After Transmigrating, I and the Female Lead Both Found It 'Really Fragrant' (GL) - Chapter 23

“Shen Qiqi!” Master Chang Yao shouted.

“Yeah?” A hand lazily emerged from a lounge chair under the eaves in response.

“Don’t just laze around all day!” Master Chang Yao walked out of the house with a basket of herbs. “If you’ve got nothing better to do, go ahead and take care of these flowers and plants!”

Shen Qiqi yawned, her long eyelashes drooping, her face full of sleepiness. She was sprawled out on the lounge chair like a boneless noodle.

“Master, I don’t want to move… I’m too tired,” she whined.

Master Chang Yao laughed. “You young people, why have you no energy at all?”

“You don’t understand, I’ve been traveling down the mountain for the past few days, eating poorly and sleeping badly, leveling up and battling monsters everywhere, and roughing it,” Shen Qiqi rubbed her cheeks and sighed, “See, I’ve lost a whole circle of weight!”

She felt like she could just stay like this forever.

Master Chang Yao said, “Well, that’s even better. Get up and exercise.” He stuffed the bamboo basket into Shen Qiqi’s arms without a word, “Quick, quick, quick, don’t just lie there!”

Shen Qiqi mumbled a small complaint, “Why are you like my mom…” and then slowly straightened her back at a speed of one millimeter per second.

Just then, Liu Shuang passed by her, bringing a wave of warm air. She was carrying a bucket of well water, her sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of arm as white as a lotus root.

Shen Qiqi turned her head and subconsciously reached out a hand to her, “Senior Sister, pull me up. I can’t get up…”

Liu Shuang looked at her and didn’t reach out, asking, “Are you very tired?”

Shen Qiqi sat there for two or three seconds before nodding sleepily.

Liu Shuang took the medicine basket from her arms, “Then you sleep, I’ll help you.”

Shen Qiqi immediately lay back down, squinting at her and smiling, “Hehe, I knew Senior Sister was the best!”

Master Chang Yao folded his arms and said, “Xiao Shuang, don’t always spoil her. Let her do some work!”

Liu Shuang reached out and ruffled Shen Qiqi’s head, “She hasn’t slept well these past few days, so let’s forget it.”

Shen Qiqi lay on her back and giggled stupidly, swaying from side to side as she was rubbed.

Master Chang Yao shook his head and could only glare at Shen Qiqi, “Forget it, do as you please.”

“Master, I’ll just sleep for a little while…” Shen Qiqi held up one finger, mumbling, her voice getting smaller and smaller until it was completely silent. After a while, she started snoring.

Liu Shuang put a coat over her, tucked her restless hands into the clothes, and then picked up the basket and walked to the middle of the field.

Master Chang Yao frowned slightly, his expression a bit complicated, “Xiao Shuang…”

“What is it, Master?” Liu Shuang turned to look at him.

“The poison on your face,” Master Chang Yao looked at her, “Is it okay?”

Liu Shuang paused and slowly nodded.

Master Chang Yao hesitated, “That’s good… By the way, I’ve refined a pill to suppress the poison, take this.” He took a small silver-blue bottle from his pocket and carefully handed it to her.

Liu Shuang’s eyes were clear as she reached out to take it seriously, “Thank you, Master.”

Master Chang Yao then looked at Shen Qiqi’s restless sleeping posture and hesitated, “You and her…”

Liu Shuang followed his gaze. Shen Qiqi’s sleeping face was clean and innocent, without a trace of worldly dust, as if she were the person in the world with the least worries.

Her voice suddenly softened, “Junior Sister is very good.”

Master Chang Yao smiled and said, “That’s the best. Actually, when she first approached you, I didn’t trust her very much. Later, I heard that she stood up for you time and time again, and it didn’t seem fake. You have a quiet personality, and she is lively, so she can just help you a little…”

He always felt that Liu Shuang had become more mature and steady, her eyes didn’t look like those of a 17 or 18-year-old girl, they were very cold. She had no friends and was always alone wherever she went. Except for himself, it was difficult for others to get close to her heart.

It wasn’t until Shen Qiqi came to her that he finally saw a hint of worldly warmth in her.

Liu Shuang was touched and couldn’t help but bow deeply to him.

She knew that Master Chang Yao had always treated her as his own daughter, and cared for her deeply, even thinking of Liu Shuang’s name before he died, clearing her name for her.

