’I can break through tonight. Just a little meditation, a good meal, and I’ll hit Stage 6. Eat your heart out, Inner Sect geniuses!’

She turned back to her ragged squad.

Tang Bo was slumped on the ground, and the Class 6 guys looked like zombies.

Princess Ling’er, currently riding piggyback on one of the larger boys, since Ji’an had to keep her hands free for combat, looked miserable, her face smeared with dirt.

"Alright, squad," Ji’an clapped her hands, her voice carrying the cheerful authority of a camp counsellor. "Drop your gear. We’ve completed the major quests. We are making camp here for the night. And looking at you lot... You all smell like wet badger."

"We’ve been running through swamps all day, Senior Brother," a guard groaned. "Of course we stink."

"Exactly," Ji’an pointed at the glowing river. "Which is why it is bath time."

Instantly, the men in the group perked up. Tang Bo didn’t even wait for a second invitation. He grabbed the hem of his sweaty tunic and prepared to yank it over his head.

"Finally! Cannonball!" Tang Bo yelled, running toward the water.

Smack!

The flat, broad side of the Black Iron Spatula connected squarely with the back of Tang Bo’s knees, sending him tumbling face-first into the soft grass just inches from the water’s edge.

"Ow! Boss! What gives?!" Tang Bo whined, rubbing his legs.

Ji’an stood over him, tapping the spatula against her palm. She looked at the other guards, who were also halfway through unfastening their belts. They froze under her stern gaze.

"Put those away," Ji’an ordered, pointing the spatula at them like a disapproving mother. "Where are your manners? Were you raised in a barn? We have ladies present."

She gestured behind her, where Princess Ling’er, Su Wan, and Liu Liu were standing awkwardly, looking longingly at the water but too embarrassed to undress in front of the boys.

"In the Class 9 Survival Squad, we operate on the principle of basic human decency," Ji’an declared loudly. "The flowers of the sect take priority. The girls bathe first. The boys will face the forest, guard the perimeter, and wait for their turn. Anyone caught peeking will be assigned to scrub the communal woks for a year. Am I clear?"

The girls’ eyes widened.

In the cutthroat cultivation world, men rarely yielded resources or comfort to women unless they wanted something in return. "Ladies first" was a mortal concept that had largely died out among cultivators.

But Lin Ji’an enforced it like it was an unbreakable law of the universe.

"Y-yes, Boss," Tang Bo muttered, scrambling to his feet and quickly tying his sash back up. The guards nodded frantically, turning their backs to the river and staring intensely into the treeline.

"Good," Ji’an nodded.

She walked over to the Princess, who was sitting on a rock, clutching her bandaged ankle. Ling’er looked up at Ji’an, a complicated mix of gratitude and lingering haughtiness on her face.

"I can’t bathe," Ling’er mumbled, looking away. "My ankle. The bandage will get wet. And I can’t stand the current."

"Who said you were standing?" Ji’an replied effortlessly.

Before Ling’er could protest, Ji’an scooped her up in her arms, the second Princess Carry of the trip, and walked her to the shallow edge of the river.

"Su Wan!" Ji’an called out.

The White Lotus practically sprinted over, her cheeks pink. "Yes, Senior Brother?"

Ji’an gently deposited the Princess onto a smooth, flat boulder that sat perfectly half-submerged in the glowing, warm water.

"You’re on nursing duty, Junior Sister," Ji’an instructed, handing Su Wan a bar of the handmade lavender soap. "Help Her Highness wash up. Keep her ankle elevated on this rock. Don’t let her scrub the bandage."

Su Wan took the soap, her fingers brushing against Ji’an’s. She nodded fervently. "I will take perfect care of her, Senior Brother. You can rely on me."

"I know I can," Ji’an offered her a devastatingly charming wink.

She turned to leave the water, but paused. She looked at the three girls: the Princess, the White Lotus, and the Rouge-lover.

"Take your time," Ji’an said softly, her voice carrying over the gentle babble of the river. "The water is infused with spiritual energy. It will soothe your muscles and help Ling’er’s ankle. Wash up. Relax. I’ve got the perimeter."

With that, Ji’an waded out of the water.

She walked up the riverbank, found a large, prominent boulder facing the forest, and hopped onto it.

She sat cross-legged, her Black Iron Spatula resting across her knees. She turned her back completely to the river, staring out into the dark woods like a silent, immovable sentinel.

The girls slipped into the water.

It was magical. The liquid Qi washed away the grime, the sweat, and the sheer exhaustion of the day.

As they sank into the glowing blue depths, a collective sigh of bliss echoed across the river.

Liu Liu scrubbed her hair, sighing happily. Su Wan gently helped Princess Ling’er wash her arms, taking care not to splash her elevated foot.

But as they bathed, all three girls found their gazes drifting toward the shore.

Sitting on the rock, outlined by the moonlight, was the broad, reassuring back of Lin Ji’an.

He didn’t fidget. He didn’t turn his head to sneak a glance. He sat with the rigid discipline of an elite palace guard.

"He really isn’t looking," Liu Liu whispered, awe evident in her voice. "Every other guy in this sect would be finding an excuse to turn around right now." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"He is. Uncle is... different," Princess Ling’er murmured, tracing circles in the water. Her usual arrogance was absent. "He ordered his own men to step back for us, and he carried me again all day so I wouldn’t ruin my bandage. Why does a chef like him have the bearing of a knight?"

Su Wan lathered the soap, her eyes fixed on Ji’an’s silhouette.

She remembered the sheer perfection of that back from the night before, and her heart did a traitorous flip.