Chapter 187
“Get moving, now—run—!”
…
Lin Lingling went out for a run.
Zhao Ying and Xiang Xiaoyuan quickly finished delivering their goods and took their leave.
Old Li also found an excuse to slip away.
Only Chen Huai'an remained, a solitary figure in the containment room.
A cold, oppressive atmosphere hung in the air, while Ba Ji huddled in a corner, silent as a mouse. Xiao Qing crouched in the bathtub, pretending to be an ordinary fish, and Jiu Zhuan Linglan had stopped running around. Strawberry Bear lay flat on the ground, playing dead alongside the shrimp king embedded in the alloy wall.
“It’s nothing. To me, this little misunderstanding is hardly worth mentioning. As long as my strength continues to soar, these misunderstandings will eventually turn into understanding!” Chen Huai'an realized that after discovering the Tiemo Gong (天魔功, a powerful cultivation technique), it had somewhat affected his emotions. He found himself more easily irritated than before, and just moments ago, he had even felt an impulse to blow up the entire containment facility in Province C.
He opened the electronic girlfriend game.
Li Qingran was his sanctuary.
Just looking at Li Qingran calmed his heart.
【Your remaining lifespan: 93 years】
【Today's fortune: Minor misfortune—suitable for marriage, avoid buying clothes and visiting others】
Chen Huai'an twitched the corner of his mouth.
Damn, that’s spot on!
Seeing that Li Qingran was still cultivating, he casually recharged 88 yuan to set up a soundproofing array.
Then he moved the cultivation resources that Zhao Ying and Xiang Xiaoyuan had bought into Li Qingran’s small room.
Unlike many modern girls, Li Qingran’s room was not only frighteningly clean and tidy but also appeared cold and monotonous. There were no dopamine-inducing decorations, just shades of black, white, and gray. The only splashes of color were her bedding and the clothes she wore. He vaguely remembered that long ago, Li Qingran’s own clothes were also primarily in solid colors.
Chen Huai'an couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness as he searched around.
Such a beautiful and well-behaved girl couldn’t even find a second hairpin, let alone any other jewelry.
Even Yue Qianchi, who was carefree and unkempt, always wore different accessories depending on her mood and the weather.
Was Li Qingran not fond of dressing up? How could that be? It must be because she had suffered too much in Qingyun Sect, her spirit stones exhausted by her senior brothers. Every day was a struggle, living under constant pressure, leaving her no time to think about her appearance. Over time, it had simply become a habit.
On the windowsill, a few sprigs of fragrant purple irises swayed gently, their petals trembling in the moonlight. Li Qingran’s shadow flowed across the floorboards. Outside, the grass rustled with the sound of tiny insects, like fine sand slipping through fingers, casting a cool silver sheen over her slightly rising shoulders.
In just over a month’s time.
The girl’s serene brows had lost their worries, replaced by a hint of confidence and joy.
Chen Huai'an looked at Li Qingran and silently vowed.
“Just wait…
I will make you the most beautiful and happiest female sword immortal in the Cangyun Realm!”
…
…
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Chapter 202: How Does She Compare to the Fish Demon? (Starfall +1)
Crimson light spilled through the window like shards of silver, illuminating the girl’s toes, which gleamed like jade.
Li Qingran held the light, almost weightless fabric, her fingers sinking into the misty silk.
“So this is the white silk my master spoke of? It’s said to be woven from the silk of the extremely rare demon beast—the Western Region’s ten-thousand-year-old winter silkworm…” She curiously rubbed the thin stockings against her cheek, the cool, smooth sensation causing her earlobes to blush.
Her master had just briefly explained how to wear it.
But it still felt a bit awkward.
Li Qingran gently pulled up the binding strap at the top of her thigh, and the remaining fabric tightened around her toes, becoming much smoother.
A soft knock sounded from outside the screen.
【Is it fitting?】 The cool voice carried a hint of laughter.
Li Qingran hurriedly closed her legs, the pale hem of her skirt revealing a hazy snow-white, as if she were wrapped in unmelting snow with hints of peach blossoms.
“I just… feel like it might slip down…” She tugged at the hem, peeking out with half her face, the bells on her wrist jingling with her movements.
Suddenly, she felt a tightness around her ankles.
A bamboo folding fan parted the gauzy curtain, the fan’s tassel barely brushing against her taut instep.
A faint sandalwood scent wafted over as her master leaned closer.
