Ye Chu was dragged by Pang Shao to drink with him. Ye Chu did not touch a single drop of alcohol, but he managed to get Pang Shao so drunk that he collapsed on the flower boat. Seeing Pang Shao completely wasted, Ye Chu fished out a handful of gold coins from Pang Shao’s body. Out of the goodness of his heart, he hired a few men from the flower boat to carry him away. He even told them that whatever they wanted to do to Pang Shao that night was fine!
By the time he returned to the residence, it was already quite late. He saw Bai Xuan bending over as she poured water into the foot basin. Her hips were raised high, exaggeratedly full and plump. Her trousers were stretched tight, accentuating the wide, fertile curves of her buttocks. Her long legs were straight and slender. Her entire body exuded the mature allure of a woman. Ye Chu’s gaze fell on Bai Xuan’s voluptuous figure, and he found it difficult to look away.
Bai Xuan sensed someone behind her. She turned her head and saw Ye Chu standing there with a smile on his lips, his eyes fixed on her sensitive areas. A light blush coloured her cheeks.
Ye Chu smiled and shifted his gaze away. He pulled over a nearby chair, curled his legs up lazily, and sat opposite Bai Xuan. “Is Yao Yao asleep?”
“She waited for you for a long time but could not stay awake any longer and fell asleep first.” Seeing Ye Chu with both feet curled up on the chair, she reached over and patted his foot. “Take your stinky feet off the chair. Aren’t you afraid of dirtying it? I just fetched water to wash my feet. Do you want to wash first?”
“I’ll just rinse them quickly with some cold water later. Sister Bai Xuan, you don’t need to worry about me!” Ye Chu laughed. He sat lazily in the chair, his gaze drifting to the side. No one knew what he was looking at.
Bai Xuan saw that Ye Chu had no intention of washing his feet and did not press him further. She took off her own shoes and prepared to put her feet into the basin.
As Bai Xuan tested the water temperature with her foot, she did not realise that Ye Chu had already shifted his gaze to her feet.
Bai Xuan’s calves were as fair and tender as fresh lotus roots. Her jade-like feet were slender, soft, white, and exquisitely delicate.
“Sister Bai Xuan’s feet are truly elegant!” Ye Chu smiled and praised her. He had once heard someone say that to truly appreciate a woman’s beauty, one should look at her feet and legs. A woman’s grace and temperament were all reflected in her jade feet. Now he saw that it was absolutely true.
Bai Xuan’s legs looked pure white and boneless, slender and tender. Just like Bai Xuan herself, they were incredibly enticing.
“What do you know!” Bai Xuan’s cheeks flushed crimson. She quickly placed her jade feet into the basin, wanting to escape Ye Chu’s gaze.
“Ah…” In her haste, Bai Xuan forgot the water was still a little hot. She let out a pained cry and hurriedly pulled her foot back out.
“Don’t move!” Ye Chu saw that her foot had turned slightly red from the heat. He picked up the nearby cold water and asked, “Shall I add some cool water?”
“Mm!” Bai Xuan’s foot burned with a stinging pain. Seeing Ye Chu holding the cold water, she nodded. The water dripped through the gaps in Ye Chu’s fingers and fell onto her slender jade foot.
“It’s quite a bad burn! Do you want me to rub it for you? Otherwise, if blisters form, it will be hard for you to walk tomorrow!” Ye Chu’s gaze moved upward. He looked at Bai Xuan with genuine concern.
“Ah! Oh!” Bai Xuan was startled by Ye Chu’s words and reflexively agreed.
Ye Chu grasped Bai Xuan’s leg and began to knead it gently. The warmth and silky smoothness were intoxicating. His gaze remained fixed on her jade foot, which looked exceptionally elegant and delicate.
The slight numbness from Ye Chu’s rubbing finally made Bai Xuan react. She thought to herself that her foot was not sprained. Rubbing might help with circulation, but how could it possibly reduce the heat from a burn? Rubbing a scald would do nothing at all.
“Ah…” Realising what was happening, Bai Xuan abruptly pulled her foot back. She felt both amused and exasperated. She was older than Ye Chu, yet she had actually been fooled by his blatant nonsense.
Bai Xuan’s face was flushed red. Her eyes were shy, her gaze soft and alluring. Her heart was in chaos. She quickly said to Ye Chu, “I’m fine now. No need to rub anymore!”
Seeing Bai Xuan lower her head, her stunningly beautiful face dyed with a blush, Ye Chu sighed inwardly with regret. He had thought he could coax her into letting him rub for a bit longer, but she had reacted far too quickly.
