Su Tiantian was secretly delighted inside, but on the surface she still looked timid and shy as she slowly edged over to the edge of the pool.
Song Qingzhi stood up. Water droplets rolled down from his soaked black hair and damp collar.
He walked up to her, his tall figure bringing an invisible sense of pressure.
“Hold out your hand.”
Su Tiantian obeyed, carefully extending her wrist.
Song Qingzhi’s cool fingertips rested on her pulse.
This time, it was genuine skin-to-skin contact.
Su Tiantian felt her heartbeat instantly speed up; the place where he touched her wrist felt as if it had been jolted by electricity.
A slightly cool stream of spiritual energy, carrying a probing intent, slowly entered her meridians.
(System: Warning! Target’s spiritual energy is probing the host’s body! ‘Feigning Severe Injury’ status active… Simulating meridian congestion… Simulating sluggish spiritual flow… Simulating cracks in the foundation…)
Su Tiantian was so nervous she barely dared to breathe.
She could only force herself to maintain a weak expression and look at him pitifully.
Song Qingzhi’s spiritual energy circulated through her body once. His brows knit almost imperceptibly.
Her meridians were even worse and more chaotic than he had imagined.
That so-called “Chaotic Spiritual Root” was like a bottomless pit, constantly leaking mixed and impure energies.
No wonder she couldn’t keep alive those spiritual plants that required pure spiritual qi.
He withdrew his hand and looked at her with a complicated expression.
“Close your eyes. Focus your mind.”
Before Su Tiantian could react, she felt a warm, dry hand gently press against her back.
Through the thin fabric of her clothes, she could clearly feel the heat of his palm and the steady strength behind it.
Immediately after, a surge of pure and vast yet extraordinarily gentle spiritual energy, like a warm spring, slowly flowed from the center of her back into her body, spreading through her limbs and bones that the system had simulated into a complete mess.
“Mm…”
An indescribable sense of comfort made her let out a soft, involuntary whimper.
It was like parched earth finally being nourished.
Even her soul trembled.
She unconsciously closed her eyes, her long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings.
Song Qingzhi lowered his gaze, looking at the slender neck slightly lifted before him, and at her cheeks, faintly flushed from comfort fragile and alluring in a way that made her seem especially vulnerable.
The hand resting on her back tightened almost imperceptibly for a brief moment.
(System: Ding! Target’s attention toward host’s ‘fragile dependence state’ has greatly increased! Affection analysis… heightened fluctuation within the ‘responsibility’ category! ‘Guilt’ component rising!)
(Warning! Host physiological response detected (rapid heartbeat, facial flushing)! Please maintain character settings!)
Su Tiantian screamed internally!
How was she supposed to maintain it?! It felt way too good, ahhh!
And he was so close!
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Song Qingzhi finally withdrew both his hand and his spiritual energy.
Su Tiantian felt as if she had taken a divine bath.
Her whole body was warm and soft, and she almost couldn’t stand steadily.
“Th-thank you… Brother Qingzhi…”
Her voice had gone soft, carrying a trace of dependence she didn’t even notice herself.
“Come again tomorrow at this time.”
Song Qingzhi’s voice was still calm, but it carried an unquestionable authority.
Su Tiantian nodded dizzily.
“As for the spiritual plants, there’s no need to force it,” he added, then turned and stepped back into the spiritual spring, no longer looking at her.
Su Tiantian watched his back, touched her still-warm cheeks, then sensed the seemingly much smoother flow of qi within her body (even though it was fake, haha). The little person in her heart started dancing wildly.
Success!
Not only had she secured a reasonable, regular, close-range opportunity for physical contact, he had also told her to stop fussing over those flowers!
It was practically a double victory!
She walked back with light steps, feeling one step closer to completing her mission.
Within the spiritual spring, Song Qingzhi opened his eyes.
He looked in the direction where Su Tiantian had disappeared, his gaze deep and dark.
During the earlier spiritual probe, the overly “standard” signs of severe injury in her body, and that extremely subtle, discordant fluctuation deep within her chaotic spiritual root…
His wife seemed to be carrying more and more mysteries.
Still, the way she had looked just now completely reliant, sighing in comfort was far more pleasing to the eye than her usual deliberately fragile act.
After the healing sessions at the spiritual spring, Su Tiantian felt that her relationship with Song Qingzhi had achieved a “historic breakthrough.”
However, during the day Song Qingzhi was either busy with sect affairs, or in seclusion cultivating in his cave dwelling. The time she could interact with him was extremely limited.
Until one night, after washing up, she looked at the only bed in the room, and at the immovable meditation cushion beside it, when a bold idea popped into her head.
Right! Make use of proximity to gain advantage!
Living under the same roof wasn’t this a naturally perfect breeding ground for seduction?
She took a deep breath and decided to carry out the “night raid” plan.
By the time Song Qingzhi returned, it was already late at night.
Only a single dim spiritual lamp remained lit in the room.
Su Tiantian was curled up on the bed with her back to the outside, seemingly already asleep.
As usual, he walked toward the meditation cushion.
Just then, the person on the bed let out a faint whimper and turned over.
The blanket “happened” to slip halfway down, revealing the slender line of her shoulder and neck beneath her thin nightclothes, glowing pale in the hazy lamplight.
“Cold…”
She murmured indistinctly, her voice soft and sweet.
Song Qingzhi stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling on her exposed shoulder and her slightly furrowed brow.
Su Tiantian kept her eyes tightly shut, her heart pounding wildly.
Quick! Cover me with the blanket!
Then notice how cold my skin is and feel some pity!
However, all she felt was a light breeze pass by.
The slipped blanket was lifted by an invisible force of spiritual energy and carefully pulled back over her, wrapping her up tightly leaving not even her neck exposed.
Su Tiantian: “……”
You’re ruthless!
When one plan failed, another was born.
After a while, she began coughing softly and suppressively, one cough after another, sounding miserable and pitiful.
“Cough, cough… cough…”
The person on the meditation cushion finally reacted.
Song Qingzhi stood up, walked to the table, and poured a cup of warm water.
Just as Su Tiantian was rejoicing inwardly, thinking he would personally help her up and feed her the cup of water was lifted by spiritual energy and floated steadily to her lips.
“Drink.”
His voice carried the coolness of the night.
Su Tiantian could only drink it in small sips in that awkward position.
Inside, she was in tears: how was this any different from an automatic water dispenser?!
After repeated setbacks, Su Tiantian felt a little dejected.
In her half-dazed state, she actually fell asleep for real.
In the middle of the night, she slept restlessly, habitually kicking off the blanket and muttering,
“Chicken leg… don’t run…”
The night-duty maid did not enter, but the fallen blanket was once again gently pulled back over her by spiritual energy.
This time, the force seemed… much gentler than before.
The next day, Su Tiantian was gloomy the entire time.
Soon night fell again, and it was time for the daily fixed healing session now the part Su Tiantian looked forward to the most.
Although Song Qingzhi was still taciturn and expressionless, she could feel that the invisible barrier between them seemed to have thinned just a tiny bit.
For example, the place where he supported her had progressed from her arm last time to her elbow this time.
“System, look! He touched my elbow!”
Su Tiantian reported excitedly in her mind.
“Round it up and that’s basically holding hands!”
(System: Analyzing target’s behavior… Motivation still leans toward ‘preventing a fall,’ within the ‘responsibility’ category. Please do not overinterpret.)