Feeling Guilty? So What?

The Spirit Sea swelled to its limit, as though it were about to explode.

Then came searing pain. It felt as if it struck his nerves directly, while his soul swelled and tore apart with it.

"Clang..."

It sounded almost like metal shattering.

When everything settled, his Spirit Sea had advanced another tier.

Chen Shu took stock of himself—

In terms of space alone, its volume was only about two to three times what it had been. It would remain that size until he advanced to the Fourth Tier.

But beyond volume, the Spirit Sea's other capabilities had improved enormously. Its efficiency at absorbing and releasing spiritual energy, its ability to compress and purify it—all had risen at least severalfold. These abilities reinforced one another rather than working in isolation.

Take storage, for example. Its space had only doubled or tripled, but the quality of spiritual energy it could hold had also improved severalfold, effectively increasing its capacity again.

Chen Shu remembered when he had first opened his Spirit Sea. Even then, he had noticed how unusually large it was.

After searching through plenty of information and making comparisons, he had concluded that it was roughly twice the size of an ordinary First Tier Spirit Sea.

And that volume was healthy, nothing like the Spirit Sea disease caused by genius syndrome. Not only was his Spirit Sea larger, its other capabilities had improved across the board too.

As if it had already advanced a tier.

If he dug into the cause, it might have something to do with his soul.

The Spirit Sea was a strange thing—

Anatomy offered no support for its existence, suggesting it probably did not reside in the body. Yet in the study of souls, the soul was a storehouse for the "spiritual world," a backup for living beings beyond their physical bodies. Its structure was not complex, and no one had observed any sign of a Spirit Sea within it.

And yet every fact pointed to the Spirit Sea being connected to both body and soul.

Perhaps one day there would be an explanation.

"..."

Chen Shu opened his eyes.

After enduring the pain, a strange sense of satisfaction rose from deep within him. He felt pretty good now.

The first thing he saw was Ning Qing. She had actually sat down on the floor too. They faced each other in the main room, close enough that their faces and eyes were level. She watched him calmly.

"How do you feel?"

"..." Chen Shu was utterly speechless. "Why are you talking again?"

"I couldn't help asking."

"Are you treating this like a game?"

"Third time's the charm."

"Like hell I believe you."

"Really. I've figured out how to handle being around you. Next time, I'll succeed in one go." Ning Qing pressed her lips together. "This is a necessary step."

"I feel like I'm a stumbling block on your path of cultivation."

"You are."

"..."

"Do you want to take a shower?" Ning Qing pointed to the sweat on his face and hair. "I ordered takeout. It'll be here soon."

"Takeout? What time is it?"

"Almost six."

"That late?"

Only then did Chen Shu turn to look outside. Sure enough, it was nearly dark. In another half hour, night would have fallen completely.

That meant he had spent almost the whole afternoon on it.

Last time, it had taken just over an hour.

That trend was ridiculous.

Chen Shu paused. "I don't have a towel."

"I do."

"Use yours?"

"Mm."

"All right."

"Come with me."

Ning Qing got up and headed upstairs.

Chen Shu followed her into her bedroom. A faint, clean fragrance lingered there, and the master bedroom had a large bathroom.

The bathroom was fresh and elegant, with a fairly square layout. The tiles on the walls and floor had a light, airy look, nothing like the styles popular in recent years.

Chen Shu first noticed the broad sink, crowded with toiletries and skincare products. A hair dryer was mounted on the wall. Farther in stood a toilet and a shower with a curtain. At the back was a rectangular bathtub built into the bathroom, with a bamboo tray laid across its middle for fruit, snacks, a phone, or a computer.

A shelf hung on the wall at one end of the tub. Alongside the toiletries sat three small potted plants.

Chen Shu liked those three little plants.

Their presence changed the whole bathroom, making it a clean, quiet space that still felt warm.

"Can I use the tub?"

"Yes."

"I'd like a bath."

"I'll scrub it for you."

"Have you used it?"

"Once."

"Do you scrub it before or after?"

"Both."

"I was just going to say you didn't have to scrub it. I could soak in the original flavor." Chen Shu stretched. "I'm so tired. I need a hug."

"After you wash."

Ning Qing turned on the bathtub faucet, took a brush, and bent over to scrub the sides carefully.

Chen Shu leaned over to look—

What kind of T-shirt is that? Why's the neckline so high?

Two minutes later.

Ning Qing turned on both the hot and cold water, then straightened and headed out. "Rinse off first. Once the tub fills, you can get in. Check the temperature yourself. I'm going out."

Chen Shu followed her to the bathroom door and tried the lock. To his surprise, the door couldn't be locked from the inside.

"You won't peek, will you?"

Ning Qing rolled her eyes and pulled the bedroom door shut behind her.

But she had barely taken two steps down the hall when she heard a click from the bedroom door—

He had actually locked it from the inside!

"?"

Ning Qing was at a complete loss for words.

Chen Shu started showering.

By the time he finished, the tub was about half full. He went over to inspect the three little plants, then glanced across the shelf.

He picked up a bath bomb and tossed it into the tub.

Chen Shu climbed in and lay back.

It had been a while since his last bath. Rather than feeling comfortable, he felt his heart race and his breathing quicken. He soon adjusted, only to find himself exhausted. The strain a bath placed on his body surged together with the fatigue left by his advancement. Without meaning to, he slid lower, rested his head against the side of the tub, and closed his eyes.

