Ye Xuan was a man of his word; when he said he wouldn’t touch her, he meant it.
With a mere thought, a massive pile of dirty clothes materialized on the floor. These were all the garments he had changed out of and tossed into his Storage Ring over the past few days.
"So many?!" Liu Ruoxi’s eyes widened in disbelief. A moment later, she looked so aggrieved she seemed on the verge of tears.
The sheer volume of clothes was one thing, but there were also stinky socks, and... briefs? She had to wash his underwear? Oh, heavens. Just touching those things would be a defilement of her own hands!
"Ye Xuan, how about I buy you new ones? The quality will definitely be much better than these! From now on, you can just throw your clothes away after wearing them. There’s no need to wash them."
"Throw them away after one use? You really are a spoiled rich girl. But I’m sorry, those of us from a small town wash our clothes after we wear them. Wash and wear, they can last for three years."
"No! You don’t have to do that anymore. I’ll buy them for you; you won’t have to spend a dime. Growing up, I’ve always thrown my dresses away after wearing them. I’ve never washed them."
"You talk too much nonsense. What, are you refusing to wash them?"
As Ye Xuan spoke, he brought out the Spirit-Suppressing Rope once more. At the same time, his gaze became unabashedly predatory, looking as though he wanted to swallow Liu Ruoxi whole.
"I’ll wash them! I’ll wash them!"
Liu Ruoxi gritted her teeth and prepared to get out of bed. But the moment her feet touched the floor, she shrank back. Her long dress had been shredded by Ye Xuan, completely exposing her thighs. Even though she was still wearing panties, she was deeply embarrassed! Since childhood, she had never let a man see her bare thighs.
Covering her entire body with the blanket, she fumbled around for a while before finally getting out of bed. She had changed into a fresh pink dress. This girl truly had a soft spot for pink.
After getting up, Liu Ruoxi hesitated for a long time before finally scooping up the pile of dirty clothes. In that instant, she furrowed her brow. The laundry emitted a very distinct masculine scent! It wasn’t a stench, but rather the unique body odor of a man. It couldn’t be called foul, but it wasn’t pleasant, either.
Several times, she felt the urge to chuck the dirty clothes out of her hands. However, upon meeting Ye Xuan’s cold gaze, she ultimately carried the laundry out into the courtyard. Under the astonished gazes of Gongsun Yanran and Ye Ling’Er, she fetched a wooden bucket and actually began washing Ye Xuan’s clothes.
"This... Xuan’Er, how did you manage this?"
"Yeah, brother, a pampered young lady like her is actually doing your laundry. And... is that your underwear?"
Ye Xuan replied flatly, "Don’t look at me like that. She volunteered."
Liu Ruoxi overheard Ye Xuan’s words. Gripping a wooden laundry club, she forcefully pounded the clothes on the ground, seemingly treating the garments as Ye Xuan himself to viciously vent her anger.
She cursed inwardly, "Damn it! That scoundrel Ye Xuan! He actually makes me wash his clothes! Washing clothes is bad enough, but underwear too? These briefs are so filthy. Ew, why is there a milky-white substance on them? I can’t look! I’ll just beat them! Pound them! Pound them mercilessly!"
Just as she was venting her frustrations, Ye Xuan spoke coldly. "If you ruin the clothes by beating them, you will be punished. I, Ye Xuan, am a man of my word."
Liu Ruoxi froze slightly. Although she didn’t know how Ye Xuan planned to punish her, it definitely wouldn’t be anything good. Her strikes instantly grew much softer.
Liu Ruoxi ended up washing the clothes all the way until nightfall. It couldn’t be helped; she was simply too slow. Meanwhile, Ye Xuan sat cross-legged in the courtyard to consolidate his cultivation, which also served as a way to supervise her.
"Ye Xuan, I’m done washing," Liu Ruoxi’s voice rang out beneath the moonlight.
"Done? Let me inspect them." Ye Xuan stood up and began his inspection. "Hmm? Why is this piece of clothing torn?"
