Chapter 57: What Do You Mean?

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: What Do You Mean?

"Sister Shuang." Lu Yuan took the cloth and wiped his face. In truth, he hadn’t sweated much at all.

"You’re amazing, Brother Yuan. I can’t believe you lasted so long against my father," Wei Yunshuang praised, her beautiful eyes shimmering like water.

"Ah, Uncle Huisheng was just going easy on me," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head.

"Your strength is definitely worth acknowledging, kid," Wei Huisheng replied. Though Lu Yuan wasn’t a match for him, the boy had reached at least eighty percent of his power. "Brother Huidong, do you want to give him a try?"

"No need. You two have been at it long enough," Wei Huidong said, waving his hand dismissively. There was no need for further sparring; he had already seen the depths of Lu Yuan’s foundation. Besides, this was his own nephew, not a pack mule.

"Yes, let Lu Yuan rest," Wei Changgong spoke up. "Let the younger generation chat among themselves." With that, he turned and went back inside the house. Young people preferred to hang out with other young people. The elders needed to learn when to retreat and give them their space.

Wei Huidong and Wei Huisheng exchanged a glance before taking their leave. They actually had a lot more questions for Lu Yuan, but since the old man had spoken, they could only obey. There would be plenty of time for that later.

"Brother Yuan, you’re so incredible!" Wei Yunying looked up at him, her little face flushed with pure admiration.

"Brother Yuan, spar with me for a bit!" Wei Yunchan cracked her knuckles, eager to try. She had been practicing martial arts for years but rarely had the opportunity to spar, let alone with someone of the opposite sex. Every time Lu Yuan visited, she would drag him into a practice session.

"Let him rest for a while," Wei Yunshuang said, unable to stop herself from glaring at her younger sister. She thought her sister was being completely insensitive and tactless.

"I’m fine. Sparring with Yunchan isn’t tiring at all," Lu Yuan said with a shake of his head, returning the cloth to Wei Yunshuang.

"What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me?" Wei Yunchan was instantly fired up.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Do you really not know the gap in strength between us?"

"You’re not allowed to use True Gang!" Wei Yunchan immediately set her terms.

"Alright," Lu Yuan nodded.

Half an hour later, their sparring session ended.

Lu Yuan returned to his room and soaked in the bath barrel. The hot water helped soothe his fatigue.

CREAK.

The door moved slightly, and a figure slipped inside.

Lu Yuan’s gaze sharpened. "Sister Shuang?"

"Yes," Wei Yunshuang nodded. "I’m here to scrub your back. I also have some things I want to talk to you about."

He thought, "What perfect timing." Lu Yuan felt awkward. He was currently stark naked in the bathtub. "I’m taking a bath. You can wait for me outside for a bit."

"What, are you shy? Didn’t I help wash you when we were little?" Wei Yunshuang walked over with a smile.

SWISH.

Lu Yuan quickly wrapped a towel around his waist. That had happened when he was three or four years old. Why bring it up now?

"You said it yourself—that was when we were little," he replied.

"Are we not close anymore?" Wei Yunshuang arrived at the side of the tub, her face slightly flushed.

"You can’t reach my back," Lu Yuan said helplessly. "Besides, I’m not dirty. I’m just soaking to relax." He practiced martial arts and bathed every single day. Where would there be any dirt?

"Then let me give you a massage. I’ve learned a few techniques." Wei Yunshuang rested both hands on Lu Yuan’s shoulders. She paused for a moment before beginning to gently knead his muscles.

Lu Yuan kept his mouth shut. Making a fuss wouldn’t be good for either of them. Since he couldn’t easily resist, he decided to silently endure it. Wei Yunshuang’s fingers were soft, and her pressure was just right. It seemed she really had practiced this before.

From his shoulders to his neck, his face, and his head... Lu Yuan glanced up, only to see a beautiful, flushed, and alluring face.

"Sister Shuang..."

"Don’t look!" Wei Yunshuang said bashfully.

