Yang Kai's deep voice echoed through the side hall. Tian Long and the other six maids exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if this would actually work. Your disciple must have gone mad...
But contrary to their expectations, the moment Yang Kai finished speaking, a faint sound suddenly came from behind one of the columns. Then a grimy little head poked out from behind it, with only a pair of bright, sparkling eyes visible.
"Master, how did you get here?" Old Third seemed startled, scrambling out from behind the column in a fluster.
Yang Kai swept a cold gaze over her, putting on a dignified expression, but he quickly had to suppress a grunt of his own as his eyes didn't know where to land.
What met his sight was that Old Third had been stripped completely bare, her body marked with patches of white and black that made for quite a striking display. When she'd been wearing those tattered clothes, it hadn't been obvious, but now, completely naked, her full and shapely figure was on full display. The sight of that snow-white skin nearly blinded Yang Kai!
She, however, seemed entirely unaware of the state she was in, walking straight up to Yang Kai and standing before him with an anxious expression.
"Uh..." Yang Kai scratched his chin, tilting his head up to stare at the ceiling as he said awkwardly, "I heard you've been causing trouble again, so I came to check on you."
Old Third said sheepishly, "Master, don't be angry. I was just playing around with them."
"Mm." Yang Kai waved his hand hurriedly. "Since you were just playing around, then go wash up quickly."
"Yes!" Old Third responded with a crisp nod, and her slender body slipped into the enormous bath with a splash, sending water spraying in every direction.
Yang Kai silently breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Old Third still recognized him purely as her master, which certainly saved him a great deal of trouble.
Tian Long and the other maids stood off to the side, their expressions strange and uncertain. They couldn't make sense of this peculiar master-disciple pair. If they were truly master and disciple, how could the disciple stand completely bare before her master? Could there be some unspoken relationship between the two?
That would be a violation of all moral propriety. Just thinking about it made the maids' hearts flutter with unease.
"You all hurry up and wash her. I'll wait outside!" Yang Kai was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear. With that, he turned to flee the scene.
But Tian Long called out anxiously, "Mr. Yang, what if your disciple reverts to that state again after you leave?"
That was exactly what had happened before. When they'd first brought Old Third over from Yang Kai, everything had been fine. But in the blink of an eye, Old Third had lost her mind. It wasn't until Yang Kai arrived that she'd returned to normal.
Tian Long truly feared this happening again. After all, Old Third was a woman, and having her master see her body was one thing. But if she ran off and someone else saw her — how could she ever show her face again?
Yang Kai's brows furrowed slightly as he said helplessly, "Then what do you suggest?"
Tian Long pressed her lips together in a small smile. "Your disciple seems quite afraid of you, Mr. Yang. Why don't you wait here? With you present, your disciple should behave herself."
Yang Kai was silent for a moment. Though he knew this wasn't ideal, he couldn't think of a better solution. He could only nod and tell Tian Long and the others to work quickly.
Turning his back to the bath, Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the ground, clutching two high-grade Source Crystals in his hands as he began circulating his energy in Cultivation.
Behind him, the sound of splashing water soon rose, accompanied by Old Third's giggling laughter, which was enough to set anyone's imagination running wild.
A full half-hour passed before Yang Kai was roused from his meditation by a call of "Master." He opened his eyes to find a stunningly beautiful woman standing before him. Her features were exquisite as a painting, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall, her lips red and teeth pearly white. Her bearing was exceptionally elegant, and perhaps because she had just bathed, her fair complexion held a faint rosy glow that gave off an alluring luster.
A light azure dress fit her form perfectly, accentuating her graceful curves, and a subtle fragrance wafted toward him — exceedingly pleasant.
The woman appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, like a young matron, though her true age was certainly far greater. It was merely that the techniques of Ice Heart Valley were remarkably effective at preserving one's youth.
"Old Third?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrows, genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected that a little freshening up would make Old Third so striking — nothing at all like the grimy figure from before.
"Master!" Old Third bowed respectfully.
"Mm." Yang Kai gave a slight nod, rising to his feet with a sweep of his wide sleeves. "Follow me."
Old Third didn't say a word and obediently trailed behind him.
After what had happened earlier, Yang Kai didn't dare let Old Third stay alone anywhere. He feared her mind might wander into madness again. With him present to keep her grounded, she could at least maintain her clarity of thought.
He brought Old Third back to the pavilion where he was staying and went up to the second floor, telling her to sit and practice her Cultivation. Only then did he retrieve the Purple Void Cauldron and the various medicinal herbs he had gathered previously.
His Emperor Yuan surged to life, and the flames within the Purple Void Cauldron blazed high. With his divine will flowing in a torrent, the Divine Sense Fire poured in alongside it, carefully adjusting the temperature.
Then, Yang Kai began adding the medicinal herbs one by one in precise order, refining them into medicinal liquid.
Old Third sat off to the side, watching in a daze, brimming with questions but not daring to speak and disturb him.
A full hour passed before Yang Kai suddenly formed rapid hand seals, thrusting one after another into the Purple Void Cauldron.
Moments later, he slapped the cauldron. The lid flew off as several pills shot out in a whirling spin, and Yang Kai caught them directly in a jade bottle he had prepared in advance.
He examined the quality of the pills that had been produced, and his brow furrowed slightly.
This batch had yielded only five pills. Forget producing pill veining — even the overall quality was mediocre.