Cultivating Immortality by Raising a Cat (GL) Chapter 79

The rabbit fur born in the Great Snow Mountain of the Northern Territory, fur that had passed through the bitter cold test of Zhaoyang Valley, seemed at this moment to have lost the warmth it was so proud of. The little white rabbit stiffened her neck and worked hard to stop herself from turning back to glance at Yuan Zhaoyang. She blamed the deepening chill along her back on a false feeling in her mind.
With a slightly stiff hop, A-Bai moved quickly and snatched the jade slip with the very interesting title from the five- or six-year-old child in front of her.
Wang Minger only saw the little rabbit wave a short paw. The jade slip vanished in an instant. She blinked her still-wet eyes, her little mouth flattened, and she was about to cry again.
“Shh, shh…” A-Bai did not want to draw Yuan Zhaoyang’s attention at this moment. The little paw that had just put away the jade slip hurriedly patted out some food from the golden bell. Without even looking, she stuffed it into Wang Minger’s mouth as fast as she could.
When one had a guilty conscience, rushed paws led to bad results. Only after she had stuffed the thing into the child’s mouth did A-Bai smell that tempting fragrance and see the familiar shape of the food.
Wang Minger bit the chicken leg and opened her eyes wide. A strange fragrance rushed through her mouth. She had not even had time to take the chicken leg out of her mouth, bite it properly, or taste it. The part of her tongue that touched the chicken leg was already so stirred by the fresh, savory flavor that saliva flowed. This was an instinctive reaction to being amazed by good food. Wang Minger had no strength to resist. At this moment, this taste she had never tried before seized all her attention. It even made her forget for now the treasured jade slip her master had lent her to read.
“Ah…” A-Bai weakly raised a short white paw, but in the next moment, it dropped even more weakly.
Heavens above, earth below, that was a chicken leg roasted by Yuan Zhaoyang! How clumsy did her paws have to be for her to accidentally take it out and stuff it into that little child’s mouth!
Her storage bag clearly still had all kinds of mortal-world food. How had she reached in and pulled out this chicken leg?
Looking at the chicken leg that had been covered in Wang Minger’s drool in an instant, the little white rabbit held her chest and fell to the ground with tears in her eyes.
In the past, A-Bai would not have been so heartbroken over one chicken leg. But now Yuan Zhaoyang was about to enter seclusion. A-Bai treasured this batch of roasted food very much. A single chicken leg like this was supposed to be torn into shreds and sprinkled over ten mortal-world roasted chickens to eat together.
But now…
A-Bai looked at Wang Minger, who was no longer crying, no longer asking for the book, and was gripping the chicken leg with both little hands as she ate until her mouth was oily. Her heart twitched, and her little paw slowly covered her rabbit eyes.
Forget it. Every cause had its result. Let this chicken leg count as settling the karma of that book.
A-Bai lay on the ground for a while, and her heartache over the chicken leg gradually eased a little. Only, she still could not quite put down the matter from before. If Wang Minger had treated Xiong Lanlan this way because of that book, then A-Bai did bear some responsibility for today’s matter. She did not know how much Yuan Zhaoyang had heard just now, or whether Yuan Zhaoyang would guess…
Fate in this world was truly strange. A-Bai could now tell that Yuan Zhaoyang was very nervous about Lin Mianmian. More than half a year ago, when Yuan Zhaoyang had first mentioned Lin Mianmian’s unusual fragrance, A-Bai had still feared Yuan Zhaoyang would fail to restrain herself and eat that little girl as cat food. But now… Yuan Zhaoyang would rather become enemies with countless sects and forcefully use a soul-search technique than fail to save her.
She did not understand. She really did not understand…
The little white rabbit could not figure out what could have happened in that ordinary outer valley courtyard to make a cat change so much. So she stopped thinking about it. As a brave little rabbit, she should first shoulder her own responsibility!
The little rabbit flipped herself up, glanced at Wang Minger, who was still gnawing on the chicken leg, shook out her fur, combed it neatly in one direction, and slowly turned around.
Yuan Zhaoyang had her back to the rabbit and child. She was standing where Wang Minger had pointed earlier. By her feet lay a pile of bottles, jars, paper, fur, and all kinds of materials.
The little rabbit smoothed the fur on her face, practiced squeezing out a cute smile, and bravely moved closer. “Do you need my help?”
Smooth fur, adorable appearance, friendly eyes, sincere tone. In her heart, A-Bai gave full marks to the brave step she had taken.
“No need. It is almost done.” Yuan Zhaoyang raised her eyes and glanced at the little rabbit. She placed the powder in her hand on a piece of beast hide, folded it up, then took a thick hemp rope and tied the folded hide package tightly from all sides, finishing with a neat knot.
Hm…
A-Bai looked at the bulging beast-hide package, which was about the same size as herself, then looked at the grooves the hemp rope had pressed into it. She silently swallowed, along with the courage she had just gathered to confess and chat with Yuan Zhaoyang about Lord Huanxue.
Hehe. Anyway, Yuan Zhaoyang had been so busy just now. She probably had not heard anything.
Yuan Zhaoyang seemed unaware of all the tangled thoughts in the little white rabbit’s heart. She only worked quickly with what was in her hands.
A beast-hide package filled with powder, small command flags rubbed with medicinal liquid, tree roots and stones ground into special shapes…
One finely made item after another was born from Yuan Zhaoyang’s hands and finally placed in different corners of the classroom.
Although A-Bai looked as if she spent every day lost in eating, playing, and secretly busy with certain unspeakable hobbies, she was still a Core Formation rabbit.
Looking at one or two of these things alone might not reveal much. But once there were more of them, it was not hard to see their purpose.
“According to what Wang Minger said, this is only an Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array…” Seeing Yuan Zhaoyang take out another piece of Sound-Bright Stone and begin polishing it with a fireball, A-Bai finally could not help reminding her.
“I know,” Yuan Zhaoyang answered, but the movements of her hands did not slow at all.
“Although the Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array counts as a fairly high-grade array, it is only strong in that people outside the array find it hard to locate, and its trapping effect is a little better. If you are the one breaking this array, that package of Xi Song River Lazy-Tooth Powder from just now is already enough… And you even used Black-Illusion Rhinoceros Hide… Why make all these extra things?” A-Bai was truly a little confused.
