Chapter Seventy-Three: Mixed Bathing

The moonlight was as gentle as water.

The cool, clear beam shone on a hunched man ahead, and also upon a nearby pool of pristine water. It was a round pond, not large—spanning just over ten yards—but so clear that Lei Xiang could see all the way to the thighs beneath the surface.

The snow-white legs of women.

Within the pond were about a dozen female elves. They were naked, with only a towel-like cloth wrapped around their waists. These elves varied in height and build, but shared one distinctive trait: all of their eyes were a deep indigo, a second mark of their elven kind.

There was another similarity—all the elven women were attended by one or two male elves, who, with animal-skin cloths resembling towels, were gently washing the women’s bodies.

Lei Xiang stared in surprise at the scene, mumbling to himself, “Isn’t this a matriarchal society? The queen rules, women are revered, and the male elves are mere servants.” Fortunately, the elf women couldn’t understand his language; otherwise, who knew if Lei Xiang would leave here on his own two feet.

Still, when Lei Xiang reached the edge of the pond, he caused a stir among the elves. More than a dozen curious gazes fell upon him—some appreciative, some greedy. At the male elf’s prompting, Lei Xiang removed his outer garments and slipped quietly into the water.

The pond was shallow, clear, and cold. Lei Xiang inhaled sharply as he entered, feeling faint traces of spiritual energy seeping into his skin—ice elemental energy. But, unable to circulate his power, he could only let his body absorb what it could. This made him yearn all the more to restore his magical strength; then, he could absorb the spiritual energy here in earnest. Lei Xiang could sense clearly that the energy concentration here was at least twice that of the Eastern Yue Kingdom.

Just then, the female elf who’d been watching him stood up from across the pond, revealing a snowy bosom and arms as soft as vines. She swung her hand backward, giving her attendant a resounding slap. “Get out!” she snapped. The frail male elf tumbled head over heels from the blow, scrambled up without daring to look back, and fled on hands and knees.

Now, this plump, white elf woman narrowed her indigo eyes to slits, a spring-like heat swirling in her gaze as she looked at Lei Xiang. He sighed inwardly, for he saw her swaying toward him, hips rolling with every step.

She stopped before him, scrutinized him closely, then laughed—a sound that set the flesh of her face jiggling. She muttered something Lei Xiang couldn’t understand, which sent the other elf women into peals of giggles. The male elves, still washing their mistresses, wore expressions ranging from contempt and regret to schadenfreude and, most often, blank indifference.

The elf woman plunked herself down beside Lei Xiang, so close he felt the water rise. A fragrant, herbal scent wafted toward him—her perfume, likely extracted from local plants. Suddenly, her vine-like arm draped across his shoulder.

Staring at the large hand that had so recently slapped her servant, Lei Xiang’s expression didn’t change. He stretched out comfortably in the water, letting his body soak in the icy energy. He knew someone would step in to deal with this sow beside him.

Sure enough, interference soon arrived. A swirl of water heralded a petite female elf, who swam quickly to Lei Xiang and rolled her indigo eyes at the would-be suitor. “Zhuangyang, you’re infatuated again—falling for every newcomer? There should be an order to these things. I saw him first. If you want a turn, wait your turn!”

The stout elf called Zhuangyang glared but said nothing; her actions spoke for her. She spread her arms and, by some unknown technique, her chest swelled impressively, her touch iron-hard—transforming instantly from sow to muscleman.

Seeing they were about to come to blows, Lei Xiang shook his head in resignation. He’d never imagined he would become such a coveted figure. Glancing at the male elf who brought him, he saw the fellow hurry over, grinning obsequiously as he spoke to the two women. Zhuangyang’s arm recoiled as if bitten by a snake, and the petite elf, without a word, turned and swam away.

Lei Xiang lay back contentedly, thinking that with the Queen to back him, that sow wouldn’t dare touch him again.

At noon, the sunlight was piercingly bright.

Yet there was one man staring unblinking at the sun itself—was he not afraid of blinding himself?

This man was Lei Xiang. After a morning of study, he had basically mastered the elven tongue. As Teacher Mu Qingchun put it, “You’re a rare breed—innately gifted with languages. In a few hours, you’ve learned what would take others a year. If the Queen hadn’t asked, I’d keep you here as a teacher.”

The royal pool was now packed, Lei Xiang among them. After last night’s events, no female elf with any sense dared approach him; they all kept a respectful distance, knowing this tall outsider would soon be the Queen’s stud, out of anyone else’s reach.

Lei Xiang didn’t mind. Soaking in the bath, he could absorb a bit more of the icy energy, which was good for his body. Besides, he could practice looking at the sun—a method Zhu Chi had taught him the night before to train the blue radiance in his eyes, aiding his cultivation of the Thunder God Slash.

At first, staring at the sun, Lei Xiang’s eyes burned painfully and he instinctively turned away, eyes squeezed shut. But his powerful will forced him to calm his mind. With his eyes closed, he silently recited the incantation Zhu Chi had taught him, drawing the icy energy he’d just absorbed into his eyeballs.

Since arriving in the elven world, Lei Xiang had been unable to circulate his internal power, but thanks to Zhu Chi’s guidance, he could now gather the newly absorbed ice energy. According to Zhu Chi, this energy would greatly aid in cultivating the blue radiance within his eyes.

As the icy energy entered his eyes, the sun’s burning pain vanished instantly. Lei Xiang slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes, gazing once more at the sun. It still hurt—but this time, as he recited the incantation and controlled the pain with his formidable will, he didn’t close his eyes. He merely squinted, allowing only a sliver of sunlight to enter, which reduced the pain by more than half.

Just as Lei Xiang was engrossed in his training, a female elf suddenly appeared behind him. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a pair of bare, delicate feet and wondered, “Now that everyone knows I belong to the Queen, which bold soul dares approach me?”