Chapter Twenty-Five: The Bath

Angelica, Bupleurum, Five-Fragrance.
Snow Lotus, Earth Dragon, Nine-Headed Serpent.
Liu Ru grabbed handfuls of sun-dried, prepared medicinal herbs from the box, and crushed them gently in her palm. Instantly, the powerful force she exerted reduced the herbs to grains of sand, which floated lightly atop the bath, quickly forming a thick layer of black foam.
At that moment, Liu Ru snapped her fingers. In an instant, a dazzling golden flame blossomed in the hands of the blonde girl, drifting gently onto the powdered herbs. Yet it did not set them ablaze; instead, it silently sank into the water and released all its energy at once.
The bath erupted, boiling furiously. A massive vortex formed, swallowing all the herbs from the surface and turning the entire tub into a cauldron of scalding medicinal broth.
As the pungent, bitter aroma filled the room, Liu Ru turned to Su Ziye. “It’s ready. Come in.”
Su Ziye nodded calmly.
He lowered his head, removed his shoes, and walked forward barefoot, shedding his clothes as he approached the tub. By the time he stood before it, he was completely unclothed.
Bending down, he rubbed his face vigorously. A dust like diamond stardust fell from his skin, and when the powder was gone, his once resolute and handsome features softened into beauty.
Without hesitation, he leapt into the boiling medicinal bath, immersing himself fully. When he surfaced, his previously black hair had turned a pure golden.
Su Ziye—or rather, Liu Ru—stood silently in the tub, gazing at the other self outside, saying nothing.
Until the Liu Ru at the tub’s edge spoke softly.
“The Eye of Skadi.”
The Liu Ru in the tub glanced at the ceiling and replied quietly, “I think I understand now why you want to enter Nightleaf Academy.”
“Why?” The Liu Ru at the edge rubbed her face, and as the disguise peeled away, Su Ziye’s face reappeared.
Liu Ru watched Su Ziye’s movements and laughed softly. “I’m curious, how can you prepare so many faces?”
Clearly, the face used before was Liu Ru’s, so the one revealed after the disguise was removed should be the true one—why was it still Su Ziye’s false face?
“So that one day, even if I meet you with my true face, you’ll still believe it’s just another mask,” Su Ziye replied leisurely.
Today, they had once again exchanged identities—a routine they had rehearsed many times, but this was the closest to a real test.
After all, they would spend nearly the entire day in close proximity to Xie Yanluo, who had seen them both just yesterday.
But at least, in practice, their tacit understanding had been proven.
“Also, why?” Su Ziye looked at Liu Ru and asked quietly.
Bubbles rose around Liu Ru; her body was now enduring temperatures beyond boiling, enough to cook meat, yet apart from sweat beading on her forehead and a flushed complexion, she showed no other signs of discomfort.
At least, the aroma of cooked meat did not fill the air.
“Because, if you wish to find your nameless ones, Nightleaf Academy is the best treasure trove,” Liu Ru said quietly.
Seeing is believing.
A child like Xie Yanluo, in every respect, is an outstanding elite—not only brave and resourceful, but easily capable of handling matters alone.
Yet, placed in the grand environment of Nightleaf Academy, Xie Yanluo is merely an inconspicuous minor figure.
When nearly all of the era’s brightest youths are selected and gathered in this academy, everyone hopes to claim a share of this feast of talent.
“Let me tell you a hot fact,” Su Ziye smiled. “The founding emperor of the Orchid Leaf Empire, Emperor Yuantai Ye Xuanyin, was a graduate of Orchid Leaf Academy. The three thousand elite soldiers he raised to rebel against his teacher all came from Nightleaf Academy, without exception.”
“So, was my guess wrong?” Liu Ru asked.
Since Su Ziye said so, her guess must be off.
“Not entirely, but it’s only a small part of why I’m here,” Su Ziye replied, smiling.
“Let me ask you, do you want to see the inside of Nightleaf Academy?” he asked calmly.
The girl in the boiling tub pondered for a moment, then nodded. “I do.”
The Third Prince intrigued her. Xie Yanluo intrigued her. Originally, she came here only because Su Ziye wished it.
But now, Liu Ru herself longed to see inside.
Even a fleeting glimpse of Nightleaf Academy from Nightleaf City was fascinating; to truly be within its walls must be even more exhilarating.
“That’s good,” Su Ziye said with a gentle smile. “From the moment I learned about this academy, I’ve wanted to see it. But as I’ve said, there are many things I can’t do simply because I wish it.”
“Later, I encountered a great crisis; everywhere I turned was a dead end. To find hope in despair, this move was crucial.”
“I once told you, among the rewards I can offer, entering Nightleaf Academy is the most insignificant—yet even that, insignificant as it is, remains an unattainable summit for many.”
“I don’t want your rewards,” Liu Ru said, looking at Su Ziye.
“All rewards are earned by one’s own sweat and effort. There’s no question of wanting or not, only whether you can obtain them,” the youth answered quietly.
Liu Ru was silent for a moment.
“I feel my Blood-Moving stage is loosening,” she said.
“Half a year of honing—slow, steady work pays off,” Su Ziye replied with a smile. “To enter Nightleaf Academy, Blood-Moving is still too weak.”
“No time like the present. Tonight, I’ll help you break through Blood-Moving and teach you the Vein-Shifting techniques.”
“But for that, this batch of medicine isn’t potent enough.”
With these words, Su Ziye reached toward the tub again. The boy’s thumb scraped across his forefinger, and a drop of brilliant golden blood fell into the bath.
In that instant, the boiling black liquid vaporized into a raging steam, mingling with purified droplets of pitch-black medicine, almost howling to escape in all directions.
But Su Ziye seemed prepared; he calmly shaped his hand in the air, containing all the steam within his grasp.
Liu Ru, at the center of the storm, was nearly stunned.
“Don’t freeze up. Continue cultivating as instructed—remember to absorb all the essence into your body, move it into your blood. Only then can your Blood-Moving stage be complete,” Su Ziye advised quietly.
Liu Ru nodded and closed her eyes.
In that instant, the raging storm of scalding steam finally found its destination in that endless prison, rushing toward the center—toward Liu Ru.