Dongyue slipped her out of her garments readily. He took her by the hand, leading her to the end of the room. He pulled on a small hidden lever in the Temple to reveal an unseen exit. This exit, surprisingly, took them into another room, a bathroom. It had not occurred to her how he had found out about this room’s existence, or why Muxue Yan needed to build a bathroom in his temple. As an extension of his mind and wishes, bricks and earth did not make the structure, but the power he had come to own after being corrupted by evil.
The bathroom was out of the ordinary. It was highly magical and served a purpose to Ao Yun when she was alive. It was similar to Ao Yun’s bathroom back when she was alive: it would magically transform according to her mood and preference when she walked into it. The room’s ambience would change following her emotions; if she were enraged by Yan’s neglect, it would convert into a battleground, and the water in the bathtubs would swish around vigorously. However, when she was in a good mood, it would result in the colourful and vivid fake outside scenery-like condition that Xiyu was experiencing right now.
Xiyu peered around the room in awe, taking a few steps at a time. She sensed an emotion that was so natural in the room that it slipped her mind that she was in the nude. The atmosphere reminded her of the scenery surrounding the creek in Muxue, overwhelming her with feelings of joy. A long bathtub suddenly materialised, stretching across the bathroom and filling it. Water trickled into the tub magically, soothing her therapeutically with the dripping sounds that followed.
Dongyue had never seen anything like this before. It delighted him that Xiyu was incredibly at ease. He had already sensed her confusion and exasperation over the days preceding their union. When he had chanced upon the secret lever hours ago and found the hidden bathroom, he immediately knew that it would please her.
“Xiyu, are you comfortable?” His fingers danced across the air speedily, forming a few beautiful petals from prominent blooms in Yilong to accompany her while she enjoyed her bath. A mild and yet sweet floral fragrance spread across the room, thrilling her further.
“Ah, you’re full of tricks, aren’t you?” For the first time since knowing her, she was beaming broadly at him. He had never seen her so lively in the past, often brooding and silent. Her cheery mood struck him with oblivion.
She poised herself close to his dumbfounded visage.
“Now, why are you still standing there? Disrobe and join me in the tub, then.”
He attempted to contain the indecent thoughts he was having in his mind, as well as the reaction that provoked him deep down inside his trousers. Grudgingly he took a few deep breaths and removed his robe and pants. She tossed him a smug look at how long he was taking. He stepped into the other side of the tub, opposite to where she was lying inside snugly.
“Rub my back, then, Zhan Dongyue,” she said solemnly, turning her back to him and closing her eyes. He moved forward and attempted to rub his back like how his servant had done for him when he was younger.
She grimaced from his coarseness of handling a woman’s back. Now, that hurt! What was he even thinking?
He retracted his hand quickly, realising he was giving her more pain than the comfort she anticipated.
“Did I ask you to stop?” she scowled at him. “Now, lessen that by one multiplier, and try again.”
Reluctantly, he placed his arms on her shoulders to attempt to rub her again, but she let out a satisfied grunt this time. The whiteness of her back fascinated him, and he realised he had not paid thorough attention to her naked bits up close. Even the nape of her neck was tempting, causing tinges of desire to shoot between his legs. He shook off his feelings, reminding him that he was just a lesser male in her eyes.
She didn’t love him that much yet, and neither was she eager to open her heart to him. In his mind, she saw him no more than a companion, and someone who had forged a bond of eternity with her. He fathomed that he was her protector, her partner and the person she would live to the ends of her life with, but not the one she would give her love. Her mood towards him was somewhat volatile, at times being cold and at other times, a bit warm and emotional.
Though they had made love on a few occasions, it was no more than the call of passion and duty. He was aware that she had a sensuality that had led her to initiate a few kisses with him on their first encounters. Now, he was her husband, and she was on a higher rank than him as the island’s owner. He perceived that he had the duty of satisfying her in every way he could.
“Xiyu, if you like it, I can do this for you every day.”
He had said his words without putting much thought into them, and his directness stunned her.
“I mean, rub your back.”
She remained silent. Her hair swung freely down the naked length of her back, some of it falling into the shallow waters. Then, he ventured closer to aid her with washing her silky strands, before realising that the clearness of the water in the tub exposed every detail of her flawless figure. It did not leave any part of her sheltered from his naughty thoughts.
Despite being left slightly uncomfortable from her awkwardness earlier, she flipped herself around to face him. To her surprise, her eyes met with his, staring at her intensely. Instantaneously, she pulled him even closer and took in the taste of his mouth, disregarding the fact that they were still in the tub.
She couldn’t fathom what was going on and why she acted on her hotness and predatory instinct. They were already husband and wife now, but she was yearning to ravage his mouth and tear him apart.
Something about her was not right.
Was it a ‘full moon’ again, or did the warmth of the water pooling around her lead her sensitive body to ignite with lust for him? She lost control and caved, kissing him devilishly. The water made her feel like a distinct person and not her usual self. Now, every feeling and desire for him was seeking to leave her body. She indulged in the steaminess her powers brought to her and how it blended with the magic in the water.
By now, their bodies were in indescribable proximity and tangled with each other. Minami didn’t come to her today, but the feeling that radiated through her body told her she had done the right thing. She pressed her bosom to Dongyue’s chest, panting heavily as she felt the call of passion.
Xiyu endeavoured to contain herself. Whatever it was in the sensuality she had, she shouldn’t allow lust to run her mind.
“I had enough,” Dongyue heard her say, and she stood up firmly, getting up from the slippery tub and taking care not to fall backwards. “When can we get home? It’s been such a long time, and I worry about and miss the people of Muxue Town.”
Her breathlessness stopped the minute they got out of the water. Once they were out of the bathroom, Dongyue assisted her to return to the bed, drying her with a thick cloth.
“Something seems weird about the tub and the water?” Dongyue suggested. She allowed her body to cool down and lay in the duvet.
“Dongyue, we need to go back to the island. Something here is not what it seems. The water made me...um, grow lust for you.”
Her cheeks reddened as the words left her mouth.
“Xiyu, you can have me at any time.”
“That’s not it, Dongyue!” she exclaimed irately. “It’s different! I wasn’t thinking of myself or yourself when I-” she came to a halt when speaking, as she found it hard to pronounce that she was on the verge of exploding with passion for him.
“...When I got hot all over. That’s some unorthodox magic, Dongyue.”
Dongyue gazed at her and then at what remained uncovered above the duvet. He cleared his mind and said his thoughts. “That’s right, Xiyu. I want you to be willing for our encounters, not because of some strange magic.”
It was bizarre. He hadn’t encountered the same issues earlier when he had used the bathroom. Was it possible that she reacted strongly to the strange magic in the water because she was already sensual and her magic was clashing with the magic there?
He took her hand in his, holding it tightly to his chest. She smiled at the thoughtfulness of his words, conveying her appreciation with the tenderness of her touch on him. Her fingers no longer felt so cold, and he liked how her eyelashes fluttered, and her hair swayed around her bare body.
“Thank you, Dongyue. Maybe one day, we can be more than we are now. I need to get home and-”
She had barely completed her sentence when he constrained her on the bed and kissed her lovingly. Their hearts beat together as they indulged in the warmth of each other’s mouths. Dongyue wanted Xiyu to realise and remember his presence profoundly, albeit his duty as her husband.
Her words had struck some sense in him, and made him apprehend how realistic she was. Did she want them to be more than mates and companions? He had wondered, just minutes ago.
Little did he know, the journey back to Muxue would be sooner than he had expected.