Chapter 889: It’s been a while, Master [2]

Zhao Tian hummed against her neck and slowly withdrew his hand, resting it on her abdomen.

He nuzzled deeper into the side of her neck, brushing his lips against the damp skin just beneath her ear.

Yan Zijin let out a quiet breath and, almost without thinking, tilted her head slightly to the side, giving him more access.

His hands rose through the water.

Both of his palms cupped the full weight of her breasts from below, lifting them.

Then his fingers found her nipples. He pinched them firmly between thumbs and forefingers and pulled upward, stretching the sensitive peaks and the soft flesh around them.

The heavy mounds elongated slightly under his pull before he released the tension just enough to squeeze her entire breasts tightly in his palms.

A soft, involuntary sound escaped her throat "Y-you are so rough with it... I have told you, my nipples are sensitive, disciple..."

Zhao Tian kept his face buried against her neck, nuzzling and kissing the damp skin.

He pulled her nipples upward again, stretching them further this time, watching the way her breasts lifted before he sank his fingers deep into the soft mounds and squeezed hard enough that the flesh overflowed between his fingers.

"Master’s limits," he murmured against her ear, "still leave these completely available to me."

Yan Zijin’s breath came out shaky "You really... don’t know restraint..."

Zhao Tian’s hands remained on her breasts for a moment longer, giving them one last firm squeeze before he slowly released them.

He reached up with one hand and gently turned Yan Zijin’s face toward him.

Her damp lashes were half-lowered and her eyes were slightly misty from the heat of the spring and the pleasure of his earlier touches.

He looked at the faint flush across her cheeks and the way her lips parted with each uneven breath.

His thumb lightly caressed her lower lip, "And this place, Master...? Is this restricted too?"

Yan Zijin’s gaze was unfocused, still half-drunk on the sensations he had been giving her.

Her lips moved under his thumb as she began to answer.

"That place is...-"

Zhao Tian did not let her finish.

He leaned in and captured her mouth, cutting off the rest of her words.

His lips closed over hers, sucking lightly on her lower lip before deepening the kiss.

He tilted his head, pressing more firmly, drawing her soft lips between his and sucking on them with slow pulls.

Yan Zijin’s eyes fluttered, and a muffled sound escaped into the kiss as her body remained pressed against him in the warm water.

His tongue brushed along the seam of her lips, coaxing them to part.

When they did, he slipped inside, tasting her tongue fully while his hand remained cupped against her cheek, holding her face turned toward him.

Her fingers slowly curled tighter on his wrist, neither pushing him away nor fully pulling him closer.

Zhao Tian kissed her, sucking on her lips, then her tongue, then returning to her lower lip again with long, wet pulls.

Yan Zijin’s lashes fluttered, and when they finally pulled back, a thin string of saliva briefly connected their lips before breaking.

"Haa... Haa..." Soft gasps of breath escaped her lips as she looked at him in surprise.

"Master’s lips aren’t restricted either, it seems."

Yan Zijin lifted both hands and pushed gently against his chest, creating a small distance between them in the warm water.

"...I was reserving my first kiss for the man I will marry in the future."

Zhao Tian’s lips curved into a slow chuckle "Is that so?"

He reached up and lightly caught one of her wrists before she could fully pull away, keeping her close enough that their bodies still brushed beneath the water.

"Then I’ll marry you, Master."

Yan Zijin’s eyes widened, and the flush on her cheeks spread further down her neck as she stared at him.

"You- what kind of nonsense are you saying now? Don’t just decide something like that on your own, you shameless disciple..."

"Marriage isn’t a joke you can throw around just because you kissed your Master."

Zhao Tian’s smile didn’t fade "Who said I was joking?"

Yan Zijin’s eyes narrowed slightly "You already have Hanyue, Velnorah and others. And now you suddenly decide your Master should be one of them too?"

He leaned in slightly "I kissed you and well... now we are bathing naked. If that isn’t already more than a normal Master and disciple, then what is it?"

She turned her face away, "That’s... different. You’re just an unabashed pervert who doesn’t know boundaries. It doesn’t mean I agreed to marry you."

Zhao Tian chuckled softly and released her wrist, only to slide both arms around her waist beneath the water, pulling her fully back against him.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, speaking near her ear.

"Then I’ll make you agree properly later. For now..."

His hands rose again, cupping the soft weight of her breasts from behind "I will just bathe with my Master."

A soft, frustrated sound escaped her throat, but she remained in his arms "I wonder how your previous Masters managed you... or if you were like this before them too."

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered his previous master was Yao Jing.

Her body stiffened, and she slowly turned to look at him over her shoulder.

Zhao Tian met her eyes and gave a small shake of his head "It’s alright..."

Yan Zijin quickly looked away, as the silence grew too heavy.

She cleared her throat softly, trying to move the conversation elsewhere.

"...Have you prepared for the next refinement of your Honoured One physique?"

"You’ve been traveling between stars for a while. You shouldn’t fall behind on that."

Zhao Tian’s hands remained loosely around her beneath the water.

He was quiet for a moment before answering "I’ve completed three stages. I haven’t started the next one yet."

Yan Zijin turned her head slightly to look at him again, "Then what are you waiting for? If you already have the recipe, you should begin the next stage soon."

Zhao Tian gave a small nod.

"I know."

His gaze drifted toward the rising steam, but his mind was elsewhere.

He remembered those wide mountain slopes under a clear sky.

Yao Jing walking ahead of him with her sleeves rolled up, dirt on her fingers, smiling over her shoulder as she told him which ones were ready and which still needed another day.

The two of them searching through forests and cliffs for the exact materials needed for the first stage of his physique refinement.

Long nights spent over the alchemy cauldron and her patient explanations mixed with sharp scolding whenever he grew impatient.

After a moment, he exhaled and spoke, "...Shall I wash your back?"

Yan Zijin glanced at him over her shoulder and she could sense the change in his mood even if he did not explain it.

"Mhm."

She shifted forward slightly in the water, presenting her bare back to him as the damp strands of hair clung to her neck and shoulders.

Zhao Tian cupped a handful of the warm water and poured it slowly over Yan Zijin’s bare shoulders.

The liquid cascaded down the elegant line of her spine, tracing the soft curves of her back before disappearing into the spring’s surface.

His hands moved from the base of her neck down to the middle of her back as he pressed his thumbs lightly into the muscles along either side of her spine.

He gathered more water, poured it again, and continued washing her.

After a while she spoke, "...You’re quieter than normal."

Zhao Tian’s hands paused briefly "Just washing my Master, as she asked."

Yan Zijin was silent for a few seconds.

"If you’re thinking about her again... you don’t have to force yourself to act normal for my sake."

"You are my disciple... you don’t have to hide your true feelings from me."

Zhao poured another handful of water over her upper back and let his palms glide across her skin once more, following the path of her shoulder blades.

"...I’m fine. It just comes back sometimes."

He moved lower, washing along the curve of her waist, then back up again, making sure every part of her back is clean.

Eventually Yan Zijin broke the silence again, "When you do the next stage of the Honoured One refinement... don’t do it alone. Come to me if you need help with the alchemy. Or the preparations."

Zhao Tian’s hands slowed for a moment.

"...Alright."

He poured one final handful of water over her shoulders and let it run down her back.

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I hope you guys liked this Chapter!