“What’s going on with that little demon you’re holding?”
Xuanya looked coldly at Lu Qiancha cradled in Gantang’s arms.
“Ah, well… this is Xun Xue’s daughter!”
Gantang stammered out the words.
Xuanya’s long brows furrowed slightly. “Xun Xue’s daughter?”
A flicker of strangeness passed through her heart. Was that Wolf Demon Immortal really intending to treat Tianquan Peak as their home?
The elder stayed long-term, and now even the younger ones are here?
“Little one,” Xuanya bent slightly, her eyes sharp and perceptive locking onto Lu Qiancha, “tell me, why did you bully my disciple just now?”
“Gantang is a direct disciple of my peak, and your behavior is tantamount to trampling the dignity of Tianyuan Sect underfoot.”
“Should I understand your actions just now as the Rinbing Wolf Tribe declaring war on Tianyuan Sect?” Xuanya’s gaze was ice-cold, pressing down with an invisible weight as if to dissect her from inside out.
Lu Qiancha’s body instantly tensed, her claws digging tightly into the fabric of Gantang’s sleeve.
Xuanya’s expression grew even colder.
She straightened, her moon-white robe fluttering without wind, the air around her temperature dropping sharply.
“If you refuse to explain…” Her voice was like a blade tempered with ice, every word striking like a blow to the heart.
“Tomorrow, I will summon your mother, Xun Xue, to come to the peak in person. We shall have a proper face-to-face discussion!”
Call the parents? Why does this matter feel like it’s getting bigger and bigger?!
Lu Qiancha’s little face turned deathly pale. She opened her mouth, her mind blank, wanting to say something but only managing a brief, meaningless gasp.
Just as the chilling pressure threatened to freeze the entire space—
“Ma… Master!”
Gantang suddenly thought quickly and forced herself to speak up again, her tone filled with sincerity: “Actually, we, um, were just playing a game earlier.”
She even added earnestly, “You know, like… um… riding big horses.”
Xuanya:
For a moment, the air seemed to pause.
The deadly atmosphere so painstakingly built… popped like a burst balloon, deflating completely.
Xuanya stared blankly at her seriously ridiculous disciple spouting nonsense.
How does her elbow keep twisting outward like that?
Doesn’t she realize she was applying pressure just now, only to find an excuse to get something good off that demon immortal for herself and Gansha?
Xuanya took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her irritation, and gave her duster a somewhat forceful flick.
Luckily, there was still that somewhat reliable junior disciple Lu Qiansha to help keep an eye on things. Otherwise, this foolish disciple would be sold out while happily counting the profit.
Finally, Xuanya fixed her gaze on Lu Qiancha, glanced at Gantang, and after a slow exhale said, “The path of cultivation requires inner serenity and outward harmony! What kind of conduct is this, fooling around and fighting like children?!”
Ten times!
“Master’s reprimand is justified! I know my mistake! I won’t dare to do it again next time!” Gantang immediately bowed her head in submission, her attitude extremely sincere.
Xuanya cast Gantang a cold glance, swept her sleeve, and turned away, delivering her final judgment: “Since you know your mistake, return to your room immediately and copy out the Sect Discipline Rules twice.”
“Tomorrow at this time, I will come to check your work. If there’s even one copy missing… hmph.”
The final “hmph” carried a lingering chill. No sooner had she finished speaking than the moon-white figure of Xuanya vanished outside the Linghua Gate.
As Xuanya’s cold silhouette disappeared, the taut atmosphere inside the courtyard instantly relaxed as if a floodgate had been opened.
Gantang’s little spark of cleverness just now seemed completely drained, her whole body drooping like a withered vegetable, her small mouth pouting as if she could hang an oil bottle from it.
She slowly lowered her head, pouting pitifully while staring at the culprit in her arms.
“Senior Brother……”
“All right, all right……”
Lu Qiancha waved her little paws helplessly and with a hint of resignation, her tone softening involuntarily: “Okay, okay, don’t make that face like you’re about to cry…”
She awkwardly looked away, her blue ears twitching slightly, “… I’ll help you copy half!”
Gantang’s face, which had been stormy just a moment ago, instantly brightened as if the sun had pierced through the clouds, clearing all gloom.
“Woohoo! Senior Brother! I knew you were the best!”
Gantang suddenly lifted Lu Qiancha high into the air, completely ignoring the other’s panicked, fluffed-up “Wah!” cries.
Then she suddenly buried her face into Lu Qiancha’s little belly, which smelled faintly of vanilla—and took two big sniffs.
