A Master’s Wrath

Thump! This was the unmistakable sound of a body making intimate contact with the ground.

“Ouch!” The pained cry belonged to the white-haired, tiger-eared loli.

“Feiluo, why didn’t you catch me?” This was the white-haired, tiger-eared loli’s indignant accusation hurled at Feiluo.

Observing the white-haired, tiger-eared loli—who sat on the ground, teary-eyed, tenderly rubbing her chest where the fall had bruised it—Feiluo crossed her arms. She cast a sidelong glance at the girl before speaking.

“Who told you to launch yourself at me like that?” Feiluo chided. “Haven’t I told you countless times, Huqi, not to just barrel into me whenever you see me?”

“That wasn’t crashing at all!” Huqi protested, her voice rising. “That was clearly a hug of love!” With a swift ‘carp flop,’ Huqi sprang to her feet.

“And this is what you call a ‘hug of love’?” Feiluo asked, gesturing towards the spot on the ground where Huqi had just ‘landed’. The ground there was now visibly caved in, with a network of spiderweb cracks radiating outwards. Small fragments of rock and grains of sand continuously trickled down into the fissures.

“It seems you were aiming to turn me into a similar crater,” Feiluo remarked, a hint of exasperation in her tone.

“But I’m just a little white tiger,” Huqi argued, her voice slightly whiny. “Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to be unable to rein in my strength when I pounce?”

“So, you’re treating me as prey, then…” Feiluo mumbled, a wry observation.

“Absolutely not!” Huqi quickly denied. “I consider you my very best friend!”

Huqi then moved closer to Feiluo, intending to offer another hug, only to find Feiluo deftly evading her once more.

“Huh?”

Huqi gazed at Feiluo, bewildered, unable to fathom why she had dodged again, especially since Huqi had consciously held back her strength this time.

A look of profound seriousness settled upon Feiluo’s delicate, adorable face. “Huqi,” she began, “I have a question for you. Do you consider yourself an adult?”

“Of course I am,” Huqi affirmed, though a flicker of confusion crossed her features, unsure of the sudden question’s purpose. Nevertheless, she nodded, offering Feiluo her answer.

“Then let me ask you this,” Feiluo pressed on, planting her hands on her hips and striking the pose of a tiny, stern adult. “Do you believe adults go around hugging and cuddling each other like that?”

“It… it doesn’t seem so,” Huqi mused, her brow furrowed in thought. She cast her mind back, recalling the usual demeanor of her master and other familiar elders, and then, with a sudden jolt of realization, her eyes widened.

“Therefore,” Feiluo declared with an air of irrefutable logic, “if you truly consider yourself an adult, then this constant hugging and cuddling simply must stop!”

“Huh?! Is that really how it is?” Huqi asked, her voice tinged with a bewildered innocence.

“It absolutely is!” Feiluo affirmed, nodding her head with resolute conviction. Not only did she voice these words, but they truly reflected her innermost thoughts!

Even having transformed into a little loli, she was determined to prove through her actions that while her appearance might be youthful, her mind remained undeniably mature!

“But you were perfectly happy to hug me just a few days ago,” Huqi pointed out, tilting her head in confusion. “Why the sudden change of heart after only a few days?”

“You’re not mad because I missed your birthday party yesterday, are you?” Huqi ventured, a sudden thought striking her. She recalled Feiluo’s crestfallen expression from the previous day when Huqi had delivered her gift.

“No……”

Feiluo was about to deny it. After all, she wasn’t a child; she wouldn’t get upset simply because a friend couldn’t make it to her birthday celebration. What’s more, they had even sent gifts. Even if their physical presence was impossible, she had genuinely felt the warmth of their intentions.

Before she could even complete her sentence, Huqi hurriedly interjected with an explanation. “I didn’t mean to miss your birthday,” she rushed to clarify, “but I absolutely had to undergo special training for the Saintess Selection.”

As she spoke, Huqi gestured to the tight-fitting cultivation robes she wore. “Look,” she urged, “I haven’t had a moment’s rest for days. I haven’t even had the chance to change out of these dirty training clothes.”

Feiluo instinctively cast her gaze over Huqi’s attire. Indeed, just as Huqi claimed, her cultivation robes bore numerous sword slashes, puncture marks, and were visibly stained with traces of blood and dust.

“Can’t you see how utterly miserable I am?” Huqi pleaded, her voice soft and cautious. “So, please don’t be angry, okay?”

“I’ve been trying to tell you I wasn’t angry this whole time,” Feiluo sighed, a hint of exasperation in her tone. “Just let me finish speaking.”

“Ah, well, I was just so worried you were angry,” Huqi mumbled, offering an awkward smile, “so I rushed to explain myself.”

