Su Xiaoyuan stood with her head lowered and cheeks flushed in a secluded, misty location where winding paths led through enchanting scenery.
Above an arch formed by climbing rose vines hung three characters written in flamboyant calligraphy that made Su Xiaoyuan unable to lift her head—"Mandarin Duck Hot Springs."
Ruan Mianmian was currently wheedling and haggling with the senior sister at the ticket booth: "Those two are puppets, so give us a discount!"
"Two mid-grade spirit stones for one hour in the pool? You might as well rob us!"
"Beauty and skin benefits? Look at this face of mine, sister—do I even need beauty treatments?"
"Senior sister, you're beautiful and kind-hearted, so how about a discount? We'll come back often!"
"Alright, alright, we're just soaking in the hot springs, I promise we won't do anything else…"
Su Xiaoyuan glanced up at the cold, stern puppet man beside her, then quickly lowered her eyes in guilt, her entire face turning pink.
It's just a puppet, not a real person, she thought, clutching tightly at her gauze sash as she tried to mentally prepare herself.
Before long, Ruan Mianmian returned gleefully holding a jade token: "Managed to bargain it down to three mid-grade spirit stones for two pools—how about that?"
"Amazing!" Su Xiaoyuan hurried forward to massage her best friend's shoulders. "Thanks for your hard work, Kaishen!"
She couldn't haggle herself, so she especially admired people who were good at it.
Ruan Mianmian handed her one of the jade tokens, and the two of them entered the bathhouse with their respective puppets.
Mandarin Duck Hot Springs was a natural thermal area with dozens of pools of varying sizes scattered throughout—some open-air, and some private baths enclosed by bamboo walls and topped with thatched roofs.
Soaking in a private bath was a luxury expense for outer disciples. The two of them usually went to the large communal pool that cost half a low-grade spirit stone per hour, so this was their first time in the private bath area.
After passing through the leafy entrance path, they came to a fork in the road with a signpost: left led to "Clear Broth," and right led to "Rich Broth."
"What's the difference between Clear Broth and Rich Broth?" Su Xiaoyuan asked curiously.
"We bought the Clear Broth token," Ruan Mianmian said. "It's the kind where you can only soak and can't do dual cultivation—much cheaper than Rich Broth."
Su Xiaoyuan's cheeks burned crimson in an instant.
No wonder the weeds on the path to Rich Broth had grown half a person tall.
Outsiders always misunderstood the Hehuan Sect, assuming every disciple was a lecher who would hook up anywhere at any time. In reality, most disciples weren't that into sexual activities—especially after a full day of classes. They were like 996 programmers who just wanted to lie flat when they got home from work; only a rare few degenerates would want to keep coding.
Ruan Mianmian laughed heartily without a care in the world: "Xiaoyuan, your head is about to steam over! You're going to be cooked before you even get into the hot water. With skin that thin, how did you ever end up in the Cloud Rain Sect?"
She couldn't explain the transmigration to anyone. It wasn't that she'd be punished for it, but whenever she tried to speak about it, the content would be censored. She could talk all she wanted, but what Ruan Mianmian heard was just garbled nonsense like "blah blah blah."
Su Xiaoyuan could only hedge vaguely: "There weren't any other sects to join, and my spiritual root is weak, so I just stumbled in here by accident…"
Most Hehuan Sect disciples were in similar situations, so Ruan Mianmian nodded in understanding.
The two entered the private bath area and found their respective bathhouses by the numbers on their tokens, discovering they were adjacent rooms.
Su Xiaoyuan hesitated, afraid to go in, tugging at Ruan Mianmian's sleeve: "Kaishen, maybe we should just…"
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Ruan Mianmian patted her shoulder. "We're just washing a puppet. It's not a real person."
As she spoke, she took the jade token and opened the door for her, then briskly pushed her inside: "If anything happens, just call me loudly!"
The puppet figure followed its master, lifting its long legs and stepping through the doorway.
The bathhouse was very small, with the hot spring pool in the center taking up most of the space. From the bottom of the pool extended a black dragon with sinewy, coiling veins, and from its mouth gushed hot spring water—the pool water was automatically changed for each guest, clean and hygienic.
The pool was deep in the middle and shallow around the edges, and the deepest part could submerge Su Xiaoyuan completely.
Su Xiaoyuan faced the wall and spent a long time building up her courage before she finally turned around.