Her eyes were slightly hot, and she said softly, “Master, all that happened yesterday has made me who I am today. I am truly grateful for your kindness to me.”

Master Chang Yao stroked his beard and smiled, “We are destined to be master and disciple, there is no need to thank me.” He then looked at Shen Qiqi and said, “When this girl wakes up, keep her for dinner and then let her go. I just have some tasks to give her.”

Liu Shuang agreed.

When evening came, Shen Qiqi was awakened by Liu Shuang.

The evening wind blew past the hexagonal bells under the eaves, making a clear tinkling sound that echoed far away.

She opened her eyelids groggily. At this moment, the sun was setting, and the clouds in the sky were burning a fiery red, casting a slanting shadow on the ground.

In her blurred vision, Liu Shuang was standing in the last rays of the setting sun, her brows and eyes slightly tinged with warmth, and her whole person seemed to have a different temperature.

“Senior Sister,” she mumbled indistinctly, stretching.

Liu Shuang took Shen Qiqi’s hand and gently pulled her up from the chair.

“It’s time to eat.”

Shen Qiqi yawned, her voice soft, “I’m almost full.” She rubbed her eyes and obediently followed behind Liu Shuang, like a little tail that would go wherever she was pointed.

Dinner was a fish soup. The fish meat was white and tender, the soup was as thick as milk, and it smelled very fresh. There was also a meat dish and a vegetable dish. The Dongpo pork was neatly arranged in a white porcelain plate, the color was bright red and not greasy, and the spinach was green and sweet.

Shen Qiqi’s eyes lit up, and she instantly felt hungry again.

Liu Shuang, who was fasting, was the only one at the table, so only Shen Qiqi and Master Chang Yao buried their heads in their food, without even time to talk.

Liu Shuang handed them napkins and said helplessly, “Be careful not to choke, eat slowly.”

Both of them had their mouths full of rice and couldn’t speak, so they both gave her a thumbs up in praise.

They ate for about ten minutes, and when it was time to wash the dishes, Shen Qiqi volunteered.

“Shen girl,” Master Chang Yao walked over to her and smiled, “Does my Xiao Shuang’s cooking suit your taste?”

Shen Qiqi scrubbed the plate carefully and replied seriously, “Of course. Who wouldn’t say that my Senior sister’s cooking is delicious!”

Master Chang Yao asked with a smile, “Since you’ve eaten our Xiao Shuang’s food for free, it wouldn’t be too much to ask for a little help, would it?”

“What kind of help?” Shen Qiqi looked at his expression, feeling that something was amiss, and perked up her ears warily, “Just say it.”

Liu Shuang looked over and sighed, “Master…”

Master Chang Yao coughed lightly and began to explain, “It’s not a big deal. I need to refine a pill these days, and I happen to need a few special materials. Xiao Shuang is usually busy taking care of the medicinal fields and doesn’t have time, so I’ll have to trouble you.”

Shen Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded readily, “Okay, that’s easy. You say, what materials do you need?”

“I need the inner cores of a few Foundation Establishment stage monsters,” said Master Chang Yao. “It’s not difficult to find, they’re all on the back mountain of Qingfeng.”

Shen Qiqi finished wiping the plate and said confidently, “Okay! Leave it to me!”

“However, the appearance times of these monsters are uncertain, some are during the day, and some are at night.”

Shen Qiqi paused in her movements.

Liu Shuang looked at her and pursed her lips slightly, “Your night blindness…”

“Senior Sister, don’t worry, it’s okay.” Shen Qiqi quickly waved her hand at her, “Didn’t Master Shui Yu teach me the illumination spell? I’ll just try it out.”

Liu Shuang stood there, her brows slightly furrowed, her face full of disapproval.

Master Chang Yao also hesitated, “Or maybe we should forget it…”

“No, no, let me try!” Shen Qiqi urged, “I can’t just eat and drink here for free!”

Master Chang Yao laughed loudly, “Even if you eat and drink here for free for the rest of your life, Xiao Shuang won’t mind!”

Liu Shuang glanced at him and turned away.

Knowing that she was unhappy, Shen Qiqi dried her hands, tiptoed, and quietly slipped behind Liu Shuang, gently tugging at her clothes, “Senior Sister–”

Liu Shuang didn’t speak.

“Senior Sister, I can really do it…” Shen Qiqi leaned close to her and whispered, “Give me a chance, nothing will happen! I promise to complete the task!”

Liu Shuang turned to the left, and she dodged to the left. She turned to the right, and she jumped to the right.