The palm-sized blue-purple Sound-Bright Stone rolled in the fireball. Yuan Zhaoyang shook her head. “Xi Song River Lazy-Tooth Powder and Black-Illusion Rhinoceros Hide truly have a special effect in breaking arrays, but they only break it. With the Origin-Returning Flag Command, Six-Spirit Cluster Wood, Sound-Bright Stone, and the rest as support, it will better protect the people inside the array when it breaks.”
A-Bai could not help scratching her rabbit face. “It is only an Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array. If you act, it is impossible for you to hurt the people inside.”
“No matter how high someone’s cultivation is, if they forcefully break an array from outside without protective materials as support, there has never been such a thing as definitely not hurting the people inside.” As Yuan Zhaoyang spoke, the Sound-Bright Stone in her hand gradually took shape.
“That is only a chance that appears once in hundreds of millions of times. Perhaps not even once. It is only used to teach the idea that nothing is ever perfect… Besides, even if they are hurt, it would just be from materials flying when the array collapses. They would not be badly injured. It is only one Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array. We have two Core Formation cultivators here.” A-Bai did not believe they could break the array but fail to protect the people. Those were all messy principles written in strange books. She also did not think that if something unusual happened when the array collapsed, she and Yuan Zhaoyang, two Core Formation cultivators, would fail to protect those few people… well, people, bear, and turtle.
“The array may only be an Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array, but the people inside are also only people who have just entered early Qi Refining. Do not speak of a one-in-hundreds-of-millions chance. Even if it were one in countless hundreds of millions, I would not want to gamble.” Yuan Zhaoyang answered A-Bai’s question. But the words that came out made the fireball refining the Sound-Bright Stone in her hand pause slightly.
A-Bai, hearing this, was also stunned.
Earlier, A-Bai had not felt sorry for Yuan Zhaoyang over these materials. She had only felt that since Yuan Zhaoyang could open the array, she should hurry and save them. Making all these extra things was troublesome and unnecessary. But once Yuan Zhaoyang said this, the little white rabbit could no longer say even half a word about whether it was needless.
This kind of protection, where she was unwilling to gamble even on a chance of one in countless hundreds of millions… Was it the care of a Core Formation senior toward a junior? Was it the kindness of an old friend with a younger one?
A-Bai faintly felt that Yuan Zhaoyang’s regard for Lin Mianmian was truly a little wrong. But now was not the time to speak with her in detail about such things. She could only move aside for now and stop disturbing her.
The Sound-Bright Stone was soon forged. Yuan Zhaoyang prepared to break the array.
When she truly began breaking the array, it was not as complicated as the earlier preparation work.
All kinds of forged little items were placed in specific spots around the classroom. Yuan Zhaoyang stood where Wang Minger had said the array was. In one hand, she held the beast-hide package. With the other, she drew fire.
A hollow fireball wrapped around the tied beast-hide package and rose into the air. The hot flames roasted the package until it gave off a choking smell. A moment later, Yuan Zhaoyang moved her fingers, and the fireball suddenly burned brighter. The hemp rope and Black-Illusion Rhinoceros Hide outside were burned away in an instant, revealing the powder wrapped inside.
The powder had been gray-white when first wrapped inside. Now it was clear and sparkling. As the fireball scattered, the powder sprayed in all directions.
The air was full of the burnt smell from the beast hide, so sharp it was a little sickening. A-Bai immediately cast a small spell to temporarily block the scent from herself and Wang Minger. Then she saw Yuan Zhaoyang standing steadily where the smell was strongest, as if she had lost her sense of smell. In her eyes and brows, there was only the sparkling powder flying everywhere with the sparks.
A-Bai wanted to sigh, but her heart felt tight, and she did not know where to begin sighing.
The sparkling powder scattered through the air, then slowly gathered in several suspended points…
Now.
The sparks following the powder quickly gathered. Yuan Zhaoyang frowned and formed hand seals. Her slender fingers deftly guided fire threads, slowly passing through the suspended powder in the air.
Complicated hand seals, dancing fire threads, and sparkling powder that crackled from time to time, bursting into golden sparks…
A strange totem was outlined in the air. A cool breath spread as the powder burst apart, sweeping away the burnt smell in the air.
Yuan Zhaoyang gave all her attention to it. In the corner of the classroom, A-Bai and Wang Minger also stared without blinking.
The fire threads grew more and more numerous. The totem seemed nearly complete. All the sparkling powder burst into golden sparks between the fire threads. At this moment, Yuan Zhaoyang opened and closed her hands, and a large amount of spiritual energy flowed along the fire threads, stretching and connecting.
The fire totem that had been steady in the air seemed unable to bear such surging spiritual energy. It began to tremble and sway, as if it might scatter because it could not hold.
Yuan Zhaoyang did not wait for the totem to change further. Her hands turned over, then pushed forward and opened left and right. Her feet moved lightly, and the items that had been spread around the classroom shifted positions in an instant.
It was time.
Yuan Zhaoyang narrowed her almond eyes and struck out with one palm.
Inside the array, everyone had at first thought that, according to the experience from the previous few times, they only had to wait quietly for Gui Changshou to break the array. But after one night passed and Gui Changshou spread his claws in surrender, everyone began to panic. They copied Gui Changshou and searched every side of this stone cube, every wall and corner. But they were not Dragon-Thunder Green-Armored Turtles. The sensing and array-breaking experience Gui Changshou taught them was not useful to them at all.
Everyone worked together, but their strength was limited. Even though they tried hard, they still missed Yuan Zhaoyang’s class time. Like a tight bowstring that had missed its arrow, they finally loosened in discouragement.
At present, with everyone’s current abilities, there was no way to break the array. According to Xiong Lanlan, after Wang Minger’s previous arrays trapped someone, most of them showed some visible change outside. Since they could not break the array, they could only wait for someone to discover it and wait to be saved.
However, Gui Changshou soon raised an objection.
Since Gui Changshou could not break this array, that meant this array might be different from the ones Wang Minger had used before. Then whether the array showed anything unusual outside right now, and whether they could be found by others, were separate questions.
Gui Changshou’s words made everyone’s mood sink even further. Their view of this array was no longer as relaxed and hopeful as it had been at the beginning.
They could not understand the details of this array, so everyone felt rather uneasy. But Lin Mianmian suddenly remembered that when Yuan Zhaoyang had installed the course list for her, she had also given her many course jade slips and jade slips of her own notes. Perhaps some of them contained things related to breaking arrays.
