When the secret passage wall finally fully opened, Bubai saw the door to the storage room was already ajar, and emerging from within was the expressionless Xiao Lan, sheathed sword in hand.

Smiling, his feet involuntarily took him towards the beauty, who regarded him with her usual cool demeanor, inquiring in a detached tone, "Done?"

“Done.” Bubai nodded, closing the distance and reaching out to embrace her willowy waist.

Observing the fine beads of sweat dotting her forehead, Bubai gently brushed them away, his voice soft as his gaze searched hers, “Not going to rest more?”

"Enough," Xiao Lan replied simply, her tone firm yet tinged with a hint of exhaustion. She then subtly sniffed her nose before suggesting, "Bath?"

Aiya, caught again. Internally sighing at the inevitable, yet now familiar routine, Bubai acquiesced with a nod.

After his confirmation, Xiao Lan cast a glance towards the stairs before declaring, "I’ll go prepare the water."

Bubai reluctantly watched the beauty slip away from his embrace and disappear into the bathroom before his gaze shifted to the stairs.

He wasn't using spiritual or divine sense, but he sensed a vague connection entering his radar, gradually sharpening in clarity.

Soon enough, he spotted the twins descending the stairs hand in hand.

Stopping at the threshold, Wei Yi addressed him respectfully, "Master, do you need us to serve?"

Bubai didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he vaguely perceived the tribulation seed within her, and with a mere thought, attempted to send a message through their connection...

However, there was no reaction from Wei Yi whatsoever. She still stand there, awaiting his response.

Perhaps the link wasn’t strong enough? Seems he still has to work hard.

“Master?”

Hearing her call, Bubai finally dropped his instructions. "Later. Wait for me upstairs.”

Wei Yi nodded. "Then, master, we'll be waiting," she affirmed with a slight bow, her tone deferential.

Wei Er couldn't resist chiming in eagerly. "Master must come! Wei Er has got a surprise for you!"

Surprise? How much more surprise could he possibly get?

But Bubai understood the importance of maintaining an act, so he plastered on a smile and replied, "Oh? Well, I look forward to it."

Wei Yi gave her eager younger sister another tug, urging her up the stairs.

Bubai sensed his faint connection gradually ascend with them, gradually becoming fainter and fainter… until it reached its limit, barely extending beyond a single floor.

It was disappointingly weak, paling in comparison to his bond with his seed planted in An Jali.

However, he noted a slight improvement following his recent nourishment.

Well, it seemed some seeds take time to bloom.

With that thought lingering in his mind, Bubai turned his attention back to another flower.

He approached the closed bathroom door and gently slid it open, revealing the sight of Xiao Lan by the poolside, diligently mixing wood ash into a bucket of water.

The scene prompted a warm smile to bloom on Bubai’s face. Stepping into the serene canvas, he shut the door behind him with a soft click.

Silently, he made his way to the busy beauty’s side.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After she finished mixing the primitive soap, Xiao Lan came to his side. Without a word, she undressed his robe with a sense of familiarity.

Bubai then plopped himself down onto the sandstone block serving as a stool, watching Xiao Lan fold his robe with care before setting it aside.

Coming to stand behind him, Xiao Lan dipped a rag into the bucket of water, the fabric becoming saturated with the cleansing alkaline mixture.

After wringing the soaked piece of cloth, she wordlessly glanced at him. So, Bubai obediently turned forward, allowing her access to his back.

With gentle yet firm strokes, Xiao Lan scrubbed away, the rag gliding smoothly over his skin.

Closing his eyes, Bubai allowed himself to relax, the tension of the day melting away under the soothing ministrations of the beauty.

The rhythmic sound of water being wrung from the rag filled the air, enveloping them both in a cocoon of serenity...

Soon, feeling the tender fingers brush his hair aside to wash his neck, Bubai couldn't resist a murmured observation, "It's getting a bit long, isn't it?"

In response, Xiao Lan's voice, soft yet assured, floated to his ears, "Need me to cut?"

Opening his eyes, Bubai peered over his shoulder, meeting her eyes, "You know how to cut hair?"

Without missing a beat, Xiao Lan replied in a flat tone. "I cut my own."

