The Master’s Big Hand Sets Up the Game

At her words, Xuan Mo let out a soft sigh, her gaze complex as it fell upon the small wolf cub curled into a ball before her.

The pair of aquamarine, furry ears trembled slightly due to their owner’s anxiety, stirring a strange feeling in her heart.

“This matter of yours…” Xuan Mo paused, her voice deepening slightly, “…besides you and me, does anyone else know?”

Lu Qiancha guiltily twisted her little head away, her gaze wandering, not daring to meet Xuan Mo’s scrutiny. “Besides Martial Aunt… hmm… and my junior sister, there is no third person.”

Her voice was thin and soft, laced with an undeniable guilt.

“Then your trip to Beiju Luzhou this time, are you planning to use this demonic body to seek refuge with the great demons there?”

Xuan Mo mused for a moment before continuing her questioning.

“Of course not! I’m going on this trip to gather herbs!”

Lu Qiancha immediately retorted. How could she possibly abandon her master and junior sister to live in seclusion in a land teeming with demons?

After Lu Qiancha said this, Xuan Mo’s gaze swept back and forth over her.

Receiving this expected yet exceptionally firm answer, Xuan Mo’s gaze did not shift away.

Instead, it lingered on her with great interest, like a connoisseur appraising a rare and peculiar treasure.

That overly focused, strangely heated gaze made Lu Qiancha squirm.

She swallowed nervously, her furry paws curling restlessly, and weakly squeezed out, “Martial Aunt… why… why are you staring at me like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just think you look rather cute like this, much better than that bratty boy look from before.”

Xuan Mo remained as blunt as ever.

She broke into a smile and continued, “Why don’t you stop bothering with the disguise? How about you just walk around the sect in your true form?”

“No way, no way!”

Lu Qiancha’s little head shook like a rattle-drum.

If she had to walk around the sect in this demonic body, she felt she wouldn’t have a single peaceful day for the rest of her life.

Lu Qiancha had no desire to be treated like a rare animal.

“What are you afraid of? I’ll back you up. No one will dare to say a single bad word about you.”

Xuan Mo patted her chest, giving Lu Qiancha a solemn guarantee.

“Still no!”

Lu Qiancha waved her paws and retorted loudly.

However, set against her aquamarine fur, the gesture of protest had no intimidating effect whatsoever.

Instead, it made her look even more aggrieved and pitiful.

Her desperate resistance seemed futile and adorable in the face of the absolute size difference and cuteness.

“Alright, alright…” Xuan Mo saw that her little face was puffed up and she was on the verge of tears.

Only then did she reluctantly withdraw her proposal.

But her attention was quickly drawn to the pair of small, triangular ears atop Lu Qiancha’s head, which were still trembling slightly with their owner’s lingering fright!

‘Fluffy, soft, and with the delicate, fuzzy edges unique to a young beast…’

It was as if Xuan Mo’s hand had a mind of its own.

One moment it was waving in surrender, the next it had already reached Lu Qiancha’s head!

And then, it naturally began to pet the wolf cub!

First, she ruffled the softest, warmest fur at the crown of her head… hmm, the texture was indeed first-class!

Smoother and warmer than the finest sable fur!

Then, with an exploratory spirit, her fingertips followed the smooth curve of the head and gently squeezed the fluffy, soft, and warm little triangle!

She even mischievously flicked the sensitive ear tip with her nail!

“Ngh…!” Lu Qiancha’s entire body shuddered violently as if struck by lightning!

Her other ear, untouched by Xuan Mo’s demonic claws, instinctively flattened itself against her soft fur!

Her entire little face was filled with the shock and humiliation of being “taken liberties with.”

“Don’t move~ good girl…” Xuan Mo was completely lost in the exquisite texture, her voice taking on the soothing tone one uses when petting a spirit pet, her eyes narrowing. “Oh my, Little Qiancha, the feel of these ears… it’s divine! Tsk tsk tsk… so soft, and warm, and springy…”

It was as if a whole new world had opened up to her; she couldn’t put them down.

“Martial Aunt!” Lu Qiancha finally couldn’t take it anymore!

