I Haven't Even Put in Any Effort

Ao Yiyi entered the bathroom.

She used a spell to fill the tub and raised the water to a comfortable temperature.

On a normal day, she wouldn't have minded heating the water the mortal way, but right now, she only wanted a way to completely calm herself down.

Although she had already released her desire and the effects of the aphrodisiac had mostly faded, she was still far from composed.

The reason, naturally, was what she had been doing just moments ago. While under the influence of the drug, she had lost her reason, but now that her mind was clear, recalling her earlier absurdity filled her with an intense sense of embarrassment and shame. She needed this soak to regain her cool.

As for cleaning her body...

That was secondary.

For cultivators, the fastest and simplest way to clean oneself was always a cleansing spell, not a bath.

The water soon reached the right temperature.

Ao Yiyi shed her clothes and stepped into the tub.

The water reached her neck...

But she felt it wasn't enough.

Exhaling, she submerged her entire head beneath the surface.

As a member of the Dragon Clan, breathing underwater was a basic ability.

However, even with her whole body submerged, she still couldn't calm down.

Her mind continued to replay the scenes from earlier, along with the things she had been thinking about.

'The temperature must be too high...' Ao Yiyi thought. She pinched a finger-seal and cast a spell, dropping the water temperature until it was ice-cold.

Yet, even this temperature failed to settle her heart.

She wrestled with the water for quite a while before finally giving up.

She began to recite the Heart-Clearing Incantation in her mind.

At first, the incantation didn't work either.

Fortunately, without the interference of the aphrodisiac, her mind eventually calmed after several repetitions.

Even so, she was in no hurry to leave the bathroom.

She stayed inside for a long time, until...

Su Qing’s voice rang out from outside.

"Yiyi, it’s time to eat. Don’t stay in there any longer."

"Don't go soaking yourself until you faint!"

"If you don't come out soon, I’m coming in."

Hearing Su Qing’s voice, Ao Yiyi bolted upright in the water and answered in a panic, "I—I’m coming out now!"

Hearing her reply, Su Qing nodded outside the door and said with a smile, "Good. Get dressed and come out quickly; dinner is ready."

Su Qing knew perfectly well that Ao Yiyi hadn't fainted. She was an immortal, after all; how could she faint from a bath? She only said that to hurry her along.

This girl had simply stayed in there for far too long.

Su Qing understood her feelings, but skipping dinner was out of the question!

Inside the tub, the naked Ao Yiyi breathed a sigh of relief. She patted her chest, feeling her heart still racing, then touched her cheeks. They were quite hot.

Nothing had actually happened just now, yet she felt exceptionally nervous.

She wasn't actually worried that Su Qing would walk in. What she truly feared... was Su Qing knowing what she had been thinking.

Even though Su Qing didn't have the ability to read minds and there was no reason to be afraid, she still couldn't help but worry.

Ao Yiyi exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, feeling quite confused. She didn't understand why she felt so guilty when she hadn't actually done anything wrong, and Su Qing couldn't possibly know her thoughts.

'What a... strange feeling,' Ao Yiyi thought helplessly.

However, she didn't dwell on it. She quickly dried off, dressed, and left.

Since she had promised Su Qing she was coming out, Su Qing would definitely push the door open if she didn't appear... and that would be an awkward scene.

Leaving the bathroom, Ao Yiyi noticed the sky was beginning to dim.

Clearly, it was already late.

Ao Yiyi hadn't expected that merely contemplating life while bathing would make time pass so quickly.

'Just how long was I soaking in there?'

Ao Yiyi shook her head and walked toward the dining room.

When she reached the table, Su Qing happened to be walking over with the final dish.

Seeing Ao Yiyi, she said with a smile, "You’re finally out... I thought you were going to stay in there even longer!"

"I... I was just contemplating life in there," Ao Yiyi replied abruptly.

Hearing this, Su Qing blinked and said playfully, "Right, right. I don't really care what you were doing in there... as long as you remember when it's time to eat."

Su Qing might say she didn't care, but that didn't mean she was ignorant. She only said it because she didn't want Ao Yiyi to feel embarrassed.

Though Su Qing was thick-skinned and usually acted as if she didn't care about anything, her mind was actually quite sharp. Most of the time, she was quite perceptive.

Of course, in the past, she really had been oblivious and careless. But that was the past. Now, when she acted that way, it was mostly a facade. It wasn't that she didn't understand or notice things; she just couldn't be bothered to manage them once she did.

Ao Yiyi was slightly stunned by Su Qing’s words, then felt a small sense of relief. She had been very worried that Su Qing would interrogate her. If she really asked, Ao Yiyi wouldn't even know how to answer.

After all, she wasn't good at lying.

Her master had always taught her never to lie. Even now, her attempts at lying were mostly learned from Su Qing, and she wasn't very practiced at it.

"Um... thank you for preparing dinner, Big Green Sister," Ao Yiyi said after a moment of silence, offering a small smile.

Su Qing nodded with a smile and said, "Once everyone is here, let's eat!"

"Okay!" Ao Yiyi nodded and took her seat.

She sat across from Su Qing, their eyes meeting. The moment she saw Su Qing’s gaze, the things she had imagined earlier flashed through her mind again.

In an instant, her face began to burn.

Noticing this, she hurriedly looked away, not daring to maintain eye contact.

