Chapter 625
Shan Ying's Sacrifice
A full month has passed since the last treatment.
For Shan Ying, these thirty days and nights were a dual process of stripping away and rebuilding.
During the day, she remained the dignified deputy sect leader of the He Yi Sect, but every time night fell, the feeling of relief and liberation deep within her body would surge like an undercurrent, reminding her of some unspeakable change.
Her old injuries had healed by 70%, and the stiffness in her muscles and bones had been completely removed. The smooth and effortless flow of her internal energy was something she had never experienced in many years.
But along with the recovery came a deeper unease.
She began to rely on the soothing touch of those hands and started to look forward to the brief contact after nightfall.
Whenever his palm touched her skin, those deliberately suppressed, womanly sensations would quietly sprout like spring grass.
She knew it was wrong, that she shouldn't have done it.
But the body remembers the force of each press and the trajectory of each internal energy penetration.
Feng Yuxiu finally remembered her, and one evening, a pebble pierced through the crack in the window from the street.
The pebbles were wrapped in a strip of paper.
Shan Ying felt her whole body trembling, but more than that, she was excited.
He quickly walked forward, bent down, picked up the stone, and opened the note.
"Tomorrow afternoon at six o'clock, No. 7 Liuxiang Lane, West of the city."
Shan Ying suddenly felt hot all over. What did it mean that she had been moved to a different place?
last step.
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The western part of the city is on the edge, and Liuxiang Lane is particularly narrow and cramped.
Number 7 is an old three-story building with peeling paint and a musty smell mixed with cooking fumes permeating the stairwell.
She climbed the dimly lit stairs to the top floor and stopped in front of the innermost door.
The door was ajar.
She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The interior was more rudimentary than she had imagined.
The room was only 20 square meters, with a wooden bed, an old table, two chairs, and nothing else.
The walls were mottled, the windows were covered with newspapers to seal the gaps, and the only electrical appliance was a dim light bulb hanging overhead, casting a swaying shadow.
Feng Yuxiu sat on the edge of the bed.
He changed into a dark gray undershirt and matching trousers, the fabric of which had faded from washing.
The room was stuffy and hot with no windows open. Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead under the dim light.
"Close the door," he said in a low voice.
Dan Ying did as she was told, closing the door behind her and locking it.
The room instantly became a closed, isolated space.
The air was filled with a distinctly masculine scent, mixed with a faint smell of sweat, herbs, and the musty smell of the old house itself.
"It's even more rudimentary than I expected," she said, trying to mask her inner turmoil with a calm tone.
"That's enough." Feng Yuxiu stood up, his gaze sweeping over her.
Today, Shan Ying wore a plain blue cloth dress, which was looser than her usual practice clothes, but it still couldn't hide her slender figure.
She simply tied her long hair back, revealing her smooth forehead and slender neck.
Over the past month, her complexion has become much rosier and her eyes have become clearer, but the determination that belongs to the deputy sect leader between her brows has not diminished in the slightest.
"Let's begin." Feng Yuxiu pointed to the wooden bed. "Lie down."
Shan Ying did not move.
She looked around the cramped space, her gaze finally settling on the simple bed.
The sheets were dark blue and stiff from washing, but they were laid out smoothly.
"Here?" she asked, a hint of tension in her voice that she herself didn't even realize.
“It’s quiet here.” Feng Yuxiu took a step closer, and the distance between the two suddenly shortened.
He could smell the faint scent of soap on her, mixed with a very subtle, feminine fragrance.
"No one will bother you. You can completely relax."
He spoke the words "completely relax" very slowly, each word carrying weight.
Dan Ying's fingers unconsciously curled up slightly.
She looked at him, and in his calm, deep eyes, reflected in the dim light, something seemed to be surging within, yet she couldn't quite make it out.
Finally, she nodded and walked to the bedside.
The wooden bed made a slight creaking sound.
She sat down sideways, took off her cloth shoes, and neatly placed them under the bed.
Then, she untied the belt of her coat.
This time, she did not wear that moon-white fine cotton undergarment.
When she left Heyi Gate, she deliberately chose the most ordinary underwear.
A white cotton shirt and trousers, the fabric soft but conservative, covering most of the skin.
Her outer garment slipped down, revealing the clothes underneath.
Under the dim light, the white fabric appeared somewhat transparent, vaguely revealing the skin beneath.
Feng Yuxiu's gaze lingered on her for a moment.
