The black-haired, black-eyed girl looked especially off right now. And that was before you even considered the fine beads of sweat covering her from head to toe.
Her flushed cheeks looked as though she were desperately trying to suppress something.
Gu Yue clenched her teeth. She had always yearned for Shen Nanxun, a feeling that came from deep within her bloodline.
Usually, she could keep it under control. But when Shen Nanxun released his bloodline just now, she had been completely unable to resist.
To her, the temptation was like a mouse spotting rice.
She wanted to bite Shen Nanxun, but then she remembered what Na'er had said.
"Only dogs get to bite."
Make the dignified Silver Dragon King serve some human brat as a dog?
She'd rather die!
Only after forcibly suppressing the feeling did she lift her hazy eyes and breathe out softly. "Go ahead and absorb it. Once you're done, we'll both leave."
Shen Nanxun gave her a wary look. After what Na'er had done, he was afraid this girl might pull something while he was absorbing the Soul Spirit.
Especially since she seemed so off right now.
"Snow Sis, keep an eye on her for me. I'm afraid she'll pull something while I'm absorbing the Soul Spirit."
"Be specific. What sort of thing?"
"..."
Qian Renxue seemed to be getting more and more off-kilter. It was just like how the Snow Empress had changed after becoming Huo Yuhao's Soul Spirit.
Still, he couldn't help feeling that Ice Empress had it pretty good in the Soul Spirit world. She could bully the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm while enjoying the company of her dear friend, the Snow Empress.
The Soul Spirit absorption lasted a little under half an hour, but everything went smoothly. The Dark-Armored Dragon Python had been ready to resist, but the instant it came into contact with his bloodline, it dropped to its knees at lightning speed.
When Shen Nanxun opened his eyes again, Gu Yue was no longer where she had been. She had retreated to a corner at the other end of the cave, nearly the entire length of the stalactite cavern between them.
She sat cross-legged on the ground, hands clasped over her knees, eyes closed. Her breathing was still somewhat rapid, but much steadier than before. Most of the flush had faded from her cheeks, leaving just a hint of pink at the tips of her ears.
She opened her eyes, and her gaze had cleared; her slit pupils were gone. She stood and calmly brushed the stone dust from her skirt.
"Let's go. Out of the tower."
They left the Soul Spirit Tower one after the other.
Leng Yaozhu had already ordered someone to prepare a medicinal bath. In the private suite on the top floor of the Spirit Pagoda, steam curled through the air. The spacious bathing pool was filled with emerald-green medicinal liquid, its surface covered by a paper-thin, pale-gold film—the natural medicinal film produced by several exceedingly rare celestial treasures blending together.
It could further suppress the divine aura inside Shen Nanxun, and was also remarkably effective at strengthening his foundations and improving his Soul Power.
Leng Yaozhu stood beside the pool, already changed into a simple, deep-purple silk bathrobe. She was barefoot, her fiery red hair casually pinned up in a loose bun.
She held two tiny white porcelain bottles and tipped several drops from each into the pool. The emerald liquid bubbled with fine golden foam where the medicine touched it, filling the entire bathing room with a crisp, rich medicinal fragrance.
"Take off your outer clothes and get in." Her tone brooked no argument. "Gu Yue, sit on the left. Shen Nanxun, sit on the right, back to back. You need to absorb this bath in peace. No talking, no moving around. The effects will last about an hour. I'll stay here and keep watch."
Gu Yue's body stiffened.
"Can I refuse?" Shen Nanxun objected. What difference was there between this and walking straight into a tiger's den? What if the Silver Dragon King couldn't stop herself and gobbled up this soft, fragrant little cupcake?
How would he ever face his elders back at the Shen Family!
"You can." Leng Yaozhu tilted her head slightly. "Otherwise, you can bathe with me."
"Never mind, then." Shen Nanxun sighed. He'd rather bathe with Gu Yue. The Silver Dragon King was dangerous, sure, but bathing with Leng Yaozhu would be a living hell.
After all, he still had to call her Auntie.
They weren't related by blood, but he still didn't want to star in some heartwarming Korean drama.
Wearing only their underclothes, the two stepped barefoot into the pool and sat cross-legged, back to back.
The emerald-green medicinal liquid rose to their chests. The pale-gold film drew an almost imperceptible boundary between them, suppressing the divine aura inside him while slowly drawing the medicine's nourishing essence into their meridians.
Steam and medicinal fragrance curled around them. Patterns of emerald and pale gold shimmered faintly across their skin.
They were sitting so close that Shen Nanxun could even feel the tips of her hair drifting through the water and occasionally brushing his lower back.
Unlike Na'er, whose entire body radiated heat, Gu Yue was much cooler. Even though the bathwater was hot, the skin on his back still felt the chill of her presence.
Gu Yue kept her eyes closed, her back ramrod straight. The emerald liquid lapped over her shoulder blades, and the pale-gold film traced the faintest patterns of light across her skin.
She tried to keep her breathing steady, tried to keep her heartbeat normal. But it was too hard. He was sitting less than an arm's length behind her. She could even sense the faintest pulse from his bloodline through the medicinal liquid separating them.
Earlier, in the Soul Spirit Tower, she had nearly lost control. The Dragon Prince's bloodline had ignited the instinctive yearning she had suppressed for so long. Every drop of blood in her body had clamored for her to go near him, touch him, sink her teeth into him.
Shen Nanxun closed his eyes and focused. He could feel the warm, surging medicinal power seeping slowly along his meridians. The Soul Power he had lost absorbing the Dragon Python Soul Spirit was rapidly recovering under its nourishment.
Gu Yue kept her eyes closed, and her breathing gradually steadied. Under the soothing influence of the medicine, her rigid back slowly relaxed.
Leng Yaozhu leaned back on a lounge chair beside the pool, a wineglass in hand. Through the curling steam, she watched the two figures sitting back to back in the water, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
Qian Renxue's voice murmured in the depths of his consciousness. "Gu Yue's heart rate is nearly twice yours."
"Weren't you supposed to watch and make sure she didn't ambush me? How did you end up collecting data like that?"
"I'm merely recording her physiological responses to the close-range influence of your bloodline with the rigor of a scholar. The academic value is immense."
Qian Renxue's voice was cool, but she gave a soft snort. "Her whole body is trembling. You can feel it against your back, so don't play dumb."
Gu Yue had temporarily settled into absorbing the medicinal power, but she still struggled to suppress the flutter in her heart.
There was only one voice echoing over and over in her mind.
"Eat him, eat him, eat him!"
"Why hasn't Shen Nanxun come back yet?" Na'er sat in the courtyard, idly swinging her fair legs.
After a while, the girl took a notebook out of her storage ring.
"I've already bitten his arms, wrists, and fingers."
She furrowed her brow and pouted in dissatisfaction. "It feels like I haven't eaten much."
"His thighs, his face, his lips—I haven't bitten little Shen Nanxun there yet..."
Before you continue