You always have to pay for your actions.

What an idiot...

Bai Ke couldn't help but silently curse in his heart, then turned to look around.

Sure enough, , he had been brought by Junxiao to a mountainside in the southern part of the secret realm. This was a natural stone platform in the middle of a dangerous  peak, featuring three hot spring pools of varying sizes. The largest had a diameter of about two meters, while the smallest could barely fit one person inside. The water in the pools reached waist-deep, making it just right for sitting.

To the left of the stone platform was a thin stream cascading down from the mountain's peak, creating a curtain of water, with steam rising and swirling around. The lush grass and old trees intertwined, while to the right was an abrupt cliff. Sitting in the hot spring, one could overlook a large part of the secret realm, which was quite refreshing.

Bai Ke and the others had heard about this hot spring pool before; Yu Xian mentioned it was a medicinal spring, but Bai Ke and his companions had never come to soak in it.

One reason was that the spring's location was rather tricky. The cliff was steep and high, and with Bai Ke and Lin Jie’s abilities, it would take considerable effort to reach it. Another reason was that they were often entangled in troubles and had neither the time nor the inclination to come up and relax in a hot spring for half a day. Moreover, Yu Xian said that if young people had no damage to their meridians and their limbs were intact, there was no need to come to soak in this medicinal spring every few days, as too much soaking could lead to overheating.

Bai Ke never thought he would so quickly be categorized as someone with "damaged meridians and unfit limbs" and be dragged up this high cliff by Junxiao.

"Take off your robe," Junxiao said, kneeling by the spring, looking at Bai Ke with a calm demeanor.

Bai Ke ignored this comment and asked Junxiao, "What are you doing?"

He saw Junxiao resting one hand on his knee, with the other palm facing down toward the spring water. After a moment, Bai Ke felt that the water, which had originally been at a comfortable temperature, was gradually getting hotter, with dark currents swirling beneath, as if it were about to boil.

Bai Ke twitched his mouth: "Are you asking me to soak in the hot spring or are you hungry and want to make meat soup?"

His complexion had always been somewhat pale, lacking blood, and his slightly thin frame made him appear pitifully slender. Now, with the rising temperature of the water, it was steaming up his face, bringing some color back, and he looked much better.

"Is it hot?" Junxiao asked.

"It's okay... it's very hot. The initial temperature was actually fine," Bai Ke replied, rubbing his face with the back of his hand, then added, "If you heat it up more, it’ll really be scalding."

Upon hearing this, Junxiao finally withdrew his hand but still worriedly dipped a finger into the water before saying, "That temperature is fine for an ordinary person, but you can't handle it."

With the temperature rising, the steam also thickened significantly, and Junxiao's clothes were quickly covered with a layer of moisture.

"Take off your robe." Junxiao maintained his position with his wrist resting on his knee, looking seriously at Bai Ke with his dark eyes. "How can one soak in a hot spring while wearing such heavy clothes? If the heat can’t penetrate your meridians and loosen you up, it will be a wasted soak."

Bai Ke chuckled dryly: "I didn't say I would keep my clothes on while soaking. You can go about your business; I’ll take off my clothes in a bit."

Junxiao shook his head: "I still need to help you circulate your energy and clear your meridians." This clearly meant: no matter how long you soak, I’ll be here until you’re done.

Bai Ke: "…"

Junxiao asked, "Why are you being so shy about just taking off your clothes?"

Bai Ke replied, "I’m just not used to changing clothes in front of others."

Junxiao glanced at him: "Am I an outsider?"

Bai Ke: "…Of course, if you're not an outsider, then who else would be?"

Junxiao paused but didn't speak further and then stood up. He was already tall, and dressed in his usual dark robe, he exuded an imposing presence. Now that Bai Ke was sitting in the hot spring, Junxiao stood so close that Bai Ke felt like he had to crane his neck to look up at him.

Not sure what he was planning to do, and not liking to constantly look up at others, Bai Ke simply lowered his head to untie the belt of his robe.

He also couldn’t stand soaking in the water while still wearing clothes; the wet fabric clinging to him was uncomfortable. However, he wasn’t used to changing in front of others, especially when someone was staring at him. But if Junxiao had no intention of leaving, then he might as well undress; otherwise, it would be too awkward.

Who knew that as soon as he untied the robe, Bai Ke felt an inexplicable lightness, and then the outlines of the thin straps and his robe vanished, leaving only his own hands, legs, waist, and abdomen in view...

Hmm, completely bare.

It was obvious who was responsible for this. Bai Ke looked up at Junxiao, indignantly saying, "I was already taking it off!"

Junxiao replied with a casual "Oh," and said, "I didn’t know how long it would take you, so I just helped out a little."

To emphasize that he acted out of a genuine desire to help, he even recounted an example from his childhood when his master, Bai Lingchen, had stripped him of his clothes and thrown him into the hot spring in one swift motion.

This made Bai Ke feel like he was about to spit out a mouthful of blood: "Are you really not just trying to get back at me for what happened when we were kids?"

Junxiao smirked: "There are countless beginnings of emotions in the world; this counts as one of them."