That gaze wasn't as pure as a doctor's; it was a focused, almost scrutinizing observation, like assessing the condition of a weapon or confirming the fulfillment of some expectation.
"Lie down," he repeated.
Dan Ying lay face down on the bed as instructed, with her face turned to one side.
The rough sheets rubbed against her cheeks, bringing an unfamiliar sensation.
She could feel sweat slowly seeping out from her back, soaking her thin clothes.
Feng Yuxiu sat down by the bed.
The bed sank down again, bringing them so close that she could smell his sweat even more clearly, mixed with the scent of some kind of herbal ointment.
He didn't start immediately, but instead reached out and hovered his palm an inch above her lower back.
"It's hot," he said in a low voice. "My clothes are wet, which is affecting the flow of people."
Shan Ying's body stiffened slightly.
"Take it off." His tone was calm, yet left no room for argument. "Or I can help you."
The air seemed to freeze.
The dim light bulb emitted a buzzing sound, and the distant sound of a car could be heard from outside, but all of this seemed to be separated by a thick pane of glass, distant and unreal.
Shan Ying could hear her own heartbeat, pounding heavily in her chest.
This is necessary for treatment.
She told herself.
Wet clothing hinders the penetration of internal energy, affecting the therapeutic effect.
This is medical theory.
But another voice rang sharply in her heart: Here? In this dilapidated rented room? In front of him?
Silence is spreading.
Every second was stretched out, compressing the already stuffy air.
Finally, Shan Ying started moving her hand.
She propped herself up, her back to him, her fingers trembling as she unbuttoned her blouse.
One, two, three.
The fabric slipped off her shoulders and piled up at her waist.
Her back was completely exposed to the air, right under his gaze.
Her skin gleamed like ivory under the dim light, her shoulder blades had clear and beautiful lines, and her spinal groove went down to her waist and disappeared into the fabric.
She didn't take her clothes off completely, only leaving her upper body naked.
Then, she lay down again, buried her face in her arms, and closed her eyes.
Feng Yuxiu did not comment.
His hand finally landed, pressing directly against her skin.
Warm, rough palms with calluses rested comfortably against the center of her lower back.
Dan Ying trembled, her breathing instantly becoming erratic.
Over the past month, although we've had several physical contacts, each time we've been separated by a layer of clothing. This is the first time our skin has been in direct contact.
His palms were warmer and more real than I remembered.
The lines on the palm, the hardness of the calluses, the penetration of temperature—every detail is magnified infinitely, penetrating the skin and reaching the nerve endings.
"Relax." His voice sounded above her, deep and steady, yet carrying a tone she had never heard before, almost commanding.
Dan Ying tried to take a deep breath, but her chest heaved violently.
She could feel her skin trembling slightly under his palm, not from the cold, but from a strange, surging sensation awakening within her.
Feng Yuxiu began to act.
His method was the same as before, yet completely different.
Without the obstruction of clothing, his every press was more direct and deeper.
The internal energy penetrated her skin without reservation through her palms, flowing along her meridians.
“Here,” he pressed his thumb on a knot in her muscle below her shoulder blade, “the last time the massage wasn’t thorough enough.”
He pressed harder, his fingertips sinking into the soft texture.
The soreness and swelling came over me, but it was sharper and deeper than before.
Dan Ying bit her lower lip, suppressing the groan that was about to escape her lips.
Sweat dripped from his forehead and onto her back.
Warm water droplets slid slowly down the spine, leaving a cool, damp trail.
Dan Ying's body trembled violently; the touch of that bead of sweat was more alarming to her than his palm.
Feng Yuxiu seemed unaware, or rather, he didn't care.
His hands continued to wander, from the shoulders and back to the sides of the waist, from the spine to the edge of the ribs.
Every press is precise and every kneading motion has a clear purpose.
Unblock the meridians and dissolve blockages.
But beneath this rigorous treatment, something strange is growing.
His hand seemed to linger on her waist for a moment longer than usual.
When his fingertips brushed along the edge of her ribs, the pressure was so light it was almost a caress.
His breathing, above her head, gradually grew heavier.
Shan Ying could sense all of this.
Her body responded, her skin flushed a faint pink, and her breathing became increasingly difficult to control.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to focus her attention on the treatment itself, on the soreness and relief she felt.
But I can't do it.
His presence was too strong.
This enclosed, stuffy room, this simple bed, his burning palms, his heavy breathing, the beads of sweat dripping from his skin.
