Xie Residence.
"Sir!"
Xie Xiaojiu lit a candle and was startled to see Jiang Ning already inside her room.
He had entered her room without a sound, completely unnoticed.
Such an otherworldly ability meant that if Jiang Ning wanted to kill her, it would be effortless.
"Sir!" Xie Xiaojiu, after the initial shock, quickly composed herself and spoke.
Jiang Ning said, "I'll be troubling you for the next few days."
Xie Xiaojiu shook her head repeatedly. "It's no trouble at all! As long as you don't find my humble abode too simple. Also..." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I don't like being waited on by servants, so there are no maids in my courtyard. If you need anything, I can serve you myself."
As she spoke, her calm expression under the candlelight couldn't hide a faint blush.
Jiang Ning smiled and shook his head. "I come from an ordinary family. I don't have the habits of those from noble families."
Hearing this, Xie Xiaojiu breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she said, "Sir, I only have one bed here. Would you mind sleeping on my bed tonight? The bedding was just aired out a couple of days ago, so it's clean! And I bathe every night before bed."
"What about you?" Jiang Ning looked at her with a teasing smile.
Xie Xiaojiu replied, "I'll just sleep on a recliner for the night."
"If that's the case, would you resent me?"
"How could I resent you?" Xie Xiaojiu shook her head, her high ponytail swaying. "You've done so much for me! I've always remembered your kindness. Being able to help you makes me happy!"
Jiang Ning smiled. "How could I take over a young lady's bed? I'll just find a place to sleep for the night."
"Sir..." Xie Xiaojiu started to speak, but Jiang Ning cut her off. "No need to discuss this further. Just do as I say."
Xie Xiaojiu nodded slightly. "Yes, sir."
After settling the matter, Jiang Ning got up and walked out of the room.
It was still early, and with enemies lurking, Jiang Ning naturally wanted to seize every moment to improve his strength.
In Xie Xiaojiu's courtyard.
Jiang Ning found a suitable spot and began refining the Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pill within him.
Meanwhile.
Xie Xiaojiu watched Jiang Ning for a while from inside the room. Seeing that he was fully focused, she turned and went to her wardrobe to fetch her clothes.
On such a hot day, she naturally wanted to take a refreshing bath to relax.
Otherwise, with sweat on her body, she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
Normally, since she lived alone in her courtyard, she could do as she pleased.
But now, things were different.
With Jiang Ning under the same roof, she couldn't very well ask him to leave to give her privacy.
So she decided to take advantage of Jiang Ning's focused training to quickly take her bath.
After preparing the bathwater.
Xie Xiaojiu quietly closed the door and lowered the windows.
The soft rustling of clothes being removed echoed, and under the candlelight, the silhouette of a beautiful figure slowly stepped into the bathtub.
At that moment, Jiang Ning happened to finish a round of refining. When he looked up, he saw the silhouette reflected on the window.
He was momentarily stunned.
Splash
Splash
Hearing the sound of water being poured, he couldn't help but smile wryly.
He had forgotten that sharing a roof with a woman could be inconvenient.
Just the sound of the water made his blood surge, and his thoughts began to wander.
Faced with the natural instincts of a young man, Jiang Ning could only shake his head and dispel the distracting thoughts.
Then.
He returned to his meditative state, visualizing the cauldron, using his vital energy as fuel to refine the pill within him, extracting its essence and removing its impurities.
About half an hour later.
Creak
Xie Xiaojiu quietly pushed the door open and peeked through the crack to see Jiang Ning still fully absorbed in his training. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, she pushed the door open.
Carrying a large bucket of bathwater, she walked outside.
At this moment, Xie Xiaojiu looked completely different from before.
Her tied-up hair was now loose, giving her a softer, more delicate appearance.
Water droplets from her hair occasionally fell onto her slender shoulders and jade-like arms.
She wore a long black skirt that reached her calves. As she stepped over the threshold, she tiptoed stealthily toward the other side of the courtyard.
After her bath, she was only wearing this single piece of clothing.
Normally, when she was alone in her courtyard, she could relax and enjoy her freedom without any restraints.
