Again, I Won't Let You Ride Me!

"Would you like to massage my legs?"

Bai Ze moved closer to You Su, placing his small hand on You Su's shoulder, his bright eyes filled with hope.

You Su raised an eyebrow slightly and casually brushed it off, "I'll do it myself."

"No, no, please help Pearl Meow." Bai Ze shook You Su's arm. "This human body is too troublesome. I have to bend over and massage it. My legs won't hurt anymore, but my back will. Please help me out."

You Su was deep in thought, but the swaying made him somewhat helpless. In order to concentrate, he had to raise his voice to be more serious:

"Once you become human, you'll be much more clingy than when you were a cat."

Being persistent isn't a bad thing, but too much persistence becomes annoying.

These weren't harsh words, but Bai Ze could still sense You Su's resistance. She reluctantly withdrew her hand and obediently sat back down.

The girl lowered her head, as if trying to play the role of a docile kitten, but her pink lips were pouting high, as if they could hold an oil bottle.

Bai Ze sullenly removed her embroidered shoes, then lifted her fair legs from under her skirt onto a clean rock. But the girl deliberately turned her back, leaving only her beautiful back to You Su, as if she were sulking.

You Su shook his head inwardly, intending to continue pondering the mystery of the evil spirits' attack, when he suddenly heard the girl hiss repeatedly.

He immediately became suspicious, but all he could see was the girl with her back to him, knees curled up, head down, looking at something, accompanied by soft whimpers like a small animal licking its wounds, which was truly heartbreaking.

"Turn around." You Su had no time to think anymore and gave the order softly.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ze remained silent, instead bending even deeper into the air, as if trying to conceal everything in front of him so that You Su behind him wouldn't see a thing.

You Su raised an eyebrow, thinking that this silly cat was still holding a grudge against him, and immediately decided to restore his authority as the 'master':

"I only counted to three, then I turned around myself."

The girl snorted, seemingly disdainful, and completely ignored her.

"Three."

As soon as he finished speaking, You Su slammed the Ink Pine Sword onto the stone surface, making a dull thud.

Hearing this terrifying sound, before Bai Ze could even turn around, a hand was already covering her pert buttocks. The girl turned her head and said urgently:

"You, you, you haven't even counted to one yet!"

"When did I say I was going to start counting from the beginning?" You Su retorted matter-of-factly, then said sternly, "Take your hand away."

Bai Ze bit her lower lip, her delicate cheeks as rosy as peach blossoms. She seemed resigned to her fate and stopped arguing, instead turning her head and biting her lip as she said:

"Then be gentle..."

Then, the girl shakily moved her small hand away from her hiding place, ready to be punished.

You Su's gaze involuntarily fell on the spot where she had moved her hand. Because she was sitting on the ground, the loose fabric of her clothes was stretched and the faint curves of her clothes were visible. You Su slightly turned her gaze away, and a hint of unease appeared in her eyes.

Ink Pine Sword, but only lightly touched the water, ready to strike at any moment.

"If you don't behave, I won't be so lenient next time," You Su, her voice softening slightly.

"Didn't you say I was too clingy...?" Bai Ze muttered.

You Su sighed inwardly and said helplessly, "Where does it hurt? Turn over so I can see."

"Oh..."

Bai Ze kept his head down, seemingly unwilling, and slowly rotated his body, finally facing You Su directly.

Where are you injured?

Bai Ze secretly looked up at You Su, her eyes sparkling like Xiao Lu's, but she quickly avoided You Su's gaze. She gently bent her legs slightly, as if by accident, subtly revealing the heels of her two jade-like feet to You Su.

The girl's feet were small and delicate, with slender ankles and ten toes arranged like jade bamboo shoots. The flesh of her feet had a healthy pink hue, like the pink paws of a kitten. Yet, her Achilles tendon was extremely long, with distinct joints resembling the elegant hooves of a snow deer.

But her heels ruined this natural beauty; there were several bloody cuts and lacerations, the blood that had seeped out had dried into a dark red color.

Coupled with the girl's shy and timid posture as she sat sideways with her legs bent, she truly resembled an innocent white rabbit that had accidentally stepped into a hunter's pincers, making one feel sorry for her.

You Su's heart tightened, and his brows furrowed.

Why didn't you say so sooner?

His tone was slightly reproachful, but more than that, it was concerned.

Bai Ze stammered, "Anyway, you won't carry my name if I tell you, and you'll just call me clingy... I'm not going to tell you."

After saying that, the girl turned her head away in a huff, pouted, and said, "Once my strength is back, I'm never letting you ride me again, hmph."

You Su pursed her lips, unsure of what to say.

