Chapter 63: Wearing Black Pantyhose Makes You Less Shy

Feet.

An organ exceptionally rich in acupoints.

Within the theoretical framework of traditional medicine from the old era, various manipulations of acupoints—such as massage, acupuncture, hot compresses, and topical herbal applications—could regulate and condition the physical body.

Following the resurgence of the supernatural, physiological and medical research further proved that acupoints serve as pathways through which the physical body can influence the sea of consciousness.

This conclusion supported countless students and faculty majors in Traditional Chinese Medicine, allowing them to churn out endless academic papers and siphon research funds well into the new era.

Indeed, any aspiring transcendentalist placed the utmost importance on the health of their sea of consciousness.

Almost every street corner in every city featured a physical therapy clinic.

Unlike the past, however, the academic credentials required of physical therapists had become fiercely competitive, with master's and even doctoral degrees no longer being a rarity...

"So, Ah-Ming, are you going to massage Sheng-sheng's feet?" Jiang Qianqian distilled the core information.

"This is necessary for improving the astral trajectory pathways; it cannot be avoided."

"Ugh, isn't this a bit... A girl's feet are extremely private areas, you can't just go touching them casually, you know. Sheng-sheng will be so shy."

"Oh, is that so? I suppose you're right."

"Oh please, don't tell me you only just realized that now! You wouldn't go around touching strange girls' feet outside, would you?!" Jiang Qianqian was so exasperated she laughed.

"Not quite that far," Li Xingming wore a weathered smile. "I'm just not very familiar with modern ethical and moral standards."

" colorChoice... So you definitely have to massage Sheng-sheng's feet? How about I do it instead?"

"You don't have the technique."

"Th-Then wait until I finish my shower, Ah-Ming. I'll stay by your side while you massage her. That way, her guard and discomfort will be reduced a lot. Girls are all like that—having a best friend around makes it much easier to feel at ease."

"Good idea! Go wash up quickly!"

Delighted, Li Xingming gave Jiang Qianqian a light smack on her backside and shooed her off to the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, Jiang Qianqian felt a swirl of mixed emotions.

Rationally speaking, she could understand Li Xingming helping Ye Sheng change her physique, and she even strongly supported what he was doing.

Before running away from home, Ye Sheng had been like a bird trapped in a cage. Perhaps that bird possessed a noble lineage, formidable combat prowess, and the admiration of the world, but living like that felt so utterly suffocating.

Her mother was truly a weirdo.

Jiang Qianqian's parents were exceptionally reasonable people. Her mother even frequently messaged her privately on WeChat to ask about her progress in seducing Li Xingming (though it seemed there was hardly any progress). Compared to other parents, Jiang Qianqian knew all too well that a relaxed family environment was the best remedy for maintaining a transcendentalist's mental stability.

She was a soft-hearted girl, after all, and she truly wanted Sheng-sheng to be well.

However, the mere thought that the price for all this was Li Xingming frequently massaging Ye Sheng's feet made Jiang Qianqian feel utterly miserable!

After struggling with her inner conflict throughout her shower, Jiang Qianqian reappeared before Li Xingming wrapped in a bath towel, hesitating and stammering.

"Ah-Ming~"

"What is it?"

"When you massage Sheng-sheng's feet, could you wear a pair of gloves?"

Wearing gloves meant no NTR.

This was the absolute bottom line Jiang Qianqian had managed to rationalize after agonizing for half an hour, sob.

Yet Li Xingming looked completely matter-of-fact. "Of course I'm going to wear gloves. Those white latex gloves from the hospital work great. Don't physical therapists always wear those?"

"Oh, oh, right, true! But you aren't a physical therapist! I thought you were going to use this opportunity to experience her jade feet..."

Jiang Qianqian's voice grew softer and softer. Li Xingming simply pretended not to hear and asked her what she had said. She muttered "nothing," then wrapped her arm around Li Xingming's, rubbed her head against his shoulder, and pushed him toward Sheng-sheng's room.

