Seriously Ill (Just kidding)

“Senior Brother, no matter how much you knead that kind of thing, I won’t have any.”

Gan Tang looked at Lu Qiancha’s pure blue eyes that contained not a trace of impurity, feeling as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her head. She felt somewhat helpless in her heart; her senior brother truly didn’t seem to have thoughts in that direction.

While this made her secretly heave a sigh of relief, a trace of indescribable disappointment quietly welled up from the bottom of her heart. It felt strangely empty inside.

“Oh.”

Lu Qiancha responded faintly, seemingly completely unaware of the complex surging emotions in her junior sister’s heart.

She blinked her clear, innocent big eyes, looking at Gan Tang with a frank face, as if silently asking: Is there something wrong?

“Right, Senior Brother,” Gan Tang tried hard to suppress the strange feeling at the bottom of her heart. Looking at the little wolf cub still pressing on her, her voice carried a trace of imperceptible dryness.

“You… if you really want to drink milk, Junior Sister can go to the merchant house down the mountain to buy it for you. But fresh beast milk isn’t easy to preserve and spoils easily; it might require a long-term order.”

She attempted to pull the topic back to a normal track.

“Mmh… not drinking.”

Lu Qiancha shook her head decisively. She had no interest in dairy products; she was only interested in making biscuits.

Besides, the milk in this world was unprocessed and had a heavy gamey smell; in her opinion, it was extremely unpalatable.

“Alright…”

Gan Tang didn’t force it. She simply extended her hand, her fingertips carrying a comforting meaning, and gently rubbed Lu Qiancha’s furry wolf ears that had excellent texture.

“Mmh…”

Lu Qiancha narrowed her eyes comfortably, subconsciously nuzzling her small head against Gan Tang’s palm.

This intimate action deepened the smile on Gan Tang’s face. Although Lu Qiancha’s unconscious rubbing and body weight intensified that strange numbness within her, the joy of being close still gained the upper hand.

After playing with Gan Tang for a while, Lu Qiancha finally climbed down from the bed with satisfaction.

She stood by the bedside, looking at Gan Tang who was lying there panting slightly, her cheeks dyed with an unnatural flush, her eyes somewhat glazed.

“Junior Sister? Your complexion looks very poor. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah?! N… No!”

Gan Tang reacted as if startled awake, struggling to break free from that dazed state where her mind was blank, and hurriedly denied it.

“I’m fine! Senior Brother… I’m quite well… quite comfortable.”

She tried to pull out a normal smile, but her voice carried a bit of unsteadiness.

“Mmh?”

Lu Qiancha’s small brows furrowed in worry, her voice carrying unmasked concern. “But your complexion really looks bad… Did you eat something bad? Are you sick?”

She leaned closer, carefully sizing up Gan Tang.

“Really not! Senior Brother!”

Gan Tang waved her hands repeatedly. With the clear, pleasant vanilla scent from Lu Qiancha lingering at her nose, the heat on her cheeks that had just subsided shot up again, the blush spreading to the roots of her ears.

She hurriedly added: “It’s just… just some old problem, that’s all. I’ll be fine after resting a bit!”

“Old problem? Are you really okay?” Lu Qiancha looked at her suspiciously, the worry on her small face deepening.

Having lived with Gan Tang for so long, she surprisingly didn’t know she had such a hidden ailment? This thought tightened her heart.

She immediately extended a small hand to pinch the corner of Gan Tang’s skirt, leaning even closer. Standing on tiptoes, her small face almost pressed against Gan Tang’s face as she lay on the bed.

The little wolf cub’s tone was unprecedentedly serious and concerned: “Junior Sister, do you have some hidden illness? Don’t hide it from me. I’ll take you to the Pill Cauldron Hall to find a medical cultivator right now; this kind of thing can’t be delayed.”

“No need, really no need! Senior Brother, I’m truly fine!”

Gan Tang shrank back in fright, her voice rising in pitch. She was afraid she couldn’t control herself and would pounce directly.

