Chapter 18 Even a donkey needs a rest.

"The sword shadow has no consciousness or feelings."

Although Xiao Mingxin was explaining, his calm eyes held an invisible pressure.

The subtle changes on Jianying's face vanished completely. He stood up numbly, straightened his clothes, and resumed his previous expressionless demeanor.

This is how a shadow should be, but Xu Cangyu found it extremely boring. Even a feigned liveliness would be better than the current numbness.

How's your training going?

Lost in thought about the sword shadow, Xiao Mingxin's gaze unconsciously drifted over there. After a long while, Xiao Mingxin received no reply. Following the direction of his distraction, she raised her voice.

"If Sword Shadow can't teach you, then keeping him is useless."

Xu Cangyu stopped Xiao Mingxin's hand from casting the spell. "It's useful, it's useful. My sword skills have become much more proficient. But I haven't stopped. I need to give him a break."

He complained and grumbled, his eyes filled with accusation, but he only dared to raise his head cautiously and express his dissatisfaction in secret.

That's all the courage he has.

Xiao Mingxin suddenly lost her temper.

Looking up, he noticed that it was already dark, and the afterglow of the sunset shone through the glistening beads of sweat on his forehead, making them look like sparkling jewels.

After accidentally slipping, the liquid dripped down his chin and into the depths of his overlapping clothes.

A considerable amount of sweat had already gathered there, sticking damply to the snow-white skin.

Xiao Mingxin suppressed the burning sensation in his throat, his knuckles curling up and then clenching tightly.

When the complaining gaze was caught, Xu Zangyu's body stiffened, not to mention that the other party was staring intently without any sign of letting up, making him feel even more suffocated.

He even began to wonder if there was something on his face.

"What's wrong?"

A plain handkerchief was handed to him. "You're sweating, wipe yourself off. There's a hot spring in the back mountain; you can go there to wash up if you want."

"Thank you, senior brother."

Heaven knows how long he had endured the smell of sweat. Although it was something that could be solved with a magic spell, it was nowhere near as relaxing as a bath.

He took the plain handkerchief, wiped it casually, said goodbye, and headed straight for the back mountain.

Upon arriving at the hot spring, Xu Zangyu realized that she had forgotten to return the handkerchief.

The plain handkerchief has only a clump of bamboo embroidered in the lower left corner, and nothing else.

At first glance it appears plain, but upon closer inspection it reveals its elegance.

I wonder if my senior brother cares that he didn't return the handkerchief. Maybe he should just sell it to that infatuated man, You Fengchun.

He suddenly wondered if You Fengchun might be like a pervert in some movie, taking the female lead's personal clothing and doing unspeakable things.

A chill ran down my spine.

"Never mind, never mind, I'll just wash it clean and return it, after all, I wiped my face with it."

He put the handkerchief aside, quickly took off his clothes, leaving only his underpants. As soon as he pulled them down to his waist, he felt an intense gaze upon him.

There was another person squatting by the hot spring pool. Xu Cangyu hesitated for a moment, and seeing his blank face, he said, "Why are you here too? Does Sword Shadow need to take a bath too?"

Even though he knew the person in front of him wasn't real, being stared at like that made him unable to pull his pants down to his waist.

Xu Cangyu glared back, but when he realized the man was still staring, he pulled his pants up again. "What are you looking at? Look at yourself."

Wearing only his underpants and completely submerged in water, Jianying said, "I'm waiting for you to finish washing so we can practice your swordsmanship."

His lips twitched. "Are you a devil? You're trying to kill me! Even if I'm in good health, I need to rest. Your master has already given me permission to rest."

"It's no use being dissatisfied. If you're really bored, go and fight yourself."

“Cultivation cannot be neglected easily, especially since your assessment is imminent.”

"...Do you even know what it means to balance work and rest? There's no such thing as never resting. I can't satisfy you anymore. You should go find Xiao Mingxin."

Xiao Mingxin, who was approaching, was speechless. When the sound stopped and he got closer, he found that the boy who had been muttering earlier had fallen asleep against the rock.

My body was still immersed in the hot spring, surrounded by mist, which made my collarbone turn pink.

Of course, what's even more eye-catching is the scenery beneath the water's surface.

Unfortunately, there was a third person at the scene of this beautiful view that could only be kept private.

Xiao Mingxin glared at her with a piercing gaze, "What are you still doing here?"

Sword Shadow, no longer numb, became surprisingly stubborn: "You're here too, he didn't kick me out."

“If I hadn’t placed a wisp of my consciousness in you, you would be nothing but an unknowing and lifeless thing.”

Xiao Mingxin was reminding him, or perhaps intimidating him, "If you want to continue existing, you'd better keep to your place."

Jianying laughed, looking at him sarcastically, "I hope you can also keep to your own place."

Xu Zangyu vaguely felt the voices around him getting louder and louder, "Who are you arguing with?"

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and realized that only Jian Ying was there. Could it be that the argument he had just heard was a ghost?

You misheard me.

"He's probably still half asleep." Xu Cangyu's bones felt weak from being soaked. Although he was awake, he still didn't want to get up. His skin had turned a deep red, looking like he had been burned, which was quite frightening.

"Get up, soaking in the water won't do you any good."

As soon as he relaxed, a dense, aching sensation spread throughout his body, and Xu Zangyu, who was feeling lazy, was practically dragged up.

Xu Zangyu knew that he did not have the same excellent physique for cultivation as Xiao Mingxin. Many times, the level that Xiao Mingxin reached easily required him to spend much more time catching up with.

