Chapter Thirty-Nine: I'm Taking a Bath, You Idiot!

After the basic training concluded, Lu Mingfei returned alone to the hotel. As he walked, he kept replaying the skills he had copied during his sparring with his senior brother, committing them firmly to memory.

He had grown a great deal and wished to share this progress with Feningna. However, she had only recently been attacked by some unknown assailant. Now hardly seemed the right time to speak of such things—it felt inappropriate.

After a brief contemplation, Lu Mingfei reached out in his heart, asking, "Feningna, how are you? Did you face any danger today? Is anyone watching you?"

"I'm all right," her clear, bright voice answered after a short silence. "There seem to be people lurking in the shadows, watching me, but they don’t appear to have any intention of acting. My situation is still relatively safe, so you needn’t worry."

"Oh..." Lu Mingfei’s voice lowered. He could tell that Feningna was still in danger; she was only saying these things to keep him from worrying.

I'm still not strong enough...

He clenched his fists, then relaxed them again. A sense of helplessness weighed heavily on his heart. The joy of his recent progress faded, replaced once more by the urgency of impending crisis. He exhaled softly and asked, "Can I see you?"

"No." Feningna refused immediately, her words swift and decisive, as if she hadn’t even considered it.

"Why?" Lu Mingfei suddenly realized something was amiss. Normally, Feningna might refuse, but never so quickly, so absolutely, with no room for negotiation.

"No means no!" she repeated, her voice louder and fiercer, tinged with irritation.

Lu Mingfei, stung by her refusal, felt his anxiety mounting. Amid his worry, a suspicion surfaced, one he felt might be close to the truth.

Could it be that Feningna is actually in trouble now, but she’s pretending to be fine so I won’t worry? She won’t let me see her because if I do, her lie will be exposed?

Surely it can’t be true!

The thought made him even more nervous. He hastily pressed, "What’s really going on? Are you hiding something from me?"

Silence. No response.

His anxiety grew sharper.

But before long, Feningna’s bashful, annoyed voice echoed in his mind.

"I'm taking a bath, you idiot!"

"Huh?"

Along with her words, a fleeting, blurry image appeared. In the mist-filled room, a moist young girl wrapped herself in a brown towel. Her delicate shoulder, accentuated by the dark towel, looked even paler and more tender; droplets not yet fully dried glistened on her flawless body, enhancing her beauty.

In that moment, Feningna’s expression was tinged with annoyance: she frowned slightly, cheeks puffed, her sharp gaze hinting at a desire to raise her small, pink fists and give him a good beating. But it wasn’t only irritation.

Perhaps because she sensed Lu Mingfei’s genuine concern, behind her bashful anger lay a subtle delight and helplessness, almost imperceptible.

Lu Mingfei noticed this, for his instinctively activated Mirror Eyes could analyze and reconstruct the blurry scene, revealing Feningna’s current appearance with remarkable clarity.

These Mirror Eyes...

They were surely the strongest Word Spirit in history! None could surpass them!

'She’s beautiful. I like her.'

Lu Mingfei clenched his fists; the anxiety and unease in his heart dissolved instantly. The details revealed by Mirror Eyes made his resolve firmer, his motivation to grow even stronger.

"Are you satisfied now?" Feningna’s bashful, annoyed voice came again.

According to the Mirror Eyes’ analysis, she hadn’t actually finished bathing. She had grabbed a towel and wrapped herself for his peace of mind, sharing her situation with him.

Perhaps she dared do so partly because the perceived image remained unclear—only because it was blurry did she feel safe showing herself.

But Feningna never expected Lu Mingfei to break the rules, activating Mirror Eyes to restore the fuzzy image to high-definition and admire it thoroughly.

What did it mean to be Tier 0?

"Mm." Lu Mingfei answered softly, trying to restrain his delight, though it could not be fully concealed.

"'Mm'? What’s that supposed to mean! I’ve told you I’m fine, why did you doubt me? Little Lu, listen, your suspicion really hurts me!"

"Mm-hmm."

"You only gave me one more ‘mm’?"

"Uh?"

"And ‘uh’ too, huh? Do you believe I’ll cry for you?"

"Water Goddess~ Water Goddess~ Don’t cry!"

"You... Ha, hahaha!"

Feningna was instantly amused and exasperated. That phrase, identical to the Fontainians’ call when rain fell, had been directly borrowed by Lu Mingfei for her—she never expected it.

...

Some time later, Feningna finished her bath and her mood nearly recovered, though her heart still raced. Her actions had been bold; sharing such intimate moments with someone so close made her feel nervous and exhilarated—a thrilling sensation.

After all, she’d wrapped herself in a towel, and the image between them was blurry; letting him see her like that hardly mattered.

"How did your training go today?"

"I... learned quickly, and made great progress."

Lu Mingfei instinctively wanted to speak the truth, to tell Feningna about his ability to copy Chu Zihang’s martial arts. But after a brief hesitation, he decided to conceal his abilities.

If she learned about his powers, she would surely be curious and ask about their effects. Lu Mingfei, though he might leave some things unsaid, would never lie to her, so he would have to explain the Mirror Eyes.

And then...

Feningna would recall the scene just now; after a moment’s thought, her mind would explode, sparking like electricity. Overwhelmed, she would spill a string of incoherent words to vent her emotion, then fall silent for the rest of the day, pondering her life.

Just imagining it made her seem adorable...

But while her situation remained dangerous, it was better for her to keep a good mindset, so it was best not to mention the effects of the Mirror Eyes yet.

"Why did you hesitate? Is that the truth?" Feningna asked skeptically.

"I admit, saying I learned quickly doesn’t fully capture my current state. Now my swordsmanship and basic combat skills have reached, maybe even surpassed, my senior brother’s level. If I train with him again... it’ll be unnecessary," Lu Mingfei replied seriously after some thought.

"What? Isn’t your senior brother’s swordsmanship really strong? How did you surpass him so quickly?" Feningna asked in disbelief.

"You’re right, but he’s a dragon-blooded hybrid, while I’m a dragon. Learning faster is only natural," Lu Mingfei said matter-of-factly.

"That makes sense, I suppose."

"More than that, I’d like to hear about your situation. Tell me more, so I can feel at ease."

"Ah, you’re impossible."

She closed her eyes and lifted her head in helpless pride, letting the water’s embrace wash away her tension, as if the pressure from the outside world vanished with it.