Chapter 1348: Autumn-Style Tenderness

"Do men like gentle women?"

"Hearing this, Qiu Baiyi was somewhat confused; she had never been exposed to matters between men and women since childhood, let alone liking anyone."

"Since Qiu Baiyi could remember, her life had been nothing but Xiūliàn, battle, battle, Xiūliàn."

"Constantly vying with the Blood King Palace and the Soaring Heaven Pavilion for hegemony over the Heavenly Martial Realm."

"Later becoming Valley Master, the pressure on her grew heavier, the burden greater, and she had even less mind to concern herself with these matters."

"So upon hearing Qingyan's words, Qiu Baiyi had a feeling of sort-of understanding but not really."

"Seeing Qiu Baiyi not even understand such a simple meaning, Qingyan felt somewhat helpless; truly, she was an emotional novice, pure as could be."

"\"Valley Master, men all like that feeling of a little bird clinging to a person, liking you to stick to them and take care of them. \""

"\"Hmm, then what should I do? \""

"Qiu Baiyi nodded and said."

"\"This... for example, when the other person is tired, Valley Master could give them a massage to relax, and so on. \""

"\"Massage? \""

"Hearing this, Qiu Baiyi's eyes lit up at once; what a great idea."

"After Changqing finishes cooking, he'll surely be tired; if I could help him relax with a massage then, he would surely feel my tenderness."

"Feeling it feasible, even her gaze toward Qingyan became much gentler."

"\"Hmm, your idea is not bad; keep working hard. \""

"\"Yes, Valley Master. \""

"In Qingyan's view, Qiu Baiyi personally giving someone a massage is something no man would refuse; imagine, a woman as beautiful as a fairy, with status, position, and strength, yet able to lower herself to give a man a relaxing massage—how could one not be moved?"

"All afternoon, Qiu Baiyi kept thinking about giving a massage to relax."

"She waited until evening mealtime, then Qiu Baiyi eagerly brought Qingyan and rushed to the canteen."

"When the two arrived at the canteen, Ye Zhangqing was still stir-frying; seeing Qiu Baiyi, he frowned, wondering why this woman had come so early."

"It's still more than half a Shíchén until mealtime; what mischief is she up to again?"

"Ye Zhangqing's intuition told him something was wrong; moreover, this woman's gaze was off—why does she keep staring at his back?"

"Besides, what's with blushing over staring at a back?"

"Qiu Baiyi kept sizing up Ye Zhangqing's back and waist, thinking, after Changqing finishes cooking and lies down, I will gently massage her—what a romantic scene that would be."

"Thinking about it, an involuntary shyness welled up in her heart, and her face flushed uncontrollably."

"This left Ye Zhangqing beside her completely bewildered—what is this woman up to?"

"The entire stir-frying process was completed under Qiu Baiyi's gaze."

"Ye Zhangqing only felt like a prickle on his back, as if a gaze constantly stared at him from behind—anyone would feel uneasy."

"Moreover, that gaze was so fiery; Ye Zhangqing couldn't help but notice it, try as he might to ignore it."

"After painstakingly finishing the evening dishes, he dumped the remaining work on Li Tie Niu, Li Tie Dan, and that spirit chef, then Ye Zhangqing planned to slip away directly."

"There's a problem; this woman definitely has a big issue—better to slip away first."

"But before Ye Zhangqing could leave, Qiu Baiyi stepped forward first and blocked his path."

"With a flushed face, she lowered her head and spoke hesitantly."

"\"Chang... Changqing, are you tired? \""

"\"Huh??? \""

"Looking at Qiu Baiyi like this, Ye Zhangqing's bad premonition grew stronger; previously, this woman sending things here and there had never made her so shy—what is she up to today?"

"\"Um... not tired; if Valley Master has nothing else, I'll head back first. \""

"Regardless of what she wants, Ye Zhangqing said in one sentence, 'Better to slip away first.'"

"No matter your tricks, I won't fall for them—see how you deal with it."

"But just as he tried to sidestep past Qiu Baiyi, he found his clothes grabbed by this woman."

"\"Valley Master, what are you... \""

"Frowning, Ye Zhangqing felt a bit numb."

"\"I... I... I'll give you a massage. \""

"Still keeping her head down, Qiu Baiyi stammered."

"\"What? \""

"Hearing that, Ye Zhangqing went numb—what did this woman say? Help me with a massage?"

"Facing Ye Zhangqing's gaze, Qiu Baiyi gathered courage and repeated."

"\"You're tired from stir-frying; let me give you a massage to relax. \""

"\"This... no thanks needed; thank you, Valley Master, for your kindness, but I'm not tired. \""

"Ye Zhangqing refused without thinking; hearing that, the originally shy, head-down Qiu Baiyi suddenly lifted her head, her eyes firm as she shouted, startling Ye Zhangqing."

"\"No, I'm going to give you a massage. \""

"I.................."

"Not giving Ye Zhangqing any chance to refuse, Qiu Baiyi forcibly dragged him to the rear courtyard."

"Qiu Baiyi's arrangements made the canteen quite spacious; the front yard is the kitchen and dining area, while the rear courtyard sees hardly anyone and can be used for rest."

"But Ye Zhangqing had never rested there; after finishing cooking, he'd just rush off and never linger."

"This was also the first time coming to the rear courtyard; watching Qiu Baiyi lead Ye Zhangqing away, Qingyan secretly gave a thumbs-up."

"Although the whole process was rather inexperienced, it ultimately succeeded, making a good start."

"Next, with a man and woman alone in a room, given Qiu Baiyi's looks, capturing Ye Zhangqing should be no problem."

"\"Boss won't really be taken down, will he? \""

Not only Qingyan thought that way; even Li Tie Niu and the other two felt the same.

Putting themselves in her place, if a woman like Qiu Baiyi actively pursued them, could they resist?

At that point, they wouldn't even need the other person to expend any effort; a mere hook of a finger would be impossible to fend off.

Inside the rear courtyard room, Ye Zhangqing had already been forcibly pressed down onto the bed by Qiu Baiyi.

"What are you trying to do?"

He looked at Qiu Baiyi with a complex expression, while Qiu Baiyi's face flushed red again.

"Give… give you a massage, turn over."

"Can I skip the massage? I'm really not tired."

"No."

Today this massage is unavoidable; seeing Qiu Baiyi's firm attitude, there is no room for negotiation, so Ye Zhangqing had to compromise.

Mainly because I can't beat her, let's finish the massage quickly and slip away, don't give this woman another chance to pull any tricks.

Watching Ye Zhangqing obediently turn over and lie down, Qiu Baiyi knelt on the bed.

Even though it was her first time being this close to a man, despite being an Emperor Sovereign Realm expert, her heart uncontrollably pounded thump‑thump.

A sensation she had never felt before swept through her whole body.

"Are you coming or not?"

Only when Ye Zhangqing spoke up to remind her did she come to her senses, and she said shyly.

"Sorry, this is my first time."

"How about we just skip the massage?"

"No, I'm starting now."

"Alright, hurry up."

Ye Zhangqing only wanted to end it quickly; the next second, he felt a pair of soft, delicate hands pressing on his waist through his clothes.

Just as Ye Zhangqing closed his eyes, intending to endure and get past it, the next second he felt a sudden surge of great force coming from those originally soft hands.

Then, faintly, there sounded a crack, and intense pain instantly swept from Ye Zhangqing's waist throughout his body.