High in the air, Bai Zhiqiu felt the Moon-Gazing Wolf King’s aura vanish. A faint smile graced her lips. With a simple trick, she had led a Brightmoon-tier magical beast through despair, then a glimmer of hope, only to plunge it into an even deeper abyss of despair before its demise.
The thought made Bai Zhiqiu hum a cheerful tune, unable to contain her delight.
“Bai Zhiqiu, hurry up! Come on! Stop grinning like an idiot!” Yin’s voice echoed from behind, constantly urging Bai Zhiqiu forward. They were practically vibrating with impatience to eat their fill.
“Don’t worry! No one will snatch your food at this hour!”
Despite her words, Bai Zhiqiu silently quickened her pace, arriving at the cafeteria entrance in moments.
“Auntie! Do you still have those shrimp dumplings?” Bai Zhiqiu stood at the entrance, batting her large eyes at the cafeteria server.
“Of course! We have plenty! How many do you want?” The server smiled, then produced a lunchbox.
This time, her hand didn’t waver; she filled the entire box to the brim.
“Thank you, Auntie. I’ll have… three!”
‘I want three servings!’
“Can you really eat all that?” Bai Zhiqiu communicated with Yin mentally, skeptical that such a tiny being could consume so much.
“I can! I can!” Yin’s voice echoed in Bai Zhiqiu’s mind, ending with an audible gulp.
“So much! Can a little girl like you finish it all?” Despite her words, the auntie still served Bai Zhiqiu three generous portions.
“I can! I love shrimp dumplings the most!” Bai Zhiqiu replied with a cheerful smile.
“Bai Zhiqiu! And that! That one!”
Just as Bai Zhiqiu was about to head back, clutching three boxes of shrimp dumplings, Yin’s form reappeared at another serving window.
‘Those are soup dumplings!’
‘I want to eat them!’
Bai Zhiqiu indulged Yin’s request. Next, whether it was siu mai or steamed buns, Bai Zhiqiu procured a portion of nearly everything.
She even managed to get both sweet and savory tofu pudding.
Carrying the impressive haul back to her room, she carefully placed all the containers on the table.
“Alright! Now tell me the method first!” Bai Zhiqiu urged Yin.
“It’s actually quite simple! You can just use your ring to ask Gu Nian where she is, can’t you?”
Having said that, Yin immediately grabbed a large bun with both hands and took a bite.
“It’s so hot!”
“Be careful! Don’t burn yourself to death!” Bai Zhiqiu retorted, then rotated the ring on her right-hand ring finger, infusing it with a trace of magical energy.
As expected, the connection was instantaneous.
“What is it, Zhiqiu? Has something unexpected happened?”
Inside the palace upon the Cloud Whale’s back, Gu Nian observed the battlefield’s unfolding situation through a crystal ball on her table.
Everything remained firmly within her grasp. Just moments ago, she had even allowed the aura of that Spirit Controller to be carried by the wind, revealing its presence to Qian Moyu.
“No accidents here! I just missed you, Big Sister! Where are you?”
“Do you truly miss me? Or do you simply want to know my location and keep me occupied?” Gu Nian teased playfully.
“Hehe! A bit of both! A bit of both!” Seeing Gu Nian directly pinpoint her intentions, Bai Zhiqiu chuckled awkwardly.
“Alright then! How about Big Sister comes to find you now?”
“Huh? Come to find me?” Bai Zhiqiu was somewhat startled.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
“Of course you can! Of course! But Big Sister, I’m inside the Xuan Guan. How will you get in?”
“Just like this!” With those words, Gu Nian materialized before Bai Zhiqiu, sweeping her into an embrace and twirling her around twice.
“Oh! Big Sister Gu Nian! How did you…”
“How did I arrive so quickly?” Gu Nian finished her sentence, gently stroking Bai Zhiqiu’s head.
“Indeed! Big Sister Gu Nian, you’re truly amazing! You just appeared in an instant!”
“If I didn’t arrive quickly, how could I see you? Or rather, how could I let you stall me?” Gu Nian murmured, gently tickling Bai Zhiqiu’s chin. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes! Yes! Big Sister Gu Nian, have you had breakfast? If not, I have some here!” With that, Bai Zhiqiu moved Yin, who had just devoured a bun, to the side, picking up a box of shrimp dumplings and offering it to Gu Nian.
“Bai Zhiqiu, those are mine!” Yin protested incessantly from the side.
Ignoring Yin’s protests, Bai Zhiqiu gently opened the box of shrimp dumplings.
“Alright, alright, Zhiqiu. Don’t bully her like this anymore,” Gu Nian said with a smile, looking at the two little ones, then addressing Yin.
“Speaking of which, Yin, you’re not as powerful now as you were back then!” Gu Nian chuckled, picking up her chopsticks and, right in front of Yin, ate a shrimp dumpling from the box.
“What’s it to you!” Yin glared at Gu Nian. “Don’t steal my food!”
Observing their bickering, Bai Zhiqiu felt a peculiar sense of oddness. Finally, she could only voice one question.
“Do you two know each other?”
“We do, but it was a long time ago. There’s no need to discuss it now.”
Noticing Gu Nian’s clear reluctance to continue the topic, Bai Zhiqiu didn’t press further. She simply sat obediently, watching the two of them eat and accepting Gu Nian’s occasional offerings.
“Big Sister Gu Nian! I’m almost full!” Bai Zhiqiu swallowed a siu mai that Gu Nian had offered, then quickly refused the soup dumpling Gu Nian was about to feed her with her chopsticks.
Any more, and she would be utterly stuffed!
“Alright then,” Gu Nian replied, a hint of regret in her voice as she placed the soup dumpling into her own mouth.
‘Does this count as an indirect kiss?’
The thought that Bai Zhiqiu’s traces might still be on the chopsticks filled Gu Nian’s heart with an inexplicable joy.
“Big Sister Gu Nian! Your face is red! Was the bun too hot?”
As she observed Gu Nian’s flushed cheeks, Bai Zhiqiu inquired, a flicker of doubt in her eyes. It hadn’t felt particularly hot when she ate her own buns.
Perhaps it was because Gu Nian had blown on it a few times for her.
“Big Sister Gu Nian! Do you want me to blow on it for you?”
With that, Bai Zhiqiu picked up a crab roe bun, gently blew on it a few times, and held it to Gu Nian’s lips, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Gu Nian didn’t stand on ceremony. After swallowing the soup dumpling, she readily accepted the crab roe bun offered by Bai Zhiqiu.
Suddenly, Bai Zhiqiu felt something poking her. Turning to look at the table, she saw Yin standing there, gazing up at her with a pitiful expression.
“Bai Zhiqiu! I want you to feed me too!”
Although she couldn’t quite grasp what Yin was doing, Bai Zhiqiu still picked up a crab roe bun, blew on it, and offered it to Yin.
After finishing, Yin shot Gu Nian a provocative look in return.