The puppet figure stood quietly in place, slightly lowering its head to gaze at her, its inorganic eyes dark and cold.
Su Xiaoyuan's heart leaped into her throat.
She had seen many beautiful people, but this puppet's beauty was different from those she was accustomed to—sharp as a sword, as if it could pierce her heart straight through.
And no matter how she looked at it, there was no difference from a real person.
It's just a life-sized BJD…
Su Xiaoyuan tried hard to convince herself, then summoned her courage and walked forward: "Let me undo your hair first…"
She stood on tiptoe, wrapped her hands around to the back of his head, and untied his hair ribbon.
She didn't know what material the puppet's hair was made of, but it felt almost no different from a real person's hair—cool and smooth, black as crow feathers, with a faint blue sheen.
Su Xiaoyuan boldly rubbed it a couple of times, and the puppet showed no reaction.
Then a little pat on his face should be fine, right?
But just as she raised her hand, the puppet's inorganic black eyes suddenly turned toward her.
Su Xiaoyuan immediately lost her nerve, instantly retracting her hand and nervously clutching the black hair ribbon with its flowing-water hidden pattern.
The hair cascaded down smoothly, softening the aura around him.
The puppet no longer looked so fierce and cold, but instead even more…
Two words popped into Su Xiaoyuan's mind:
Seductive.
Su Xiaoyuan had never thought she would use that word to describe a man, but it seemed only that word could adequately describe this puppet's beauty.
Too embarrassing!
For a long while she didn't dare make another move.
The hot spring water gushed endlessly, submerging the dragon's mouth, and steam carrying the scent of flowers rose up, filling the entire room like thick fog.
The puppet's hair was dampened by the steam, tiny water droplets clung to his long lashes, and his tall, straight nose bridge and lips were faintly visible in the mist.
His lips were on the pale side, beautifully shaped, with a perfect curve—the upper lip thin, appearing cold and unfeeling on its own, while the lower lip was somewhat fuller, a little tempting…
Su Xiaoyuan suddenly recalled that some class had taught that lips of this shape were very suitable for kissing…
Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, and her head was dizzy and muddled.
It must be because the bathhouse wasn't ventilated and was too stuffy.
Just then, there came a knock-knock sound from the wooden wall.
Su Xiaoyuan snapped back to her senses and said in a fluster, "What is it?"
From the other side of the thin partition wall came Ruan Mianmian's voice: "I haven't heard you moving for a while. I was afraid something happened to you."
Probably because it was a plain bath, the wooden boards were very thin, and the splashing of water next door could be heard clearly.
"I'm fine!" she said hurriedly.
"Why haven't you gotten in the water yet? We paid for this, so we need to soak for a full hour—for beauty and skincare!" Ruan Mianmian said carelessly.
Su Xiaoyuan clearly heard her scolding her own puppet: "I told you to scrub my back, not tickle me! Harder! Harder! Didn't you eat enough?"
Although her best friend had high hopes for her, Su Xiaoyuan was too much of a coward to get past that mental barrier—there was no way she could soak in a lovebird bath with a man she'd known for less than a day, even if he was a fake.
This kind of thing had to be taken slowly, she told herself self-deceivingly. Today she'd just wash the puppet and let her eyes get used to it. Other matters could wait for another day.
Ruan Mianmian tapped the wooden board impatiently again.
Su Xiaoyuan quickly stretched out her foot and swished the water a couple of times, making some splashing sounds to placate her friend.
Then she took a deep breath, walked up to the puppet, and lowered her head, not daring to look at him. "Sorry, I… I need to untie your sash…"
The puppet only gazed at her with deep, dark eyes, still utterly unmoved.
She didn't know why, but Ruan Mianmian's puppet would answer her questions simply, while hers hadn't spoken a single word until now.
Was it missing a voice box?
She actually felt relieved instead. She'd drawn it for twenty spirit stones—if it had no defects at all, that would be even more unsettling.
No objection meant agreement, she thought.
Su Xiaoyuan reached toward his waist with trembling hands and began to untie his belt.
The puppet's clothing was very simple—no fancy embroidery, gold weave, or patterns—but one touch told her it was fine fabric. Clearly its previous owner hadn't lacked money.
Su Xiaoyuan felt more and more like she'd stumbled onto a huge bargain, but rather than feeling lucky, she actually felt a bit guilty—would the shop owner regret it in a few days and come knocking to demand it back?
