Meeting with Xuan Ping

The moment she stepped out of the hot spring, Lu Qiancha felt completely out of sorts.

From the top of her head to the tips of her toes, from the sensitive base of her tail to her fragile little ears… every inch of her skin seemed to have been thoroughly cleansed by those “sinful” hands.

Especially when those long fingers slid across the inside of her ear, the subtle, electric current-like tingling sensation was simply unforgettable!

And also, while bathing, that Senior Sister Xuan Ling kept staring at her. She really didn’t know what there was to see…

But what angered her more than any of this was her own body.

Just a simple fall had almost made her cry in front of Xuan Mo (in fact, she had already cried).

Her body’s reaction to being touched was also extremely exaggerated, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

Lu Qiancha circulated her spiritual energy, and with a slight shake of her body, the fine water droplets instantly evaporated.

She looked around, her voice tinged with an almost imperceptible awkwardness, “Martial Aunt… where are my clothes?”

“Here, get them from the cabinet yourself,” Xuan Mo, already fully dressed, pointed to the cabinet, her eyes filled with a teasing light.

Lu Qiancha nodded and took out… the light pink Hanfu robe from the cabinet.

‘Oh no! This thing… I don’t know how to wear it.’

‘Last time… I was under the influence of the aphrodisiac, and that girl Gan Tang dressed me…’

Ahem, that’s right. In fact, while under the aphrodisiac’s influence, Lu Qiancha’s mind was perfectly clear; it was just that her actions were driven entirely by instinct.

Seeing the little wolf cub clutching the robe and staring blankly, Xuan Mo finally couldn’t help but burst out laughing, “Little Qiancha? What are you staring at a piece of clothing for?”

“…I don’t know how to wear this kind of clothing.”

After a long hesitation, Lu Qiancha finally chose to tell the truth. After all, she had just witnessed the consequences of being stubborn… She would probably get tangled up in the robe’s ties again and end up tying herself in knots.

“Puhahahaha.”

Hearing this, Xuan Mo laughed heartily.

“Don’t laugh!!” Lu Qiancha’s face turned beet red. Her paws subconsciously clenched the hem of the robe as she shouted at Xuan Mo, “I’m a boy! It’s perfectly normal for me not to know how to wear this kind of clothing!”

“Ahem, okay, I’ll teach you how to wear this.”

Xuan Mo suppressed her laughter, her shoulders still shaking. She walked over, took the robe, and began to teach her step by step: how the smooth silk inner lining should fit against the skin, how to bypass the fluffy tail behind her, leaving a gap; how the outer lapels should cross, how to use the soft ties to form a natural bow at the back of her waist; she even demonstrated how to put on the small cotton undergarments and silk stockings… Her movements were gentle and efficient.

“So, did you get it?”

Xuan Mo took a step back, tilting her head to look at the brand-new, exquisitely carved little blue furball before her.

“Mm.”

Lu Qiancha nodded woodenly. It was just putting on clothes, nothing too difficult… At least, her brain understood it. As for her paws… that was another story.

“Oh, right,” Xuan Mo said as if she had just remembered something, pointing to the jade communication sigil Lu Qiancha had placed aside. “That jade signet of yours was buzzing and flashing nonstop just now. I’m afraid someone’s trying to reach you urgently.”

Hearing this, Lu Qiancha blinked and picked up the jade signet, probing it with her spiritual sense.

Instantly, several unread messages appeared before her.

[Xun Xue: Daughter, are you there? Your junior sister is looking for you.]

[Gan Tang: Senior Brother! Where did you go? Master is going crazy looking for you!]

[Xuan Ya: Qiancha, if you are free, return quickly. Your Martial Uncle Xuan Ping has an important matter to discuss with you.]

‘Are they playing pass the parcel?’ Lu Qiancha couldn’t help but inwardly complain as she read the chain of messages.

Still, she dutifully replied to each one, telling them not to worry, that she had just been taking a bath.

The moment the messages were sent, she instantly received a flood of replies.

[Xun Xue: A bath? Why didn’t you call Mother to bathe with you?!]

Seeing this message, Lu Qiancha couldn’t help but facepalm. She swore that from now on, if she needed a bath, she would hide from everyone.

[Gan Tang: What a coincidence, I’m taking a bath too.]

Gan Tang was as silly as ever. Lu Qiancha was greatly relieved.

[Xuan Ya: It’s good that you’re fine. Don’t forget to go see your Martial Uncle Xuan Ping.]

Lu Qiancha replied with a, [Yes, Master.]

“What is it? Why are they looking for you?”

Xuan Mo asked casually as she watched Lu Qiancha put down the jade signet.

“Martial Uncle Xuan Ping has something to discuss with me. Master wants me to go see him.”

Lu Qiancha thought for a moment and decided not to hide it.

“Eldest Senior Brother? What does he want with you?”

Xuan Mo raised an eyebrow, her words tinged with confusion and doubt.

“I don’t know.”

Lu Qiancha shook her head, her tail swaying back and forth.

Xuan Mo thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll take you to him. Put on your disguise first, don’t let any flaws show.”

“Mm.”

Lu Qiancha nodded, agreeing with Xuan Mo’s suggestion.

