Sensing Mo Ruxue’s subtle gaze, Xu Sheng knew she had something she wanted to say to him.
However, since Zhu Yuexi was present, Xu Sheng understood that Mo Ruxue wouldn’t speak her mind now.
He picked up his wine cup and toasted her instead.
“Your realm has just increased, and your cultivation isn’t stable yet. You’ll need some external objects to help consolidate your Qi Sea.”
Mo Ruxue nodded and took a sip from her cup.
Although she had never advocated using external objects for cultivation, her recent breakthrough to the Half-step Tenth Realm had expanded her Qi Sea severalfold.
The spiritual energy within Peach Blossom Spring was simply insufficient to fill it. Under these circumstances, using external aids was a practical convenience.
“In that case, the hot spring will be at Fairy Mo’s disposal tonight.”
In the past, Zhu Yuexi would have sneered at this point, saying something like ‘What’s so special about your hot spring? This is the Half-step Tenth Realm we’re talking about…’
But now, Zhu Yuexi merely sat to the side, quietly drinking her wine.
Mo Ruxue hadn’t yet noticed this subtle change in Zhu Yuexi’s demeanor.
Hot spring…
She recalled the first day she arrived at Peach Blossom Spring. Xu Sheng had also arranged the hot spring for her.
And that was the first time she had been in such close contact with Xu Sheng.
Tonight, the hot spring was hers to use…
Was this a kind of hint?
The dignified and reserved Mo Ruxue was actually beginning to interpret such implications. It seemed this breakthrough had indeed done wonders for her state of mind.
Mo Ruxue nodded.
“Then I thank Doctor Xu.”
……
The evening banquet passed quickly.
Zhu Yuexi was far more restrained than usual, though she still occasionally blurted out a few tsundere remarks with attitude.
That was a good thing. After all, Xu Sheng had never truly intended to grind away Zhu Yuexi’s sharp edges.
Besides, Zhu Yuexi’s personality… he couldn’t grind it down even if he tried.
Meanwhile, Xu Sheng and Mo Ruxue occasionally exchanged insights on cultivation, which proved highly beneficial for Zhu Yuexi as well.
It was only now that Mo Ruxue realized Xu Sheng possessed so many unique insights into cultivation. Some of his words made her feel as though a blockage in her mind had been cleared.
The atmosphere between them was no longer merely polite and respectful—it even carried a sense of kindred spirits, like flowing water meeting the high mountains.
For some reason.
Zhu Yuexi, who had been relatively calm, felt an inexplicable irritation rising in her chest.
“If possible, I would love to invite Doctor Xu back to our sect as a Guest Elder. It would be wonderful if you could occasionally give lectures to the disciples of the Linxian Sect.”
Mo Ruxue spoke with genuine admiration.
Xu Sheng had already noticed the subtle change in Zhu Yuexi’s expression nearby.
Instead of answering directly, he pretended to ponder for a few seconds before responding.
“If there’s an opportunity in the future, that would be no problem. I’ve long heard that the immortal mountain of the Linxian Sect is rich in spiritual energy. Legend has it that a former immortal ascended there. If I were to become a Guest Elder of the Linxian Sect, I wonder if there’s still a spot on Mount Dengxian.”
“No!”
Before Mo Ruxue could answer, Zhu Yuexi blurted out urgently.
Both Xu Sheng and Mo Ruxue turned to look at her simultaneously.
Even Li Qingqing stared at her.
“I…” Feeling the weight of three pairs of eyes on her, Zhu Yuexi found her face flushing.
“Mount Dengxian is reserved only for the Sect Master, the Holy Son, and the Saintess.”
“Oh…” Xu Sheng deliberately dragged out the word.
……
Mo Ruxue didn’t dwell on Zhu Yuexi’s strange behavior.
She was still replaying Xu Sheng’s earlier suggestion.
Was that another hint?
If he came to the Linxian Sect, he would have to be with her…
Mo Ruxue’s state of mind had improved considerably.
She no longer deceived herself about things she dared not admit, as she once had. Instead, she now confronted their relationship head-on.
By the end of the meal, all four people present harbored their own thoughts.
Mo Ruxue kept chewing over every word Xu Sheng said, trying to discern any hidden meaning or implication.
Zhu Yuexi watched the interaction between Xu Sheng and Mo Ruxue, her indignation nearly spilling over—yet she held it back through sheer willpower.
Even Li Qingqing was silently calculating how much longer it would take before Mo Ruxue fully became Xu Sheng’s woman.
Xu Sheng was the most composed person in the room.
……
An hour had passed since dinner ended. According to Li Qingqing’s arrangements, Mo Ruxue was now soaking in the hot spring.
She sat on a small wooden stool by the edge of the spring, wrapped in a bath towel, with only her feet immersed in the water.
Her expression carried a hint of nervousness. Even soaking her feet couldn’t alleviate Mo Ruxue’s anxiety in the slightest.
Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind her.
“Is this how you soak in a hot spring?”
The moment she heard the voice, Mo Ruxue was startled—but the worry that had been hanging over her heart dissipated.
She didn’t turn around. Instead, she pulled the bath towel tighter around herself.
“Why are you… why are you here?”
Hmph…
The sound of Xu Sheng’s wooden clogs echoed from behind her, growing closer and closer, until Mo Ruxue could feel him standing right behind her.
“It seems Sect Leader Mo’s state of mind hasn’t improved as much as I thought after your breakthrough.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Mo Ruxue could feel Xu Sheng’s fingers gently brush aside a strand of hair near her temple. She shrank her neck slightly, but didn’t truly resist.
“I told you to soak in the hot spring, yet here you are just sitting by the edge dipping your feet, still wearing your towel. It’s obvious you knew I was coming. Since you knew I would come, why bother putting on that surprised act… But then again, since you knew I was coming, you could have simply not come. Why bother wearing a bath towel and soaking your feet here? Fairy Mo, you still seem a bit attached to appearances.”
As he spoke, Xu Sheng bent down. Mo Ruxue could feel his breath right behind her ear.
For a cultivator, five days was far too short a time.
But it had only been five days without seeing Xu Sheng, and now that she saw him again, Mo Ruxue felt a strange… excitement stirring within her.
And now, as Xu Sheng leaned close, she could feel even the spiritual energy within her body beginning to boil.
“It’s not that my state of mind hasn’t improved enough… and it’s not about being attached to appearances.”
Mo Ruxue struggled to keep her voice calm.
“Oh?”
Xu Sheng was puzzled.
“Then what do you mean?”
“Has Lord Xu ever heard of reservedness?”
Reservedness.
Reservedness was something only a woman maintained in front of someone she held feelings for.
This was not a rejection or an explanation.
It was… a confession.
This time, even Xu Sheng was stunned.
It wasn’t that this wasn’t direct enough—it was that this expression was a kind of romance…
Xu Sheng laughed.
The soft chuckle made Mo Ruxue feel bashful. She bit her lip and turned her head to look at him.
Steam rose in the air, and Mo Ruxue’s face was already flushed from the mist, her delicate features glistening.
Her eyes, shimmering with moisture, looked back at Xu Sheng.
Even the moonlight outside the window seemed to pale in comparison.
Xu Sheng’s heart pounded violently.