Naked Sword Art

Chapter 441: Velvet Steam

Xiao Fang’s Cultivation realms:

Body: 5th Profound

Spirit: 6th Divine

Soul Devourer: Core Realm

Dual Cultivation: Core Realm

Illusory Body: Profound Realm

Divine Sword: Profound Realm

Death Reaper: Divine Realm

At the pace he was cultivating, Xiao Fang estimated it would take at least three months of focused seclusion before he could reach the Divine Realm with the [ Illusory Body ] method. The thought alone stirred excitement in him.

After filling his spirit pendants one final time, Xiao Fang dismissed Xiao Hei for a well-deserved break. She was more than thrilled—after all, she had been hunting tiered beasts nonstop for the past month.

His seclusion was officially over. Now, it was time to return to the guildhouse and rest.

The soft rustle of leaves accompanied Xiao Fang as he emerged from the dense forest, the sunlight breaking through the forest trees, with a single path guiding his way. Each step he took felt lighter than the last, the lingering traces of his month-long seclusion still clinging to his robes and scent.

When the trees finally parted, his guildhouse came into view—a modest yet proud structure nestled in a quiet clearing, where nature and spirit energy coexisted in harmony.

Standing by the front door was a familiar figure:

Yuan Fei.

She stood with her hands folded neatly in front of her, her gaze turned toward the woods with quiet patience, as if expecting someone. The moment her eyes landed on him, her expression lit up with surprise and delight. She quickly waved to him with both hands.

"Guild Leader!" she called out with a bright smile.

Xiao Fang raised a hand in greeting, a small grin tugging at his lips. "It’s good to see you, FeiFei."

She was one of the last people he saw before going into seclusion, and by chance she was now one of the first to see upon returning.

"You’re back! I wasn’t expecting you today," she said as he approached. "How was your seclusion? Were you able to make any breakthroughs?"

"Just one," Xiao Fang replied casually. "But it was worth the time."

Yuan Fei beamed. "That’s great to hear!"

He looked her over with a thoughtful glance. "And what about you? Did you manage to make any breakthroughs while I was away?"

She shook her head with a sheepish laugh. "No... I haven’t really been training. I’ve been pouring all my time into making perfumes."

Xiao Fang gave a quiet nod.

’She works hard, and I appreciate that,’ he thought. ’...But she needs to cultivate too. In this world, strength will always matter more than scents.’

"And what are you waiting out here for?" Xiao Fang asked aloud.

"Oh!" she perked up. "I’m waiting for Lai Yun. We’re supposed to be going out herb shopping today, but she’s just running a little late," she replied as she looked at the forest behind Xiao Fang. "I finally finished developing a new scent while you were away, and now I just need to gather higher-quality herbs for the final version."

Xiao Fang raised a brow, intrigued. "You finished one? That fast?"

"Mmhm!" she nodded proudly, then leaned in slightly with a playful grin. "Do you want to smell it?"

"Sure, I’d love to," Xiao Fang said, gesturing toward the door.

Yuan Fei practically bounced with excitement as she turned the handle. "Come on, I’ll take you down to the lab!"

Together, they entered the guildhouse, her soft footsteps leading the way to the basement laboratory—an ever-sweet space filled with flasks, drying herbs, and delicate vials of aromatic oil.

As she walked ahead, Xiao Fang took a moment to glance around the large house. It felt good to be back. But there was one thing he missed since being away. Xiao Fang’s eyes glowed violet under his blindfold.

...

The laboratory was just as he remembered—lined with glass containers, rows of drying herbs suspended on string, and the faint scent of lavender and sandalwood lingering from earlier batches. Yuan Fei moved with practiced ease, stepping over clutter with a graceful bounce in her step until she reached her workstation.

"Alright," she said, pulling open a small drawer and taking out a delicate pink vial sealed with a glass stopper shaped like a flower bud. "This one... I was going to call it ’Better Than Sex’ but I think I’m settling on the name ’Velvet Steam’.

Xiao Fang arched a brow, amused. "That bold, huh?"

Yuan Fei smiled mischievously and uncorked the vial. "Tell me what you think."

She held it up for him, and the moment the scent met his nose, he froze.

His heart slowed, and his thoughts paused. The scent wasn’t like anything he was expecting, it immediately took his mind to a special place.

It wasn’t just a smell. It was a feeling.

A rush of heat curled down his spine and made his senses dip into a strange, vivid haze. The aroma wasn’t overpowering—it was subtle, like breath on the back of his neck. But there was something visceral about it.

It smelled pink. Not a bright or rosy pink, but the shade of skin flushed in a hot bath—moist, glistening, bare. Like a naked thigh resurfacing in a steamy bath. He could almost feel the slipperiness of wet skin, the silkiness of flesh gliding beneath soapy water. The scent conjured the image of a woman’s body arching slightly as warm water slid down her collarbone, her eyes half-lidded, lips parted as if caught in the middle of a sigh. Her perfectly sized supple breasts just asking to be groped.

It was... erotic, but not vulgar. Alluring, but not desperate. The scent didn’t just sit in the air—it invited him into a moment, into a scene, a sensation. A bath he wasn’t in, but could feel. A gaze he wasn’t returning, but couldn’t look away from.

"...Wow," he finally breathed, blinking himself back to the present. "That’s... dangerous."

Yuan Fei giggled, pleased with his reaction. "So... you like it?"

"It’s not a question of liking it," Xiao Fang said slowly. "It’s an experience. It’s like..." Xiao Fang couldn’t put his finger on it.

"Sex?" She asked.