Strictly speaking, in the cultivation world, each inheritance had its own rules. Course jade slips were one thing, but personal note jade slips were not passed to anyone who was not close. Although Lin Mianmian had only just stepped into the cultivation world, she was not someone who did not understand human feelings. The little friends beside her were all people she was close to, but that only meant Lin Mianmian felt close to them. Before asking Yuan Zhaoyang’s opinion, she should not take out those personal note jade slips and share them with her friends. Even in this difficult situation where they needed to find a way out as soon as possible, Lin Mianmian still did not want to lose her respect for Yuan Zhaoyang or betray Yuan Zhaoyang’s care for her.
But course jade slips were different.
After asking and finding out that everyone received one jade slip for each course they studied, and that if they wanted to read jade slips for other courses in advance, they had to borrow or copy them from the Scripture Storehouse, meaning they only had basic course jade slips on hand right now, Lin Mianmian took out the large stack of course jade slips Yuan Zhaoyang had given her and passed them to her little friends. She let everyone search together for records about arrays.
They did not know whether those jade slips could solve their current trouble. But once everyone had a goal in their hearts and something to do with their hands, their energy immediately became different.
Whether it was Feng Liang, who had been frowning and sighing, Meng Tianhe, whose face had been gloomy, or Xiong Lanlan and Gui Changshou, who had already sprawled on the ground in every direction, all of them gathered their spirits again and threw themselves into searching the jade slips.
Lin Mianmian began searching through the other stack of Yuan Zhaoyang’s personal note jade slips.
Although Yuan Zhaoyang’s note jade slips were roughly sorted into categories, overall, they were still quite broken up. On top of that, knowledge was connected in many ways. As study material, they were very good for learning by linking one thing to another. But if one knew nothing and wanted to find a specific part, sorting through them took a great deal of time.
By the time Lin Mianmian had picked out most of the note jade slips that had to do with arrays, Feng Liang suddenly cried out beside her, “I found it.”
Everyone, who had been sunk in the world of jade slips, came back to themselves and gathered around Feng Liang.
Feng Liang picked up one jade slip from the small pile in front of her and said excitedly, “This jade slip introduces different types of arrays. It talks about one type that is refined in advance and triggers when touched. Among the examples are the ones Xiong Lanlan ran into before, the wooden cage, the mist, and this white stone one we are in now.”
“Forget the earlier ones. Hurry and see what this white stone one says. How can it be opened?” Gui Changshou, who had been blaming himself for not being capable enough, asked anxiously.
“The jade slip says this kind of array, which looks like it is pieced together from white stone and has nothing inside, is called an Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array. Those thin black lines that look like marks from being pieced together were not formed when the array was later forged. They were already on the stone when it formed underground. This kind of stone is called Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone.” As Feng Liang used her divine sense to search the contents of the jade slip, she repeated it to everyone. “And an Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array is not made by polishing and piecing together this kind of stone. To make this kind of array, one must use a whole piece of Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone and forge out the inside, forming a space inside to trap people…”
“So we are inside a whole piece of stone right now?” Xiong Lanlan’s whole bear face wrinkled. “Then if we smash this stone from the inside, can we get out?”
“Yes, does the jade slip mention a way to break the array?” Gui Changshou stretched his neck until his little head almost bumped into the jade slip.
“The jade slip only says the Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array is a high-grade array. After the array rises, it is hard for outsiders to notice. And…” Feng Liang’s face changed slightly, as if she had been startled. She paused before continuing, “And the air inside the array does not flow with the air outside.”
“What does that mean?” Meng Tianhe finally opened his mouth.
“It probably means that if we keep staying here, we will be unable to breathe.” Gui Changshou was startled enough by this conclusion that he almost took a deep breath. But then he thought of what those words meant and stopped in time. He only took a small breath, then looked at Feng Liang. “Does the jade slip say more about a way to break the array?”
Feng Liang shook her head and handed the jade slip to Gui Changshou.
The little turtle quickly finished reading it, then his whole body flopped onto the ground with a deep sigh.
Logically, finally figuring out what array trapped them and having a clearer target for searching related content should have been a good thing. But for some reason, everyone’s mood instead sank a little, and even their breathing seemed to become more difficult.
Lin Mianmian tried searching the personal note jade slips for Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array. Just as she was sighing that searching one jade slip at a time was far less convenient than being able to search anything on Baidu in her previous life, she felt someone gently bump her right arm.
“Mianmian…” Feng Liang touched her throat, seeming troubled. “Do you feel like it is a little hard to breathe?”
Lin Mianmian tried breathing in and out. It was indeed a little stuffy, but not to the point of being difficult.
As if seeing that Lin Mianmian’s expression was still all right, Feng Liang coughed lightly a few times, tugged Lin Mianmian’s sleeve, and pointed not far away at Meng Tianhe.
The boy had half his back turned to them. Half his face was already a dark purplish red.
At this moment, the abnormality Feng Liang had noticed also fell into the eyes of Gui Changshou, who had just finished reading a jade slip beside Meng Tianhe.
“Meng Tianhe…”
“Are you all right?”
Lin Mianmian and Gui Changshou spoke almost at the same time.
Meng Tianhe did not turn his head. He only hunched his back and waved a hand.
There was nothing convincing about it at all.
Lin Mianmian and Feng Liang stood up and went to Meng Tianhe’s side. The person who was usually quiet and spoke little was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his head hanging low. He tightly clutched the clothes over his chest and was curled up like a shrimp.
“Meng Tianhe…” Feng Liang timidly reached out to pull at his shoulder.
Feng Liang did not use even thirty percent of her strength, yet Meng Tianhe rolled over onto the ground with her movement, making Feng Liang cry out in alarm.
“What happened? Is he sick?” Xiong Lanlan strode over, stretched out a paw, and scooped Meng Tianhe back up into a sitting position.
“Meng Tianhe, there is still air in this array. We can still breathe. Try hard to breathe!” Lin Mianmian felt this did not seem like an illness. It was more like he could not get air.
Meng Tianhe leaned against Xiong Lanlan’s bear leg, trembling slightly. His face was flushed red as he looked at Lin Mianmian. His eyes seemed about to slowly lose their light.
He was only a boy of about ten. No matter how mature or gloomy he had looked before, now that the forced strength had fallen away, Meng Tianhe’s whole body was tense as he leaned against Xiong Lanlan’s bear leg… He trembled slightly, his face flushed as he looked at Lin Mianmian, and his eyes seemed about to slowly lose their light… His hair, wet with sweat, stuck slantwise to his forehead. His tightly pressed lips gradually loosened as if he had no control over them…
“You can still breathe. Look at us!” Feng Liang anxiously fanned air into Meng Tianhe’s mouth.
