“What are you thinking about?”
Huang Hua couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
She took a deep breath, regained her graceful composure, and then smiled as she spoke, “The ‘trade’ I mentioned is the Wish Power of Incense your daughter just offered me.”
Although Xun Xue was curious about where her daughter had obtained such incense power, she set aside her doubts for the moment.
She looked coldly at Huang Hua’s face and challenged, “You are the dignified Taiyin Star Lord, governing the Taiyin and receiving incense offerings from all mortal families. Would you really be short of such a trivial amount of Wish Power?”
Xun Xue’s disbelief was obvious.
“It’s not that I’m short,” Huang Hua chuckled lightly, her fingertips faintly twirling in the void, as if savoring some elusive scent. “It’s just that the incense offered by ordinary humans…”
Her brows furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of undisguised disdain.
“Their desires are mixed and complicated; greed, hatred, ignorance, and poison seep through, thick and filthy like old grease. It’s sour, bitter, and hard to swallow. But what your daughter just offered…”
Her eyes suddenly brightened, her tone laced with delight. “Pure as dew, as clear and cold as a millennia-old ice spring, it melts on the tongue and leaves a long-lasting sweetness. Truly…”
She clicked her tongue softly, as if tasting the finest immortal tea. “A rare, sweet little treat~”
“Too bad, though, the quantity is a bit lacking… not even enough to fill a tooth gap.”
That explanation was reasonable enough. Xun Xue nodded knowingly and no longer obstructed the transaction between Huang Hua and Lu Qiancha.
Her thoughts shifted. Her stingy old friend really did have many good things.
Why not have her daughter ‘pluck some wool’ off her?
“Hmph, I’ll have my daughter accept that thing then, but you’re not allowed to back out.”
Xun Xue squeezed out a reluctant agreement from her nostrils, then gestured for Lu Qiancha to put the items into her storage pouch.
“Do I look like someone who likes to go back on their word?”
Huang Hua lounged lazily, tilting her chin slightly. Then she glanced at the little wolf cub trying hard to reach out with small paws to put the medicine bottle and token into the pouch.
But just as she was about to put away the token and touch the jade bottle—
“Wait.”
Huang Hua’s cold voice brushed over like a silk string. “That Taiyin Life-Entering Pill…”
Her eyes deepened, carrying an unyielding tone.
“It must be taken right here. This pill is born from the Moon Essence, refined only under the origin of moonlight here, so it can draw a trace of Yin Immortal Power to protect your vital spiritual pulse. If taken elsewhere…”
Her red lips parted slightly, her voice warning, “The opportunity for entering Taiyin might instead become the Taiyin Transformation Taboo. The Yin chill could rebound, and you might suffer a fiery backlash…”
“!” Lu Qiancha’s paw froze mid-air.
She looked at the coldly fragrant pill, then at Xun Xue…
Finally meeting Huang Hua’s half-smiling, half-serious gaze…
Lu Qiancha’s small face was filled with struggle and hesitation.
She had originally planned to bring the pill back to study its formula and then mass-produce it.
But if after taking the pill, it truly turned into the Taiyin Transformation Taboo…
Still, this was a life-saving pill personally given by the Taiyin Star Lord. If she could figure out the recipe… it would surely be highly beneficial.
***
After much inner conflict, Lu Qiancha gritted her teeth, reached out, grabbed the jade bottle, and poured out a pill about the size of a dragon’s eye, glowing faintly with a serene lunar halo.
Closing her eyes, she steeled herself.
Crunch, crunch.
It was crisp, like chewing sugar beans.
After swallowing, there was no special sensation.
Suddenly—
“Yue~”
Bitter! So bitter and unpleasant.
Lu Qiancha’s entire face immediately scrunched up like a bitter melon. This body’s taste buds were extremely sensitive; sweet things tasted sweeter, but bitter things were even more bitter than before.
Her throat rolled violently as she fought hard not to vomit on the spot.
“If you’re afraid of the bitterness, this pill can be dissolved in clear water and applied externally,” Huang Hua said kindly after enjoying Lu Qiancha’s pitiful face, scrunched and tearful.
After speaking, Huang Hua saw the little girl’s blue eyes filled with grievance and accusation, like tiny ice-tipped arrows aimed straight at her face, burning with intensity.
You should’ve said so earlier!
Lu Qiancha looked at Huang Hua quietly. The rain was nearly over, and only now did she realize she needed an umbrella?
“Pfft~”
Huang Hua finally couldn’t hold back and let out a mischievous laugh at the pair of utterly drooping, slightly trembling little wolf ears.
She waved her hand elegantly, her voice soothing. “Alright, alright~ It was my oversight for not informing you sooner~”
Her voice paused, her eyes flashing. “How about this? When you leave later, I’ll let you pick a moon rabbit you like from the Outer Garden Herb Field to take with you, as a token of apology.”
Hearing a benefit, Lu Qiancha’s mood instantly brightened. Her previously drooping ears snapped upright as she said, “Thank you, Yuanjun.”
“AoJ~”
So easy to please. Huang Hua’s smile deepened, her tone deliberately affectionate, her smile tinged with a hint of teasing, “No need to be so formal. Little one~ from now on, just call me ‘Sister Huang Hua’~”
Just as the words left her mouth—
“Huh~” A cold, mocking chuckle sounded from beside her.
Xun Xue tilted her head slightly, smiling faintly as she glanced at Huang Hua. Her deep blue eyes flickered with sly amusement. “Oh? You want Xiao Qiancha to call you ‘Sister’?”
She dragged out the syllables, slowly and deliberately adding, “Then you can call me ‘Mother Xun Xue.’”
Huang Hua’s perfect, enchanting smile froze in an instant with a “click,” the previous teasing instantly turning into a cold light that pierced straight at Xun Xue.
Lu Qiancha shrank her presence as much as possible, not daring to breathe. Her eyes obediently glued to her own knees. She dared not provoke either Xun Xue or Huang Hua.
“Enough, enough. I’ll go pick a moon rabbit for your daughter. Take it and leave quickly.”
Xun Xue looked annoyed but ultimately more pleased with the little one.
“Just hurry and get this over with.”
Huang Hua pursed her lips and slowly stood up. Without any flashy movement, her wide sleeves flowed like drifting clouds, and immortal energy surged out powerfully.
“Jiji ji!”
“Ying ying~”
Accompanied by a chorus of frantic rabbit cries.
In an instant,
More than a dozen moon rabbits of various shapes and sizes, their fur ranging from pure white to frosty blue to silver sheen, as if plucked by an invisible giant hand from the void.
Plop! Plop!
They landed on the cold, polished floor of the hall.
“Here!” Huang Hua crossed her arms, chin slightly raised, casually pointing with a jade finger at the hopping furballs. “Pick whichever one you want! Take it and go! No regrets allowed!”
Lu Qiancha didn’t dare to act rashly. With an inquiring look, she cautiously glanced at Xun Xue’s face.
Xun Xue’s lips curled into a victorious, somewhat sly smile and nodded at her decisively.
Lu Qiancha felt reassured.
Her eyes immediately sharpened as they scanned the entire group of rabbits.
Finally, her claw tip accurately pointed to the smallest moon rabbit in the group.
At that moment, it was timidly hiding behind a slightly larger rabbit, curious and naive, peeking out.
Lu Qiancha spoke, “I want this one.”
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