Bonfire Fun (Part 2)

Just then.

“Senior brother~” Accompanied by a sweet call, a warm and sweet fragrance drew near.

Gan Tang, like a clingy little bird, naturally squeezed in on Lu Qiancha’s other side.

She held up a skewer of grilled sea fish, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and brought it directly to Lu Qiancha’s lips.
“Senior brother! Quick, try this! It was just grilled! It’s so fragrant!”

Gan Tang’s pink eyes sparkled, filled with pure anticipation and the joy of presenting a treasure.

Looking at this innocent little flower beside her, a trace of warmth rose in Lu Qiancha’s heart.

She did not refuse and, taking it from Gan Tang’s hand, took a small bite of the golden-brown fish meat.

Crunch!

The crispy fish skin cracked.

The tender, white, and piping hot fish meat practically melted in her mouth.
A rich, fatty aroma, combined with the unique salty freshness of the sea, exploded on her tongue.

However, a few small but annoying fish bones, carried along with the soft flesh, ruined this rare delicacy.

“Mm… it tastes good.” Lu Qiancha spat out the bones, swallowed the fish, and affirmed with a gentle smile.

“Really?!”

The smile on Gan Tang’s face instantly bloomed like a sunflower that had soaked up the sun.

“Hehe! I knew senior brother would like it!” Satisfaction and pride practically overflowed from her.

Before this tender moment had passed…

“Little Qiancha~~” Xun Xue’s drawn-out, uniquely doting call seamlessly cut in.

A large piece of clam meat, shucked from its shell, tender, plump, and emitting a faintly sweet fragrance, was held steady on a thin wooden skewer by her.

Her movements were fast, precise, and steady.
It was instantly delivered to Lu Qiancha’s mouth.

The smooth, plump clam meat glistened temptingly under the firelight, still steaming with a fresh, sweet heat.

Lu Qiancha: “…” What else could she say?
Close eyes, open mouth.

“Ahm!” The warm, cool clam meat entered her mouth.

Unlike the soft texture of the fish, the clam meat was firm and springy.
The moment her true form’s small milk teeth bit down, she could almost feel the fresh juices bursting between her lips and teeth.

“It’s delicious.” Lu Qiancha’s voice held sincere praise.

Compared to the bony fish from before, the texture of the clam meat was perfect.

“Senior brother~ Try this freshly shucked conch meat! It’s so tender!”

Gan Tang’s pink eyes shone as if stars had fallen into them, and another skewer of translucent, snow-white conch meat was passed to Lu Qiancha’s lips.

“Little Qiancha~~~ Open up~ Ahhhh~~~~” Xun Xue’s lazy, doting voice sounded almost simultaneously, and a scallop, grilled to a golden brown and dripping with oil, reeking of garlic, was also precisely delivered.

Lu Qiancha, for her part, accepted all comers, taking bite after bite as the two women fed her.

Ten minutes later…

“I can’t eat anymore, really, not another bite.”

Lu Qiancha sat frozen, her eyes filled with a look of utter despair.

Her true form’s small stomach was completely stuffed with seafood, so full she felt she could barely stand.

Even her stomach felt heavy with the smell of fresh fishiness.
The lingering taste of sea salt in her mouth was so strong it was making her tongue go numb.

Lu Qiancha glanced at the two baskets of fish, shrimp, and shellfish nearby, which had barely diminished, then silently clutched her stomach.

Heaven knew where her master and junior sister had gotten so much seafood.

“…I can’t.”

Lu Qiancha practically squeezed these few, faint words from her throat.
Clutching her bloated little stomach, she struggled to her feet.
“I need to go for a walk to digest.
Master, junior sister, and… Lady Xun Xue, please, enjoy your meal…”

“Oh my, I’m done eating too!” Xun Xue immediately put down her empty skewer, clapped her hands, and followed with a grin.
“A walk to digest? I’ll go with you~ Come on, let’s go see the sunset by the sea.”

Lu Qiancha: “…”

She couldn’t help but glance at the wooden skewers by Xun Xue’s hand.
There were six in total, and without exception, all of them had ended up in her own stomach.

