Chapter Sixty-Three: Master and Disciple Bathing Together
The first day of the competition came to an end.
Ya Feiyu propped her cheek up with boredom, while Ye Chi was also getting drowsy. The first day was basically a competition among some junior cultivators, most of whom were independent cultivators. Their cultivation methods were not as systematic as those of disciples from other sects who had received systematic training. They also did not know how to control their strength. What seemed exciting to mortals was full of flaws to great cultivators who had lived for hundreds of years. It was not a very interesting match between two novices.
The host prepared rooms for all the cultivators who had traveled from afar, but with so many people, it was impossible to attend to everyone and not everyone could have their own room. Ye Chi was assigned to Ya Feiyu's room, along with Shi Bai, while Xu Miaomiao, being a woman, shared a room with Shen Rong.
"Master, please rest." As night fell, Shi Bai, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed reading, stood up and looked at Ya Feiyu, saying, "Disciple can meditate."
Ya Feiyu didn't refuse. After sitting all day, he was also quite tired. Not only physically, but also mentally, he was on the verge of collapse. He had been thinking about the connections between his past and present lives almost constantly, pushing his brain to its limit. His heart had been hanging in unease and panic all day; he was truly exhausted. He lowered his eyelashes, nodded slightly, and sat on the bed. He let out a heavy sigh, raised his hand to rub his furrowed brow, and the moonlight streamed through the window, making his cool face appear rather melancholy.
Ye Chi glanced over and saw that Shi Bai had already sat down on a mat to the side, deep in meditation. So, not worrying about disturbing anyone, he walked over to Ya Feiyu's side and asked with concern, "Is Master very tired?"
Ya Feiyu paused slightly, then nodded. He usually hid his emotions very well, but when people are vulnerable, they can't hide everything perfectly, and Ye Chi still saw through him. His clear eyes held murky thoughts that Ye Chi couldn't fathom.
"Master, would you like to go out for a stroll with your disciple?" he said, a smile curving his lips and revealing a shallow dimple. "Disciple knows a place nearby with a hot spring. It's said that soaking in it is very relaxing. There shouldn't be anyone around at this time. Master, would you like to go with your disciple?"
Unable to sleep anyway, Ya Feiyu nodded in agreement and followed Ye Chi out of the room. A biting wind swept through the corridor, and Ya Feiyu, unprepared, trembled slightly and sneezed. Ye Chi turned to look at her; Ya Feiyu's face was somewhat pale, and her brows were slightly furrowed. He said, "Master… if you don't want to go, you don't have to force yourself."
"It's nothing, it's just that it's a bit cold tonight."
The venue was protected by a barrier to keep out the cold winds, so the temperature inside was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. But once you left the venue, the harsh climate of the snow-capped mountains would come rushing in all at once. There was sunshine during the day, but it got even colder at night, which explains why there were no people on the road.
Ye Chi paused for a moment, then grasped Ya Feiyu's hand, which was almost frozen stiff, and infused it with crimson spiritual energy. His spiritual root was fire, the opposite of Ya Feiyu's ice spiritual root, and his spiritual energy was warm. Wisps of warmth flowed from his hand throughout his body, dispelling the accumulated chill, and he no longer felt so cold. Ya Feiyu lowered his eyelashes, remaining silent, and walked forward on his own. Ye Chi followed closely behind, the two walking in silence, only their clasped hands conveying each other's warmth.
The moonlight was bright and clear, its silvery glow illuminating the road ahead. All was quiet except for the rustling of the cold wind and the faint breathing of the person beside me.
Upon reaching the hot spring, Ye Chi withdrew his hand and said, "Master, look, this is it."
The warmth in his palm vanished abruptly, and Ya Feiyu felt a chill creep back in, as if his very heart was about to freeze. He instinctively clenched his hands at his sides, quickly concealing the desolation in his eyes and making himself appear utterly pathetic.
"Um."
The hot spring was hidden by several high walls, so it was hard to find unless you looked for it specifically. There was no need to worry about anyone being there. Ye Chi squatted down, tested the water temperature, and turned to look at Ya Feiyu: "It's not particularly hot, Master, don't worry."
Ya Feiyu nodded and responded softly. Wisps of white steam rose from the hot spring. Just standing by the spring was enough to relax him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it for a while, feeling light all over. Just then, the sound of splashing water rang out. Ya Feiyu opened his eyes and saw Ye Chi leaning against the water's edge.
He naturally stripped himself naked, leaving only his pants, and seeing that Ya Feiyu didn't seem to be planning to go into the water, he even called out to him with a smile, "Master, come down! It's warm in here!"
Ya Feiyu frowned slightly: "...I don't have any spare clothes."
"Just take off your clothes!" Ye Chi, clearly unaware of the seriousness of the problem, chuckled happily.
Ya Feiyu fell silent: "..."
Ye Chi belatedly realized that Ya Feiyu seemed to have a rather strong sense of shame...?
For a fleeting moment, his smile seemed incredibly guilty. He scratched his head and said, "Master, don't worry, we're all men, it's nothing..."