“What is going on? How did this happen? What do we do?” Xiong Lanlan looked nervous and lost.
Gui Changshou crawled onto Meng Tianhe’s knee and stretched his neck, but could not say a single word.
Meng Tianhe was like a fish out of water. His lips parted slightly, and he took short, quick breaths, yet it was as if he could not draw in anything at all… The hand that had been clutching the clothes over his chest moved to grip his own neck tightly, making others feel he might be about to strangle himself.
Lin Mianmian did not know what was happening. Clearly everyone else was still fine… She tried to pull Meng Tianhe’s hand away, but the hand gripping his neck seemed to have endless strength. Only when Xiong Lanlan stretched out a paw did they pull it away.
However, this did nothing to ease Meng Tianhe’s symptoms.
Lin Mianmian glanced at Feng Liang, who was still fanning air into Meng Tianhe’s mouth. Perhaps Feng Liang was right.
“Pass breath… Should we try?” Gui Changshou spoke hesitantly after thinking for a while.
Right. Here, they did not call it artificial breathing. They called it passing breath…
The two people and two demons looked at one another.
Feng Liang’s face burned red at once, and her whole head lowered as if she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Of course, if there really were such a thing as a crack in the ground, they would not need to worry about how to save Meng Tianhe, who was nearly unable to breathe.
Still, it was very clear that if Feng Liang were asked to pass breath, then before this breath could be passed out, Feng Liang would probably suffocate first.
Then the ones left were…
Lin Mianmian looked at Xiong Lanlan. Her fur was so thick that it was hard to tell whether her face was red, but her mouth was truly big enough… She could bite off Meng Tianhe’s entire head, right…
“I can bite down to his chest.” Xiong Lanlan seemed to see Lin Mianmian’s guess. She opened her mouth wide to make her stance clear.
It was truly a bloody maw Lin Mianmian had never seen before. She moved back a little.
Then she looked at Gui Changshou. The small green turtle was so tiny that he could probably be stuffed whole into Meng Tianhe’s mouth…
“Go. Otherwise one of us will die.” Gui Changshou slowly crawled over, stretched out a claw, and patted the edge of Lin Mianmian’s robe.
Lin Mianmian knew deeply that Gui Changshou was right. Meng Tianhe’s eyes were already half closed, and the veins on the hand Xiong Lanlan held down were about to burst out.
It was only saving someone…
Only artificial breathing…
What could be more precious than a human life?
Besides, he was a child…
Lin Mianmian steadied herself, held a deep breath, and leaned toward Meng Tianhe, who was being held down by Xiong Lanlan…
At that critical moment, outside the array, Yuan Zhaoyang’s array-breaking had reached its final instant. She struck out with one palm, and the fire-thread totem before her scattered with a boom. Even the air twisted with it. The items she had polished and arranged around the classroom earlier rose into the air, colliding with each other as they flew toward the twisted air before Yuan Zhaoyang.
Fix the remnant array, gather the flying fragments, block the backlash, and protect the people inside the array.
Each item, just as Yuan Zhaoyang had planned before, fulfilled its own duty at the moment the array broke. It could be called perfect.
Yuan Zhaoyang had also imagined what her little white sugar cake would look like at the moment the array was successfully broken. Would she be calm and happy? Would her eyes be slightly red as she quickly came close… And what should Yuan Zhaoyang say? Should she immediately teach Lin Mianmian how to respond the next time she ran into this kind of situation, or first hug her and comfort her gently?
Cough… In truth, she leaned toward the latter.
Of course, the former was also possible.
But Yuan Zhaoyang never expected that when the array broke, what appeared before her would be such a scene.
A bear sat on the ground. Beside it, a little girl was tightly hugging the bear’s leg. Two bear paws were holding down a boy. And her little white sugar cake… her whole body was lying on top of that boy, and they were face-to-face!
Face-to-face!
Even though every person had a protective cover over them, and the covers repelled each other, keeping a finger’s width of distance between them.
Still!
They were face-to-face!
“What are you doing?” Yuan Zhaoyang looked at the pile of people rolling together before her. She worked hard to press down the heat rising in her chest, quickly walked over, flicked away the protective cover on Lin Mianmian, and pulled her up. With each step, a cluster of sparks scraped out.
“We came out? Senior Sister Yuan?” Xiong Lanlan froze for a moment, looked at the familiar tables and chairs, and by reflex reached out to pull Meng Tianhe up from under her paws.
Only…
There seemed to be an invisible barrier between bear and person. When she had been holding down Meng Tianhe’s hands, she had not felt it, but now when she stretched out a paw to pull him, she found it was as if something separated them. Still, she pulled him up.
Meng Tianhe was gasping for breath and did not notice this for the moment.
“You came out. So what exactly were you doing inside just now?” Yuan Zhaoyang waved her hand and released the protective covers on several people.
Only then did Gui Changshou finally manage to crawl out from under Xiong Lanlan’s leg.
“Many thanks to Senior Sister Yuan for saving us…” Gui Changshou cupped his front claws in salute. “Inside just now, Meng Tianhe suddenly could not breathe. Lin Mianmian was about to pass breath to Meng Tianhe…”
Pass… breath…?
Yuan Zhaoyang looked at Lin Mianmian in shock. She paid no attention at all to the repeated thanks from Xiong Lanlan, Feng Liang, and Meng Tianhe. Her mind was full of the two words from the little green turtle: pass breath… The sparks flickering under her feet suddenly spread into a patch of fire, red and bright beneath Yuan Zhaoyang’s feet.
Perhaps the surprise in Yuan Zhaoyang’s eyes was too clear, and also carried a bit of obvious anger. Lin Mianmian explained by reflex, “I do not know if it was because the Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array can cut off outside air, but Meng Tianhe suddenly could not breathe. Saving someone…”
“Did you… pass it?” Yuan Zhaoyang looked at Lin Mianmian’s moving lips, pink and tender like third-month peach blossom cake, and could not help interrupting her.
“Hm?” Lin Mianmian froze for a moment before understanding what Yuan Zhaoyang was asking. For some reason, though this was clearly about saving a person, being looked at and asked so seriously and hotly by Yuan Zhaoyang made her face feel a little warm.
This kind of… shyness?
The flames beneath Yuan Zhaoyang’s feet began to spread. The hand holding Lin Mianmian tightened without her realizing it.