“Wah! Gantang, hahaha, it’s so ticklish, stop sucking!”
Lu Qiancha was overwhelmed by the sudden attack, her two short legs flailing wildly in the air, claws futilely pushing away the head welded onto her tummy, twisting like a fish caught on shore.
Feeling that the soft little loli in her arms was about to cramp from twisting, Gantang finally lifted her head with satisfaction.
“Hehe…” Gantang gently set down the flustered little loli.
Then, she clasped her hands together sharply in front of her chest.
Her smile instantly switched to unprecedented seriousness as her gaze hardened: “Senior Brother, the other half is all yours.”
With that, Gantang took heavy steps forward, carrying a tragic aura like the falling autumn wind—like a warrior who goes off to die at the Yi River—heading toward the West Wing.
Leaving behind only a blue-furred little loli whose legs were somewhat weak.
***
A moment later, Lu Qiancha shook her head. First, she went to the East Wing, wanting to find Xun Xue to ask for the Transformation Pill materials and recipe as promised…
The East Wing door was firmly closed.
Lu Qiancha raised a little paw and knocked on Xun Xue’s door.
No response.
Looks like she’s gone out?
Helpless, Lu Qiancha took out the Jade Token and sent her a message.
“Buzz buzz.”
The Jade Token responded almost instantly, and Xun Xue replied: “Out playing, will be back in a few days. I’ll bring you some yummy and fun things then!”
Lu Qiancha stared at the flickering spirit light on the jade token.
Fine, she resigned herself and replied with a simple “Okay.” The alchemy plan would have to be put on hold for now.
Back in her room, the little loli finally had a moment of peace.
“Puff—”
She completely let down all pretense and guard, like a soft, squishy blue mochi ball, sprawling utterly without care on the cold wooden table.
Her cheek pressed against the surface, the cool touch spreading along her nerves. She sighed long and soft… with a lazy trailing sound at the end.
After resting for a while, the remaining spark of reason barely managed to pull her out of the temptation to give up and slack off.
Lu Qiancha resignedly took out her inkstone, ink stick, brush, and a thick stack of Xiangzhao from her storage pouch. Her paws gripped the small Ink stick and ground it slowly in the ink pool.
The ink darkened. She took a deep breath—time to begin!
Her little paws carefully picked up a fine brush.
Spirit Stone flowed out like quicksilver, delicately wrapping around her claws and the brush handle.
The Tianyuan Sect’s Sect Rules totaled fourteen clauses, and the overall text wasn’t very long.
The brush tip lightly dipped into the thick ink.
She started writing.
Mimicking Gantang’s slightly stubborn yet elegant handwriting.
Such delicate work consumed Spirit Stone rapidly. After writing each short segment, the invisible threads controlling the brush tip seemed ready to snap.
The handwriting began to waver…
The prickling pain from Spirit Stone depletion started piercing her mind…
“Ugh…”
Lu Qiancha had to stop, setting the brush back on the brush rest.
She slumped back in her chair, closing her eyes to cultivate, ravenously recovering Spirit Stone.
After a moment of recovery…
Lu Qiancha gritted her teeth, lifted her paw, and resumed writing!
Pause… recovery… continue… pause…
This mechanical and painful cycle repeated silently in the quiet room.
Outside the window, moonlight slanted through the treetops, illuminating one corner of the desk in pale radiance. The inkstone’s ink was already half gone.
The pile of folded Xiangzhao grew thick.
When a faint, hazy fish-belly white light appeared on the eastern horizon…
Plop!
The brush finally fell helplessly onto the brush holder.
Lu Qiancha nearly by instinct put down the brush.
She yawned widely, her sapphire-like eyes clouded with overwhelming moisture.
The fatigue from Spirit Stone depletion felt like a heavy shackle.
No more. If she didn’t sleep soon, she felt like her soul would escape her body…
She wobbled to her feet, carefully and clumsily tidying the brush, stacking the papers filled with neat Sect Rules calligraphy.
Finally, she took out a heavy, thick paperweight and slammed it down with a “thud” on top of the stack, sealing it like a demon’s binding spell.
Done! Time to sleep.
Then she sent Gantang a message: “I’ve finished my part. Before Master checks it, just come and take it.”
Afterwards, Lu Qiancha took three quick steps to her bed, stripped off her clothes, covered herself with the small quilt, and the moment her body touched the warm pillow and blanket, her last conscious will snapped like a broken kite string…
Puff!
Her consciousness plunged into a soft, hazy dreamland.