Ye Sheng was sitting on the edge of the bed reading a book.

She liked reading.

Actually, she preferred playing video games or diving headfirst into real combat in the pollution zones, but now, during her rest period right after a mission, reading a book was also quite nice.

Seeing Li Xingming and Jiang Qianqian arrive together, Ye Sheng wore a puzzled expression.

Li Xingming explained his purpose. Ye Sheng readily agreed without hesitation, her face lit with anticipation as she immediately made to extend her foot toward Li Xingming.

"Wait, wait, wait a minute!" Jiang Qianqian hurriedly intervened. "Ah-Ming needs to put on gloves first."

"Oh, right."

Li Xingming sterilized his hands with rubbing alcohol, not sparing his wrists or arms either. In short, he looked thoroughly professional and serious. If Jiang Qianqian hadn't known him inside and out since childhood, she would have suspected he had taken courses at a nursing school.

This was her versatile childhood sweetheart, after all.

Sterilization complete, Li Xingming pulled up a chair and sat down by the bedside.

Under Jiang Qianqian's watchful eye, Ye Sheng extended her foot onto Li Xingming's lap.

Her heel made gentle contact with Li Xingming's thigh. Her skin was exquisitely delicate, completely lacking the roughness of ordinary feet. The arch of her foot was particularly graceful, and her toes—round and neatly aligned like white jade—resembled fruits growing in an immortal's garden.

Even Jiang Qianqian had to admit: what a magnificent foot!

And it was the kind that instantly revealed it belonged to an elegant, mature beauty.

Li Xingming reached out and had barely grasped Ye Sheng's left foot when it instinctively pulled back like a reflex.

Ye Sheng placed her foot back down.

He touched it again.

It pulled back again.

"Are you the type who's easily ticklish on your feet?"

"Mn. Ticklish," Ye Sheng confessed honestly.

That cold, indifferent face and overly pale complexion were unusually stained with a faint trace of peach blossom pink.

"I see." Li Xingming nodded inwardly. As expected, every girl has her sensitive spots. For instance, Jiang Qianqian's weak point was her round, perky little bottom, while Ye Sheng's weak point happened to be her feet.

Understanding the weaknesses of one's team members was crucial. Sometimes, when teammates misbehaved and needed punishment, targeting their weaknesses yielded twice the result with half the effort.

This was valuable experience Li Xingming had gained from his team-building career in his past life.

"Oh dear, this is a bit troublesome... Ah-Ming, why don't you teach the massage technique to Sheng-sheng? Massaging herself should still have some effect, right?" Jiang Qianqian suggested.

"Hard to say. My technique isn't something you can master overnight."

"Is that so..."

Jiang Qianqian put on an expression of deep distress.

While inwardly experiencing wild euphoria.

Looks like the foot massage plan needs to undergo a change in strategy!

Hah, I knew it! Constantly having Ah-Ming hold and fiddle with Sheng-sheng's bare feet—what kind of picture did that paint? Was it proper? Of course not!

Ye Sheng noticed Li Xingming's dilemma. She struggled internally; this wasn't something she could simply endure by gritting her teeth against the ticklishness. Sometimes, involuntary physical reactions were simply too difficult to suppress.

In fact, her body and her mind harbored completely contradictory inclinations.

Take right now, for instance. Ye Sheng actually deeply craved to have Li Xingming hold her foot. His large hands were very warm, and being enveloped by them must feel absolute heaven.

However, objective conditions simply didn't allow it...

Ye Sheng fell into deep thought.

Whenever she encountered difficulties, she never panicked; instead, her mind raced to find a solution.

As her gaze drifted casually across the wardrobe, a mischievous idea suddenly sparked in her mind.

"You two step outside for a moment. I have an idea."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

The two of them walked out of the bedroom in mild bewilderment.

Not long after, Ye Sheng reappeared before them, having swapped her conservative pure cotton pajama pants for a pair of black silk stockings.

"If you massage my feet through black silk stockings, it won't tickle."