Watching the movement from a distance, A-Bai’s paw moved. She hesitated over whether she should act to block those little flames that seemed a little out of control, in case they accidentally burned this place…
Lin Mianmian felt the sudden extra force on her arm and naturally also saw the fire beneath Yuan Zhaoyang’s feet that had somehow started burning. Though it did not seem to hurt Yuan Zhaoyang, still…
“I did… not pass it…” Lin Mianmian explained while pulling Yuan Zhaoyang a couple of steps, wanting to pull her away from the flames.
Who knew those flames seemed to grow from under Yuan Zhaoyang’s feet. They followed wherever she went.
“You did not pass it?” Yuan Zhaoyang let Lin Mianmian pull her and repeated like a parrot.
“I did not pass it. Before I could, the array started shaking. Later, I think something covered us…” Lin Mianmian explained.
“So you were going to pass it?” Yuan Zhaoyang did not know what was wrong with her. She seemed somewhat unreasonable, digging to the end of the matter…
It should not be like this, yet she still could not help being like this.
After being questioned to this point, Lin Mianmian seemed to understand what Yuan Zhaoyang minded. But this concern…
Lin Mianmian did not know how to comfort her and was unwilling to tell lies. She could only say weakly, “It was only to save someone…”
Yes, Lin Mianmian was not wrong. She only wanted to save her little friend… But why was Yuan Zhaoyang so angry? Truly so angry!
Yuan Zhaoyang released Lin Mianmian’s wrist and forced herself not to look at Lin Mianmian’s lips again. She pressed down the flames under her feet and slowly scattered them.
Those tender lips, like pink peach blossom cake…
Yuan Zhaoyang shook her head slightly, as if this could shake the third-month peach blossom cake out of her mind.
“You, come here…” Yuan Zhaoyang turned and waved to Wang Minger, who stood in the corner of the classroom. She had to find something to distract herself.
The little girl held half a chicken leg. Her eyes were still red, and the traces of crying were clear on her face. Facing Yuan Zhaoyang’s summons, she looked blank and ran over on short little legs.
Xiong Lanlan closed her eyes, wiped her face with a bear paw, and seemed to make up her mind. She walked in front of Yuan Zhaoyang first, cupped her paws, and said, “Many thanks to Senior Sister Yuan for saving us. Wang Minger is still young. She was only a little naughty. Please, Senior Sister Yuan…”
“Do you want me to have her master discipline her strictly, or do you want me to punish her by sending her to Dew-Drinking Peak to reflect?” Yuan Zhaoyang lifted her chin slightly and glanced at Xiong Lanlan carelessly.
“No, no, no… I wanted to ask Senior Sister Yuan to forgive her this time. I believe she will never do this again…” What strict discipline? What Dew-Drinking Peak? That was not what she meant. Xiong Lanlan explained in a stammer, and her whole bear felt unwell.
“Oh, is that so?” Yuan Zhaoyang looked at Wang Minger. “From now on, you will never throw arrays at Xiong Lanlan again, never take away the sticky bean buns she makes, never throw raw meat into her pot, and never stick on an invisibility talisman to go to the outer valley at midnight. Is that right?”
The little girl rubbed her eyes and stayed silent.
Why was she so foolish! Even if she agreed now, it did not mean she absolutely could not do it later. It was better than not agreeing now and immediately being sent away for strict discipline! Xiong Lanlan could not help stretching out a bear paw and gently pushing Wang Minger, hinting for her to admit her mistake and agree quickly.
Wang Minger pressed her lips tight. Her eyes blinked and slowly filled with tears, but she still did not say a word.
Yuan Zhaoyang curved her lips and looked at Xiong Lanlan with a smile that was not quite a smile.
All the fur on Xiong Lanlan’s head almost exploded. She often saw this kind of smile on her own mother’s face. What would happen after seeing it was something she truly did not want to remember at all! Xiong Lanlan could not help getting truly anxious. She hurriedly pulled Wang Minger and loudly frightened her, “Hurry and admit your mistake! Hurry and say you will not do these things! Otherwise I will eat you!”
Saying it was not enough. She even gave an “ao” and showed off her bloody maw.
So Wang Minger, who had originally been holding back, did not disappoint anyone. She burst into tears with a wah.
Feng Liang wanted to comfort her with a few words, but when she turned and saw Meng Tianhe, the scratch marks on his neck were still clear. Even if the earlier few times had been harmless childish pranks, this time… If not for Senior Sister Yuan, then even passing breath would probably only have delayed things for Meng Tianhe a little. Thinking this, Feng Liang could not open her mouth…
Gui Changshou lay quietly on the ground, as if he were only a green stone.
Among the people standing here, Lin Mianmian was the most familiar with Yuan Zhaoyang. Seeing Wang Minger frightened into crying and Xiong Lanlan becoming more helpless, she could not help reaching out, wanting to tug Yuan Zhaoyang and say a few words of persuasion.
Unexpectedly, her hand had only just reached out and had not even touched Yuan Zhaoyang’s sleeve when Yuan Zhaoyang seemed to grow eyes on her back. She reached back and caught Lin Mianmian’s hand.
The hand Yuan Zhaoyang used to hold Lin Mianmian’s wrist again tightened slightly. The meaning of stopping her was very clear.
Lin Mianmian could not help thinking of the patch of fire under Yuan Zhaoyang’s feet just now. After hesitating, she looked with hope toward A-Bai, who for some reason had been crouching in the corner and not coming over.
Why are you looking over here… Can you not let me be a quiet, beautiful rabbit?
To speak honestly, A-Bai had known Yuan Zhaoyang for a hundred years, and there had been very few situations that could make Yuan Zhaoyang as angry as today. It could even be said… there had been none.
Look at those sparks shooting up. You cannot see them? Then surely you saw the whole patch of fire under her feet just now.
To make her so angry she nearly lost control, you all are truly capable! This rabbit is very scared. This rabbit will leave first…
A-Bai pretended not to see Lin Mianmian’s pleading eyes. She shrank back and looked toward the teleportation array at the side of the classroom.
Her posture of escape was so obvious that Lin Mianmian was a little shocked by the little rabbit’s retreat in battle.
No. I do not believe you are that kind of rabbit!
“A-Bai…” Lin Mianmian called faintly.
No!
A-Bai, who had just lifted her front paw and was preparing to run toward the teleportation array, froze and looked at Lin Mianmian.
It is truly hard to believe you are this kind of cat food! If I had known today would come, I would have let Yuan Zhaoyang eat you back then!
Lin Mianmian calling A-Bai made the little rabbit receive several pleading gazes.
However…
She did not want to save them…
But leaving just like this did not seem very good either.
