This slave doesn’t know how to swim
Half an hour later——
Qiwu Palace, bathing pool.
Every time Zhou Huaiyan got drunk, he didn’t like drinking sobering soup. Instead, he preferred to wash away the smell of alcohol and soak in the bath for a long time.
“Your Highness, Ah Fei has returned.”
The young eunuch, Dousha, reported respectfully at the door. Although Hongdou had served Zhou Huaiyan for over a decade, due to gender differences, he usually didn’t like anyone around when he was bathing.
When someone really had to serve him, he would choose the young eunuch instead.
Zhou Huaiyan responded casually,
“Call him in.”
“Yes.”
Ah Fei, who was standing at the door, didn’t expect his master to call him in. His master never took him along when bathing. The kitten felt a bit nervous. However, thinking about his master soaking naked in the hot spring, he felt his whole body heat up.
The kitten’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he slowly walked into the warm, steamy air.
Zhou Huaiyan loved taking baths, especially during the cold winter months. Thus, his bath was meticulously and elegantly designed. On the right side of the bath was an exquisite wooden screen, with the young man’s freshly shed clothes scattered around.
On the left side, there was a small white jade table holding some fruits, milk, and sweets.
The first thing Ah Fei saw was his master’s bare back. His shoulders were relaxed, and his spine was beautiful. His hair was mostly wet, dark, and shiny, reminding Ah Fei of the ink he ground daily for his master and the way the ink spread in the inkslab.
Droplets of water rolled down, refracting the light from the glass lamp into sparkling pearls.
“Ah Fei, go pour me a cup of milk.”
He didn’t like the strange taste of sobering soups, so he always used milk to sober up when drunk.
Zhou Huaiyan didn’t turn around. His voice was usually clear like jade, but now it had a slight huskiness, making it especially alluring in the humid, enclosed space.
Startled by the voice, Ah Fei felt as if he’d been caught peeping, blushing from his neck to his ears. He quickly ran to the small table to fetch the milk.
“Ma… Master…”
He carefully held the silver cup, kneeling beside the young man.
Not too far but not too close—just at the right distance for Zhou Huaiyan to reach out and get the drink without being too near to him.
Even though Ah Fei had left that hell long ago, the rules of servitude seemed to be etched into his very bones.
At this moment, the young man had been soaking for a while. His originally jade-white skin had taken on a faint pink hue, but the smooth contours of his muscles underneath were far from feminine.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and especially the beautiful lines of his back were captivating.
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“What did you find?”
——His master hadn’t noticed his blasphemous thoughts.
Realizing this, Ah Fei couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He composed himself and replied,
“As the Master suspected, the Empress did not return directly to the palace after leaving the New Year’s Eve banquet.”
Ah Fei then recounted to the young man everything he had seen about the two black-cloaked figures on his way.
“The White Horse Temple… indeed, it’s not that simple.”
Zhou Huaiyan leaned against the edge and chuckled lightly, turning his head to look at him.
“So… that woman and the Empress, how certain are you that they are the same person?”
He stared blankly at Zhou Huaiyan. The young man’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes were dreamy, and his lips were full and vividly colored. The naturally curved corners of his lips seemed to smile invitingly, tempting one to kiss them.
Moreover, having just drunk the milk, there were still traces of it at the corners of his lips.
Want to… lick it clean.
Seeing that the kitten didn’t speak for a long time, Zhou Huaiyan frowned.
“Ah Fei?”
“…Ah?”
The kitten suddenly came back to his senses. He quickly lowered his head and said in a murmur,
“This slave… This slave is seventy percent certain. Their figures are very similar, and the direction she left in was towards the Empress’s palace. Also, the timing… matches up.”
In fact, after carefully observing the figure of the woman in the black cloak and comparing it to the Empress, Ah Fei was a hundred percent certain. He had studied human anatomy and could recognize a person just by their body shape and posture.
However, without a justification for claiming complete certainty, he could only say seventy percent.
“Seventy percent certainty…”
The warm, comfortable water made the young man involuntarily close his eyes, a slight, sensual gasp escaping his throat.
“——That’s enough.”
White Horse Temple, Yan State, the foreign king, Qi Shoubang, and now… the Empress too.
Zhou Huaiyan narrowed his eyes in thought and casually handed the cup of milk to Ah Fei,
“Drink it. You’ve been staring at it for a while. You must be craving it, right?”
He was craving it, but not the milk in the cup…
Ah Fei raised his head and stared at the corners of the young man’s lips, his eyes filled with undisguised longing and desire.
