Chapter 24 I'll Teach You:

"You...you teach me?" Rong Xie didn't understand what Shen Bing Si meant for a moment.

Shen Bingsi showed him through her actions.

With a creak, the tea table was pushed open, and the person who was sitting behind the tea table stood up, unbuttoning his clothes as he walked towards Rong Xie.

"Wait, wait a minute..." Rong Xie took half a step back, his heel hitting the small steps outside the second-courtyard bed.

Rong Xie had never been so clearly aware that the bed was less than a foot behind him, and that his best friend was taking off his clothes as he walked toward him.

Many intense images flashed through his mind as he considered several ways to defend himself or escape.

Now I regret bringing up "studying" in the bedroom.

"No, there's no need to rush. You recite it to me first, and I'll copy it down, and then..." Rong Xie took another step back, directly backing onto the small platform, his knees bent against the edge of the bed, his legs went weak, and he sat down on the edge of the bed with a "thud".

The lamp on the table went out with a "poof," and the candlestick outside the bed lit up automatically. The light changed from bright golden-red to dim deep red. Shen Bingsi lowered his eyes, his clothes slipped off his shoulders, revealing a body as strong and resilient as a whip. His body proportions were excellent, young and full of power. The smooth muscle lines did not appear cumbersome. Only when he moved did he reveal his size like a lurking dragon, which was awe-inspiring.

Shen Bingsi's steps were quick and light, and he soon stepped onto the same platform. The dim light of the candlestick shone from his side and behind, painting the outline of his body in gold. The striking scene in front of him was submerged in shadow. He was only a hand's width away from Rong Xie's face. The huge shadow covered half of the bed and the tiny Rong Xie beside the bed.

Rong Xie felt as if he had been hit by a giant wave. On the surface, he still looked calm sitting on the edge of the bed, but in fact, he had been gone for a while.

Her undergarments were piled on the floor in front of the bed, and her shoes and socks were also scattered along the way. Shen Bingsi stood on the footstool under the bed wearing only a pair of underpants, her bare ankles radiating heat. She squeezed between Rong Xie's legs, domineeringly occupying a spot.

Rong Xie leaned back slightly, his hand moving backward until he reached the middle of the bedsheets, but he still couldn't find any suitable weapon. Who would leave a weapon on their bed? With no other option, Rong Xie could only clutch the sheets tightly to bolster his courage.

"W-what are you going to do..."

Why aren't you taking your clothes off?

The voice, barely audible, was drowned out by Shen Bingsi's confident question.

"Why should I..." Rong Xie swallowed hard, "take it off?"

A low laugh came from above: "If you don't take your clothes off, how am I supposed to teach you?"

"This...this is too fast..." Rong Xie lowered his eyes, his eyelids were hot and swollen. He dared not look anywhere, but there was still something very conspicuous in his peripheral vision. His fingers gripping the bed sheet tightened even more.

"Where is it fast? It hasn't even started yet?" Shen Bingsi was a little puzzled, but he didn't pay much attention and naturally put his hand on Rong Xie's shoulder.

Rong Xie shuddered, then froze. Was Shen Bing Si annoyed by his dawdling and about to help him undress? Just like last time, just like…

Actually, that's not so bad. He just needs to close his eyes, steel his heart, and leave everything to Shen Bingsi to handle. When it's time for him to contribute, he can just do as Shen Bingsi says.

It's just a method of cultivation.

Rong Xie closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly.

He felt Shen Bingsi's fingers unbutton the front of his robe, her hand reaching inside to peel off the outer layer of the robe like peeling petals of a lily, revealing the inner garment that clung tightly to his body. The short, narrow sleeves couldn't completely cover his arms, and Rong Xie felt a cool sensation on the skin of his armpits.

The undergarment fell down, piling up at the wrists like an invisible constraint; the knuckles of the hand hidden beneath the garment turned white from the excessive force.

Shen Bingsi suddenly stopped.

Rong Xie felt dizzy and didn't feel any further movement for a long time. He could only feel his chest rising and falling as he breathed heavily. His exposed skin could no longer feel cool and gradually warmed up and became hot under the gaze of certain people.

Yes, he could feel Shen Bingsi looking at him. Why did she suddenly stop and look at him? Wasn't she in a hurry to get to the point?

The shadow that had covered us was gone, and candlelight shone in once more. The dark red light pierced through our eyelids, illuminating our previously pitch-black vision.

Rong Xie's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes a crack in confusion. The person who had been blocking his way was gone. He saw the floor covered with candlelight, and clothes and shoes scattered on the floor.

"...?" Rong Xie opened his eyes in surprise. Where did Shen Bing Si go?

The next moment, the bed sank, and someone sat down next to Rong Xie.

"Would you like some water?" Shen Bingsi's voice was a little hoarse.

Rong Xie turned his head and saw that Shen Bingsi was holding a bowl of water. He didn't know when she had brought it, but he must have drunk some of it himself, as there were still glistening water stains on her lips.

"Hmm..." Rong Xie pulled his hand out of his clothes, took the bowl of water from Shen Bingsi, and drank it sip by sip, racking his brains to figure out why Shen Bingsi had suddenly stopped? Why had she suddenly given him water? He was indeed a little thirsty, but was now the time to drink water?

As the saying goes, one should strike while the iron is hot, but then lose momentum. He had just made up his mind to go along with whatever Shen Bingsi did... but now, his courage had been dampened by the bowl of water that had been inserted in the middle.

He even felt a little resentful that Shen Bingsi wasn't as decisive as the first time, taking off her clothes as she pleased and reaching her hand down as she pleased. He didn't even have time to react before it was over...

"...Actually, I wanted to..."