Liu Shuang was about to turn again, when Shen Qiqi reached out and hugged her waist, shaking back and forth, being very clingy.

Unable to do anything about her, Liu Shuang could only sigh and say, “Fine.”

Shen Qiqi raised her head from her chest, her eyes curved into a smile, her eyes bright, “Good Senior Sister, if you’re not at ease, why don’t you come with me?”

Liu Shuang was silent for a moment, and then vaguely said, “I have some things to do these few nights, it’s inconvenient.”

Shen Qiqi was stunned. The female lead has something to do at this time? She carefully recalled the original plot, and before the Nightmare Realm opened, there shouldn’t be any new dungeons to be cleared?!

Liu Shuang patted her shoulder and said softly, “You go alone, you must be careful.” She paused and added, “Don’t run too far alone.”

Shen Qiqi didn’t ask any more questions, guessing that it was some private matter, so she nodded, “Okay.”

••••

At night, back mountain.

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, and the dense forest was pitch black. The moonlight cast a cold, silvery glow on the shadows of the trees.

Shen Qiqi looked up at the vast night sky, where a bright silver disc was embedded, moving slowly through the clouds.

She murmured, “Full moon…”

With no one else around, Shen Qiqi could only entertain herself. She picked up a twig from the ground and used it as a wand, silently chanting an illumination spell. Raising her head, she waved it towards her left, like a proud little witch, “Illuminate!”

A ball of white light flew out of her hand, floated around in the air for a moment, and then obediently stopped beside her, just enough to illuminate the area in front of her.

The light dispelled her fear. The back mountain was relatively safer compared to Blackwater Cliff. She could use magic here, and the danger level had dropped several levels.

Shen Qiqi crouched in the grass, like a leopard lurking in the dark, patiently waiting for her prey to fall into her trap.

After returning from the herb garden, she couldn’t sleep, so she came to the back mountain and decided to complete the side quest that Master Chang Yao had given her.

The monster she was supposed to capture today was called “Kui Duan”. It was nocturnal and very rare, only appearing at the dead of night.

Shen Qiqi placed a jujube on the ground. She had heard that Kui Duan liked to gnaw on them, and would be unable to resist coming out of its hole when it smelled the scent.

Fortunately, Kui Duan didn’t make her wait long. After patiently guarding for only 5 minutes, there was a rustling sound around her, and the ground vibrated slightly, as if something was about to burst out from underground.

Shen Qiqi focused: It’s coming!

A small mound of earth suddenly appeared under a large tree not far from the jujube. The mound grew larger and larger, extending all the way to the jujube, and a dark little paw emerged from behind.

Kui Duan crawled out of the earth hole onto the ground, its nose twitching as it cautiously crawled over. It looked like a cross between a marmot and a seal, not very big, and seemed rather silly, with a low level of alertness.

It circled around the jujube, found nothing suspicious, and slowly extended its paw –

Shen Qiqi suddenly jumped out from the bushes, with a head full of messy leaves, her palms together, she cast a spirit controlling spell, “Nowhere to run!”

“Goo!” Kui Duan screamed, clutching the jujube in its two chubby paws, and instantly disappeared into the earth.

The spirit controlling talisman, filled with light blue spiritual energy, suddenly lost its target and wilted.

Shen Qiqi was startled. The little guy reacted pretty quickly, it could actually burrow underground!

Without a word, she chased after it.

Kui Duan was timid by nature, and Shen Qiqi’s aggressive appearance scared it out of its wits, so it ran even faster.

One person and one beast, one chasing and one fleeing, they ran deeper and deeper into the forest, the surrounding bushes and trees became more and more dense, and when blown by the wind, they swayed like ghostly figures waving their claws.

For Kui Duan, this was the perfect hiding place.

It wasn’t long before Shen Qiqi lost sight of her target due to the overly complex terrain.

“Such a small thing! How could it… run so fast?” she leaned against a tree, catching her breath. “Damn, where am I?!”

She had followed the small mound over the hill at a rapid pace, and before she knew it, she had forgotten where she had ended up.

The small ball of light circled around, and all she could see was trees. The scenery was completely unfamiliar, and only the full moon hung high in the sky.

Shen Qiqi’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly took a deep breath to calm herself down.

There shouldn’t be any fierce beasts on this mountain, at most she would just get lost, and she wouldn’t be in any life-threatening danger. As she convinced herself, she carefully walked forward.

