Chapter 44: Can I Help You Wash? [R 18]
: Can I Help You Wash? [R 18]
While Victor was cultivating in the garden, Skyla came looking for him.
Seeing that he was deeply focused, she didn’t disturb him.
She quietly sat nearby, watching over him with patient eyes.
Her green eyes were soft and gentle.
She admired his concentration.
His dedication.
His strength.
When Victor cultivated with the Internal Fortification Pill, some aftereffects occurred in his body.
Occasionally, he would groan in pain.
His face would contort with discomfort.
But he continued cultivating.
Pushing through the discomfort without stopping.
After almost two hours, he slowly opened his eyes.
His golden eyes glowed with renewed energy.
He casually looked around.
He was surprised to find Skyla sitting not far away from him.
Her emerald eyes were fixed on him with deep concern.
“Young Master, what’s going on?” Skyla asked worriedly.
“You were looking in pain while you were cultivating.”
“Is your body still not fully cured yet?”
Her voice was laced with genuine concern.
Her blonde hair swayed gently in the evening breeze.
Victor shook his head and explained.
“No, I wasn’t cultivating my spiritual energy.”
“I was tempering my body.”
“That was the effect of the tempering process.”
“Oh!” Skyla was surprised slightly.
She nodded in understanding.
As a cultivator herself, she knew about these things.
There were many types of cultivation methods in this world.
Spiritual energy refining was the most common.
Almost ninety-five percent of people in this world used this method to cultivate.
Only the remaining five percent used other methods.
Body Tempering was one of the most difficult paths of cultivation.
It was also the most time-consuming.
Cultivators needed to refine their bodies again and again.
They did this to make themselves stronger.
Rather than using the energy of heaven and earth to store in their dantian.
Body cultivators used that energy to refine their physical forms instead.
But it also gave many benefits.
It made a cultivator’s body stronger than others.
Which gave them a significant strength boost.
For example, right now, if Victor compared his strength.
It would be comparable to a warrior at the fifth or sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm.
Even though his cultivation was only at the third level.
“Young Master, do you want to become a body cultivator?” Skyla asked curiously.
“No, I don’t.” Victor shook his head and said.
There were a few disadvantages to body cultivation.
First, it was very difficult to cultivate.
Second, it was very time-consuming.
Third, it was very costly.
It required many high-grade spiritual treasures and pills.
Victor only tempered his body because he obtained the tempering pills from the system.
Otherwise, he would also focus on his spiritual energy cultivation.
Skyla nodded in understanding.
Then she asked, “Young Master, you’re drenched in sweat.”
Skyla glanced over him, her eyes lingering on the sweat that had soaked through his clothes.
“Do you want to take a bath?”
Victor looked down at himself.
She wasn’t wrong.
His shirt was clinging to his body, damp from the training he’d just finished. His black hair was slightly messy, with several strands stuck to his forehead.
The evening sun was beginning to sink beyond the horizon.
Warm golden light spilled across the courtyard.
It caught the beads of sweat on his skin, making them shimmer briefly before rolling away.
His breathing had already settled, but the strain of training still lingered in his muscles.
“Hm.”
Victor rolled his shoulders once.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Skyla’s expression immediately brightened.
“I’ll go prepare fresh warm water, then.”
Before Victor could say anything else, she turned and hurried into the house.
Her footsteps tapped lightly against the wooden floor.
Her blonde hair bounced behind her with every step.
Victor watched her disappear through the doorway before letting out a quiet breath.
He had spent enough time training for one evening.
A bath sounded perfect.
Five minutes later, Skyla returned.
She stopped in front of him with a bright smile.
“Young Master, the water is ready.”
She brushed a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
“I’ll bring you fresh clothes and some soap.”
Victor nodded.
“Alright. Thanks, Skyla.”
She smiled at him again before turning back toward the house.
Victor followed a moment later.
The familiar wooden corridor greeted him with its usual quietness.
A faint scent of sandalwood incense drifted through the air.
It was warm and calming.
After the intensity of training, the peaceful atmosphere felt especially pleasant.
Victor walked straight toward the bathroom.
When he opened the door, a wave of warmth greeted him.
The room was already filled with a thin layer of steam.
Several candles burned nearby.
Their small flames flickered whenever the air shifted, throwing soft shadows across the walls.
Victor closed the door behind him.
For the first time since his training began, he allowed himself to completely relax.
He removed his shirt and tossed it aside.
Then came his pants.
The sweat had made the fabric heavier than usual.
Once he was free of his training clothes, Victor stretched his arms above his head.
His shoulders were still tense.
His back ached faintly from the hours of exertion.
He rolled his neck from side to side before approaching the bath.
The water wasn’t particularly hot.
If anything, it was slightly cool.
After working up such a sweat, though, that was exactly what he wanted.
Victor slowly stepped into the tub.
The water rose around him.
He lowered himself until his shoulders were submerged.
A long breath escaped his lips.
“Ah…”
The tension in his body began to fade.
His tired muscles loosened little by little.
The cool water washed away the lingering heat from his training, leaving him feeling refreshed.
Victor leaned his head back against the edge of the tub.
His eyes slowly closed.
For a few moments, he simply sat there.
No training.
No fighting.
No decisions.
Just silence.
The only sounds were the faint crackle of candle flames and the occasional movement of water.
Victor let out another quiet sigh.
“This is nice…”
He didn’t even realize how tired he had been until now.
Two or three minutes passed.
Then—
Click.
The bathroom door opened.
Victor opened his eyes.
Skyla stepped inside.
She was carrying a bundle of fresh clothes in one arm and a bar of soap in the other.
She carefully placed everything beside the bath.
“There you go, Young Master.”
Her voice was cheerful.
She looked at Victor for a moment before smiling.
Then, almost as if the thought had only just occurred to her, she tilted her head slightly.
“Young Master…”
“Hm?”
Skyla clasped her hands together.
“Can I help you wash?”