Before they left, Xuan Mo added, “If he bullies you, you tell your Martial Aunt, and I’ll get revenge for you.”

Lu Qiancha’s lip twitched. She felt that… the esteemed Martial Uncle Xuan Ping probably wasn’t that bored.

A short while later, inside Xuan Ping’s immortal’s cave.

The heavy stone door slid open silently. Xuan Ping, dressed in a Daoist robe adorned with trigrams, was already waiting at the entrance with a smile.

“Ah, Martial Niece, you’ve arrived! Please, come in!”

He was full of enthusiasm, as if welcoming an honored guest.

“Disciple pays his respects to Martial Uncle Xuan Ping.”

Lu Qiancha bowed respectfully.

“We’re all family, don’t be so formal.”

Xuan Ping smiled and gestured for her to rise, leading Lu Qiancha towards a quiet stone chamber deep within the cave.

Inside, there was a naturally formed stone table with four stone stools. A small stove on the table was boiling spiritual spring water, its fragrance wafting through the air. Xuan Ping skillfully lifted a jade pot and filled a cup of tea, brimming with spiritual energy, for Lu Qiancha. “Sit, have some tea.”

“Thank you, Martial Uncle.”

Lu Qiancha sat down as instructed and took a light sip from the teacup. The clear liquid went down her throat, but the tension in her heart did not relax in the slightest.

“I asked for you today mainly to ask you a few things.”

Xuan Ping put down his teacup, getting straight to the point, his smile still as warm as a spring breeze.

“Please ask, Martial Uncle. This disciple will certainly answer all I know.”

Lu Qiancha put down her teacup, her back straight, ready to listen.

“The pill your master took, you refined it, didn’t you?”

Xuan Ping leaned forward slightly, his perceptive eyes, which seemed to see through the world, smiling as they locked onto Lu Qiancha.

Lu Qiancha’s heart jumped at his words, but she quickly figured out the reason. The pill she had refined had caused a huge commotion, and with only four people on Tianquan Peak, it wasn’t surprising that he had guessed.

Still, out of curiosity, Lu Qiancha asked, “May I ask how Martial Uncle knew?”

“How I knew?”

Xuan Ping paused, his smile widening. “Of course, you just told me.”

‘He tricked me…’

Hearing his words, Lu Qiancha felt a sense of helplessness and cursed inwardly, ‘Old fox.’

“Oh, right. Do you remember, when you went to Beiju Luzhou, there was a general accompanying you?”

Xuan Ping changed the subject, looking at Lu Qiancha and continuing to ask.

Lu Qiancha nodded and said no more. After all, the more one says, the more one errs. When talking to an old fox like him, you never know which sentence will reveal a flaw.

“Then… that Integration realm general, you killed him, didn’t you.”

The smile on Xuan Ping’s face was still very amiable, but it sent a chill down Lu Qiancha’s spine.

Steeling herself, Lu Qiancha said, “You could say that.”

“Oh?”

Xuan Ping looked at Lu Qiancha with great interest.

“That general… ultimately fell into the White Wolf Clan’s mountain-protecting killing array and died.”

Lu Qiancha felt immense pressure as she chose her words carefully, mixing truth with falsehood. “This disciple merely… took advantage of the situation. It was not… this disciple’s doing alone.”

“Tsk, tsk…”

Xuan Ping made a sound of ambiguous meaning, the smile completely vanishing from his lips, replaced by a deep solemnity. “But someone said that you single-handedly went up and killed that general.”

Lu Qiancha swallowed, looking at Xuan Ping nervously, thinking, ‘Is he trying to trick me again?’

“Martial Uncle must be joking. This disciple’s strength is only at the early Spirit Transformation stage. How could I possibly fight against a great expert of the Integration realm, let alone kill him single-handedly.”

Lu Qiancha said with a weak smile.

Xuan Ping did not speak. His profound gaze was like a cold probe, sweeping inch by inch across Lu Qiancha’s tense face.

One second…

Two seconds…

It felt as long as a century.

“Hahaha—!!!” Xuan Ping suddenly burst out in a bell-like laugh! The laughter instantly dispelled all the stagnant chill!

“You’re right!” His face was once again filled with a friendly smile, as if the coldness from just now had been an illusion. “You’re only at the Spirit Transformation stage, how could you possibly defeat that general from the Aolai Nation?”

“I must have been listening to baseless rumors and almost believed them!”

He stood up and patted Lu Qiancha’s stiff shoulder forcefully.

As if he truly regarded the matter as a harmless misunderstanding, Xuan Ping chatted for a bit more about trivial matters before kindly seeing the still-shaken Lu Qiancha out of his immortal’s cave.

Lu Qiancha practically fled from the deep immortal’s cave.

Before the stone door of the cave, the smile on Xuan Ping’s face receded as quickly as the tide.

He stood quietly for a moment, his profound gaze seeming to pierce through the thick mountain wall.

His fingertips tapped rhythmically on the stone wall of the cave entrance.

After a long while.

A very faint, all-knowing arc of understanding quietly appeared on his lips.

“Heh… Peak of Spirit Transformation, is it?”

“This disciple is… interesting.”