After My Paranoid Act to Woo My Cold Master Failed - Chapter 34

Shen Shuheng gazed at her Master, remaining silent for a long while.

After a moment of silence between them, Fu Xueke finally spoke: “Rest assured, as your Master, I will not look at you.”

Shen Shuheng’s eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes shimmering with the luster of unshed tears. “Then… Master, please help me…” Her voice was tiny, making her sound like a completely different person compared to the arrogant way she usually spoke to Fu Xueke.

Fu Xueke gave a faint smile. “Back when you were only this small, it was always I who helped you bathe.” She gestured with her hand to indicate a height.

Shen Shuheng paused, then grumbled under her breath, “How can childhood be the same as now? I am already this grown up.”

“Ouch!” Shen Shuheng felt a flick against her forehead. Although it didn’t hurt, she couldn’t help but let out a small cry.

Why did Master flick me again? Honestly, she’s becoming more and more fond of flicking me. I’m not a wooden fish.

“It is indeed different now.”

Fu Xueke leaned her face close to her disciple.

In her Master’s eyes, Shen Shuheng saw her own reflection—a tiny version of herself mirrored in those deep pupils.

“You aren’t as cute as you used to be,” Fu Xueke said with a straight face. In truth, there was more she didn’t say: her disciple was becoming increasingly awkward, constantly performing strange actions and saying rather rebellious things. If it were anyone else, such a treacherous disciple would have been expelled from the sect a thousand times over.

Shen Shuheng turned her face away and let out an arrogant “Hmph.” She had thought her Master would say something to praise her; she hadn’t expected this.

“I’m angry,” Shen Shuheng said gloomily.

Fu Xueke extended a finger and poked Shen Shuheng’s puffed-out cheek.

Shen Shuheng had assumed her Master would say something to coax her. She never expected to be poked in the face. This was simply outrageous; she would definitely have to find an opportunity to win back a round later.

“Master, I said I’m angry! Master really does only like cute children! Are you going to take in a new disciple? Do you want A-Heng to help you look after a child too?” Shen Shuheng huffed out a string of words in a fit of pique.

Her Master’s hands cupped her face, gently turning her back to face her, gazing earnestly into her eyes.

“I do not like children, nor do I wish to take in any ‘cute child’ as a disciple. I took you as my disciple only because that child happened to be you. Do you understand?”

Shen Shuheng nodded contentedly, replying several times, “I understand, I understand.”

Master really is a woman who says the opposite of what she means. She only tells the truth when I pretend to be angry.

“It is getting late. Go and bathe,” Fu Xueke said, reaching out to take her disciple’s hand.

Shen Shuheng walked with her Master to the edge of the bath.

The entire room was filled with mist. Warm steam rose continuously from the pool, slowly spreading outward until the heat saturated every corner of the chamber.

The wandering water vapor seeped into Shen Shuheng’s body, slightly alleviating her internal weakness.

Mist was everywhere. Even though Fu Xueke and her disciple were very close, a thin veil of hazy fog still seemed to separate them.

Fu Xueke saw that her disciple’s face had taken on a faint pink hue, like the color of peach blossoms drenched in morning dew.

Shen Shuheng touched her own face. The warm mist was pervasive, acting like wine and making her feel slightly tipsy. She felt as though she were in a post-drunken trance.

She looked up at her Master. Clad in white and standing amidst the white fog, Fu Xueke seemed to merge into the curling steam, appearing almost illusory. A strange sense of loss suddenly surfaced in Shen Shuheng’s heart—as if she had once watched her Master dissipate before her eyes with her own two eyes, powerless to stop it.

She instinctively reached out and firmly grasped her Master’s wrist. She breathed a sigh of relief; her Master was truly, physically there in front of her.

“One day, will you leave me?” Shen Shuheng didn’t know why she suddenly asked such a thing. Was it the feeling from a moment ago affecting her?

Fu Xueke turned her hand over to hold hers. “I will not.”

Her Master’s voice was extremely firm. Though not loud, it carried a heavy weight that helped steady Shen Shuheng’s wavering heart.

