Mu Xinlian’s view was completely blocked by the folding screen and layers of steam; she could see nothing.
He Shu’s clothes lay discarded on the wooden rack. She sat in the shallow area of the hot spring, submerged in water up to her neck.
She scooped up a handful of water, feeling it slip through her fingers.
It was a rare moment of comfort. For the first time in a long while, He Shu was able to enjoy soaking in a hot spring while fully conscious.
The fatigue in her body seemed to melt away completely. Her waist no longer ached, and her legs no longer hurt.
He Shu let her mind go blank and closed her eyes for a short rest. Half an hour later, she stood up from the pool.
After drying her body with a towel, she picked up her clothes from the wooden rack. Looking at the white dress she had been wearing for half a month, her eyes showed clear distaste.
Although there was a wardrobe in her room, whether intentionally or not by Hua Yanyun, it contained not a single piece of clothing.
The dress she currently wore had only been given to her after the previous one was completely torn apart by Hua Yanyun.
She casually tossed the dress into the hot spring pool, then wrapped the towel around her body.
Calling Mu Xinlian, who was waiting outside the screen, He Shu pointed at the dress that had sunk to the bottom of the pool.
“Wash that for me. I’ve worn it for so long that it’s filthy.”
She sat down heavily on the wooden bench. Her still-damp long hair nearly reached the floor.
Suddenly thinking of something, He Shu continued, “Little Mu, Hua Yanyun has allowed you to go out, right?”
“Mm, Her Majesty has permitted me to move freely outside.”
“Then this afternoon, go into the immortal city and find a good tailor shop to custom-make a few silk dresses, as well as two sets of cloud cotton undergarments for changing.”
He Shu specifically specified the materials for the clothes; she had no choice in the matter.
When she had still been “He Wanyi,” her sensitive physique had not troubled her, and she could wear whatever she wanted.
But things were different now. Having returned to her original body without any external suppression, she was over ten times more sensitive than an ordinary person. Even the slightest friction or touch made movement extremely uncomfortable for her.
Clothing was the biggest problem. Only soft silk material could prevent her from fainting from the sensation of fabric rubbing against her skin.
Using cloud cotton for undergarments was even more particular. Cloud cotton was a special plant grown in cloud soil, classified as a heaven-and-earth treasure of the space dao. It was extremely expensive and mostly used for refining artifacts.
Its characteristics were cloud-like softness and exceptional water absorbency. Many beauty-conscious female cultivators turned it into cloud silk brocade for making clothes.
He Shu actually wanted to have all her clothes made from cloud silk brocade, but considering the price would be too high for Mu Xinlian—a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator—she gave up on the idea.
He Shu gave her exact body measurements and repeatedly emphasized that the chosen materials must be used.
After listening, Mu Xinlian nodded. With a blushing face, she said she would set off to find a suitable tailor shop right after washing the clothes.
She had been in Cloud Mist Immortal City for several years and had established herself quite well. She also had a considerable amount of wealth saved up, so ordering a few high-quality custom garments was not an issue.
After washing the dress and quickly drying it with a spell, He Shu took the clothes from Mu Xinlian. She waited for Mu Xinlian to retreat behind the screen before removing her towel and slipping the dress back on.
She asked Mu Xinlian for a wooden hairpin and tied up her long hair, which reached the back of her knees, into a bun for easier movement.
Wearing slippers, she left the open-air hot spring enclosed by the screen. A gust of wind blew past, and the temperature difference caused an electric-like shiver across He Shu’s delicate skin.
She draped the towel over her shoulders for warmth and quickly returned to the fifth floor.
Unwilling to return to her own room and sleep in the cage, and too embarrassed to impose on Mu Xinlian’s bed again, He Shu picked a random room on the fifth floor and lay down on the bed.
……
That night, He Shu had just finished eating when she sensed a powerful surge of spiritual energy behind her.
Although she had lost her cultivation, her spiritual meridians remained intact, so she could still perceive spiritual power in small matters like this.
She whipped her head around sharply and saw the void shatter. A tall woman in a black-and-gold dragon robe stepped out from within.
As expected, it was Hua Yanyun.
“What are you here for?”
Even though she already knew the answer in her heart, He Shu still asked the question.
Hua Yanyun’s reply did not surprise her either.
“I’m too lonely by myself, so I came to find my favorite Consort He for some fun.”
Calling it “fun” was really just her wanting to satisfy herself.
He Shu inwardly scorned Hua Yanyun fiercely, but her expression remained unchanged.
“You have so many beauties in your harem, yet you insist on fixating on me alone? In our deal, you promised you wouldn’t touch me before my body has fully recovered.”
“Consort He, you’re mistaken there. You are my woman, and in our deal, I only promised not to beat you before you recover.”
Pressing He Shu’s arms down and pinning her onto the bed, Hua Yanyun leaned over and bit her fragrant shoulder.
“What a devastatingly beautiful little face. You’re so pretty that I really want to tear you apart and devour you whole.”
Even as she spoke such terrifying words, Hua Yanyun stared into He Shu’s gem-like green eyes.
Her left eye socket was gently stroked by two slender fingers. He Shu had the feeling that Hua Yanyun might gouge her eyeball out.
Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Although she had made a deal with Hua Yanyun, there were no actual restrictions or enforcement mechanisms in the agreement. Everything depended on whether Hua Yanyun chose to honor it.
In truth, Hua Yanyun had no intention of gouging out He Shu’s eyes. She merely caressed her eye socket because she wanted to see the fearful little expression on He Shu’s face.
Looking at He Shu’s small face—filled with fear and helplessness, weak and powerless to resist—ignited a fiery heat within Hua Yanyun.
When He Shu had been unconscious, she had already done as she pleased with her. At that time, He Shu had been motionless, like a soulless puppet.
The He Shu beneath her now struggled desperately, trying to protect her own body. While Hua Yanyun found it extremely pleasurable, for He Shu it was nothing but agonizing torment and collapse.
“Indeed, a little one who actively resists is much more exciting to me.”
The more He Shu resisted, the more excited Hua Yanyun became.
……
Afterward, it was already midnight. He Shu lay limp like a puddle of mud in Hua Yanyun’s arms, having passed out.
Hua Yanyun carried the soft, lifeless He Shu to the open-air hot spring and entered the pool together with her.
Looking at the girl in her arms, she recalled the first time she had met He Shu. Back then, He Shu had been much healthier. She had felt wonderful to the touch and was far less frail than she was now.
Although after a week of recuperation He Shu no longer looked like the dying candle in the wind she had been when she was starved unconscious, she still had not returned to her original state.
It had to be said that He Shu’s recovery ability was quite strong. For an ordinary mortal or Qi Condensation cultivator, recovering to this extent would have taken at least one or two months.
Though whether that’s due to her former Nascent Soul foundation or the Mystic Soul Pure Sound Physique, I’m not sure.
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