Journey to the End of the Night
Chapter 173 - 173 171 Studying Diligently

173: Chapter 171: Studying Diligently 173: Chapter 171: Studying Diligently Baili An’s clothes were somewhat dirty at the moment, and his sleeves were still stained with corpse fluids, so he did not sit on the bed, fearing to soil her embroidered quilt.

He squatted beside the bed, simply reached out and tugged at Li Jiujiu’s sleeve, his eyes clear and innocent as he gazed at her.

“Just now, Miss Jiujiu said that hugging and biting me felt very comfortable and that you wanted it a hundred times, a thousand times, so…

do you really want it?

I have not studied this in depth, and the books in the Mountain Realm do not have related records.

Miss Jiujiu, please teach me, I will study earnestly and fulfill your desires as much as possible.”

He was serious in nature, and Li Jiujiu’s words of anger just now were heart-wrenching, deeply moving.

Even though they were said in anger, they contained a sincere sentiment that he couldn’t ignore.

Looking at the earnest and gentle boy under the candlelight, Li Jiujiu froze.

She had always known that Baili An was good-looking, the most handsome boy she had seen in her years of cultivation.

He was born with a gentle and clean appearance, the epitome of the obedient and good husband every girl dreams of.

And now, her obedient and good husband sat squatting beside her bed in such a posture, with such a look in his eyes, with a studious attitude, uttering heart-stirring words.

Who could withstand this?

Suddenly, Li Jiujiu covered her nose, and soon a stream of fresh red blood oozed out from between her fingers, dotting the white embroidered quilt like red plums on snow.

No one noticed that at this moment, the rabbit in Baili An’s arms had woken up, its red eyes unflinching, holding onto a big fat carrot, with an extremely cold gaze.

“Miss Jiujiu, you’re bleeding.” Baili An hurriedly reached out his hand to check.

Li Jiujiu showed a look of embarrassment and annoyance, leaning back to avoid his hand, annoyed that she was so weak and stirred up.

With her lips and nose covered, she muffled, “Little An, do you realize what you’re doing right now?”

“Huh?”

The girl on the bed, her face bright as peach blossoms, her eyes soft as spring water, looked like a flower ready to bloom.

Her lightly sweeping gaze was like a small hook, with a touch of annoyance that was enticing, “Are you courting a girl, do you even realize that?”

Baili An also suddenly realized the impropriety of such a statement, not unlike that of a philanderer.

His body stiffened as he stood up, taking two steps back, and said, “Miss Jiujiu, are you thirsty?

I’ll get you some water.”

Little did he know, his sash was softly pulled as he was gently tugged by a small hand hidden under the quilt on the bed.

Baili An was taken aback and looked over, only to see Li Jiujiu had already turned her charming head away, leaving only a stretch of her already blushing neck under her beautiful hair by the candlelight.

Her voice trembled ever so lightly, full of rich spring and ambiguity, “Silly Little An, with words like these, do you still think you can escape?”

When she turned her eyes to gaze at him, there was a vast well of water inside, like peach blossoms brewing in spring water.

Seeing him silent, she whispered softly, “Did you go to catch ghosts?

You have a smell of death on you.

There is a bathing tub behind the screen in the side room; go wash yourself off, and I’ll come to tell you…

to tell you after.”

Understanding her meaning, Baili An clumsily made his way to the neatly arranged bath inside the adjoining room, where fresh water was collected from a segment of bamboo sticking out of the window.

With a mechanism inside the nodes of the bamboo, a gentle knock would release a stream of clean, warm spring water.

This was a minor trick inside the Immortal Sect’s compound, using bamboo to channel warm water from the earth veins.

No need to boil water; one could enjoy clean, warm spring water every night.

However, only Li Jiujiu, the Sect Master’s daughter, could enjoy such a privilege within the entire Lihe Sect.

The bathing tub was filled with hot spring water, crystal clear to the bottom with a faint mist hovering over it.

Baili An sat and zoned out for a moment, his mind going blank, before slowly undressing himself.

The Afu Tu rabbit he was carrying was also taken out and placed on the bath stand, holding a carrot larger than its body, staring at Baili An expressionlessly.

The air was filled with the distinctive sulfuric scent of the hot springs, the snowy landscape outside covering the green hills; within the pavilion, the spring’s burbling sound was steaming with life and warmth.

As he stepped into the bath, the warm spring water enveloped his whole body, but was slightly stinging and scalding.

For ordinary people, this temperature might just be right, but for Baili An, who was a corpse demon, it felt burning hot.

There was a soapberry incense on the bath stand for cleaning, which Baili An had not intended to use.

After all, a corpse demon does not sweat, and apart from the scent of a drowned woman’s corpse on his clothes, his body was still very clean.

Soaking and washing in warm water was sufficient.

But upon thinking about Miss Jiujiu’s words and expression earlier, Baili An felt his cheeks inexplicably heat up.

His body slowly sank into the tub, hiding his slightly flushed cheeks in the warm water, and he let out a string of bubbles.

After a moment’s thought, he still quietly reached for the soapberry in the box with his wet arm.

The bath ended quickly, Baili An disliking the warmth of the water, and after cleaning his body and hair, he propped his arms on the edge of the tub, ready to stand up.

Tap, tap, tap…

The Afu Tu rabbit, which had been standing quietly on the bath stand, suddenly ran over with its big fat carrot.

Splash!

Under Baili An’s widened eyes, it jumped into the hot water without hesitation.

It sank down without any discussion.

Baili An slowly sat back, watching the little rabbit slowly float up, its watery red eyes staring at him.

Its fluffy fur was completely soaked, sticking in tufts on its body, no longer the cute and chubby look it had before.

It looked as if it had suddenly become bald, its already petite frame now seemingly shrunk even more.

“Hmm?

Little rabbit, did you also want a bath?” Baili An couldn’t help but chuckle.

Afu Tu kicked at the water with its hind legs, paddling its way to Baili An, its wet fur sticking to his chest.

It rubbed its round cheeks against him, indicating it felt smelly too, and needed a bath.

What is pride?

It’s been abandoned!

Left with no choice, Baili An picked up the rabbit and took the soapberry again, carefully applying and rubbing it over its fur.

Before long, soft clumps of foam had been worked up in the rabbit’s fur.

As Baili An was cleaning its ears and the fluffy tail behind it, he clearly felt the rabbit resist and struggle for a moment, going limp as if drunk, soft on his arms.

Looking half inebriated, its pupils covered with a layer of mist.

But unable to resist Baili An’s comforting massage, of kneading its belly and rubbing its behind, the little creature’s hind legs unknowingly scratched lightly against his arms.

After rinsing off the foam, Baili An wanted to use his Spiritual Power to help the rabbit dry its fur.

But the little creature trembled suddenly, seemingly seeing something, and threw away the carrot it had been holding tightly, and awkwardly climbed up onto his chest, paw over paw.

Baili An’s hands awkwardly opened, only to see the little creature nestling in the sword wound on his chest that had taken his life, its gaze somewhat sorrowful…