To the right of Lu Qiancha, Gantang stayed close to her, the hem of her skirt fluttering with her light steps. The sheer fabric shimmered faintly under the evening glow.
Every now and then, she bounced with a little excitement, kicking up specks of golden sand.
Yet her gaze kept involuntarily flicking toward the back of Lu Qiancha, where the corner of his clothes fluttered in the sea breeze, before quickly shifting away.
After just a few minutes, Lu Qiancha felt a hundred times more miserable than when she was being fed by the campfire earlier.
Lu Qiancha’s voice was laced with forced exhaustion and a faint sense of relief on the edge of breaking down: “I feel like I’ve almost digested it. The evening breeze is cool, shall we head back?”
“All right, Senior Brother!”
Gantang responded instantly, her face filled with unquestioning dependence and pure joy. She just wanted to cling to her Senior Brother; the walk was merely an excuse.
“Mm~ Let’s listen to Xiao Qiancha~” Xun Xue smiled softly and moved closer.
At the moment they brushed past each other—
Her slender, jade-like fingers silently slipped out like a ghost.
Swish!
With perfect precision, she pinched the little fuzzy ear tip that Lu Qiancha had been trying to hide, which now trembled slightly from irritation!
“Wah—?!” Lu Qiancha bristled like a puppy whose tail had just been stepped on.
Her body reflexively jerked away.
The sudden stimulus abruptly cut off her supply of Spirit Power Disguise.
“Ugh! Don’t touch my ears!!!”
The little wolf girl instantly fluffed up, her small paws swiping fiercely at the mischievous hand.
“Hehe~”
Xun Xue had already withdrawn her hand like lightning, her smile as satisfied as a bear who’d stolen an entire jar of honey, striding forward with confidence.
Her fluffy, flowing big tail proudly flicked side to side.
Lu Qiancha watched this scene, her blue eyes quickly misting with frustration and shock.
The spot where her ear had been pinched still throbbed hotly.
Ugh… so annoying!
She glared at Xun Xue angrily, then slowly shifted her gaze to that big tail. A mischievous smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
“Hmph, you pinch my ears, I’ll grab your tail. Fair’s fair, right?”
She held her breath, eyes sharp as a hawk locking onto her prey. Her target was that fluffy, undefended tail swaying innocently ahead, still basking in victory’s afterglow.
Her legs tightened with Protective Fairy Power, ready to strike.
“Whoosh—!”
The small figure shot forward like a cannonball.
A swirl of dust kicked up at her feet as she lunged fiercely toward that damn tail.
Her claws were already itching to feel the soft, warm fur. With a devious gleam, Lu Qiancha charged straight for the defenseless big tail.
***
The next moment—
A shield of shimmering Protective Fairy Power suddenly enveloped Xun Xue.
Bang!
Lu Qiancha felt like she’d slammed headfirst into a steel wall.
“Ugh—!”
A short, pitiful yelp involuntarily escaped her throat.
All her forward momentum and wicked intent were snuffed out like a candle doused in boiling water.
Her head buzzed, countless tiny sparks flashing before her eyes.
The huge inertia sent Lu Qiancha stumbling backward several steps.
Finally, with a heavy thud—
She landed squarely on the still-warm golden sand.
The kicked-up dust blew into her face.
Dazed, Lu Qiancha stiffly raised a paw and instinctively covered the spot on her forehead that now felt as hot and red as a burning brand.
A thin sheen of tears welled up in her blue eyes from the pain.
“Ugh~”
She rubbed her dazed little head with her paw, a faint whimper escaping her lips.
“Senior Brother!”
Gantang cried out, bounding over like a startled fawn. She knelt beside Lu Qiancha, fumbling to grasp her shoulders and arms, her voice frantic with concern.
“Senior Brother, are you okay? Did you hurt anywhere? Does it hurt?”
Gantang’s pink eyes were full of fear, almost on the verge of tears.
Lu Qiancha struggled to regain her voice, a buzzing echo lingering: “I’m fine, just a bit dizzy….”
She weakly waved her paw, trying to chase away the golden stars before her eyes.
Before Gantang could fully calm down—
A cold gust swept over them. Xun Xue’s proud smile had already frozen, replaced by seriousness and a flicker of panic.
She swatted Gantang’s interfering hands aside, then carefully—almost trembling—used her fingertips to brush aside Lu Qiancha’s bangs.
Hiss!
Her heart clenched sharply. The smooth, jade-like forehead was marked with a palm-sized bruise, red and purple.
Xun Xue’s sapphire pupils constricted violently, her complexion draining of color.
Without hesitation, she pulled a jade-glowing ointment from her pouch.
Gently dipping her index finger, she carefully spread the warm, mellow salve over Lu Qiancha’s forehead, soothing the swollen, burning area.
A warm current seeped in, easing the injured meridians.
The fiery pain and dizzy swelling were washed away like a gentle spring tide, fading quickly.
The scorching heat on her forehead slowly dissipated, replaced by a slight soreness. The golden stars finally cleared.
Seeing this, Xun Xue finally exhaled a long, deep breath, as if unloading a thousand-pound burden.
But her willow-like brows knitted tightly again, her blue eyes swirling with pain, regret, and a trace of lingering fear.
Her voice took on unprecedented seriousness, tinged with uncontainable anxiety: “What’s wrong with you, child?!
“So reckless. Don’t you know about Protective Fairy Power? You didn’t even hold back when you charged?! What if you’d injured your foundation?”
“Enough!”
Lu Qiancha’s irritation surged. It was clearly Xun Xue who’d provoked her first by pinching her ear, yet now she was lecturing her?
She abruptly turned her little face away, avoiding the finger still lingering on her temple, voice cold and hard, stubborn as if breaking the pot and refusing to fix it: “None of your business.”
“Hmph!”
Lu Qiancha suddenly sprang up from the sand, radiating an icy aura that warned others to keep their distance.
Without looking back at the complicated expression on Xun Xue’s face, her blue eyes burning with anger, she grabbed Gantang’s hand, who was still stunned.
“Gantang, let’s go!” Her voice was decisive, filled with undeniable resolve.
Fairy Power surged fiercely around her.
The shimmering silhouette of the Mirage Technique, which had loosened slightly from the impact, instantly re-solidified and tightened, wrapping Lu Qiancha’s entire body once more.
Then—
She dragged the still uncomprehending Gantang along, nearly pulling her like a rag doll, striding without looking back toward the campfire.
Behind them, two sets of footprints—deep and shallow, etched as if carved angrily into the sand—were left behind.
“Uh… Senior Brother? Se-Senior Brother! Slow down! Wait for me!” Gantang stumbled as she was pulled, barely managing to match Lu Qiancha’s furious pace.
She glanced back at the solitary Xun Xue standing in the sand, her pink eyes filled with confusion and worry.
The evening glow stretched their shadows long and thin.
Xun Xue stood frozen in place, her sapphire eyes unblinking as they tracked the two figures disappearing into the twilight, before hastening after them.