Chapter 108 - Tender Moments

The following morning, Ao Wen woke up comfortable, warm, secure, and disoriented. Behind her, a soft and familiar warmth wrapped around her, hot breath gently tickling her neck as a delicate arm snaked across her waist before draping elegant fingers across the humble swell of her right breast. "Senior Sister," she murmured softly, "your hand is being naughty again."

"Oh," Feng Xi teased from behind Ao Wen, her fingers delivering a teasing pinch. "So Senior Sister Qi Yue has wandering hands?"

"Xi, oh my, I'm sorry," Ao Wen said, instantly flustered, rolling over in bed afraid that she'd caused genuine hurt with careless words. Instead, she found only the warm emerald gaze of the woman who'd taken her first kiss and held her throughout a long stormy night filled with difficult stories and events she'd never taken the time to truly process. 

"I understand," Feng Xi said, placing a finger on Ao Wen's lips before she could speak further. "It's okay. As long as you always come back to yourself and come back to me, I can handle morning confusion for a bit," she reassured. Inwardly, she hoped that this didn't last too long, but saying anything right now would only hurt Ao Wen. 

Instead, Feng Xi resolved to build more intimate moments together so that when Ao Wen woke in the future, she'd be the first one that came to mind. She thought she'd prepared herself for the fact that her love had lovers in previous lives and that she might one day discover feelings for them but hearing another woman's name on Ao Wen's lips when she woke had stung in a way she wasn't truly prepared for. It wasn't anyone's fault, it was just something they both had to figure out how to deal with. 

"Um," Ao Wen said after an awkward moment. "I didn't think that it would come up at a time like now, but, if you don't mind," she started, eyes casting around her room for a small porcelain bottle. "I made this for you," she said, presenting the bottle to Feng Xi and glancing away in embarrassment. 

"Body Purifying Oil?" Feng Xi asked, looking at the bottle and inspecting the thick, herb-scented oil contained within. "More of your recent concocting?"

"Father Feng is almost recovered enough to start teaching you archery right?" Ao Wen said. "That means you'll need to trigger a Reawakening to begin your body cultivation. I have something to help with that too," she added, producing another small bottle. "But Reawakenings rarely need much actual help once you've progressed beyond the first stage."

"Now that you mention it," Feng Xi questioned. "I didn't think it was possible to awaken in three cultivation systems before reaching the third stage in at least one of them, yet you're managing body, soul, and mental cultivation. Is it because you're special or have we been wrong all this time?"

"No, that's generally true. Since you're an Understudy, awakening a second method of cultivation is about the limit. You might push through to a third one as a late-stage Understudy if you'd also managed to become a late-stage Soldier but I wouldn't recommend it without help," she explained. "This is different though," she said, taking the bottle of oil back from Feng Xi. "Senior Sister Qi Yue used this on me before I advanced to Novice. It's an oil that will help me expel accumulated toxins in your body to ease the Reawakening and reduce the strain on your body."

"So you're going to go back to being a practical alchemist after all we talked about last night," Feng Xi said with a disapproving frown. "I thought we agreed that you'd pick up your saber again and train with Tang Jin for a bit while I learned archery to pull yourself away from Cong Daiyu." 

"Well, about that," Ao Wen said with a deep blush. "For this, it works best if you're naked. I'll need to rub this along every centimeter of your body, from sculpted legs to naughty wandering fingers."

"Oh, oh!" Feng Xi said, blushing herself when she realized what Ao Wen meant. "So, I should…"

"I'll get something for you to lie down on," Ao Wen said, scrambling out of bed. "Um, the oil stains things so just be patient a moment," she added, darting out of her room to return with cushions and a spare sheet. "You may feel a bit wobbly after this," she warned, thinking back to her own failed attempt to stand after receiving Qi Yue's tender massage. "But I'll have the staff draw a warm bath for us both to clean up after."

"So you'll have to pamper me," Feng Xi said with a smile.

"And I intend to," Ao Wen replied. "Now, out of the nightwear and onto the cushion," she commanded. 

As Cong Daiyu, Ao Wen had performed this massage on multiple cultivators over the years. It had always been a bit detached, with blushing and giggling from young Sword Maidens to stiff and stilted movements from fellow Scholars or body-shy Artists. In the Sacred Flame Celestial Temple, treatments like this weren't rare for core disciples who could request the personal services of a sect alchemist in exchange for contribution points but Ao Wen had always schooled herself to maintain a healer's detachment while kneeding the flesh of fellow disciples. 

Feng Xi, however, was completely different. They'd bathed together since they were children and there was nothing 'new' to see, but after last night's electrifying kiss, every supple curve or gentle hollow of Feng Xi's body felt like a new wonderland for her fingers to explore. Working slowly, she warmed the oil in her hands before beginning her work on her love's lush thighs, fingers pressing deep into soft flesh before pulling downward along Taiyin meridian before becoming gentle at the bend of the knee and cupping lightly along the back of a well-toned calf. Feng Xi's Emerald Tempest Heron bloodline had manifested in long, slender legs that propelled her to an impressive height of one hundred and seventy centimeters. Ao Wen had always regarded her legs as one of Feng Xi's most enticing physical attributes but only now did she realize how truly long those legs were. 

The massage itself took less time than it had for Qi Yue to complete the same process on the orphan Little Yu. Even though there was more of Feng Xi for her fingers to manipulate and she took her time with every graceful limb and muscle, Feng Xi had far fewer toxins accumulated in her body than the orphaned and malnourished orphan Yu had. Within an hour, half the oil had been consumed and the dark yellowish residue had all been scraped away leaving a warm and content Feng Xi struggling to keep her eyes open on the soft cushions. 

"Wait here," Ao Wen breathed, dressing herself before speaking to the household staff. Several minutes passed before she returned to guide Feng Xi to a warm wooden tub built for two. Beside the tub, cool glasses held fresh water scented with orange peel and several plates had been set out with chilled fruit, seasoned meats, and soft steamed buns. 

"Wen, what is all this?" Feng Xi asked, fully returning to her senses from her massage-induced haze when she saw the romantic setup. 

"I didn't get to create this moment when I confessed in Father's workshop," Ao Wen said with a blush. "But this time, I want to do it right. I love you, Xi. No matter how many lifetimes pass, I'll always love you," she said, stepping in close and resting her head on the taller woman's soft chest. "I want to wake up with you every morning, have breakfast with you every day, wash your hair and have you wash mine… I want as many days like this as fate will give us and if it's not enough then I'll go find more," she swore. "So, in this life and the ones to follow, be mine?"

"Oh Wen," Feng Xi whispered, embracing her lover with misty eyes. "This is the confession I wanted. This is the you that I wanted. Of course, I'm yours, in this life and every one after."