“I’m just… just a bit tired. Only need to rest a bit, just rest a bit is fine!”

Lu Qiancha stared tightly into Gan Tang’s eyes. Finally, she sighed and instructed earnestly, “Alright… but if your body feels uncomfortable anywhere, if any problem arises, you must tell Master or me immediately. Absolutely don’t hold on by yourself, understand?”

“Mmh-mmh! I know, Senior Brother rest assured. I know my own body best.” Gan Tang hurriedly patted her chest to guarantee, only wanting to end this topic quickly.

“Mmh…” Lu Qiancha still furrowed her small brows, looking worried.

She dawdled putting on her clothes properly. Walking to the door while looking back every three steps, she didn’t forget to turn her head again, instructing Gan Tang solemnly: “Junior Sister, health is important. Remember it absolutely.”

“Got it, thank you for Senior Brother’s concern,” Gan Tang responded loudly, trying hard to maintain a normal smile.

The door closed.

Finally, only Gan Tang was left in the room. She immediately went limp like a deflated ball.

Swiftly activating the array and locking the door, she pounced back into the bedding carrying Lu Qiancha’s body warmth and that clear vanilla scent as if fleeing.

That strange feeling forcibly suppressed in her body counterattacked instantly and turbulently within the space filled with Lu Qiancha’s scent.

“Senior Brother…”

She buried her face deep into the pillow where the fragrance lingered, letting out a low murmur carrying complex emotions, almost like a sigh.

Subsequently, her fingertips unconsciously slid toward her own slightly hot skin…

Leaving Gan Tang’s residence, the worry in Lu Qiancha’s heart not only didn’t dissipate but grew heavier like a stone.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt Gan Tang’s state just now was too wrong.

Relying on the worried characteristic of her small steps, the little wolf cub trotted all the way to the North Wing where Xuan Ya lived, knocking forcefully—thump, thump, thump—on the door.

“Aiya—”

The door opened, revealing Xuan Ya’s cool figure.

“What is it? What matter do you seek Master for? Is there an unclear point in the cultivation method taught previously?” she asked faintly.

“It’s not about the cultivation method, Master.”

Lu Qiancha shook her head vigorously, her small face written full of urgency and worry.

“It’s Junior Sister. Junior Sister she… her body seems very uncomfortable. Disciple saw her complexion turning red then white, looking extremely poor. Asking her, she only said she was fine, that it was an old problem. Disciple suspects… is she suffering from some serious illness and hiding it deliberately for fear we would worry…”

She finished speaking in one breath, her blue eyes looking anxiously at Xuan Ya.

“Gan Tang is sick?” Xuan Ya’s brows locked instantly.

Scenes of Gan Tang swinging her sword thousands of times daily over these past few months flashed rapidly through her mind.

Could it be… that this seat drilled her too excessively, causing accumulated hidden injuries to flare up?

This thought tightened her heart.

“Go, follow Master to take a look!”

Xuan Ya made a prompt decision, her tone carrying unquestionable gravity.

She grabbed Lu Qiancha’s small hand, rushing toward Gan Tang’s residence with hasty steps.

Arriving before the tightly closed door, Xuan Ya did not knock. Instead, she raised her hand directly, spiritual light flowing at her fingertips, about to cast a spell to break the restriction.

“Master?”

Lu Qiancha looked up at Xuan Ya’s action, blinking in confusion.

“Are we not knocking? In case Junior Sister is resting… wouldn’t barging in directly be not too good?”

“Shh!”

Xuan Ya signaled for her to be silent, speaking in a low voice with a serious expression.

“If she truly suffers from a serious illness but intends to conceal it, knocking will only allow her to prepare and hide the sickness deeper. Hiding sickness and avoiding treatment will only harm her.”

“Oh…”

Lu Qiancha nodded in realization, understanding the logic and key point within.

The little wolf cub immediately tensed her small face, holding her breath, watching nervously as Xuan Ya cast the spell.