Awakening to Suspicion

Inside the stone cave, a profound silence reigned. Only the ceaseless drip of water from a nearby rock wall broke the stillness.

Thump—

Luo Bingning imbued her palm with spiritual energy, then swiftly struck the small figure beside her. Her movement was clean and precise, leaving Zhang Xiaocha no chance to react.

Zhang Xiaocha’s small face crumpled in pain, and an involuntary groan escaped her lips. “Ugh…”

Her head swam, swaying from side to side as her vision blurred. She let out a silly giggle. “Hehe~ Disgust Value…”

Her voice was sweet and soft, yet tinged with a hint of a whimper, the final syllable rising.

Finally, her small body slumped, leaning against the bedding behind her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

A flicker of joy, so fleeting even she didn’t notice it, quickly crossed Luo Bingning’s eyes as her strike found its mark.

Spiritual energy coiled around Luo Bingning’s fingertips. With a gentle gesture towards the bowl and spoon on the stone bed, they instantly lifted, drifting automatically towards the stone table behind her.

The morning sun, filtering through a crack in the stone wall, cast its light upon the sleeping figure on the stone bed, outlining her flawless profile.

Her skin, fair and delicate, glowed with a faint halo under the sun’s gentle caress.

Luo Bingning’s heart abruptly quickened. She leaned down slightly, pressing her lips to the small figure’s smooth forehead, softly caressing it.

Her long, ink-like hair, slick and smooth, cascaded behind her, spreading across the bedding.

The sensation was soft and delicate, like the tenderest petals of spring, yet imbued with a subtle coolness. A familiar, faint fragrance filled her nostrils, drawing her deeper into a trance.

Her breathing grew increasingly rapid.

After a long moment, Luo Bingning slowly rose. She gently untied her robes, revealing shoulders as smooth and fine as white jade. Her waterfall-like hair fell naturally down her back as her bare feet lightly touched the ground, her face flushed with a deep crimson.

Her steps were as light as lotus petals, her fingers as slender as scallions. She slowly pulled back the bedding and gracefully slid in beside Zhang Xiaocha, her movements exquisitely gentle.

She wrapped an arm around the small figure’s slender waist, burying her face in her neck, softly caressing and inhaling her sweet fragrance. Luo Bingning’s delicate body trembled slightly as warm breaths fanned her chest, and she unconsciously let out a soft moan. “Mm~”

Inside the cave, spring bloomed with an intoxicating ambiance.

The sound of dripping water intertwined with the woman’s soft gasps, echoing and endlessly intertwining.

Inside the stone cave, a tranquil dimness prevailed, with a sliver of clear moonlight filtering through a crack to illuminate the edge of the stone bed.

Zhang Xiaocha’s brow furrowed slightly, her long lashes trembling as if startled.

She abruptly tossed in her sleep, fine beads of sweat breaking out on her smooth forehead. A tearful whimper escaped her lips as her slender legs thrashed frantically beneath the covers. Her crimson lips trembled, and she murmured in her sleep, “Ngh…”

“No more…”

“Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm…”

“Chacha… Chacha can’t breathe…”

“Wuwuwu…”

Her small nose twitched slightly, and she suddenly opened her eyes, sitting upright. Instantaneously, a searing pain shot through her entire body. She pouted her small lips, parting them slightly. “Ugh…”

“It hurts so much…”

Her round, dark eyes cautiously scanned her surroundings. Upon realizing she was in a familiar place, she endured the pain and gently patted her small chest, letting out a small sigh of relief. “Oh…”

“It was just a nightmare…”

“Chacha was so scared…”

“I thought Chacha was eaten by a big water monster…”

Zhang Xiaocha lightly raised her fair wrist, intending to rub her eyes, but felt a slight stickiness on her fingers. “Hmm? White…”

Her small head tilted, a puzzled expression on her face. She mumbled to herself, wondering, “Oh… did Chacha get this on my hands when Senior Sister fed me lamb stew?”

Her voice suddenly paused. “Huh? Senior Sister?” As if remembering something, her eyes brightened. “Oh right! Chacha tried to increase Senior Sister’s Disgust Value again, and Senior Sister knocked me out!”

“No wonder Chacha still feels so sore…”

She immediately tried to bring up her system interface to check Luo Bingning’s Disgust Value.

Suddenly!

The previously dim stone cave became faintly lit, and a candle in the corner flickered gently.

