[Su Yueru's Affection increased by 5 percentage points.]
"Wait!" Su Yueru repeated, turning to face him fully, her previous blush now a deep flush that stained her neck and shoulders.
Lin Ming maintained his respectful distance, allowing the tension to stir. He knew the fight was now psychological, as he quickly bowed low, "Senior Sister Su," he said, his voice measured and polite, "I completed the therapy on your collarbone and shoulders as permitted. I was clear that I could not proceed further without your command."
His next move was designed not to provide comfort, but to incite conflict and drive her desire for more contact—a strategy he correctly deduced would lead to greater affection gains.
"I am moving back now," Lin Ming continued, slowly retreating toward the red-draped floor where she had ordered him to sleep. "Junior will prepare his sleeping spot, leaving Senior Sister to her cultivation."
He knew the massage had left her body craving the release and flow of spiritual energy his touch provided. He was offering her space, when her entire being was screaming for his touch.
"Don't you dare move," she commanded. "That... technique... it cleared the stiffness. I feel an immediate improvement in the flow of my Qi."
Lin Ming stopped, looking appropriately hesitant. "I am honored to have helped, Senior Sister. But the true source of your rigidity lies in your Shoulder-Blade axis and lower back, requiring a much more delicate and extensive session."
"Then proceed!" she snapped, fighting the urge to order him.
Lin Ming shook his head regretfully. "I cannot, Senior Sister. As a mere mortal, to lay my hands upon your celestial back—a direct disciple of the Jade Harmony Sect—without the absolute necessity of a life-or-death situation, would be a profound disrespect to your Dao and to your personal honor."
He lowered his gaze. "I cannot, in good conscience, grace your celestial back just for the sake of eliminating a slight cultivation flaw. I must respect the boundaries of an immortal."
This refusal, this seemingly selfless, principled retreat, was the fuel for his affection plan. It forced her to breach her own formidable boundaries and confront her desire. The verbal clash created the required intimacy and focus, pushing her emotions outside her control.
[Su Yueru's Affection increased by 10 percentage points.]
Accomplished! Lin Ming wore a delightful expression as he saw the system notification, then snapped instantly into one of profound reverence—the precise facade a mortal should present before an immortal.
Su Yueru could not bear the conflicting signals. Her spiritual body was humming with relief, yet simultaneously burning with the need for complete spiritual release that only his touch could currently provide.
She raised her slender, pale fingers, not to summon the ice sword, but to beckon him. With a swift, forceful gesture, she pulled him close, positioning him directly behind her.
"Enough with your mortal nonsense!" she ordered.
With a motion so swift it blurred, she grasped the upper fastening of her ceremonial robes, the red silk slipping down her pale shoulders and pooled at her waist, revealing the entirety of her slick, tender back. The skin was smooth and impossibly pale, radiating the chill of her profound cultivation, yet the aroma emanating from her was intoxicating—the pure scent befitting a sect Fairy.
"The stiffness in my back is obstructing my path to Core Formation," she lied, her voice tight. "Fix it. Now."
Lin Ming did not hesitate this time. This was the opening he had been waiting for. He gently placed his Perfect Hands onto her smooth back. As his thumbs began a circular motion along her spine, the spiritual effects were immediate and catastrophic for Su Yueru's composure.
"Ah… ngh! Oh, Ughh…" she gasped, clutching the bed beneath her as a torrent of involuntary moans escaped her lips.
Her entire body arched slightly, as the moans were utterly mortifying to her. She was the pristine genius, the cold snow lotus, yet she was reduced to this whimpering, shuddering mess by the hands of a mere mortal. The shame was immense, yet the sensation—the exquisite flow of Qi and the erasure of all fatigue—was too sublime to resist.
Lin Ming moved with practiced ease, tracing her meridian points, his touch vibrating deep within her Dantian.
[Su Yueru's Affection increased by 15 percentage points.]
The initial flood of pleasure settled, and Lin Ming moved his hands to her lower shoulder blades, easing the tension that had plagued her training for months. The sensation flared again.
"Good! Good… you… Ah!"
[Su Yueru's Affection increased by 5 percentage points.]
Lin Ming moved his focus lower, working his way down her back, drawing out deep, uncontrollable gasps of pleasure. He worked on the muscles around her kidneys, a critical area for cultivation stability.
The pressure mounted in the chamber. Her breathing was ragged, her back slick with cold sweat. Her mind was a chaotic mess of shame, pleasure, and the desperate need for him to continue.
[Su Yueru's Affection increased by 25 percentage points.]
Lin Ming paused, his hands resting lightly on her lower back, signaling the end of the session. He had reached his goal.
[Su Yueru's Affection increased by 5 percentage points.]
"The therapy is complete, Senior Sister," Lin Ming stated, pulling his hands back cleanly. "The rigidity in your back should now be fully cleared."