The massive, opulent bathing chamber in Zhang Tian's suite was a private oasis. It was a room carved from pale, veined marble, so large it felt more like a temple grotto than a bathroom. Steam, thick with the scent of sandalwood and expensive oils, rose from a central pool that was the size of a small pond. The water, fed by a hot spring, was a perfect, welcoming temperature.
Zhang Tian was already in, lounging on a submerged marble bench, his eyes closed and a look of pure, unadulterated bliss on his face. The long, multi-week carriage ride, though luxurious, had left his body feeling stiff and travel-worn.
"Well?" he called out, his voice echoing slightly in the steamy room. "Are you two coming in, or are you just going to stand there and admire the architecture?"
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing stood at the pool's edge. They, too, were still in their travel clothes, feeling the grime and dust of the road.
"We're coming, we're coming," Ning Rongrong said, a mischievous glint in her cyan eyes. "But... we're so dirty from the trip, husband. We should probably... get all of our clothes off. Right, Zhuqing?"
Zhu Zhuqing just smirked, her dark eyes already locked on Zhang Tian. "It would be inefficient to wash with them on. They would just get in the way."
Zhang Tian's eyes opened, a slow, appreciative grin spreading across his face. He leaned back against the marble, crossing his arms. "An excellent point. Please, proceed. Don't let me stop you."
The two women looked at each other, a silent, playful challenge passing between them.
Ning Rongrong went first. With a theatrical, teasing slowness, she untied the sash of her light blue robe. She shrugged her shoulders, letting the silk slide down her arms, her movements a deliberate, seductive dance. She let it pool at her feet, revealing her slender, pale form. Her breasts, which had grown fuller in the past year, were high and proud, her waist a tiny, delicate curve. She was a budding flower, perfect and new.
Zhu Zhuqing's approach was different. It was not a tease; it was a statement. She simply untied her own, darker robe and let it fall. No slowness, no coyness. Just... a reveal. Her body was a masterpiece of mature, feminine power. Her breasts were heavy, round, and magnificent, her waist a sharp, dramatic contrast to the powerful, curvaceous swell of her hips and buttocks. She stood there, a predator in her prime, her dark eyes challenging him.
Zhang Tian let out a low, appreciative growl. "Both of you. Now."
They stepped into the pool, the warm water swirling around their legs, their waists, their chests. They glided through the water, their wet hair, light brown and dark black, clinging to their skin, their movements as graceful as water sprites.
"Alright, husband," Ning Rongrong chirped, grabbing a soft, sea-foam sponge from a marble alcove. "Time for your bath. You are so... dirty... from that long trip."
"Am I?" he purred.
"Mmmhmm," she said, moving behind him. "You smell... sweaty. But," she added, her voice dropping to a whisper as she pressed her own, bare body against his back, "it's not a bad smell. It's... your smell. Very manly."
She began to scrub his shoulders, but it was a clumsy, inefficient process. Her small, firm breasts were rubbing against his back, her arms wrapped around him, her hands "accidentally" straying down his chest, her fingers tracing his abs.
"Hold still, husband," she giggled, her voice a breathy sound in his ear. "You have a very dirty back. It needs a thorough scrubbing."
"Oh? Is that so?" he purred, his own hands finding her waist under the water, his fingers splaying across her soft skin, pulling her tighter against him. "And here I thought you were just enjoying the view."
"I... I don't know what you mean!" she squeaked, as his hand slid up, his thumb brushing the underside of her breast.
"You missed a spot, Rongrong," a low, husky voice said.
Zhu Zhuqing had glided to his other side. She was "washing" his legs. Her dark, wet hair was a curtain over her shoulder as she leaned in, her own magnificent, heavy breasts pressing into his arm. Her hands, covered in soap, were a slow, sensual torment, moving from his knees, up his thighs, her fingers straying dangerously close to his inner thigh.
"This part... right here..." she murmured, her hand moving higher, "seems... very tense."
Zhang Tian laughed, a deep, rumbling sound. He was a man in heaven. "You two," he growled, "are absolute rascals."
He surged up, his powerful arms wrapping around both of them at once, pulling them into a tight, watery embrace.
"Husband!" "Ah!"
The water splashed, their bodies, slick with soap and water, sliding against his.
He flipped Ning Rongrong over his knee, her pale, perfect buttocks breaking the surface of the water.