Zhang Xiaocha instinctively turned her head, meeting Luo Bingning’s gaze, which held a look of concern.

“Xiaocha… Little Junior Sister, are you still in pain?” As Luo Bingning spoke, a faint blush colored her cheeks.

Just as Zhang Xiaocha was about to reply, she saw Senior Sister’s expression shift, which puzzled her. She murmured inwardly,

[How strange… what’s wrong with Senior Sister?]

As she thought this, she habitually prepared to put her small hand into her mouth to chew gently.

However, Senior Sister’s figure flashed, and she quickly appeared before Zhang Xiaocha, seizing her small hand.

It was cool and refreshing.

Zhang Xiaocha’s expression first showed confusion, then irritation. She was about to throw a tantrum, but the intense pain radiating throughout her body instantly deflated her spirit. She grumbled to herself inwardly,

[Forget it… if I can’t chew my hand, then I can’t.]
[Chacha isn’t just giving up on increasing Disgust Value because my body hurts too much…]

As if hitting upon her own particularly low threshold for humor, Zhang Xiaocha’s lips curved upward, revealing two small dimples on the side of her face. She began to giggle foolishly. “Hehehehe…”

“Gogogogo…”

Her laughter grew merrier with each passing moment.

Gazing at the white substance adhering to Zhang Xiaocha’s left fingertip, Luo Bingning’s eyes narrowed sharply. Ambiguous memories instantly flashed before her. Her ear tips flushed crimson, and she quickly pulled out a handkerchief embroidered with an ice phoenix design, gently wiping Zhang Xiaocha’s finger.

The fingertip was round and adorable, tinged with a faint pink that complemented the full lunula.

Luo Bingning’s throat subtly bobbed. She nodded slightly, her dark, lustrous hair sliding down to obscure the deep blush on her face. After a long pause, she finally managed to stammer out, “You’re… you’re so grown up now… how can… how can you still get… food stuck on your hands…”

Her voice was as faint and broken as a mosquito’s hum, utterly devoid of her usual confidence.

“Hehehehe… it’s okay… Chacha likes to chew on my hands normally, so it’s just adding a little flavor to my hands…” she mused, thinking it might even taste better.

Zhang Xiaocha’s eyes crinkled into crescents as she giggled foolishly, a trace of crystalline drool still clinging to the corner of her lips from her sleep. Before she could finish her sentence, Luo Bingning’s mortified voice abruptly cut her off.

“No!”

Her voice was resolute and firm, completely unlike the small, broken sounds from moments before.

Luo Bingning lowered her head, her cascading sideburns deeply obscuring the half of her face turned towards Zhang Xiaocha. Her cheeks burned, and the intimate memories from the stone bed just moments ago resurfaced in her mind.

Her breathing quickened slightly. As if realizing her lapse in composure, her body abruptly stiffened.

Her divine sense quietly spread out, forming a barrier to envelop herself, preventing Zhang Xiaocha from prying.

She subtly glanced at Zhang Xiaocha, who sat obediently on the stone bed, a puzzled expression on her small face. Zhang Xiaocha slowly shifted her body, struggling to stand.

Stretching her neck, she kept trying to lean her small face closer, occasionally letting out a gasp from the pain in her body.

Luo Bingning instinctively tensed, her heartbeat suddenly accelerating as she felt the flush spread across her cheeks.

‘No, this won’t do…’
‘If Xiaocha sees me like this now, I’ll definitely…’
‘I’ll definitely be exposed.’

Her hands trembled slightly, and in a moment of carelessness, the handkerchief she had been holding to wipe Zhang Xiaocha’s finger suddenly dropped. Luo Bingning’s pupils constricted. Simultaneously, Zhang Xiaocha’s voice echoed in her sea of consciousness, soft and sweet, tinged with confusion.

[Strange…]
[Why did Senior Sister’s voice sound so weird just now?]
[It was like a girl who’s been caught doing something naughty… Right! Mortified rage!]
[And Senior Sister… her attitude towards Chacha has been really strange lately…]
[Could she have fallen for Chacha… and even done something to Chacha while I was asleep?!]

At this thought, Zhang Xiaocha’s eyes brightened. Gazing at the dark hair that obscured Senior Sister’s profile, a flicker of suspicion crossed her small face, and she instinctively reached out to push it away.

She lightly raised her fair wrist, slowly moving closer. “Why not, Senior Sister?”

Her voice carried a hint of seriousness.