"Torn? The quality of your clothes is just terrible! I barely used any force!"
"Save your breath. I told you, if it gets ruined, you will be punished! Let’s go. Come to my room."
"Why would I go to your room?!"
Liu Ruoxi’s expression instantly changed. She had already swallowed her pride and endured so much, but Ye Xuan was pushing his luck. A deep blue Spiritual Qi erupted from her in a flash; she seemed to burst with power like an exploding miniature universe!
But soon, the deep blue Spiritual Qi dissipated into nothingness. Ye Xuan had brought out the Spirit-Suppressing Rope again, and golden Spiritual Qi shot forth from his hand. The rope darted toward Liu Ruoxi like a slithering snake.
Not daring to let the Spirit-Suppressing Rope get close, Liu Ruoxi manipulated her Spiritual Qi like a gust of wind, blowing the rope right back. Then, stomping her feet, she attempted to force an escape. Regardless of whether she could successfully get away, she decided she was done playing the servant! That despicable man had actually made her wash clothes all day long, and hidden within that pile were no less than fifty pairs of underwear! Even at one pair a day, that was fifty days of accumulation. Had this guy not washed his laundry for over a month? If he wasn’t going to wash them, couldn’t he just throw them away? Did he really have to keep wearing them?
"Trying to run?!"
Ye Xuan’s expression turned icy. Just as he was about to unleash his Beast Soul Power, Gongsun Yanran flew out of her room. Catching up in a flash, she subdued Liu Ruoxi with a single move.
"Gongsun Yanran, let me go! Let me leave! You people are too vicious, actually abusing me like this," Liu Ruoxi cried out in grievance.
Gongsun Yanran said nothing, merely dragging Liu Ruoxi back to Ye Xuan’s side. Without a word, Ye Xuan trussed Liu Ruoxi up securely with the Spirit-Suppressing Rope and hoisted her over his shoulder.
"Mother, I’m heading back to my room," Ye Xuan said flatly, striding toward his quarters with Liu Ruoxi slung over his shoulder.
Gongsun Yanran watched his retreating back, hesitating to speak. In the end, she shook her head. She decided it was best to let the young people settle their own affairs. She couldn’t manage everything anyway; even if Ye Xuan slept with Liu Ruoxi that night, so what? Sleeping with his own fiancée didn’t seem wrong at all. At worst, they would just pick an auspicious day to hold the wedding.
Three minutes later, in Ye Xuan’s room.
"Ye Xuan, let me go! What on earth are you trying to do?!"
"What do you think? Didn’t I warn you from the very beginning that if you ruined the clothes, you would be punished?"
"You... how are you going to punish me?"
"You’ll find out soon enough."
Ye Xuan dropped Liu Ruoxi onto the bed. Golden Spiritual Qi bloomed from him, sharp as blades. Liu Ruoxi’s dress shattered instantly, sending fabric shreds fluttering through the air like snow.
"Ah! No! Stop, stop it right now!"
In just a few breaths, the majority of Liu Ruoxi’s body was laid completely bare before Ye Xuan. She was overwhelmed with humiliation. This was practically the same as being naked! Fortunately, the Spirit-Suppressing Rope managed to cover her vital areas. Yet, it was still more than enough to leave her blushing profusely with shame.
"Not a bad figure. Skin as pale as jade." Ye Xuan’s voice rang out. Although his words were complimentary, his expression was completely cold.
"Ye Xuan, I swear it, I will kill you!" Liu Ruoxi no longer begged for mercy; instead, her eyes glared with fierce murderous intent.
Ye Xuan smirked and suddenly retracted the Spirit-Suppressing Rope. Every inch of Liu Ruoxi’s stunning figure was laid completely bare before his eyes, yet he made no inappropriate moves. Instead, he said coldly, "This is your first time failing to do a job right, so I’m only giving you a simple punishment. But if there’s a next time, I won’t just stop at looking! Enough, put on your clothes. I have no interest in your body."
With that, Ye Xuan averted his gaze.