"Junior Brother Yang, you rest here. I'll go help Master wrap up the Assembly's remaining affairs, then come back to speak with you." Qing Kui led Yang Kai to a guest hall atop one of the spirit peaks and patted him on the shoulder. Compared to before, his attitude was undoubtedly much warmer.
After all, Yang Kai had claimed the top spot in the Dao Discussion Assembly. By all accounts, that made him the son-in-law of Yin-Yang Heaven. The title was already set, and with that connection established, it was hardly surprising that Qing Kui's demeanor would shift.
Though Qing Kui hadn't expected this outcome either in the beginning, since this was what Qu Huashang wanted, he was happy for her.
"Senior Brother, please, go ahead!" Yang Kai clasped his fists briefly.
Qing Kui winked at him. "Whatever you do, don't cause any trouble!"
"What?" Yang Kai blinked in confusion.
But Qing Kui had already turned and left.
Watching Qing Kui's figure disappear from view, Yang Kai shook his head and turned toward his own quarters.
On either side, maidservants bowed gracefully, calling out in sweet voices, "Greetings to the Young Master." These Yin-Yang Heaven maidservants all possessed Emperor Realm cultivation, and every one of them had outstanding figures and stunning beauty—their slender waists and full figures were quite the sight.
Yang Kai gave a perfunctory murmur of acknowledgment and was about to head inside when his gaze fell on one of the maids, and he let out an amused laugh. "Senior Sister Qu, what are you playing at over here?"
The maid had her head lowered, a cascade of lustrous hair concealing her face. Though she had put considerable effort into the disguise, how could it possibly escape Yang Kai's perception?
Having been found out, Qu Huashang raised her eyes, parted her lips, and smiled at him. "You caught me."
With that, she walked out openly, reached over, and looped her arm through Yang Kai's, pressing her ample chest against his arm without the slightest embarrassment. "You've worked hard on this trip, Junior Brother."
Yang Kai smiled. "It was nothing."
There really hadn't been much hardship. With his current strength, as long as he wasn't besieged by the Sin League's Sixth-Order cultivators on the Sin Star, there was virtually no real danger.
Qu Huashang turned to the other maids and ordered, "The Young Master has been exhausted for an entire year. Prepare a fragrant bath!"
"Yes!" the surrounding maidservants responded quickly.
A short while later, a massive bathing pool was filled with warm water. Flower petals of every color floated on the surface, rippling gently as fragrant steam rose into the air.
Yang Kai leaned back against the edge of the pool, submerging his body in the water. The bath must have been prepared with all manner of rare medicinal herbs—it had the effect of soothing fatigue and relaxing the mind. After a year of toil on the Sin Star, even though there hadn't been much danger, he had indeed grown somewhat tired, and now the tension was melting away.
He was never one to indulge in luxury, but since this was Qu Huashang's arrangement, he simply went along with it.
A patter of light footsteps reached his ears.
Yang Kai turned to look. Through the hazy mist, several slender silhouettes were slowly making their way toward him.
He waved his hand. "All of you, leave. There's no need for your service!"
But the maids paid him no heed and continued approaching. When they drew close enough, Yang Kai realized that each of them wore only a single gossamer-thin robe, barely concealing the lovely figures beneath. The rising steam lent a dreamlike quality to what lay under the translucent fabric. They kept their heads lowered, cheeks faintly pink, and slipped lightly into the water. Whether he approved or not, they settled on either side of him and began carefully washing his body.
Yang Kai found himself in an awkward predicament.
A delicate, coquettish laugh drifted over: "Is Junior Brother feeling shy?"
The voice came from behind. Yang Kai tilted his head back against the pool's edge and looked up to find Qu Huashang squatting before him, gazing down with a teasing smile. Through her skirt, glimpses of the lovely scenery beneath flickered in and out of sight.
Yang Kai wordlessly averted his gaze. "Senior Sister, what exactly are you doing?"
Qu Huashang slipped her hand into the water, gliding it gently across Yang Kai's firm chest as she said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Before, I heard Junior Brother lecturing so grandly about the ways of yin-yang union, and I thought you must be some old hand in the garden of romance. Turns out you're all talk."
"Senior Sister, be careful playing with fire—you might get burned. When the fire in Junior Brother flares up, ordinary people can't handle it." Yang Kai closed his eyes slightly, suddenly understanding why Qing Kui had warned him not to cause trouble before leaving.
Qu Huashang let out another silvery laugh. "Go ahead and burn. These girls can help put out the fire, if you're willing."
The maidservants on either side of Yang Kai, still washing his body, flushed an even deeper shade of crimson, their flirtatious gazes soft as silk.
Qu Huashang leaned down slightly, her warm breath caressing his ear like an orchid's fragrance. "Junior Brother, can you really hold out? After this, I'll be locked away for a hundred years in isolation. If you want, you can have every woman here—including me."
Yang Kai caught the small hand tracing patterns across his chest. "Senior Sister, enough."
Qu Huashang pouted. "How boring."
Yang Kai released her hand and asked with genuine concern, "Senior Sister, are you truly going to be locked away for a hundred years?"