After eating and drinking their fill, Bai Yue led Yan Hua to the entrance of the Hospital.
The night wind was cool, brushing against Bai Yue’s oversized hospital gown, making her figure even more prominent.
Suddenly, Bai Yue stopped in her tracks, turned her head, and stared at her little disciple with a puzzled expression.
“Master, what’s wrong?”
Yan Hua tilted her small face up, asking in confusion.
“Something’s not right, Yan Hua.”
Bai Yue frowned.
“You ate, so your spirit should’ve been replenished and then disappeared from my Sea of Consciousness. But why are you still here, and your body doesn’t seem to have shown any signs of recovery either?”
“Oh, Master, you mean that.”
Yan Hua suddenly understood, puffed out her little chest, and explained proudly.
“I stored all the hand-grabbed pancakes in my ‘Great Stomach’. Such delicious food—I planned to take it back, ruminate with my Great Stomach, and savor it again later.”
“……….”
Bai Yue was silent for a moment, then solemnly gave Yan Hua a thumbs up.
“Amazing~”
“Yan Hua, you’re truly a little genius~”
Her pink peach blossom eyes lit up instantly, brimming with the fervor and curiosity of a scientist discovering a new species.
“Yan Hua, can you let Master see your Great Stomach?”
She rubbed her hands expectantly, like a fly, her face full of anticipation.
Only someone as eccentric as her would be so fascinated by her disciple’s Great Stomach.
“Master…do you really want to see?”
Yan Hua hesitated a bit.
She was worried that this might scare Master in the Sea of Consciousness.
“Mm, mm~ Of course I want to see~”
Bai Yue nodded vigorously, but quickly added,
“But if you don’t want to, don’t mind my curiosity. Master has no other intentions.”
She knew how to take care of her disciple’s feelings.
“So Master was just curious. Of course, I’ll show you~”
Hearing this, Yan Hua relaxed completely.
She took a deep breath and opened her mouth wide.
The next second, a plump, slightly pulsating Great Stomach was actually spat out from her mouth.
She skillfully cradled it in her arms.
The surface of the ‘Great Stomach’ was smooth and moist, rising and falling rhythmically with her breathing.
***
Meanwhile, inside the Hospital’s Monitoring Room.
The Head Nurse stared intently at the screen displaying the two ‘clowns’—one big, one small.
When she saw the little girl spit out a living, massive organ from her mouth, she was completely stunned.
She subconsciously touched her own head, only to find, to her astonishment, that her once-normal head seemed… to have shrunk a bit.
This…
This was beyond anything she could comprehend.
Her sanity was evaporating along the monitoring lines.
***
On the screen, instead of showing fear, Bai Yue looked even more excited.
“So cute.”
Bai Yue gazed at the strange organ, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
“Can I touch it?”
“Of course~”
Yan Hua, defenseless, offered her treasure to her Master.
Bai Yue reached out and gently poked it with her finger.
“It feels soft and warm.”
She murmured, growing bolder, and pulled the Great Stomach from Yan Hua’s arms.
Then Bai Yue pressed her cheek against it, nuzzling it with her smooth skin.
“So comfy, Master’s arms are so warm~”
The sensation made Yan Hua squint and curve her lips, clearly enjoying it.
***
In the Monitoring Room, the Head Nurse had completely turned to stone.
“Mm, alright, alright, put it back now, or your stomach might catch cold.”
Having satisfied her curiosity, Bai Yue reluctantly signaled for Yan Hua to retract her Great Stomach.
“Okay.”
Yan Hua nodded obediently, opened her mouth, and swallowed the pouch back inside.
She always listened to Master.
“This is practically a Bug Exploit.”
Bai Yue’s eyes brightened, as if she’d figured something out.
“If you can store energy like this and not use it for a while, then don’t rush to ruminate—spend more time with Master first.”
“Then Master, where should we go play?”
“Let’s play on the hospital bed~”
“Okay~”
***
In the Monitoring Room, the Head Nurse accurately deciphered this predatory phrase from their silent lip movements.
Her head, which had just shrunk a little, swelled again with a ‘buzz’.
Big and small, small and big—her brain felt like it was bouncing in a disco.
The conversation on the screen continued.
“Master, what are we playing on the bed?”
“Of course, it’s a Pillow Fight. Let’s go to the other wards and collect more pillows!”
Bai Yue announced with a smile.
“Mm.”
Yan Hua was full of anticipation, grabbing Bai Yue’s hand and heading back into the Hospital.
“Whew.”
The Head Nurse realized it was a false alarm and wiped nonexistent sweat from her smooth cheek.
***
However, the Pillow Fight had yet to begin.
Just as the two were about to put their pillow-stealing plan into action, Yan Hua’s figure suddenly began to turn transparent and ethereal.
Bai Yue’s hand grasped only a wisp of fading air.
She scratched her head, muttering in frustration,
“As expected, Bug Exploit doesn’t work either—there’s still a time limit.”
***
In reality, atop the Bamboo Cot.
Yan Hua’s consciousness returned to her body.
Her mind was still hazy, not as clear as it was in Master’s Sea of Consciousness.
She shifted and found herself tightly hugged in Master’s arms.
Master was asleep.
Her first thought was of the Second-hand Roti stored in her Great Stomach.
She quickly calmed her mind and looked inward.
Sure enough, the chewed food ball was quietly resting in her stomach pouch.
Thus, in reality, she began to ruminate—bringing the warm, flavor-mixed food back into her mouth.
With her eyes closed, she happily savored it once more.
As she ate, she sleepily hugged Bai Yue and drifted off again.
In her dreams, her mouth unconsciously chewed, digesting the hard-won delicacy.
***
The next morning, Bai Yue slowly awakened.
Looking down at Yan Hua, who was still nestled in her arms, sleeping soundly with a suspicious oily shine at the corner of her mouth, she felt her temples throb.
She thought she ought to properly educate Yan Hua.
This whole ‘ruminate and chew again’…
Such a bizarre and heavy-tasting eating habit…
But then, she thought, doesn’t this just show her value?
Even though her own cultivation level was low and her skills weak, her disciples were all ‘problem children’.
Each one had stranger habits than the last.
They needed a Master like her to guide them onto the ‘right path’.
Without her constant teaching, what if they grew up crooked?
At this thought, Bai Yue felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier.
As a Master, her responsibilities were truly endless.