【This is how you should bind it.】 The fan’s bone glided over her calf, separated by the silk stockings.
Li Qingran quickly looked down, curling her toes, as faint pink lines appeared on the translucent fabric.
“Master, you’re… you’re too close…” The mirror reflected their nearly overlapping figures, and the girl turned her face away, her breath trembling, almost curling into a ball, her blushing eyes brighter than the cinnabar on the table.
“And, and wearing this… doesn’t seem very proper, does it?”
Her voice was as soft as a whisper, the incense burner exhaling blue smoke that curled around her flowing hair, even her eyes, glistening with moisture, became hazy.
Chen Huai'an stood up, snapping the fan into his hand, his expression serious.
“What’s proper or not? This is called freedom of dress! Besides, no one can see much under your skirt, just a bit of your calves up to your knees… This is a good thing, warm in winter and cool in summer. Right now, it’s quite chilly at night, don’t you feel warmer?”
Li Qingran was momentarily stunned by her master’s sudden change in demeanor.
She bit her lip, wanting to say that she was no longer afraid of the cold with her perfected foundation.
But the words caught in her throat, and she lowered her head obediently, murmuring, “Master is right, I do feel much warmer. It truly is the winter silk of the ten-thousand-year-old silkworm.”
She knew her master loved to hear such things.
So she said it for him.
“Good, so you should wear it every day.” Chen Huai'an nodded in satisfaction.
In three hours, it would be morning, and all the disciples of the Sword Pavilion would gather at the sect’s square to head to the Zhongzhou Secret Realm. Each sect had strong figures stationed at the secret realm’s exit, and since the Sword Pavilion had few disciples, to maintain order and prevent any accidents when Li Qingran emerged from the secret realm, he decided to personally guard the area.
Since he had money now, he bought a one-day experience card for the perfected transformation stage to check out the situation in the Zhongzhou Secret Realm.
He could descend in his avatar, but he still couldn’t touch Li Qingran, though the folding fan could.
After tonight, he would burn that fan—he was jealous.
“Stand up so I can see you?”
Li Qingran obediently rose.
The gauzy curtain in front of the mirror was suddenly lifted by the wind, and Li Qingran hurriedly pressed down her fluttering skirt. Her calves, wrapped in transparent white silk, shimmered with a pearlescent glow in the moonlight, her delicate feet retreating into the shadows of the gauzy curtain.
“What are you hiding from?” The folding fan gently pressed against her trembling knees. “Turn around.”
Barefoot, she stepped on the purple iris petals and slowly turned, the skirt flaring open to reveal the rounded curves of her legs.
Li Qingran clutched the hem of her sleeve, too shy to meet his gaze, her hair brushing against her collarbone:
“Master, how do I look? Does it… look strange on me?”
Chen Huai'an discreetly wiped his nose, lowering his gaze to the girl’s straightened toes tracing a half-arc on the floor tiles, silently opening the game translation: 【Not bad, even more radiant than the jade lotus I saw in Yaochi!】
“How does she compare to the fish demon with those beautiful legs?”
“Cough, cough, how can a mere fat-headed fish demon compare to my disciple?”
“Then does Master admit that the fish demon has beautiful legs?”
“That’s not what I meant, I…”
“Hehe~” Li Qingran’s eyes sparkled as she twirled in her skirt.
As the hem of her skirt fluttered, Chen Huai'an felt as if he had stepped into a flower garden, his mind filled with the sweetness of osmanthus honey.
“Master, will I wear this tomorrow?”
“Didn’t you say it wasn’t proper?”
“Well, it’s not too bad. Actually, female cultivators in long skirts can still show a bit of leg when they walk. The stockings Master gave me actually cover my legs! But this skirt is meant for sleeping, it’s very short and thin, and being in front of Master… I’m just not used to it…”
Li Qingran let go of her skirt, standing with her hands behind her back in front of Chen Huai'an.
She looked up, her fluttering eyelashes like butterfly wings, her eyes filled with an indescribable emotion.
“Master… do you think I look pretty in this?”
“Pretty.”
“Then does Master like to see me wear it?”
“Hmm, it’s okay.”
“‘Okay’ means you like it or you don’t?”
“Hmm… I… like it.”
“Then I’ll wear it!”
…
The next day.
The disciples of the Sword Pavilion gathered in the sect’s square.
Su Qinian waited and waited, but Chen Huai'an and Li Qingran didn’t show up.
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