Jingliu did not linger, quickly walking back to Qi Zhimu and placing the wine jar on the table.
The tea room was quiet, filled with the overflowing aroma of wine.
She respectfully poured a full cup for her Master; as the liquid entered the cup, several ripples spread out.
"Master."
Seeing Qi Zhimu pick up the wine cup, Jingliu finally couldn't suppress the surging emotions in her heart and spoke as if casually.
"I see you are quite lenient with that child Jing Yuan, and your teaching method is quite different from how you taught me back then. Why is that...?"
Qi Zhimu took a light sip, the liquid sliding down his throat, his tone flat.
"Because you two are different."
Jingliu's eyelashes lowered, hiding the flash of grievance.
"Different... So it's because I am dull-witted and not as likable as Jing Yuan."
"You're overthinking it."
Qi Zhimu glanced at her.
"Jing Yuan has a flexible mind and adaptive thinking. Rather than charging onto the battlefield, he might be better suited for the path of a Strategist. Furthermore..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Jingliu's hands holding the wine jar.
Recalling the early years, his tone unconsciously lost some of its aloofness.
"That child does not have the training conditions you had back then; they cannot be compared."
"The conditions Master refers to are...?"
"...His foundation isn't as good as yours." Qi Zhimu didn't speak too plainly.
He felt it wasn't necessary.
In reality, Jing Yuan's foundation was better than Jingliu's, but his childhood experiences could not compare to hers.
Jingliu had the ample driving force known as hatred. Although Jing Yuan aspired to join the Hunt expedition to protect the Xianzhou, it couldn't be denied that it mostly stemmed from admiration.
Despite this, Jingliu's tense nerves quickly relaxed.
So that was it... It wasn't that Jing Yuan was better than her, but that he couldn't withstand that level of intensity.
It wasn't that Master was biased, but that Master believed only she was worthy of such rigorous tempering.
The grievance in her heart was like a drop of water touching a hot iron, evaporating completely with a hiss.
In its place was a sliver of secret, sweet joy.
Master still values me the most after all.
With her internal conflict resolved, Jingliu's expression relaxed, and even her movements pouring wine for Qi Zhimu became a bit lighter.
The master and disciple talked about the past, from the old matters of Azure City to the current plum blossoms and snow; the atmosphere was rarely gentle.
However, after a few cups of plum blossom brew, Qi Zhimu's gaze gradually became somewhat strange.
His disciple's cold and stunning face before him actually showed a breathtaking beauty under the light.
Her crimson eyes seemed to have hooks, hooking a fire in his heart; a certain restlessness within his body began to churn uneasily... Something was wrong.
Qi Zhimu put down his wine cup, his knuckles pressing against his brow.
"Master is a bit tired and will go back to the room to rest first."
After speaking, he stood up and left, his footsteps revealing a few hints of unnoticeable haste.
Jingliu watched her Master's back and didn't think much of it. With a faint smile on her lips, she cleaned up the remains and turned to walk towards the hot spring... Half an hour later.
Inside the misty hot spring pool, Jingliu rose from the water, her skin tender and translucent, her cheeks looking exceptionally rosy.
She reached for a bath towel on the rack. Just as she tied it across her chest, she suddenly heard a burst of hurried, heavy footsteps coming from afar.
Following that, an aura so familiar it made her soul tremble burst into this private space without warning.
Why would Master suddenly come here... Just as Jingliu was about to turn and call out, her waist suddenly tightened. In the next second, the world spun, and she fell into a scalding embrace.
Qi Zhimu's face, which was usually even colder than Jingliu's, had two unfamiliar flames burning in his eyes, magnifying rapidly in her vision.
Before Jingliu could react, hot lips directly sealed her own.
Jingliu's eyes widened, and her mind went blank... Ma... Master was kissing her?
The sudden turn of events left Jingliu dazed, but her body was more honest than her reason.
This was the person she thought of day and night, the deity she could only pray for in her dreams.
At this moment, the deity had fallen to the mortal realm, going mad for her.
Instinctive dependence and desire instantly took the upper hand in her mind.
Jingliu closed her eyes tremblingly, her hands climbing up Qi Zhimu's neck, responding clumsily and crudely, yet with incomparable passion.
Lips and teeth intertwined, breaths merged.
Heavy panting echoed in this private space.
At some point, the tied towel slipped off, and Qi Zhimu's clothes were also torn open.
Two scalding bodies both fell into the warm pool water, splashing everywhere.
Qi Zhimu seemed to have lost his reason, kissing her lips with a predatory momentum, following her jawline all the way down, burying his head in her fair and slender neck.
In a daze, Jingliu sensed a hot iron-like heat about to cross the threshold.
"Mmh..."
The slight sting from her neck made Jingliu's whole body go numb, and her small mouth couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
"Gently... Master..."
The unprecedentedly soft and sweet tone exploded like a clap of thunder, making Qi Zhimu's whole body stiffen, and his movements came to a screeching halt.
The flames in his eyes quickly receded, replaced by shock.
Looking at his flushed disciple before him, his pupils trembled.
Damn it!
How could this happen...?
He suddenly pushed Jingliu away, staggering back two steps to lean against the pool wall, his chest heaving violently.
"That wine..."
Qi Zhimu's voice was frighteningly low.
"Where did you get it from?"
Jingliu was still immersed in the tenderness from just now, looking at him blurrily, answering subconsciously.
"It was right in the most conspicuous position on the cellar shelf..."
Hearing this, Qi Zhimu frowned.
He took a deep breath to forcibly suppress the remaining restlessness in his body and turned to leave.
"Don't go!"
Jingliu pounced forward, tightly hugging his waist from behind.
Her soaked body pressed tightly against his back, transmitting a pleading warmth.
"Master... Don't go..."
"You can do whatever you want, I am willing... I am willing to do anything..."
Qi Zhimu paused, then reached out, forcefully prying away the hands locked around his waist.
The strength was so great it seemed as if there was no hesitation.
"...Let go!"
Jingliu refused, instead hugging him even tighter, moving around to the front of Qi Zhimu and looking up at him.
Her usually cold eyes were now filled with mist, her pupils full of confusion and pleading.
"Why? Why is it only me who can't? If there's anywhere I've dissatisfied Master, you can just say it!"
"Why are Senior Sleeping Snow and Senior Clear Cold allowed? Over all these years, you've done it countless times, haven't you? Why am I the only one excluded?"
"Am I really not allowed? Master, I love you... You're the only one in my heart, you've always been the only one!"
Qi Zhimu's brow furrowed even tighter. Taking in his disciple's nearly collapsing expression, he subconsciously wanted to give in.
But he still held back, an indescribable complex emotion surging in his heart.
He knew he absolutely could not be soft-hearted at this moment.
He forced his face to turn cold, his voice devoid of temperature.
"What happened just now was just an unconscious act under the influence of alcohol. It was my fault, but Jingliu, your remarks are inappropriate."
"Put away those thoughts you shouldn't have. We are only master and disciple, and can only ever be master and disciple."
"I don't believe you! Master is lying!"
Jingliu's tears burst out.
"Your body clearly desires me! I can feel it! And Master must be able to feel how much I desire you!"
What talk of not violating worldly morals and rules? If it wasn't a lie, what does Master's behavior just now count as?
...The pre-release was rejected several times, with seven or eight sensitive passages found. If this still doesn't work, then I'm really out of options.
Can you give some free 'Generosity' (Love Power Generation)? Please (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)
This is the correct way to urge Haji Huan for updates. If we can get a thousand, it'll be more effective and practical than the orange button...