In other words, Xun Xue hadn’t taken a single bite…

“I… I want to go too!”

Gan Tang practically sprang to her feet.
She quickly shoved the half-eaten crab leg in her hand into Xuan Ya’s.
“Master, take your time eating!”

Then, like a little tail afraid of being left behind, Gan Tang stuck close to Lu Qiancha’s other side, her pink eyes looking at her pitifully.
“Senior brother~ Wait for me~”

“Alright, let’s all go for a walk then.”

Lu Qiancha let out a resigned sigh and nodded helplessly.
“…Alright, let’s go together.”

She then turned her head to look at Xuan Ya and asked, “Does Master want to come with us?”

“…This master will remain seated.
You all may do as you please.”

Xuan Ya shook her head, then closed her eyes to rest and quiet her mind.

“Alright.”

Hearing this, Lu Qiancha could only nod and choose a direction to walk in.

As the sound of footsteps gradually faded, Xuan Ya silently opened her eyes and gazed at the backs of the three, sighing softly.

Was this an ill-fated connection… or a trial of love?

Her own eldest disciple, who seemed so calm and reserved… how could he…

She shook her head, as if to cast off these vexing thoughts.

Then, Xuan Ya flipped her wrist.

A warm, lustrous Jade Signet appeared in her palm.
She sank her immortal sense into it, and the jade lit up with a soft glow.

Xuan Ya’s expression was blank as she condensed her thoughts at her fingertip, and a line of clear, calm text flowed out: “Eldest senior brother, that demon immortal, Xun Xue, her intentions are plain as day.”

A moment of silence.

The Jade Signet hummed, and Xuan Ping’s reply popped up, carrying a hint of inquiry: “Oh? And what are her intentions? Please elaborate, junior sister.”

Xuan Ya’s eyes were devoid of ripples as her immortal sense flowed like an icy spring: “At this moment, she is willingly acting as the Dao companion to my disciple, Lu Qiancha.
Her appearance on Tianquan Peak… was merely to be with him.”

Xuan Ping: “…?”

The spiritual light from the other end of the Jade Signet froze for several breaths before sounding again.

Xuan Ping: “Little Ya, this is a serious matter.
Do not jest with your senior brother.”

Xuan Ya’s willow-like brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“Senior brother, in my entire life, when have I ever spoken frivolously?”

“…” The Jade Signet fell into a long silence again.

One could almost hear someone on the other end taking countless sharp breaths.

Finally, Xuan Ping’s words came through with a sense of almost tragic admonishment: “Even if their love is deep, there is still a boundary between humans and demons, and their immortal paths are different.
Junior sister! You must properly advise your disciple to pull back from the brink! He must not destroy his own immortal prospects! Do not let him stray onto the wrong path!”

Seeing Xuan Ping’s words, Xuan Ya fell into deep thought.
Suddenly, an image flashed through her mind like lightning—the pink, exquisitely carved little blue-furred wolf cub that Gan Tang had been holding…

Hiss—!

Could it be that Qiancha had been secretly involved with this demon immortal for several years already?!

They even had a child…

The sea breeze blew across the outer flames of the bonfire.

It brushed against Xuan Ya’s currently somewhat grave profile.

Mm…

She felt that the bite of fish she had just swallowed… seemed to be a bit stuck…

On the other side, the setting sun was like molten gold, casting the long shadows of the three figures onto the soft sand.

Lu Qiancha’s steps were slightly unsteady and heavy.
Xun Xue was on her left, walking alongside her.

That faint breeze, a mix of frosty sweetness and mature fragrance, would always, intentionally or not, blow past Lu Qiancha’s ear and neck.

The fluffy, large tail under her skirt would even occasionally brush against the back of her leg…

Every intentional or unintentional touch would always stir that faint sense of intimacy in Lu Qiancha’s heart.

The tips of Lu Qiancha’s real ears were pricked up nervously.
She was afraid that if she lost control for even a second, she would pounce right into Xun Xue’s arms and act spoiled.

Although her master wasn’t here, if her junior sister saw… she felt her dignity would shatter.