Chapter 71. The Girl Who Came in Abruptly

Chapter 71. The Girl Who Came in Abruptly

The suddenly offered bathing water, an eerie hand, sent Lin Nuo jumping in surprise.

How could another hand appear when this spiritual spring was clearly only for him?

Is it a ghost?

No, Tianling Mountain is righteous and forbidding, and with Han Fairy’s powerful talismans around, ghosts should never be able to enter.

Remembering the wooden sign outside that said “No Admittance for Women,” he thought, could this just be a robust, muscular man? But then he glanced again—muscles bulging? And holding soap?

That would be quite the eye sore!

Thinking this way, he felt the air growing quite steamy.

At that moment, a delicate foot dipped into the surface of the spiritual spring, seemingly testing the water temperature, before she confidently submerged her legs.

It was an absolutely stunning girl, with a slender right hand brushing aside her long, silvery hair, her delicate and smooth skin and enchanting figure flickering in the mist.

Nonchalantly, she undid the towel covering her chest and sank into the spiritual spring, releasing a soft sigh.

Lin Nuo rubbed his eyes, convinced he was experiencing late-stage cataracts and hallucinations.

Instead of a big, foot-scratching, muscle-bound man, it was the breathtaking Second Martial Sister, Qin Shili!

No way could this be real. Qin Shili was proud and aloof, avoiding the mundane world, preferring solitude for reading and dining, and it was said she didn’t bathe with Su Kexin and the others, but rather alone in the spiritual water, nourishing her silky skin.

Besides, she hailed from a noble lineage, her elegant demeanor rivaling that of Liu Shuqin, another aristocrat, and she was well-versed in etiquette. If she saw the sign outside, she would never have entered.

Yet here she was! Casually taking off her towel and soaking in the spring!

This was even more shocking than when she suddenly sat opposite him last time; this high-cold beauty’s actions were simply against logic.

Strangely, he didn’t hear her footsteps. As a notorious villain, he was extremely sensitive to sounds, and he had heard Su Kexin enter even while she was facing away from him. Of course, there was that tiny mishap of mistaking her for Ruo’er.

Why couldn’t he hear her?

Lin Nuo began to piece it together: she must be deliberately hiding her presence. With her seventh-level cultivation, this was child’s play.

What is this woman doing, coming in while I’m bathing?

Is there a rogue girl’s heart hidden beneath her stunning exterior?

Nah, that can’t be it. It’s not possible. The number of handsome nobles pursuing her is countless; after all, he was also one of those “devoted” suitors. If she were interested in his body, wouldn’t she have swooned for him by now and they’d be living a scandalous life together?

So she must have some ulterior motive.

Lin Nuo maintained his composure, if the enemy isn’t flustered, then neither should he be.

He coldly asked, “Didn’t you see the sign outside?”

“I saw it.”

“Then why did you come in?”

“You don’t have to treat me like a woman.”

“…”

What the heck, are you really trying to kill the mood here? You’re a stunning beauty with a fiery body and breathtaking face, and I’m supposed to not treat you like a woman? Should I treat you like a cross-dresser instead?

Of course, being in a spiritual hot spring together makes that utterly ridiculous!

In this day and age, the number of “Kuafu” seeking the spiritual water soaked by beautiful fairies is countless.

Lin Nuo was once among those “Kuafu,” especially since Qin Shili had been his dream girl; he couldn’t help but think to take home a large jar of that fairy-soaked spring water for safekeeping.

Besides, sharing a bath with Qin Shili would definitely have him writing tens of thousands of words in a long diary about tonight’s exciting emotions; he might even turn it into an autobiography to publish!

Of course, that was the past him.

As for now, his feelings toward Qin Shili were more guarded.

He was a seasoned veteran, having lived five years without realizing what role he was playing? He was a big villain, not a typical harem protagonist that would have beautiful girls throwing themselves at him for no reason—especially not the goddess he longed for. There was no connection between them where she could possibly be captivated by him.

Furthermore, the revolution is not yet victorious; the villain still has to toil, and women would only complicate his grand villainous future.

The warm waterfall washed over Lin Nuo’s body, rinsing off the foam from him, and he pretended to be unbothered while sinking deeper into the hot spring, maintaining a slight distance from Qin Shili.

Having had his plans disrupted by Ruo’er, his energy was low. He just wanted to soak in the spiritual water to recover, but now Qin Shili had barged in, throwing a wrench in his plans. Additionally, Qin Shili had an otherworldly, smooth white skin and a captivating figure, like a lotus emerging from the water. He was, after all, a normal guy; it would be impossible not to feel a little flustered.

Hmm?

Lin Nuo was somewhat sensitive to gazes and footsteps; his peripheral vision caught Qin Shili staring at him.

Something felt off; in a typical novel setting, when there’s a hot spring and a girl bathing, the boy would try to peek, leading to her being shy or angry, angrily calling him a pervert and then hitting him.

But now…

He had been the one bathing first! How could Qin Shili come in totally ignoring the sign and still stare at him?

Maybe he was just overthinking it. She wasn’t actually watching him.

Maybe she started cultivating late and wanted to soak in the spring, unwilling to wait for him to finish.

Whatever, she’s bathing her way, I’ll bathe mine, and as long as I keep my distance, it won’t bother either of us.

Yet he felt the tranquil surface of the spring ripple with waves, and the sound of those waves was steadily drawing closer.

His peripheral vision glanced over instinctively.

Oh no, she’s coming over!