501 A Big Game of Chess!
Jiang Huai prepared three servings of juice, pouring them into cup-like containers. He added a straw to Ji Qingxuan’s cup. Ji Qingxuan was still leaning against the stone wall, seemingly resting with her eyes closed. It wasn’t until Jiang Huai approached that she slowly opened her eyes.
“I made some refreshing drinks,” Jiang Huai spoke softly.
Ji Qingxuan nodded gently and leaned closer, taking a small sip through the straw. The slightly greasy feeling from lunch was washed away by the sweet and tangy fruit tea. She quickly finished the drink, and Jiang Huai returned to Mu Yao’s side. At this moment, Mu Yao playfully nestled closer to him, her petite body curling into his embrace. “When are we going out to look for flowers?”
“You stay here to watch over her while I go out to look. I’ll be back in three shichen.”
“Let’s go together!”
“She has no cultivation level. Even if I leave behind the scent of a fox and the Mirror Flower Sword Style, there could still be a danger if a Snow Spirit Wolf inadvertently approaches. You should obediently stay here; I’ll be back soon.”
Clarifying the risks, Mu Yao had no choice but to stop insisting. Before leaving, Jiang Huai pinched her cheek. “I’ll bring back something delicious for you. Don’t go bullying her; she’s sick.”
“I’m not that vicious of a woman!” Mu Yao huffed, making a face at him. Jiang Huai felt relieved and pinched her tender little face again. After leaving behind a trace of the Mirror Flower Sword Style and some of his fox clan’s spiritual Qi to confuse any human aura, he left the cave to search for his Ice Crystal Snow Soul Flower.
………………………………
“I’m not trying to bully you… I really can’t feed people, I’m sorry.”
In the cave, Mu Yao looked across at Ji Qingxuan and quietly apologized.
“It’s okay,” Ji Qingxuan gently shook her head. “I don’t blame you.”
“That’s good.” Mu Yao let out a sigh of relief. As soon as Jiang Huai left, her jet-black eyes shifted and she muttered softly, “You must be very careful of him…”
“Mm?” Ji Qingxuan was puzzled.
“Although he seems decent to strangers and looks like a gentleman, secretly, he’s really bad—especially perverted, particularly shameless, and terribly lewd.”
A hint of confusion flickered in Ji Qingxuan’s eyes as she looked at the serious Mu Yao. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, “I’d like to hear more.”
“Let me first list how many Dao Companions he has…”
……………………………………
Jiang Huai quietly explored through the wind and snow.
With the death of the Snow Spirit Wolf King, the snow wolves on Snow Wolf Island seemed to have lost some of their vitality. Jiang Huai, possessing fox blood, perfectly concealed his human aura. Walking through the blizzard, he remained unconcerned. Today, although there was still a snowstorm, the visibility was slightly better. He searched a wide area and successfully picked some heavenly-grade ice attribute spirit flowers, but he found nothing of the exquisite Ice Crystal Snow Soul Flower.
On his journey, he also looked for any good spiritual beasts to eat. After searching for a long time, he finally hunted down two snow chickens hiding in the snowy bamboo forest and some special mushrooms that grew in extreme cold.
On his way back to the cave, Jiang Huai felt strangely like a primitive man preparing to bring food back to his family.
Of course, he knew that while he was away, Mu Yao would likely smear his already limited good reputation. But upon reflection, Mu Yao wasn’t actually foolish; she was just insecure and felt uneasy, which led her to think of these strange ideas. Jiang Huai didn’t mind how Mu Yao talked about him behind his back; in the future, he wouldn’t have any close encounters with Ji Qingxuan anyway.
Those who are clear in their hearts won’t be tarnished by rumors. Ultimately, how one leaves an impression on others depends on their judgment. If someone believes hearsay without question, then Jiang Huai doesn’t need to make friends with such mindless people.
At worst, when Ji Qingxuan recovers and leaves, he’ll just have to spank Mu Yao five times on her rear every night. Listening to her pleading and aggrieved cries would be quite relieving.
With such thoughts, Jiang Huai quietly finished killing the chickens by the lake and returned to the cave. At this moment, Mu Yao was leaning against Ji Qingxuan, the two girls cuddled up next to each other. Although they hadn’t seen each other for just a few hours, they appeared as close as sisters. Mu Yao was flipping through a copy of the Floating Clouds Flowery Records, murmuring, “Yes, it’s this… look at this…”
Jiang Huai coughed lightly, and Mu Yao instantly snapped back to reality, quickly hiding the small book. Her cheeks flushed slightly, showing a hint of panic.
“What are you talking about?” Jiang Huai asked helplessly.
“Girl talk; humph. You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.” Mu Yao lightly huffed, then abandoned Ji Qingxuan to approach Jiang Huai, her eyes sparkling brightly as she gazed at the cleaned chicken and mushrooms in his hands. “Eating chicken?”
“Yes, but the chicken here is cold in nature, and the mushrooms too. I plan to make spicy hand-torn chicken in a dry pot,” Jiang Huai replied softly, before starting to prepare the ingredients. Mu Yao obediently knelt beside him, resembling a kitten waiting to be fed.
“What are you staring at me for while I cook?”
“It’s fun to watch,” Mu Yao said innocently, blinking. “You cooking is very entertaining and smells delicious.”
Jiang Huai sighed with a smile. “If only you could talk less bad about me when I’m not around.”
“I didn’t talk bad about you.”
“Oh? Really?”
