Fairy, Don't Be Afraid, I Am Blind

He Kongyue seemed very excited. He first reached in to check, and sure enough, the path was open. So he volunteered to be the first to squeeze into the stone crevice, with You Su following closely behind.

The stone crevice was only about half a person wide, requiring them to enter sideways, and the stone walls were covered in wet mud, making the two of them look dirty and disheveled.

Thankfully, the deeper they went, the wider the crevice became, until it finally opened up.

"I wonder how this crevice was formed," He Kongyue marveled internally, the sensation of novelty outweighing any annoyance despite being covered in mud.

"Perhaps it’s due to natural changes over time, and these two mountains were once pushed together," You Su explained absentmindedly.

The two of them continued onward together, and with the Luminous Pearl, it was much easier to see the entire cave clearly.

Unfortunately, besides an underground river, there was nothing else, just a naturally formed cave. At the cave’s end was a rift, but it was completely impassable for people. The different direction of the wind appeared to come from this rift, and He Kongyue speculated that the cave must’ve been formed by the merging of two mountains, with the wind coming from the other side of the mountain.

"Looks like we got excited over nothing," He Kongyue sighed.

"If it were that easy to find, would it still be called an opportunity?" You Su consoled, "At least we found a place to stay, better than being outside in the cold wind and rain."

"Mr. You is indeed open-minded. Alright then, we’ll just wait here until the Restriction Technique on that tomb breaks, then let’s see who can be faster than us."

He Kongyue said as he sat on the ground, the feelings of disappointment gone.

He quickly adapted, immediately taking out food from the Qiankun Bag and sharing it with You Su.

The two chatted as they ate, time flying by. You Su sat on the ground, becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

It was all because he was covered in sticky wet mud, and his clothes were half wet and half dry, sticking discomfortingly to his body.

Luckily, there was an underground river here. You Su had initially wanted to wash up but was concerned about unexpected incidents. After sitting for this long without anything happening, perhaps it was fine to take a bath?

"Mr. You, are you going to relieve yourself?"

He Kongyue saw You Su untying his waistband right in front of him and looked a little uneasy.

You Su hadn’t reached the stage of Fasting, so naturally, he still needed to excrete, though less frequently than ordinary people.

"Oh no, I already did that outside."

"Then you are...?"

"Taking a bath. I’m all grimy, can’t rest comfortably this way, might as well rinse off and change clothes."

You Su continued talking as he swiftly removed most of his earth-colored outer robe, leaving only a single garment.

He Kongyue glanced at the clear river water and couldn’t think of a reason to stop You Su, especially since he was also covered in mud.

"How about joining me, Mr. He?"

You Su eagerly invited, "I’m not lying to you, a cold shower has its own charm."

"Huh? I think I’d better not... If I get clean now, going out through that cave tomorrow will just make me dirty again."

He Kongyue lowered his head slightly, avoiding looking at You Su’s strong upper body.

"We’ve already cleared off a layer of dirt coming in, surely going out won’t be as bad as coming in. Besides, even if we get dirty going out, it’s always refreshing to bathe now."

You Su advised kindly; in his view, Mr. He’s reasoning wasn’t significant. Following such logic, people would never need a bath since they always get dirty again.

He Kongyue’s thick eyebrows knit together, wondering if You Su used to run a bathhouse in Chuyun City with how much he encouraged bathing.

"No need, I’m not very dirty..."

He Kongyue laughed it off, still politely declining.

"Since Mr. He doesn’t like bathing, I won’t insist."

He Kongyue kept his head down, raised an eyebrow at the comment.

What did that mean? Thinking I’m unhygienic?

He finally lifted his head, explaining:

"I don’t particularly dislike bathing, just that I’m used to tea and milk baths at home, and feel a bit awkward doing so outside."

As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes widened suddenly. You Su had just stripped off his undergarments right in front of him!

In a flash, it looked as if he saw a dormant black dragon.

He Kongyue’s face turned crimson, trembling, though he managed to control himself.

"I see, then I’ll trouble Mr. He to keep watch for me, wouldn’t want any female cultivators passing by to see."

Noticing the misunderstanding, You Su quickly made a joke to ease the awkwardness, and with a splash, he jumped into the water.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, He Kongyue clenched his jaw, stood up, saying:

"Just as well, I needed to relieve myself too, I’ll keep watch outside for you."

You Su, used to ice baths in Chuyun City, quickly adapted to the water temperature, humorously remarking:

"I thought Mr. He didn’t need to relieve himself."

Previously, every time You Su asked him to go relieve themselves together, He Kongyue politely declined, so he assumed He Kongyue’s cultivation level was nearing Feather Transformation, thus barely needing trips to the restroom anymore.

Hearing hurried footsteps leaving, You Su advised:

"Coming and going like this is cumbersome, Mr. He can resolve it within the cave, I don’t mind."

"It’s not about you minding, it’s about me!"

He Kongyue’s voice carried a rare tone of anger as he squeezed back into the crevice.

You Su was puzzled, had his comment about Mr. He not liking baths struck a nerve?

However, You Su bathed quickly, and not long after finishing, He Kongyue returned.

You Su guessed that Mr. He’s relief was long overdue.

This happens quite often for high-level cultivators; some might go into seclusion for ten days or half a month without relieving themselves, and upon emerging, they’d have to vent thoroughly.

After coming back, He Kongyue only chatted briefly before sitting down to meditate.

You Su, not wanting to disturb, closed his eyes and reminisced about the sword strike he used to assassinate Huo Yuandi the previous night.

Immersed in Sword Dao for a long time, You Su was suddenly awakened by a faint water sound.

Swish swish...

Someone else was bathing?