SMACK.
The sound was sharp, echoing loudly in the steamy chamber.
"Eep!" Ning Rongrong yelped, her face flushing crimson. "Me?! What did I do?!"
"Punishment," he growled, "for being so naughty."
"I wasn't being naughty!" she protested, her voice a high, squeaky sound. "Zhuqing was the one being lewd! She was... she was touching your... your... there!"
"Was I?" Zhu Zhuqing just smirked, her dark eyes gleaming with a cool, dangerous light. "I was just being... thorough. A good helper always makes sure to clean everything."
SMACK.
He released Rongrong, who was now rubbing her smarting backside, and pulled Zhuqing over his other knee. His hand, larger and heavier, came down on her magnificent, curvaceous butt. The sound was even louder, a deep, resonant thwack.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't yelp. She let out a low, shuddering gasp, her back arching, her fingers clutching his leg.
"And that," he purred, "is for being... too thorough."
He pulled her up, her wet, magnificent body flush against his, and kissed her. He kissed her hard, his mouth a dominant, possessive force. She moaned into his kiss, her own arms wrapping around his neck, her legs tangling with his under the water.
"Hey!" a new, jealous voice pouted.
He broke the kiss and looked at Ning Rongrong, who was watching them, her lower lip trembling in a mock pout. "My... my 'punishment' wasn't as long as hers! That's not fair! You like her more!"
"Is that so?" he chuckled. He reached for her, pulling her against his other side. "I think... I'll just have to punish you both. Properly. For the rest of the afternoon."
The bath continued for a very, very long time. The sounds of splashing, of playful, laughing protests, and of soft, breathless moans, echoed in the steamy, marble chamber.
After their... "bath"... the trio, now feeling refreshed, clean, and in a remarkably good mood, got dressed. The afternoon was still young.
"Okay," Ning Rongrong declared, her eyes sparkling, her earlier, pouty mood completely gone. "Now for the real reason we came to Spirit City. Shopping!"
"Shopping?" Zhang Tian sighed, feigning exhaustion. "After that... 'thorough' bath? I thought we could just... take a nap."
"Later!" she chirped, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door. "You promised to come with us for shopping today!"
"I did, didn't I?" he chuckled.
The streets of Spirit City were a new, fascinating world. The shops here were not like the chaotic, bustling markets of Heaven Dou City. They were clean, orderly, and incredibly, almost intimidatingly, high-end. They sold items that were a cut above anything they had ever seen.
Ning Rongrong was in heaven. She dragged them from one shop to another, her eyes wide.
"Husband, look! This shop sells only spirit-infused silks! Look at this fabric! It's woven from the silk of a 30,000-year-old Ice Spider! It's... it's as cold as jade!"
"And here! A high-end herb store! They have... is that... a five-thousand-year-old Black Fire Lingzhi?!"
Zhang Tian was in a generous mood. "Hmm…Let's do proper shopping today! I will be paying" he said, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist, a gesture that was both affectionate and possessive.
"Great!"
For Ning Rongrong, he found a set of hairpins. They were not carved from simple jade. They were carved from the crest-bone of a thousand-year-old Ice-Vein Metal, each one humming with a faint, cool energy that would, as the shopkeeper explained, passively nurture her spirit power. He also found her a dress, a magnificent, flowing gown woven from the wings of a Sun-Winged Butterfly, a fabric that seemed to change colors as she moved, from a soft, gentle blue to a fiery, passionate crimson.
"Oh, husband!" she squealed, kissing him. "It's perfect! I'll be the most beautiful woman at the finals!"
"You already are," he murmured, before his gaze shifted to Zhu Zhuqing, who was quietly, and with a professional's eye, inspecting a rack of weapons.
For her, he found a set of sleek, black blades. They were not simple, forged obsidian. They were carved from the fangs of a fifty-thousand-year-old Abyssal Shadow Panther, their edges honed to a fineness that could split a hair longways. They were infused with a shadow element, designed to drink the light.
"They will be... extensions of your claws," he said, pressing them into her hand.
She just looked at him, her dark eyes, usually so cold, now shining with a deep, profound warmth. She didn't speak. She just leaned in and gave him a quick, hard kiss.
He also bought her a cloak, a garment woven from the fur of a thirty-thousand-year-old Shadow-Stalker Panther. It was a garment that seemed to drink the light, making her almost invisible when she stood in the shadows.
