Two People Punished

On the soft, large bed, a small grey ball that had originally been curled up heard the commotion and poked its head out from the quilt in a daze.

Ling Wanbai rubbed her sleepy eyes, tilting her small head to watch the figures of Xun Xue and Lu Qiancha quietly.

A subtle sound that made one’s face blush and heart race permeated the air.

She watched silently for a while, then extended a small hand to gently tug at the corner of Xun Xue’s clothes.

When Xun Xue cast an inquiring gaze over, on Ling Wanbai’s small face that usually lacked expression, a trace of rare confusion and vague discomfort appeared.

She spoke calmly: “I… I’m also feeling a bit uncomfortable… Can I join in together?”

Xun Xue did not answer Ling Wanbai immediately.

Instead, she looked down at Lu Qiancha, whose eyes were glazed over in her arms, and asked softly, “Little Qiancha, do you want to play together with Little Wanbai?”

“Ying-wu~ Okay…”

Lu Qiancha responded with a hazy consciousness.

Her small head felt like a pot of boiling paste right now; she didn’t hear clearly what exactly Xun Xue said, merely responding instinctively to the sound.

“Alright then, you two little ones play here.”

The corner of Xun Xue’s lips rose slightly, carrying a trace of a knowing smile.

She placed Lu Qiancha gently beside Ling Wanbai. Then she stood up, wiped the glistening moisture from her fingertips with a clean soft towel, and turned to leave the room.

“I’ll go prepare bathwater and clean towels for you.”

“Mmh…?”

The slight swaying of the bed caused Lu Qiancha to open her eyes in confusion.

Xun Xue’s figure had disappeared, replaced by that little grey Shrine Official sitting quietly by the bed, a pair of grey eyes watching her with focus.

In Lu Qiancha’s gaze, which had not yet fully cleared, Ling Wanbai leaned closer to her side—

“Mmh-mmh?!”

An unknown amount of time passed.

Lu Qiancha stood up shakily, glaring angrily at Ling Wanbai in front of her, her small face carrying an obvious blush and resentment.

She tried hard to lift a claw to give the expressionless Ling Wanbai a flurry of “Meow Meow Punches” to vent her anger, but unfortunately, her body was so sore and limp she couldn’t muster a shred of strength.

Finally, she could only extend a small leg indignantly, kicking Ling Wanbai’s waist neither lightly nor heavily with her foot.

She accused with puffed cheeks: “Baddie Shrine Official! You didn’t listen to a single word I said back then!”

“I’m sorry.”

Ling Wanbai immediately knelt properly on the bedding to the side, lowering her head slightly, apologizing with a voice that was calm but extremely clear.

“Hmph! Ignoring you!”

Lu Qiancha turned her head away like a sulking little pufferfish, letting out a light hmph as she spoke.

She struggled to climb up, grabbing a soft bathrobe to wrap around herself. Then, supporting herself carefully against the wall, she moved step by step with obvious unsteadiness toward the steaming bathroom in the side chamber.

Ling Wanbai did not speak. She simply stood up silently. Like a quiet shadow, she followed Lu Qiancha’s every step, also entering the mist-filled bathroom.

“Finished?”

Xun Xue was adjusting the water temperature. Seeing the blue and grey little ones enter one after another, she asked softly.

Her gaze swept over Lu Qiancha’s slightly red eye rims and sore posture, then looked at Ling Wanbai’s calmness, as if she had completed a mission.

“Mn…”

Lu Qiancha lowered her head, responding in a low voice with a red face. Behind her, Ling Wanbai also nodded with an extremely small movement.

“Alright then, you two have a good soak to relax.”

Xun Xue instructed warmly, picking up the changed bedsheets. “I’ll go clean up the bedding.”

After speaking, she turned and left the bathroom.

In the氤氲 steam, only two little wolf cubs—one blue, one grey—with wet, disheveled hair remained.

“Small Fry Shrine Official isn’t allowed to follow. I don’t want to wash with you.”

Lu Qiancha looked at Ling Wanbai, who was following closely, and reached out grumpily to push her. However, the other party was like a rock, not budging a hair’s breadth.

As the dominant party in the battle just now, Ling Wanbai had consumed almost no stamina.

“I’m sorry.”

Ling Wanbai apologized again. She turned sideways slightly, offering her own fluffy, big grey tail to Lu Qiancha.

“Tail for you to pet.”

“Don’t want it.”

Lu Qiancha tossed her head tsundere-ly. Turning sideways slightly, she shook her own bigger, fluffier, beautiful tail that was blue as seawater in a show-off manner.

“I have my own tail. Bigger than yours, and softer than yours.”

“No!”

Lu Qiancha immediately activated food-guarding mode, retreating two steps and refusing with puffed cheeks.

“Oh.”

Ling Wanbai nodded expressionlessly. That unruffled, emotionless appearance made the little anger in Lu Qiancha’s heart burn even fiercer, as if oil had been poured on it.

The little wolf cub raised her foot angrily and kicked Ling Wanbai’s calf again. Unfortunately, the force was soft and weak, and Ling Wanbai’s expression didn’t change a bit.

Lu Qiancha threw her bathrobe onto the clothes rack in a huff. Messily coiling her wet long hair, she walked toward the warm, large bath pool.

“What do I have to do for Little Sister Qiancha to forgive me?”

Ling Wanbai’s voice came from behind, carrying a seriousness bordering on obsession.

Hearing this, Lu Qiancha’s eyes rolled, and a trace of a sly, wicked smile floated onto the corner of her mouth.

She stopped by the pool, not entering the water immediately. Instead, she sat elegantly on a small stool nearby.

She deliberately lifted a small foot—smooth as jade and still beaded with crystal water droplets—and shook it in front of Ling Wanbai’s eyes.

Then she raised her chin, humming with a face full of mischief: “Want me to forgive you? Simple~ Kneel down and lick the water on my foot clean, and I’ll forgive you!”

Lu Qiancha made her own little calculation in her heart: Who normal would agree to such a humiliating request! She’ll definitely refuse categorically.

Then she could say logically: “Since you won’t lick, then please leave and let me wash alone in peace.”

As a famous person once said well: People like to compromise. If you say you want to open a window, everyone might be reluctant. But if you say you want to tear the roof off, then everyone will be willing to open the window.

However—

Lu Qiancha’s thoughts hadn’t finished turning.

She saw that upon hearing this, Ling Wanbai didn’t hesitate in the slightest. She silently bent her knees and truly knelt down on the smooth jade floor.

She extended both hands, carefully cupping Lu Qiancha’s lifted small foot stained with water droplets, and slowly lowered her head…

“????!”

Lu Qiancha’s eyes instantly widened bigger than copper bells, her sole immediately feeling the other party’s warm breath brushing over it.

A strong sense of shame and panic seized her violently.

“Stop! Stop, stop, stop!”

The little wolf cub tried to jerk her foot back abruptly as if scalded, her voice changing pitch.

“I forgive you! I forgive you right now! Don’t lick, let go quickly!”

Ling Wanbai raised her head in confusion, her grey eyes looking at the fickle Lu Qiancha with full lack of understanding.

But she still released her hands as told, putting down that petite foot, and stood up obediently. She stood quietly in front of Lu Qiancha, awaiting the next instruction.

“Stupid Shrine Official! Perverted Shrine Official!”

Lu Qiancha scolded incoherently, her face flushed red with anger, feeling her tactics had failed completely.

She glared angrily at Ling Wanbai, then simply ignored her. Sliding into the warm bath pool on her own, she began scrubbing her body vigorously, as if to wash away the awkwardness just now.