"Bathe together?" Li Qinglu's red lips parted slightly, her face full of shock. Although Western Xia was relatively more open-minded than the Southern Song, the limitations of the era still made such behavior seem far too unrestrained.
"We're already this intimate, and you're still shy?" Song Qingshu smiled. "Where I come from, it's very common for lovers to bathe together."
As the leader of First Rank Hall, Li Qinglu had studied information on many famous figures in the realm and naturally knew that his hometown was near Wudang. Since when had Jingzhou had such a custom?
Despite her doubts, she ultimately did not question it. After all, she was his now, and this did not seem like such a big deal.
Perhaps even Li Qinglu herself had not realized that beneath her usual pride and arrogance, she subconsciously possessed a masochistic heart inclined to submit to the strong.
Blushing, she silently removed her clothes and stepped into the bath barrel. Before long, she sensed that her lover had entered the tub as well, and her face grew even redder.
Song Qingshu was actually rather conflicted too. His relationship with Li Qinglu was a classic case of getting on the carriage before buying the ticket. He wanted to say something to bring them closer, but they had not known each other at all before this, and he had no idea where to begin.
Steam rose from the wooden tub. Out of shyness, Li Qinglu did not dare face him and merely leaned against the far side of the barrel, exposing only her smooth, rounded shoulders and glossy black hair. To keep it from getting wet, she had carefully coiled it atop her head and secured it with a jade hairpin. Together with her long, fair neck, graceful as a swan's, it