She and Qi Xuan’er hurried off to the pool at the far edge. Since this was still a public area, the two did not strip completely, choosing instead to soak while wearing their inner robes. As for what the scene looked like on that side, the men over here had no way of knowing.
With Qi Miaohan present, Nie Shiyun hadn't felt comfortable asking for details. Now that only Du Zhi remained, it was much more convenient to inquire. The men settled back into the hot spring, conversing as they soaked.
Du Zhi didn't know the specifics of the entanglement between Xu Yehua and Nie Shiyun, but anyone with eyes could see from their life-and-death struggle at the Cultivation Grand Conference that they were bitter enemies. Naturally, he stood on Nie Shiyun’s side. Thus, when Nie Shiyun asked, Du Zhi recounted every detail of their clash.
"My cultivation is currently at the Mid-Golden Core stage. As expected, facing a cultivator at the Late-Golden Core stage is still a bit of a struggle," Du Zhi said, sounding somewhat dejected. If he had wolf ears atop his head, the others might have seen them drooping at that moment. He thought of how Qi Xuan’er and her sister had been in danger while he could only hold the line for a short while before being forced into a tactical retreat. If he were more powerful, he could have driven the opposition away single-handedly—how much more face he would have gained then.
"He is still at the Late-Golden Core stage," Nie Shiyun noted.
"Yeah. I feel like compared to the Cultivation Grand Conference, although those few have made progress, their cultivation hasn't increased by much. Though, to be fair, the same goes for us. Only your cultivation speed is incredibly fast..." Du Zhi’s tone was filled with envy and admiration.
"It’s nothing, really." Nie Shiyun couldn't very well explain the tricks of his trade, so he could only offer a few modest remarks.
"Speaking of which, about you and Junior Sister Xuan’er..."
Du Zhi caught the drift halfway through and began to cough violently in his nervousness. "Lower... lower your voice..."
Seeing his reaction, Nie Shiyun knew things hadn't progressed. Since it was a good time for a chat, he asked what exactly was going on. He had originally thought Xuan’er was still hesitating, but upon asking, he realized Du Zhi hadn't even properly confessed.
"So you saw through it? I just felt that since we only met recently, it would be too abrupt, wouldn't it?" Du Zhi scratched his hair sheepishly, his face flushed red—though whether from embarrassment or the steam of the spring, it was hard to tell.
"Never mind me seeing through it; I expect Xuan’er has a vague inkling herself. She has always been very perceptive."
Zhai Bairong added from the side with some hesitation, "It is indeed quite obvious."
"For real...?" Du Zhi slumped.
Meiqiu floated over from the side and said leisurely, "You’re a disgrace to the demon race! If you have someone you like, you should work hard to display your feathers and attract their attention. What’s with this shrinking back?"
Nie Shiyun didn't bother correcting the minor detail that not all demons had feathers. Besides, Meiqiu hadn't even seen a demon of the opposite sex; what right did he have to lecture others?
However, Du Zhi was quite humble and eager to learn. He didn't know that Meiqiu had only recently been born; seeing the boy's sophisticated manner, he was actually bluffed and began to chat aimlessly with him.
Nie Shiyun didn't say another word, gradually withdrawing from the conversation along with Zhai Bairong. He nudged Zhai Bairong beneath the water. The latter looked up at him, only to see Nie Shiyun’s face wearing a "come over here" expression. The two of them slowly moved along the edge of the pool toward the other end without leaving a trace.
"What is it?"
Once they were further away, Zhai Bairong asked in a low voice, thinking Nie Shiyun had something inconvenient for others to overhear. To his surprise, Nie Shiyun approached with a composed, knowing look, yet said nothing at all, simply leaning in to peck him on the lips.
Away from the others' line of sight, the two could finally let go.
"Mm..."
Zhai Bairong was kissed until his back pressed against the edge of the pool. Feeling Nie Shiyun’s impatience, he couldn't help but let out a small smile.
"Finally, we can have a period of peace."
Nie Shiyun sighed with emotion. Ever since the Cultivation Grand Conference, everything had been tightly scheduled and arranged until they finally achieved their goal a few days ago. Next, they only needed to cultivate in an orderly fashion. As for the matter of the Immortal Tool only being able to support one person’s ascension, the two hadn't thought of a solution yet, nor were they in a hurry to consider it. They had a long road ahead of them to figure it out slowly.
...
"Eh! Senior Nie and the other are gone! When did they disappear?"
Du Zhi’s somewhat muffled voice drifted over from a distance.
In truth, even if they were seen, there was nothing wrong with their current posture above the water, but Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong still instinctively felt a bit tense.
Meiqiu, however, glanced around. Their contract could faintly convey each other's status. Meiqiu sensed that Nie Shiyun had gone a bit further away and wasn't facing any danger, so he naturally didn't worry at all. "Ignore them! They definitely ran off to be lovey-dovey!"
Du Zhi let out an "ah" and said, chagrined, "I must have been disturbing them."
Meiqiu said dismissively, "Not really. They’re just easily disturbed. Even if you weren't here, there were other bystanders before. Humans are all like that; they feel embarrassed to be intimate when people are around."
Du Zhi said awkwardly, "This... shouldn't that be the case?"
"And you call yourself a half-demon! You haven't learned the habits of the demon race at all!" Meiqiu said indignantly.
"Hahaha, I really haven't been able to integrate into the demon race..." Du Zhi said sheepishly. After all, he couldn't even transform into a beast form; he merely possessed demon blood. Since childhood, even if he wanted to fit in, it had been very difficult.
Meiqiu was very curious about the affairs of the demon race in the cultivation world and began to chirp away with more questions.
On the other side, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong’s tension proved to be for naught. After hearing Du Zhi’s question, they only heard Meiqiu start talking to him again, their volume gradually lowering. It seemed they wouldn't be coming to look for them.
The two breathed a small sigh of relief and looked at each other, unable to help finding it a bit funny.
After locking eyes for a few seconds, Nie Shiyun couldn't resist kissing Zhai Bairong’s lips again. Zhai Bairong followed the momentum, raising his arms to cradle the back of Nie Shiyun’s head. His wet palms quickly soaked the hair at the back of Nie Shiyun’s head that had previously remained dry.
