Chapter 382: Why Are There More Women Than Men?

Chapter 382: Why Are There More Women Than Men?

Liu Shuqin had vanished into thin air, even though her dress was still left in the changing room.

The Spirit Spring wasn’t very deep, not deep enough to fully submerge a person. The surface was shrouded in mist, and Qin Shili had specifically checked the bottom of the spring to see if Liu Shuqin had passed out.

But no, there was no sign of Liu Shuqin in the spring.

The Spirit Spring had that little space—could she have burrowed underground?

She wouldn’t be running out wrapped in a bath towel, right? Maybe she found a hidden spot?

Unclear, but her attention was drawn to the stone wall separating the male cultivators’ spring.

Her master had told her that this wall was incredibly hard and difficult to break. If forced destruction occurred, the Spirit Spring would collapse.

She had specifically observed the wall and confirmed that it was made of top-quality spirit stones, reinforced with spirit techniques.

Moreover, there were no signs of damage on the wall—not even a hole, making it impeccably flawless.

Right now, Qin Shili couldn’t determine where Liu Shuqin had gone. But she had a hypothesis—that Liu Shuqin had moved to the opposite Spirit Spring.

As for how Liu Shuqin got there, she couldn’t figure that out for now.

Maybe there was something wrong with the wall, or perhaps a mechanism was hidden nearby.

She knew Liu Shuqin assisted the construction staff with building the Spirit Spring, but Han Fairy said that Liu Shuqin didn’t personally work on the wall; she merely helped with the layout.

Who knew?

She had always been wary of Liu Shuqin. After all, this woman seemed gentle and virtuous, yet she was a lady of a general’s family and often dealt with various influential figures—certainly not someone naïve.

But she handled things with ease, clearly possessing her own means.

Such women were far more challenging to deal with than a little girl like Su Kexin.

Of course, Mu Yiting was also a tough nut to crack, considering Qin Shili felt there was some untold secret between Mu Yiting and Lin Nuo.

And that secret had entwined their fates together.

Thankfully, Mu Yiting wasn’t in their sect, minimizing her interactions with Lin Nuo.

So, what now? Just soak in the spring alone?

Impossible.

Her intuition told her that Liu Shuqin had most likely gone to the other side.

Therefore, she definitely couldn’t foolishly stay in the Spirit Spring soaking.

Let’s go.

She didn’t even bother putting on clothes, simply wrapping herself in a bath towel and taking a small basket for her clothes as she headed to the male cultivators’ Spirit Spring.

Although there was a sign at the entrance saying: Male Cultivators’ Spirit Spring, Female Cultivators Do Not Enter, Qin Shili still stepped inside.

If there were other male cultivators present, she would be cautious and refrain from entering. But since there was only Lin Nuo inside, it was no bother.

After all, this wasn’t her first time being bold. When taking care of Lin Nuo in the past, she never bothered to ask for his opinion—she just went for it.

Thus, she entered the Spirit Spring.

…

After soaking for a while, Lin Nuo walked over to the waterfall area to rinse off his body. The sensation of the waterfall washing over him was truly refreshing.

However, being alone had its drawbacks, particularly when it came to scrubbing his back.

Lin Nuo picked up a towel to try and rub it, but it was still a bit lacking.

At that moment, Liu Shuqin also emerged from the spring.

She had a towel in hand and gently reached out to Lin Nuo’s back.

“Junior Martial Brother, let me help you wash.”

“Are you any good at this?”

“Me? I’m okay, I helped Su Kexin before, so you can trust me to give it a try.”

“Alright then.”

Lin Nuo conceded, letting Liu Shuqin have a shot—surely nothing weird would happen.

Liu Shuqin gently applied cleaning liquid to Lin Nuo’s back, using the towel soaked in warm water to scrub lightly.

“Your strength is too small.” Lin Nuo commented.

“Got it, I’ll add a bit more.”

Liu Shuqin increased the pressure, but still kept it gentle, making it feel like a tickle for Lin Nuo.

“Still too small.”

“Okay, I’ll increase it again.”

Carefully, Liu Shuqin worried about hurting Lin Nuo, so she scrubbed softly. But unexpectedly, it had the opposite effect, leaving Lin Nuo unsatisfied, prompting her to comply and increase the strength.

“Good, just like that.”

“Oh, okay.”

Liu Shuqin was like a devoted maid, following her master Lin Nuo’s commands, precisely controlling the strength.

“Junior Martial Brother, what are those scars on your back?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Oh…”

Looking at the few scars on Lin Nuo’s back, one could imagine the hardships he endured while fighting against evil forces. Everyone admired him as a heroic figure, shouldering the hopes and expectations of people, yet he silently endured suffering alone.

“It must be tough for you when going on missions, right?”

Liu Shuqin’s delicate hands paused on Lin Nuo’s back scars, filled with sympathy.

“It’s just small stuff. I’ve endured worse.”

The so-called worse referred to his previous life.

If he could get through that, a few injuries now were hardly anything.

“Junior Martial Brother, if there’s anything troubling you, feel free to tell me. You used to confide in me, but ever since you became a great hero, you’ve stopped.”

“Past is past; now is now.”

“Am I too weak now?”

“This has nothing to do with strength. Not everyone is willing to share their struggles, and often the help you provide is merely a self-satisfaction for yourselves. You think you’ve helped someone and achieved something, but in reality, you can’t change the circumstances of the suffering person; instead, you might deepen their despair.”

Lin Nuo spoke seriously, reflecting on his feelings on the topic.

“Forget it, let’s not discuss this.”

Lin Nuo cut off the topic. He would never seek someone to confide in about his difficulties—there was no need. Why rely on others when he had managed to endure it alone?

Liu Shuqin didn’t pursue the topic further and continued scrubbing Lin Nuo’s back.

After washing his back, she took care of his hair, neck, and hands, taking care of him meticulously.

“Junior Martial Brother, your physique is robust; your training must be intense.”

Seeing Lin Nuo’s muscular physique made Liu Shuqin’s heart flutter, and she couldn’t help but reach out to touch him.

Lin Nuo: “…What’s wrong? Is it ticklish?”

“Junior Martial Brother, I just want to touch… Is that not okay?”

Her voice was soft and somewhat aggrieved, making Lin Nuo uncomfortable.

You’re pushing it, can’t you just enjoy a bath peacefully?

He retorted:

“Stop asking if it’s okay. Can I touch your chest?”

“Ah, this…”

Upon hearing those words, Liu Shuqin’s face turned red.

Junior Martial Brother has such a bold request…

Liu Shuqin assessed her own chest. It was developed reasonably well. It couldn’t exactly be considered a case of Junior Martial Brother being lecherous since she had voluntarily entered the male cultivators’ Spirit Spring, which made her seem more like the one being lewd.

She whispered:

“Junior Martial Brother, that’s fine.”

“Ah?”

Lin Nuo was taken aback.

No way! I just blurted that out in frustration, and you actually agreed?

Come on, if I, Lin the Villain, wanted to, it’d be more than just touching your chest.

“So you like smaller sizes, huh? No wonder you’ve been avoiding me, Lin Nuo.”

At that moment, a familiar voice floated in from the entrance of the Spirit Spring.

Lin Nuo turned to look.

Oh my, is this the male cultivators’ spring? It has to be, right?!

Why is there a second woman here?

Why are there more women in the male cultivators’ spring than men?!