Inside Xiaoxiang Elegant Garden, lanterns blazed brightly, and scattered snowflakes drifted down.
Ling’er and Qing’er watched with strange expressions as that mature, beautiful figure bustled around.
Their Madam, Qu Qirong, had a gentle, loving smile on her lips as she was making a bed in one of the side rooms.
The strange thing wasn’t that their Madam was in a good mood and constantly smiling.
It was that their Madam was inexplicably cleaning a room and meticulously decorating the interior.
Every time the two women tried to step forward and help, they were politely refused!
Ling’er asked, puzzled, “Qing’er, why do you think Madam is suddenly tidying up this side room?”
Qing’er was equally confused. “I don’t know either. Maybe Madam wants to change rooms!”
Ling’er touched the Heart-Controlling Gu Mother on the back of her hand and tilted her head, thinking. “Is there a possibility… that Madam is tidying up a room for someone, so they can move in?”
Qing’er didn’t think so. “It’s always just been us and Madam living here. How could someone suddenly move in…”
But as she said this, her voice trailed off.
The two women exchanged glances and muttered in unison, “Could it be that Mr. Deng is moving in?”
Other than this possibility, they couldn’t think of any other reason!
Thinking this, Ling’er couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked, “Madam, is Mr. Deng moving in?”
“How did you know?” Qu Qirong paused her movements, raised her head, and looked over.
“As expected!” both women thought to themselves.
“We were just guessing!”
“Come, take a look. Do you think Tianyu will like this arrangement?”
Qu Qirong beckoned to the two women, gesturing for them to come inside.
Ling’er and Qing’er nodded and entered, looking around the interior.
Besides the expected tables and chairs, there was an Incense Burner in the center, and the calming, soothing scent of red sandalwood incense lingered at their noses.
Landscape paintings hung on the walls, along with exquisite carved decorations, filling the room with elegance and leisurely refinement.
In the inner chamber, the soft couch was placed right by the window, which featured delicate carvings and rare wood.
In front of the window was a desk, fully equipped with the four treasures of the study. Even while seated, one could see the charming scenery outside.
Rock gardens, a Lotus Pond, flower beds, waterside pavilions, and the fluttering specks of falling snow.
Qing’er withdrew her gaze and smiled sweetly. “Such an elegant room, and personally arranged by Madam at that—how could Mr. Deng not like it?”
Ling’er said, extremely enviously, “I want to move into this room too!”
To be honest, even her own room wasn’t decorated this exquisitely and comfortably.
Qing’er seemed to think of something and hesitated to speak. “It’s just…”
Qu Qirong sat on the soft couch, finished folding the soft quilt, and then asked, “Just what?”
“Nothing…” Qing’er shook her head, not voicing her thoughts.
What she wanted to say was that this side room was adjacent to Madam’s boudoir. Although Mr. Deng and Madam were elder and junior, wasn’t this a little too close?
…
Purple Cloud Sect, residence.
“Senior Brother, what did you say?”
Li Shishi, the mature one, puffed her fragrant cheeks into a bun. “You’ll be gone for several days?”
She had planned to continue striking while the iron was hot these next few days and advance the next step in her strategy with Hong Shi.
She hadn’t expected that during these rare few days of leisure, Deng Tianyu would actually leave.
For some unknown reason, Li Shishi had a somewhat ominous feeling.
But she couldn’t quite pinpoint what was off.
“Mm! Stay obedient in the sect for these next few days. Don’t go causing trouble.”
Deng Tianyu smiled, ruffled her hair, and admonished her.
He had already spoken to Shishu Xu. If there was anything important, she could just contact him via Transmission Jade Slip.
“But why can Yingying go with you, and I can’t?”
Li Shishi cast a deeply aggrieved glance at a certain little fox wrapped around Deng Tianyu’s neck.
Noticing her gaze, the little fox Yingying lifted her fuzzy little head, stuck out her pink little tongue, and affectionately licked Deng Tianyu’s cheek.
Her expression seemed to say: I can lick your Senior Brother like this, can you?
It had to be said, the little fox had a bit of a green-tea character!
“You…”
Seeing this, Li Shishi’s anger flared up rapidly. If Deng Tianyu weren’t present, she’d have given this stupid fox a good beating.
A tiny little fox, daring to provoke her?
Did she not know the meaning of “one punch, one Squeaky Monster”?
Deng Tianyu played along, asking with interest, “Then shall we leave Yingying in the sect, and you, Shishi, look after her?”
“Never mind, just take her with you, Senior Brother.”
“Tomorrow, it’s my turn to expound on the Dao. I don’t have time to deal with her.”
Li Shishi glanced at the little fox Yingying, putting on an air of being very busy.
If she had to look after her, she’d rather go into solitary cultivation facing a wall.
Otherwise, that stupid fox would definitely annoy her to death.
“Then it’s settled.”
“If anything important comes up, you can contact me via Transmission Jade Slip.”
Deng Tianyu smiled, summoned his Dharma Boat, and shot towards Xiaoxiang Elegant Garden.
He brought the little fox along because he was afraid that Tantai Mingyue inside her body might come out again.
If she caused some kind of trouble then, it would be awkward!
But bringing her along was different. At worst, he’d just have a fight with that Female Tyrant Tantai Mingyue!
“How about we secretly follow and take a look?”
“I keep having this feeling that someone is eyeing Senior Brother. Could he be keeping a woman outside?”
As soon as Deng Tianyu left, Li Shishi’s black-and-white eyes swiveled, and she planned to quietly follow and investigate.
Hong Shi, who had appeared behind her, rolled her eyes. “If you want Senior Brother to dislike you, then go ahead and follow!”
Li Shishi immediately stopped in her tracks and asked nervously, “Why would Senior Brother dislike me?”
Hong Shi sighed helplessly and explained, “With Senior Brother’s cultivation, he’d easily discover us tracking him. What would Senior Brother think if he found out?”
Li Shishi blinked her big, watery eyes and asked again, “What would he think?”
“He’d definitely think you’re just bored and fooling around, even monitoring his every move.”
“If someone did that to you, would you be willing?”
Li Shishi thought about it very seriously for a while and voiced her opinion, “If Senior Brother did that to me, I’d be willing!”
“You’re hopeless.” Hong Shi facepalmed. She too now understood the helplessness Senior Brother sometimes felt when facing this Big Loli.
Although she didn’t quite understand, Li Shishi forcefully suppressed that impulse. “Then what do you suggest?”
After all, compared to her, Hong Shi was far more skilled in the art of winning over Senior Brother.
“It’s simple. Stay in the sect, conserve your energy, and do whatever you need to do.”
“Once Senior Brother returns, we’ll launch the next phase of the strategy.”
“Balance advance and retreat—that way, Senior Brother won’t get annoyed!”
Hong Shi narrowed her red lotus eyes and explained.
Li Shishi still wasn’t entirely at ease. “Do you think there’s a chance Senior Brother is keeping a woman outside?”
“Rest assured on that point. Isn’t Yingying with Senior Brother?”
“When she comes back with Senior Brother, we’ll just lure her with delicacies and get her to tell us!”
A light of what one might call wisdom shone in Hong Shi’s beautiful eyes.
“Oh, right! Why didn’t I think of that?” Li Shishi’s heart settled, and a sweet smile appeared on her face.
