Chapter 502

374. Slaying the Flood Dragon! Breaking Through the Realm!

The scrubbing session finished in fits and starts.

Ouyang Rong's skin turned red in the mist.

Zhao Qingxiu spread out the hot towel, covered his face with it again, rose from the water, and was about to leave.

A hand reached out from behind and supported her shoulder.

It held her down.

Ouyang Rong grabbed the towel from his face and said with a straight face:

"Not finished washing."

Zhao Qingxiu shook her head vigorously.

【Finished washing】

Ouyang Rong gestured to the towel in his hand:

"You scrubbed me, so I have to scrub Xiuniang too; this is called reciprocity."

Without another word, he began to act as a diligent scrubber.

As he spoke, he used the towel to wipe her smooth, white collarbone.

Zhao Qingxiu was stunned.

Just as Ouyang Rong was playing dumb and taking advantage of the situation.

She suddenly reached out.

And pinched his nose.

In the tub, she leaned against the edge, hugging her chest with one hand and reaching forward with the other.

"Umm, what are you doing?"

Ouyang Rong asked in a distorted voice.

Zhao Qingxiu suddenly lunged forward, and the two arms that were hugging her chest and pinching his nose forcefully hugged Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong was stunned, looked down, and subconsciously raised his hand.

The towel in his hand continued to wipe her little shoulder.

Zhao Qingxiu lay in his arms without stopping him, raised her head, as if to "look" at him.

She reached up with both hands and touched his face.

In the mist-filled environment, Zhao Qingxiu was carefully touching the contours of his face.

She couldn't see, so it was as if she wanted to use her hands to replace her eyes to figure out what he looked like at this moment.

Ouyang Rong took the opportunity to bite her finger.

Zhao Qingxiu didn't get angry and went to touch his teeth.

"Dirty..." Ouyang Rong said.

Zhao Qingxiu shook her head.

Feeling his large hand in the water that was both scrubbing and acting up.

She tilted her head, her wet hair, like black satin, swaying gently:

【Why does Tanlang keep acting up? Do you like Xiuniang's body that much?】

Her little face was flushed, like a half-ripe apple swaying on a branch. Ouyang Rong first took a bite, then said indistinctly:

"Xiuniang doesn't know how cute she is."

【Cute?】

Ouyang Rong said casually: "It means pitiful and unloved."

Zhao Qingxiu was stunned.

Hua Xuanji, Ouyang Rong saw her little face dim a bit, and she slowly lowered her head.

It seemed she had misunderstood his words.

Ouyang Rong quickly explained:

"I'm joking. Cute means endearing, making people unable to help but want to get close."

【But I am so thin and small, not as plump as other women. Don't men like the latter type?】

Ouyang Rong shook his head, his arms in the water hugging her delicate body, and hugged her tightly at this moment.

"I just like you, regardless of those things."

Zhao Qingxiu's little face seemed stunned; she was quiet for a while, then lowered her head:

【I am so afraid that I am a lewd woman who has dragged down the innocent Tanlang, and even more afraid of ruining Tanlang's health; I would be hard-pressed to absolve myself of the blame even in death.】

"What death, what death."

Pfft~

A muffled sound came from the water.

Zhao Qingxiu's little face flushed, her dim, sightless eyes widened, her little mouth opened wide, and a buttock cheek trembled and went numb.

It was Ouyang Rong's hand, which was hugging her waist in the water, subconsciously teaching her a lesson and giving her a slap.

Ouyang Rong wanted to coax her, feeling heartache, but said with a straight face:

"Don't say such depressing things in the future. These are all normal reactions between a man and a woman; there is no such thing as lewdness.

"Men and women, one yin and one yang, the fusion of the two is the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. How can one go against the heavens? Even the Great Sage and First Teacher had a wife and children; if one didn't do such things, where would children come from? Picked up by the riverside?"

Zhao Qingxiu maintained her habitually cute, tilted-head posture.

What Ouyang Rong said sounded very reasonable.