But now, with a man Jiang Ning present, walking around in just this skirt filled her with anxiety and nervousness.
This nervousness even gave her a faint sense of excitement.
After dumping the bathwater in the backyard, Xie Xiaojiu turned and headed back toward the front courtyard where Jiang Ning was.
As she passed through the circular archway, she saw Jiang Ning's eyes slowly open and look in her direction.
Xie Xiaojiu's face instantly turned bright red.
Although removing the manacle around her chest had made her feel more comfortable, she now felt extremely embarrassed.
Only she knew how much more pronounced certain features became when she removed the chest wrap and wore only a single skirt.
Jiang Ning opened his eyes and was momentarily stunned when he saw Xie Xiaojiu.
His vision was incredibly sharp.
Even in pitch darkness, he could see as clearly as if it were daylight.
How could he not notice the changes in Xie Xiaojiu?
After all, the once modest hills had now become towering peaks, impossible to ignore.
He glanced at Xie Xiaojiu and immediately averted his gaze, noticing her discomfort.
Then, he closed his eyes again.
Seeing Jiang Ning close his eyes, Xie Xiaojiu dashed back to her room like a gust of wind.
When she came out again, carrying a bucket of bathwater, her chest was back to its usual appearance, with several black cloth strips visible outside her skirt.
After several trips, Xie Xiaojiu finally finished disposing of all her bathwater in the backyard.
When she returned.
She quietly watched Jiang Ning for a while, then seemed to remember something.
She turned and headed back to the backyard.
About half an hour later.
Xie Xiaojiu saw Jiang Ning open his eyes again.
"Sir, I've prepared bathwater for you. Would you like to take a bath?"
Jiang Ning opened his eyes and heard Xie Xiaojiu's voice.
After such a long session of visualizing the cauldron, his vital energy was nearly depleted.
Hearing Xie Xiaojiu's offer, he nodded. "That would be good."
For him, taking a bath and soaking in water would help replenish his vital energy and restore his condition.
"Then I'll adjust the water temperature for you," Xie Xiaojiu said, then turned and walked back into her room.
When Jiang Ning opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of Xie Xiaojiu, he noticed a significant change in her.
Earlier, her proportions had been so pronounced that she couldn't see her feet when looking down.
Now, however, they were back to modest hills.
Xie Xiaojiu had done something to breastbinding.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning shook his head and stood up.
Xie Xiaojiu's Room.
As Jiang Ning stepped over the threshold, he saw Xie Xiaojiu pouring steaming hot water from a bucket into the bathtub.
The hot water splashed down, sending up clouds of steam.
Xie Xiaojiu poured some in, then bent over to stir the water with her hand, mixing it and testing the temperature.
After repeating this a few times.
She straightened up.
"Sir, the water temperature is just right. It's the most comfortable temperature for me."
Jiang Ning nodded and walked toward the bathtub.
In the next moment.
Xie Xiaojiu approached Jiang Ning, bent down, and reached for his belt.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Ning was startled and quickly grabbed her hands.
Xie Xiaojiu looked up at him and said matter-of-factly, "I'm helping you undress for your bath."
"That's unnecessary!" Jiang Ning shook his head repeatedly. "You can leave. I can manage on my own."
Hearing this, Xie Xiaojiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to Jiang Ning, she was even more nervous.
After Xie Xiaojiu left the room and closed the door.
Jiang Ning finally relaxed.
Having someone else help him bathe was something he couldn't get used to it would only make him feel extremely awkward.
Especially when that person was a woman. Just the thought of it made him feel uncomfortable.
Neither in his past life nor this one did he have such a habit.
Then.
He glanced around the room and felt a bit awkward.
The room's layout, though simple, was that of a young woman's bedroom.
Taking off all his clothes in such an environment made him feel uneasy.
After a moment of hesitation.
Jiang Ning only removed his outer clothes, leaving on a pair of shorts.
He placed the removed clothes on a screen and stepped into the bathtub.
"Ah"
As soon as his right foot touched the water, he couldn't help but gasp.