……Yeah?
We're all men, so it's not a big deal?
Ya Feiyu's eyes darkened. He pursed his lips and remained silent, but began to take off his clothes. Ye Chi, of course, couldn't look closely, so he turned his head away and listened to the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other in the air, feeling his face burning.
Strange, it must have come from soaking in a hot spring...
Ya Feiyu's movement was not as loud as Ye Chi's; he landed lightly, only causing a few ripples. Only then did Ye Chi remember to check on him. Ya Feiyu was not as tall as Ye Chi, and the water reached his collarbone. The ends of his hair spread out on the water's surface. Ya Feiyu imitated him, leaning against the spring, his eyes slightly closed. His fair face was flushed with color, looking pink and tender.
Ye Chi swallowed hard. He felt something was off, so he turned his head away, not daring to look at Ya Feiyu anymore.
After a long silence, only Ya Feiyu's clear voice spoke softly.
Are you confident about tomorrow's competition?
Ye Chi raised his hand and wiped his face. The wind blew and he felt a strange chill, which made him feel much more energetic. "Master, what are your chances of winning?"
Ya Feiyu glanced at him: "Zero."
Ye Chi: "...Master, you don't need to be so blunt."
A slight smile seemed to appear on Ya Feiyu's lips. He looked up at Ye Chi and said, "Everyone else is preparing tonight, but what about you? Coming here for a bath, do you think you'll be in better shape?"
"Isn't this all for Master?" Ye Chi said casually, unintentionally, but when he noticed that Ya Feiyu's ears seemed to be turning red, he paused slightly and called out, "Master?"
Ya Feiyu snapped out of her daze and shook her head: "It's nothing."
Ye Chi is really... a real pain.
Ya Feiyu almost wanted to bury himself in the water. He simply couldn't resist Ye Chi's unintentional flirtation. If there were other people around, it would be fine, but when it was just the two of them, the atmosphere always felt particularly ambiguous, making him want to run away as soon as possible, yet he couldn't help but fall into this sweet abyss, struggling and drowning in it.
"Aren't you going back to cultivate?" Ya Feiyu raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Compared to cultivation, this disciple would rather stay by Master's side." A faint light seemed to flicker in Ye Chi's eyes. Ya Feiyu was startled; he saw his own reflection clearly in those dark eyes. His heart pounded as if a drum had been struck, and his mind went blank. He felt dizzy and could only lean against the shore, supporting himself. Clearly, Ya Feiyu hadn't yet realized anything was amiss.
Ye Chi seemed to be saying something in his ear, but Ya Feiyu had some tinnitus and couldn't hear anything. He could only hear his own increasingly heavy breathing and his heartbeat becoming more rapid, and his vision was gradually being engulfed by darkness.
Just then, Ya Feiyu lost her footing, slipped, and fell into the water.
He was enveloped by the warm water and lost consciousness in the blink of an eye.
Ye Chi stared in astonishment. He only had time to see Ya Feiyu fall into the water. In a panic, he didn't care about anything else. He pulled Ya Feiyu out of the water, held him tightly in his arms, and brought him ashore.
The crow's words... were still very soft.
He looked at the person curled up in his arms and thought.
Years ago, when he was still a defenseless boy, he had carried or supported Ya Feiyu countless times. Back then, he felt that Ya Feiyu was very light and it was almost effortless to carry him. Now that he has been trained and has strength, he feels the same way even more.
How could Ya Feiyu be so soft?
He used his spiritual power to dry Ya Feiyu's body. The night was chilly, and he couldn't let Ya Feiyu, already in such a state, be exposed to the cold wind any longer. Although a cultivator's body wouldn't collapse from a mere breeze, what if it did?
Ye Chi helped him put on his clothes, then took his own coat, first holding it in his arms to warm it up before carefully putting it on Ya Feiyu. He then settled Ya Feiyu in a dry corner, made sure he was alright, and then changed his own clothes.
Ye Chi belatedly realized that he was also cold.
But when Ya Feiyu had the accident, his mind was almost entirely focused on that person's pale face, and he felt his heart beating exceptionally fast, unable to feel the chill of the night.
He changed his clothes and bent down to check Ya Feiyu's temperature. It was a little high, but not high enough to cause a fever, so she shouldn't be sick. He breathed a sigh of relief, picked Ya Feiyu up, and then, afraid that he would wake her up if he walked too fast, he slowed down, even though he was cold himself, he didn't want to walk too fast.
When Ye Chi returned to the room, Shi Bai was still meditating. Ye Chi lit the fire in the stove, covered Ya Feiyu with a thick blanket, and checked the windows several times to make sure no cold wind would get in before sitting back down on his own bed with a sigh of relief.
Ya Feiyu must have been in the hot spring for too long, which is why he felt dizzy.
Only then did he begin to think about the causes and consequences of Ya Feiyu's fainting.
Just like you shouldn't soak in a hot spring for too long, the concept of a hot spring is roughly the same. He lost track of time once he started soaking, which is why Ya Feiyu fainted.
He felt somewhat guilty and sighed helplessly.
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