“Gurgle.”
Lu Qiancha’s throat betrayed her with a clear swallowing sound.
Her once slightly proud blue eyes immediately locked tightly onto that pile of richly textured dried meat. Her nose twitched uncontrollably.
“So, so fragrant!” She barely managed to squeeze out the words while holding her breath. “What kind of meat is this?!”
“It’s Snowhoof Silver-bristle Pork from my hometown, marinated with some spices and dried. It’s really delicious.”
Xun Xue proudly lifted her chin, pinching a large slice of meat and holding it to her daughter’s lips. “Want to try?”
Lu Qiancha inhaled the aroma wafting from the pork jerky, her body growing increasingly unable to resist. “Awoo!”
She opened her small mouth wide and snapped up the fragrant piece of meat.
The instant her teeth hit the hard texture, she realized—too tough, her teeth couldn’t bite through it.
Lu Qiancha quickly switched tactics.
The little one held the jerky in her mouth, her pink little tongue wrapping around the meat, licking it diligently and wetly.
The resilient muscle fibers gradually softened under the warmth, and her baby teeth shifted from biting hard to grinding little by little.
Finally, a tiny crumb of meat was conquered by her, obediently sliding down her throat, sending a warm, soothing heat coursing straight to her heart. “Mmm~”
Lu Qiancha couldn’t help but squint her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling with comfort as she let out a low, almost whimpering sound of satisfaction.
However—
Just as that exquisite aftertaste still lingered on her tongue and the lazy tip of her tail tapped unconsciously—
Lu Qiancha suddenly shuddered as if doused with ice water.
She sprang back with a sharp “whoosh,” as if frightened senseless by her own previous lapse.
Her tiny body tensed up, and her big, clear blue eyes filled with shock and confusion.
It was just a piece of meat, so why… why did she feel like she’d been bewitched?!
Her terrified gaze swept over the remaining pieces of meat on the table, which still emitted a deadly temptation…
And the strange, pleasant dependence still lingering inside her body…
Left her torn between craving and fear, utterly at a loss.
“Hm? Not eating anymore?”
Xun Xue tilted her head, watching the little one act as if facing a mortal enemy, her deep blue eyes sparkling with pure curiosity.
“Umm… mee~”
Lu Qiancha had wanted to say no, but her eyes fixed on the intensely fragrant meat. The words stuck in her throat, turning instead into a vague, soft, unusually tender low hum.
Seeing that the little one didn’t refuse, Xun Xue handed the jerky closer again.
“Sniff sniff sniff.”
Lu Qiancha’s small nose twitched repeatedly as if trying to catch the meat’s scent.
Xun Xue drew the jerky nearer; the little one instinctively leaned forward. Closer still, she took a step forward.
Xun Xue chuckled lightly, mischievously pulling the meat back just a bit.
Sure enough, the little one naively stepped closer once more.
Just one step away from the source of temptation—
“Bang!”
Her small foot was cruelly caught on the edge of the low stool.
The tiny blue figure instantly lost balance, falling with a “plop” sound.
Weak and limp, she tumbled headfirst into Xun Xue’s open, waiting, warm embrace.
“Ugh… want to eat…” Lu Qiancha’s eyes glazed with mist, her small face raised in a daze.
Her two furry paws weakly clawed toward the meat in vain, while her mouth emitted a muffled, heavily nasal whimper: “Umm~ I… want to eat…”
“Pfft.”
Xun Xue couldn’t help but laugh at the adorable little one in her arms. “Alright, no more teasing. If you want to eat, then eat.”
With that, Xun Xue placed the jerky at Lu Qiancha’s lips.
“Ah-woo!”
A plaintive cry.
Without hesitation, Lu Qiancha bit down.
“What on earth is… this?”
“What a strange… taste.”