Even if it was sophistry, she knew she couldn't out-argue him.

So she silently reached out to hug him, her little face resting gently on his left shoulder, and after a while, wrote on his back.

【My Tanlang is a scholar, a fallen star of literature, who understands so many principles, unlike Xiuniang, who is a mute, stupid and foolish, who can't even recognize all the characters and only knows how to draw circles.】

Her words could not hide her admiration and love, and as she wrote to the end, her words faintly held a bit of self-abasement.

Ouyang Rong held her little face, which was hiding in his chest, with both hands, stared into her dim eyes, and said:

"You are not stupid. You always think the best of others and have kindness toward all things. You are quiet and gentle, just like water. People cannot live without water, and neither can Tanlang.

"You say you only know how to draw circles and cannot speak, and your written words lack the flowery language of the world, being concise and simple instead. But in my eyes, drawing circles is great wisdom.

"The greatest principles in the world are all within this one circle.

"The most burning emotions in the world are also within this one circle."

As he spoke, Ouyang Rong drew a circle on Zhao Qingxiu's forehead with his index finger.

"Did you feel it?"

Zhao Qingxiu touched her forehead and shook her head foolishly.

Ouyang Rong lowered his head and kissed her clean forehead, where her black hair was draped.

"How about now?"

Zhao Qingxiu's little face turned red instantly, she nodded stammeringly, and was about to raise her hand.

"Don't speak, and don't write, shh..."

Ouyang Rong instructed with a straight face, then opened his arms and hugged her.

The two embraced, silent for a time, the mist flowing quietly before their eyes, unable to see each other's expressions.

Until Ouyang Rong drew another circle.

On her nose.

Ouyang Rong kissed her again.

This time, Zhao Qingxiu felt it.

It was the most burning emotion.

Born in the silence of their embrace, no need for words, no need for eyes.

In the tub, the sightless, mute, delicate girl's breathing quickened.

She raised her hand to draw a circle on his head too, and shyly but actively raised her little face, pressing her pink lips against his.

Ouyang Rong drew a circle on her pink lips with his hand, and then grabbed her finger, drawing a circle on his own slightly stubbled mouth.

Zhao Qingxiu's body trembled, but she didn't hesitate.

Neither did Ouyang Rong.

The woman's burning body surpassed her thousands of words.

In the mist, two silhouettes collided, as if melting into a whole, like a circle.

The water in the tub splashed violently, expanding outward in circle after circle, each one a round shape.

The tub swayed and rocked, rocked and swayed, with water constantly spilling over the edge.

It couldn't contain it.

Zhao Qingxiu didn't know how long she had slept.

When she opened her eyes, Tanlang was simply wearing a long robe, his chest open, focused on tidying up the bathroom.

Zhao Qingxiu's expression was a bit dazed; she had clearly only come to scrub Tanlang's back and give him a little reward, but as a result...

At this moment, she felt so exhausted that she didn't want to lift a finger.

At this moment, the entire bathroom floor was soaking wet, and inside the screen, only a single candle was lit, the light somewhat dim.

"Awake? Do you want to rest a while longer?" Ouyang Rong was bending down to pick up the bodice and underpants that had been thrown over not long ago; the vermilion fabric was wrinkled, and after being soaked, it appeared a blackish-red... he asked with a smile without turning his head.

Zhao Qingxiu rubbed her sleepy eyes, reached down to grope, and felt that there wasn't much water left in the tub, just barely covering her waist... she vaguely remembered that the tub seemed to have almost been overturned halfway through...

Zhao Qingxiu was leaning against the wall of the tub, subconsciously hugging her chest with both hands, her body sinking into the water that still held some warmth, hiding everything below her breasts beneath the water surface...

But before she could react, she felt her body lift into the air.

It turned out Ouyang Rong had walked over, taken a large towel, wrapped Zhao Qingxiu completely, and picked her up by the waist.

"I'll clean up, you go rest. I saw you were sleepy earlier, your eyes were moving slightly even though they were closed; you might have been dreaming, so I didn't want to wake you..."

