Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

Chapter 281 - 171: The Centenarian Matron and the Young Disciple (Part 2)

The Third Elder, lost in his inner conflict, completely failed to notice the unusual sparkle in Fairy Wangshu’s clear blue eyes.

The young girl paid no attention to what the Third Elder was saying, she was merely thinking to herself:

If her junior brother could interact with her junior sister in such a way, and he could bathe with his master like this, then why wouldn’t he draw closer to her?

...

"Master, You Su apologizes for his offense."

The Lotus Pool was not a hot spring, and in the crisp autumn weather, the pool water felt somewhat cool.

You Su stood completely naked, revealing his strong and agile physique. At this moment, he was tentatively dipping his foot into the pool, covering the chill below his abdomen with both hands.

Initially, he wanted to leave on a pair of undergarments, but was left awkwardly complying when his master simply said, "Take them all off."

The water of the Lotus Pool was extremely precious; if bathed in with clothes on, any impurities would affect the pool’s mystical properties, so even the Lotus Sword Venerable, near purity, could only bathe naked.

You Su’s vision had nearly returned to its prior clarity; he couldn’t discern if the mist in his eyes was actually covering them or if it was the mist enveloping the pool. All he knew was that behind this mist sat someone he dared not look at directly.

He forced himself to resist thinking back to the brief glimpse he had in the pool last time. However, the more he tried, the clearer that sacred, pristine silhouette became.

You Su lightly bit the tip of his tongue, half his leg already submerged in the water. The cold touch did not calm him; instead, it made him feel even more heated.

This was different from the last time he awoke in the pool. This time, he was voluntarily entering this spiritual pool filled with his master’s presence.

He couldn’t help but feel a bit ashamed and worried about sullying the pristine pool water, which caused him to hesitate entering further.

"What’s wrong? Is it... too cold?"

He Shutong softly asked upon seeing You Su’s hesitant movements.

Having grown accustomed to soaking in the pool, she felt none of the cold. It reminded her of her previously frozen emotions; she didn’t notice the difference herself, but feared others might find it unbearable.

You Su felt his master’s concern like a spring breeze melting snow, and he resolutely immersed himself in the water, finding the coldness gradually dissipating.

Though faint, the keen-sensed You Su clearly smelled the lotus-like fragrance on his master.

Under his master’s invitation, You Su felt an illusion, as if he were stepping not into a pool but truly into the heart lake of this noble female immortal.

"It’s not cold at all; I just feared tainting this spiritual pool. After we’re done, I’ll be sure to go to the Jade Ring Pool and bring back water to replace it for you."

"You’re not allowed to go anywhere."

Almost as soon as You Su finished speaking, He Shutong’s commanding voice followed closely. Her jade hand at the bottom of the pool clenched tightly, her brows furrowed into the image of a stern teacher.

Momentarily surprised by her words, You Su quickly and earnestly nodded: "Alright."

He Shutong’s tone softened slightly, saying, "You brought me the Lotus Heart. Even if you were covered in dust, I wouldn’t have the right to drive you away. Besides, you’ve been under Venerable Chengtao’s protection all the way and haven’t encountered any dirt, so don’t worry about it."

"Thank you, master," You Su instinctively replied.

"It’s me who should be thanking you." He Shutong sighed softly, then said, "Though there are many questions I want to ask, let’s discuss it after the transfer is complete."

Chatting with his master cleared You Su’s mind of distractions, and he sincerely said:

"What should I do?"

"Relax and feel the Profound Qi in this pool water. Imagine yourself as a droplet of water, and leave everything else to me."

You Su nodded, feeling an unprecedented sense of security within his master’s words. Who could have thought that the isolated blind boy from Chuyun City would one day have such a protector?

Realizing this, You Su’s mind was freed from unwanted thoughts, leaving only the noble intention to save his master.

He relaxed his mind, attuning to the water’s flow around him as if the water were lively beings seeping into his pores—in reality, the substantial Profound Qi within the water was being drawn into his body.