“How is Master going to help me bathe?” Shen Shuheng asked curiously.

Fu Xueke gave her a smile.

A strip of white silk appeared in her hand, which she then used to cover her eyes.

“Tie this for me,” she said, sitting down so it would be convenient for her disciple to reach.

Shen Shuheng obediently stepped forward and took the two ends of the silk from her Master’s hands. The silk felt cool, soft, and smooth; it wouldn’t be uncomfortable even when covering the eyes.

She was a bit clumsy. As she gripped the silk with both hands, it accidentally slipped. Fortunately, her Master was quick and pressed the falling silk against her eyes just in time.

Shen Shuheng grabbed the ends of the soft fabric again, the cool material winding around her fingers. She was more careful this time, and it did not slip away again.

Shen Shuheng tied a knot and looked at it for a few moments. She felt the knot wasn’t very pretty and shouldn’t be seen on her Master’s hair.

She untied it and tied a new one, but still felt it wasn’t right. Just like that, she untied and retied it repeatedly, completely unaware of the quiet passage of time.

Seeing that her disciple still hadn’t finished and kept repeating the motion, Fu Xueke wondered what she was obsessing over.

“Is it not ready yet?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Shen Shuheng muttered, “No matter how I tie it, it doesn’t look very good.”

“As long as it doesn’t fall off, it is fine. Do not fixate on such inconsequential matters.”

“But I don’t want anything that isn’t beautiful to be on Master’s person,” Shen Shuheng said.

Fu Xueke sighed softly. She really could do nothing with this disciple; that little head was always full of strange thoughts.

She thought for a moment. “Beauty and ugliness are sometimes subjective. Therefore, no matter how you tie it, it is beautiful to me.”

Hearing this, Shen Shuheng had a strange sensation. An image popped into her mind: two people going out on a date, where one person says to the other who is busy dressing up, “In my eyes, you look beautiful no matter what. Let’s hurry and head out.”

She shook her head, trying to fling that strange image out of her brain. It was too weird, too eerie.

Fu Xueke sensed that the person behind her had stopped moving. “What is it? Are your thoughts wandering again?”

Shen Shuheng hurriedly replied, “No… No, I was just thinking about how to tie the silk better for Master.” This time, she didn’t dare say she was “thinking about Master” like she had before.

“Master, I’ve tied it.”

“Mm.” Fu Xueke slowly stood up.

Shen Shuheng walked in front of Fu Xueke. With the white silk covering her Master’s eyes, she realized that much of her Master’s cold and aloof aura came from those eyes—eyes that usually looked like glass dipped in snow.

The churning steam in the room hadn’t just affected her; her Master was also affected. For instance, that alabaster face was now slightly flushed.

“Master, if you cannot see, how can you help me?”

“Why shouldn’t I be able to? When you were young, didn’t I help you every time? I am used to it; covering my eyes makes no difference.”

“I see,” Shen Shuheng said softly.

“Sit down. I will first help you… undo your clothes.” Fu Xueke pointed to the stool she had just been sitting on.

Shen Shuheng still had her doubts about whether her Master could really manage. She slowly sat down.

Fu Xueke leaned forward slightly. Her waterfall of black hair flowed down with her movements, gently brushing against Shen Shuheng’s chin.

Shen Shuheng kept her dark eyes wide, watching her Master. Fu Xueke appeared very practiced, not at all like someone whose vision was obstructed.

“Go into the water,” Fu Xueke said.

Shen Shuheng stood up. Her smooth black hair rested on her snowy shoulders. The girl’s waist was slender; one could hardly tell she was a sword cultivator.

She walked a few steps forward, then turned back to look at Fu Xueke several times. She eventually decided to go back and lead her Master by the hand. Master can’t see the path; what if she slips?

She walked back a few steps.

“Do not worry about me. Just go into the pool so you don’t catch a cold.”

Shen Shuheng’s eyes suddenly widened. How did Master know? Could it be she can see? That is quite terrifying.

“Master, you… you can’t actually see, can you?” she asked cautiously.

“I cannot see, but I can hear your footsteps,” Fu Xueke replied.