As the jerky entered her mouth, Lu Qiancha’s blue eyes widened. She mustered all her strength to force out a voice that sounded like a soft, tender cry mixed with frustration and a hint of delight:
That sound carried thirty percent satisfaction, seventy percent collapse, and the rest was sheer bewilderment caused by an overwhelming, tingling itch.
The fat and spices of the jerky slowly released, as if flipping some bizarre switch.
An unbearable tingling sensation swept over her entire body without warning, focusing especially on her neck, spine, and head.
“Ugh… rub rub…” Lu Qiancha squirmed restlessly in Xun Xue’s arms.
Deep in her throat came involuntary “hulu hulu hulu…” low, continuous, pleasurable sounds.
“!!!” Lu Qiancha’s last shred of shame stiffened her entire body. She clenched her teeth, held her breath, her little face flushed red with effort, trying desperately to suppress the dreadful sounds.
Yet the itching sensation raged like wildfire, and her throat seemed to have a mind of its own.
This struggle between restraint and indulgence turned those originally low sounds into a series of tiny, soft, utterly unthreatening whimpers—like a cub coquettishly whining.
Lu Qiancha was utterly embarrassed. She tried hard to stay still, but the itching was unbearable, and cute “ying ying” sounds escaped her mouth.
“Ugh…” She was so humiliated she wished she could vanish on the spot.
She suddenly raised both paws to tightly cover her unruly mouth.
But the intoxicating aroma from the meat drifted through her fingers into her nose, and the taste still lingered on her tongue.
After a few seconds, Lu Qiancha couldn’t resist and bit a small piece again.
“Ying!”
The little one quickly covered her mouth again.
A few seconds later—
“Umm ying ying…”
She bit the jerky again, then covered her mouth, writhing from the itch.
After several rounds of this internal struggle and ultimate defeat…
Lu Qiancha finally gave up. She surrendered completely to the cursed instinct.
Her small mouth clamped onto the meat like a hungry little wolf cub, chewing nonstop with a “chomp chomp” sound, her throat intermittently emitting “hulu hulu” noises.
When she no longer wanted to eat, she would mercilessly twist and roll around in Xun Xue’s warm, soft embrace.
Her head rubbed back and forth against Xun Xue’s chest to soothe the itch.
She was utterly immersed in this sweet torment, her shame slowly numbed with time.
***
After a long half hour…
When the last crumb was swallowed—
And several minutes later, the haze in Lu Qiancha’s eyes completely cleared.
In its place was a dull, stunned blankness.
Her little face still flushed from resisting her instincts, her chest heaving violently from the “battle,” mouth slightly open, breathing softly.
The whole wolf cub lay limp and exhausted in Xun Xue’s arms, as if she had just endured a fierce fight for survival.
Disheveled, weak, eyes unfocused.
Truly a pitiful sight.
“This… this meat!” Lu Qiancha finally found her voice, nearly squeezing out a question through clenched teeth, her blue eyes fixed on Xun Xue with belated fury and embarrassment.
“There’s definitely something wrong! Why did I… become like that after eating it?!”
“Hm?” Xun Xue blinked innocently. “Not tasty?”
“Delicious!” Lu Qiancha blurted out.
Immediately realizing she’d been sidetracked, she crossed her arms in embarrassment and stood up. “No! It’s not about whether it tastes good or not! The point is why I felt… like I was possessed?!”
At this moment, Lu Qiancha’s ears trembled with anger.
“Hmm…” Xun Xue pretended to ponder, then softly “ah”ed. “Maybe it’s because you’ve just transformed into your demon form, and your bloodline is reacting too strongly to the flavor of Spirit Orchid Herb?”
“Spirit Orchid Herb?”
In Lu Qiancha’s mind, the medicinal compendium quickly flickered through the details: potent in nature, spicy and pungent taste, similar to wild chives, even more pungent when crushed, often used as a spice and in wood-element alchemical medicines…
However, she had never heard of such a ridiculous effect before… It was like being drugged or cursed…