But he still remembered to express his gratitude.
“Yes, many… many thanks for your generosity, Master.”
The kitten raised his head slightly, intending to get up and take the milk. However, as soon as he straightened his back, he realized that from this angle, he could see his master’s bare chest.
And… further down, the large dark shadow was barely visible through the steamy mist.
“……!”
“! ! !”
Realizing what he was about to see, Ah Fei’s pupils suddenly dilated. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
Perhaps it was because the gaze was too intense or because the kitten hadn’t moved for a long time that Zhou Huaiyan subconsciously turned his head.
Oh, it was actually just a peeking cat.
However, due to the mist and the special medicinal powder added to the water, it wasn’t completely clear and had a milky white hue. What lay beneath was obscured from view.
Zhou Huaiyan had been served by countless palace attendants since birth. Although he didn’t like it, he had long since become accustomed to being bare before his servants. Besides, Ah Fei is a boy.
At this age, it’s normal to be curious about the bodies of older males.
But compared to the respectful and humble eunuchs, Ah Fei’s reaction, even if he couldn’t see clearly, was evidently much more amusing.
The kitten was clearly so embarrassed that his face was burning red, yet he still craned his neck, his round, pale green cat-like eyes wide with curiosity.
Nervous, curious, embarrassed, shocked!
Though Zhou Huaiyan was drunk, he still retained some clarity. Seeing Ah Fei’s reaction, he suddenly wanted to tease him even more, so he casually splashed some water in his direction.
“——What are you looking at?”
“…?!!”
Caught red-handed, Ah Fei’s body stiffened. He met the young man’s gaze with a blank stare, and in the next second, his entire face turned crimson. He sprang up with a “shu——” and instinctively tried to run.
However, the marble floor was too slippery, and his heart was too panicked. He was like a terrified kitten frantically sliding on ice.
Not to mention running out, he couldn’t even stand steadily.
“Ah!”
The kitten let out a short yelp.
“Plop——”
The kitten fell into the water.
Bang——A huge splash erupted.
Zhou Huaiyan, whose face was splashed with water: “……”
Thanks, I’m fully awake now.
Ah Fei had grown up on the territory of foreign tribes, in a vast wilderness without rivers or seas where he could learn to swim. Moreover, he had fallen backward into the water.
The warm water immediately rushed into his nose and mouth, causing immense discomfort.
Ah Fei was so frightened that he instinctively struggled and thrashed in the water. His hair tie came loose in the struggle, and his long black curly hair spread out in the water like blooming ink lotuses.
“Mas… he… glug glug… help… can’t swim… glug glug”
The pool was large, but the water was only waist-deep on Zhou Huaiyan. If Ah Fei had been a bit calmer, he could have just stood up.
But someone who can’t swim wouldn’t remain calm. Moreover, Ah Fei had just been caught peeping at his master’s “place” and then suddenly fell into the water, utterly panicked. It was as if all of his six vital organs failed to work properly.
“Help… he… water, ah…”
Seeing that pitiful figure about to drown, Zhou Huaiyan sighed and eventually walked over, lifting the struggling kitten with one hand.
Ah Fei was truly frightened and immediately clung to the young man. Not only did he wrap his arms tightly around Zhou Huaiyan’s neck, but his legs were also wrapped around his waist.
Ah Fei’s whole body was trembling. His long curly hair, now loose, clung wetly to the side of his face, making him look helpless and pitiable.
His beautiful pale green eyes were filled with tears and lingering fear, resembling a terrified, drenched cat clinging desperately to its owner. Seeing this pitiful sight, Zhou Huaiyan’s irritation vanished. However, holding him like this wasn’t a solution… especially given their current situation. Moreover, with Ah Fei wrapped around his waist, it was an awkward position, pressing right against him.
…This feeling was particularly strange.
“Ah Fei,”
Zhou Huaiyan suddenly felt a strange mixture of shame and anger, his tone unintentionally colder,
“——Let go.”
“……”
Ah Fei looked up with grievance, showing no intention of letting go,
“Ma… Master, this slave doesn’t know how to swim.”
As he spoke, he didn’t know whether it was intentional or not, but the kitten’s body slid down a bit.
Zhou Huaiyan: “……”
The author has something to say:
Perfect timing~
Congrats Huaiyan, your kitten has evolved from perverted kitten >> sobering kitten >> drenched cat! 🤣
Lmao 🤣
Thank you for the update