Hearing Ouyang Rong's gentle voice, Zhao Qingxiu wrote in a daze:

【What time is it?】

"Still early, only two hours have passed. You slept for half an hour, but it's very dark now. I have to go back; I can't stay out overnight tonight... The swordswoman Fang and the others might wake up soon. Strange, why did they go back to their room to sleep right after eating? Aren't they afraid they won't be able to sleep at night..."

Ouyang Rong carried Zhao Qingxiu in a princess carry, covering her tightly with the towel and his Confucian robe to prevent the cold wind from soaking in. He carefully walked out of the bathroom, crossed the dark and quiet courtyard, returned to the main wing room, and placed her on the couch with light steps.

Just as Ouyang Rong was tucking Zhao Qingxiu in.

The latter suddenly reached out, touched Ouyang Rong's forehead, and after a while, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, her expression becoming thoughtful.

"What's wrong?"

Ouyang Rong couldn't help but ask.

Zhao Qingxiu shook her head without speaking.

"I'm really fine, my body is okay." He remembered something and emphasized helplessly.

Zhao Qingxiu smiled faintly and nodded.

Ouyang Rong shrugged.

He walked over to pour a cup of tea for Zhao Qingxiu. On the way, he took the opportunity to look inward:

【Merit: 4,301】

This time, he had consumed over 1,500 merit points...

He let out a long breath in secret and subconsciously reached for his waist, then pulled his hand back.

Although he was already very strong, thanks to the special Daoist lineage of the Fangshu practitioner, which allowed him to control his body muscles, Ouyang Rong was able to be so at ease, splashing a large tub of water all over the bathroom.

Nearly 1,500 breaths, each breath about four or five seconds... that tub had almost been shaken apart.

Ouyang Rong coughed and returned with a cup of cold tea.

Zhao Qingxiu leaned against the couch, took the cup, and sipped the tea, her black hair still wet, draped like a waterfall.

Ouyang Rong sat on the edge of the bed, took a dry towel, and focused on wiping her wet hair; Zhao Qingxiu leaned obediently in his arms.

The two leaned against the head of the bed together, enjoying the warmth, one speaking, one writing, whispering for a while, before Ouyang Rong confirmed again:

"Xiuniang didn't have a nightmare just now, did she?"

Zhao Qingxiu shook her head.

"Then what did you dream about?" Ouyang Rong asked curiously.

【Dreamed of a bad flood dragon】

"Isn't that a nightmare?" Ouyang Rong looked worried: "Isn't that the recurring nightmare you often had before? You were afraid of being eaten by those evil flood dragons."

【Mm, I was afraid, but this time it was different】

"How was it different?" He was puzzled.

【This bad flood dragon, I have already slain it】

Zhao Qingxiu wrote with a serious face.

Ouyang Rong's expression was stunned for a moment, then he reacted.

"Well, I, I'll withdraw first. Don't have that nightmare again; those evil flood dragons aren't easy either. Although it's a nightmare, they accompany you every day, never missing a time, so let them be bad..."

His footsteps as he left were quite hurried, and he disappeared in a moment.

The room was quiet for a while, and Zhao Qingxiu, holding the tea on the couch, burst into a laugh, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

However, remembering something, she urgently "ah-ah-ed" a few times, calling Ouyang Rong back. Zhao Qingxiu wrote a sentence on his chest, and Ouyang Rong suddenly realized, went to take the latest box of osmanthus cakes, and left. This box of osmanthus cakes was handmade by Zhao Qingxiu, and according to the old rules, it was taken back by Ouyang Rong to feed Lady Zhen Shuyuan and the other women...

After a while, Ouyang Rong's movements faded, and the courtyard returned to deathly silence.

Zhao Qingxiu lowered her head and gently stroked her flushed skin, her slender hand stroking from her shoulder all the way down to her lower abdomen.

In the dantian below her lower abdomen, the original Grade 7 spiritual energy was surging violently.

