Yue Qianchou here.
Yue Qianchou didn't say much and went inside. A three-meter square bath was in the center of the stone chamber. Water from two different directions converged and poured into the pool with a "gurgling" sound. It was easy to tell that one channel was for hot spring water and the other was for clear spring water. Presumably, the flow rate and temperature had been adjusted.
The clear blue pool water was steaming slightly, looking incredibly tempting. Yue Qianchou couldn't wait to take off his clothes, but then he remembered that Wood Lady Mu was still beside him. He turned around, tugged at his clothes, and laughed, "Then I won't be polite."
He was gesturing for Wood Lady Mu to step back, as he wanted to take a bath. To his surprise, Wood Lady Mu nodded and said, "I will assist you in your bath, sir." She then reached out to help Yue Qianchou undress.
Yue Qianchou was taken aback, then waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Wood Lady Mu, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant. How could I trouble the Demon King to serve me? You should call two servants!" Although he was embarrassed to take advantage of Wood Lady Mu, he could still send two other women instead. That was what he meant.
"It's alright, it's my honor to serve you while you bathe, sir." Wood Lady Mu said, reaching out again. Yue Qianchou pretended to refuse twice, but unable to refuse her kindness, he was half-heartedly stripped naked and entered the water.
The water temperature was just right. Yue Qianchou lay in the pool, letting out a comfortable groan, his head resting on his hand, his eyes half-closed in enjoyment. Suddenly, he heard the sound of splashing water. Opening his eyes, he saw that Wood Lady Mu had also stripped herself naked, her body fully exposed. Three words immediately popped into Yue Qianchou's mind—a couple's bath!
He then thought, "I want to seduce him." But upon examining Wood Lady Mu's expression, he found that she was calm and composed, with a clear gaze. After approaching him, she made no other affected movements. Instead, she lifted his foot with her slender fingers and began to massage it, her technique appearing very professional, as if she did this often.
Yue Qianchou found it strange. How could a dignified Demon King do this so often? He couldn't help but ask, "Wood Lady Mu, how come your technique is so skilled?"
Wood Lady Mu smiled and said, "Sir, you may not know this, but I served the previous Demon King for over three hundred years, so I am naturally skilled in this area."
Yue Qianchou let out an "oh," then closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation. Since Wood Lady Mu herself didn't care, he cared even less. The initial hints of lust had been replaced by the comfortable kneading and moving fingertips. To be honest, he was somewhat immune to beautiful women, especially since the women he owned were all top-tier beauties—possessing both stunning figures and captivating looks. Wood Lady Mu's physical attributes didn't really hold much appeal for him.
The pressure from her fingertips was just right, moving over various parts of his body. Before long, Yue Qianchou actually fell asleep comfortably. He didn't know how long he slept, but he was suddenly gently woken up. Wood Lady Mu said softly, "Sir, that little Peach Blossom demon has been captured, and the local Ghost King You Yan is also waiting in the main hall to pay his respects to you."
Yue Qianchou's sleepy eyes immediately cleared, and he climbed out of the water without hesitation, saying, "Let's go see." Wood Lady Mu followed him out of the water, took a cotton towel from somewhere, and helped him wipe his body, which he accepted without complaint. His thinking was simple: since things had already come to this, and it was a matter of mutual consent, there was nothing to worry about.
Yue Qianchou conjured a new set of clothes out of thin air. Wood Lady Mu was slightly taken aback when she saw it, then helped him put them on. She quickly put on her own clothes as well.
"Your technique is excellent, it feels very comfortable," Yue Qianchou suddenly said with a smile on the way to the main hall. To take a bath with Demon King at the late Tribulation Transcendence stage, and even have him massage him—how many people could enjoy such treatment? Just thinking about it made him feel great.
"It is my honor to serve you, sir. If you like, please come often. I would be more than happy to do so," Wood Lady Mu said with a smile. She knew that if she could get along well with Bi Changchun's disciple, the future benefits would be obvious.
"Haha, I'm really afraid I won't be able to resist coming here often."
"I couldn't have gotten it."
The two arrived at the main hall with smiles on their faces. As soon as they entered, Yue Qianchou's expression darkened. He saw the Peach Blossom Demon kneeling there. A pretty woman dressed in a green veil in the main hall noticed Yue Qianchou's bad expression and stole a glance at Wood Lady Mu. The latter smiled slightly, and she immediately knelt down and said, "You Yan greets you, sir."
Yue Qianchou glanced at her coldly, raised his hand to signal her to get up, walked straight to Peach Blossom, and sneered, "Peach Blossom, do you still recognize me?"
Peach Blossom recognized him immediately. Having been captured and brought here without knowing why, she was in a state of panic. Now, seeing him emerge with the Demon King, and the Ghost King even kneeling in obeisance, she instantly realized the enormity of her mistake. She knelt down with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing, saying, "This little demon knows her mistake, this little demon knows her mistake..."
"I saved you, and you abandoned me and ran away. Heh heh, I hate ungrateful people more than anything. Get up! Bowing again won't help." Yue Qianchou said, staring down at her. But Peach Blossom grabbed his leg and pleaded, "Sir, please forgive me this time. I'll never dare to do it again..."
"I told you to get up, didn't you hear me?" Yue Qianchou's voice was cold.
Peach Blossom stood up shakily, tears streaming down her face. She shook her head and sobbed, "This little demon spent a thousand years cultivating to achieve human form, only to be all alone and helpless. At the time, I didn't know your abilities, Master. When I saw Old Lady Teng appear, I was terrified..."
The voice abruptly stopped, Yue Qianchou suddenly stabbed her in the chest with both hands. Peach Blossom's mouth gaped open, her eyes bulged, and then quickly shrank back. Smoke began to emerge from her seven orifices, and her skin rapidly withered away. Suddenly, a burst of blue flames erupted from her body, and she vanished without a trace in an instant.
"Blind as a bat! Since you can't see the situation clearly, why bother transforming into human form and continuing to be your thousand-year-old peach tree!" Yue Qianchou coldly spread his five fingers and drew the cyan flames back into his palm.
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