Intermission

Once the footsteps faded into the distance, the treasure vault returned to silence.

“Come out,” Ling Ze’s voice sounded faintly.

From an inconspicuous shadow to the side, the figures of Lu Qiancha and Xun Xue slowly paced out and came before Ling Ze.

Ling Ze clapped his hands, his gaze falling on Lu Qiancha, making no secret of his admiration: “Xun Xue, you really have raised a good son.”

He paused, adding meaningfully, “Not only is his cultivation talent outstanding, but this method of calculating the human heart and planning before acting is truly breathtaking.”

“Naturally, my child is top-tier.” Xun Xue unceremoniously pulled Lu Qiancha closer to her side, her blue eyes glancing at Ling Ze with a hint of undisguised disdain. “As for that one in your family…”

“Ahem!” Ling Ze coughed heavily, forcibly interrupting the sarcasm Xun Xue was about to utter.

He turned his burning gaze to Lu Qiancha, his tone suddenly becoming incomparably solemn: “Qiancha.”

“This junior is here.” Lu Qiancha bowed calmly.

“This plan is brilliant…” Ling Ze stared tightly into Lu Qiancha’s eyes, asking word for word, “I wonder, have you ever thought about one day sitting on this throne, ruling over ten thousand people?”

Xun Xue: “?”

‘Robbing my daughter right in front of my face?’

Xun Xue’s face sank abruptly, cold air filling the space around her, looking as if she were about to explode.

“Your Majesty overpraises me.”

Lu Qiancha’s voice was calm and waveless, her answer decisive and firm. “This junior only has some meager cleverness, hardly fit for the grand stage. For the heavy burden of a ruler of a country, Your Majesty had better choose someone else worthy.”

Her refusal was crisp and clean, without the slightest hesitation.

A trace of ‘as expected’ disappointment flashed through Ling Ze’s eyes, but he did not insist.

He quickly changed the subject: “Very well. Then, what should be done next? Qiancha, tell me the follow-up plan so I can make arrangements early.”

Lu Qiancha pondered for a moment, raised her head, and a glint flashed in her eyes: “Your Majesty, the next act of this play should be my turn to take the stage.”

She took a step forward and lowered her voice, “When the time comes, Your Majesty only needs to do this…”

The long and boring conversation in the main hall finally came to a temporary halt.

Xun Xue was still talking to Ling Ze about something, and the topic was so dull it made Lu Qiancha’s eyelids heavy.

She simply slipped back to Shuixian Palace alone, removed her disguise, and like a kitten that had soaked up enough sun, lazily spread herself out on the cold jade table.

‘Using my brain consumes too much energy; I feel like every thread of thought has been completely drained.’

“Haa-wu~”

Lu Qiancha let out a big yawn, and intense drowsiness swept over her.
Her brain was truly overloaded today; she was exhausted.

‘Forget it, even if the sky falls, I’m going to sleep first.’

She gently closed her eyes, and soon, the sound of fine, even breathing rang out in the quiet room.

Stare—

Ling Wanbai’s gray eyes, which held little emotional fluctuation, were now firmly locked onto one of Lu Qiancha’s small hands resting casually on the table.

She remembered very clearly that not long ago, this was a soft wolf paw covered in fine fluff.

‘How did it become like this now?’

‘Is it some kind of visual illusion?’

A trace of probing doubt flashed through Ling Wanbai’s heart.
She tilted her head slightly, then, extremely naturally, like a small animal confirming something, she extended the tip of her pink tongue and quickly licked the smooth back of that hand.

The texture was warm and moist, the skin delicate, carrying a hint of vanilla-scented milky fragrance.

There was no fluffy sensation as expected.

‘So strange.’

“Ngh…”

The tip of Lu Qiancha’s ear twitched sensitively, and she unconsciously pulled back the hand that had been “attacked,” hiding it by her side.

Target transfer.

Ling Wanbai’s line of sight fell unobstructed onto Lu Qiancha’s other small hand, which was still resting on the table.

This time, she adopted a more in-depth method of verification.

“Ahm.”

She opened her mouth slightly, and with precise, unhesitating movement, gently held one of Lu Qiancha’s slender, fair fingers in her mouth.

The taste on the tip of her tongue was still that faint milky scent.

The mouthfeel was the clear texture of skin, smooth and soft, without any of the fine fluff she had imagined.

‘So strange.’

“…Ngh.”

The moist, warm sensation coming from her finger finally woke Lu Qiancha completely from her deep sleep.

She rubbed her eyes groggily and looked to her side with heavy sleepiness—only to see Ling Wanbai calmly holding her finger in her mouth, as if savoring some delicacy.

Lu Qiancha: “?”

“Ling Wanbai! W-what are you doing?!”

Lu Qiancha instantly bristled like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, abruptly yanking her finger back.
A thin silver thread, glistening in the light, snapped with her movement.

“Eating your hand.”

Ling Wanbai’s answer was concise and clear, expressionless, stating a fact.

“Of course I know you’re eating my hand…” Lu Qiancha’s breath hitched at this overly direct and unapologetic answer, her little face puffed up like a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts. “I’m asking why you’re doing this? Why are you gnawing on my hand!”

“Wanted to know where your claws went.”

Ling Wanbai remained calm and waveless, as if discussing the weather, and even kindly took out a clean, soft handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it over. “Wipe it off, don’t be angry.”

“Gu…”

A soft sound of unclear meaning escaped Lu Qiancha’s throat.
She took the handkerchief and wiped her hand, then suddenly extended the hand that had just been tasted toward Ling Wanbai, palm up, staring at her with burning eyes. “Let me touch your tail, and I’ll forgive you.”

“Okay.”

Ling Wanbai agreed crisply and readily.
She turned her body slightly and gently placed the fluffy, gray-white large tail behind her onto Lu Qiancha’s open palm.

“Heh heh!”

A victorious smile, tinged with a little smugness, instantly bloomed on Lu Qiancha’s face.

She couldn’t wait to extend both small hands, spreading her ten fingers, and then unceremoniously began to rub, grab, and knead the fluffy, soft large tail in a chaotic manner.

“Huu…”

Ling Wanbai’s brows, originally calm as a deep pool, furrowed imperceptibly, as if a small stone had been thrown into a calm water surface, causing a ripple.

Lu Qiancha’s eyes were completely occupied by this ball of fluffy large tail before her, shining with novel and excited light.

‘In the past, others always rubbed my tail. I haven’t properly rubbed someone else’s yet.’

Thinking this, she worked her small hands even harder, changing angles and force, rubbing wildly through the smooth, thick fur, feeling that fluffy warmth.

“Huu-wu—”

A barely audible, yet seemingly suppressed soft moan escaped from Ling Wanbai’s tightly pursed lips.

Two extremely faint blushes quietly flew onto her cool face.

Her body seemed to tense up slightly, as if trying hard to endure something, and the large tail being ravaged twitched uncontrollably in Lu Qiancha’s palm.

A short, soft “Ying-wu~” leaked from Ling Wanbai’s mouth, and her whole person collapsed limply into Lu Qiancha’s arms as if her bones had been removed.

Her gray eyes, which usually held no emotion, now revealed a trace of dazed mistiness.