Chapter 503 : A Bold Step Forward
503: A Bold Step Forward
Jiang Mo stalled, tugging at a single clothes sash for a long time, truly too embarrassed to disrobe.
Although she had been raised by her Senior Sister, who had touched her, held her, and even pushed her head down to bathe her, with every part of her body having been seen by her Senior Sister, it was still different. In her original form, she was just a tiger, and when getting her head pushed down for a bath, she was just a soaking wet tiger. But now, if she took off her clothes, it would be true naked honesty. Even when facing the person she loved, she was unbearably shy.
Fortunately, Yun Qingyue didn't rush her. She just waited quietly, and even when she noticed how embarrassed Jiang Mo was, she slightly averted her gaze. If Jiang Mo had raised her head to look at that moment, she might have noticed that the roots of Yun Qingyue's ears had also turned slightly red.
However, neither of them dared to look at the other. Yun Qingyue didn't know how long she waited before finally hearing the rustling sound of clothes being removed.
Jiang Mo's movements seemed both quick and slow. Yun Qingyue's thoughts inadvertently drifted, and she didn't know how much time had passed. When she came back to her senses, the rustling of clothes had already stopped. After waiting another moment, she finally heard Jiang Mo's voice softly say, "Um, I've taken them off. But my injuries aren't serious, Ah Yue, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yun Qingyue had already turned around, and Jiang Mo, who had been facing her directly, had at some point turned her back. So when she turned her head, the first thing that greeted her eyes was an expanse of snow-white back.
Yun Qingyue was no stranger to a woman's bare back. Previously, when she was managing Mount Mingxia on behalf of her master, teaching junior brothers and sisters, there were junior sisters who took advantage of her accommodating nature to borrow the spirit spring in her small courtyard for bathing. Whether intentional or not, she had seen it several times, but as a fellow woman, she hadn't thought much of it at the time, viewing her junior sisters the same as she would view younger generations—although those junior sisters weren't necessarily younger than her.
But today was different. Yun Qingyue's breath unknowingly caught, and then realizing that her breathing might be heard by the sharp-eared little tiger, embarrassment and warmth immediately assailed her together.
The roots of Yun Qingyue's ears unconsciously burned frighteningly hot. She quickly adjusted her breathing, and only then noticed the bruises and small wounds scattered sparsely across that snow-white back... Truthfully, for a cultivator, these injuries really couldn't be considered significant. It was clear that Divine Lord Zhiming had indeed held back when teasing the cub. But looking at those injuries, Yun Qingyue still felt a shocking impact.
She felt extremely heartbroken and raised her hand to touch the largest wound on Jiang Mo's back. As soon as her fingertips made contact, she felt the other's body shrink slightly. Thinking she had hurt her, she immediately curled her fingers and asked, "How is it? Does it hurt a lot?"
Jiang Mo pressed her lips together, not knowing how to respond.
Although she was facing away from her Senior Sister, the White Tiger's hearing and a cultivator's perception made her acutely aware of everything behind her—whether it was her Senior Sister's slightly heated gaze or her slightly stagnant breathing, none of it escaped Jiang Mo's awareness. So the little tiger, already full of shyness, became even more embarrassed, while at the same time secretly experiencing a touch of delight.
As for Yun Qingyue's question, yes, it did hurt a little, but her dramatic reaction wasn't due to pain... When her Senior Sister's cool fingertips touched her skin, the little tiger not only shrank physically, but her heart also beat so violently it almost leaped out of her chest!
After quite a while, Jiang Mo finally calmed her racing heart and spoke, "No, I'm fine. These barely count as injuries."
This wasn't wrong. These minor injuries weren't even comparable to the bumps and bruises cultivators sustained during training. Yun Qingyue herself had experienced the hardships of cultivation, but these injuries on Jiang Mo made her heart ache.
Yun Qingyue pressed her lips together, not refuting these words, only saying, "I'll still apply some medicine for you."
In fact, Jiang Mo had already taken healing pills after being beaten, but since the injuries were inflicted by Divine Lord Zhiming, her casual consumption of pills was truly ineffective. Her Senior Sister helping to apply external medicine probably wouldn't work either, but Jiang Mo didn't want to refuse.
"Al-alright then." Jiang Mo agreed in a muffled voice, though her mind was in such a jumble that she couldn't sort through her own thoughts.
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Helping the one you love apply medicine was perhaps a sweet form of torture.
When Yun Qingyue initially offered to apply medicine for Jiang Mo, she hadn't thought too much about it, or perhaps it could be said that her inherently upright nature hadn't entertained any improper thoughts. However, when it actually came time to take action, the longer it went on, the more unsettled her emotions became.
At first, Yun Qingyue naturally applied medicine to Jiang Mo's back. Those scattered wounds on the snow-white skin were like flaws added to the finest white jade, making one's heart ache and want to remove those imperfections. So Yun Qingyue, while feeling heartbroken, focused on applying the medicine, her movements careful for fear of hurting the other.