A sentence seemed to slip past his ear, and Rong Xie hummed in response, putting down the bowl that he had unknowingly emptied.

His peripheral vision caught Shen Bingsi's hand, her slender fingers resting on the dark wood grain of the bed frame, very close to him, yet cautiously avoiding touching him, her knuckles bulging from the pressure, and Shen Bingsi not as relaxed as he appeared.

“Now that we’ve recruited a page, we have plenty of time, so there’s no need to rush things,” Shen Bingsi said. “Last time, I failed because I was too impatient. Let’s learn from that experience and start by getting closer to each other, sleeping in the same bed, and then we can move on to the next step once you’re used to it.”

Rong Xie's heart stirred slightly.

He never expected that Shen Bingsi, who was always impatient, would come up with such a... thoughtful solution.

For some reason, even though he should have breathed a sigh of relief, Rong Xie felt a pang of sadness in his heart, and his heartbeat became heavy.

Shen Bingsi paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you think?"

Rong Xie responded.

"Okay." Shen Bingsi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and his movements became more casual. He took the water bowl from Rong Xie's hand, placed it on the tea table from a distance, then climbed onto the bed, took a large quilt, and busily spread it out while bending over.

Rong Xie couldn't help but laugh at his busy work. The tense atmosphere from before had dissipated, and everything seemed lively now.

"What are you laughing at?" Shen Bingsi looked at him reproachfully. "Haven't you ever seen someone fold blankets and make a bed?"

"Do Nascent Soul cultivators fold blankets and make their beds like this?" Rong Xie's shoulders trembled slightly. He suddenly felt that it was inappropriate for him to tease Shen Bing Si so quickly. He raised his hand and rubbed the tip of his nose to hide his smile.

“A Nascent Soul cultivator is still a human being, not yet at the Dao level. It’ll be faster to make the bed with your hands.” Shen Bingsi pulled back the covers and patted the sheets. “Come on.”

Rong Xie no longer hesitated, took off her shoes and socks, got into bed, and crawled under the covers.

Shen Bingsi crawled in from behind him, and the two of them lay down under the same blanket.

When they were little... they often lay together like this.

At that time, Shen Bingsi was not the pride of the entire clan, but the child born to a young lady who had been jilted in marriage, a symbol of shame and a hateful burden.

Miss Shen brought Shen Bingsi back to the Shen family manor and they moved into the long-abandoned Plum Garden. There weren't many rooms and beds to choose from, so Shen Bingsi slept on a musty wooden plank. The room used to be a warehouse and had only a small north-facing window. In winter, it was very, very cold, so cold that it was unbearable to stay there. It's unclear how Shen Bingsi managed to sleep there. In summer, however, it was cooler than other places, so Rong Xie often came to squeeze in with him.

Back then, the two of them had endless silly things to say, just like Shen Yan and Long Shaoye. They would start laughing like idiots while talking, without even knowing what they were laughing about.

Several times, their laughter was so loud that it attracted Miss Shen's attention. Shen Bingsi would then have Rong Xie crawl under the covers and hide behind him to avoid Miss Shen's inspection. Miss Shen would then reach in from the outside, and batches of peach wood swords, darts, and other treasures that Shen Bingsi had obtained from outside would be confiscated.

Fortunately, he was experienced, and Rong Xie was never touched.

Later, they got their own beds, and later still, they got their own bedrooms.

Such a situation of sharing a bed is almost impossible to happen again.

"Rong'er." Shen Bingsi's voice came from behind. Rong Xie could feel the vibration in his voice. For some reason, Rong Xie hoped that Shen Bingsi would not mention things from his childhood. Otherwise, the two of them would be like two old relatives chatting about old times because of insomnia.

"Um?"

“Here’s what I’m thinking, listen to whether it makes sense,” Shen Bingsi said seriously. “The reason we sleep under one blanket is to get used to close contact. The key is that we need to be in contact. What’s the difference between this and sleeping under two blankets?”

"Um……"

“So,” Shen Bingsi paused for a moment, “you should give me a hug.”

Rong Xie's ears were burning up again, but thankfully they were covered by his hair, otherwise they would have been as conspicuous as a red candle in the night.

"Hmm... okay." Rong Xie shrugged, instinctively crossed his arms in front of him, and turned towards Shen Bing Si.

Before he could even turn over, two hot arms wrapped around him tightly, pulling him into an equally hot embrace. The naked body of a grown man pressed against him, enveloping him in a giant furnace. Finally, the man's chin, which was pressed against his ear, rubbed against him, letting out a comfortable sigh.

"Go to sleep," Shen Bingsi said contentedly.

Sleep...sleep my ass!

The candle went out with a snap, plunging the room into darkness, especially the bed, which was pitch black, with only Rong Xie's eyes wide open.

After enduring the torment for who knows how long, Shen Bingsi had been snoring for two rounds when Rong Xie finally drifted off to sleep, dreaming of fighting a giant python for half the night.

The next morning, Rong Xie woke up with dark circles under his eyes, walking with an air of ethereal bliss. After assigning tasks to the three younger members, he went back to sleep.

"I'll lie down for a bit, and come back in half an hour," Rong Xie said.

Watching Rong Xie enter through the central gate, the three younger ones all looked sympathetic.

"Brother Rong is working so hard. He said he would let us rest after sunset, but he's still busy himself," Shen Yan sighed.

"Tsk, the head of the manor only makes things for him, how can he not be tired?" Long Shaoye chimed in.

The youngest, Fang Renji, looked at Shen Yan, then at Long Shaoye, nodded, and after a while, cautiously asked, "Is this also a code?"

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I'm posting early at 11 PM! I doubt the clips will fall off much... right?

The next update will be at midnight, and everything will be normal from now on.