Chapter 13

Liuli still remembered that the reason she’d fallen so deep into simping for the 2D character Feng Xiwu was because her previous 3D idol had been privately contacting fans.

After seeing the solid evidence, Liu Li silently cried while clearing out her Weibo account and throwing all the purchased merchandise and endorsed products into the trash.

After throwing everything away, she started venting to her best friend via private chat.

Best friend: “Is it really necessary?”

Liu Li: “How could she do this!!!”

Best friend: “Is private contact that serious?”

Liu Li: “I don’t care, an idol losing integrity is something I can’t accept!”

Best friend: “What if she was contacting you?”

Liu Li: “…”

Liu Li: “I am upright and impartial, treating everyone equally!!!”

The important part was, the “what if” didn’t hold true.

Best friend: “Then go curse her out on Weibo.”

Liu Li: “Unstanning without turning anti is my final act of tenderness.”

Now Liuli knew: people were all hypocrites. What would have happened if that idol back then had contacted her, she couldn’t guarantee. But as for intimate contact with Feng Xiwu, Liuli stated: I can handle even more!

Eh, what? Liuli is a mom-fan. Curling up in Feng Xiwu’s arms like a good little cub doesn’t fit her fan persona?

Are you kidding? For a star-chasing girl, switching between mom-fan, daughter-fan, older-sister-fan, younger-sister-fan is seamless and fluid!

Liuli’s mood surged, her heart burning hot. So hot that even the icy pool water didn’t feel cold anymore!

It was just…

Feng Xiwu looked at the little girl’s stiff body in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Liuli straightened her back, tensed her muscles, and answered hastily.

Soaking in the pool, she was half-kneeling, half-sitting, the edge of her bottom touching Feng Xiwu’s leg—she didn’t dare to fully sit down.

She absolutely couldn’t sit down!

After all, she was a big girl weighing several dozen kilograms. If she sat down with a plop, wouldn’t she bruise her legs! Even if she didn’t, tiring her out wouldn’t be good either.

Liuli, who never forgot to remind about taking disciples, then said, “This disciple doesn’t have many merits, just that I’m rather respectful to my master. Whoever takes me as a disciple, I’ll be their considerate little cotton-padded jacket.”

Earlier, after Feng Xiwu had made the agreement about taking her as a disciple, Liuli had agreed readily and later didn’t keep bringing it up repeatedly. Now, seeing the matter hanging in the balance, she started again.

Feng Xiwu found it somewhat amusing. When a cultivator’s Dao attainment was sufficient, splitting mountains and filling seas was a simple matter. Liuli’s bit of weight could be lifted with one of her hands; how could she find it heavy?

Watching her back turned to her, mouth spouting witty remarks but neck stiffened and face serious, refusing to look back at her…

Feng Xiwu had a flash of insight and suddenly realized—could it be she was shy?

Perhaps even Liuli herself hadn’t noticed this. The sudden intimate contact made her excited, made her surprised, and also made her… a tiny bit bashful.

Thinking of this, a wave of tenderness surged in Feng Xiwu’s heart, and her eyes revealed a trace of laughter.

Seeing Xue Liuli like this was truly a rare sight.

She didn’t expose this paper tiger. If she exposed her, she would definitely start chattering nonstop with a hundred retorts.

Thus, the Cold Pool returned to silence.

But this posture was awkward. After holding it for a while, Liuli actually felt it was even more tiring than kneeling.

The water was cold, she was weak, and even her stomach was faintly growling. When a person is cold, hungry, and tired, they easily get drowsy.

Often, when drowsy and consciousness blurs, the person themselves doesn’t realize it.

Liuli’s eyelids drooped. Every two minutes, she would force them open with difficulty. Once open, her consciousness would be dragged back into darkness by drowsiness.

At some unknown point, she relaxed and fully sat down on Feng Xiwu’s lap.

That was it. Once her body relaxed, her consciousness slackened even more.

Because of this drowsiness, Liuli could no longer care about excitement. After soaking in the pool for a long time, she felt cold everywhere, inside and out.

Soaking in the water was cold, her meridians were filled with Feng Xiwu’s True Qi—also cold. Cold inside, cold outside. Only the small area pressed closely against Feng Xiwu retained a faint warmth.

So her body developed its own ideas, subconsciously seeking more heat.

Feng Xiwu found her falling asleep again and wasn’t the least bit surprised in her heart. After all the torment recently, she was used to it.

But the asleep Xue Liuli was even bolder than when awake. Earlier, she had been reserved, unwilling to relax and sit down. Now, she desperately burrowed into her embrace.