The Lotus Immortal Seed in his forehead glowed brightly, and faintly he sensed the Lotus Heart under his abdomen start to release, these gentle strands of Profound Qi weaving like nets to gradually draw up the Lotus Heart.

Just when You Su thought everything was proceeding smoothly, a change occurred: the Lotus Heart suddenly got stuck at the entrance of the spiritual platform, refusing to move further.

He Shutong gently furrowed her beautiful brows in Qi control, peering through the mist to look at You Su’s submerged lower abdomen—and inevitably seeing things she shouldn’t see.

Even though it wasn’t the first time He Shutong saw it, she still marveled at his magnificent stature, having to admit that You Su was naturally suited for sword training.

She coerced herself, reasoning that being over two hundred years his senior, she was merely viewing an infant, and focused her mind to sense the Lotus Heart’s condition.

"Stay still, let me get closer."

Distanced a bit too far, He Shutong’s Profound Qi lacked the strength to break the Lotus Heart’s attachment to You Su’s body—it had been embedded there for days.

You Su complied with a soft hum, feeling the ripples brushing past his chest, his breath involuntarily quickening.

He resorted to discreetly stimulating his palms with his fingertips, continuously reminding himself that she was his master to distract himself.

There were only three meters between He Shutong and You Su. This distance rendered the mist’s concealing effect nearly negligible, allowing her to clearly see the young man’s face.

"Don’t be nervous, the process of extracting the Lotus Heart will be painless." He Shutong reassured him.

You Su was astonished at how close his master’s voice sounded, as if she were right in front of him. Embarrassed, he nodded, "I’ll try." But inwardly, he grew more anxious.

He Shutong continued controlling the Qi to extract the heart, yet it seemed to slip back slightly, prompting her to remind:

"Relax a little, this will accelerate the dissolution of the Lotus Heart."

You Su gritted his teeth secretly, knowing the rationale, but his mind kept conjuring imaginary scenes of the Lotus Pool, preventing peace.

He loathed himself for letting lustful thoughts resurface, especially towards his master. Overwhelmed by self-blame, his body stiffened, even the threads of Profound Qi infiltrating his body were forcibly obstructed.

He Shutong realized it all; she underestimated her allure and overlooked that You Su was just a normal adult male.

Not wanting to force him, she quietly retreated, reestablishing distance between them.

"Let’s try again from farther away."

You Su felt more ashamed, knowing if transferring the Lotus Heart failed due to his lack of self-restraint, he’d forever live with remorse.

He knew his current state well, with the invigorated yang energy from practicing the Joyful Union Skill impossible to calm easily now. Distance from his master was useless unless he squandered more precious time.

Determined not to allow it, he steeled himself, transforming his hands into sword edges, about to carve into his own abdomen, intending to forcefully extract the Lotus Heart!

He Shutong instantly sensed You Su’s intentions, urgently shouting out:

"Don’t!"

With her voice, an invisible sword armor formed over You Su’s abdomen, stopping his hand blade.

You Su realized it was his master who halted him, ashamedly turning to say: "Master, I must give you the Lotus Heart!"

Speaking, he once again prepared to strike down with his hands.

He Shutong, filled with worry, couldn’t believe You Su would go to such lengths to successfully extract the Lotus Heart. Disemboweling was trivial, but forcibly removing it from the spiritual platform would significantly harm it.

Fortunately, how could the Void Realm Venerable’s Profound Qi armor be shattered by You Su’s hands? Intercepted again, he felt even more guilty.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of gentle water splashes; it was He Shutong, translucent as ice, transforming into a frosty sword, gliding toward You Su.

You Su felt at a loss, before feeling his entire body restrained and unable to move, a pair of fair, slender jade hands covering his abdomen, making him tense all over.

Through his blurred vision, he could vaguely see his master’s peerless beauty.

Close as they were, even with the cool water between them, You Su could feel the warmth of his master’s body.

He knew long ago when embraced by his master in Chuyun City that, though she was unmatched in coolness, her body was warm and tender.

"Close your eyes. I am much older than you; in my eyes, you are like a child, so you should view me as nothing more than an old crone. Whatever I do, don’t dwell on it..."