I'll just clear my mind and rest for a bit.

I absolutely can't fall asleep. Who knows when I'd wake up? Soaking too long wouldn't be good either.

Things rarely went as planned.

Chen Shu had no idea when he fell asleep. When he groggily came to, his first thought was that he was still in the bath and had been startled awake. But he soon realized he was no longer sitting in water. Had the drain plug not sealed properly? Or had he hit a button by accident?

Then how had this bath towel ended up on him?

Chen Shu grew uneasy.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up.

A white bathrobe now hung on the metal towel rack beside him, while a towel covered his body. Warm light shone through the frosted-glass bathroom door.

Outside the window, it was completely dark.

The towel was matcha green, a fresh, pleasant shade.

Chen Shu rose in silence.

Even his ravenous hunger no longer mattered. He put on the bathrobe, stepped out of the bathroom, and leaned around the doorway to look—

Ning Qing sat against the headboard under the covers, holding a book and reading intently.

The bedroom door was still closed.

Chen Shu stared blankly. After a long while, he smacked his lips and asked in a daze, "H-how did you get in?"

Ning Qing kept reading without raising her head.

"It's my house."

"But I locked the door."

"I have a key."

"I mean—why did you come in?"

"You were taking too long. I was worried something had happened."

"You could have knocked."

"How do you know I didn't?" Only then did Ning Qing look up from her book, apparently having finished a passage. She gave Chen Shu a calm glance. "I knocked. You didn't answer."

"I don't believe you!"

"I don't lie."

"Then knock a few more times! Knock harder!"

"..."

Ning Qing met his gaze. After a long silence, she finally said, "Might as well look while I had the chance."

"!?"

"..."

"What happened to the aloof goddess? Would an aloof goddess act like this?"

"Like what?"

"Would she be interested in that?!"

"I'm interested in you."

"You... you even ended your Stillheart Way practice early!"

Chen Shu was deeply aggrieved. He pointed a trembling finger at the bathroom and shouted, "Hurry up! You go take a bath too! I'm going to look back, or I'll never feel even!"

Faced with his outrage, Ning Qing remained perfectly calm.

"Put it on my tab."

"What tab?!"

"?"

Ning Qing was puzzled. How could he have forgotten what putting it on a tab meant when he had been the one to suggest it? Still, she explained patiently, "It means paying on credit. Once I can watch you bathe every day, tell me, and I'll watch a few minutes less one day."

Is that what I meant?

I'm angry!

I'm saying no!

How can you put that on a tab?

Wait, something about that isn't right—

"A few minutes?"

"..."

Ning Qing quietly looked back down and resumed reading, hoping that ignoring him would let the subject pass.

"Ah, I can't take it anymore!"

Chen Shu rushed over, threw himself onto her bed, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Let me look back already!!"

"You hugged me."

"What?"

"I said you could hug me after you washed. You've hugged me now." Ning Qing's expression remained serene. Her eyes stayed on the page, and she even turned one. "Don't say I didn't let you."

"...That's not what we're talking about! We're talking about you peeking at me naked!"

At that, he suddenly sniffed.

Ning Qing smelled faintly sweet and fresh.

Just like the body wash he had used.

"You took a shower too?"

"..."

"Answer me! Where did you shower?"

"..."

"?"

"..."

"Why are you staying quiet?"

"I'm about to start practicing the Stillheart Way..."

"??"

Chen Shu slowly turned toward the bathroom beside them. His whole mood collapsed. "There's another bathroom outside! Why didn't you use that one!?"

"..."

"If you don't say anything, I'm going to kiss you by force!!"

"You wouldn't wake up anyway."

"...What if I did wake up?"

"So, did you?"

"...Wouldn't you feel awkward?"

"Empty formalities are no good."

"...Stop copying the way I talk." Along with the frustration of coming off worse, Chen Shu found it hard to understand. "Good heavens, how did my Qingqing end up like this?"

"Whose fault is that?" Ning Qing let him hold her and asked him in return, calm and confident. Her expression never changed, in sharp contrast to Chen Shu's. "You've been bullying me since we were little. I bully you once, and look how you react. Seems to me I'll have to bully you a few more times before you get used to it."

"..."

Chen Shu was left speechless. It took him a while to recover before he asked, "How long did you watch?"

"Half an hour."

"Then you said you'd only put a few minutes on the tally."

"I wasn't staring the whole time."

"Right. That makes so much sense..."

"Don't worry, I did the math. The total was only three minutes and twenty-eight seconds, accurate to the millisecond. Put it on your tally." Ning Qing added, "There wasn't much to look at anyway."

"..."

"I'm going to sleep."

Ning Qing closed the book in her hands and tossed it onto the bedside table. Looking at him, she said, "There's food on the table downstairs. You must be hungry, so go eat. Heat it up if it's cold. I've already laid out the cookware you'll need in the kitchen. And I left you a blanket on the sofa. That's where you're sleeping tonight."

"No! I'm sleeping here!"

"This is my room."

"Then you sleep on the sofa."

"..."

Ning Qing silently pushed him away, got up, put on her slippers, and headed out.

"Where are you going?"

"The sofa."

But he showed no appreciation for her kindness. He even pointed at her and hollered, "See! You've got a guilty conscience!"

Ning Qing's face was expressionless.

Give this struggling author some more votes, please. /Tears streaming down my face