Chapter 64: Conceded

However, his gaze was remarkably clear, devoid of the slightest trace of lewdness.

Approaching the table, Chu Xing cupped his fists and said, "This must be Senior Sister Luo. I am Chu Xing."

Hearing this, Luo Shuli giggled musically. "I haven't even introduced myself yet, and you've already recognized me?"

Chu Xing smiled. "Miss Luo is innocent and carefree, while Senior Sister... you are full of enchanting charm. With such distinct temperaments, it was naturally obvious at a glance."

"Smooth-tongued." Luo Shuli gave him a sideways glance, a charm that caused Chu Xing's heart to skip a beat. She plucked a fully bloomed peach blossom from the tree, then walked over and sat down in front of Chu Xing.

"Junior Brother Chu, you've come a long way, and I don't have much here to entertain you."

She placed the peach blossom on the stone table, pushed it toward Chu Xing with her slender, jade-like finger, and her gaze grew somewhat hazy. "What do you think of this flower of mine?"

With his mind preoccupied with the northern district mines, Chu Xing raised his eyelids and gave Luo Shuli a meaningful look. "The petals are tender, the color is pink and lustrous, and the spiritual energy is restrained. It is the absolute pinnacle among mortal items."

Luo Shuli was stunned, staring at Chu Xing in utter astonishment. "You can perceive spiritual energy within it?"

"I know a thing or two. Back at the Hundred Herb Ravine behind the Profound Star Pavilion's back mountain, I've seen quite a few petals like this."

Inwardly, however, he thought of those spiritual herbs that had been treated as garbage and thrown away; by relying on them, he had reaped quite a few benefits.

"Hundred Herb Ravine?" Luo Shuli blinked curiously. Just from the name alone, it sounded like a place overflowing with spiritual herbs.

Although Chu Xing's cultivation was only at the Body Refining realm, the fact that he could cross realms to defeat Lu Mingchuan suggested he must have access to some unique cultivation grounds of his own.

Chu Xing explained with a straight face, "Oh, it's just the place where our sect dumps discarded medicinal dregs. I used to work there as a odd-job disciple, earning three contribution points a day."

"The place where discarded medicinal dregs are dumped?! Three contribution points?"

Luo Shuli's expression twisted into something bizarre in an instant. A stomach full of seductive words she had prepared was instantly blocked, choking her so she couldn't utter a single syllable for quite some time.

Taking a deep breath, she forcefully composed her emotions and dragged the conversation back on track.

"Then what do you think? How does this flower compare to me?" Luo Shuli looked at Chu Xing, her breath as fragrant as orchids.

For no apparent reason, Chu Xing suddenly felt his breathing grow much more rapid, and he blurted out, "The flower is lovely, but the person is even more captivating."

"Giggle..." Luo Shuli laughed until her branches swayed and her chest trembled violently.

Chu Xing's eyes were glued to those voluminous breasts, and his Adam's apple moved involuntarily.

Luo Shuli seemed quite satisfied with his reaction and stood up once more. "Wait here a moment. I'll fetch some Primordial Heavenly Water to make it bloom even more brightly for you."

"Alright."

Chu Xing frowned slightly. He vaguely felt that something was amiss with Luo Shuli. Wasn't he supposed to be asking about the northern district mines? Why had the conversation turned to flowers?

Walking over to the doorway of the side chamber, Luo Shuli seemed to be reaching for a jade bottle hanging above the door lintel. She stood on tiptoe and stretched out her arms, and the silk dress that already clung tightly to her body outlined the breathtaking curves of her rounded, perky buttocks and slender waist.

The frequency of Chu Xing's heartbeat accelerated significantly, and his throat felt somewhat parched.

For a long time, Luo Shuli maintained this alluring posture. Suddenly, a soft cry escaped her lips.

"Ah!"

Her footing slipped, and she instantly lost her balance. Screaming, she tumbled toward Chu Xing, and the jade bottle in her hand slipped through her fingers and flew away!