Bai Ke felt he had indeed committed many wrongs in his youth—

As the saying goes, one teaches by example. Despite their vastly different personalities, many of Junxiao's ways came from Bai Lingchen. Such as the brutal way he taught his disciples, and the clumsy way he cared for others... it truly left one at a loss for words.

Heaven is indeed fair; karma is inevitable. If you come out to mix with people, you will eventually pay it back ...

In the end, all his thoughts gathered into a single sentence. Bai Ke reached out and tugged at the hem of Junxiao's robe, looking up and saying, "Give me a piece of cloth."

Junxiao glanced at the hand pulling on his robe and then at Bai Ke's innocent expression peeking through his calm demeanor, playing dumb: "What do you need cloth for?"

Bai Ke chuckled to himself: "…The water is too clear."

Junxiao reassured him, "There’s fog."

Bai Ke: "…"

Before he could recover from the shock of “not even being willing to give a piece of cloth,” he felt the robe he was tugging on loosen, and the entire black garment slipped to the ground, leaving the person who had been standing there nowhere to be seen.

Wait, wait! What’s going on?!

A splash of water answered him from behind.

"Sit still, focus, and adjust your breathing." Huo Junxiao’s deep voice came from behind Bai Ke, followed by a pair of warm hands covered in moist steam resting on his back. Two fingers moved smoothly over his major acupoints, and in an instant, Bai Ke felt a continuous stream of warmth flowing into him through those key points, moving along his body's meridians.

Bai Ke felt as though the thick mist lingering in the hot spring was dispersing within his body, and all his meridians began to relax and open up in this warm, misty sensation.

It was only then that Bai Ke realized his meridians had been tightened all along. Now, suddenly relaxed, he felt a mixture of soreness, warmth, and swelling that bubbled up from within, somewhat uncomfortable yet also pleasurable, like the feeling of being forcefully massaged back into shape after straining a muscle.

The mist seemed to seep from his body into his mind, bubbling and swirling with the spring water. Bai Ke felt drowsy and comfortable, and his head tilted to the side as he fell asleep.

Junxiao: “…” made a mistake.

By the time Lin Jie and the others saw Bai Ke and Huo Junxiao again, the sun had already begun to set in the west.

“What were you two doing?” Bai Zixu asked, his sleeves gathered, looking puzzled as he circled around Bai Ke. “Why does your hair look a little damp?”

After soaking in the medicinal spring for most of the day, Bai Ke's blood flow had significantly improved. When Bai Zixu asked, the tips of his ears turned red, but his face showed no signs of embarrassment. He maintained a calm demeanor, saying, “Hmm, I went for a bath.”

Junxiao shot him a glance and added, “I took him to the medicinal spring to soak, and I helped him clear some meridians. As for him… he took a nap.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Ke twitched his lips but had no way to refute it. He really did take a nap. When he woke up from that relaxed state, he saw Junxiao, now back in his black robe, helping him get dressed.

Seeing Bai Ke awake, Junxiao calmly explained, “The clothes have been cleaned; you can wear them with peace of mind.”

You say you have a skill to undress instantly, how could you not have a skill to dress instantly?

In any case, Bai Ke had never seen him meticulously put on clothes piece by piece like this.

But by the time Bai Ke realized what had happened, his clothes were already on. Reacting with surprise now would just make him seem dull-witted, so he quietly stood up and obediently let Junxiao dry his hair. However, the mist was too thick, and his hair still ended up slightly damp.

Fortunately, everyone was more concerned about Bai Ke's health than the medicinal spring.

Lin Jie timely asked, “How do you feel now? Are your meridians still swollen and painful?”

Bai Ke shook his head, and then he noticed that one person seemed to be missing: “Where’s Yu… the old man? I haven’t seen him since I woke up. Where did he go?”

“He went to Wangtian Cliff,” Junxiao replied.

It turned out that during the few days Bai Ke was in a deep sleep, they happened to discuss once again the issue of how excessive spiritual power could lead to chaotic energy flow and result in demonic deviation. Aunt Pang, having overheard this, informed everyone that the Medicine Ghost had once given her a small cloth pouch containing three flower branches.

These flower branches were cultivated by the Medicine Ghost over several hundred years, and after nurturing multiple generations, they were cut from the mature tree. They could survive with just a little care after being planted in the ground.

“He said we were fated, worried that my little demon might, in pursuit of quick results during training, accidentally go into demonic deviation. This medicinal flower, also known as 'Three-Day Smile,' can save a practitioner from demonic deviation, restoring their clarity of mind. He gave me three branches, saying they could save me three times. However, I haven't used them yet. He only mentioned that I needed to keep them alive, I don't know how long they would take to be effective,” Aunt Pang explained to everyone and handed one to Yu Xian.

Yu Xian thanked Aunt Pang and, after discussing with Junxiao, headed to Wangtian Cliff.

“How did he get in?” Bai Ke asked in surprise.

Lin Jie chuckled dryly, “Didn’t our ancestor say before? The easiest way to get into Wangtian Cliff is to go to the head of the Hengtian Sect and ask for the entry token.”

 

Translator : DarNan