Pushing aside the dense grass, a thin fog drifted in the distance, shrouding the entire forest in a layer of ethereal white gauze.

“Which way should I go… I don’t care, just go!”

Shen Qiqi randomly chose a direction and walked blindly, leaving a trace of spiritual energy as a marker from time to time to prevent herself from going back on the same path.

Perhaps she was just lucky, but after walking for dozens of steps, she suddenly saw a faint flicker of fire ahead.

Shen Qiqi’s heart skipped a beat, and she cautiously walked over.

It was past midnight, and there was a light burning on the mountain. It was probably not a normal person… it was probably either a monster or a lunatic.

She tiptoed, avoiding the fallen leaves and gravel on the ground, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Strangely, the closer she got, the colder the air felt around her.

Shen Qiqi rubbed her arms and shivered involuntarily.

The fog was swirling, and the light was very close. She suddenly heard some sounds.

It was very quiet around her, except for the rustling of the trees and the faint sound of flowing water.

Shen Qiqi braced herself and gently pushed aside the bushes.

What came into view was a mountain spring. The sound of the water was probably coming from the spring. A set of neatly folded white clothes was placed on a white stone by the shore, and a small oil lamp for lighting was placed on the clothes, swaying with a red flame, dyeing the cold spring water with a warm color.

The spring was filled with mist, but she could still vaguely see the figure of a person in the spring.

The person had their back to Shen Qiqi, with a tall and slender figure, snow-white skin and black hair. They were reaching out to scoop up a handful of water and slowly pouring it down from their head.

Crystal-clear water droplets rolled down their long, satin-like hair, gradually outlining the soft curves of their waist and back, and gently falling into the water, rippling outwards.

If it hadn’t happened in the middle of the night, this scene would have been considered quite enchanting.

However, Shen Qiqi had no heart to appreciate it, and goosebumps popped up all over her body, “Am I not going to bump into some kind of mountain spirit or goblin taking a bath in the middle of the night?”

She subconsciously took a step back.

“Creak!” The sound was especially obvious in the quiet forest.

Shen Qiqi’s scalp went numb, oh no! I accidentally stepped on a branch!

The woman was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up from the cold spring, revealing her slender waist. She slowly turned around, and in the faint mist, a pair of autumn-like eyes could be faintly seen.

Those eyes were alluring and charming, but they also faintly emitted a scarlet red.

Shen Qiqi couldn’t see her face clearly and swallowed hard. All she wanted to do right now was turn around and run away.

Don’t come closer!

But to her despair and terror, she found that she couldn’t move. She could only stand there, watching helplessly as a beautiful woman emerged from the bath.

The woman picked up the clothes on the white stone by the shore and casually draped them over her body. Her round bare feet stepped on the mud as she walked towards her from the mist.

In that instant, Shen Qiqi saw the other person’s face.

Her brain went blank. She couldn’t tell whether she should breathe a sigh of relief or die on the spot.

Because she saw her gentle and lovely senior sister, Liu Shuang, who should have been resting in the herb garden, standing here, covered only in a thin veil, walking towards her under the clear moonlight.

The thin veil couldn’t block anything at all, and her slender waist and jade legs were faintly visible, making her even more alluring.

Shen Qiqi’s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly felt hot and embarrassed.

Liu Shuang, who was usually cold and meticulous, looked like a crystal-clear white snow on a mountain, so pure that it was unbearable to defile. Now, half-covered and with red eyes, her brows and eyes were full of a different charm than usual, like a seductive sea witch with delicate eyebrows and red lips, captivating the heart.

All that was left in Shen Qiqi’s mind was the two big characters “Don’t look!” and she quickly looked away, “Senior Sister, I, I was just passing by…”

No, wait, we’re both girls, why am I so shy?!

Liu Shuang looked at her and suddenly smiled, with a different kind of charm in her brows and eyes, both enchanting and seductive.

Shen Qiqi’s lips parted slightly as she stared at her infatuatedly, “Senior Sister…”

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Shuang leaned forward slightly, her white fingertip hooked under her chin, and pulled her forward.

Something warm and soft pressed against her lips, and in the hot and ambiguous breath, she could even smell the faint fragrance of Liu Shuang.

The last string in Shen Qiqi’s mind snapped, and she was completely stunned.

Junior Sister: This is terrible! I might become gay…

Hehe, I’ve been waiting for a long time, was it very long and satisfying yesterday?

Finally, as always, thank you very much everyone!!! (Three bows)