Only then did Shen Shuheng breathe a sigh of relief. “Disciple should still lead Master, lest Master slips on the floor.”

She walked back to Fu Xueke’s side and naturally took her Master’s arm.

Suddenly, her Master took a step back, pulling away from her grasp.

“Do not worry. You go first.” The person beside her was currently un…clothed. Her disciple was grown now; some boundaries had to be observed.

“Fine,” Shen Shuheng’s voice was a bit low, though it was unclear if it was from exhaustion or sadness.

She walked forward, turning her head with every step to look at Fu Xueke. She couldn’t quite put her heart at ease.

By the time she reached the edge of the pool, Fu Xueke had arrived as well.

Shen Shuheng extended one leg into the water, the soft ripples clinging to her. She then stepped into the pool with her other leg.

She submerged her head in the water, letting her entire body be enveloped by the warmth. She carefully opened her eyes underwater. When she had first entered, the pool had erupted in ripples because of her, and they hadn’t settled yet. Everything underwater appeared distorted and warped by the moving waves.

She poked her head out of the water, resting her arms on the edge of the pool while water continuously dripped from her soaked black hair.

“I will wash your hair first,” Fu Xueke said, walking directly into the water to stand beside her disciple.

“Okay.” Shen Shuheng rested her chin on her crossed arms at the pool’s edge, her eyes gazing into the white expanse in the distance.

Fu Xueke’s hands were placed gently on her disciple’s hair. She applied soap evenly and ran her fingers through the strands, massaging slowly.

Shen Shuheng only felt waves of comfort emanating from her scalp. That sensation flowed from her head to every part of her body, sweeping away the stubborn fatigue. The exhaustion vanished bit by bit, replaced by a soft, relaxed feeling that occupied her entire being.

“There are some places that are inconvenient for me to wash for you,” Fu Xueke suddenly spoke.

Shen Shuheng realized which places her Master was referring to. Her ears turned a deep, betrayed red. “I know.”

Suddenly, her Master grasped her wrist. “In those places, I can only guide your hand and apply a bit of strength for you, so you don’t have to suffer as much.”

Shen Shuheng turned to face her Master, blinked her eyes, and gave an obedient “Mm.”

Her Master guided her hand, slowly moving it over her own body.

The difficult bath finally came to an end.

“Master, it’s finished. I’m going to get out now. Please help A-Heng get dressed in a moment.”

The sound of splashing water rang out as rings of ripples drifted toward Fu Xueke. Her snowy white clothes drifted in the water along with the waves, like white clouds reflected in a pond.

Fu Xueke paced over to her disciple’s side. She could hear the water from her disciple’s hair dripping steadily onto the floor.

She slowly wiped the water off her disciple’s body and helped her put on her clothes.

Most of Fu Xueke’s white robes were now soaked through. “Master, I can dress myself. You should go into the pool and bathe first.”

“Nonsense!”

Shen Shuheng was stunned. Why did Master call it nonsense? What was nonsensical about that?

Suddenly, it clicked. If Master were to bathe in the pool now, wouldn’t she have to take off her clothes in front of her? She… she didn’t mean it like that! Master was overthinking it, which made her think of it too.

Fu Xueke untied the white silk from the back of her head and looked at her disciple. “Alright, you should go back now.”

Shen Shuheng stole a cautious glance at her Master before stepping away. When she reached the door, she looked back once more. Fu Xueke hadn’t moved; she was still watching her.

Shen Shuheng closed the door for her and headed toward her own room.

Once inside, she lay down on the couch, but suddenly felt that no matter how she lay, it wasn’t comfortable.

Shen Shuheng remembered the times she slept with her Master and came to a conclusion: it wasn’t that her bed was uncomfortable—it was because Master wasn’t there!

She decided to go to her Master’s place and wait for her to return, then beg to sleep together.

After an unknown amount of time, the door creaked open. The corner of a snowy white robe was the first thing to enter her vision; Master had walked in.

“Master, can I stay with you?” Shen Shuheng sat on the edge of the couch, hugging a pillow and swinging her legs, her dark eyes shimmering with a watery light.