As she let her thoughts wander, she untied the puppet's belt and set it aside.
"Next I'm going to take off your outer robe…" she said quickly with her head down, less seeking consent and more trying to bolster her own courage.
She stood on tiptoe and slid the outer robe off his shoulders, placing it with the belt.
The white inner garment was thin and finely woven, clearly custom-made and well-fitted, faintly revealing the contours beneath and the color of skin.
A silvery sheen flowed faintly between the threads, cool to the touch—clearly a dharma robe woven with spells, possessing special properties. Whether it had other functions she didn't know, but Su Xiaoyuan could confirm that at the very least it could automatically cool or warm itself according to the ambient temperature, always keeping the wearer at the most comfortable level.
She'd only heard of such high-end goods, never seen one with her own eyes. She'd heard these garments were divided into many types and grades based on the strength and function of their spells. High-grade ones cost a fortune and ordinary people couldn't even buy them—they were essentially the haute couture of the cultivation world.
Willing to dress a puppet in such fine clothes—Su Xiaoyuan grew even more curious about exactly which big shot the puppet's previous owner had been.
Another person might have felt bitter about it, but she had no grand ambitions. She'd been an ordinary person in both lives, worlds apart from the realm of big shots and the wealthy, so she felt no resentment.
She was just very envious of the garment's cooling function.
Because she was about to go crazy from the heat!
The pool was already filled with milky white hot spring water, almost overflowing the edge. The room had become a steamer, about to cook her through.
Though the Yunyu Sect disciples' clothing was light and thin, it was still hard to keep on in such a sweltering environment.
Su Xiaoyuan had been too embarrassed to take off her outer robe in front of the puppet earlier, but now she was so hot she couldn't bear it anymore. After hesitating a moment, she took off her outer garment too, leaving only the white thin silk inner robe and a layer of white gauze over it.
The two layers were still somewhat sheer against her skin. Because she was both hot and embarrassed, her whole body was flushed red, the pink showing through the thin fabric—it was really quite awkward.
Thank goodness the puppet before her had no consciousness—otherwise, she could have dug a castle out of thin air right on the spot.
Su Xiaoyuan took several deep breaths, looking at the puppet's jaw, neck, and then its torso.
The beautiful shoulders and neck, the arms, the slightly raised but not exaggerated outlines of chest and abdominal muscles—all faintly visible through the damp inner garment.
Su Xiaoyuan was no stranger to human anatomy. After all, that part of the coursework only required rote memorization, making it the easiest subject for her. But theory was just armchair strategizing.
Single for two lifetimes, she had never seen a real person—well, the one before her wasn't real either.
Beyond the shyness, she couldn't help but be a little curious about the legendary eight-pack abs and the V-line.
Surely it wouldn't hurt to touch a little?
As she wavered, Ruan Mianmian's self-righteous voice seemed to ring in her ears: "You paid for it—what's wrong with a little touch? Grow a spine!"
Right. She had drawn this puppet herself—touching it wasn't against the law.
Besides, if she couldn't even take the first step, how would she ever manage the real thing in the future?
Buoyed by her best friend's spirit, Su Xiaoyuan finally mustered up her courage, extended her index finger, and gently poked the puppet's abs.
Just then, her heart suddenly trembled for no reason, giving her the illusion of being watched.
She snatched her hand back as if electrocuted, sneaking a glance at the puppet. That incomparably handsome face remained cold as ice—only his gaze seemed colder and sharper.
Was it an illusion?
Su Xiaoyuan boldly stole another glance. The mannequin-like feel was still strong—even stronger, in fact.
She let out a slight sigh of relief.
Just then, Ruan Mianmian knocked on the wall panel again: "Xiaoyuanzi, inspected the goods yet?"
What goods, needless to say.
"Inspecting…" Su Xiaoyuan said guiltily.
Her best friend scoffed: "As if I don't know you? Hurry it up!"
Su Xiaoyuan lifted the hem of the covering garment and took a quick look.
She could only get a general impression, but but but…
Huh? Huh? How could a person…
Even if it was a puppet, was such distortion really okay?
Her cheeks burst into flames.
Ruan Mianmian: "Done inspecting?"
Su Xiaoyuan's heart skipped: "D-done inspecting…"
"Liar. You haven't even taken off his pants—what did you inspect?"
Su Xiaoyuan had no choice but to steel herself, reach out with trembling hands: "S-sorry… I might need to take off your pants…"