...
The back-stepping exercise, a physically demanding activity, took almost half an hour.
Tang Yuehua was just an ordinary person with low soul power.
Maintaining her balance for a long time and constantly exerting force to press down on Xuan Hao's back, which was like an impenetrable wall, had left her panting heavily, and even her legs were starting to tremble uncontrollably.
Just when she was about to give up, Xuan Hao, who had been lying there pretending to be dead, finally reacted.
He turned slightly to the side, just about to say, "That's enough."
However, his sudden action caused Tang Yuehua, who was already weak in the legs and unsteady on her feet, to lose her balance instantly.
"ah!"
Tang Yuehua let out a short gasp and fell straight backward.
Just as she was about to fall awkwardly off the bed, Xuan Hao's eyes narrowed, and he exerted force suddenly.
A surge of powerful and intense energy erupted from his body, and a tangible red aura instantly filled the surrounding space.
This violent yet precisely controlled blood and qi power was like a soft and enormous net, steadily supporting Tang Yuehua in mid-air and enveloping her completely within it.
Tang Yuehua remained suspended in mid-air in a backward-falling posture, yet she felt as if she were lying on a soft, warm, giant air cushion.
Not only did she not feel weightless, but she was also surrounded by a strong sense of security.
Xuan Hao did not rush to withdraw his qi and blood, but slowly manipulated the power, like releasing a feather, and gently placed the still-shaken Tang Yuehua on the large bed.
"Couldn't you... couldn't you have said something before you moved?!"
As soon as she landed, Tang Yuehua glared at him angrily.
Her dignified face was now as red as a ripe apple due to shame, anger and the exertion.
Xuan Hao sat up, looked at the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket, and leaned forward to wipe her sweat.
"Your physical condition is really bad, isn't it?
I didn't even make you exert yourself much, and you're already this tired?"
Xuan Hao complained.
Tang Yuehua slapped his hand away impatiently and glared at him:
"Do you think everyone is a blood monster like you?
I'm not a Soul Master, and do you know how long I was stomping on it? A full half hour, without stopping!
My legs are practically not my own anymore!"
"Alright, alright, you've worked hard." Xuan Hao raised an eyebrow.
"Since you've gone to so much trouble to coax me, let's return the favor and I'll help you relax a bit."
Hearing this, Tang Yuehua felt a vague sense of danger, but her body was indeed aching unbearably.
She hesitated for a moment, then resignedly turned her head away, lay face down on the bed, and turned her back to him.
Xuan Hao sat down cross-legged beside her, stretched out his hands, and first placed them on Tang Yuehua's shoulders, kneading them with moderate force a few times.
However, after only a couple of pinches, Xuan Hao frowned.
"Your court attire is such a nuisance.
All those layers of stiff dress, how am I supposed to find my acupoints?"
Before Tang Yuehua could react, Xuan Hao gently flipped her over, just like flipping a pancake.
Immediately afterwards, he reached out without hesitation and went straight to untie the delicate and intricate ribbon around her waist.
"What are you doing?!"
Tang Yuehua was so frightened that her face changed drastically.
Her face turned red as she gripped her belt tightly, looking at him defensively as if she were guarding against a wolf.
"Relax, what can you do?" Xuan Hao spread his hands confidently.
"You're dressed too thickly and in too many layers.
I can't find the acupoints, so it's difficult to do anything."
"You...you mustn't do anything reckless!"
Tang Yuehua was filled with shame and indignation, and warned through gritted teeth.
Xuan Hao, however, was not buying it.
He raised an eyebrow and said, "I'll give you two choices: either you obediently take off this cumbersome dress yourself, or... I'll just tear this dress off."
"Anyway, with your few layers of fabric, it's no different from paper to me.
With a little force, it'll tear in two. If you want to go back naked, I don't mind."
"You scoundrel!"
Tang Yuehua's heart pounded wildly as she stared intently at Xuan Hao.
But she knew all too well this bastard's wicked nature—he meant what he said.
If she didn't cooperate, this lawless little pervert was absolutely capable of doing something as absurd as tearing clothes off with his bare hands!
Left with no other choice, she could only sit up, her hands trembling, and reluctantly unbutton her elaborate palace dress coat and skirt, leaving her with only a thin, close-fitting white silk undershirt.
After taking off her outer clothes, Tang Yuehua held her hands in front of her chest, looking at him somewhat at a loss.
"Why are you glaring at me after you've taken your clothes off? Lie back down."
Xuan Hao rolled his eyes at her guarded look.
"Or... do you want to just lie flat like this and have me massage you from the front?"
"roll!"
Tang Yuehua glared at him fiercely, turned around as if she had been electrocuted, and lay back down on the bed.
Xuan Hao then gave a satisfied hum, no longer pushing his luck, and instead began to professionally massage Tang Yuehua's back along the meridians through the thin lining.
However, this feeling of being separated by a thin layer of silk, almost touching but not actually touching, made Tang Yuehua feel even stranger and more sensitive!
When Xuanhao was still young, this little pervert would often volunteer to give her massages in order to please her.
At that time, she only thought of him as an immature child and didn't think much of it.
But now... feeling the aura of the fully grown young man behind her, whose vitality was terrifying, Tang Yuehua simply couldn't remain calm as before.
Her muscles were slightly tense, her nerves on high alert, afraid that if she wasn't careful, this little rascal would start taking advantage of her and pushing his luck.
But to her surprise, as time passed, Xuan Hao behaved unusually well.
His hands moved across her back like butterflies flitting among flowers, each press and kneading precisely landing on the acupoints without any overstepping of boundaries.
Gradually, Tang Yuehua's tense nerves finally relaxed.
It must be admitted that Xuanhao's massage technique is extremely comfortable.
This comfort comes not only from the strength and skill of his hands, but more importantly, from the fact that during the massage, Xuan Hao meticulously controls his own qi and blood, transforming them into warm currents that slowly penetrate her body through her pores.
This wild yet tamed power greatly enhances the effect of relaxing muscles and promoting blood circulation, sweeping away the accumulated fatigue in her body and allowing her entire body to relax to the deepest level.
In fact, it was precisely because the feeling brought by this massage was so addictive and comfortable that Tang Yuehua was completely unprepared and led into the trap step by step by this little rascal at the very beginning.
Recalling her "massage history" over the years, Tang Yuehua couldn't help but blush a little.
At first, the boy only dared to massage her shoulders properly.
Later, I got a little bolder and started to massage my entire back legitimately.
Later on, it naturally progressed to massaging legs and feet.
If she hadn't been so vigilant and kept her bottom line firmly in place, that little rascal would probably have already found an excuse to mess with her butt!
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