The worried little rabbit shifted the direction of her front paws and walked two steps toward Yuan Zhaoyang.
“Great Snow Mountain Phantom Silver-Fur Rabbit?” Yuan Zhaoyang did not turn around. She only slowly said one sentence.
The slowly advancing little rabbit stopped at once, as if struck by lightning.
Sure enough, when Wang Minger had spoken just now, Yuan Zhaoyang had heard it!
She knew it. She knew it! This cat always listened in every direction! This classroom was so small, and there were so few people inside. How could she have failed to hear Wang Minger’s words? So deeply hidden. When A-Bai had tested her earlier, this cat had not shown a single thing. She had only waited until now to give A-Bai a fatal strike, making her unable to move even half a step forward!
Alas, alas, the name of Lord Huanxue ended today!
The little rabbit’s eyes filled with tears. She looked at Yuan Zhaoyang’s back as if she could not believe it. But that person still did not turn around, so A-Bai could not see her eyes or face, nor could she figure out her expression…
So cold, so heartless…
But the little rabbit’s expression gradually became clearer. Right. Yuan Zhaoyang had only named the Great Snow Mountain Phantom Silver-Fur Rabbit. She had not mentioned more. It seemed she was only warning A-Bai not to meddle, and did not mean to investigate the matter of leading the crowd astray right now.
Right, right. She was still such a friendly and kind little cat!
Sorry, everyone. You are on your own!
Wait…
Lin Mianmian did not understand why A-Bai had clearly been about to come after she called her, yet Yuan Zhaoyang only said A-Bai’s species and the little rabbit almost cried, then fled through the teleportation array with tears. What exactly was going on?
“There is no A-Bai now. There is only me.” Yuan Zhaoyang turned and smiled slightly at Lin Mianmian, but her beautiful eyes were full of deeper meaning.
Lin Mianmian was a little stunned. She clearly knew there should be some hidden meaning in these words, but right now she could not taste what it was.
“All right, stop crying. Repeat to Xiong Lanlan what you told A-Bai just now.” Yuan Zhaoyang looked at Wang Minger with annoyance. Every one of them was like this. When they saw Yuan Zhaoyang, they shrank back timidly. When they saw A-Bai, it was like seeing a savior. What was this? Was a fluffy little rabbit especially soft, especially cute, and especially reliable? Had they forgotten that the fluffy little Rice Ball was even cuter and more reliable than the little rabbit? Who was it back then who said Rice Ball was the cutest in the world and that she loved Rice Ball the most? Liar!
Wang Minger’s crying gradually grew softer, but she twisted about and did not speak.
The wrist circled in Yuan Zhaoyang’s hand was soft, slender, and slightly cool… She wondered what Lin Mianmian had eaten last night, whether she had slept, and whether anything felt uncomfortable… Also, the matter of passing breath had to be properly taught… Those pink lips… Yuan Zhaoyang was a little distracted. She had too many things she wanted to speak about with Lin Mianmian alone. So now, it was better to finish the matter before her as quickly as possible.
“Wang Minger, these are two clips that bite off the fingers of children who lie. They are linked to each other.” Yuan Zhaoyang took out two oval wooden clips from her storage bag. One loosely clipped onto Wang Minger’s finger, and one clipped onto Xiong Lanlan’s bear paw. “I will start asking now, and you will start answering. If you tell a lie, your finger and Xiong Lanlan’s bear paw will both be gone. Without fingers, you cannot cultivate and will be driven out of the Five Elements Sect, becoming a wandering child and bear. Oh, just like what was written in that book. You know, being bullied and such. Do you understand?”
Wang Minger nodded woodenly, then timidly grabbed the one on Xiong Lanlan’s paw. “Do not put it on Bear Bear…”
However… she could not take it off.
“If you lie, she will lose her paw.” Yuan Zhaoyang acted as if she did not see Wang Minger’s struggle and continued asking, “Speak. Why did you throw arrays at Xiong Lanlan, steal her food, throw raw meat into her pot, and what else… Oh, appear in her room at midnight?”
Wang Minger did not speak.
Yuan Zhaoyang smiled and moved her fingertip. Nothing happened to Wang Minger, but Xiong Lanlan suddenly fell to the ground, holding the paw with the clip as she cried, “It hurts…”
Wang Minger’s little face paled. She could not help holding her own hand tightly, as if it really hurt a little too. “I will talk, I will talk. Do not clip Bear Bear…”
Xiong Lanlan lowered her humming, but stayed lying on the ground and did not get up. The look she gave Wang Minger grew deeper.
In the end, Wang Minger was only a five- or six-year-old child. After being frightened by Yuan Zhaoyang like this, she repeated the things A-Bai had coaxed out of her before. She talked about Bear Ersheng’s struggle. As she spoke, she even looked at Xiong Lanlan with some embarrassment, as if afraid Xiong Lanlan’s pride would flare up and she would never pay attention to her again.
Xiong Lanlan’s face was full of bear fur, and she did not speak, so no one could tell whether she was happy or angry.
Gui Changshou, however, clicked his tongue from the side. What kind of child was this? She casually read one book and then used such dangerous methods to give arrays and spirit beast meat. If she wanted to see the bear, she did not come properly, but insisted on coming in the middle of the night, shouting and making trouble, while also thinking this could stir the bear’s will to work hard and rise up. In her eyes, were bears such strange creatures who enjoyed suffering?
Wang Minger finished mumbling through Bear Ersheng’s struggle and the relationship between it and the things she had done to Xiong Lanlan.
Wang Minger timidly lifted the bear paw toward Yuan Zhaoyang, wanting her to remove the clip.
Yuan Zhaoyang was unmoved and continued asking, “Of the earlier arrays, some were given by your master, True Person Han, and some were given by your senior brothers and sisters. Then this Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array from this time, who gave it to you?”
“It was a senior sister…” Wang Minger tilted her head and thought. “Also from Array Peak.”
That was the same as saying nothing.
Yuan Zhaoyang frowned slightly. With a flick of her right hand, several balls of fire flew up. They drew out fire threads in midair, overlapping and dancing with one another, finally drawing a human face.
“It was this senior sister!” Wang Minger, whose life had been kidnapped by the clip, confessed on her own before Yuan Zhaoyang could ask.
As expected…
Yuan Zhaoyang gave a cold snort. It seemed she had not wronged that person earlier.
Yuan Zhaoyang waved her sleeve, and the portrait in midair scattered instantly. Looking at it one more time only made her angry. “Meng Tianhe, you know this person too, right? Properly fill them in on what they need to know. As for the rest, Xiong Lanlan, you should be willing to teach Wang Minger properly, yes?”
