From the start, the Yaochi Empress had been closely observing the Heavenly Fire Empress's changing emotions. Only when she saw the Heavenly Fire Empress's expression grow increasingly cold did she finally relax and avert her gaze.
Though she wasn't afraid of anyone as long as she held the Haotian Mirror, having the Heavenly Fire Empress suddenly switch sides would be a troublesome matter.
Thousands of miles away.
The Taiyin Empress, Wen Yaxian, was helping the North Ming Empress, Leng Ruoxue, restore her cultivation. Seeing the scene in the Haotian Mirror, her eyes lowered and her expression turned somber, filled with mixed emotions.
In just one day, Xiao Fan had smiled more with Huo Ling'er than he ever had with her over a long period of time.
She could see that Xiao Fan was genuinely happy with Huo Ling'er, a happiness she could not provide.
There was no jealousy, no anger towards Xiao Fan, only a sense of melancholy and sadness.
She wished she could bring Xiao Fan such joy.
On the other hand, Leng Ruoxue's feelings were entirely different.
She was so jealous that she could have ground her teeth to dust.
Seeing Huo Ling'er being undressed and washed by Xiao Fan filled her with fury. To her, Huo Ling'er was a shameless woman, unworthy of Xiao Fan.
She and Huo Ling'er were destined to be enemies, one fiery and one cold.
Once she recovered her cultivation, she vowed to make Huo Ling'er pay.
Back to the scene in the Haotian Mirror.
Xiao Fan, after undressing Huo Ling'er, began wiping her body with a wrung-out hot towel through the blanket.
At first, when he wiped her limbs, Huo Ling'er could face it calmly.
But when Xiao Fan moved to her torso, her heart pounded uncontrollably.
Limbs were one thing, but if Xiao Fan touched her most private parts, she would be utterly humiliated.
Just as she was about to tell him to stop, Xiao Fan paused, looking at her with a strange expression.
Huo Ling'er was confused.
Soon she understood why.
Xiao Fan sniffed his hand with a disgusted look. "So smelly."
He then produced a wooden board from somewhere and tied the hot towel to it.
"Perfect," he said smugly.
"You!" Huo Ling'er was both embarrassed and furious.
Though his method suited her, his blatant disgust made her feel even more ashamed.
Could he not be a little more tactful?
Xiao Fan seemed particularly skilled at making her angry. She had already been infuriated several times in just one day.
She had to recover quickly, or Xiao Fan would drive her mad.
And as if to add insult to injury, Xiao Fan's next actions did just that.
Using the makeshift scrubber, he roughly rubbed her body. It felt less like cleaning and more like scaling a fish—an odorous, salted fish.
Huo Ling'er felt utterly defeated.
She had worried about Xiao Fan taking advantage of her beauty, but this was clearly unnecessary.
Xiao Fan didn't seem to regard her as a woman at all. He had no sense of tenderness.
Fortunately, she was a cultivator with a strong body. A normal girl might not survive Xiao Fan's rough treatment without shedding a layer of skin.
After much effort, Xiao Fan finally finished cleaning her. He looked at the dirty water with disgust. "So filthy."
Huo Ling'er just rolled her eyes, too tired to respond.
She had only been unconscious for a few days; how could she be that dirty?
Peeking into the bucket, she saw a greasy film on the surface.
Alright, maybe she was a bit dirty, but only because of the grueling trials in the relic.
Thinking of her failure in the relic, Huo Ling'er's expression darkened again.
She had always considered herself a prodigy, pampered and celebrated since childhood. Yet she had lost to an unknown girl.
She fell into deep self-doubt.
Xiao Fan sighed inwardly. She was sulking again.
"Hey," he patted her shoulder.
"What?" Huo Ling'er glared at him impatiently.
"Are you planning to stay naked?"
He glanced at her shoulder.
The blanket had slipped, revealing a large expanse of her fair skin.
"Ah! You pervert, close your eyes and don't look!"
Huo Ling'er shouted, trying to cover herself.
Xiao Fan smirked disdainfully, not saying a word but making his feelings clear.
Huo Ling'er felt both humiliated and furious. She had never been so embarrassed.
Once she recovered, she wouldn't care about being ungrateful. She'd gouge out his eyes and tear his mouth.
"Are you planning revenge?" Xiao Fan asked, squinting at her.
Huo Ling'er's body stiffened.
Could he read her mind?
"Yes, your expression makes it obvious," Xiao Fan said calmly.
Huo Ling'er was stunned.
Was she that transparent?
Seeing her dumbfounded look, Xiao Fan couldn't help but smile.
What a naive girl.
Xiao Fan took out a set of clean clothes from the wardrobe and brought them to her. "I don't have any clothes for girls. You'll have to wear mine for now."
He dressed her through the blanket.
Huo Ling'er watched, surprised. "You know I want revenge, yet you're still being kind to me?"
Xiao Fan smiled warmly.
"Your revenge is your business. What I do is mine."
"You can't decide what I do."
With that, Xiao Fan took her dirty clothes and left the room.
He left behind a confident, carefree figure.
Huo Ling'er stared after him, her heart racing.
He was so ordinary, yet so different.
For some reason, her heart was beating fast.