"Just a massage?" Chen Wentian asked.
"A massage and perhaps you could stay the night?" Zhou Ziyun asked softly.
"Mmm." He nodded.
"Excellent, come. The bath is ready." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a side door.
"Hey! Why so eager?" He asked, laughing.
She responded with a smile and continued tugging him along.
Zhou Ziyun could have asked for many things from her master. She could have asked for more money or power. She could have asked for anything within his ability to provide yet all she wanted was a massage.
The most important thing to her was time and the chance to spend a day in private with her master. As the number of disciples increased, her time alone with him diminished evermore. It wasn't the level of suffering that Bei Yingluo suffered but Zhou Ziyun still had to strive for every extra second she could her master. Such moments were more precious than gold.
After several corridors and dizzying turns, they arrived at the bath. The water was hot and ready, filling half of the room with a comfortable fog. And besides the steaming marble pool, there was a massage table already set up and at the perfect height.
The door closed behind them with a whisper and Zhou Ziyun went for the ribbons holding her dress together. With a few flicks of her hand, the silky fabric pooled at her feet. She stepped forward, as naked as the day she was born.
Chen Wentian managed to get a good glimpse of her before she laid down on the cushioned massage table.
"Master, you'll find everything you need has already been prepared." She said facedown, her head poking out of a small hole in the table.
All he could see now was her white butt sticking up in the air. He resisted the urge to give it a good slap and began his massage.
He took a glass bottle and dumped its contents into his palm. A sweet and spicy fragrance filled the air, cutting through the foggy heat like a knife. He rubbed his hands together to spread out the oily balm and summoned the power of Benevolent Hands.
Chen Wentian's index finger landed on her spine in the small of her back. This elicited a shiver of anticipation. He then dragged the finger up her spine to her neck which drew a happy sigh. Smiling to himself, he started with her shoulder and neck area, squeezing with his fingers, kneading with his palm.
"Ahhh…"
"Mmmm…"
Zhou Ziyun let her contentment be known as he worked his magic. His hand glided across her bare skin; touching, pressing, working all the stress out of her body and replacing it with healing spiritual energy.
She continued to make a lot of noise, ones all too similar to those that she made in throes of passion. It was all he could to hold back his urges and diligently perform his task. He had promised to reward her and this was her reward.
"Your shoulders are quite stiff, any bothers weighing you down?" He teased.
"Mmm… you. You're the one giving me so many tasks. I deserve a massage every week with the amount of work I do for you. No, every three days… Oooh, that's the spot."
Chen Wentian laughed and moved his hands to her middle and lower back. He didn't mind giving her a massage. She more than deserved it.
He put pressure around her waist and spine drew more moans until she gave up on speaking coherent words.
"Naughty girl, I thought you enjoyed that stuff, bossing people around and managing all the money. You're a natural at it." He said as he continued to work her back.
Zhou Ziyun let out a long sigh, "Those are my duties. They are my responsibilities to the sect and to you. I do it all to the best of my ability but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy them. I do them out of necessity and if I didn't have to, I would lose myself in a mountain of books and not leave it for a month!"
"…" Chen Wentian had to admit to himself that he hadn't thought about it this way.
He had indeed dumped a ton of responsibilities on her head as soon as he recruited her. She was responsible for the construction of the sect and its expansions, managing the province and all its finances, recruiting servants and guards, as well as overseeing a steadily growing Zhou Clan whose primary purpose was to support the sect in any and all possible ways. It was a lot for a single person. He certainly wouldn't have wanted to do any of it. Yet she took on the challenge without complaint, utilizing her intellect to the fullest in ways that surpassed his expectations.
He had always assumed that rewarding her with endless money and near limitless authority was an adequate reward.
It seemed… that he was wrong in this aspect.
"Ziyun…"
He renewed his efforts, rubbing and kneading her legs all the way down to her feet and then back up again. He paid extra attention to every minute detail of her body. Zhou Ziyun was always diligent in everything she did including cultivation and training. This left her with a lot of bruises and minor injuries. He made sure to send plenty of benevolent energy and medicinal aura to places that needed it.
"Ziyun, thank you for everything. I will never take you for granted. I will give you unlimited massages until the end of time." He slapped her butt and said playfully, "Personal massages by Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian, think about how priceless that is, how many women would give up half their cultivation to feel these benevolent hands of a peerless genius."
Zhou Ziyun snorted with laughter and turned around. "Master, I will remember your words today forever so don't you forget them!"
She laid back down and closed her eyes, putting herself on full display and making it clear what she wanted. He obliged, putting more medicinal oil on his hands, and continued the massage starting with her hips and stomach area.
"You know…" She said after a while, "There are probably some rumors floating around about me, that I am addicted to wealth and power, that I am greedy and domineering. I don't really care what random people think but you should always know my true desire. If I can abandon it all to simply follow you all over the world, I would mind it one bit. I will be content no matter what as long as I follow you."
In the past few months, things were happening one after another. It was all too fast and out of her control. There was a distinct feeling that a certain distance had developed between her and Chen Wentian. This was unacceptable and struck a deep fear in her heart.
Here, just the two of them alone in a warm bath, she wanted him to know her feelings, her true feelings that she hid beneath a stern demeanor. She was aware of the rising rumblings of dissatisfaction from various factions, whether it was her Zhou Clan or others.
These were still small and almost insignificant but perhaps they wouldn't stay that way for long. Nothing was forever in this world, even her master's love and care. The last thing she wanted was to lose her master's trust to some unforeseen scheme or scandal. She wanted to be his disciple for a very, very long time. And she was going to make sure of it.
"Ziyun, your words today, I will remember them forever so don't you worry." Chen Wentian replied.
Zhou Ziyun looked up at him with a smile that could melt the coldest ice, "Master, thank you. I happened to have another request but it is a little more difficult."
"What is it?"
"For Sister Long Yifei's school year that starts next month, I was wondering if you can take me along with you when you go to the Martial Brilliance Continent?"
Chen Wentian frowned, "I will consider it… but we still have a little demon problem. We have just over two weeks until Yifei has to go but if I can't take care of this sneaky bastard, she will have to go by herself since I promised the Order."
Zhou Ziyun's eyes flashed with mischief, "Master, rest assured, I have already thought of a way to lure that water demon out of hiding and into your palm."
"Oh? Clever girl! Tell me, if it works, I promise I will take you to the Martial Brilliance Continent!"
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