The light gradually faded, and her Martial Soul returned to her body.
Hu Liena slowly opened her eyes.
A flicker of delight crossed her face. She looked at Su Ming beside her, stood up, and was just about to speak.
But then she suddenly felt sticky all over, accompanied by a strange, foul stench. It was a little like licking the crystallized armpit of a sixty-year-old man on a forty-degree day!
"Ahem... What's that smell? Why does it stink so much?"
Hu Liena instinctively raised an arm to take a look. The next second, her face turned ashen.
Her skin was covered from head to toe in a layer of sticky black grime.
The grime gave off an extremely pungent stench. It was made up of impurities from the marrow and meridians deep within her body.
The Immortal Herb had thoroughly cleansed her marrow, forcibly expelling all those impurities at once.
"What is this?" Hu Liena's little face turned pale. It smelled far too awful.
Su Ming remained calm and pointed to the side room. "Those are impurities from your meridians. The maids have already prepared hot water for you. Go wash up."
At his words, Hu Liena quickly covered her nose and hurried into the bathroom next door.
She spent a full two hours washing.
Two hours later, the sound of water in the bathroom finally stopped.
The bathroom door opened a crack, and Hu Liena poked her head out.
After washing for two whole hours, her little face was now flushed red.
She glanced toward the next room and called out, "Su Ming, are you still there? Do you have any spare clean clothes? Lend me a set."
Su Ming asked in confusion, "Didn't you bring clothes in your storage bracelet?"
Hu Liena replied, "I haven't been going out lately. Why would I bring clothes?"
After hearing that, Su Ming said, "I only have my own clothes. Do you want a maid's outfit? I can have someone bring you one."
"No!"
Hu Liena refused at once, pursing her lips in distaste. "The fabric is too rough, and I refuse to wear a maid's outfit in your courtyard."
Su Ming shook his head, at a loss for words.
He said nothing more and took a set of his own black casual robes from his ring.
Su Ming had a maid deliver them inside.
A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened.
Hu Liena stepped out and came over to Su Ming.
Hearing the sound, Su Ming instinctively looked up. He couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
Hu Liena was wearing Su Ming's loose black robes. The collar was so large that it had slipped low, leaving her delicate collarbones and a generous expanse of smooth skin exposed.
Her tall, slender figure, wrapped in the oversized robes, seemed to show through them in an alluring, half-hidden way, making her look all the more mysterious.
More importantly, ever since her Martial Soul had evolved into the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Hu Liena's entire bearing had become even more bewitching.
Every gesture radiated an intensely seductive allure.
It was no longer the deliberate effect of activating a Soul Skill, as before. This was a natural aura that seemed to have seeped into her very bones. Just one look was enough to make a person's heart race against their will.
Even Su Ming was unconsciously affected.
Seeing Su Ming sitting there, staring blankly at her, she couldn't help giving him a smug little smile.
Her strange, alluring eyes held a teasing glint. "Dumbstruck, are you? You spend every day cooped up in the Cultivation Room. Is today the first time you've realized your big sister is actually beautiful?"
At Hu Liena's teasing words, Su Ming snapped back to his senses.
He looked away and changed the subject. "How do you feel now?"
At the mention of business, Hu Liena's playful expression faded.
Her eyes lit up with excitement and shock. "Better than ever! Not only has my Martial Soul evolved, but my physical strength has improved by several levels! More importantly..."
As she spoke, Hu Liena abruptly stood up and released all the Soul Power within her.
In an instant, an immensely powerful wave of Soul Power swept through the entire room.
"My Soul Power has broken through four levels in a row. I've officially reached the bottleneck at level fifty!"
Hu Liena said excitedly, "And I can clearly feel that there's still an enormous amount of medicinal power building up inside me."
"If I weren't limited by the fact that I haven't absorbed my fifth Soul Ring yet, I think I could break through at least one more level!"
Looking at the excited Hu Liena, Su Ming nodded.
"Don't worry. The medicinal power of the Immortal Herb won't disappear. When you hunt for your fifth Soul Ring, that stored-up power will surge out along with it and help you make another leap in strength."
After hearing Su Ming's explanation, Hu Liena relaxed.
She had thought it would all go to waste.
Then Hu Liena suddenly looked at Su Ming with curiosity.
"Su Ming, I'm really curious. Where did you learn all these strange and unusual things?"
"You're only twelve, and ever since you joined Spirit Hall, I've hardly seen you visit the Library Pavilion."
Faced with Hu Liena's question, Su Ming casually brushed it off. "When it comes to reading, it's not about how much you read, but how carefully."
Hu Liena eyed him suspiciously. She clearly didn't quite believe that explanation.
But she knew Su Ming didn't want to say more, so she didn't press the issue.
Su Ming glanced at the sky outside. "You've eaten the Immortal Herb now. If there's nothing else, you can head back."
Hearing him dismiss her so bluntly, Hu Liena's smile stiffened slightly. She was a little displeased.
"In such a hurry to get rid of me? What, will it kill you to spend a few more minutes talking to your big sister?"
Su Ming merely looked at her without expression.
Hu Liena was momentarily disheartened, but quickly recovered and changed tack. "It's not that I don't want to leave. You've given me such a huge opportunity, and I haven't even properly thanked you yet."
Su Ming said, "No need to thank me. We're fellow disciples."
"No need to thank you?"
A sly glint flashed through Hu Liena's eyes at his reply.
She suddenly leaned close to Su Ming, bringing their noses to within barely a centimeter of each other. "They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Come clean. You gave your big sister such a huge benefit for no reason. Are you harboring some ulterior motive toward her?"
Su Ming froze, not expecting her to suddenly move so close.
A sweet fragrance wafted toward him—the fresh scent of her bath, mingled with the natural fragrance of her mature body.
And as she leaned in, the collar of her already loose robes slipped lower, revealing a broad expanse of snow-white, delicate skin.
Her full curves and captivating cleavage were utterly mesmerizing!
The close-up assault on his senses left Su Ming momentarily at a loss.
But he quickly came to his senses, stepped back, and put some distance between them.
"You're overthinking it."
Su Ming said coolly, "We're just fellow disciples. Besides, each person can only take one Immortal Herb. There's no use keeping any extra ones."
Watching Su Ming retreat as if she were a plague, Hu Liena secretly laughed to herself.
She looked at Su Ming, her eyes still carrying a hint of provocation and teasing.
"Is that so?"
"That reason really does break my heart."
"Actually, if you really do have feelings for your big sister, you can just say so. Maybe... your big sister really could indulge a few of your little requests."