Chapter 14

Animals, though not as intelligent as humans, often possess instincts beyond the ordinary. Take the current Li Yueying, for example.

Although she wasn’t entirely sure why her Jiangying, who was smiling while petting her head, gave off such a dangerous vibe, her intuition told her: Apologize immediately!

Li Yueying grasped Li Jiangying’s hand with both of hers, gently holding it before her, and rubbed her soft cheek against it. “Jiangying, I was wrong.”

Li Jiangying sneered. “What were you wrong about?”

Li Yueying’s bright, large eyes looked at Li Jiangying in confusion. Her brows furrowed deeply, and she puffed out her cheeks, speaking unclearly in an attempt to muddle through with cuteness. “Wrong is just wrong… Jiangying is the best. I like Jiangying!”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help giggling again, rolling happily in her arms.

Li Jiangying kept a stern face. She grabbed her shoulders, and with a single effort of both hands, lifted her and set her down on the ground in front of her. “No acting cute!”

Li Yueying rolled her eyes around, stuck out her index finger and bit it, mumbling, “I wasn’t.”

Having said that, she tried to burrow into Li Jiangying’s embrace again, but Li Jiangying stretched out a hand, holding something up to block her. “Stop!”

Li Yueying obediently halted and looked at her Jiangying. “Hiss hiss.”

Expressionlessly, Li Jiangying unfurled this white silk undergarment. “Put this on!”

The undergarments here came in long and short, in various colors, thin, loose-fitting, and without a crotch opening. They looked a bit like long johns—meant to be worn next to the skin.

Seeing this, Li Yueying’s face instantly showed a look of sudden, great enlightenment. So Jiangying was angry because she wasn’t wearing underpants!

Thus, she beamed a bright, sunny smile, bent over suddenly, grabbed the hem of her skirt with both hands, and with a whoosh, flipped it straight up—

“Ah! What are you doing!” Li Jiangying shrieked miserably. Instinctively, she grabbed the silk undergarment to cover her own eyes, leaning her upper body back to get away.

In utter agony, she cried: “You… you shameless woman! Put your skirt down right now!!!”

“Mm…” Li Yueying stood up straight, holding both sides of her skirt high. Seeing Jiangying react like this, she couldn’t help but lose her smile, dejected. She lowered her head slightly and muttered, as if aggrieved: “But I am wearing some, yeah. Jiangying, don’t be mad at me, hiss…”

“Wearing… wearing some?” Li Jiangying caught those two words. She slowly opened her eyes and shifted the silk undergarment in front of her face down a bit, letting her gaze fall on her face, her chest, below her waist…

“Huh? She really is wearing some!”

Li Jiangying immediately dropped her arms, eyes wide in disbelief as she looked at the black undergarment beneath Li Yueying’s black long skirt. Her mind filled with confusion: When exactly did she put those on?!

Li Yueying, still holding her skirt up, carefully shuffled two steps forward. Seeing that her Jiangying was no longer as shocked as before, she quickly cast her disappointment aside and smiled ingratiatingly. “Jiangying, Jiangying, aren’t I well-behaved? Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

Don’t… be… angry?

Li Jiangying slowly raised her hand and tossed it. The white silk undergarment was flung into a corner.

She smiled savagely and asked, “When did you put those on?”

Li Yueying: Her small, limited-capacity brain once again sank into deep thought. With both hands still clutching the hem of her skirt, raised high, she forgot to put them down for a moment and just stood there dumbly, pondering Jiangying’s question.

It was Jiangying who asked, mmm… how to answer?

Li Yueying had a flash of inspiration. Delighted, she let go. The skirt hem, like black butterfly wings, fluttered as she dove into Li Jiangying’s arms. Her voice was crisp and bright: “Forgot!”

“Is that so.” Li Jiangying stated darkly and slowly—a question in statement form.

She didn’t need Li Yueying’s answer. Using the posture of Li Yueying having thrown herself into her arms, she twisted her shoulder and pushed her sideways, maneuvering her into a position lying face-down across her lap.

Li Yueying’s instincts screamed that something was wrong, but she couldn’t quite grasp exactly what. Lying across Li Jiangying’s lap, she subconsciously raised her curled right hand and bit down on the middle knuckle of her index finger in confusion.