Fortunately, Divine Lord Zhiming had only intended to give Jiang Mo a small lesson, and these injuries weren't serious. Yun Qingyue quickly finished applying the medicine—not to mention how complex Jiang Mo's emotions were during this process, but at least the result was satisfactory.
With the back wounds treated, naturally came the front.
Actually, Yun Qingyue's help should have stopped here. For the wounds on the back, there was the excuse that Jiang Mo couldn't reach them easily, which is why she helped, but for the front wounds, her help was truly unnecessary.
However, for some reason, Yun Qingyue seemed to overlook this point and after finishing the medicine on the back said, "Turn around, let me see the wounds on the front."
Hearing these words, Jiang Mo, whether she truly didn't realize or deliberately acted this way, actually turned around. She raised her hand to shield her chest slightly, but her delicate collarbone and flat abdomen were exposed to her Senior Sister's eyes.
Just now, with Jiang Mo facing away, Yun Qingyue could still restrain herself, but this time her face suddenly reddened uncontrollably.
Jiang Mo's heart was also beating heavily, her gaze darting everywhere, too embarrassed to meet the eyes of the person she loved—she had actually realized early on and could have refused her Senior Sister's inspection and help, but the two had confessed their feelings to each other long ago, yet their most intimate contact had been nothing more than kisses and hugs. She wanted to take another step forward with her Senior Sister, but in reality, external pressures meant her desires had no opportunity to be realized.
Besides this, Jiang Mo felt that her Senior Sister's temperament was too cool and detached. She could feel her Senior Sister's care and affection, but couldn't feel the burning passion of love, which always gave her a sense of insecurity.
So, taking advantage of today's opportunity, Jiang Mo secretly extended an exploratory paw, and fortunately, her Senior Sister wasn't truly indifferent to her.
Both remained silent. Jiang Mo's gaze wandered while Yun Qingyue was too embarrassed to let her eyes rest on her. After quite some time, Jiang Mo finally gathered her courage to bring her gaze back, then indicated with a slight nod of her chin: "Ah Yue, are you still going to apply the medicine?"
Jiang Mo's injuries on the front were actually fewer than on her back. No matter how Divine Lord Zhiming disciplined his juniors, he wouldn't strike a girl's chest. So Jiang Mo only had a scrape on her collarbone and a bruise on her lower abdomen.
Yun Qingyue had noticed these at a glance, and truthfully, these two areas weren't particularly private. She composed herself and replied, "Alright, I'll do it." She completely forgot that she could have handed over the medicine and let the other apply it herself.
Jiang Mo naturally didn't remind her, lowering her gaze slightly, still keeping her arm horizontally across her chest as a shield.
Yun Qingyue secretly took a deep breath, managing to steady herself. Except for her ears, which remained frighteningly hot, she appeared as calm and steady as usual. Then she raised the medicine, dipped her fingertips in it, and proceeded to apply it to Jiang Mo's collarbone.
Jiang Mo's collarbone was delicate and beautiful, her skin fair and tender. When Yun Qingyue's fingertips touched that skin, it was as if they landed on the finest cloud brocade. She felt a slight sense of reluctance in her heart, but fortunately, having touched Jiang Mo's back many times while applying medicine earlier, she could maintain outward calm when facing her directly.
As the medicine was gradually applied to the wound, Yun Qingyue's eyes lowered slightly, her movements methodical. In her peripheral vision, she could see the slight swell beneath the other's shielding arm, but she seemed completely unmoved, not sparing it a single extra glance.
However, only she knew that beneath her surface calm, her heart was beating more rapidly than ever before.
"Thump, thump, thump..." Yun Qingyue was a bit worried that the sharp-eared little tiger would hear her quickened heartbeat.
What Yun Qingyue didn't know was that Jiang Mo's own heartbeat wasn't much slower than hers. The little tiger's ears were also filled with the sound of "thump, thump," but she couldn't distinguish whether that sound came from her Senior Sister or herself.
If the collarbone wound was already causing such reactions, when this area was finished and it was time for the lower abdomen, things became even more unsettled.
Yun Qingyue pressed her lips together and leaned down slightly. The moment her fingertips touched Jiang Mo's abdomen, the latter finally couldn't resist and grabbed her hand. When Yun Qingyue looked up, she fell directly into the dark depths of the other's eyes.
Jiang Mo's throat moved slightly, and she called out, "Senior Sister..."
Yun Qingyue didn't notice the change in her form of address at that moment. Her gaze unconsciously fell on the slightly exposed spring scenery of the other, and then even more unconsciously, she stood up following Jiang Mo's pull.
Before she could react, Jiang Mo suddenly lowered her other hand that had been shielding her chest. This time, before Yun Qingyue's gaze could fall, she boldly stepped forward, pressing directly against her, and wrapped her arms around her Senior Sister's slender waist...