Sharing a Bed

"Lan, you truly are Tianshui Academy's lucky star!" Shui Qinghan was incredibly excited, and the way she looked at Jiang Lan grew increasingly fond. She almost wanted to scoop him up and plant a hard kiss on him.

With whale glue, Tianshui Academy's foundation would be greatly strengthened.

Many teachers stuck at bottlenecks might be able to use the medicinal effects of whale glue to break through and reach a higher realm.

The academy's outstanding students could also use the strengthened physique provided by whale glue to absorb soul rings beyond their limits. This would let them go further on the path of a soul master, achieve greater things, and feel a stronger sense of belonging toward Tianshui Academy.

Of course, Shui Qinghan understood this perfectly well.

Unless Jiang Lan, Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and the others never participated in soul battles for the rest of their lives, the fact that they could absorb soul rings beyond their limits would be exposed sooner or later.

And once that happened, Tianshui Academy's strength alone would be nowhere near enough to keep the secret of whale glue.

However, they did not need to keep that secret.

They only needed to exploit the time difference and quietly buy up all the whale glue on the market before the matter was fully exposed.

Then, they could use the secret of whale glue to make a killing in resources from the various major factions and maximize their gains.

"Teacher, can I have more whale glue?" Jiang Lan blinked his big, watery eyes and looked eagerly at Shui Qinghan.

"You little rascal, do you think your teacher would shortchange you?" Shui Qinghan poked Jiang Lan's forehead irritably.

However, Shui Qinghan was not truly angry. Instead, she felt even more sorry for Jiang Lan.

An orphan without parents would likely have a hard life if he were not a little shrewd and clever.

"Hehe~" Jiang Lan chuckled and scratched his head, seeming a little embarrassed.

"All right, it's getting late. Go take a bath, then get to sleep early. We still have to travel tomorrow." Shui Qinghan coaxed him gently, her eyes smiling.

"Yes!" Jiang Lan also felt sticky all over after hearing that. He hurried into the bathroom and began scrubbing himself clean.

Watching Jiang Lan's hurried retreat into the bathroom, Shui Qinghan's lips curved into a faint smile.

Having such an adorable disciple seemed rather nice.

Still, it was rather embarrassing to think about.

As his teacher, not only had she failed to provide him with much help, she had instead benefited from what her disciple had given her.

The only thing she could do now was treat Jiang Lan even better and let this child feel the warmth of family.

"I remember Bing'er loved sleeping in my arms when she was little. I wonder whether Lan likes it too." Though Shui Qinghan was already over forty and had a daughter just past seven years old, she was a genuine novice mother. She knew little about caring for children and could only rely on the experience she had gained while raising her own daughter to care for Jiang Lan.

When Jiang Lan finished bathing and came out of the bathroom, he froze slightly upon seeing Shui Qinghan lying on the bed, still dressed.

"Lan, don't just stand there. Come over." Shui Qinghan propped her cheek up with one hand and lightly patted the empty space beside her with the other.

"Teacher, th-this isn't appropriate, is it? I should just meditate." Jiang Lan said awkwardly.

"What's inappropriate about it? Your teacher merely wants you to experience a mother's care. Or is it that Lan doesn't see Teacher as family? Teacher has already come to see Lan as her own child, yet you make Teacher so sad~" Shui Qinghan pretended to wipe away tears as she complained in a mournful voice.

"..." Jiang Lan's scalp tingled at once.

Sure enough, women are unreasonable creatures no matter how old they are.

"I-I understand." Jiang Lan hesitated where he stood for a moment before finally gritting his teeth and agreeing.

If this gorgeous woman did not mind, why should he, a grown man, care?

Hesitating like this would only make him seem overly fussy.

Jiang Lan walked stiffly toward the bed, only for Shui Qinghan to pull him into her arms in one swift motion.

Caught completely off guard, Jiang Lan crashed straight into Shui Qinghan's embrace and was held tightly against her. His entire face was buried in her ample chest, while a faint, refreshing fragrance washed over him.

Jiang Lan's face flushed red as he instinctively tried to push Shui Qinghan away. Her body was incredibly soft, like a pool of warm water. The heated, supple sensation struck Jiang Lan like lightning, and he hurriedly withdrew his hands, too flustered to move again.

"Is Lan embarrassed? How cute~" Shui Qinghan let out a soft laugh at Jiang Lan's flushed face and could not resist pinching his cheek.

"Teacher, I'm not a child anymore," Jiang Lan protested.

He was not truly a six-year-old child. Being held in the arms of such a beautiful woman naturally made his thoughts wander.

But he could not really use a child's identity to take advantage of her, could he?

Jiang Lan's moral bottom line was quite flexible, but doing something like that would be far too shameless.

"All right, all right, Teacher understands~ Go to sleep." Shui Qinghan rubbed Jiang Lan's head and coaxed him with an amused smile.

With that, Shui Qinghan pulled Jiang Lan back into her arms. She gazed at him tenderly and lightly patted his back.

"Mm..." Looking at Shui Qinghan's breathtakingly beautiful face, radiant with maternal warmth, Jiang Lan suddenly had the urge to call her Mom.

Although Shui Qinghan was holding him again, Jiang Lan had no improper thoughts this time. Instead, he felt a long-lost warmth and sense of security.

All right, I take that back.

I'm just a child~

As Jiang Lan's breathing gradually became steady, Shui Qinghan's eyes filled with amusement.

Hadn't he said he was not a child?

Wasn't he sleeping soundly now?

Still, perhaps this child simply did not want to show his vulnerable side.

Shui Qinghan sighed softly. The smile in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by a hint of pity.

The next day.

Jiang Lan slept very comfortably that night.

When he groggily opened his eyes, he heard a teasing voice by his ear.

"Our little grown-up is awake?" Shui Qinghan was seated at the dressing table beside the bed, doing her makeup. Seeing Jiang Lan awake but still somewhat dazed, she teased him.

Jiang Lan instantly became fully alert. Remembering what had happened the previous night, his face turned bright red at once.

Although he had already come to enjoy it, Shui Qinghan's teasing still made Jiang Lan feel a little embarrassed.

"I'm going to wash up." Jiang Lan hurriedly rolled off the bed and leaped down, then fled straight into the bathroom.

Avoidance might be shameful, but it worked.

"Pfft!" Seeing Jiang Lan's flushed face, Shui Qinghan laughed so hard that her body trembled like a flower in the wind. Her eyes were full of delight and amusement.

Teasing children was so much fun!

Ah~ Unfortunately, Bing'er was far too quiet. She was nowhere near as lively and outgoing as Yue'er, so there had been no real joy in being a mother.

But Jiang Lan's appearance had filled that gap.

He blushed easily, and he did not get angry, either.

At last, she could enjoy the fun of being a mother.