Huqi then let out another sigh, her expression shifting to one of deep resentment.

“It’s all Master’s fault,” she grumbled. “I have absolutely no desire to participate in the Saintess Selection, yet she’s forcing me into it. She even claimed she wants me to defeat the Sect Master’s disciple to avenge her past defeat at the Sect Master’s hands. But the Sect Master’s disciple… that’s you, Feiluo, isn’t it?”

Huqi glanced at Feiluo, then resumed her tirade against her master. “When I returned yesterday, I told Master that you, Feiluo, weren’t even planning to participate in the grand selection, meaning I wouldn’t be able to fight you there. So, I asked if she could please call off my special training.”

“But Feiluo, guess what Master said to that.”

Without waiting for Feiluo’s reply, Huqi immediately crossed her arms, her expression turning aloof, as if perfectly mimicking her master’s demeanor. ” ‘She just doesn’t want to participate right now,’ ” Huqi recited in a flat tone. ” ‘Trust me, she will participate later.’ “

” ‘And with your cultivation so abysmal, your battle arts so terribly lacking, how can you possibly sleep soundly at night? Get to training!’ “

Having finished her impersonation, Huqi reverted to her usual self, her expression softening. She continued, speaking to herself more than to Feiluo, “Feiluo, don’t you think my Master cultivates so intensely every day that she’s actually refined herself into a complete fool?”

“It’s not enough that she’s refined herself into a fool; she has to drag me down with her too. Who could possibly cultivate as fiercely as she does every single day, as if constantly ‘pumped with chicken blood’?”

Huqi angrily waved a tiny fist in the air. Once her outburst subsided, she turned to Feiluo, a puzzled frown on her face. “Feiluo, why aren’t you saying anything? And what’s with that expression?”

Feiluo was frantically winking and gesturing at Huqi, desperately hoping the girl would glance behind her. Unbeknownst to Huqi, directly behind her stood a black-haired loli. Had Qiuzhuling been present, she would have immediately recognized her as Suiliang, the very individual who had once engaged her in a shouting match within the sect’s main hall.

Suiliang stood poised behind Huqi, her hands clasped behind her back, her small face a picture of such profound gloom it seemed as though it might literally drip with dark foreboding. She silently observed her own disciple, who remained utterly perplexed by Feiluo’s expressions. Suiliang’s gaze was not that of a master looking at a student, but rather that of someone sizing up a perfectly convenient punching bag.

As Suiliang’s gaze grew increasingly ominous, Huqi remained oblivious. Feiluo, in her desperation, continued to contort her expressions and furiously wink, hoping against hope that Huqi would simply turn her head.

“Pfft, Feiluo, your expression is absolutely hilarious!” Huqi giggled. “Are you trying to play a ‘don’t laugh challenge’ with me? Well, I surrender!”

Huqi, however, was as oblivious as a block of wood when it came to reading expressions. She genuinely believed Feiluo was engaging her in a ‘don’t laugh challenge,’ utterly failing to perceive the chilling presence at her back.

‘Don’t laugh challenge,’ my foot! You’re about to become the subject of a ‘don’t laugh challenge’ yourself!

Feiluo sighed inwardly. She had truly done her utmost, but alas, her ‘teammate’ was as dense as a block of wood.

“So, you’re quite keen on playing a challenge, are you?” Suiliang, without so much as a whisper of her presence, leaned in close to Huqi’s ear, her voice a chilling whisper. “Since you’re so eager, let us play, then! You shall challenge me. The moment you manage to withstand three of my moves, your challenge will be deemed a success.”

“W-whoa!”

Huqi yelped, startled by the sudden voice. As the identity of its owner registered in her mind, her expression froze. Like a set of rusted gears grinding into motion, she slowly, jerkily turned her head.

Upon confirming that it was indeed her own master, Huqi plastered on a fawning smile. “Master,” she began, her voice overly sweet, “when did you arrive?”

“I arrived precisely when you were mimicking my expressions and words,” Suiliang stated blandly.

“Then, Master, you… you heard all of it…” Huqi’s voice wavered, a tremor running through her words.

“Indeed,” Suiliang confirmed, a dangerous smile suddenly gracing her lips. “I heard every single word, including the part where you claimed I’d cultivated myself into a fool and was dragging you down with me.”

“…Master, I believe I can explain…”

Before Huqi could finish her sentence, Suiliang seized her by the back of her collar, hoisting her up. The girl was then unceremoniously dragged away, much like a small, reluctant cart.

“Explain?” Suiliang scoffed. “You can explain yourself on the sparring stage! Now, come on, let’s go to the sparring stage!”

“No! Master, please!”