“This kind of thing will not happen again.” Xiong Lanlan grabbed the little girl beside her with one paw and gave a solemn promise.
The most important part had been solved. The rest would depend on them. Yuan Zhaoyang nodded and lightly flicked her fingertip. The two strands of spiritual energy wrapped around the clips, which had stopped others from taking them off, scattered with it. “Take them off yourselves.”
After saying this, Yuan Zhaoyang prepared to take Lin Mianmian away. But Feng Liang spoke and stopped her for a moment.
“Senior Sister Yuan, please wait.” Feng Liang’s voice was a little weak. “May I ask Senior Sister Yuan why Junior Brother Meng suddenly could not breathe in the array just now? Was it because this is a high-grade array, or…”
Yuan Zhaoyang stopped. She looked at Lin Mianmian’s face, which seemed just as thirsty for knowledge. Since they had asked, she did not mind saying a little more.
“You do know this is a high-grade array?” Yuan Zhaoyang gained a bit of interest in Feng Liang’s words.
Feng Liang briefly told Yuan Zhaoyang what had happened inside the array.
As Yuan Zhaoyang listened, she glanced at Lin Mianmian from time to time. The latter’s face turned a little red from being watched. She kept feeling as if she had done badly and was being examined.
Only after Feng Liang finished did Yuan Zhaoyang slowly speak. “When it comes to arrays, you have only just entered the shallowest doorway, so it is not convenient for me to explain from the middle. I will only speak of Gui Changshou breaking the arrays those few times before. It is true that he had the natural talent of the Dragon-Thunder Green-Armored Turtle race helping him. Of course, it was also related to those arrays being the most basic of the basic. More importantly, you were truly newborn calves unafraid of tigers… You only thought Wang Minger had just entered the sect, seemed to have no ill will, and only had harmless early-level arrays. So whenever you met one, you broke it. You broke it casually. You broke it by destroying it. But did you ever think, what if this array was a high-grade array? What if destroying it would destroy the array and kill the people inside? What if someone knew of Wang Minger’s pranks and gave her a harmful array? Would you still break and charge into it with such ignorance and fearlessness?”
Every sentence made sense. Everyone listened until their faces turned gray.
When Yuan Zhaoyang thought of the danger that might have happened today, the anger in her chest could not be pressed down, and she wanted to say a few more lines. But when she saw Lin Mianmian lowering her head listlessly like the others, her heart could not bear it. She forced herself to swallow the rest of the lecture.
“Today’s Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array is one of the more harmless high-grade arrays. But it also has a very serious hidden danger, which is that it cuts off air. Cultivators can delay their breathing until they no longer rely on air, but you are only at early Qi Refining… Once an Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array is refined, even the smallest one is as large as the array you stayed in earlier. Three people and two demons at early Qi Refining, and demons need less air than people. Even if you did not purposely slow your breathing, the air inside should have been enough for you to survive for more than three days…” Yuan Zhaoyang’s expression was grave. “However, if one does not search carefully on purpose, it is very hard for people outside the Iron-Inlaid Embroidered Stone Array to notice where it is. What would happen after three days? I think you should be able to imagine. Also, this array is not something you at early Qi Refining can break. At minimum, one would need to be at mid Foundation Establishment, along with specific materials, to make an attempt.”
How vicious.
Even Wang Minger, the youngest, heard the key point after Yuan Zhaoyang explained it.
“I did not mean…” Wang Minger hurried to explain.
Yuan Zhaoyang raised a hand to stop her. “Your education can be slowly handled by Xiong Lanlan later.”
“We could survive for three days… Then I…” Meng Tianhe opened his mouth with a hoarse voice, his face somewhat lost.
Yuan Zhaoyang was dissatisfied with Meng Tianhe. If he had not been so weak, Lin Mianmian would not have almost had to pass breath to him. But seeing the boy’s helpless face, she could not help remembering when she had still been a little calico cat, and this boy had always held Little Gray while smiling so gently. In the end, she still gave him seven words. “An immortal cultivator must also cultivate the heart.”
Everyone heard this with some confusion, but Yuan Zhaoyang had already pulled Lin Mianmian through the teleportation array and left.
“Senior Sister Yuan, your magic treasure…” Wang Minger looked at the two wooden clips in her hand and chased after her on short legs.
Xiong Lanlan stopped her with one paw. “What magic treasure? They are just two wooden clips that mortal households use to hold things.”
Wang Minger looked as if she did not understand.
Xiong Lanlan touched the little girl’s messy, soft hair, then wiped the streaked tear marks from her face. Her heart felt rather complicated.
Then she thought of the voice transmission Yuan Zhaoyang had sent when she clipped the clip onto Xiong Lanlan’s paw, telling her to pretend it hurt later to draw out the truth. Xiong Lanlan had not quite believed it then… In the end…
People were foolish. So people could be this foolish…
Xiong Lanlan picked Wang Minger up with one paw and hung her on the fur of her leg. “All right. I do not think Senior Sister Yuan will go back to class for a while. Let us go eat something first and have a proper talk before going to class.”
“I…” Wang Minger thought of Bear Ersheng’s story and those stories about pride. She twisted around, wanting to get down, but when Xiong Lanlan pressed her, she quieted again.
Hm. Hanging there felt familiar and comfortable.
The little girl sank into the leg fur.
They made up just like that? Gui Changshou could not help giving a snort.
“Will you come with us?” Xiong Lanlan asked the little green turtle.
“No!” Gui Changshou extravagantly stuck a Swift Wind Talisman on himself and left.
Xiong Lanlan looked at Feng Liang and Meng Tianhe.
Feng Liang hesitated. Meng Tianhe, however, directly shook his head, lowered it, and quickly left through the teleportation array.
“Senior Sister Yuan’s line, ‘An immortal cultivator must also cultivate the heart,’ means Meng Tianhe’s body was fine before, but something was wrong in his heart, right?” Feng Liang immediately asked Xiong Lanlan after watching Meng Tianhe teleport away.
“It should mean he… frightened himself,” Xiong Lanlan said, the fur on her face wrinkling into a ball. “But I feel Meng Tianhe should not be such a timid person.”
“But Senior Sister Yuan would not be wrong…” Feng Liang said weakly.
Senior Sister Yuan naturally would not be wrong.
