Three thousand strands of dark hair spread out.
Like a lotus leaf unfurling.
Only after a long while did he suddenly burst out of the water.
The moon shone bright, and the chirping of insects never ceased.
Amid the steaming hot spring, Ye Qinghong's cheeks were particularly red, as though brushed with rosy clouds, his beauty breathtaking enough to make hearts tremble.
He simply stayed in the hot spring in a daze, feeling as though smoke were rising from his head. Ripples stirred in his normally cool gaze, proof enough of the turmoil within him.
How humiliating! Utterly humiliating!
Even now, Ye Qinghong had no idea what had possessed him to bend over the throne in the great hall.
And let the fiend punish him.
It was utterly incomprehensible, and humiliating beyond measure.
If word of this reached his junior sisters, he would be too ashamed to go on living.
At that thought, his cheeks began burning again. Helpless, he plunged back into the water.
Glug, glug!
Glug, glug!
Bubbles rose in one burst after another.
In the stillness of the night, beneath the bright moonlight, it all seemed so embarrassingly revealing.
Who knew how much time had passed?
A little head emerged from the hot spring.
Ye Qinghong soaked in the hot spring, his clothes thoroughly drenched and clinging tightly to his body.
They outlined one breathtaking curve after another.
He carried his longsword on his back and held a hairpin between his teeth.
With successive surges of spiritual qi, the long hair behind him soon dried and fell naturally over his shoulders.
Then he casually gathered it with his right hand into a simple, neat high ponytail.
With his left, he took the hairpin from his mouth and slid it into his hair, securing the ponytail.
By the time he finished, Ye Qinghong's gaze had become as cold as a deep winter pool. Not a ripple disturbed his expression.
He had returned to his former appearance as an icy swordsman.
Only the embarrassed irritation between his brows proved that what had just happened had not merely left a passing trace like a wild goose flying overhead.
It was still stirring great waves within him; he had merely hidden them away.
Beneath the moonlight, Ye Qinghong soon climbed ashore and took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself as his glazed sword heart began circulating on its own.
With a flick of his wrist, a jade slip appeared in his hand.
It was the complete God-Shocking Sword Technique Fang Yang had just given him.
Holding the sword technique, Ye Qinghong grew bewildered once again, his gaze complicated.
Ten years ago, the fiend had searched the entire world and found the five of them as his female disciples.
Each disciple possessed an innate divine physique and extraordinary talent in some particular field.
Afterward, to nurture them, the fiend had taught them five peerless cultivation methods, one for each.
Every one of those methods was worth a king's ransom.
Once they mastered them, they would surely enter the Heavenly Ranking and become renowned experts throughout the world.
But...
Perhaps their physiques were so terrifying that the fiend had grown wary, or perhaps he wanted to control them more effectively.
The cultivation methods he had taught them were all incomplete.
Only the fiend possessed the complete versions.
Previously, the five of them had tried asking him indirectly for the cultivation methods, only to be confined in the water dungeon for a month to reflect on their mistakes. They had nearly died.
From then on, he had abandoned the idea, believing he would never obtain the complete God-Shocking Sword Art.
He had never imagined that the fiend would now give it to him of his own accord.
It truly felt like a dream or an illusion. Even now, it still seemed unreal.
A gentle breeze blew, and lights wove a tapestry in the distance.
The hot spring water lapped against the rocks with a splashing sound.
Clad in blue-green robes, Ye Qinghong stood alone, gazing in a daze toward the Demon Venerable Pavilion with a complicated expression.
"This fiend seems to have changed."
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Chapter 37: But I Was Here First
A blue-green figure flickered through the night.
After gazing at the Demon Venerable Pavilion for a while, Ye Qinghong went straight back to his Listening Sword Courtyard.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the Back Mountain Hot Spring.
Mist swirled beneath the bright moonlight.
A woman endowed with natural allure was also soaking in the spring.
Her skin was like congealed cream, her flesh as smooth as snow.
Warm spring water slipped over her skin with a splashing sound.
Huang Fuling's face was flushed, and she had submerged her whole body in the water.
Her mind was filled with that lone figure standing atop the Demon Venerable Pavilion.
So domineering, so aloof.
He had all but carved himself into the depths of her heart.
Ripples stirred in her gaze.
Unable to resist, she took out the jade slip she had obtained from the Spring Passion Hall again.
A gentle press!
Her body instantly stiffened.
The seductive light in her eyes was like a pool of spring water, nearly overflowing.
"Demon Venerable..."
She murmured softly, like a wildcat whimpering plaintively.
Her voice almost melted into the night.
She had spent six years undercover in the Demon Cult and had seen the Demon Venerable many times.
But never once had he left such a profound impression on her as he had now.
It nearly drove her mad.
Moreover, the cultivation method she practiced was itself an art of seduction.
Ordinarily, she was fine so long as her heart remained unmoved.
But with her feelings running this deep, she could no longer control herself.
Beneath the night sky, the spring water continued to ripple gently.
For some reason, she noticed a cat floating in the spring-a White Snow Lion Cat. It, too, was bathing, and had likewise buried its head in the water.
Every so often, it let out a couple of whimpers.
The sounds were thick and syrupy, like honey that could be drawn into strands.
Its movements and demeanor were both strikingly similar to hers.
"Even a cat is taking a bath. Surely it isn't pining for love like me?"
Huang Fuling could not help teasing it.
Although she found the idea absurd, she soon felt that it was not entirely impossible.
Just as she was about to swim over and gather this fellow sufferer, the White Snow Lion Cat, into her arms.
Her body stiffened!
An image suddenly flashed through her mind.
Earlier that day, in front of the Demon Venerable Tower, this White Snow Lion Cat seemed to have been in the arms of the Princess Consort of the Southern Pacifying King.
Could it be the Princess Consort's cat?
If the cat is here, could the Princess Consort be here too?
At that thought, Huang Fuling bit her lip and circulated her cultivation method, swimming through the spring like a fish.
She made not the slightest sound.
Soon, she had circled over to that side.
Hidden behind a huge rock, she peered ahead through the swirling mist.
Through the mist, she saw a woman bathing.
Dark hair cascaded down, and the spring water rippled.
Her exquisite figure was supple and gracefully delicate.
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