Bai Xuan tested the water temperature again. Finding it no longer too hot, she placed her jade foot back into the basin. Seeing Ye Chu still staring at her, she could not help scolding him coquettishly, “Using tricks to fool girls, and you even use them on me!”
Ye Chu looked utterly innocent. “Where? I only remembered that sprains need rubbing. I forgot that burns should not be rubbed. I was just too worried about you earlier and my mind blanked for a moment.”
“I’d be a fool to believe you!” Bai Xuan felt her face burning. If she had not known Ye Chu lied without batting an eye, she might really have been deceived.
With her jade foot soaking in the water, Ye Chu’s gaze could not help drifting over Bai Xuan’s body. She wore a form-fitting garment that perfectly outlined her exquisite curves. Her full breasts stood proud and firm, their softness almost palpable.
Being stared at like this by Ye Chu made Bai Xuan feel a little embarrassed. She gave him a coquettish glare. Seeing Ye Chu casually shift his gaze away, she felt too shy to scold him. Her cheeks simply burned hotter.
But just as Bai Xuan breathed a sigh of relief that Ye Chu had looked away, she saw him taking off his shoes. Curious, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“Washing my feet, of course?” Ye Chu replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Then go fetch some water!” Bai Xuan reminded him. But halfway through her sentence, she realised what was happening. Seeing Ye Chu drag his chair over and sit opposite her, she quickly said, “No nonsense! Your stinky feet are not allowed in here.”
Ye Chu paid no attention to Bai Xuan’s words. He had already put both feet in. “The basin is so big. It’s enough for two people. I’m too lazy to fetch water. Sister Bai Xuan, just make do with it.”
Bai Xuan laughed in exasperation. Looking at the legs already in the basin, she glared at Ye Chu but said nothing more. She was about to lift her own foot out when Ye Chu grabbed it. “Sister Bai Xuan, won’t you stay and chat with me for a while?”
Bai Xuan looked into Ye Chu’s clear, pitch-black eyes staring straight at her. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Then you’re not allowed to move recklessly!”
After saying that, Bai Xuan did not pull her jade foot out of the basin. However, her foot accidentally brushed against Ye Chu’s. The slight warmth and smoothness made her heart tremble.
“Didn’t you want to talk to me? Why are you silent now?” Bai Xuan saw Ye Chu fall quiet and quickly tried to find a topic to distract herself.
“Oh!” Ye Chu smiled. “I might have to leave Yao City in a little while!”
“You’re leaving?” Bai Xuan looked at Ye Chu. Her beautiful eyes widened as she stared at him. Bai Xuan did not even understand why she suddenly felt so agitated.
“Mm!” Ye Chu smiled faintly. “Yao City never really belonged to me. No one here welcomes me to stay. I came back this time just to retrieve something. Now that I have it, it’s time to go.”
At this point, Ye Chu paused and smiled. “If Uncle Bai had not wanted to pass on the method to enter the General’s Tomb to me, I would have left the very day I obtained the Red Baleful ancient book.”
“Why the sudden decision? Why don’t you think about it more carefully? Not everyone dislikes you. Yao Yao and… I… both want you to stay!” Bai Xuan looked at Ye Chu. He was curled up in the chair in a very relaxed posture. The smile still played at the corners of his lips, lazy and composed. His face was somewhat handsome, making Bai Xuan unable to look away.
“I can’t stay in Yao City forever!” Ye Chu shook his head. As he spoke, his eyes met Bai Xuan’s.
The clear gaze made Bai Xuan’s heart tremble. She suddenly recalled that sometimes, behind Ye Chu’s unrestrained and carefree demeanour, she could sense a deep loneliness that the world rejected. For some reason, Bai Xuan felt a pang of heartache.
“If you want to stay here, then you can stay forever!” Bai Xuan said. “Didn’t you say the world’s curses don’t affect you?”
Ye Chu laughed. Bai Xuan clearly thought he was leaving because he could not bear Yao City’s insults. But those curses truly meant nothing to him!
“Let’s not talk about that. There’s still some time anyway!” Ye Chu suddenly smiled. His foot moved in the basin, brushing against Bai Xuan’s leg. “Let’s compare legs with Sister Bai Xuan and see whose is whiter!”
Seeing Ye Chu making up another excuse to take advantage of her, Bai Xuan laughed helplessly. This time, she did not scold him. Her mind was still occupied with what Ye Chu had said earlier.