Overnight, it seemed to have been injected with surging spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy had almost condensed into a substantial liquid state, just like the tide after tide produced when a certain evil flood dragon was making trouble in the bathroom not long ago, fiercely impacting the Grade 6 barrier in the dark.

She could break through the realm at any time, but it was forcibly suppressed by Zhao Qingxiu.

Actually, she could have broken through in the tub just now, but she had forcibly endured it.

First, she was afraid of startling Tanlang.

Second, she was Yue Chuzi; breaking through the realm wasn't that simple... she still needed to contact her sect...

However, compared to the inexplicable growth in cultivation and breaking through the realm, what made Zhao Qingxiu even happier and more unexpected was that Tanlang's body was completely unaffected, and even became more sturdy and healthy.

The two of them were like the marriage sign Tanlang had drawn; a natural pair, helping each other with yin and yang, faintly fitting the rare dual cultivation secret method.

Until now, Zhao Qingxiu didn't quite know if their complementary dual cultivation constitution was due to the Tortoise Shell Beetle or some other factor.

The special medicinal soup she had given Tanlang these past two days, besides supplementing his body, was also to verify whether she was absorbing Tanlang's essence and spirit.

Of course, the medicinal soup the Fang sisters drank was another kind, only having the effect of calming the mind, making them sleep easily, and strengthening their bodies... This was also the reason why Zhao Qingxiu was so relieved to go to the bathroom tonight and actively reward him with a scrub, because the Fang sisters really couldn't disturb them, as they were sleeping soundly.

And just now, when Zhao Qingxiu touched Ouyang Rong's forehead, she was checking his state, and she also looked inward at her own.

Zhao Qingxiu found that apart from a little waist soreness that Tanlang hid for the sake of face but was actually nothing serious, there was no loss of essence or spirit.

The two were lingering in affection, mandarin ducks playing in the water, and would not suck away the medicinal effect of the Tortoise Shell Beetle deposited in each other's bodies, but were even promoting each other.

The only small anomaly, or surprise, was Tanlang's vigorous physical strength; despite his slender, thin body like a weak scholar, he had extraordinary endurance and was tireless...

Zhao Qingxiu's little face was slightly dazed, and she thought carefully for a long while.

She shook her head gently.

This could only be explained by Tanlang's frequent physical exercise; after all, under his loose Confucian robes, his arms and abdomen indeed had beautiful, smooth muscle lines, not as weak as he appeared.

It seemed that after the two major illnesses in Dragon City, Tanlang's body had indeed fully recovered, even surpassing ordinary people by two levels...

Not knowing which images she thought of that proved this, the girl lying lazily on the couch suddenly held her face with both hands and buried her face in shyness for a long while.

The night was quiet, and insects chirped in the courtyard outside; Zhao Qingxiu was lost in thought for a long time.

In the short time she had lived in the quiet courtyard in Xunyang City, the benefits she had gained were something she might not have achieved in a year of cultivation in the Yunmeng Marsh.

At some moment, as if she had made a certain decision.

Zhao Qingxiu pursed her lips, reached out to take a sky-blue ribbon, and silently blindfolded herself.

She turned over lightly and got off the bed...

A quarter of an hour later.

In the west wing room, Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan woke up in a daze.

"So sleepy." Fang Shengnan stretched: "Umm, what time is it? Has Brother Ouyang left..."

She had felt sleepy right after eating, and she didn't know why.

"Little Mistress is..."

Fang Juxiu, on the side, looked at Zhao Qingxiu, who was dressed neatly and standing gracefully before her.

She felt the words on her palm again, her expression slightly stunned:

"Little Mistress means, let us contact that side and bring a letter back for you?"

By the bed, Zhao Qingxiu nodded gently.

The Fang sisters looked surprised.

They didn't notice that on her high bun, she was wearing a special ice-white jade hairpin again tonight.

Zhao Qingxiu turned her head, as if "looking" at the night outside the window.

On her blindfolded face, a surprisingly firm look flashed for a moment.

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