“Mmm… what does Jiangying want to do?”

Li Jiangying: “Beat you up!”

“You scoundrel!” Li Jiangying raised both hands. With fury and grief gnashing her teeth, she brought them down upon the Moon Shadow Devil Venerable’s honorable rear. Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap—papapapapapa…

Like a violent storm, Li Jiangying vented her grief and fury, spanking the senseless Little Madwoman in her arms.

“Scoundrel! Scoundrel! Scoundrel!” She cursed as she fiercely pummeled the Little Madwoman. Even though the injury to her chin had already been healed by Cui Yu. Even though the current Little Madwoman didn’t have that vicious, brutal demeanor at all.

But… but the pain, the anxiety, the unease, the fear she had endured—it could no longer be suppressed!

“Scoundrel…” Unknowingly, she gradually stopped, cursing in a choked voice.

Her vision blurred. Her hands, raised before her, trembled slightly. Her palms were hot and numb. She sniffled sharply and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

Damn it. Even if she was ill-suited, she would still cultivate with all her might. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely would not give up!

Suddenly, her other hand was gently cradled. Li Jiangying paused, lowering her tear-wiping right hand. That hand, too, was immediately cradled.

It turned out the Little Madwoman had slid down from her lap. She knelt on the ground, carefully holding Li Jiangying’s hands.

The Little Madwoman didn’t laugh. She didn’t fuss. She puffed up her cheeks and blew gently on Li Jiangying’s reddened palms.

She was so worried about her. Those innocent, unworldly eyes were now filled with melancholy. She was hurting for her Jiangying, even if she couldn’t quite sort out and understand this emotion properly.

As the Little Madwoman blew, she murmured softly: “Jiangying, doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt… hoo, hoo… I will protect Jiangying. Beat up the scoundrel who made Jiangying sad… hoo, hoo…”

Li Jiangying gazed deeply at her. For a moment, her chest was filled with churning, conflicting emotions.

The one who relied on and loved Li Jiangying the most was the Little Madwoman. The one who had hurt her the most was also her. It was utterly ridiculous. Even now, when Li Jiangying wanted to take revenge on her, the result was only her own recoil.

The heated, numb redness in her palms gradually subsided under Li Yueying’s soothing. Li Yueying revealed a delighted smile. She caught her hands, lowered her head, and pressed a kiss—as reverent and gentle as if kissing a dew-kissed flower.

“Jiangying, don’t leave me.” She pressed her hand to her own cheek and closed her eyes blissfully, murmuring. “Jiangying, Jiangying…” As though just uttering those two words could grant her the eternal tranquility she had sought in vain.

Li Jiangying slowly closed her eyes. She tilted her head back and let out a long sigh.

“Li Yueying.”

“Mm, Jiangying?”

Li Jiangying said: “I won’t leave you easily. Even if you are the source of danger. Even if, when lucid, you may take my life at any moment. But…”

Whether it was lowly, whether it was cowardly, whether it was uneasy—she needed both a sanctuary that could shelter her and an anchor to steady her heart.

Someone who had lost her past, who had even forgotten her own name, drifting day by day like rootless duckweed, her heart forever wandering in disquiet. Loneliness was a poison clinging to the bone. Li Yueying’s dependence was the soothing antidote.

Li Yueying opened her eyes. As if something were sparkling within them, gradually, she was moved to glistening tears. Holding Li Jiangying’s hand, she declared loudly: “Jiangying… sniffle… you’re so good! I’ll stay with Jiangying forever. Whatever game Jiangying wants to play, I’ll play with you… but, but…”

Her voice grew quieter, and she cunningly stole a glance at Li Jiangying’s expression. “But… let’s not play that kind of game again. Jiangying’s hands got hurt…”

Li Jiangying was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help her voice cracking, her tone rising at the end: “G-Game?”

Li Yueying looked at her innocently. “Wasn’t it?”

Li Jiangying slowly pushed her away, slowly stood up, and slowly picked up the chair she’d been sitting on. She gave Li Yueying a ferocious smile and said: “A game, is it? Then let me play… properly… with you!”

Li Yueying froze. “Hiss, hiss, hiss?”

She seemed to have… accidentally said the wrong thing again.