318: Chapter 318 Hey little girl, I'm tired of standing today, come and give me a leg massage.

Xu Ruyu didn't mind; he dried his body, changed into clean sleeping clothes, and walked out of the bathroom.

By the time Xiao Nianyin finished tidying up the bathroom and followed him out, Xu Ruyu was already sitting on the edge of the bed in the bedroom, legs crossed, rubbing his own calves.

Seeing Xiao Nianyin come out, he beckoned with a finger: "Come here."

Xiao Nianyin walked over.

"Squat down." Xu Ruyu pointed to the floor in front of him.

Xiao Nianyin bit her lip and slowly lowered herself into a squat.

Xu Ruyu extended a foot toward her: "I've been standing all day, and my legs are sore. Give me a massage."

Looking at the foot in front of her, Xiao Nianyin felt a rush of blood go straight to her head.

She snapped her head up, eyes burning with long-suppressed fury: "Xu Ruyu! Don't take this too far!"

"Too far?" Xu Ruyu raised an eyebrow, the smile fading from his face to be replaced by a calm that bordered on cold indifference. "Grand Sect Master Xiao, have you forgotten what you treated me as back in Ningyin Hall? A Cauldron you could manipulate at will, a tool to help you heal.

Now, I'm just asking you to massage my feet, and that's taking it too far?"

Xiao Nianyin opened her mouth, but no words came out. Xu Ruyu's words were like a blade, accurately piercing the memories she least wanted to face.

"Don't you know it yourself?" Xu Ruyu continued, his voice remaining calm. "In those days, if Sister Qingli hadn't stepped in, I might have died there.

And you, what were you thinking then? Did you think that a mere ant at the Qi Refinement Stage was just another death, not worth a second glance from the grand Saint Realm Sect Master?"

Xiao Nianyin's lips trembled slightly, a complex light flashing in her eyes.

She wanted to say something—perhaps "I had my reasons" or "I was also forced by circumstances"—but under Xu Ruyu's steady gaze, she couldn't utter a single word.

Because all of it was the truth.

"So," Xu Ruyu withdrew his foot and leaned back, his tone returning to its previous laziness, "is it too far to ask you to massage my feet now? Do you feel wronged? Do you feel humiliated?

Then when you schemed to have me nearly beaten to death, did you ever think about my grievances and humiliation?"

Xiao Nianyin kept her head down, her expression hidden, her hands tightly clutching her skirt.

After a long silence, she slowly reached out, gently placed Xu Ruyu's foot on her knee, and began to knead it.

Her movements were light and clumsy, but she was indeed massaging him.

Looking at her lowered eyes and trembling eyelashes, Xu Ruyu didn't feel much satisfaction; instead, he felt an indescribable complexity.

He knew, of course, that in many people's eyes, his actions might seem petty and vindictive.

But he didn't care.

Xu Ruyu had never claimed to be a Saint. If someone treated him well, he would repay them twofold; if they treated him poorly, he would remember it. Since Xiao Nianyin had treated him that way, why shouldn't he "repay" her now?

Moreover, Xiao Nianyin's current display of "humiliated endurance" wasn't just to serve him.

She had her own calculations—she needed Xu Ruyu's special Physique to maintain her life force, his connections to establish a foothold in the Taihu Clan, and his help to restore her cultivation in the future.

So she endured.

Xu Ruyu saw through it clearly but didn't call her out.

It was just mutual exploitation. She used his Physique and connections, and he used her... well, her services as a Bed-warming maid.

Neither of them was in a position to look down on the other.

"Use more force."

Xu Ruyu gave the order lazily.

The pressure from Xiao Nianyin's hands increased slightly.

"Yes, right there. Press more."

Xiao Nianyin pressed, remaining silent.

Xu Ruyu closed his eyes, enjoying this rare relaxation.

After a long while, he suddenly spoke: "Do you know why I went to perform Artifact Refining today?"

Xiao Nianyin didn't answer, but the movement of her hands slowed for a split second.

"Because the cultivation of the Disciples you've taught is too low," Xu Ruyu said bluntly. "Leng Ningshuang, Zhao Yan, Ning Caihe, and Qingyan—four Golden Cores combined were beaten senseless by me, someone at the Qi Refinement Stage.

Do you know what that means?"

Xiao Nianyin's eyelashes fluttered.

"It means your old cultivation methods are becoming obsolete in this era.

Spiritual Qi is getting thinner, resources are becoming scarcer, and enemies are getting stronger.

Relying on the traditional ways, the Hehuan Sect will forever be at the mercy of others, constantly being chased."

Xu Ruyu opened his eyes and looked at the deepening night outside the window. "So I'm going to take another path. I want the people of the Hehuan Sect to be able to Cultivate and grow strong without relying on Spiritual Qi or Spirit Stones.

I'm going to build weapons for them—weapons that can be used without high cultivation.

When the time comes, even a Disciple at the Qi Refinement Stage will be able to threaten an enemy at the Foundation Establishment Stage with the 'Qi-Breaking Gun' I create."

Xiao Nianyin finally looked up, a hint of shock and complexity flashing in her ice-blue eyes.

"You were... making those weapons today?"

"Yes," Xu Ruyu grinned. "Even though they all exploded, it's not a big problem.

Explosions provide data, and data allows for improvements.

After I revise it eight or ten times, I'll eventually make one that doesn't explode. When that happens, I'll let you try it too."

Xiao Nianyin was silent for a moment before whispering, "Why... are you telling me this?"

Xu Ruyu looked at her and suddenly laughed. "Because you're my Bed-warming maid. A maid should naturally know about her master's affairs. Otherwise, how can she serve him well?"

Xiao Nianyin's face flushed again, even more intensely than before.

She bit her lip, lowered her head, and continued the foot massage, but this time, her movements seemed... a little less stiff.

Xu Ruyu stopped talking and closed his eyes again.

The warmth from the bathroom hadn't fully dissipated, and a faint fragrance lingered in the bedroom.

The sound of the spiritual spring waterfall trickled from outside, and moonlight spilled across the floor like silver silk through the window lattice.

Xiao Nianyin quietly massaged his feet, occasionally glancing at the resting Xu Ruyu with eyes full of unreadable emotions.

There was humiliation, resentment, and endurance, but also... an inexplicable hint of something else... perhaps confusion about the future, or perhaps... curiosity about this man.

As for Xu Ruyu, feeling the clumsy but gradually softening pressure on his feet, the corners of his mouth curled into an almost imperceptible arc.

A Bed-warming maid? Not bad.

In any case, Xu Ruyu didn't owe anyone anything.

He remembered the past contempt and indifference; he accepted the current obedience and endurance.

As for the future...

The future could wait until it arrived.

The night deepened.

Inside Tingquan Residence, the lamplight flickered.

A former Saint Realm Sect Master was squatting on the ground, massaging the feet of a youth at the Qi Refinement Stage.

And that youth enjoyed it all with a clear conscience.

The world is truly a strange place sometimes.