...
Seeing that Liu Erlong's previously dejected appearance had finally dissipated a lot after arguing with him, and she had regained some of her former tigress-like vitality, Xuan Hao smiled and smoothly brought the topic back.
"Alright, enough joking around. You seem to be in better spirits, let's get down to business."
Xuan Hao leaned closer, looking directly into her eyes.
"What's wrong?
Didn't you say you had something to tell me a few days ago? What is it?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Erlong's hard-won composure instantly crumbled.
She guiltily turned her head away, not daring to meet Xuan Hao's gaze.
How could she possibly bring herself to say it?
When she first returned from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, all she could think about was cutting things off quickly and making sure Xuan Hao stopped getting involved in those messy, ambiguous relationships with her.
After all, she was getting on in years, and it would be too damaging for him to let that get out.
However... after last night's relentless bombardment of Flander's unscrupulous yet extremely brainwashing "taking advantage" theory, Liu Erlong sadly realized that he truly couldn't bring himself to say those resolute words now.
Not only could she not say it, but subconsciously she was even somewhat reluctant to part with this jerk who always infuriated her, yet always managed to protect her at crucial moments.
Seeing Liu Erlong blushing, biting her lip, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't, and so conflicted that she was almost in a knot, Xuan Hao understood that it would probably be a long time before this proud woman took the initiative to speak.
So, he decided to go all the way and suddenly stretched out his arms, grabbed Liu Erlong around the waist in a very domineering manner, and strode into the house.
"Ah! What...what are you doing?!"
Liu Erlong was suddenly suspended in mid-air, and panicked. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Surprisingly, this powerful Soul Saint didn't instinctively use his soul power or brute force to resist. Instead, he looked at him anxiously and guiltily, like a little girl caught red-handed:
"Put me down! What are you going to do?"
"Guess?" Xuan Hao's lips curled into a wicked smile as he walked to the bedside and unceremoniously tossed her onto the soft, large bed.
Liu Erlong felt uneasy at this action.
She hurriedly shrank further into the bed and stammered a warning, "You...you'd better not do anything rash!
Let me tell you, Ning Rongrong and the others are all at the academy, they could come over at any time!
If you dare..."
What can I possibly do wrong?
Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow, interrupting her.
He then patted the mattress and said in an extremely serious tone, like an old Chinese medicine doctor instructing a patient, "Turn over and lie face down."
As he spoke, Xuan Hao magically produced a small bottle of amber liquid from his soul tool.
Liu Erlong stared warily at the delicate little bottle: "What is this?
Poison or a sleeping potion?"
"Can't you think of anything healthy?"
Xuan Hao rolled his eyes speechlessly.
"This is a special massage oil that I personally brewed and refined using various top-quality medicinal herbs and a little bit of water of life.
It relaxes muscles and improves blood circulation, eliminates fatigue, and is also extremely effective for skin care. Just lie down and relax.
Don't worry, I just see you're too tense and am giving you a massage.
I won't do anything inappropriate."
Liu Erlong looked at him with some doubt, but she couldn't resist the inexplicable sense of obedience in her heart.
She slowly turned over and lay stiffly on the bed.
However, as soon as she lay down, she felt a chill on her back.
Xuan Hao merely flicked his fingertips lightly, without using much force, and her already thin black silk nightgown was neatly torn open from the middle of her back, revealing a large expanse of smooth, delicate, and healthy-looking back.
"You bastard! What do you think you're doing?!"
Liu Erlong was stunned. Her mind went blank. She was filled with shame and indignation and instinctively tried to get up and fight back.
But Xuan Hao was faster. He firmly pressed one hand on her rounded shoulder, pushing her back onto the bed, and said calmly, "What's the panic?
I already said I won't do anything reckless.
If I really wanted to do something shameless, why would I go through all that trouble to fool you with some essential oil?
Wouldn't it be more in line with my 'mischievous devil' style to just take action?"
"Relax." Xuan Hao's voice deepened. "This is proper medical massage.
I used to massage Tang Yuehua of Yuexuan like this often.
I cured her cervical spondylosis, and she even praised my professional technique."
"You did this kind of thing to Tang Yuehua?!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Erlong felt a surge of bitter resentment and shame.
That woman was a renowned noblewoman of the Heavenly Dou Empire, and this bastard had even...
"What are you thinking! I already said it's a legitimate massage!"
Xuan Hao was utterly impressed by this woman's imagination.
Without further ado, he poured some essential oil into his palms to warm it, then placed his hands steadily on Liu Erlong's back and gently pushed them away.
The warm essential oil slid down her fingertips across her skin.
Liu Erlong was extremely nervous at this moment, her muscles were as stiff as a rock, and she didn't even dare to breathe heavily, for fear that Xuan Hao would take the opportunity to do something outrageous.
Xuan Hao sensed her stiffness and refrained from further teasing.
He held his breath and focused his attention, applying pressure with his fingers and the base of his palms, rhythmically massaging and pressing along the meridians of her back.
At the same time, he meticulously controlled a wisp of his own vital energy, silently seeping it into the depths of Liu Erlong's taut muscles through his palms.
Under the lubrication of the warm essential oil and the slight stimulation of that strange energy, Liu Erlong gradually felt that the muscles in his back, which had been knotted up due to days of anxiety and fatigue, were actually melting away little by little.
An indescribable feeling of comfort spread throughout her body like an electric current, causing her to relax involuntarily and let out a very subtle sigh of comfort.
"You...you really know how to do this?"
Liu Erlong buried her face in the pillow, blushing as she muttered softly.
"Of course, I've been practicing this skill for several years."
While pressing, Xuan Hao casually said, "I started practicing with Tang Yuehua when I was ten years old.
I was just a little kid back then, and since this is a legitimate blood circulation massage, she served as my 'human model' for quite a long time."
Xuan Hao seemed to remember something, and a mischievous smile appeared on his lips:
"Actually, Rongrong, Xiaowu and the others have also experienced it.
However... the version they experienced was much more comprehensive than Tang Yuehua's."
Liu Erlong was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "How comprehensive?"
"If you're interested, I can give you a full demonstration right now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Hao's hands, which had been resting on Liu Erlong's lower back, did not retract as before, but instead continued to slowly slide down along the smooth curve.
Liu Erlong's body tensed instantly, her heart pounding like a drum, and her brain sounded the alarm once more.
Was this bastard really going to reveal his true colors after all?!
However, to her surprise, Xuan Hao did not use any of the obviously provocative touches.
His hands maintained that professional and steady massage force, slowly sliding down her shapely thighs and calves, finally reaching her ankles and toes.
Then he changed his technique, starting from the toes and pushing upwards along the meridians, slowly and meticulously returning to the shoulders.
After several full pushes back and forth, Liu Erlong felt his whole body getting warm, his blood and qi flowing smoothly, and he felt so comfortable that he almost melted into the bed.
All his guard and defenses crumbled in this extreme relaxation.
But... no matter how professional or proper the technique was, the moment Xuan Hao's palm slid across her buttocks, the extremely unfamiliar and shameful feeling still made Liu Erlong's heart pound like a deer, and her cheeks burn incredibly hot.
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