Quick.
Huang Hua:
She gazed at the suddenly empty space in her arms, feeling the warmth at her fingertips vanish in an instant.
Huang Hua stood frozen for three whole breaths before suddenly—
“Pfft!”
A soft laugh, brimming with endless amusement, slipped from her lips.
“You little rascal…” Huang Hua unconsciously rubbed her fingertip, as if she could still feel the touch of that little one’s neck. “You really do run fast…”
Huang Hua made up her mind in her heart—next time, she would definitely catch that little one and not let go until she heard the end of this curious story.
Lu Qiancha felt like she had been catapulted straight back to Tianquan Peak.
Her tiny body landed with a sudden “splat”, crashing directly into the soft, fluffy pile of snow just outside the little courtyard on the mountaintop.
“Wu…” Still shaken, she pawed at the snow, sticking her small head out of the pile, her heart still thumping wildly.
She patted her little chest, rising and falling rapidly from fright…
That was close! That was so close!
Just now, she had spoken whatever line came to her mind, all those little tales from her previous life were long forgotten.
Luckily… she’d run fast enough.
She rubbed the tip of her Wolf Ears, now dusted with snow.
At that very moment, Xuan Ya’s graceful figure, as ethereal as a moonlit flower, quietly appeared in the shadow of the small courtyard’s veranda.
Her gaze instantly locked onto the little wolf cub in the snow pile, her head topped with fluffy snowflakes.
There were still a few bits of snow clinging to the tips of those ears, and her blue eyes blinked guiltily beneath the moonlight…
Xuan Ya said nothing, gliding forward with lotus-like steps until she silently stood beside the snow pile.
Her slender hand rose lightly, and with a deft grip on the back of the collar, she picked up a certain clumsy little wolf.
She placed the blue-furred, snow-dusted little girl steadily onto the cold, smooth bluestone slab beside her.
“Give me your paw.”
Xuan Ya’s voice was as clear and cool as jade beads falling onto a plate, without a trace of emotion.
“Y-Yes, Master.”
Lu Qiancha shivered instinctively, swallowing hurriedly, her voice trembling with a hint of guilt.
Pitifully, she lifted her paw, and from nervousness, the soft fur on her pink paw pads stood on end.
Xuan Ya glanced at the little wolf cub in front of her—she hadn’t even begun to punish her, and the little one already looked on the verge of tears…
She couldn’t help but feel a touch of helplessness in her heart.
Xuan Ya pressed her lips together, her chilly jade duster quietly spinning in her hand, then she raised the duster’s handle high, bringing a faint current of cold air.
Lu Qiancha squeezed her eyes shut in fright, her little ears flattening into her hair.
The duster’s handle gently fell and tapped her paw.
It didn’t hurt.
Lu Qiancha carefully tilted her little face upward, her eyes wide in post-crisis confusion as she looked at her master.
Xuan Ya had already put away her duster.
“The night is deep and dew heavy, the cold seeps into the bones, and yet you’re still out playing in the snow? Why aren’t you back inside, cultivating?”
Her cool gaze swept over the snow on Lu Qiancha’s clothes. Her voice was calm and soft, neither happy nor angry, but carried a hint of a scolding.
“Yes, Master!”
Lu Qiancha seemed to have just received a pardon, her voice immediately regaining its vigor.
Like an arrow released from the bowstring, her tiny figure left only a streak under the moonlight. “Disciple will go cultivate right away!”
Before her words even faded—
“Whoosh!” went the sound.
Lu Qiancha had already darted into her own room, leaving behind only a flurry of hurried footsteps.
Xuan Ya stood with her hands behind her back, her silent gaze resting on the now tightly closed door. Only after a long while did an imperceptible, helpless smile appear on her lips.
***
The next morning.
“Buzz buzz”
The jade token vibrated softly, rousing Lu Qiancha from her light sleep. Her paw nimbly grabbed the jade token, and her spiritual sense swept through—it was Xun Xue.
