“Of course there is.”
Shangguan Yunzhu smiled gently and led Lu Qiancha to a slightly dim side room behind the main house.
Pushing open the wooden door, steam swirled thickly inside.
Lu Qiancha’s gaze swept over the room — although the space was simple and modest, the bathing area showed clear signs of care.
The floor was paved with smooth bluestone, and in the corner stood a finely polished stone bathtub.
Opposite the door was a low table with a bronze incense burner emitting a faint, elegant fragrance, and a bowl of soap nuts placed nearby.
In front of the table, several small round wooden stools were arranged for convenient seated bathing.
Shangguan Yunzhu’s fingertips flickered with spiritual light, and the bathtub rapidly filled with clear water as if summoned from thin air.
She then produced a crimson Fire Spirit Essence Stone and, with a soft “chi” sound, embedded it into the Array Core carved into the floor tile.
A low hum—
Warmth instantly spread through the room.
The array’s patterns beneath the floor tiles lit up in succession, releasing a gentle heat that steamed the water, which quickly transformed into curling white mist, surrounding them with a warm, humid sensation.
“Put your clothes on the wooden rack over there or store them in your Storage Ring,” Shangguan Yunzhu said, pointing to the plain wooden rack beside the door. “Conditions are limited here, so there’s no cabinet.”
“Why are you staring at me? Take off your clothes.”
Shangguan Yunzhu turned to Lu Qiancha with genuine puzzlement in her eyes.
Lu Qiancha’s blue eyes widened as she pointed toward the door and said helplessly, “You — get out.”
“Eh?” Shangguan Yunzhu paused in surprise, then suddenly burst into laughter. “Why all the fuss? I have to bathe too. It’s not easy to boil water once, so saving one Fire Spirit Essence Stone is a good thing.”
She spread her hands in an open gesture, her expression as frank as if discussing the weather.
“You’re completely ignoring what I said before! And it’s only one Fire Spirit Essence Stone—it’s not that expensive.”
Lu Qiancha felt a twitch at her temple, while the tail behind her flicked irritably from side to side.
“I’ve been punished with a year’s supply of monthly rent. Spirit Stones like these definitely need to be used sparingly.”
Shangguan Yunzhu said this with righteous confidence.
“I’ll pay you twice the Spirit Stones.”
Lu Qiancha blinked as she spoke.
“No way,” Shangguan Yunzhu replied with solemn determination, as if guarding some noble creed. “As cultivators, how can we lower our dignity over such trivial temptations?!”
Lu Qiancha twitched the corner of her mouth. That kind of bottom line shouldn’t be applied in this situation, seriously!
With no other option, Lu Qiancha finally muttered, “Men and women shouldn’t touch each other. Besides, a single man and woman sharing a room is unseemly.”
“Xuanmo Shigu taught us, ‘Cultivators should not be bound by mundane customs.’ This is something Shigu herself said! Why do we have to follow worldly shyness?”
Shangguan Yunzhu’s eyes sparkled with laughter, clearly remembering Shigu’s “advice” perfectly.
Lu Qiancha felt like a pufferfish that had just been pricked—her courage deflated sharply.
“…I can’t argue with you, hmph.”
Her pouting face showed a mix of sorrow and resigned anger as she turned around and started untying the strings of the pale yellow little parasol skirt.
With a soft rustle, the skirt dropped to the floor.
Struggling to pull off the deep blue waist-cinching short shirt over her fluffy head, Lu Qiancha grumbled in a muffled voice:
“Let’s get one thing straight first. You’re the one who insisted on staying. If I take advantage of you… don’t blame me!”
The little wolf cub struggled out of her clothes, silently reminding herself that no matter what, she was the one suffering losses here—so whatever.
“Mm-hmm, got it, Senior Brother Qiancha.”
Shangguan Yunzhu’s voice, filled with obvious amusement, floated softly in her ear.
After stowing all the clothes into her Storage Ring, Lu Qiancha took a deep breath, her small feet tapping lightly on the cool bluestone with a soft “pat pat.” She raised her foot, ready to step into the bathtub—
“Ah—!”
Caught completely off guard.
Two warm, strong hands suddenly slipped under her arms and lifted her entire body into the air.
Her feet left the ground, her tail tip flailing uselessly in midair.
“Hey! Shangguan Yunzhu!”
Lu Qiancha, like a startled cat, twisted her head sharply and glared with her blue eyes at the triumphant smile on Shangguan Yunzhu’s face. “Put me down! What are you doing!”
Steam swirled thickly as Shangguan Yunzhu grinned brightly, her tone playful as if teasing a kitten:
“Can’t you tell?”
She deliberately shook the light body in her hands,
“I’m—holding—you—up—high!”
“Ugh…” Lu Qiancha puffed her cheeks in silent sulking. As expected, this girl simply treated her like a little cub.
Gently, Shangguan Yunzhu set the grumpy little ball down on one of the wooden stools.
Then she activated the shower function of the array; warm water flowed like a miniature waterfall, trickling steadily from the apparatus mounted on the ceiling.
“Sit nicely and rinse off first,” she said softly, tapping the steaming bathtub with her fingertip. “Wash off the dust before soaking; don’t be impatient for warmth.”
With that, she stepped aside and began untying her own clothes.
“Hmph!” Lu Qiancha instinctively turned away, trying not to look, and warned in as “authoritative” a tone as she could muster, “Don’t get fully seen later… You, you better not cry!”
