Infinite Awakening: My Exp Doubles Everyday-Chapter 172: You Smell Like Another Woman

"Senior brother!" Li Yao exclaimed, rushing toward Xiang Yu with unbridled enthusiasm. She leapt into his arms, wrapping herself around him.

Xiang Yu had detected her entering his formation and deliberately came out to greet her, knowing that otherwise she would relentlessly search for him throughout the sect. Now, as she clung to him, snuggling against his chest with clear affection, he calculated his next move carefully. For now...

He returned her embrace, holding her tight and gently patting her head—an action that seemed to please her immensely, judging by the contented expression on her face.

"Junior sister, you returned so soon. Did you succeed in what you were doing?" he asked, carefully maintaining a gentle tone while diverting the conversation away from their physical closeness.

"That’s right," she confirmed with a radiant smile. Her eyes searched his face hungrily, as if memorizing every feature. "I really missed senior brother. Did you miss me too?" she asked.

Xiang Yu smiled reassuringly. "Of course I did," he replied.

Li Yao suddenly paused, her body tensing against his. The abrupt shift in her demeanor made Xiang Yu a little nervous. She leaned closer to his neck, audibly sniffing him, her expression transforming from adoration to suspicion in an instant.

"Why do you smell like another woman?" she asked.

Elder Huang, who had just finished arranging accommodations for the spirits and was approaching to inquire about Li Yao’s journey, overheard the question. Without hesitation, she executed a perfect about-face and hastily retreated, wanting no part in whatever was about to unfold.

Xiang Yu noticed the elder’s tactical withdrawal with dismay. He had misjudged his martial aunt—he had thought so highly of her, yet she abandoned him to his fate without even a backward glance. So much for their familial bonds.

"What do you mean?" Xiang Yu asked nervously, attempting to create some distance between them. His efforts proved futile as Li Yao maintained her iron grip, showing no intention of releasing him.

"Did you really flirt with other women when I was away?" she pressed, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"How could I?" Xiang Yu responded quickly. "You know I only like you, right?" he added, hoping the direct approach might defuse her growing suspicion.

But Li Yao remained unconvinced, her arms tightening around him. "Then why do you smell like another woman?" she repeated, her tone hardening.

Xiang Yu wondered if such detection was even possible. His brief contact with Xiuying had been nearly two days ago. Since then, he had spent countless hours submerged in the spirit spring, his body completely purified by its energies. He always donned fresh clothing whenever he emerged from the spring. How could any trace scent possibly remain?

"Actually, when you left, Xiuying..." he began cautiously.

"Xiuying?" Li Yao interjected, her aura flaring visibly around her form. "You’re even on a first-name basis?" The temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees.

Xiang Yu recognized the dangerous instability in her reaction. Switching tactics, he raised his hands to gently cup her cheeks, lifting her face until their eyes met directly.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Li Yao stammered, a blush spreading across her face.

Xiang Yu noted with relief that she was calming down. He needed to maintain this momentum before she relapsed.

"Yao Yao," he said softly. "Look at me," he continued, his gaze holding hers steadily. "Do you think I would lie to you?"

She maintained eye contact briefly before her gaze darted sideways, her blush deepening. "Do you not believe me?" he pressed when she remained silent.

"Then—then why did you call her Xiuying?" she finally asked, still avoiding his direct gaze.

"Actually, I don’t know her other name," Xiang Yu explained, improvising on the spot. "She was just sick, and I used her to practice my medicine skills. I was worried that if you came back injured, I wouldn’t know how to help you." He was autogenerating on the spot, but he delivered with perfect sincerity. "I only care about you, so I didn’t bother remembering the rest of her name."

Li Yao continued blushing but remained uncharacteristically silent. She thought to herself that her senior brother was truly caring. Now that she showed this side of her, would he think badly of her? What should she do? She was nervous and overreacted, her senior brother was just concerned about her.

Xiang Yu, sensing his approach might not be working, made a bold decision. In one fluid movement, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

Li Yao froze, utterly startled by the unexpected kiss. The soft sensation of his lips against hers sent waves of warmth cascading through her entire being. When he finally pulled away, she remained in a dazed state, her mind struggling to process what had just happened.

Xiang Yu feigned embarrassment, looking to the side with a manufactured blush. "Y-you caught me off guard last time," he explained, referencing her impulsive kiss before her departure. "This is my revenge," he added with calculated awkwardness.

"Mmh," Li Yao murmured softly, her grip on him finally loosening as she remained lost in the afterglow of the kiss.

Xiang Yu exhaled internally with relief. He was out of danger—at least for now.

...

Li Yao stood before Xiang Yu, her cheeks flushed crimson. She had already forgotten her earlier suspicions, her mind thoroughly scrambled by the unexpected kiss. Her senior brother had really surprised her, attacking without warning like that. Now her thoughts were in complete disarray. What should she do next? Would it be too awkward to remain silent? Even worse, would senior brother look down on her if she asked him to do it again? She had been caught so off guard that she hadn’t even had time to properly enjoy it.

She looked up at Xiang Yu, who was also sporting a slight blush. Gathering her courage, she tugged gently at his shirt, her voice barely a whisper as she murmured, "One more."

"What?" Xiang Yu asked, not quite catching her almost inaudible request.

Li Yao blushed even deeper, the redness spreading to her ears, but she steadied herself and gazed directly into his eyes with determination. "Do it one more time," she said, her voice still soft but now clearly audible.

Xiang Yu thought she looked quite cute like this. But he quickly readjusted his thoughts, reminding himself that this adorable exterior concealed a ticking time bomb that could detonate at any moment.

"Okay," he agreed simply. They both leaned in, their lips meeting in a second, more deliberate kiss.

When they separated, Li Yao found herself wanting even more, but she couldn’t just keep asking.

The Empress, who had been silently observing this exchange from Li Yao’s spiritual sea, thought to herself that Xiang Yu was quite smart. These two seemed genuinely fated for each other.

[Can you ask him what I told you?] the Empress spoke directly to Li Yao’s consciousness, abruptly interrupting her romantic reverie.

"Is this really okay?" Li Yao asked hesitantly.

[It’s fine, don’t worry about it,] the Empress reassured her.

Li Yao stepped back from Xiang Yu, deliberately creating some distance between them. She wondered briefly why the Empress cared so much about how others perceived her. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand in a fluid gesture, and the Empress materialized beside her, her form shimmering into visibility.

"Senior brother, look," she said proudly, pointing at the materialized Empress standing beside her.

Xiang Yu’s expression transformed into one of complete shock, his eyes widening as he noticed the empress. "You can use cloning techniques?" he asked incredulously, circling around to inspect the Empress from all angles.

He walked a full circuit around her, studying every detail with undisguised amazement. "She looks exactly like you..."

...

Author’s Corner

Remember Chapter 146 when the empress found the man’s reaction strange? This is why. When the guy attempted to possess Li Yao, he wasn’t surprised to see her in the spiritual sea, well, he was surprised but because she had a soul not because it was the empress. Idk if it’s getting across properly, i’ll explain tomorrow. Or ask in spoiler chat for those on discord.