He didn't forget the women back at the estate.
For Qian Renxue, he found a rare, ancient, leather-bound book on spirit theory, a text he knew she would covet more than any jewel.
For Ah Yin, he found a small, unassuming box, filled with a set of rare, potent life-attribute seeds, that seemed dormant, which he knew she could awaken.
For Jin Xi, he found something simple, yet perfect. A beautifully crafted, golden hair comb, its handle carved into the shape of a small, sleeping lion.
And finally, as they were leaving the main market, he stopped at one last, ridiculously expensive stall. The stall sold nothing but high-end, decorative carvings. His eyes landed on a single, small object.
He just smirked.
"Husband, what is it?" Ning Rongrong asked, following his gaze.
It was a carrot. A single, perfectly carved carrot, about the size of his hand. It was made from a single, flawless piece of orange jade.
"What... what is that for?" she asked, confused.
"A gift," he said, tossing the heavy, expensive object in his hand. "For... a new pet I've acquired."
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a look. A new pet? A rabbit? They thought of the girl he had abducted, the one who was now locked in his room. And they both, at the same time, let out a small, cruel, and very satisfied giggle.
They spent the rest of the day in a happy, indulgent blur. They laughed, they ate strange, new foods from street vendors—spicy, fire-roasted lightning eels, and sweet, ice-chilled cloud cakes. They were a small, happy, and impossibly powerful island in the heart of the enemy's city.
They returned to their palatial suite as the sun began to set, their arms laden with packages. The mood was light, playful, and intimate.
Ning Rongrong, with a dramatic, weary sigh, dropped her packages on the floor. "Oh, husband, I'm so tired!" she pouted, her voice a soft, breathy sound. "All that shopping… my arms are so sore."
She looked up at him through her long, light brown lashes. "Can you... can you help me get changed for dinner?"
Zhang Tian just grinned. "Of course, my love."
He followed her into her chamber, the door clicking shut behind them. The "helping" process was a slow, leisurely, and very... thorough affair.
"This clasp is... very complicated," he murmured, his hands "fumbling" with the back of her new, multi-colored dress. His fingers, "accidentally," kept grazing the soft, warm skin of her back.
"It... it is, isn't it?" she whispered, her own breathing growing a little shallow.
"And your shoulders..." he said, his voice a low purr as his lips found the delicate, exposed skin of her neck. "They seem... very tense. You must be… so tired."
"Mmmph… very… very tired…"
Zhu Zhuqing entered a few minutes later, holding her new, shadow-infused daggers. She was practicing their weight, their balance. She paused in the doorway.
She saw them. They were in a deep, passionate kiss, Ning Rongrong pressed back against the wall. Zhang Tian's hands were already cupping her magnificent, newly-grown breasts, his thumbs a slow, teasing circle.
"Am I... interrupting?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, her voice a low, husky amusement. She leaned against the doorframe, her own arms crossed, a picture of cool, confident desire.
"Not at all," Zhang Tian murmured, not breaking the kiss with Ning Rongrong. He just reached out his free hand, a silent, clear invitation.
Zhu Zhuqing's smirk widened. She dropped her new daggers onto the bed and glided towards them.
A few moments later, the three of them were a tangle of limbs on the massive, silk-sheeted bed.
"You… mmph… you spanked me in the bath," Ning Rongrong gasped, as Zhang Tian's mouth moved from hers to her breast. "I… I think… I think I've been a bad girl again, husband. I… I need you… I need you to… to be with me… Please…"
"And me," Zhu Zhuqing whispered, her body pressing against his back, her own hands roaming his chest, her nails raking lightly over his abs. "I've been… so patient… all day. Watching you. Wanting you. I can't… I can't wait any longer. Please, my love… I need you. Now."
The sun set, plunging the room into a deep, intimate twilight. The chamber was filled with the soft sounds of their lovemaking, a symphony of breathless moans and shared, passionate kisses.
Zhang Tian knew, in the back of his mind, that he had a dangerous, high-stakes meeting with the Supreme Pontiff in just a few hours. A meeting that could change the fate of the continent.
But for now… he was a very, very busy man.
~~
A/N: Check out my BTTH Fanfic [Doupo: Plundering the Plot with God-Tier Comprehension].
Also, check out 20 Chapters Ahead for this fanfic on my P.atreon.
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/c/evildragon04