Chapter 152: A New Hairstyle

“Meow…”

Ling Xiaoyou woke up from her slumber with a cute whimper.

She seemed to have had a dream last night, though she could not remember the details.

She only vaguely recalled being wrapped in a ball of soft cotton candy, which felt extremely comfortable.

She dozed in that softness for a while longer before reluctantly opening her eyes.

Although she did not want to get up, today was the day the Xuantian Martial Tournament began, so she had to wake up early.

Then, Ling Xiaoyou froze.

Right in front of her, Bai Shuanglian was looking at her with a beaming smile.

Her dark, bright eyes reflected Xiaoyou’s startled face.

Their noses were so close that Ling Xiaoyou could feel the warm, moist breath from Bai Shuanglian’s respiration.

Her face turned beet red instantly.

Ling Xiaoyou hurriedly tried to get up and distance herself from Bai Shuanglian.

But before she could move, Bai Shuanglian, sensing her intent, pulled her into a tight embrace.

This made Ling Xiaoyou realize what was even softer than cotton candy.

“Do you want to get up now? You can sleep a little longer if you would like.”

Smelling the faint, milky fragrance and hearing Bai Shuanglian’s pleasant voice in her ear, Ling Xiaoyou’s mind went blank for a moment.

Her small mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

Fortunately, she regained her senses in time and struggled within Bai Shuanglian’s arms.

“I can’t sleep anymore! Today is the official start of the Xuantian Martial Tournament. I have to go back and meet up with the others!”

“If the others come looking for me and find I’m not there, it’ll be hard to explain!”

Seeing Ling Xiaoyou’s frantic explanation, Bai Shuanglian understood her concerns.

She smiled and did not try to make her stay, letting go of her grip so Ling Xiaoyou could break free from her embrace.

Ling Xiaoyou scrambled out of bed.

Even as her pajamas slipped halfway down her shoulders, revealing her tender, delicate skin, she did not care.

It was as if she were terrified Bai Shuanglian would pull her back into her arms again.

Only when she was firmly standing on the floor did Ling Xiaoyou breathe a sigh of relief.

She looked back at Bai Shuanglian, who was propped up on one arm on the bed, smiling at her.

Her face flushed involuntarily.

Bai Shuanglian’s posture and expression felt strangely erotic…

At that thought, Ling Xiaoyou vigorously shook her head to cast those lewd thoughts out of her mind.

‘Now is not the time for such things. I need to get back before the others wake up!’

Then, Ling Xiaoyou grabbed her clothes and prepared to put them on.

But before she could take off her pajamas, she seemed to remember something.

She glanced at Bai Shuanglian and then scurried into the bathroom to change.

Seeing this, Bai Shuanglian chuckled softly.

She did not say anything and got out of bed to change as well.

After changing, Ling Xiaoyou threw her pajamas out of the bathroom and began to wash up.

Halfway through, she suddenly heard the door open.

The mirror reflected Bai Shuanglian, already dressed, walking in from outside.

Without turning around, Ling Xiaoyou glanced at the waiting Bai Shuanglian through the mirror.

She picked up a nearby towel to wipe her face and prepared to leave, giving the sink to Bai Shuanglian.

As a Cultivator, she did not need things like skincare products.

After all, they were useless to her.

Unless she used skincare products made from Spiritual Materials, but those were quite expensive.

At the very least, Ling Xiaoyou did not want to spend that much money on them.

But before Ling Xiaoyou could leave, Bai Shuanglian grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the mirror.

Ling Xiaoyou was confused.

She looked at Bai Shuanglian, wondering what she was up to.

“What is it?”

“Xiaoyou, you’ve always had the same hairstyle,” Bai Shuanglian suddenly said, looking at Ling Xiaoyou’s pure white hair.

“Eh?”

Ling Xiaoyou tilted her head in confusion, not understanding what she meant.

“How about…”

Bai Shuanglian gave Ling Xiaoyou a slight smile.

“How about you let me give you a new hairstyle?”

“Eh?”

Ling Xiaoyou was stunned.

***

“Elder? Elder!”

On the floor where the Ghostly Resentment Office was located, Miao Miaomiao was knocking on Ling Xiaoyou’s door.

“It’s getting late, Elder! Don’t stay in bed! Time to wake up!”

She had been waiting there for a while, but there was still no movement from inside Ling Xiaoyou’s room.

‘That’s strange. Is Elder such a heavy sleeper?’

After knocking for a bit longer and seeing no response, Miao Miaomiao lowered her hand and took out her Mobile Phone, intending to call Ling Xiaoyou.

Just as the phone started ringing, Miao Miaomiao froze.

She heard the ringtone, but it was not coming from the room—it was coming from the other end of the hallway.

Miao Miaomiao looked toward the source of the sound, and a flash of amazement crossed her eyes.

She spoke in surprise to Ling Xiaoyou, who was walking slowly toward her.

“Elder, why did you suddenly change your hairstyle?!”

With her hair tied in twin tails, she looked exactly like a certain Shipgirl from a naval game who shared a name with a 1982 vintage wine.

Ling Xiaoyou scratched her head and gave an awkward smile.

“This… well, the Xuantian Martial Tournament starts today, so I thought I’d change my hairstyle to face the competition with a fresh look.”

In reality, she simply could not win against Bai Shuanglian and had eventually agreed to let her change her hair.

Miao Miaomiao nodded in understanding.

Looking at the adorable Ling Xiaoyou, she praised, “But Elder, this hairstyle really suits you. You look very cute.”

“Thank you.”

Ling Xiaoyou still was not used to this hairstyle, even when others complimented her.

“Oh, by the way, Elder,” Miao Miaomiao recalled her purpose and asked curiously, “how are you up so early? Did you go for morning training?”

“Ah… yes, that’s right! I went for morning training!”

Ling Xiaoyou was startled for a second before nodding seriously.

“Because I don’t want to miss any opportunity to improve myself before the Xuantian Martial Tournament begins. Even if it’s just a short time in the morning!”

Hearing this, Miao Miaomiao immediately looked at Ling Xiaoyou with eyes full of admiration.

“As expected of Elder! You don’t waste a single minute or second. That’s so amazing!”

Looking at Miao Miaomiao’s idolizing expression, Ling Xiaoyou felt a bit smug, to be honest.

But she knew she had just made up an excuse to fool the Cat Girl.

She cleared her throat and changed the subject to prevent further questioning.

“Anyway, let’s not talk about that. Let’s go. We should head to the Public Lounge and wait for everyone else to arrive.”

“Yes, Elder!”