Free Web NovelChapter 108: Chapter 108: Sweet Punishment
The moment he stepped into Shi Lan’s bedroom, the scent of roses in the room instantly overwhelmed the light fragrance of the porridge in the thermal container.
He Hanshi’s brow unconsciously smoothed out. He placed the thermal container on a side table and walked to the bedside.
Perhaps it was the heat from the fever, or maybe the cool towel just felt too good. The cloth he had neatly folded was now crumpled and clutched to her chest. She had kicked off her blanket, and the damp towel had soaked through her loose, nude-pink pajamas.
In an instant, the sight hit him even harder than her lingerie in the bathroom had.
Because for the sake of comfort, Shi Lan never wore a bra to bed.
The towel was placed squarely on her feverish chest, and the nude-pink fabric of her pajamas seemed to have taken on a reddish hue.
He Hanshi looked down in a flustered panic, quickly yanking the blanket back over her.
The red of his lips grew more vivid, like a vampire fresh from drinking blood in his castle. A faint, amorous blush also tinted the corners of his eyes.
’Don’t look where you shouldn’t.’
He silently reminded himself of this, looking down at the heavy ice bucket in his hand. Then he remembered what he’d forgotten, and his Adam’s apple bobbed nervously.
’The towel... I still haven’t gotten it.’
Through the blanket, He Hanshi stared at the spot where the towel had been, and his own lips began to feel dry.
Just as he was hesitating whether or not to reach for it, Shi Lan frowned and let out an irritated groan, kicking the blanket off once more.
The sight slammed into his eyes again, raw and direct.
He Hanshi tilted his head back, taking several long, hot breaths before he quickly hooked the edge of the towel with his fingers and dragged it out.
He didn’t dare steal another glance at the damp patch the towel had left behind and, once again, covered her with the blanket.
’Sweating it out will help the fever break faster.’
But the towel, which had been cool and damp, had seemingly absorbed her body heat and was now warm itself. So much so that the hand He Hanshi held it in began to feel hot.
His mind couldn’t stop flashing back to the spot the towel had just been resting on. And now... it was in his hand.
The mere thought seemed to transfer the towel’s heat through his palm and into his entire body.
His body went rigid for a moment. His Beastman susceptibility period, long since dormant, felt like it was about to make a roaring comeback.
For nearly three years, ever since the collapse of his High-level Spiritual Power, He Hanshi hadn’t experienced this feeling—a burning body, tense and coiled.
A Beastman whose High-level Spiritual Power has collapsed is almost considered abnormal by Beastman standards; even their susceptibility periods vanish.
For it to reappear now, He Hanshi felt his resistance had dropped considerably.
His breathing grew ragged. Gritting his teeth, he fought to suppress the strange, turbulent sensation surging through him—a feeling more peculiar than he ever remembered—and quickly strode into the bathroom.
He kept his head down, rinsing the towel and soaking it anew. As its warmth gradually dissipated into the cold water, his reason and composure slowly returned.
A Beastman’s susceptibility period wasn’t that difficult to endure, so long as one maintained an ascetic mindset and avoided stimulation from females.
That was how He Hanshi had always gotten through it. He had even handled susceptibility periods on the battlefield with ease.
But now, things seemed a little different.
He forced the distracting thoughts from his mind and walked back out, towel wrung dry.
Given the urgency, he tore the towel in half. He wrapped one piece around some ice and placed it on her forehead to bring her temperature down; the other piece, also filled with ice, he held in his own hand.
Then, looking at Shi Lan’s fever-flushed face, he mentally prepared himself and whispered, "Lanlan, please forgive me."
After speaking, he carefully pulled one of her hands out from under the blanket. He considerately wiped down her arm all the way to her armpit, then switched to the other arm.
Then, he slowly moved to her neck.
After finishing her neck, his eyes swept over the form of her torso, hidden beneath the blanket. He silently skipped that area and moved down to wipe her calves and knees.
He was meticulous, keeping his hand on top of the towel. Only the cloth itself touched Shi Lan’s skin.
And yet, despite holding the ice-cold towel, the back of his shirt was soaked through with sweat, and fine beads of perspiration broke out on his temples, trickling down the side of his face.
To He Hanshi, it was a form of sweet torture—especially since his susceptibility period had also arrived. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Facing the female who made his heart race, his body struggled to maintain its former composure. After one simple wipe-down, he couldn’t stop himself from escaping to the bathroom.
He splashed his face with cold water for several minutes before re-emerging.
Perhaps thanks to the ice, Shi Lan didn’t irritably kick off the blanket this time.
Her eyes were closed peacefully, her previously furrowed brow now smooth. Her face was tranquil, and she lay there, content and utterly defenseless.
Looking at her now, He Hanshi grew annoyed with himself for harboring such thoughts at a time like this.
He let out a long, hot breath and brought over a glass of warm water. Seeing her dry, chapped lips, he dipped a finger in the water and gently moistened them for her.
Although Shi Lan remained feverish with her eyes shut, the burning dryness in her mouth registered deep in her mind. The moment she felt the moisture on her lips, she subconsciously parted them, her tongue darting out in search of the water’s source.
Her tongue darted out, swiping quickly across his finger. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
He snatched his hand back as if burned. The other hand, holding the glass, shook as well, spilling water onto his pant leg.
The sensation lingered on his fingertip. He suddenly felt parched himself and couldn’t stop from gulping down the rest of the water in the glass.
Deprived of the moisture, the thirst in Shi Lan’s mouth returned. The water on her lips seemed to evaporate in an instant. As if in dissatisfaction, she pressed her lips together in a tight line, a hint of childish annoyance in the gesture.
He Hanshi washed the glass and brought her a fresh one filled with warm water. When he saw her expression, his heart suddenly melted. The adoration and affection in his eyes were no longer concealed.
He let out a deep sigh. Looking down at his own, barely controlled body, he shook his head in resignation.
’My self-control is getting worse and worse.’
He Hanshi sat back down. Seeing that she was still conscious enough to drink, he decided to gently prop her up with one arm and slowly bring the glass to her lips to help her drink.
The moment Shi Lan tasted water again, she began to drink it down in big gulps. Soon, the glass of warm water was empty.
Seeing that she still seemed thirsty, He Hanshi refilled it for her.
This time, Shi Lan finally drank her fill. Her lips now looked like petals plump with morning dew.
He gently laid her back down, tucked her in, and made sure the ice was secure. Then he sat silently by the bed, watching over her. After twenty minutes, he removed the iced towel from her forehead.
After that, every twenty minutes or so, whenever he sensed she was growing restless again, he would gently wipe her down with the cool towel.
After more than an hour of this back-and-forth, Shi Lan finally settled into a peaceful quiet. He Hanshi, on the other hand, was drenched in sweat.
He tested the temperature of her forehead with the back of his hand and let out a long sigh of relief. A smile lit up his eyes. "You did great, Lanlan."
He murmured softly, relieved that his own sweet punishment was also almost over, and retreated to the bathroom once more to cool down.