Su Qing raised an eyebrow but only smiled. Once the other two arrived, she announced that dinner could begin.

The meal was exceptionally quiet. There was very little conversation, and it stayed that way until the end.

After dinner, Hu Lin’er went to wash the dishes.

Su Qing went to sit in the courtyard to drink tea as usual. Jin Xin, meanwhile, found Ao Yiyi, intending to speak with her privately—and to offer a personal apology.

Although it had been an accident, the drug was still her masterpiece. Furthermore, she had been capable of preventing it but had allowed Ao Yiyi to fall into the trap because she was distracted. Therefore, she bore a certain responsibility.

Jin Xin’s emotions were thin, but that didn't mean she was socially inept.

Jin Xin found Ao Yiyi and offered a sincere apology.

Ao Yiyi was somewhat surprised to hear it. She hadn't actually blamed Jin Xin, nor did she think it was Jin Xin’s fault. It wasn't as if she had targeted her intentionally; it was just an accident.

Therefore, she didn't feel an apology was necessary.

After Jin Xin apologized, Ao Yiyi quickly expressed her view. Although she had suffered a bit, she ultimately couldn't blame Jin Xin.

And so, the two of them moved past the incident quite simply. No grudge remained between them; if anything, their relationship improved slightly.

Sitting in the courtyard, Su Qing had no idea what was happening between them. She was just bored, drinking tea by herself.

Time ticked by.

Soon, it was time to rest, and everyone returned to their rooms.

Ao Yiyi was no exception. She lay on her bed and closed her eyes, but the moment she did, the vivid, blood-pumping fantasies returned to her mind.

'If only I were completely ignorant, how great would that be?'

Ao Yiyi rubbed her brow and sighed inwardly. If she were truly oblivious and naive, she wouldn't be imagining such things. But there was no helping it; staying by Su Qing’s side had gradually led to her enlightenment. In fact... she knew quite a lot.

She just never practiced self-comfort, which was why she was so unpracticed at it. After all, doing such a thing was breaking her precepts!

'Ugh, and of all people, the one I thought of wasn't someone else, but the person closest to me... Aaaah, this is so annoying! Why did I think of her? Now I feel so guilty just looking at her. This is so embarrassing!'

Ao Yiyi wailed in her heart, rolling around on her bed. After a long time, she sighed, gritted her teeth, rolled over, and tried to sleep.

Unfortunately, those fantasies kept her awake for a long time.

Time passed bit by bit until the middle of the night. Ao Yiyi still couldn't fall asleep.

Somehow, she ended up staying awake until dawn.

Fortunately, even after pulling an all-nighter, she was still quite energetic during the day. Therefore, aside from Su Qing, no one noticed anything strange about her—let alone that she hadn't slept.

As for why Su Qing noticed...

It was simple. She saw that Ao Yiyi was constantly avoiding her, whether intentionally or not. And whenever they did meet, Ao Yiyi’s face would turn red for no reason.

That flushed, flustered look made it very hard not to notice.

'What is wrong with this girl?'

Su Qing wasn't as oblivious as she used to be, but that didn't mean she could see through someone’s situation at a glance without any clues. Even Su Qing was quite baffled right now.

However, while she didn't know the specifics, she had some guesses. She assumed it was related to yesterday’s events.

'But... if that's the case, it makes it even harder for me to ask,' Su Qing thought with a hint of helplessness. 'But ignoring it entirely doesn't seem right either.'

Su Qing was torn and frustrated. Ignoring it was no good, but meddling would be awkward. She was truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

By the afternoon, Su Qing finally made up her mind and found Ao Yiyi. She asked indirectly why her attitude was so strange today and why she was avoiding her.

Hearing the question, Ao Yiyi’s face turned slightly red, and she began to explain haltingly.

However, she didn't tell the truth. Instead, she used a lie she had been preparing for a long time.

"It’s just because yesterday was too embarrassing. Whenever I face you, Big Green Sister, I feel a sense of shame," Ao Yiyi said. "After all... so much happened."

Listening to her answer, Su Qing felt the matter might not be quite that simple. Nevertheless, she reached out and patted her shoulder. Feeling Ao Yiyi’s body tremble slightly, Su Qing said, "It’s alright. None of us will say anything... as long as you can get past it yourself, it’s no big deal."

Su Qing was still mentally preparing words of comfort and thinking of some wisdom to share. But as soon as she finished that sentence, Ao Yiyi immediately said she understood and would move on.

For a moment, Su Qing’s brain stalled.

'I haven't even put in any effort yet, and you've already moved on?'

'Why do I feel like I’m redundant here?'

Su Qing found it hard to believe, but she couldn't really object. She nodded and said, "It’s good that you’ve figured it out."

"Mhm, thank you for your concern, Big Green Sister," Ao Yiyi replied with a smile.

Seeing this, Su Qing said a few more words before getting up to leave and attend to her own business.

Once Su Qing was gone, Ao Yiyi let out a long, long breath.

'That’s right, Big Green Sister won't know I thought those things, so I shouldn't care so much. Even if I think about them right in front of her, no one will find out. Besides, it wasn't my fault to begin with. I shouldn't obsess over it... it’s fine, it’s fine.'

Ao Yiyi clutched her chest, constantly comforting herself. Finally, she managed to completely convince herself to stop worrying about that aspect.

However, once she convinced herself, a new question arose in her heart.

And that was... why was the person she thought of Su Qing?