Everything happens for a reason. The reason he was warning himself so strictly was that two days ago, when he came upstairs, he caught an improper scene unfolding in the Landlord's private chambers without any warning—

  Behind the purple gauze curtain, the androgynous witch was completely naked. Twelve young handmaidens lit fragrant herbs inside the curtain at the Landlord's command for a steam bath. The Landlord stood right beside the witch, holding up the soft fragrant Rue and gold needles, and pricked the body of this creature that had curves of a woman but still bore a man's erect yang, over and over, moxibustion heat sinking right into the dantian!

  His immediate reaction was to rush into the curtain and drag the Landlord out, impulsively wanting to smash everything to pieces. The two of them had another petty quarrel, and in the more than ten days since they returned to the great island, there has barely been a day of peace in the building.

  He is not angry, not flying into a rage. If he keeps holding a grudge against the Landlord, it will only hurt the ones who care about us and please the enemy, which is exactly what that damned good-for-nothing freeloader came here for!

  As he stepped up to the third floor, he paused slightly. The layers of hanging purple gauze in the Landlord's chambers had mostly been drawn back, only a dozen panels of curtain trailing along the inner side. There was a faint silhouette moving behind the curtain, and voices drifting out.

  "Ah, Master..." Lu Danhua had just lifted the curtain to step out, and when she lifted her lashes, she met her master's sharp gaze straight on.

  Before Lei Salang could speak, Lu Danhua, who was the building's steward, saw that he was soaked all over, and immediately did her duty: "You just got caught in the rain, didn't you, Master? I'll have someone prepare hot water for you to bathe."

  "Don't rush, sister Danhua. There's freshly boiled hot water here, ask your master to come in and use it together." A soft female voice drifted lightly from behind the purple gauze, accompanied by the alluring sound of water splashing.

  "Ah!" When Lu Danhua heard that, she immediately realized that the Landlord, who was soaking in the medicinal bath inside, was inviting a man to bathe together. Her cheeks were thin and soft, and a flush immediately spread all over her face. She quickly glanced at her master, whose expression was unreadable, bit her lip to hold back a smile, and forced her voice to stay steady: "Master... the Landlord is waiting for you. I have some things to take care of downstairs." She added: "Then... I'll borrow the Landlord's twelve handmaidens for a while, there's some work at the East Manor that needs their help, I'll bring them back to the building later."

  She really is a thoughtful chief steward. Even though she's blushing with embarrassment, she still thinks of her master, and makes sure the two of them won't be disturbed.

  After Danhua left, only the two of them remained inside and outside the curtain in the whole building. The sound of splashing water started again, slow and filled with deep, enticing meaning.

  Lei Salang's already beating heart hammered even louder now, like a drum. Even though he was soaked through by the rain, his whole body burned with high temperature, hot all over, even his breath felt scalding.

  He stepped into the gauze curtain, stopped still, his gaze sharp as a torch.

  The beauty in the large bathtub turned her jade back to him. When she did not see him move, Hua Duomei slowly turned her head and looked at him from the corner of her eye.

  Their eyes met, locked in a silent, heated gaze.

  Hua Duomei bit her lip softly, sighed quietly, she was angry in her heart, but she couldn't stay angry at him for long. She didn't want to keep stalemate with him any longer, it was so tiring, completely exhausting both body and mind!

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  Ever since the stone house incident with Danhua and Baluo, the frictions between the two of them have seemed to grow more and more frequent, and there are things lying between them that have never been talked out. She clearly knows that she's been so weak that she only has him in her heart. If they keep giving each other the cold shoulder, who is going to practice the dual cultivation of Yin and Yang with her, and nourish her young, beautiful body? So after counting and thinking it over from every angle, she has to give in and reconcile with him.

  "You... huh?" She opened her mouth to speak, but paused at his next move.

  Lei Salang caught sight of a bowl of still-steaming medicinal liquid on the small table, which must have been brought here by Danhua. This was the prescription the old Central Plains miracle doctor, who had once been an imperial physician and now also settled in the South Seas, had prescribed for her after they returned to the island. According to the old doctor, she has to take thirteen doses in a row to completely eliminate the stagnant qi in her chest and abdomen. Counting the days, today is the last dose.

  He stepped closer, picked up the medicine bowl and held it to her lips.

  Hua Duomei's delicate eyebrows immediately drew together in a pathetic pout. She's already drunk more than ten doses in a row, and she can't stand the sticky aftertaste Chinese medicine leaves in her mouth. Just looking at that bowl of pitch-black medicine makes her want to cry.

  "I... I'll drink it later!" She wants to put it off as long as she can, avoid it if possible. Hmm, she already feels much better, does it really matter if she skips the last dose?

  "Drink it." The man was absolutely firm.

  She made a small sound in her throat, knowing she couldn't get out of it, so she accepted her fate and took the bowl, still muttering quietly under her breath.

  "I'm the master of this whole building after all. You want me to obey you but don't give me any sweetness, you just keep a cold face and order me to listen obediently. If I didn't care about you and have you in my heart, why would I even pay attention to you..."

  She muttered it so quietly, but every word still drifted into Lei Salang's ears. All those "I"s that she used made him unconsciously curve into a smile, and then he schooled his face back into a stern expression the next moment. Watching her sigh and lift the bowl to drink the medicine sip by sip, he slowly untied his waist sash, pulled off his clothes, then, under her slightly stunned but shining gaze, took off his pants and boots too, stripped himself completely naked, and stepped into the large basin of hot water.

  With him added in, the water level in the basin immediately rose, almost spilling over the edge.

  "There's still half a bowl left, don't drag your feet." Lei Salang had been seen completely naked from head to toe, but his expression was perfectly calm, and he stared at her again until she finished all the remaining medicine in the bowl.

  It's strange, why is she blushing? This man has been seen, nibbled, and thoroughly "devoured" by her a hundred times over. But now her face is flushed all the way to her ears, just because he broke his usual stern, unsmiling routine, and it stirred up her longing and made her eager to touch him? The small bowl in her hand almost tipped over, she quickly pulled herself together, and gulped the whole thing down like it was just tea.

  "It's h-hot! So hot!" She only cried out that her tongue was scalded after she'd chugged the whole thing down in one go. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, tears even forced to the corners of her eyes.

  Lei Salang was also startled by her reckless chugging, he widened his eyes, but it was already too late to stop her. And sure enough, the mess happened right in front of him.

  "You really are..." This made his heart ache with pity for her.

  He shook his head and sighed quietly, took the small bowl she was still waving around randomly in her hand, tossed it into the clothing basket beside, leaned over, and immediately pushed his tongue into her scalded red little mouth, tangled softly around her tender pink tongue.

  Hua Duomei quickly fell, intoxicated by his scent.

  It had been a while since the two of them had been intimate together. First, because she had attacked Danhua and Baluo, which completely enraged him. Then, even after they reunited, she was still injured, so he had never demanded intimacy, just gotten used to holding her to sleep at night... His strong arms, his thick broad chest, all these years of island life had turned his already deep complexion a golden bronze, which always made her think of the bright sun filtering through the gaps in coconut palm fronds, and the golden light dancing on the sea, full of that South Seas charm.

  "Lei Salang..." she called out softly in her passion, her seductive body pressing close to him, her jade arms actively looping around his neck. She boldly straddled his thighs, boldly reached out, intending to take back the dominant position. But the man had obviously held back for too long lately, and he'd been annoyed with her so many times recently, so he not only refused to give way, but struck back even more fiercely.

  "I should give you a sweet reward..." His masculine breath warmed her small mouth.