Inside the bath barrel, which had been heated to a boil, Lin Huanhuan tossed in the ingredients as casually as if she were cooking. Once finished, she even pulled out a stick and stirred the mixture to ensure it was uniform.
Ye Jinxiu watched from the side, her heart pounding with trepidation. She couldn’t help but speculate inwardly: ‘I haven’t offended Huanhuan too badly, have I? There shouldn’t be any need to murder me. Is it possible I pushed her too hard?’
Ye Jinxiu swallowed hard and asked cautiously, “Huanhuan, aren’t you supposed to be preparing a spirit liquid?”
Lin Huanhuan glanced back at her, her hands never stopping as she used a small knife to cut the Thousand-Year Jade Marrow into several small pieces before tossing them in. Only then did she reply, “Yeah, can’t you see that? What else would I be doing if not preparing spirit liquid?”
Ye Jinxiu’s eyelid twitched. “I might not know much about alchemy, but even I know that refining pills shouldn’t be exactly like cooking, right? Why does this look just like making a meal?”
Lin Huanhuan glared at her fiercely, looking at her as if she were a fool. She retorted without hesitation, “If you don’t understand alchemy, then what the hell are you talking about? This is exactly how spirit liquid is made! If you’re not satisfied, go find someone else. Don’t come to me!”
In her previous life, Lin Huanhuan had utterly despised people who pretended to know things they didn’t and loved to give instructions to others. It was deathly annoying.
“I looked through a massive pile of alchemy books and let my Heart Demon guide me through this. How could there be a mistake? You’re truly ignorant.”
Lin Huanhuan was utterly convinced of the quality of the spirit liquid she was currently boiling. Ye Jinxiu didn’t dare speak further and could only stand aside obediently, waiting quietly.
‘Forget it, I should just trust Huanhuan. She isn’t that kind of person. Still, the appearance of this spirit liquid really isn’t great.’
After a while, the bubbling spirit liquid began to turn a fluorescent green. Immediately after, it shifted to lake blue, orange-red, and lemon yellow… it was a vibrant, multicolored display. After a long time, the mixture finally settled, eventually becoming as clear as lake water.
Lin Huanhuan nodded in satisfaction and clapped her hands. “Not bad. It’s done.”
She turned to look back. Seeing her gaze, Ye Jinxiu immediately took a step backward, laughing awkwardly. “Maybe we should skip it for today and do it another time? I suddenly feel a bit unwell and need to rest.”
“Huh?” Lin Huanhuan’s anger flared. “You were the one pestering me to do this right now, and now you’re saying ‘another day’? I think you’re dreaming.”
“I should remind you that this spirit liquid can only be stored for one hour at most. As time passes, the efficacy will get weaker and weaker. If you miss this, you’ll have to collect the materials all over again before coming back to me.”
“Furthermore, you’ve played me once today. Next time, I might not have the time to help you. You’d better think carefully.”
Lin Huanhuan was well aware that the spirit liquid looked a bit terrifying, but precisely because of that, she intended to use it to test Ye Jinxiu’s resolve.
‘Since your favorability toward me is so high now, you should believe that I won’t harm you. If you don’t dare to do it, then no matter what you’re thinking, I can use this as an excuse to reject you whenever you come looking for me in the future.’
‘I really am a genius. This is simply too perfect!’ Lin Huanhuan laughed wildly in her heart.
The expression on Ye Jinxiu’s face shifted repeatedly, but in the end, she nodded. “Fine. Let’s not waste any more time then. Take off your clothes.”
“Tch.” Lin Huanhuan curled her lip but didn’t continue the intimidation. “I’ll be behind you in a moment. You are absolutely not allowed to turn around, do you hear me? Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
Lin Huanhuan issued the warning first, worried that this detestable protagonist might strike at her during such a moment. Seeing Ye Jinxiu nod, she felt slightly more at ease.
The sound of rustling clothes rang out as Ye Jinxiu and Lin Huanhuan simultaneously shed their garments. Not even their inner layers remained; they stripped until they were completely bare, without a single thread covering them.
Lin Huanhuan covered her chest with one hand, pressing together two rounded mounds, while her other hand shielded her lower half. She watched Ye Jinxiu in front of her with a vigilant gaze, staring at that smooth back and those hips, terrified that she might turn around for a surprise attack.
Though Ye Jinxiu wanted to do exactly that, she knew in her heart that now was not the time for such things. To avoid making Lin Huanhuan feel awkward, she didn’t even look back, though she lamented the missed opportunity in her heart.
Ye Jinxiu lifted a leg, her toes dipping slightly into the spirit liquid to test it. She felt a sensation of transparency and clarity wash over her from the point of contact, allowing her to heave a great sigh of relief.
“It seems I truly was judging a lady’s heart with the mind of a petty person.”
Without further hesitation, Ye Jinxiu stepped into the bath barrel and sat cross-legged. Except for her head, her entire body was submerged beneath the surface of the water as she took a meditative cultivation pose. Lin Huanhuan gave a soft huff and also entered the bath barrel.
Fortunately, the bath barrel was quite large. Otherwise, stuffing two people in at once would have been too cramped. Now, however, it was just right, barely allowing them to stretch their limbs.
The temperature of the spirit liquid was quite high. A normal person would likely be scalded red all over after a soak, but they were both experts at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage. Even without using spiritual energy for defense, the heat didn’t have much of an impact.
Steam rose, and the room became shrouded in mist, looking like a fairyland. Lin Huanhuan pressed both hands against Ye Jinxiu’s back. Ignoring the silky sensation against her palms, she circulated her spiritual energy, letting it flow from her palms and slowly drill inward.
Ye Jinxiu’s delicate body suddenly jolted violently. As those few strands of spiritual energy that didn’t belong to her entered her body, she felt a strange sensation. A numbing, tingly feeling spread from her shoulders, and the spiritual energy within her dantian seemed to react as if provoked, threatening to swallow and annihilate these few strands of unfamiliar energy.
She had to exert a great deal of effort to forcibly suppress this instinctive physical reaction.
Inside the human body, every part is an extremely sensitive area. The entry of any external object causes intense discomfort. This was especially true for spiritual energy. Spiritual energy traveled through the meridians; when meridians that had never hosted other energy were suddenly invaded by a stranger’s energy that roamed around recklessly, one could imagine the reaction.
As the spiritual energy reached the Shenshu point, Ye Jinxiu felt a wave of numbness spread across her back. Her body grew somewhat limp, and she nearly toppled over.
She clenched her teeth, forcing herself into a meditative state to observe her internal condition. She saw that unfamiliar strand of spiritual energy pass through the Shenshu point and head straight for the Baihui point.
That energy was like several swimming fish, happily flicking their tails as they swam boldly through this foreign territory, completely unconcerned about encountering danger.
Once the energy reached the Baihui point, Ye Jinxiu felt a cool sensation on the top of her head, as if clear water were flowing down her brow, eye sockets, and cheeks.
The overwhelming pleasure intensified, causing Ye Jinxiu to uncontrollably open her rosy mouth. “Ah…”
“Slow down, I—I’m not ready yet—”
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