Lin Mianmian thought Yuan Zhaoyang had pulled her away in a hurry to take her to class. She did not expect Yuan Zhaoyang to bring her through several teleportation arrays, leave Great Lecture Hall Mountain, and directly take her back to the outer valley courtyard.
Yuan Zhaoyang opened the array around Lin Mianmian’s courtyard with practiced ease and stuffed her inside. Seeing Lin Mianmian sit properly beside the stone table in the courtyard, Yuan Zhaoyang put on a stern face and took out a box of steaming hot wontons from her storage bag, placing it in front of Lin Mianmian.
Why did she have to wear such an angry face when inviting someone to eat wontons?
Lin Mianmian licked her lips and did not dare ask.
The wontons in the box steamed hot, yet the skins and fillings were perfectly intact. They clearly could not have just been cooked, but they looked exactly like they had just come out of the pot.
The fragrance rushed into the nose, and the smell of meat spread everywhere…
Lin Mianmian, who had only eaten spiritual rice and fruit since the previous night, could not quite endure such temptation.
She tentatively held the spoon beside the box, and she clearly saw Yuan Zhaoyang’s expression improve by two points.
She scooped up one wonton, blew on it, and put it into her mouth. The skin was smooth, the filling was generous, and the meat juice was full… Delicious…
Lin Mianmian narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. She saw Yuan Zhaoyang’s expression improve by another two points. She could not help wanting to laugh. Clearly Lin Mianmian was the one eating the delicious food and enjoying it, yet Yuan Zhaoyang looked more like the one who had gained some fun from it, gradually becoming less angry.
The two were silent, yet seemed to have a strange understanding. One ate and one watched, and together they finished a whole box of wontons.
By the last mouthful of soup, the hot food had slowly soothed the body that had been tossed around all night.
Lin Mianmian wiped her mouth. Seeing that Yuan Zhaoyang no longer seemed angry, she quickly gave a smiling face and thanked her in a soft voice.
Yuan Zhaoyang watched Lin Mianmian wipe those pink lips red in a few strokes. At first, she almost could not help wanting to snatch away the handkerchief in Lin Mianmian’s hand, since she was wiping too hard. But after pausing, she felt that slightly red lips looked quite special too…
Only when Lin Mianmian softened her voice and smiled to coax her did Yuan Zhaoyang realize that she had spent the whole time staring at Lin Mianmian’s lips while watching her eat the entire box of wontons and wipe her mouth…
Why was all her attention on this mouth today?
Yuan Zhaoyang felt this was not good. Yet she also felt Lin Mianmian’s soft words just now were rather lovely, making one want to give her something to make her happy, so she would stop looking pitiful, like a bullied little wife.
Speaking of giving something, Yuan Zhaoyang finally remembered why she had gone to the classroom early that morning.
Once she remembered, she felt somewhat annoyed again. She had cultivated until morning, then without resting for even one breath, gathered all the materials to make something for Lin Mianmian. And Lin Mianmian had gone to pass breath.
Lin Mianmian did not know what she had said. Had they not all been soft words? Yuan Zhaoyang’s expression had clearly become gentler as she listened, so why did it suddenly darken again?
This was unreasonable. After spending these days together, Lin Mianmian had come to understand that Senior Sister Yuan had a cat’s temper. She had to be followed along and coaxed. But today, following along and coaxing did not work. What was going on?
“Take these and eat.” In the end, Yuan Zhaoyang still took out the small box of fruit and placed it before her.
All right. So Senior Sister had recently fallen in love with watching people eat. The more someone ate, the more comfortable she felt? Lin Mianmian felt her imagination had stretched rather wide, but she truly could not find another reason for Yuan Zhaoyang to feed her so often.
The fruit was truly delicious. The outside was sweet, the inside tender, and at the end there was a trace of coolness. After eating hot wontons, Lin Mianmian was just feeling a little warm, so this coolness came at the perfect time. The fruit fragrance and honey fragrance were very rich. After two fruits, Lin Mianmian felt she had become fragrant from inside to outside.
Seeing Lin Mianmian eat the fruit with a satisfied face, Yuan Zhaoyang’s little awkward mood indeed eased a bit more. Suddenly, she seemed to touch a little of Lin Mianmian’s feelings when she had raised the little calico cat. She did not know whether Lin Mianmian’s mood had been like hers now when watching her eat cat rice paste back then. Then, thinking of how she had used the yellow cat to change the subject and secretly put away the cat rice paste at that time, Yuan Zhaoyang’s little awkward mood almost disappeared completely.
Lin Mianmian had thought she would have to finish this whole box of fruit. She did not expect that after she ate only two, Yuan Zhaoyang would tell her to put them away and eat them another day, saying they were not easy to digest.
“This Orange-Red Fruit, compared with the ones that deer demon gave you, how is the taste?” After Lin Mianmian put away the fruit, Yuan Zhaoyang sat very properly, suppressed her expectation, and asked with a dignified air.
“What I ate just now was Orange-Red Fruit?” Lin Mianmian pursed her lips. After peeling it, Orange-Red Fruit was actually so much tastier?
“I added some Linglong Cup… Forget it, you would not understand even if I explained. I used Orange-Red Fruit and added a few things to make it. Compared with the deer demon’s, how is it?” Yuan Zhaoyang looked seriously at Lin Mianmian, waiting for her to praise her fruit as the most delicious.
“This Orange-Red Fruit can be called the best fruit I have ever eaten. It is not only delicious, but also fragrant. I still feel like I smell sweet all over, like a fruit myself.” Lin Mianmian spoke half teasingly.
Yuan Zhaoyang still looked at her seriously, but the pride in her eyes could not be hidden.
“As for that deer demon senior brother’s fruit…” Lin Mianmian slowed her speech and saw Yuan Zhaoyang straighten her back slightly. She was so serious that Lin Mianmian, who had originally wanted to tease Senior Sister a little, could not bear to do it. She could only spread her hands directly and say, “I did not get to eat that deer demon senior brother’s fruit. But I think Senior Sister’s must be the very, very tastiest.”
Right. Yuan Zhaoyang had taken away those fruits yesterday. Yuan Zhaoyang sighed inwardly at her own foolish mistake, but Lin Mianmian’s sweet words coaxed her heart comfortably.
This mouth that was so good at coaxing cats was the sweetest…
After eating wontons, then the specially made Orange-Red Fruit, Lin Mianmian’s slightly red lips carried a fruit fragrance.
She wondered… would they taste as sweet and fragrant as they looked…
Almost the instant this thought rose, Yuan Zhaoyang’s face went pale with a swish.
What… had she just been thinking?