Everything was dragging her into a strange and dangerous situation.
“Turn it over,” he suddenly said.
Dan Ying opened her eyes, momentarily stunned.
“Front view.” Feng Yuxiu’s hand left her body. “The Tanzhong point on the chest and the Guanyuan point on the abdomen need to be massaged.”
Shan Ying froze.
Front? That means...
“This is necessary for treatment.” His tone remained calm, but something was churning in his eyes. “Your old injury is affecting the Ren meridian, and if the blockage in your chest and abdomen is not cleared, the meridians in your lower limbs will be difficult to unblock.”
His argument was reasonable and well-founded.
The Ren and Du meridians are the foundation of martial arts, and the Tanzhong and Guanyuan acupoints are indeed key points.
In the past, treatments have never addressed the issue directly due to various concerns, but in theory, a thorough treatment should indeed include it.
Shan Ying propped herself up and sat up.
Her upper body was still bare, with her white short-sleeved shirt bunched up at her waist.
She looked at him, her eyes filled with struggle, hesitation, and a secret expectation that she herself was unwilling to admit.
Feng Yuxiu met her gaze without flinching.
His expression was calm, but the dark fire deep in his eyes was burning brighter and brighter.
A long, drawn-out stare.
Finally, Shan Ying slowly lay down and turned onto her back.
The light bulb on the ceiling made her squint.
She could feel her chest heaving violently, and the sound of her heart pounding reverberated in her ears.
She placed her arms at her sides, her fingers gripping the rough sheets tightly.
Feng Yuxiu's gaze fell on her.
Under the dim light, the curves of her body were on full display.
The white trousers clung tightly to her legs, and beneath the folds of fabric at her waist was a flat stomach and… He shifted his gaze and refocused on her face.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her eyelashes trembling violently. Her lips were pressed together, turning pale, but her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness.
He reached out, his palm hovering above her chest.
Dan Ying's breathing suddenly stopped.
“The Tanzhong acupoint,” his voice was low and almost hoarse, “the meeting point of Qi.”
His fingers fell down, not to the palm, but to the fingertips, gently touching the Tanzhong acupoint, located in the center of her sternum, at the midpoint of the line connecting her breasts.
The force was very light, but the internal energy penetrated extremely deep.
A tingling, numb sensation instantly spread, penetrating the chest cavity and reaching the back.
A suppressed whimper escaped Shan Ying's throat, and her body involuntarily arched.
"Relax," he commanded, his fingertips beginning to slowly draw circles, massaging acupoints.
With each press, the internal force penetrates deeper, and the tingling and numb sensation intensifies.
Dan Ying's thoughts began to wander.
She could feel his fingertips moving over the most sensitive area of her chest, feel his internal energy surging through her body, and feel the sweat soaking the sheets beneath her.
All her senses blended together, forming an indescribable torrent that nearly overwhelmed her.
Feng Yuxiu's hand moved downwards.
It passes the junction of the chest and abdomen and comes to the lower abdomen.
His hand covered her entire abdomen, his palm pressed against her lower abdomen through her cotton trousers.
“Guanyuan acupoint,” he said, applying slight pressure with his palm, “the gateway to vital energy.”
A warm current flowed into his palm and penetrated downwards along the Ren meridian.
Dan Ying's lower abdomen involuntarily tightened, and her legs slightly came together.
She could feel the heat spreading through her body, bringing a strange, tingling warmth.
His palms began to slowly rub in a clockwise direction.
The force wasn't strong, but each kneading motion carried the permeation of internal energy.
Dan Ying's breathing became increasingly rapid, her chest heaving violently, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Just then, Feng Yuxiu stopped what he was doing.
His palm remained on her lower abdomen, but he did not continue to massage it.
He looked up, his gaze falling on her face, at her tightly closed eyes, trembling eyelashes, and flushed cheeks.
"Shan Ying".
Dan Ying opened her eyes and looked at him with a dazed expression.
“Make a call,” he said, his voice low and strangely, almost cruelly calm. “To Xiahou Wu.”
Dan Ying's thoughts paused for a moment.
She didn't understand what he was saying.
“Now,” Feng Yuxiu continued, gently pressing his palm against her lower abdomen, “call him. Say you’re fine, say you’re resting, say…”
He leaned down, his lips close to her ear, his breath brushing against her earlobe:
Tell him you miss him.
Shan Ying trembled violently all over.
She stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief. (End of Chapter)