He had been on seven expeditions in a row, focused solely on escaping with Bai Ze, and hadn't paid much attention to other things. Only now did he realize that the girl was wearing those oversized embroidered shoes, and that she had gone through a lot of trouble to keep up with him. He only regretted that the only stockings he had stored were those thin, cicada-silk stockings, which, although durable, probably couldn't withstand such severe wear and tear. Moreover, he felt that it was really inappropriate for such a young girl to wear stockings.

Most importantly, Bai Ze didn't want to get his shoes dirty, so his jumping around put even more strain on his feet, which resulted in the girl's heels being scratched into such a shocking state.

The next instant, You Su grabbed one of the girl's ankles and placed it roughly on his thigh.

"What are you doing?!" Bai Ze was so startled that he stammered.

"Don't move." You Su pressed down on the girl's delicate feet, which were agitated by her sensitivity.

Bai Ze was stunned by You Su's assertive side and let him hold her. But two red clouds still appeared on her cheeks, and whether it was out of instinct or not, she shyly buried her head between her arms. However, she couldn't help but be curious and secretly turned her head to look at the boy who was focusing on treating her wounds, and she was a little fascinated by what she saw.

"This medicine contains menthol, it will hurt for a while, just bear with it," You Su looked up and gently reminded him.

The girl quickly averted her gaze, tracing the fine sand on the stone surface with her fingertips, her voice barely audible.

"Knew..."

The girl's toes were tightly curled up due to nervousness. Fortunately, You Su was experienced in applying medicine and her movements were gentle and skillful. She quickly applied the green ointment to the heels of both feet.

My feet are on fire!

As the ointment began to take effect, Bai Ze's little feet immediately became restless, kicking repeatedly as if to scrape off the ointment.

You Su held Bai Ze's firm calves tightly, preventing the girl from breaking free.

"Shall I blow it for you?" You Su smiled.

"Okay, quick!" Bai Ze nodded hurriedly, wanting to relieve the burning sensation in his wound immediately.

You Su lowered his head and blew several breaths, but the burning sensation wasn't from being burned; it was from the extremely cold and stimulating effect of the premium menthol. Coupled with You Su's 'fanning the flames,' Bai Ze kicked his legs wildly, but still couldn't break free from You Su's control. He could only glare angrily and say:

"You're not allowed to blow that anymore!"

You Su laughed happily, "Didn't you tell me to blow it?"

"You have ill intentions!" Bai Ze snorted several times.

You Su stopped teasing the girl and said earnestly, "Shoes can be replaced if they're dirty or broken, but a leg injury requires applying medicine and suffering. Nothing is more precious than your own body. If you have any pain, just say so. If there's a next time, I have even more unbearable medicine here."

Bai Ze, who had been sulking, softened upon hearing You Su's words. The girl naturally understood that You Su wanted her to learn a lesson and take care of her body. She lowered her head, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart, and even the strange sensation at her wound seemed less unbearable.

"All you do is scare cats," Bai Ze muttered.

"Who told you to be such a coward?" You Su's smile remained unchanged.

Bai Ze was originally lying on the stone surface. After applying the medicine, he tried to turn over, but he only turned halfway before letting out a soft moan.

"What's wrong now?" You Su asked with concern.

Bai Ze's delicate face was contorted in pain. She pointed to her leg and stammered:

"My legs... my legs are numb..."

You Su, who had been on tenterhooks, now felt both amused and exasperated.

Whether it was out of guilt for rejecting Bai Ze earlier, sympathy for the silly little cat, or some other emotion... You Su moved to the right, closer to the girl, so that she could rest her entire leg on his lap.

He gently placed his hand on Bai Ze's calf and began to massage it slowly. The girl's skirt only reached her knees, and her plump and firm calves were bare, with soft and smooth lines. However, You Su quickly put aside the ripples in his heart and treated it as taking care of his younger sister.

His technique was skillful and gentle, starting from the ankle and moving upwards little by little, the perfect pressure gradually relaxing Bai Ze's tense muscles.

Bai Ze buried her head, her cheeks flushed, her hands clasped tightly to her chest, her heart pounding like a drum. You Su's broad hands massaged her calves, each stroke feeling like an electric current coursing through her entire body.

She secretly glanced up at the focused You Su, and saw the boy's seriousness and concern in his eyes, his high nose bridge, and his slightly pursed thin lips... She felt her cheeks burning, as if they were really on fire, but she didn't want You Su to notice her abnormality, so she could only bury her head even lower, like an ostrich.

"Is it still numb?" You Su asked in a low, gentle voice.

Bai Ze shook his head, but quickly changed it to nod.

The tingling sensation didn't disappear; it just shifted to another area.

"There's... there's still a little bit..."

