Hua Rumeng ultimately arranged for the group to stay in a private courtyard behind the Main Hall.
This was where Hua Rumeng cultivated her mind and spirit in her leisure time. Not only was the courtyard planted with Mysterious Flowers, whose fragrance left one refreshed after a single breath, but it also had its own Hundred-Flower Hot Spring for bathing.
Since it was still early, Hua Rumeng settled them into their rooms, then excused herself, saying she still had sect affairs to attend to.
Li Chen and the two women sat at the courtyard's stone table, sipping tea and resting amid the heart-refreshing floral fragrance. Wisps of steam rose from the Hundred-Flower Spring nearby, lending the entire courtyard an ethereal air, like an immortal paradise.
After pouring tea for Li Chen and He Ying, the considerate Xuan Ji went inside on the pretext of making the beds, leaving the two of them alone.
He Ying's beautiful eyes swept over Xuan Ji's departing figure, and she searched for a topic to ease the awkwardness. "Young Master Li, why not try the Hundred-Flower Spring Water? It not only nourishes the skin and preserves beauty, but also soothes the mind and relieves fatigue."
With a beauty extending the invitation, how could Li Chen refuse? His large hand clasped He Ying's slender, bonelessly soft fingers as he smiled. "Then I'm sorry for the trouble, Sect Master He."
He Ying instantly flushed from her neck to the tips of her ears. That had not been her intention, but even though Li Chen had misunderstood, the thought of that exquisite sensation robbed her of any desire to refuse. She even felt a faint anticipation.
After all, these were all new things she had never experienced before!
Soon, splashing and sloshing rang out from the spring in