He quickly pulled his foot out.
Then he dipped his hand into the water to test the temperature.
Jiang Ning: "..."
As soon as his hand touched the water, he was speechless.
The water temperature, which felt scalding to him, was what Xie Xiaojiu considered the most comfortable.
"No wonder people online always complained about how hot women's bathwater is!"
"Seems like it's the same everywhere."
Jiang Ning shook his head.
With a thought, he used his water manipulation ability to lower the temperature by a few degrees.
Once it felt right, he stepped into the tub again.
"Ah, this feels good!!!"
Leaning back in the bathtub, Jiang Ning closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
Soaking in the warm water made him feel his fatigue dissipating rapidly, and his nearly depleted vital energy was quickly recover.
Outside.
Xie Xiaojiu also quietly enjoyed the cool evening breeze.
The wind tonight was exceptionally refreshing.
As it brushed against her face, she felt the first hints of autumn's chill.
"It's early November! By now, it should already be deep autumn," Xie Xiaojiu murmured, feeling the cool breeze and looking up at the still-green leaves above her.
Whoosh
The evening wind swept past her.
It lifted the fallen leaves from the ground, causing Xie Xiaojiu's skirt to cling tightly to her figure, accentuating her slender, curvaceous form.
Her slender, smooth legs were also clearly outlined under the close-fitting skirt.
Unfortunately, such a beautiful scene had no one to appreciate it.
After a long while.
Xie Xiaojiu glanced back at the room.
Through the candlelight reflected on the window, she saw Jiang Ning lying quietly in the bathtub, motionless.
"Having someone else here makes it feel less lonely. It's quite nice."
A slight smile appeared on Xie Xiaojiu's lips, and her expression softened.
Knock, knock, knock
As Jiang Ning lay in the bathtub, he suddenly heard three knocks on the door.
"Sir!" Xie Xiaojiu's voice came from outside.
"What is it?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Sir, may I come in?" Xie Xiaojiu asked.
Jiang Ning opened his eyes and glanced down at the black shorts he was wearing.
Then he said, "Come in."
Creak
The door opened.
Jiang Ning turned his head slightly and saw Xie Xiaojiu, wearing a black skirt embroidered with gold, step over the threshold.
"Sir, should I take your clothes to wash?" Xie Xiaojiu asked tentatively.
"That would be great. Thank you."
Xie Xiaojiu's face lit up with a gentle smile. "It's no trouble! I was going to wash my clothes anyway, so I'll wash yours too."
Then she added apologetically, "Sir, I don't have any spare clothes for you to change into. If you don't mind, you could wear some men's clothes I've worn before?"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning slapped his forehead.
Before leaving, he hadn't thought about this.
Now that Xie Xiaojiu mentioned it, he realized he hadn't prepared any spare clothes to keep in his spatial ring.
If his clothes were taken to be washed, he really wouldn't have anything to wear.
He couldn't just walk around in his shorts, could he?
This wasn't his own home, where he lived alone.
There was also Xie Xiaojiu, a young woman close to his age.
Walking around in just his shorts would be highly inappropriate.
After a moment of hesitation.
"Bring them over and let me take a look," Jiang Ning said.
Xie Xiaojiu immediately turned and walked to her wardrobe.
After rummaging for a while.
She soon returned with a white robe in her arms.
"Sir, take a look!" Xie Xiaojiu approached the bathtub and unfolded the robe for Jiang Ning to see.
Taking the opportunity, she glanced into the bathtub and saw the shorts Jiang Ning was wearing. She quickly averted her gaze, a faint hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.
"Will this fit me?" Jiang Ning asked.
Xie Xiaojiu snapped back to attention and replied, "When I wore it, it was a bit loose. For you, it might feel slightly tight, but it should still fit."
"Let's give it a try," Jiang Ning said as he stood up.
Xie Xiaojiu was quite tall, slightly taller than Li Qing.
Compared to her, Jiang Ning was only a head taller.
"If, as Xie Xiaojiu said, the clothes were loose on her, then they might just fit me," Jiang Ning thought to himself.
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