“……Shixiong, no matter how much you step on that sort of thing, I won’t have it.”
Gantang gazed into Lu Qiancha’s pure, unblemished blue eyes, and it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head.
She felt a touch helpless inside—her Shixiong truly seemed to have no such intentions at all.
This made her secretly breathe a sigh of relief, yet deep within her heart, a faint, indescribable sense of loss quietly surfaced. Her heart felt oddly empty.
“Oh.” Lu Qiancha responded blandly, appearing utterly oblivious to her Shimei’s swirling emotions. She blinked her clear, innocent big eyes, meeting Gantang’s gaze calmly, as if silently asking: Is something wrong?
“Right, Shixiong,” Gantang tried hard to suppress the strange feelings in her heart, looking at the little wolf cub still pressed atop her. Her voice was tinged with an almost undetectable dryness.
“If you… really want milk, I can go down the mountain to the shops and buy it for you. But fresh beast milk doesn’t keep well and spoils easily. I might have to order it regularly for you.”
She tried to steer the conversation back on track.
“Mm… I don’t want it.” Lu Qiancha shook her head without hesitation, completely uninterested in dairy. She was only interested in stepping on milk.
Besides, the milk in this world was untreated, gamey, and unpleasant to her taste.
“Alright…” Gantang didn’t insist. She simply reached out her hand and, with a comforting gesture, gently rubbed Lu Qiancha’s furry, wonderfully soft wolf ears.
“Mmm…” Lu Qiancha squinted her eyes in comfort, subconsciously nuzzling her little head against Gantang’s palm.
This affectionate gesture deepened the smile on Gantang’s face. Though Lu Qiancha’s unconscious nuzzling and her body’s weight made that strange tingling sensation inside Gantang grow even more intense, the joy of intimacy still prevailed in her heart.
After fooling around with Gantang for a while, Lu Qiancha finally climbed down from the bed, thoroughly content.
She stood by the bedside, looking at Gantang, who was lying there breathing slightly, her cheeks flushed an unnatural pink, her eyes slightly unfocused.
The little wolf cub tilted her head, blue eyes filled with genuine concern: “Shimei? You look really pale. Are you not feeling well?”
“Ah?! No… no!”
Gantang seemed to wake with a start, breaking free from the muddled daze her mind had fallen into. She hurriedly denied it, “I’m fine! Shixiong… I’m quite… quite well… very comfortable.”
She tried to force a normal smile, but her voice still sounded a little feeble.
“Mm?” Lu Qiancha furrowed her small brows in concern, her voice openly caring, “But your complexion is really bad… Did you eat something bad? Are you sick?” She leaned in closer, studying Gantang carefully.
“Really, it’s nothing! Shixiong!” Gantang waved her hands in denial, the faint, refreshing scent of vanilla lingering on Lu Qiancha’s body tickling her nose.
The warmth that had just faded from her cheeks flared up again, red spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
She quickly added, “It’s just some old ailment, really. If I rest for a bit, I’ll be fine.”
“Old ailment? Is it really nothing serious?” Lu Qiancha looked at her suspiciously, worry deepening on her small face.
They’d lived together for so long, yet she never knew Gantang had such a hidden illness? The thought made her heart clench.
She immediately reached out her small hand, grabbing the hem of Gantang’s dress, moving even closer and standing on tiptoe until her face nearly touched Gantang’s, who was lying on the bed.
The little wolf cub’s tone was more serious and concerned than ever before: “Shimei, do you have some hidden illness? Don’t keep it from me. I’ll take you to the Dan Ding Division right away to see a healer. This kind of thing can’t be delayed.”
“No, really, that’s not necessary! Shixiong, I’m really fine!”
Gantang shrank back in fright, her voice rising, afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist pouncing forward, “It’s just… I’m just a little tired, that’s all. A bit of rest and I’ll be fine!”
“Really… nothing wrong?”
Lu Qiancha stared closely into Gantang’s eyes, then finally sighed, reminding her in a heartfelt tone, “Alright… but, if you feel unwell anywhere or if anything happens, you must tell Shifu or me right away. Don’t try to bear it alone, understand?”
“Mm-hmm! I know, Shixiong, don’t worry. I know my own body best.” Gantang patted her chest in assurance, just wanting to quickly end this topic.
“Mm…” Lu Qiancha still frowned, looking as worried as ever.
She dawdled as she got dressed, glancing back at every step as she walked to the door, and couldn’t help but turn her head once more, solemnly exhorting, “Shimei, your health is most important. Please remember that.”
“Got it, thank you for worrying, Shixiong.” Gantang tried her best to keep her smile normal, responding loudly.
The door closed.
At last, Gantang was alone in the room. She immediately collapsed like a deflated balloon.
She quickly activated the formation, locked the door, and dove back into the bedding that still held Lu Qiancha’s warmth and that faint, cool scent of vanilla.
The strange sensation inside her that she’d forcibly suppressed surged up instantly in the Lu Qiancha-scented air.
“Shixiong…”
She buried her face deeply into the pillow that still carried the fresh fragrance, letting out a soft murmur, almost a sigh, filled with complex emotion.
Afterwards, her fingertips unconsciously slid over her slightly fevered skin.
***
After leaving Gantang’s residence, the worry in Lu Qiancha’s heart didn’t fade. In fact, it weighed on her more heavily, like a stone pressing down ever harder.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Gantang’s state just now was very off. With anxious little steps, the wolf cub trotted over to Xuanya’s Residence in the North Wing Room and knocked hard on the door—”Dong, dong, dong.”
Creak—
The door opened, revealing Xuanya’s cool and elegant figure.
“Qiancha? What brings you to see your Shifu? Is there something unclear about the technique I taught you earlier?”
She asked in a calm voice.
“It’s not about the technique, Shifu.”
Lu Qiancha shook her head vigorously, her small face filled with urgency and worry, “It’s Shimei, Shimei… she doesn’t seem well.”
“I saw her complexion going from red to white, she looked terrible, but when I asked, she only said it was nothing—just an ‘old ailment.’ I suspect she has some serious illness and is hiding it from us so we don’t worry…”
She spoke all in one breath, her blue eyes anxiously looking up at Xuanya.
“Gantang is ill?” Xuanya’s brows knitted instantly.
Scenes of her having Gantang practice sword swings thousands of times every day over the past months flashed through her mind.
Could it be…that her own training was too much, causing Gantang’s internal injuries to flare up?
The thought made her heart tighten.
“Come, let’s go check on her at once!”
Xuanya decided instantly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
She grabbed Lu Qiancha’s small hand and hurried toward Gantang’s residence.
Arriving at the tightly shut door, Xuanya didn’t knock. She simply lifted her hand, spiritual light swirling at her fingertips, ready to cast a spell to break the Jin Zhi.
“Shifu?” Lu Qiancha looked up at Xuanya’s actions in confusion, blinking her eyes. “Aren’t we going to knock? What if Shimei is resting… barging in directly might not be right?”
“Shh!” Xuanya signaled her to be quiet, her expression grave as she spoke in a low voice, “If she’s truly gravely ill but trying to hide it, knocking will only give her time to prepare and conceal her illness further. Hiding an illness for fear of treatment only brings harm.”
“Oh…” Lu Qiancha nodded in understanding, having grasped the logic and importance behind it.
The little wolf cub immediately tensed her little face, holding her breath, nervously watching Xuanya prepare her spell.