Step on the Back

Xia Lun threw himself onto the soft bed and let out a yawn.

"You're back?" Aina's voice was as gentle as a brushing feather. She approached the bed, leaned over to help Xia Lun sit up, and began to gently massage his shoulders.

"Mhm, I'm back." Under the attentive care of his virtuous wife, Aina, Xia Lun's face showed nothing but a lazy, relaxed expression.

"How did it go?" Aina asked with a hint of curiosity, her fingertips never pausing.

Xia Lun closed his eyes, allowing the comfortable sensation to flow through his entire body, and then asked in return, "I'm back, so how do you think it went?"

It was a plain, mundane conversation with no real substance, yet the two of them never grew tired of it. Simply the presence and response of the other was already their greatest happiness.

"I'm just asking if that guy is dead or not." Aina's warm lips pressed against Xia Lun's slightly cool cheek, carrying a trace of sweetness and inquiry.

"Gone in a flash." Xia Lun's reply was casual, as if he were talking about crushing an annoying flying insect, not even bothering to lift his eyelids.

"He's dead?" Aina blinked, her tone teasing, but her fingertips sank deeper into the hollows of his shoulder blades. "I thought the kind Hero would show mercy and spare his life."

"I'm not a Hero right now." Xia Lun shook his head, then narrowed his eyes, enjoying Aina's massage. "Even if I were the Hero, I definitely wouldn't have let him off."

Aina paused slightly, then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Xia Lun. It's been a long time since I last came back."

"I don't blame you." Xia Lun grabbed the small hands on his shoulders and pulled his wife behind him into his arms.

Xia Lun's meaning was obvious. In private, Xie Lun had clearly done some shady, dirty deeds.

Regardless, Xie Lun was Aina's subordinate... Since he had done such things, Aina naturally felt that she bore some responsibility.

But at that time, Aina must have been racking her brains, trying to figure out how to resurrect him. How could she have cared about other matters?

"The healing ability of the Blood Clan is quite strong; they aren't easy to kill." Aina naturally leaned into his embrace, a cold glint flashing in her narrowed red eyes. "That guy must have died a miserable death, right?"

"Mhm, he couldn't take it anymore and chose death himself." Xia Lun's voice remained calm. He simply held the person in his arms tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head, naturally omitting the bloody details of the battle.

In truth, he could have ended the battle much faster. But facing a guy like that, even Xia Lun felt a rare, long-absent surge of brutality in his heart.

Especially when Xie Lun smugly boasted to him about how he humiliated captured humans as playthings... he was destined to meet a bad end.

But unfortunately, his arrogance couldn't even last three seconds in front of Xia Lun.

This couldn't be blamed on Xie Lun's carelessness either. A human who looked to be in his early twenties... Under normal circumstances, Xie Lun truly wouldn't know how he could possibly lose.

Obviously, Xia Lun was not a normal circumstance.

"You've worked hard, my Hero."

"It wasn't hard."

"Then..." Aina lifted her head, a sly and charming light flashing in her eyes. "Do you want a reward?"

Xia Lun's eyes lit up. "Of course!"

Unfortunately, the reward Aina spoke of was not what Xia Lun had in mind.

Xia Lun lay flat on the bed, exposing his sturdy back. Aina lightly stepped up and unceremoniously stepped on his back.

Then Aina began to massage Xia Lun using this strange method.

"Where did you learn this?" Xia Lun couldn't help but ask.

"I read it in a mysterious ancient tome." Aina seemed to treat stepping on Xia Lun as a game, looking highly interested.

"A mysterious ancient tome?" Xia Lun muttered.

Aina seemed to have read quite a few strange things.

Xia Lun had visited Aina's study, and the vast range of her collection was truly staggering.

For a powerhouse like Aina, even if she wasn't a warrior, her perfect control over her body was far beyond what others could compare to... To Aina, using her toes and fingers actually made no significant difference.

Xia Lun had every right to speak on this matter.

Xia Lun could feel Aina nimbly smoothing out the meridians all over his body. After a burst of soreness and numbness, a refreshing sense of comfort surged forth, spreading through his limbs and bones.

It was not in the least bit inferior to the hand massage she gave him earlier.

Xia Lun slowly lifted his head and looked at his wife on his back.

If Aina were wearing a skirt right now, the faint glimpses would surely be very charming.

But she wasn't.

Aina applied a bit of pressure with her toes, gripping the muscles on Xia Lun's body to steady herself. "Don't move around, I'm losing my balance... Believe it or not, I'll shove my toes into your mouth."

Aina threatened fiercely, but the moment the words left her mouth, she felt something was off.

Xia Lun thought about it very seriously for a moment before replying, "Alright, I won't move."

A strong urge to stomp on his handsome face instantly surged in Aina's heart. This guy... was too detestable! But shame and reason forced her to hold back.

Husbands and wives should treat each other with mutual respect; she couldn't do such a thing.

Besides, if she really stepped on Xia Lun's head, who knew how Xia Lun would use it to blackmail her later.

Furthermore, she knew Xia Lun's cunning well. If she really stepped on his face, even if he might be quite happy inside, this scoundrel would definitely use it as leverage afterwards. He would pretend to be wronged or angry, intensifying his extortion until she, blushing fiercely, agreed to all sorts of unequal treaties... As the person who understood Xia Lun best, Aina knew his tricks all too well.

However, seeing Xia Lun looking so thoroughly relaxed under her massage right now, the corners of Aina's mouth still curled up uncontrollably. An indescribable sense of accomplishment, like warm honey, slowly flowed out from the bottom of her heart.

Being able to help her husband... was undoubtedly something a wife could be quite proud of.

"Do you still have things to do here, Aina?" After enjoying Aina's reward, Xia Lun slowly got up, stretched his body, and let out a long breath.

He had been here for several days already; it was time to go back.

Liana should have arrived at the academy long ago. He was afraid she might stir up some trouble...

But with Wolund there, and Yisi in the academy's manor, there shouldn't be any problems, right?

"I do, Xia Lun, I do." Aina nodded, her tone somewhat nonchalant. "That Mr. Hardwick hasn't come to visit yet... After I reject his request to become a Demon King, we'll go back together."

Xia Lun nodded.

In any case, the other party was also a Demon King, so they had to give him some face and let Aina step forward to receive him.