A Misunderstood Return

Standing outside the door was only Li Chunsheng.

The Paladins she had anticipated, ready to apprehend her, were conspicuously absent.

At this moment, all the gloom in Liuxia’s heart vanished, replaced by the elation and profound relief of surviving a great ordeal.

“Chunsheng hasn’t betrayed me! He didn’t tell anyone about my existence! As expected, he truly is the junior I can trust the most… How foolish of me to ever doubt him.”

The young woman couldn’t help but chuckle at her recent wild conjectures.

“Ah—welcome back!” Liuxia swiftly composed herself, greeting him with a radiant smile.

Li Chunsheng was momentarily stunned by Liuxia’s sudden change in expression.

‘Was that an illusion just now? It seemed like Senior looked terribly anxious.’

Yet, seeing Liuxia so solicitously help him off with his coat and fetch his indoor slippers…

He felt only that the young woman before him possessed features as exquisite as a painting, her demeanor captivating, her hair gently swaying with every movement, subtly wafting an intoxicating fragrance.

‘If Senior’s expression just now wasn’t a trick of the light… wouldn’t that be just like a devoted wife, anxious for her husband’s safety while he’s away, only able to smile with relief upon his return?’

This fanciful notion made Li Chunsheng’s heart pound, and without thinking, he blurted out, “Mm… Senior… you smell so good…”

The moment the words escaped his lips, Li Chunsheng instantly regretted them, silently chastising himself for his impropriety.

‘What on earth am I saying?!’

‘Have you really been single for too long?’

‘She’s Senior! And she carries herself like a man! How could you have such disrespectful thoughts about her!’

‘But… Senior did look beautiful just now… I couldn’t help myself, could I…’

‘If I can earn enough gold coins in the future, I should be able to live a life like this… with a real woman…’

‘No! No! The most important thing now is how Senior will interpret what I just said! What if she misunderstands it as… me having feelings for her…’

How did Liuxia perceive it?

In reality, when Liuxia heard that remark, her thoughts didn’t wander in that direction at all.

“Eh?” She tilted her head, then a realization dawned on her. “Oh? Are you talking about the food I cooked?”

Liuxia smiled, her lips curving. “Mm! It seems Chunsheng is very hungry—if it smells good, then eat plenty later~”

Seeing that Senior hadn’t “misunderstood,” Li Chunsheng breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he still had too much energy.

‘Perhaps I should get more exercise tonight; such thoughts simply can’t resurface.’

‘But it seems Senior still treats me like a child…’ he grumbled inwardly.

‘Never mind, I won’t dwell on it.’

“Mm! Let’s eat…” Li Chunsheng said with a smile.

The two companions walked in tandem towards the dining table for their meal.

At the dining table, the two casually discussed the day’s events.

Liuxia felt a pang of guilt for having doubted Li Chunsheng earlier, and thus did not proactively inquire why his powers had suddenly grown stronger.

However, it was clear that Li Chunsheng had no intention of keeping it from her, though he still needed to reserve some details.

After all, the concept of infinite gold coins held an an utterly exaggerated significance in this world—it was akin to the realization of a perpetual motion machine from Li Chunsheng’s previous life.

Without sufficient power to protect himself and those around him, easily entrusting such a secret to even a trusted person could, paradoxically, bring disaster upon them.

In any case, Li Chunsheng joyfully recounted his gains.

“Hey, Senior, do you know? The real reason I came back so late today was to get you a permit.”

“A permit?” Liuxia’s expression tightened with tension.

“Did you… go and interact with people from the gray areas??”

“Those people are complicated and dangerous! There’s no rush for a permit; it’s fine even if you don’t get one…” Liuxia earnestly advised, her tone laced with concern.

In the young woman’s eyes, Li Chunsheng was still the junior she looked after, not yet capable of handling such troublesome matters.

However, Li Chunsheng couldn’t agree with Senior’s words.

