Xiao Jietian eyed Hu Jia with deliberate playfulness, drawing out his words in a slow, teasing drawl.
"Rest easy, little tiger. I have no interest in immature girls."
"You—!"
Hu Jia's cheeks instantly flushed with indignation. She lowered her gaze to appraise her own figure — full and curvaceous in all the right places, the very picture of budding allure. How could anyone dare call her immature?
She opened her mouth to retort sharply, but the lingering stickiness of sweat along her thighs and the faint ache from earlier reminded her of her priorities. A bath came first. She swallowed the words with a huff.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Hu Jia spun on her heel and strode swiftly toward the bathroom door.
Bang!!
The heavy jade door slammed shut behind her with enough force to rattle the nearby Moonstones — a clear vent of pent-up frustration.
Inside, Hu Jia curiously surveyed her surroundings. The chamber was surprisingly austere: at its heart lay an enormous circular bath carved from rare spirit jade, easily fifty meters across, currently empty and pristine. Along the walls stood elegant racks for garments and several jade shelves lined with porcelain jars and crystal vials.
She approached the shelves and began opening lids at random. Each vessel contained dried flower petals of different hues and fragrances — crimson flame-lotus blooms, pale moon-orchid essence, violet frost-plum calyces. Selecting a generous handful of vivid red petals whose name she did not know, she scattered them into the empty bath.
Kneeling at the edge, she dipped a finger into the water that began to rise from hidden spirit channels beneath the jade. The temperature was perfect — warm without scalding, soothing without tepidity.
Hu Jia loosened her sash. The golden-red dress slipped from her shoulders. She folded it neatly, though her cheeks warmed again as she set the garment aside, remembering exactly why a certain tear now marred its waist.
"Big bad wolf… big scoundrel… big jerk… always bullying people. You're the immature one!"
She grumbled under her breath, pouting like an aggrieved kitten, then cupped both hands beneath her chest as though weighing hidden treasures.
Hmph. He can't even get a proper grip. Wait until he actually sees and feels it properly — let's see if he still dares call me a little girl.
With that defiant thought she withdrew her hands, muttered one last curse, and stepped into the bath.
The moment her foot touched the water, silken warmth enveloped her. Every tense muscle gradually unwound; every cell seemed to sigh in bliss.
She first cleansed herself thoroughly, then sank fully beneath the surface until only her head remained above water. Closing her eyes, she let the gentle heat and faint floral fragrance wash away the morning's humiliations.
"So comfortable… This rogue really knows how to enjoy life. But he wouldn't suddenly turn beastly and barge in, would he…?"
As though the heavens had heard her worry, the bathroom door abruptly swung open.
Xiao Jietian stepped inside with calm, measured strides.
Hu Jia's eyes flew wide. In a flash both hands flew to cover her vital places; she shrank deeper into the water until only her startled golden eyes and the top of her head were visible above the rippling surface.
"Y-You! Why did you come in?! Pervert! I'll scream — you better not try anything!"
Xiao Jietian stood at the edge of the bath, expression unruffled. He spared her a single, fleeting glance before lifting his hand. In his palm appeared a dozen stalks of lustrous spirit herbs, each glowing with faint medicinal radiance.
Without a word he crushed them with a gentle surge of Dou Qi. Powdered herb fragments — shimmering green, violet, and gold — drifted down like fragrant snow, dissolving instantly into the water.
Hu Jia stared, dumbfounded.
"Are you… cooking and stewing soup here?"
"What nonsense." Xiao Jietian's tone remained even. "These are all nourishing herbs. They strengthen meridians and mend hidden damage from hasty breakthroughs. You pushed too hard during seclusion — this will repair the strain."
He finished scattering the last handful, cast her a meaningful, teasing glance that clearly said "Your figure still needs work", then turned and walked out without another word.
Hu Jia instantly understood the unspoken disdain in that look. Rage and mortification exploded together.
"If you have the guts, stay right there! Let's see if this young lady doesn't show you a thing or two!"
"Show me a thing or two?" Xiao Jietian paused at the doorway, half-turned, tilting his head with exaggerated curiosity. "White as jade? Or… something else?"
The moment he turned, Hu Jia realized her mistake. She shrank even deeper into the water, voice suddenly small and awkward.
"Please… just get out quickly."
Xiao Jietian gave her one last disdainful chuckle.
"See? You told me to stop, so I stopped. Now you're unhappy."
After delivering that parting shot, he stepped fully through the door and closed it behind him with a soft click.
Hu Jia stared at the herb fragments drifting lazily across the water's surface, then down at her submerged, naked form. Her face burned hotter than ever.
Did he… see everything just now?
Yet as she replayed her own flustered thoughts, a strange sense of relief crept in. Still — today had been far too humiliating. Her greatest weakness exposed, and now she wasn't even sure whether she had been seen completely bare.
The more she dwelled on it, the redder her cheeks grew… until an even more dangerous thought slipped unbidden into her mind:
That feeling earlier… was actually quite stimulating. I almost want to experience it again…
The instant the idea surfaced, Hu Jia violently shook her head.
"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey! What kind of masochistic nonsense is this?! How could I actually want him to spank me again?!"
She found a comfortable position, reclined against the smooth jade edge, and let the warm medicinal water envelop her completely. Every pore drank in the nourishing qi; her meridians sang with gentle comfort.
A soft, kitten-like purr escaped her throat before she could stop it.
Outside in the main chamber, Xiao Jietian glanced down at the large, very obvious watermark that had dried on the front of his robe.
"Quite a lot…" he murmured. "Next time, I'll have her personally wash my clothes."
Half an hour later, the medicinal power gradually dissipated. Hu Jia opened her eyes, feeling utterly refreshed — meridians soothed, Dou Qi flowing smoother than ever.
"As expected of an alchemist… this rogue's herbs really are effective."
She rose from the water. Droplets traced glistening paths down her smooth skin like scattered pearls. After drying her hair and changing into a fresh set of robes left conveniently on the rack, she walked out with renewed vigor.
Stepping into the hall, she glanced left and right — no sign of Xiao Jietian.
"Hmph. That scoundrel. Am I really that unattractive?"
Meanwhile, in a secluded training chamber far deeper within the palace, Xiao Jietian — busy arranging arrays to gather denser heaven-and-earth qi for Medusa's evolution — inexplicably felt his nose tingle.
"Could Tiger Girl be secretly cursing me again?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose with a wry smile.
…
Hu Jia took a deep breath to compose herself, then spread her soul perception. Locating Xiao Jietian's aura in one of the inner rooms, she pushed open the door and peeked inside.
Empty.
"Where did that guy run off to? Surely he was afraid he couldn't resist peeking at a peerless beauty like me bathing, so he fled in advance. Hmph hmph."
She wrinkled her nose and snorted delicately. After a round of self-consolation, her confidence returned in full force.
"Stubborn man. If you had just asked nicely, perhaps this young lady might have even allowed you to scrub my back."
The moment the thought formed, her imagination ran wild.
If he scrubbed my back… wouldn't that be like bathing together? And if he lost control…? Should I just comply immediately, or struggle a little first before yielding? So hard to choose…
Her face instantly blazed scarlet.
"No! How could I entertain such shameless thoughts?! How could I ever let him get away with that?!"
She shook her head vigorously to dispel the dangerous fancy, yet the flush refused to fade.