Driven by a mixture of shame and indignation, she found a burst of courage from somewhere, violently raising her free front paw and, with all her might, using the pink pad to push away the large hand wreaking havoc on her head.

The small paw pushed against a wrist that was like carved white jade, but it didn’t move an inch…

Instead, her gesture of refusal, paired with her flattened “airplane ears” and the fluffed-up tip of her tail, only made her look even cuter.

Xuan Mo burst into laughter at her little paw’s attempt at resistance.

Her laughter was clear and joyous, echoing in the silent cloud realm.

She took the opportunity to release the claw that had been tormenting the poor ear, but the look she gave Lu Qiancha was even more… affectionate.

As if she had finally had her fill of petting, she patted Lu Qiancha’s head with a satisfied smile.

“Alright, alright, Martial Aunt won’t tease you anymore.”

Her tone shifted as she threw out a tempting olive branch. “From now on, come visit Tianshu Peak more often when you’re free. Don’t always coop yourself up on Tianquan Peak. Martial Aunt has plenty of good things here! I guarantee you’ll eat and drink well, and I can even give you some pointers on your cultivation. Your body is special, your foundation has been reshaped. It’s not impossible for you to forge a different path, a heavenly avenue different from that of ordinary humans! The prerequisite is… you have to let Martial Aunt… hmm… get to know the ‘characteristics’ of your new body a little better…”

As she spoke, her hand began to stir restlessly again.

Lu Qiancha: “…”

She suspected that a good half of this “guidance” from Martial Aunt Xuan was aimed at petting a wolf!

“Let’s go.” Xuan Mo stood up, her sleeve flicking lightly.

The vast, pure cloud realm beneath her feet shattered and dissipated like a mirror.

Light and shadow flowed.

It was as if nothing had changed.

Shangguan Yunzhu was still looking at her with curiosity, and Xuan Mo was still holding her arm.

Only an instant had passed.

Lu Qiancha immediately felt the spiritual energy in her body begin to flow again, and the Myriad Phantoms Mirage Art reasserted control over her appearance.

She straightened her body almost reflexively, trying hard to suppress the fleeting blush on her cheeks and the lingering shame and anger in her eyes, maintaining her composure and… a slight, awkward stiffness beneath her feigned calm.

“Your cultivation is fine, your foundation is solid. Continue to cultivate diligently. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come to Tianshu Peak. I can give you a pointer or two.”

After dropping these words as if nothing had happened, Xuan Mo strolled back to her usual spot at the bow and leaned back lazily.

However, as her gaze swept past Lu Qiancha, the corner of her mouth hooked into a satisfied and amused smile, imperceptible to others.

With a whisper only Lu Qiancha could hear, the final taunt landed lightly in her sea of consciousness:

“Remember, wipe that soft, pitiful puppy-dog look off your face… Little Qiancha, don’t let someone with a discerning eye see through you~”

“Ahem!” Lu Qiancha felt the heat she had just suppressed begin to rise again.

She let out a dry cough, forced herself to look away, and tried to maintain her composure.

Pretending she hadn’t heard a thing, she quickly walked back to her original spot and sat down with a slightly stiff movement.

Hearing this, the other four on the boat cast different gazes at Lu Qiancha.

Bai Yan and Zhuang Yang looked at Lu Qiancha as if he were someone who had lucked into a powerful connection.

Qingfeng’s gaze remained gentle and kind, while Shangguan Yunzhu’s was filled with… confusion.

Lu Qiancha ignored the gazes of the four.

She sat on the boat, meditating and regulating her breathing, her grip on the cube-like magical artifact in her hand tightening.

‘Tsk tsk, you haven’t even learned the basics of the Myriad Phantoms Mirage Art and you’re already out here stirring up trouble. You really can’t sit still, can you, little one?’

Can Xin’s voice echoed in Lu Qiancha’s ear. ‘If you ask me, you should find a place to go into seclusion for a few decades and master the first five or six layers of the Myriad Phantoms Mirage Art.’

Lu Qiancha did not respond.

She continued to meditate with her eyes closed, maintaining a dynamic balance of spiritual energy in her body to avoid consuming too many Spirit-Recovering Pills before reaching their destination.