“Ah, Senior, you still underestimate me a little,” Li Chunsheng said confidently. “While my talent in [gold content] might be poor, I’m quite gifted physically.”

“I did encounter some difficulties during my outing today!”

“But I overcame them all with my strength! And there’s already some progress on the permit matter.” Li Chunsheng stood up, flexing his biceps and triceps to showcase his robust physique.

“Is that so… you are quite strong indeed…” Liuxia observed Li Chunsheng’s physique, then her gaze inadvertently flickered downwards, and her expression instantly became peculiar, as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“Hmm? Senior, is there something you want to say?” Li Chunsheng noticed Liuxia seemed to have something difficult to express.

“N-no!” The young woman’s face flushed faintly.

‘Senior looks so strange…’

Li Chunsheng’s expression suddenly changed, and he took a few steps towards Liuxia. “Could it be that, Senior, you were injured somewhere before, and it hasn’t healed, making you feel uncomfortable now?”

“Wait! Wait! Don’t come closer!” Liuxia recoiled in alarm, bumping against the wall with a thud.

Watching her junior approach her, almost pressing against her to examine her, Liuxia’s face burned crimson, and her head began to spin.

‘Too… too close!’

‘Chunsheng… what is he trying to do…!’

‘Using my injury as an excuse to get close to me…’

‘C-could it be that he’s been single for so long he’s become desperate?’

‘But… but I’m not much use right now, should I… But, I’m a man…’

‘No, no, I shouldn’t think that way, maybe… maybe Chunsheng isn’t looking for an excuse to bully me, he’s just sick! Like…’

‘Bull… columnar cyst disease!’

Liuxia’s mind was a chaotic mess, her eyes spinning like mosquito coils.

‘There are no wounds visible…’ Li Chunsheng wondered inwardly, then observed Liuxia’s flushed face and rising body temperature.

‘Is this… a symptom of acute wound infection?’

‘Is the wound in a hidden place?’

‘Senior… has she been hiding a serious injury all this time, not wanting me to worry?’

“Senior…! Take off your clothes; I need to examine you!” Li Chunsheng declared with an unyielding, serious tone.

These words made the young woman utterly unable to convince herself that she was misunderstanding Li Chunsheng.

‘What!? Why is Chunsheng in such a hurry? This is the kitchen! This is where food is prepared… it can’t be defiled like this…’

‘Could it be that I’ve already become Chunsheng’s ‘food’?’

Li Chunsheng’s words and actions shocked Liuxia so much that tears welled in her eyes. She could only stammer nervously, “I-I-I’m really fine…”

The young woman’s next words would undoubtedly expose the topic, and what would Chunsheng do to her, his pretense uncovered…?

‘Would he give in to his beastly desires?’

But Liuxia could no longer endure this humiliating sensation of being led by the nose. Since her junior was feigning ignorance to take advantage of her, she could only, with great embarrassment, feign ignorance in return and refuse. “Senior is just a little curious… Chunsheng, you… your pants there… why are they so bulging?… It’s pressing against Senior now… making her a little… uncomfortable…”

“Could you… perhaps move away a bit first?” Liuxia looked at Li Chunsheng, her eyes filled with hope.

‘As expected… I still can’t accept being with a man…’

“Ah! Senior, you mean this? I was just about to show you!” Li Chunsheng realized with a start, reaching down to his pants.

“Come, come, Senior, let me show you a treasure.”

‘I don’t want to see it!’ Liuxia wailed inwardly.

‘Is Chunsheng’s… thing… much bigger than when I saw it last…?’

‘Too perverse…’

‘Not only is he feigning ignorance to tease me, but he’s also going to pull out his ‘stick’ right in front of me.’

“Hmm? A stick?” Liuxia’s eyes narrowed.

The next moment, a literal bronze greatclub appeared before the young woman, its shadow falling across Liuxia’s stunned face.

‘Please don’t shove just anything into your pants!!’