“Do you truly know you were wrong?”
Lu Qiancha spoke up and asked.
“Mm, mm, I really do!”
If she didn’t beg for mercy now, Gantang felt her ears would soon grow calluses.
“To recognize one’s mistakes and be willing to change—there is no greater good than that.”
Alright then.
Lu Qiancha nodded in satisfaction, then the little wolf cub grabbed Gantang’s hand and placed it atop her own small head, saying, “If you want to pat me, hurry up and do it.”
After being lectured for so long, Gantang was no longer in the mood. She simply gave Lu Qiancha’s big fluffy tail a quick squeeze, then restrained herself and withdrew her hand.
“All done?”
Lu Qiancha looked up, a bit surprised, her small face lifting, blue eyes still tinged with unsteady nerves, as if she finally let out a breath of relief, though there remained a faint, threadlike trace of disappointment.
“Mm, mm, it’s over,” Gantang nodded earnestly and said.
Lu Qiancha hesitated for a moment, her paw releasing Gantang’s sleeve.
….I’ll go cultivate now.
She paused, and then as if unintentionally added, “…Um, the compensation lasts for a whole day. Before sunset, you can still come find me.”
“Mm, mm, I got it, Senior Brother.”
Gantang nodded again, then strode down the mountain; she planned to take on several Grade-C Tasks for the sect today.
Otherwise, when it came time for Task Settlement and Performance at year’s end, she’d be penalized her stipend.
On this day, until dusk fell and a new moon hung high,
Gantang’s figure never did appear in Lu Qiancha’s room.
Lu Qiancha sat on the doorstep, gazing at the last strands of sunset on the horizon, and finally set down her anxious heart.
She had worried that she’d been too harsh with her lecture earlier, and Gantang might retaliate.
But it seemed now there was nothing to worry about.
***
In the blink of an eye, the footsteps of the year’s end pressed near, muffled in snow.
Lu Qiancha went down the mountain to prepare a few New Year’s goods, once more donning her disguise to show her face before Xuanya.
In the time left, she even squeezed in a Grade-B Task, but she still needed one more Grade-A Task to earn the End-of-Year Bonus.
Yet Lu Qiancha truly didn’t have the time, so she could only give up on that top-grade spirit stone.
For the remaining days, Lu Qiancha either meditated cross-legged in the quiet room, circulating her energy through the major meridians, or wandered alone on snowy Tianquan Peak, roaming at her leisure.
Sometimes, she’d burrow into the snow, transforming into a Wolf Radish, and then be pulled out by different people.
Sometimes it was Xuanya, sometimes Gantang, and as for Xunxue… she usually just stood a few zhang away, hands folded behind her back.
Her brows curved gently, lips set in a faint smile of indulgence, bordering on doting. She’d quietly watch as her daughter played gleefully in the snow.
Only when Lu Qiancha was tired and stuck in the snow, calling for help, would Xunxue stroll over, watched by Lu Qiancha’s slightly embarrassed gaze, and reach out a hand to dig the blue-furred silly little wolf from the snow.
At night, Lu Qiancha, out of pride, no longer went to seek Xunxue to sleep together.
Unexpectedly, Xunxue reversed her previous waiting and became exceptionally proactive.
Each night as darkness deepened, she’d appear with her pillow, pushing open the door of Lu Qiancha’s quiet room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She’d unceremoniously claim half of Lu Qiancha’s soft couch and bedding.
At first, Lu Qiancha would grumble a little.
But when that familiar, shared warmth pressed against her, and Xunxue’s soft form habitually embraced her,
Lu Qiancha’s stiff pride melted like snow meeting sunlight.
She pursed her lips, quietly turned over, and allowed herself to burrow deeper into that familiar, intoxicating warmth.
***
New Year’s Eve, on the little courtyard atop Tianquan Peak, the warm yellow glow of Spirit Light Stones bathed the stone table in a bright and cozy light.
Lu Qiancha had already arranged a table full of dazzling, fragrant holiday delicacies.
The three atop the peak—Xuanya sat at the head, Lu Qiancha and Gantang to her sides. Only the seat before Xunxue remained empty, its cup quietly untouched.
Xuanya’s gaze swept over the empty seat, her willow-leaf brows imperceptibly tightening, her voice clear and crisp like jade beads falling on a tray: “That Daoist friend Xunxue… why hasn’t she—”
“Disciple doesn’t know.”
Lu Qiancha bowed her head, her tone as steady as always.
Two days before New Year’s Eve, Xunxue had gone down the mountain. Before leaving, she’d mysteriously told her: “I’ll bring you a surprise when I return.”
Xuanya did not ask further. She picked up the warm jade cup before her, taking a small sip.
A clear, slightly tart yet soon mellow and sweet nectar slid down her throat.
It wasn’t the burning of strong liquor, but rather like the finest morning dew among flowers, blended with the gentle intoxication of ripe fruit, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
Her brows eased, a touch of unexpected delight flashing in her eyes: “A fine brew.”
With a sweep of her sleeve, her jade chopsticks lightly tapped the dishes: “Let’s eat.”
“Yes, Master!” Gantang’s appetite was already stirred! She couldn’t wait to pick up her chopsticks—
“Snap!”
A slender hand shot out like lightning, pressing down on her wrist, pinning her chopsticks firmly to the table.
“?”
Gantang turned her head, confused.
“Wait for Master to eat first.”
Lu Qiancha’s face was expressionless, her gaze sweeping over the table.
“Oh.”
Gantang put down her chopsticks with a hint of dejection.
Watching this scene, Xuanya’s lips curled into a faint arc, her tone warm and indulgent: “It’s just us three disciples and Master here, Qiancha. There’s no need for such formality.”
As she spoke, she picked up her jade chopsticks, naturally selecting two pieces of meat and placing them on the wooden plates before her two disciples.
“Thank you, Master.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Two voices rang out. Lu Qiancha deftly scooped a spoonful of rice soaked in sauce and brought it steadily to her mouth.
“Hmm? Qiancha, why have you switched to using a wooden spoon lately? There are extra chopsticks, aren’t there?”
Xuanya asked, a bit surprised.
“I simply wanted to try a different utensil.”
Lu Qiancha’s chewing paused almost imperceptibly, but her gaze never flickered, her voice calm and even.
Though Xuanya felt it odd, she didn’t pursue it. She lifted her cup again, savoring another sip of the lingering Spirit Wine.
Warmth flowed from her throat to her belly, easing her heart and mind.
“Master!”
Gantang lifted her own cup excitedly, which also contained clear Spirit Wine: “This disciple toasts you—a wish for good health and boundless immortal journey!”
With that, Gantang tipped her head back and drained her cup.
“This disciple also toasts Master.”
Lu Qiancha calmly filled her own cup and raised it, the movement crisp and decisive!
“Clink!”
A clear sound rang out as the cup bottom struck the table, not a drop of nectar left within.
The clear, mellow wine flowed down her throat, as if igniting a gentle warmth.
It slid softly down her esophagus, blooming into a cozy heat in her belly.
At the base of her tongue, there lingered a distinct sweetness and aftertaste. Lu Qiancha’s heart stirred, and she unconsciously poured herself another cup.
She lifted the cup, but before she could drink—
“Clunk!”
Lu Qiancha’s body suddenly went limp, as if all her bones and tendons had been pulled out.
Her vision blurred, and she collapsed face-first onto the stone table.