“Sweetheart~ Mommy’s coming home! (`’)”
“Did you miss~ me~? (ow)♡”
Lu Qiancha rubbed her sleepy eyes, just about to reply—
A wisp of wind, mixed with that familiar, cool, frosty scent, quietly brushed past her side.
She instinctively tilted her small face upward, looking right into a pair of deep blue eyes—full of gentle laughter, so much like her own.
“Awake?” Xun Xue bent over, morning sunlight spilling through the window lattice and onto her gentle cheek.
Almost as a reflex—
Lu Qiancha made a soft “thump” as she flung herself like a little warm pancake into Xun Xue’s open, welcoming arms.
The little girl’s head rubbed naturally against the soft hollow of her mother’s neck, her just-awakened voice still fuzzy and sweet: “I missed you…”
The smile on Xun Xue’s face instantly bloomed, as dazzling as the sun melting snow.
Without hesitation, she lowered her head and pressed a feather-light good morning kiss to her daughter’s fragrant forehead.
“Hehe, my little Qiancha is so good, Mommy missed you too.”
Xun Xue let out a satisfied sigh, hugging her a bit tighter.
Without delay, she started helping her daughter change clothes with practiced ease.
“Come~ lift your paws…” Xun Xue gently took off her soft nightgown and put on a neat, cool blue-and-white cross-collar skirt.
Lu Qiancha cooperatively kicked her legs, stretched her waist, and handed over her paws—just like a lazy cat being groomed by her owner.
But Xun Xue didn’t stop talking: “Little Qiancha, I’ve got a super~ big~ good~ news! Want to hear it?”
Her voice had a deliberately playful, teasing note.
“Mm?!” Lu Qiancha’s Wolf Ears instantly perked up, her blue eyes meeting Xun Xue’s. “What good news? I want to know!”
“Recently, the Northern Continent will be producing a batch of Illusory Stones…”
Xun Xue winked, hooking her finger under her daughter’s chin, her smile widening. “Does my little Qiancha want one?”
“I want one!”
Lu Qiancha’s eyes lit up at those words.
The tip of her tail, in an attempt to be extra well-behaved, curled into Xun Xue’s palm as she looked up, her blue eyes shining with undisguised longing.
But Xun Xue resisted the urge to stroke her tail. Instead, she slowly extended a hand, palm up.
“Mm?”
Lu Qiancha looked at Xun Xue in confusion.
“Put your head here.”
Xun Xue grinned as she spoke.
Lu Qiancha didn’t really understand, but her trust in her mother outweighed everything else. Obediently, with a touch of curiosity, she lowered her little head, placing her chin in Xun Xue’s palm.
“Such a good girl~ such a good girl~”
Xun Xue’s eyes were full of affection as she gently scratched Lu Qiancha’s small chin, the motion gentle and practiced.
“Mmmmmm…”
Lu Qiancha instantly let out a deeply contented rumble, her eyes squinting happily into slits.
“Let’s go, Mommy will take you to the Northern Domain.”
Watching her daughter’s complete trust and docile dependence, Xun Xue nodded in satisfaction.
“Okay~”
Lu Qiancha nodded enthusiastically, her little voice sweet and soft, the tail end rising up cutely.
After a brief farewell with Xuan Ya and Gan Tang, who was still in confinement, Lu Qiancha followed Xun Xue and set out for the Northern Continent.
***
The northern winds cut like knives.
Hand in hand, Xun Xue led Lu Qiancha as they descended near the Wolf Clan Royal City, shrouded in thick frost and ancient, desolate majesty.
Lu Qiancha immediately activated the Mirage Art, her spiritual energy swirling—
A “youth” in a plain blue robe, handsome but with a somewhat aloof demeanor, replaced the little wolf girl—walking the jianghu, it was safest and most convenient to take on the appearance of an ordinary young man.
Yet a human youth would stand out just as much in the Wolf Clan Royal City.
So, with a twist of her paw and a wisp of spiritual energy, a pair of fluffy, deep-blue Wolf Ears instantly stood up amid her hair.
And a wolf tail, blue as the night and tipped with a touch of silver, naturally fell from her waist behind her, swaying gently.
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