“I just recounted things you’ve done,” Mu Yao replied boldly. However, Jiang Huai grinned as he winked at her. “Did you happen to mention the little rabbit story…”
Before he could finish, Mu Yao leaned in close and covered his lips with her hand, her cheeks reddening as a pleading look finally appeared in her eyes. “Don’t say that.”
“Oh.” Jiang Huai couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
……………………………………
In the cave.
Even with her back supported against the stone wall, Ji Qingxuan was elegantly receiving pieces of chicken and rice that Jiang Huai fed her, her tender lips moving slightly.
Mu Yao’s eating style was more uninhibited, but just watching her eat was appetizing. Jiang Huai generally only ate until he was seventy percent full, and after satisfying his hunger, he leaned against the stone wall of the cave. Exploring with just his soul was still somewhat slow; it would be much faster with both him and Mu Yao together. However, he couldn’t leave Ji Qingxuan alone in the cave, as they had to avoid any risks, even if they were minute.
The cave was reasonably spacious, adorned with two Firefly Stones hanging from above. Ji Qingxuan’s bedding was all provided by Jiang Huai, especially warm and cozy. At that moment, she had already lain down on the bed while Mu Yao had just finished tucking her in, covering Ji Qingxuan’s white and tender little feet. Only her head was visible as she closed her eyes, resting to heal her injuries, while Mu Yao, having eaten well and not busy with anything else, cozied up next to her, snuggling against Jiang Huai.
“Are you starting to root around like a little pig again?”
“You’re the little pig!” Mu Yao huffed, using her white and tender little feet to playfully stomp on his calves. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the sleeping Ji Qingxuan, feeling a slight irritation.
With such a burden in the way, she had to restrain herself from acting wild in front of Jiang Huai. Otherwise, she would have likely started teasing him by then, only to face a spank on her butt for her trouble, or perhaps provoke the evil Jiang Huai to give her a proper lesson.
Oddly enough, Mu Yao didn’t actually dislike being scolded by him. Though she often felt wronged and embarrassed, those feelings were mostly instinctive complaints. When it came down to resisting, she couldn’t muster any strength; she ended up behaving like a well-behaved, cute little cat.
Mu Yao shifted slightly, moving a bit farther away, then lifted the hem of her skirt, gently placing her small, tender foot on Jiang Huai’s stomach. Jiang Huai lightly grabbed her ankle, causing her cheeks to flush while her foot didn’t withdraw. At this moment, she didn’t need to speak; her body language was already very clear, as if it were written… “Come play with me.”
Her exquisite little feet were untainted by dust and appeared delicate, initially cool to the touch but gradually warming up. The fair skin began to show a hint of pink, and her toes curled adorably in shyness, only to be forced open by Jiang Huai’s fingers. Once they had been pulled apart, they quickly closed again, the playful handling of her feet causing her face to flush; it was all very interesting.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Huai glanced at Ji Qingxuan, noting her tightly closed eyes and feeling a sense of reassurance. There was a strange thrill in the air, and he turned to look at Mu Yao, noticing how quickly her cheeks flushed.
Jiang Huai did indulge for a moment in playing with her tender little foot, but when Mu Yao obediently extended her other little foot toward him, he softly said, “I’m bored with this.”
Mu Yao’s eyes instantly dimmed, but after a moment, she leaned closer, wrapping her arms around his arm, pressing her soft chest against his hand. She was being deliberate; her youthful bosom was soft and supple, and though he had seen her a couple of times, they were far from too small, yet still retained a certain naiveté, resembling a small jade bowl. Her figure was certainly more pronounced than that of Bai Li, who was in her loli form, but compared to the now fully matured aura of Wanwan, she fell distinctly short.
Jiang Huai’s thoughts wandered into strange territory as he attempted to pull his arm away, but Mu Yao held him tightly. When he looked back at her, her lips were slightly pursed, and her eyes resembled a kitten’s.
Having spent so much time together with Mu Yao, the distance between them seemed to be fading. He found himself considering wicked thoughts, wondering if Mu Yao’s seemingly foolish antics were actually part of a plan, designed to make him accustomed to handling her roughly whenever she behaved like a naughty cat. Was it possible that, over time, they might develop feelings for each other?
No wonder she was the daughter of the Chess Saint; it was indeed a big game of chess!
Jiang Huai usually operated in two modes: one where he appeared gentle but was actually distant and cold towards everyone, and another where he dropped his mask in front of those close to him. At this moment, looking at Mu Yao as she rubbed her tender little feet against him while occasionally nudging him with her chest, he leaned slightly towards her ear and softly murmured, “Let me kiss your toe.”
“Absolutely not!” Mu Yao instinctively replied. After several seconds, her face was ablaze as she glared at Jiang Huai, then pointed to her tender lips. “You have to kiss here first, and then I’ll let you.”
“Not a chance, I just want to kiss your toe.”
“Then I definitely won’t let you… I refuse to be your toy!” Mu Yao huffed, crossing her arms defiantly and tugging at the quilt to wrap herself tightly, as if this would truly make her feel secure.
Jiang Huai took out another blanket and lay down beside her.
He wasn’t that intent on kissing her; he just wanted her to drop her defenses so he could sleep peacefully tonight. Considering that Ji Qingxuan was still present in the cave, Mu Yao, who typically had the thinnest skin in front of outsiders, wouldn’t dare sneak around and do anything naughty while he was asleep.
And so, a peaceful night unfolded.
