88: Return to Wutan City

Beside him, Xue Mei's legs, encased in soaking wet white trousers, were straight and slender, with lines as smooth as if carved from ice and snow.

At this moment, to avoid him, she had curled them slightly, but her knee inadvertently brushed against the outside of his calf, sending a cool, delicate sensation through the thin fabric.

On the other side, Lin Fei's equally long, yet more rounded and voluptuous legs, were clad in soaking wet goose-yellow trousers.

To express her displeasure, she defiantly stretched them out, her smooth ankles and calves pressing almost seamlessly against his legs, the warm, elastic touch of her skin carrying astonishing heat, as clear as a branding iron.

Three pairs of legs, in this small, dim tent, filled with dampness and the scent of young women, were intimately intertwined in an extremely ambiguous and awkward posture, with no place to rest.

Every subtle movement brought a heart-trembling friction of skin and an even clearer sensation of their contours.

“Hmph!”

Lin Fei watched Xue Mei’s delicate and gentle movements, feeling both sour and annoyed. Her eyes darted, and suddenly, mimicking Xue Mei, she picked up a towel, but her target was Mo Yuhan’s equally wet calves.

“Little Han Han, your legs are wet too, big sister will help you wipe them!”

As she spoke, her small hand reached towards Mo Yuhan’s trouser leg, and her body pressed against him again with enthusiasm.

Xue Mei's motion of wiping her hair paused, her ice-blue eyes instantly flared with cold light, and the aura around her abruptly dropped to freezing point.

The temperature inside the tent seemed to drop a few more degrees, as if even the air was about to condense into ice crystals.

Her fingers, gripping Mo Yuhan’s wrist, tightened sharply, cold Dou Qi poised to strike, about to push Lin Fei away again.

“Lin Fei! Xue Mei!”

Instructor Ruo Lin’s voice, tinged with fatigue and helplessness, came through the thick canvas of the tent, somewhat muffled by the furious rain, “The rain is too heavy, everyone settle down! Yu Han is young, don’t bother him! Everyone rest quickly!”

There was an undeniable sense of prohibition in her voice.

Lin Fei’s outstretched hand froze, then she sheepishly pulled it back, making a big face in Xue Mei’s direction, but not daring to cause any more trouble.

The biting chill around Xue Mei slowly receded, but her hand, gripping Mo Yuhan’s wrist, did not loosen.

The tent fell into another, more agonizing silence.

Only the deafening sound of rain and thunder outside, and… the clearly audible, intertwined, slightly hurried breathing of the three of them.

Mo Yuhan sat rigidly, on his left a cold and soft restraint, on his right a surrounding aura of heat, and on his legs, nowhere to rest, clearly transmitting different sensations of pressure.

Each subtle breath seemed to draw in more of that dizzying, mixed fragrance.

In this small space, amidst the pouring rain, time seemed to stretch infinitely, every second filled with silent undercurrents and the boy’s naive yet throbbing awkwardness.

Mo Yuhan was almost sleepless throughout the night.

Caught between the cracks of ice and fire, his nostrils filled with two distinct yet lingering fragrances, his body clearly feeling the soft pressure from both sides and the delicate touch from his legs…

All of this was simply too overwhelming for a nine-year-old child.

It wasn’t until dawn, when the rain gradually subsided and the two older sisters beside him seemed to have fallen into a deep, exhausted sleep, that he finally dozed off briefly amidst extreme fatigue and the lingering chaotic thumping of his heart.

When he closed his eyes, he wasn't sure if he should wish for this long night to pass quickly.

The heavy dark clouds were finally torn open by the rising sun, and golden-red light, like molten gold, spilled onto Wutan City’s ancient city walls, dyeing the grey-blue bricks with a warm hue.

The violent storm, which had lasted all night, seemed to have exhausted all its strength, leaving only wet ground, fallen plants, and the fresh scent of water lingering in the air.

As the wheels rolled over the last mountain ridge, the familiar frontier town finally came into view. The winter sunlight carried a hint of warmth, casting its glow on the densely packed rooftops and the curling smoke from chimneys. The carriage did not stop at the bustling square where Canaan Academy was recruiting, but instead drove directly to a relatively secluded courtyard within the city.

The Canaan Academy convoy, covered in dust from their journey and bearing the marks of last night's downpour, slowly entered Wutan City through its East Gate.

The wheels crunched on the bluestone road, which had been washed exceptionally clean by the rain, making a crisp sound.

Along the streets, early risers stopped, curiously observing the impressive procession pulled by horned magical beasts, whispers rising and falling.

Wutan City’s ancient gate tower was in sight, its grey-blue bricks settling with the marks of time under the afternoon sun.

The Canaan Academy convoy slowly drove in, immediately drawing the attention and discussion of the crowds along the streets.

Knowledgeable people immediately recognized the origin of the convoy.

“Canaan Academy! It’s people from Canaan Academy! Canaan Academy is here to recruit in Wutan City!!!”

“Look, as expected of Canaan Academy students, they really have presence…”

“Oh? Who’s that little boy? Why is he also with the Canaan Academy group?”

“It seems to be… Young Master Mo Yuhan, the disciple of Great Master Gu Ni, who went to Black Rock City to learn alchemy?”

Inside the carriage, Mo Yuhan’s heart pounded with the excitement of returning home, of soon reuniting with his aunt and Little Fairy Doctor, temporarily suppressing the various charming and awkward moments of last night.

He looked at the increasingly familiar street scenes outside the window, no longer able to hold back. Infinite strength seemed to surge into his still tender body, and he abruptly stood up from the carriage seat.

“Aunt, Little Fairy Doctor sister, I’m back!”

His clear, bright childish voice, filled with deep longing and joyous excitement, instantly pierced through the wooden planks of the carriage.

With a nimble movement, Mo Yuhan lifted the curtain of the still-moving carriage door and leaped out.

His sun-lengthened silhouette cut a sharp arc in the golden sunlight, landing steadily on the familiar bluestone road of Wutan City.

His gaze immediately locked onto the quietly open courtyard gate.

In the courtyard, even the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

The first thing that caught his eye was the smoky purple figure leaning against the corridor pillar.

His dearest aunt, Bibi Dong, his closest relative who had been with him since shortly after his birth.

A year’s time seemed to have left little trace on her; instead, the stabilization of her injuries and the tranquility of her environment had allowed her to shed some of the pallor caused by her chronic illness, her skin becoming even more lustrous, like fine warm jade.

She wore a simple yet exquisitely tailored smoky purple long dress, outlining breathtaking curves. Her full bosom gently rose and fell beneath the soft fabric with her breathing, and her slender, almost ungraspable waist was cinched with a matching silk sash, further enhancing her graceful and exquisite figure.

The hem of her long dress trailed, revealing a small glimpse of her feet adorned with delicate embroidered shoes. The fiery sunlight shone upon her, bathing her in a hazy golden glow.

Her exquisite beauty became even more breathtaking in the interplay of light and shadow, her deep purple eyes like a cold pool containing a galaxy. At this moment, she watched him quietly, the depths of her eyes seemingly holding a myriad of unspoken words, yet also appearing as still as an ancient well.

Only that gaze, upon touching Mo Yuhan’s figure, was like a stone dropped into a deep pool, rippling out a circle of subtle, almost imperceptible waves.