At that moment, a faint blush spread quietly across Lu Qiancha’s soft, fair neck, and her fluffy tail, as if deflated, flicked irritably on the wooden stool.
“Don’t worry, I’m tough—I won’t cry.”
Shangguan Yunzhu’s playful yet matter-of-fact voice came from behind.
“Not bothering with you…” Lu Qiancha muttered softly, stubbornly grabbing a loofah sponge covered in soap nut suds.
Habitually, she raised her paw and, just like she used to scrub her big man’s body, fiercely rubbed the smooth, slender skin of her own arm.
“Ow~ that hurts!”
The rough texture of the sponge, combined with Lu Qiancha’s force, instantly flushed the delicate skin on the inside of her arm a deep red.
“See! Using boy’s strength to scrub this delicate body will of course cause injury. A girl’s skin is really very tender.”
Shangguan Yunzhu, alarmed by Lu Qiancha’s rough scrubbing, hurried over with a disapproving look.
Lu Qiancha abruptly stopped, staring at the glaring red patch and pressing her pink lips together. A stubborn defiance rose within her — pain?
Pain means you need training!
She gritted her teeth and squeezed the sponge harder, scrubbing the reddened skin even more fiercely.
“Ugh—!”
Another sharp sting! Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes instantly.
“Hmph! What’s a little pain?” she declared in a cold, nasal tone.
“In this ruthless world of cultivation, delicate bodies and easy injuries are the deadliest weaknesses! Feel the pain a few more times and you’ll toughen up!”
“Ridiculous!! What kind of reasoning is that?!”
Shangguan Yunzhu’s face darkened as she scolded loudly.
Lu Qiancha was stunned by the sudden shout, still processing it.
Whoosh!
A breeze, carrying bathing steam, swept through.
The sponge in her paw, which was about to continue its ‘training,’ was suddenly snatched away.
Shangguan Yunzhu’s hands moved like lightning, filled with incredulous anger and deep concern. She grabbed the “weapon” from her.
The force was so great a few droplets of water were flung off.
“Hey! Shangguan Yunzhu! Give me back the sponge!”
Lu Qiancha angrily bounced off the small stool, her pure white feet tiptoeing as her furry little paws flailed uselessly in the air like a startled kitten whose toy was taken.
“Sit still! Today… I’ll teach you the right way to use strength!”
Shangguan Yunzhu nimbly dodged the harmless paws and firmly pressed her back down onto the stool. Then she picked up the slick, soap-nut-foam-covered sponge and gently pressed it against Lu Qiancha.
“This is the right amount of force. Remember it?”
Shangguan Yunzhu spoke softly.
“Mm-hmm~”
The warm, moist sensation accompanied by the gentle foaming instantly eased some of Lu Qiancha’s tension. A wave of uncontrollable comfort made her let out a soft, delighted sound.
This force wasn’t so much scrubbing as it was like a gentle tickle.
“Feel it well. This amount of pressure can wash away the dirt. Being too rough only leaves pain behind.”
Shangguan Yunzhu’s voice was gentle but firm, her movements tender as if handling a priceless porcelain artifact.
“Hmph!” Lu Qiancha stubbornly turned her face away. “So many rules just to take a bath… so troublesome!!”
Yet those sharply upright pointed ears honestly caught every movement and sound behind her.
Clearly, she was listening carefully.
Shangguan Yunzhu looked at those alert, earnest ears, lips curling slightly in a silent smile.
Her gaze softened even further when it fell on Lu Qiancha’s puffed-up, pouty side profile that clearly read “I’m angry and unhappy.”
Senior Brother Qiancha really is just a little kid who likes to throw tantrums.
“The next part you have to wash by hand. The sponge is still too rough.”
Shangguan Yunzhu put the sponge aside and scooped up a handful of white, fragrant foam. The fine, cool suds slid through her fingers.
“Ah! Mm… uh! Hey, hey, Shangguan Yunzhu! What are you doing?!”
“The next part I’ll wash myself!! Hiss… uh-uh… stop! I said stop!”
Lu Qiancha twisted her body, trying to escape, overwhelmed by a strong mix of embarrassment and… loss of control.
“This part… needs special care…”
Shangguan Yunzhu ignored her protests, her fingertips precise like an artist’s brush.
—Slap!
Suddenly.
A finger covered in foamy water unexpectedly pinched the two twitching fluffy ears.
“Don’t, don’t touch my ears!!”
A sharp, strange tingling current exploded through her body with a crack, sweeping every limb and muscle. Lu Qiancha nearly screamed.
Her body jerked backward but Shangguan Yunzhu held her firmly in place.
“Don’t move, or you’ll hurt yourself.”
Shangguan Yunzhu’s voice was gentle as she remained focused, her fingertip beginning to knead the sensitive inside of those ears.
Lu Qiancha: !!!
Rumble—!
The world seemed to shrink down to only those manipulated ears.
Her mind went blank, and her body froze completely.
In that stiff, empty moment—
The fluffy, soft wolf tail was firmly wrapped in a warm, wet towel.
“Y-y-you! Don’t touch my tail!!”
Another hand, also covered in foam, slid along the direction of the blue fur, gently but firmly beginning to comb and massage the damp, large tail.
“Ugh…!”
It was as if the last thread of reason snapped hard.
That uncontrollable strange feeling at the base of her tail pinned her in place as if an acupoint had been struck. Only a warped, sweet, broken whimper escaped her lips.