You Su saw through the girl's thoughts but didn't expose them. Instead, he placed his hand on the girl's delicate knees but didn't move forward.

The massage here is not to relieve leg numbness, but to relieve leg soreness. Going any further would be going too far.

Bai Ze felt that this massage was even more comfortable than before, and couldn't help but hum a few times, his ears turning bright red like cherries.

"I feel like you treat me differently after I turned into human form..." Bai Ze glanced at You Su.

"How come it's different?"

"He's more tolerant and spoils me more now," Bai Ze said, fiddling with his fingers.

In fact You Su himself felt the same way, but he felt that it had little to do with whether or not he was in human form. It was just that he had misunderstood Bai Ze, and it was only natural for him to want to make amends after the matter was over.

"I've always been good to you, you're just not realizing it now. If someone were this good to me, I would never say something as hurtful as 'I'll never let you ride me again.'" You Su sighed, feigning sentimentality.

Bai Ze's eyes indeed showed remorse, and he hurriedly said:

"I was just kidding you, I didn't really mean it... You Su, I want to ask you a question."

You Su was quite surprised by the girl's unusually serious tone. "Go ahead and ask."

"You... do you want me to be your dao companion?"

Bai Ze's words were always startling, and You Su was so frightened that she pressed harder, leaving a red mark on the girl's fair knee.

"You want to get beaten again, don't you?" You Su said, distancing himself from the girl's leg and making a move to grab the Ink Pine Sword, which still had the power to be used as a ruler.

Bai Ze quickly grabbed his sleeve and hurriedly explained, "That Flower Daoist taught me! He said that if a man is nice to a woman, it's because he wants her to be his dao companion!"

You Su frowned and shook his head, feeling that this Flower Daoist was too outrageous. In the two days that he was away, how much nonsense had he taught Bai Ze?

"I've told you before, nothing he says except what he actually means. A man's kindness to a woman doesn't necessarily mean he wants her to be his dao companion. That woman could be his benefactor, his mother, his sister, or even his enemy. Besides, you're just a tiny kid, you have absolutely nothing to do with women. I now command you to forget everything that the Archimedes Venerable taught you!"

You Su spoke sternly, like a responsible older brother eager to save his misguided younger sister.

"Don't be angry... I... how was I supposed to know he was so bad? I'll never trust him again, hmph! Please don't be angry..."

Bai Ze pleaded with a dejected little face. He had to admit that even the most wicked woman would soften a little if she showed weakness with that face.

"Never mind, it's not your fault." You Su's voice softened.

Bai Ze immediately chuckled, moved closer to You Su, and tilted his head to ask curiously:

"Then what do you take me for?"

You Su glanced at her, pursed her lips, and then looked away.

"Little sister, perhaps?"

You Su finally decided to be honest, after all, he didn't really treat Bai Ze as a pet. Now that they were having a rare heart-to-heart talk, he wanted Bai Ze to understand his feelings.

Upon receiving the answer, Bai Ze was slightly taken aback, then his pupils flickered, suddenly becoming bright and dazzling, and he happily shouted:

"Then I'll call you You Su from now on!"

You Su raised an eyebrow slightly, and found that he felt no different about this title, as if he had already accepted it.

"Whatever you want."

"Yay! I have a brother now!" Bai Ze cheered, raising his hand.

You Su felt a warmth in his heart, but suddenly his eyes narrowed with a fierce light, because the blood threads connected to his heart were sending an extremely urgent signal!

One of the evil spirits broke free from the blood net's restraints amidst the chaos and is rushing towards their territory!

You Su immediately stood up and drew his sword. Bai Ze noticed You Su's actions and asked with concern:

"Has a monster broken in?"

"You sit still, I'll go kill it," You Su said softly, then turned to leave.

Bai Ze looked somber. Having just recognized a brother, he was reluctant to let him leave his side, so he advised:

"Don't leave me! Why do you have to go looking for it? Can't you wait for it to come to us?"

Upon hearing this You Su suddenly stopped in her tracks, her thoughts, which had been interrupted by Bai Ze, suddenly picking up again!

He wanted to kill the fish that had escaped the net before it reached the interior, for their safety.

But You Su had only just realized that these evil spirits weren't targeting them at all, so they wouldn't come looking for them. Therefore, even though they left the area covered by the bloodline, the invasion of those evil spirits continued unabated.

Grabbing territory is just an action; the real purpose is to seize the resources within that territory.

Although You Su couldn't see anything special about this crimson space, the fact that evil spirits were willing to rush into it one after another meant that there was profit to be made here!

So all he needs to do is stick close to the fish and find the bait!

I unconsciously wrote too much about bound feet, so the Master's appearance will be postponed until tomorrow.