Senior sister, come quickly into the basin.

Su Yingxue's voice was very soft, as soft as if it were melting in water.

Her lips were still pressed against the corner of Li Tianran's mouth, her warm breath spraying onto his skin.

Her fingers rested on his waist, her nails lightly tracing a faint white mark.

Li Tianran did not move.

He just looked at her.

Su Yingxue's face turned as red as if it were about to bleed, but she did not back down.

She leaned in again and kissed his chin, his Adam's apple, and his collarbone.

Her lips were soft and hot, with the coolness of water and the warmth of her body.

The water reached her chest; her bodice was soaked through and clung to her body, almost transparent.

She moved forward, pressing her whole body against him, her soft chest pressing against his body. Through the thin fabric, they could feel each other's body temperature.

"Master..." Su Yingxue's voice was hoarse and trembling slightly.

"I'll do anything you ask."

Li Tianran looked down at her.

He raised his hand, neither pushing her away nor hugging her.

He simply pinched her chin, lifted her face, and made her look into his eyes.

"Senior sister, do you know what you're doing?"

Su Yingxue's lips moved slightly.

"……Know."

Do you know the consequences?

"……Know."

Li Tianran released his grip, a slight smile playing on his lips.

It wasn't a laugh, but the composure of a hunter watching his prey walk into the trap.

"So you know that even if you give me your body, I won't let you go?"

Su Yingxue's face paled for a moment.

But she bit her lip and nodded.

"I know."

"Then what are you after?"

Su Yingxue fell silent.

Her fingers tightened around his waist, her nails digging into his skin.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice so low it was like a mosquito's buzz.

"I don't want to die, and I don't want to stay in this pot forever. Give me a little hope, and I can live."

She presented herself to him like a commodity waiting to be sold.

Li Tianran reached out and gently stroked her face.

Her skin was smooth and hot; water droplets dripped from the ends of her hair, down her cheeks to her chin, and onto the back of his hand.

"Senior sister, when you used to step on me, did you ever think this day would come?"

Su Yingxue's tears finally fell.

"……No."

"And now?"

"...I admit it."

Li Tianran did not speak again.

His hand slid down her face, across her neck, across her collarbone, and stopped at the edge of her bodice.

His fingertips hooked the strap of the bodice, and he pulled it gently.

The straps came undone, and the bodice slipped down.

A moon-white undergarment floats on the water, like a withered flower.

Su Yingxue's body stiffened abruptly.

She didn't cover herself, she just closed her eyes.

This time, Li Tianran did not stop.

His hand covered hers, his palm pressed against her skin, the cool water and her burning body intertwining.

Su Yingxue's breath hitched, her lips parted, but no sound came out.

Her fingers gripped his shirt tightly, her nails digging into his chest.

Li Tianran lowered his head and kissed her lips.

It wasn't the kind of tentative, ingratiating kiss she'd given before; it was a real, aggressive kiss.

He held the back of her head with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

The water surged around the two of them, supporting their bodies like a soft waterbed.

Su Yingxue was so breathless from the kiss that her mind went blank, and she could only respond passively.

Li Tianran released her lips and traced his fingers down her chin, neck, and collarbone.

Water droplets dripped from his hair and landed on her skin; it was hard to tell if they were water or sweat.

Su Yingxue gripped his hair, her nails digging into his scalp, and she let out suppressed gasps.

"Master...Master..."

She called him by his name, no, by his title.

His voice was hoarse and trembling.

She didn't know whether she was begging for mercy or demanding something; all she knew was that her body was no longer her own.

The water surged up and submerged the two of them.

Su Yingxue's body was as soft as water as she leaned against him, letting him do as he pleased.

She had never done that before.

I have never been treated like this before.

She is the senior disciple, a high and mighty cultivator, a powerful figure who stands above others.

But now, she was like a tamed cat, curled up in his arms, trembling all over.

It wasn't the cold, it was fear, it was shame, and there was also a strange kind of pleasure.

Li Tianran pressed her against the side of the basin, the water surging behind her, splashing up large sprays of water.

Su Yingxue's back was pressed against the cool copper wall, while his body was burning hot in front of her, a stark contrast of ice and fire.

She bit her lip, trying not to cry out.

"Call."

Li Tianran's voice was low, close to her ear, and also very impulsive.

Su Yingxue has completely abandoned her dignity.

She opened her mouth, and the sound squeezed out from her throat, hoarse, trembling, and suppressed.

She didn't know what she was saying; she only knew that something inside her was collapsing, like a dam being breached by a flood, and it was out of control.

The water surged around them, as if it were alive, pushing their bodies, enveloping them, and seeping into every crevice.

Su Yingxue felt as if she were enveloped by water, enveloped by him, unable to distinguish where the water was and where he was.

She gave up thinking, gave up struggling, gave up the last bit of resistance.

She reached out and hugged his neck tightly, buried her face in his shoulder, and cried out his name.

"Master...Master..."

Li Tianran remained silent.

His hands gripped her waist so tightly she felt like she was going to be crushed.

But instead of pushing him away, she hugged him even tighter.

The water surged up and submerged the two of them.

Su Yingxue opened her eyes underwater and saw his face.

White hair floated in the water, black horns gleamed with a dark red light, and reddish-brown eyes held no emotion.

But his hands were warm, his body was warm, and he held her very tightly.

She kissed him in the water.

Kiss his lips, kiss his chin, kiss his Adam's apple.

Water poured into her mouth, but she didn't care.

After a long time, the water receded.

The two surfaced, panting heavily.

Su Yingxue collapsed in his arms, completely powerless, unable to even lift a finger.

Her face was as red as a boiled shrimp, and her body was covered with marks he had left behind.

Li Tianran looked down at her.

Her eyes were unfocused, her lips were swollen and red, and her chest was heaving violently.

She looked like she had been crumpled up and then pieced back together.

"You bitch."

He called her.

Su Yingxue's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly focused her gaze on his face.

"You look much better now than when you used to step on me."

Su Yingxue simply buried her head in his chest and closed her eyes.

After a long while, she spoke.

"Master, there's one more thing I haven't said."

"explain."

"In Master's cave dwelling, there is a secret chamber. Inside is the complete Blood Puppet Technique manual."

Li Tianran opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Oh?"

"I peeked at her once when she went to inspect the spirit field. I sneaked into her cave and peeked out from the outside of the secret room."

Inside was a jade slip with the words "Blood Puppet Technique" written on it. The secret chamber was protected by a restriction, so I couldn't enter, but I memorized its location.

Li Tianran's eyes lit up.

"Where is the secret room?"