"Relax..."
Yang Fan's voice grew quieter and quieter.
"Follow the circulation of the Soul Power I'm sending into your body and meditate."
Tang Yuehua's eyelashes trembled slightly. Her cheeks were so red they looked ready to drip blood, but she still tried her best to focus...
"Mm."
She gave a faint reply, her voice carrying a trace of tenderness.
Yang Fan's Soul Power surged. A powerful force, carrying the medicinal properties of the Whale Rubber, instantly broke through the last barrier in her dantian.
"Hum~"
A soft ringing sounded from within her, followed by a clear wave of Soul Power that rippled out from her body.
She had broken through, but since she hadn't obtained a Soul Ring, her Soul Power was only at level ten. Even so, Tang Yuehua felt as though she had been reborn.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Yang Fan's face, so close to hers. It was pale from exhaustion, and her eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
There was gratitude in her gaze, along with embarrassment and a hint of stirring emotion that even Tang Yuehua herself hadn't noticed.
"You..."
She parted her lips, only to find her voice terribly hoarse.
Only then did Yang Fan release her wrist. "Congratulations, Master Yuehua, on breaking through the shackles of level nine."
Tang Yuehua lowered her head and looked at her slightly flushed palm. It seemed his warmth still lingered there.
"Thank you."
Tang Yuehua wanted to say something, but she didn't know what.
She was happy, excited, and delighted. The knot that had bound her for decades had finally come undone.
"I'll keep my promise to you. And here's the Sinking Silver I promised."
Tang Yuehua took a rosewood box from her blue palace dress, which was already soaked through, and handed it to Yang Fan.
Yang Fan accepted it and noticed that the rosewood box was a little damp. It also seemed to carry a peculiar fragrance.
"Master Yang... please show some restraint."
Seeing Yang Fan's nose twitch, Tang Yuehua blushed and spoke in a soft voice.
Yang Fan awkwardly rubbed his nose, but the fragrance only grew stronger.
"Master Yuehua, you should change first. I'll step outside."
Seeing Tang Yuehua drenched in sweat, with glimpses of her skin exposed, Yang Fan felt a little uncomfortable too.
Seeing his awkward, slightly bowed posture, Tang Yuehua felt less embarrassed. A measure of her usual poise and elegance returned.
"Then go quickly. I need to change."
Tang Yuehua could still feel the heat from the thousand-year-old Whale Rubber in her body. She needed to wash up.
"Creak."
With a slightly abrupt squeak, the carved wooden door was gently pushed open from outside.
"Teacher, you said earlier that my court etiquette was still a little..."
The clear voice rang out suddenly in the quiet inner room, then cut off the moment its owner saw what was inside.
Standing in the doorway was the princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, and Tang Yuehua's proudest student at Moonlight Pavilion.
The princess, usually so dignified and elegant, now stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, utterly dumbfounded.
A faint, calming incense drifted through the inner room. Her teacher, Tang Yuehua, sat beside the bed.
Her once-grand blue palace dress was soaked through with sweat, clinging tightly to her body and outlining her breathtaking curves.
Large patches of snowy-white skin showed through here and there. A few strands of sweat-damp hair clung to her long, swanlike neck, lending her an indescribable air of languor and allure.
In front of the bed, a slender young man was slightly bent over, his nose twitching as if he were savoring some lingering fragrance.
The air seemed to freeze.
Tang Yuehua's blood was already surging from her breakthrough. Now, caught in such a state by her student, her beautiful face turned red as if it were about to drip blood.
She instinctively grabbed the brocade quilt and wrapped herself in it. Her heart pounded like a drum, and even her breathing fell out of rhythm.
"Xue... Xue Ke?" Tang Yuehua's voice trembled, tinged with embarrassment and panic. "Why did you come in without knocking? What happened to the manners I taught you!?"
Only then did Princess Xue Ke snap out of it. She hurriedly looked away from her teacher's soaked neckline, her cheeks instantly blooming red.
She lowered her head in a fluster and stammered, "T-Teacher, I... I saw the door wasn't fully closed and thought you were resting... I-I didn't see anything!"
With that, she spun around and hurried to leave, nearly tripping over the threshold in her haste.
"Stop!" Tang Yuehua took a deep breath, suppressing her embarrassment and doing her best to make her voice sound as authoritative as usual. "Who said you could leave?"
Princess Xue Ke stopped at once and obediently stood where she was, though there was no hiding her red ears.
Tang Yuehua bit her lower lip and shot Yang Fan, who was still awkwardly rubbing his nose, a fierce glare. Then she turned to her student. "You are not to tell anyone about what happened today. Understood?"
"Yes, Teacher!"
Princess Xue Ke nodded quickly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"And..." Tang Yuehua paused, her gaze settling on Yang Fan, her tone complicated. "This is Yang Fan, Pavilion Master Yang. Today... he was helping me regulate my meridians. Don't misunderstand."
At her words, Yang Fan used his Soul Power to suppress the heat in his body, then straightened up, his expression calm once more.
He looked at the shy princess and bowed. "I am Yang Fan. Greetings, Your Highness."
Only then did Princess Xue Ke dare sneak a glance at him. She recognized him as the person she had exchanged looks with that night.
After taking a closer look, she thought the young man had delicate features and a slightly pale complexion, but his bearing was gentle and refined, and his eyes were clear.
His behavior just now had been a little strange, but at the moment he certainly didn't look like a lecher.
"P-Pavilion Master Yang."
Princess Xue Ke replied in a small voice, but couldn't help glancing at her teacher again, curiosity filling her heart.
Her teacher had actually let a man into her inner room, and even... ended up looking like that?
Tang Yuehua sighed inwardly when she saw her reaction, but things had come to this, and all she could do was brazen it out.
"Xue Ke, go wait outside." Tang Yuehua's voice regained its usual coolness. "Once I've changed, I'll continue your etiquette lesson."
"Yes!"
Princess Xue Ke answered as if reprieved, then hurried out, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Once again, only Yang Fan and Tang Yuehua remained in the inner room.
Wrapped in the brocade quilt, Tang Yuehua's cheeks still burned. She bit her lower lip and shot Yang Fan a fierce glare, then said with a pout, "Y-Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and get out!"
Yang Fan smiled helplessly and cupped his hands. "Please calm down, Master Yuehua. I'll take my leave."
With that, he turned toward the door. Just as he was about to step over the threshold, he suddenly stopped and looked back. "The princess seems to have misunderstood. I hope you'll explain things to her for me, Master Yuehua."
At his words, Tang Yuehua's face turned even redder. She grabbed the cushion beside her and pretended she was about to throw it at him, but Yang Fan had already slipped out the door, leaving only a lighthearted remark drifting in the air:
"Your Highness, remember to knock next time."
Tang Yuehua clutched the cushion and only came back to herself after a long moment. She looked down at her soaked clothes, then at the closed door, her feelings in turmoil.
This Yang Fan...
She sighed, tossed the cushion onto the bed, and began to undress so she could bathe and change.
What a troublesome man!