Xiao Mingxin entered the late stage of the Golden Core realm, and he also broke through the threshold of the Golden Core realm. Breaking through the Golden Core realm at a young age is not a bad achievement, but Xiao Mingxin is still an inconspicuous existence in this regard.

When Xu Zangyu becomes lazy, it's usually because he's really too tired to keep going.

This was noticed when the person holding him touched his body and found it limp yet his muscles were tense.

Xu Cangyu forced himself to put on his clothes, "Let's go back, otherwise my good senior brother might scold me for being lazy."

The person supporting him froze, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "That's enough for today. You need to rest."

Xu Cangyu was still a little timid. "I know you're thinking of me, but if my senior brother finds out you're helping me slack off, he might punish you too."

His expression froze. "...Perhaps he didn't consider it thoroughly."

Xu Cangyu hadn't expected Jianying to speak up for Xiao Mingxin. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Actually, what you said isn't wrong. I've now realized that Xiao Mingxin isn't a bad person. In some ways, he's even quite responsible."

A faint smile gradually appeared on 'Sword Shadow's' tense face, until he heard him say:

"But actually, that's all on the surface. He saved me to maintain his reputation as a senior brother who cares for his junior brother. In reality, he wished he could kill me. After all, the hatred of stealing one's wife is irreconcilable. I can still understand that."

"...The revenge for stealing my wife?"

"He likes Chu Shu, and he thinks Chu Shu likes me. He acts all respectable on the surface, but he's actually a jealous man."

Why do you think he likes Chu Shu?

"It's normal that you don't know. If it weren't for..." If he didn't know the original plot, he would also have been fooled by this repressed guy.

“That’s just how it is,” he shook his head. “What’s the point of explaining it to you? It’s impossible to explain.”

After Xu Zangyu left, only one person remained, bewildered in the wind.

Rumors are indeed a sword that pierces the heart.

Xu Zangyu was limping when suddenly someone put their arm around his waist, led him into the house, and placed him on the bed.

"This isn't a good idea, there's only one bed in the room, senior brother."

Xu Zangyu immediately tried to get up, but was pressed back down. "I saw him go out to meditate and cultivate. He won't be back for a while."

He added, "It's alright for you to rest here."

Xu Zangyu asked in confusion, "You're not my senior brother, how do you know it's okay?"

His robes were lifted, and his sore calves were kneaded perfectly by a hand, so comfortable that he couldn't help but groan.

"You can even give massages? Does Sword Shadow have so many functions?"

After saying that, my numb leg finally felt something was wrong; the palms kneading my calf were clearly burning hot.

Where does the illusory form of the sword shadow get its temperature?

The person who gave him the massage...

“You are…” Xu Cangyu suddenly stammered, “You are not Jian Ying.”

The masseur didn't argue, and his hands didn't stop moving, but Xu Cangyu felt numb all over and his mind went blank.

Xiao Mingxin actually gave him a massage? Is she trying to crush his bones?

He just said so many bad things about Xiao Mingxin. He even practically confessed to the crime of poaching her.

Xu Zangyu was turned over, and strong knuckles traveled down his spine to his tailbone, stopping at his vital point.

His muscles tensed instantly, reminding him to bring himself back to his moral compass: "Fighting among fellow disciples is against the rules of the sect, senior brother."

He got a smack on the buttock. "Since you're so afraid of death, remember your senior brother's words: don't provoke Chu Shu."

He added, "I can't even think about it."

Xu Zangyu felt extremely humiliated, but he dared not refuse.

"knew."

The hand on her buttocks didn't retract; instead, it kneaded her with a skillful force.

Xu Cangyu, who had just recovered from his fear, was once again overwhelmed by horror. "Senior brother, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to help you relax. It's my fault as your senior brother that caused you so many misunderstandings."

"Senior brother, my butt doesn't hurt," Xu Cangyu protested firmly. It was too strange to be pressed on the butt by a man.

He turned his head and glanced at Xiao Mingxin's serious and thoughtless face, wondering if he was being disgusting, and why his mind was filled with lewd thoughts.

His fingertips moved to the back of her waist. "Your meridians are somewhat blocked, which is probably due to improper circulation of spiritual energy."

"I'll help you clear the blockage, and your body won't feel so uncomfortable."

The thoughts that were struggling in his mind were suppressed by the thought that he might as well take advantage of the freebie, and Xu Cangyu lay back down dejectedly.

"Thank you for your trouble, senior brother."

It's just a massage. It's not like he's never had a bath scrub before; they're all the same.

Long, slender fingers slipped under his clothes, kneading his skin and forcibly relieving the soreness.

Finally, press it against your chest and knead the skin and flesh.

His body tensed up suddenly, even his toes curled up, if it weren't for Xiao Mingxin's highly professional technique.

He even suspected that Xiao Mingxin might be doing it on purpose.

Xu Zangyu suppressed his breathing, afraid of revealing the strange sounds.

The feeling of complete relaxation is so wonderful.

Despite his constant need to stay alert, he still drifted off to sleep.

At night, with the bright moon high in the sky, a lean and muscular body stands beneath the waterfall, letting the icy spring water wash over him.

A long time passed, but the bone-chilling cold failed to calm the strange feeling in my body.

Another identical shadow appeared, glanced at the disheveled Xiao Mingxin, then turned its gaze to his lower body and sneered, "It seems someone failed to uphold their own bottom line. Do you still remember he's your junior brother?"

"It's none of your business to comment; a shadow is only fit to be a shadow."

A note from the author:

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