A soft chuckle escaped Bubai before he turned his head forward again.

"Then give it a trim for me," Bubai requested, knowing he didn't want to sport a mane like Jia Shizi, despite the current trend for long hair in this era.

Getting his affirmation, Xiao Lan picked up the sword she had set aside and unsheathed it.

Her fingers then delicately ran through this hair as if measuring it. Eventually, she stopped at a point around his neck, “Here?”

"You decide." Bubai nodded and closed his eyes, trusting her judgment.

Obtaining free rein, Xiao Lan raised her sword, its edge hovering dangerously close to his neck.

Bubai felt a thin layer of Qi enveloping the blade, prompting it to radiate a biting cold sharpness that could behead enemies...

He didn’t flinch.

Moments later, the blade slid through his hair like butter. Clean.

Following the smooth cut, Bubai felt the blade of the sword trimming around the sides, styling the edges to perfection.

And then, just as smoothly as she had begun, he heard the blade slide back into its sheath, the task complete.

Opening his eyes, Bubai cast a glance at the scattered strands of hair now littering the ground.

He had learned of curse techniques that utilized hair as a medium, and he certainly wanted to ensure none remained behind.

So, his hands brushed over the hair, every strand vanishing into thin air at his touch.

With an expression giving away nothing, Xiao Lan observed this in silence, but she made no inquiry, picking up the wet rag and resuming her task of gently scrubbing...

Not wanting to broach this topic for now, Bubai casually steered the conversation away. "You've checked her, how is she?"

There was a brief silence before Xiao Lan responded in a low tone, "Low-grade talent, fire and wood attributes."

“Huh?” Bubai raised a brow in surprise, lifting his arm to peer at Xiao Lan who had moved on to scrubbing his side. "A dual talent?"

Xiao Lan confirmed his suspicion with a subtle nod.

"Oh. It seems the Mo Clan had overlooked her and let her talent go to waste...”

The impassive Xiao Lan’s scrubbing paused. Catching his eyes, she disclosed quietly. "Wood attribute, it wasn't there before.”

“…” Bubai lapsed into a contemplative silence, his mind spinning with conjectures.

Could the new spiritual root attribute be a result of his tribulation seed, or was it perhaps a consequence of the nourishment from his essence?

But it was too difficult to verify his conjectures with the limited data available.

However, one thing was certain: this was a matter that couldn't be overlooked.

If the twins were checked by their backer, it could certainly spell trouble for him if he wasn't prepared.

The question now was how to prevaricate those old fogeys.

Seeming to sense Bubai's turmoil, the expressionless Xiao Lan bowed her head momentarily in thought before looking up at him once more, offering a seemingly unrelated piece of information, "Earth rank treasures can bestow spiritual roots."

Excuse acquired. Now, all that remained was to craft a suitable story to divert any suspicion.

After a brief nod of acknowledgment towards his invaluable secretary, Bubai allowed himself to be engulfed by his thoughts once more.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lan resumed her scrubbing…

Scrubbing and scrubbing, she eventually moved to the front, kneeling between his thighs and scrubbing harder with her wet rag.

Feeling the change in treatment, Bubai finally snapped out of his reverie, his gaze fixed on Xiao Lan kneeling before him. "Is there a need to be so rough there?"

Xiao Lan didn't even glance up. With her glassy eyes still focused intently on her task, she replied calmly, "Need to get the smell off.”

“Haha…” Bubai leaked a sheepish laugh before falling silent to let her do her thing.

After a moment of vigorous up and down scrubbing, the expressionless Xiao Lan’s soft suggestion broke the silence, "If you need to, you can bring her up."

Bubai awkwardly smiled, shaking his head subtly. "There are some problems with her background. So, I don't want those two to know.”

Understanding his reluctance, Xiao Lan nodded in silent acquiescence, withdrawing the wet rag at last.

After her slender fingers brushed back the strand of violet hair loosely hanging over her face, she leaned in closer, giving her cleaning target a sniff, her breath causing it to tremble...

“Xiao Lan…”

At the sound of Bubai's hoarse voice calling out for a thorough inspection, Xiao Lan paused, throwing him an upward glance…

Then, her lips drew closer and closer...