Bathing with Huang Fei

Bibi Dong turned to Huang Fei, who stood waiting at the side:

"Huang Fei, take him to Dragon Valley."

"Dragon Valley?"

Huang Fei froze for a moment, surprise flashing through her eyes. "Your Majesty, Dragon Valley is Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect territory..."

"I know."

Bibi Dong said calmly, "Although the Yu Clan has designated Dragon Valley as its private hunting ground, they have always allowed independent soul masters to pay a fee to enter and obtain soul rings. This was a promise they made to soul masters across the continent when they founded their sect.

Withdraw one thousand gold soul coins from the treasury as the entrance fee. Change into ordinary clothes and do not expose your Spirit Hall identity.

Take him to Dragon Valley and find a dragon-type soul beast suited to him, preferably one around a thousand years old."

Huang Fei bowed slightly. "As you command."

Bibi Dong's gaze returned to Lu Mingfei.

A light he could not fully comprehend flickered in those violet eyes. "The soul beasts in Dragon Valley are all dragon-type creatures and highly compatible with your martial soul.

The soul ring obtained after hunting one will suit your martial soul far better than the ordinary soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Although the Star Dou Great Forest also has dragon-type soul beasts, those below ten thousand years are of inferior quality to those in Dragon Valley."

"Obtaining your first soul ring from Dragon Valley will greatly benefit your future."

Lu Mingfei paused, then nodded.

"Thank you, Your Holiness."

Bibi Dong said nothing more. She waved a hand, signaling for them to leave.

Huang Fei took Lu Mingfei out of the quiet chamber. The moment they stepped outside, she suddenly stopped.

Frowning, she turned back to look at Lu Mingfei, her expression as if she had stepped in something indescribable.

"You stink." Huang Fei was blunt.

Lu Mingfei lifted an arm and sniffed himself, nearly rolling his eyes from the stench of sweat mixed with something fermented.

The impurities expelled by the whale glue had clung to his skin and clothes. After drying out over this period, the odor had developed into something utterly horrifying.

Without another word, Huang Fei grabbed Lu Mingfei by the back of his collar. Like she was carrying a filthy kitten, she strode down the corridor, turned two corners, pushed open a door, and entered.

Only after she tossed him onto the floor did Lu Mingfei have time to inspect his surroundings.

Before him was an exquisitely furnished room, with rosewood furniture, several landscape paintings hanging on the walls, and a faint orchid fragrance permeating the air.

Through the inner room, he could vaguely see a large steaming bath. The water was crystal clear, with several red petals floating on its surface.

Huang Fei's private bath.

"What are you standing there for?"

Huang Fei had already walked to the edge of the bath.

Her movements were crisp and efficient. She reached up to undo the sash at her waist, and her outer robe slipped from her shoulders, revealing the close-fitting white inner garment beneath.

Without changing expression, she continued undressing. As the inner garment fell away, her snow-white skin appeared and disappeared in the mist. The lines of her back were graceful and smooth, and the contours of her shoulder blades were as exquisite as a sculpted work of art.

Lu Mingfei turned to stone.

He might have been a shut-in, but he was not some innocent boy who had never seen the world. Even so, the impact of this sight made his brain crash on the spot.

Huang Fei had an exceptional figure—slender where she ought to be slender, and full where she ought to be full, as though shaped by nature itself.

Her fair skin glowed with a pearly sheen amid the steam, while her long legs were straight and well-proportioned.

Her long hair draped over her shoulders, half-concealing the sight that would make any man's blood surge.

Huang Fei herself was utterly unaware. In her eyes, Lu Mingfei was just a six-year-old brat.

At an age when he had not even grown all his hair yet, looking was no different from not looking.

She stepped naturally into the bath, warm water rising past her slender waist. Leaning comfortably against the pool wall, she instructed the attendants beside her, "Wash him clean."

Two maids responded and stepped forward, each taking one of Lu Mingfei's arms.

Lu Mingfei was still petrified and had yet to recover when the maids stripped off his clothes, lifted him up, and accurately tossed him into the bath.

With a splash, water scattered everywhere. Lu Mingfei choked on a mouthful of water, surfaced from the bath, and wore a helpless expression.

One maid approached him from behind with a washcloth.

The other poured some pleasantly fragrant soap liquid over his head, and then the two worked together to scrub him clean.

Lu Mingfei had never been attended to like this before. His entire body was scrubbed red.

The two maids were extraordinarily skilled. They scrubbed and kneaded him from every angle, not even sparing the gaps beneath his nails or behind his ears.

Throughout the entire process, Lu Mingfei felt as though his soul had left his body, allowing them to handle him however they pleased.

After about a quarter of an hour, the maids finally stopped.

A bucket of clean water was poured over his head, washing away the last trace of foam on his body.

Lu Mingfei shook his dripping hair and felt as though he had shed a layer of skin. He was clean from head to toe, practically shining.

The maids brought over a set of clean new clothes for him to change into.

A light gray cloth shirt, dark trousers, and a pair of sturdy leather boots. The style was plain and understated; no one would connect it to Spirit Hall without looking closely.

Once Lu Mingfei put them on, he looked much more energetic. His previous dusty, bedraggled appearance was completely gone.

Though he was still small and skinny, his skin now had a healthy glow, and his eyes seemed much brighter.

At some point, Huang Fei had already emerged from the bath.

She had changed into casual clothes similar to Lu Mingfei's: a gray cloth dress, her hair simply tied behind her head, and no makeup on her face. She looked like an ordinary woman setting out on a long journey.

Yet neither her figure nor the cool, striking aura that seemed ingrained in her bones could be hidden. Standing there, she was like a crane among chickens, making it obvious at a glance that she was no ordinary person.

Huang Fei walked over to Lu Mingfei, looked down at him, and gave a slight nod at his new appearance, indicating that he was barely presentable.

Then she bent down, grabbed the back of Lu Mingfei's collar with one hand, supported his waist with the other, and lightly lifted him into the air.

Lu Mingfei's feet left the ground, and he swayed twice in midair, his expression blank like that of a chick being carried by the scruff.

The maids swiftly stepped forward. Taking advantage of Lu Mingfei hanging in the air, they quickly tied his remaining clothing sashes, tightened his trouser cuffs, and fastened his boots.

The entire process was seamless and took less than ten breaths.

"Done." Huang Fei set him down and clapped her hands.

Lu Mingfei's legs were still a little weak when his feet touched the ground.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he could not help muttering inwardly, Lady Huang Fei carries me around like I'm a little chick.

But Lu Mingfei did not dare utter a single word. He merely followed Huang Fei out obediently.

Dressed in ordinary clothes, the two silently left the Spirit Hall residence through a side gate.

Outside stood an utterly inconspicuous carriage. Its driver was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, no different from the carriage drivers found all over the streets.