Without time to overthink, Chu Xing hurried forward a step, extended his arms, and caught her steadily in his embrace, while his other hand nimbly scooped up the plummeting jade bottle just as it was about to hit the ground.

An astonishing softness and elasticity instantly filled the crook of Chu Xing's arm, and his nasal passages were flooded with her intoxicating natural fragrance.

"You... you scared me to death!"

Luo Shuli committed fully to the act, her acting skills quite commendable as she grabbed onto Chu Xing's clothes and buried her entire body in his embrace.

"I almost dropped the Primordial Heavenly Water..."

Chu Xing patted her fragrant shoulder. "It's fine. I caught the bottle."

"I... it must be because I was standing for too long just now; my legs went numb..."

Pushing her advantage, Luo Shuli struggled as if trying to stand up while speaking, but her body felt as boneless as if it had no structure at all, causing the two of them to press even closer together instead.

"Is Senior Sister unable to stand properly?" Chu Xing felt that holding her like this was inappropriate and intended to help her straighten up.

Yet Luo Shuli suddenly let out a soft groan of pain, her entire body sliding downward by a half.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Chu Xing asked in confusion.

"Just now... just now when I caught the bottle, I think I was scratched by some sharp fragments of the rim..."

Failing with one scheme, Luo Shuli resorted to another, lifting her fair little hand to reveal a faint reddish mark across the back of her hand, just as expected.

Helpless, Chu Xing could only half-carry and half-support her over to a stone stool to sit down, then squatted before her, supporting her injured jade hand with one palm.

The touch was warm, smooth, and supple.

"Don't move around!"

Chu Xing cautioned, then circulated a faint trace of spiritual force, enveloping the red mark on the back of her hand and gently kneading it.

Luo Shuli couldn't help but shudder slightly, silently lamenting that she had truly taken a massive loss today! For all these years, her pure and untainted body had never been touched by a man, yet today, just to vet things for her younger sister, she had been hugged and stroked alike. And yet, she couldn't even throw a tantrum about it.

Although she felt aggrieved inside, her body was experiencing an entirely different sensation.

That large hand slowly massaged the back of her hand with a serious demeanor and gentle movements, while the warm spiritual force chased away the chill and sent wave after wave of tingling numbness coursing through her.

As Chu Xing worked, waves of bizarre sensations welled up endlessly within Luo Shuli's body, plunging her mind into turmoil and causing her maiden heart to pound wildly.

"Chu Xing..." An unfamiliar, breathless tone escaped Luo Shuli's lips, and at that moment, she felt utterly ashamed and mortified.

"Hmm?" Chu Xing looked up to find Luo Shuli staring at him with a pair of moisture-filled, beautiful eyes. Her face had lost all other color, leaving only a flushed, burning red.

"Don't you... want to make... some other demands of me?" Luo Shuli bit her ruby-red lips tightly, launching her final counterattack!

She simply refused to believe that he could remain completely indifferent when facing a beauty who threw herself into his arms and was at his mercy!

Chu Xing stared straight at Luo Shuli, appearing somewhat tempted, causing the latter's maiden heart to leap right up to her throat.

Suddenly, however, Chu Xing smiled faintly and gently lowered her hand.

"Senior Sister Luo," Chu Xing mused.

"Hmm?" Luo Shuli answered nervously.

"The injury on your hand looks like it was caused by shattered fragments, but in reality, it's just a wisp of vital energy you forced out with your own cultivation technique, isn't it?"

The seductive smile on Luo Shuli's face froze instantly.

"What do you mean?"

"The fall you just took was altogether too precise. Given Senior Sister's level of cultivation, going to such painstaking lengths to test me—offering flowers and throwing yourself into my arms—your acting is frankly rather crude."

"If you want to test me next time, it's better to be direct, lest you end up actually hurting yourself."