"Oh," Lu Yuan said, closing his eyes.

"Brother Yuan~" A childish voice rang out from outside. It was soft and milky—it was Wei Yunying.

The room abruptly fell silent; the air itself seemed to freeze.

"Yingying, I’m taking a bath. Don’t come in," Lu Yuan hastily called out.

"Oh, then I’ll come back later." Wei Yunying stopped in her tracks and walked away.

The two people in the room let out a long breath of relief. If the little girl had walked in on them, it would have been impossible to explain.

"Sister Shuang, you should hurry up and leave," Lu Yuan urged.

"What, are you disgusted by me?" Wei Yunshuang had initially intended to retreat, but hearing Lu Yuan’s words instantly made her want to stay.

"What are you talking about? It’s just not appropriate," Lu Yuan shook his head.

"What’s inappropriate about it? I’m your older sister. I’m just massaging your shoulders to help you relax. It’s not like we’re doing anything shameful," Wei Yunshuang retorted stubbornly.

Lu Yuan was speechless. He wondered, "If this is nothing shameful, then what exactly do you want to do?"

"I’m done washing up. I’m getting out now."

"Then get out," Wei Yunshuang said, turning around and walking into the inner room. "I won’t look."

Lu Yuan was beyond embarrassed. How had he never noticed this before? His third cousin was actually so uninhibited...

Just as he braced himself to step out of the tub, footsteps rang out outside once again. They were approaching quickly.

"Brother Yuan, are you done washing up? My mother told me to bring you some medicine for bruises," Wei Yunchan said from outside the door.

"I’m almost done. Just leave it by the door," Lu Yuan replied.

"Oh." Wei Yunchan nodded, setting the medicine bottle down before leaving.

SPLASH.

Lu Yuan quickly got out of the water and threw on his clothes. He then went to open the door, looking left and right. "Sister Shuang, you really need to leave."

"I still haven’t said what I wanted to tell you," Wei Yunshuang frowned.

"Save it for the daytime." Lu Yuan’s expression was dead serious. "If you don’t leave now, Aunt is going to come over!"

In a courtyard this small, everyone knew everything at the slightest rustle of the wind. Did she think they were all blind? An unmarried young woman sneaking into the room of a young man who was about to come of age... Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

"I..." Wei Yunshuang paused, then stepped out. "Then I’ll come find you tomorrow morning."

"Okay," Lu Yuan nodded.

WHOOSH.

Wei Yunshuang lowered her head and scurried away.

Lu Yuan let out a long sigh of relief. What a disaster. How did things end up like this? Why hadn’t he ever noticed this side of her before?

Taking the medicine bottle, he went back inside. Lu Yuan sat in meditation to calm his mind, adjusting his condition to its peak state. He was here tonight to find clues about the evil cult; he couldn’t let himself be distracted by anything else!

His father had told him to come at night, which likely meant Uncle Huisheng was making contact with the cultists after dark. Although Daqian had a curfew that forbade movement at night, the Jade Capital was simply too massive, especially outside the Third Ring. The population was dense, and the environment was incredibly complex. No matter how much military force Daqian possessed, they couldn’t possibly patrol every inch of it. They could only prevent the vast majority of people from holding secret meetings, plotting, or moving around at night. Most illicit activities took place in the dead of night, after everyone was fast asleep.

Lu Yuan waited quietly, having completely abandoned any plans to sleep tonight. Time ticked by, minute by minute.

CLICK.

Suddenly, there was an extremely faint noise. In the dead of night, and with Lu Yuan paying close attention, he heard it crystal clear. Soon after, he spotted a figure emerging from one of the rooms in the eastern wing. The person was tall and clad entirely in black.

SWISH.

The figure quickly moved to a wall, leapt over it, and dropped down on the other side.

Lu Yuan vaulted out the window and pursued. He also bounded over the wall, just in time to see a silhouette disappear around the corner.

SWISH.

He quickly gave chase.