Feng Xiwu was speechless. One hand pressed over her dantian, the other on her shoulder, holding her in place. Even then, she wasn’t behaving—her head still wanted to lean on her shoulder.

This leaning would have been fine, but the water immediately passed over Liuli’s mouth and flowed right in.

Liuli spurted out a mouthful of water, smacked her lips, and changed her position for herself. Tilting her neck, her chin rested on Feng Xiwu’s shoulder, and she stopped moving.

She even muttered, “Is this ice cola expired or something?”

Feng Xiwu: “…”

This child was probably beyond saving.

Liuli fell asleep. In the Cold Pool, only Feng Xiwu was awake. Apart from the stone walls, vines, and weeds, no one else saw her frowning helplessly at Liuli.

Embracing Liuli, Feng Xiwu sat motionless, and the temperature of the surrounding water slowly rose.

Liuli, who had been shivering with her eyes closed, gradually relaxed her brow.

…

Liuli was woken up by Feng Xiwu. When she woke, she was still somewhat dazed, unable to distinguish dream from reality.

She dreamed she was still living in the modern world. It was winter, very cold.

She seemed to be looking for someone, but no matter how she searched, she couldn’t find them.

The iron-grey winter sky was desolate and barren. She strolled the streets and found the entire city empty. She gradually grew anxious.

She was a bit thirsty, so she bought a bottle of cola from a roadside vending machine, but it seemed expired—totally tasteless.

Later, in a daze, she returned home and saw a four-eyed, nerdy shut-in sitting in front of her computer desk, typing away furiously.

“What are you doing!” Startled, Liuli pounced and pushed him away.

But it was too late. The four-eyed shut-in had already pressed the mouse, clicked upload, and published the chapter where Feng Xiwu died tragically.

“Fight to the death, you bastard!”

What followed was the two of them grappling and brawling. The damn author had no ability to fight back, lying on the ground taking a beating while clutching his head: “Aren’t you going to find her?!”

“Find who?”

“Feng Xiwu!”

Liuli froze. The damn author seized the opening to counter-attack. He suddenly jumped up, grabbed Liuli by the collar, and threw her into the computer screen:

“Off you go!”

In her panic-stricken moment, everything before her eyes blurred, and Liuli was woken up.

It took Liuli a moment for her brain to separate reality from the dream.

Once she did and focused her eyes, she instantly reacted like a startled little animal, kicking her legs and scrambling backward.

Splash!

Her hand slipped, and Liuli flopped onto the white jade platform. “Glub glub glub…”

This sight, truly unbearable to witness.

Feng Xiwu whooshed to her feet. As she emerged from the water, the icy pool water rolled off her body in strings like shattered diamonds. Yet her clothes seemed not wet at all. She stood on the shore, an ethereal, immortal aura about her, a stark contrast to the bedraggled Liuli still in the water.

Looking at Liuli struggling in the water, she reminded her, “Your injuries are largely healed now. You can circulate your Qi on your own. Breathing underwater is not difficult for a cultivator. Think carefully.”

Earlier, Liuli had been both shocked and anxious, swallowing a stomach full of water. Now that Feng Xiwu was on the shore, some distance away, she calmed down instead.

Ha… ha… wasn’t it just… leaning a little? It’s… nothing! Just a… small, trifling matter… no need to take it to heart!

So Liuli collected her mind and shifted her attention to Feng Xiwu’s words.

Could a dignified cultivator with a Single Water Spirit Root be drowned by water?

Liuli circulated her True Qi, controlling the water element surrounding her. Slowly, a vacuum sphere appeared around her head. Simply keeping the water away wasn’t enough. With a thought, Liuli guided the gases in the water to flow into the sphere.

“Hah…”

So, this wasn’t very difficult after all!

Delighted, Liuli planned to show Feng Xiwu the results. Propping herself on the white jade bed, she prepared to stand up.

The result—

Bang!

Liuli: “???”

Liuli hurriedly looked up. At some unknown time, the water’s surface had been sealed by a layer of solid ice. Just as she was about to stand, she bumped her head.

What was this for!

Through the semi-transparent ice, Feng Xiwu’s form looked slightly blurred as she said:

“Xue Liuli, though you are bold, you lack some meticulousness. Ice and water share the same root. Within this layer of ice, I have cast a spell. Use your own True Qi to decode it. When you unravel it, then you may come out.”

Before leaving, Feng Xiwu thought of something and added, “No using other methods to cheat.”

Liuli: “…………”