Just then, the bathroom door was gently pushed open.
Dugu Yan poked half her body out. Her already enchanting face was now so red it looked as if water might drip from it.
"Qin Feng..."
"The hot water... is ready."
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's, with a slight tremble in it.
Qin Feng raised an eyebrow, put away the herbs, and got up to walk toward the bathroom.
Steam filled the bathroom.
Rose petals covered the enormous bathing pool.
Qin Feng stripped off his clothes in a few quick movements, then jumped straight into the pool with a contented sigh.
"Now that's comfortable."
He leaned against the pool wall and looked through the swirling steam at Dugu Yan, who stood hesitating in the doorway.
Dugu Yan had already changed out of her fitted outfit and was wrapped in nothing but a large bath towel.
Her damp hair fell over her shoulders. Her usually wild, slightly bewitching face was now filled with docility and shyness.
There was no denying it: the snake woman had a truly stunning figure.
Especially the suppleness she had gained from years of cultivation. Just imagining it was enough to set one's thoughts racing.
"What are you still standing there for?"
Qin Feng patted the water beside him, a mischievous smile curling his lips.
"Didn't you say you wanted to repay me?"
"Is this how you show your gratitude?"
Dugu Yan's body trembled slightly, and even the tips of her ears turned bright red.
She bit her lower lip as if she had made up her mind, then nodded gently.
As the thin fabric slipped away,
a long, jade-white leg entered the water first, followed by her alluring figure that made the blood surge.
Water splashed lightly.
Dugu Yan slowly moved closer, her warm skin brushing against his beneath the water.
The slick sensation made Qin Feng narrow his eyes.
"Your poison has been cured, but you still need to consolidate your recovery."
Qin Feng leaned close to Dugu Yan's ear, his warm breath brushing her sensitive earlobe.
"I have a special cultivation method that can help you recover faster..."
Dugu Yan felt a tingling sensation all over. It was as if all her strength had been drained away, and she melted against Qin Feng's embrace.
She heard Qin Feng whispering, and the blush on her face spread down her neck.
In the end, though, she lowered her head and gave an almost imperceptible "Mm."
The steam churned, concealing the spring scenery in the pool.
An hour later.
Qin Feng returned to his room, refreshed and fully dressed.
Dugu Yan, meanwhile, walked unsteadily out of Qin Feng's dormitory and headed toward the girls' dormitory.
It was already late at night, and the campus was quiet.
Dugu Yan pushed open the dormitory door absentmindedly.
"Yanzi?"
A cool voice rang out.
Ye Lingling was sitting by the bed reading. When she saw Dugu Yan return, she raised her head in surprise.
"You're back so late?"
"Why is your face so red?"
Dugu Yan's eyes darted away, and she stammered:
"N-nothing. I just went to take a bath."
Ye Lingling was also a member of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team. She possessed the exceedingly rare Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul and was perceptive by nature.
She put down her book and walked up to Dugu Yan, her brows drawing together slightly.
"Something's not right."
Ye Lingling suddenly grabbed Dugu Yan's wrist. After sensing her condition for a moment, her expression changed instantly.
"Your poison... it's cured?!"
As a healing-type Soul Master, she knew better than anyone how stubborn the poison in Dugu Yan's body was. It was a chronic affliction that even Titled Douluo couldn't do anything about.
How could she have gone out once and come back completely cured?
"Mm... it's cured."
Dugu Yan nodded. The scenes in the bathroom surfaced in her mind again, and her cheeks burned even hotter.
"How was it cured?"
Ye Lingling asked urgently, her face full of shock.
"It was Qin Feng..."
Dugu Yan said softly, "He knows how to refine a kind of pill. I took it, and then I got better."
"A pill?"
Ye Lingling was stunned.
What was that?
Could it really be more miraculous than the Nine Heart Begonia?
She was about to ask a few more questions when her gaze suddenly settled on the corner of Dugu Yan's mouth.
There was a glistening white mark there that hadn't been wiped clean.
"Yanzi, did you sneak a bite of something?"
Ye Lingling pointed at the corner of Dugu Yan's mouth, asking with innocent curiosity:
"Could that be residue from that pill you mentioned?"
Hearing Ye Lingling's innocent, inquisitive question, Dugu Yan felt as if she'd been struck by a bolt from the blue. She froze in place.
That was...
That was what Qin Feng had left behind at the very end, in the bathing pool...
A series of wild scenes flashed through Dugu Yan's mind. That shameful moment surged back like a tide.
She hurriedly raised the back of her hand and scrubbed at the corner of her mouth several times. She only stopped when the delicate skin had turned a little red.
"This... this is residue from the medicine!"
Dugu Yan's gaze wandered. She didn't dare look into Ye Lingling's clear, bright eyes, and her voice rose a little as she tried to hide her panic.
"Right... it's residue from the pill."
"That pill was a little unusual. It was liquid... mm, kind of thick."
Ye Lingling blinked, her gaze still fixed on Dugu Yan's radiant face.
As a Nine Heart Begonia Soul Master, she was especially sensitive to medicines and the signs of life.
At that moment, the aura coming from Dugu Yan was so incredible that she could hardly believe it.
Before, Dugu Yan had been beautiful, but a persistent gloom had always lingered between her brows. It was a sign that the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor's poison had been steadily corroding her body.
Her skin had been fair, but with a sickly pallor.
But now?
Ye Lingling moved closer and looked her over carefully.
Dugu Yan's skin was fair with a rosy flush, like a freshly peeled egg, and even seemed to glow with a soft, lustrous sheen.
Her emerald-green eyes, which had usually held a hint of ferocity, now rippled like water, filled with captivating allure. There wasn't the slightest sign of poisoning left.
Even the fluctuations in Dugu Yan's Soul Power were far more robust than before.
The change was like a complete rebirth.
"Was it really a pill?"
Ye Lingling murmured softly, her voice full of shock.
She reached out and gently held Dugu Yan's wrist. After sensing her condition for a moment, the surprise in her eyes deepened.
Her meridians were clear, and her blood and energy were vigorous.
The poison that had tormented Dugu Yan for twenty years had truly vanished without a trace. Not even the slightest residue remained.
"Yanzi, this Qin Feng... just who is he?"
Ye Lingling couldn't help asking.
She had grown up with Dugu Yan and knew how much effort Dugu Bo had put into finding a cure for his granddaughter. He had searched for renowned physicians across the land, but none had been able to help.
Yet now, after going out for just one night and taking one of those pills refined by this "Qin Feng," she had recovered so completely?
Seeing that Ye Lingling wasn't pressing her about the "residue" at the corner of her mouth, Dugu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and forced herself to appear calm.
"He... is a monster."
"His alchemy really is incredible. Even my grandfather admires him so much he'd bow down to him."