The Sickly Beauty and Her Guide Leopard - Chapter 13

Yan Qingshuang stood tall and graceful, her white veil fluttering in the gentle breeze. Though Jian Li couldn’t see her, she felt Yan Qingshuang’s gaze following her, faint yet persistent.

Jian Li turned back. “Little Shuang, did you just cough?”

“You heard that?”

“Of course! I’m an animal, you know. My ears are sharp.”

With that, Jian Li placed her tail in Yan Qingshuang’s palm. “Hold it. We’ll walk together.”

Yan Qingshuang hesitated. “I’m afraid I’ll squeeze too hard and hurt you.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s just a tail. I could even bite it myself and be fine.”

Jian Li kept urging, while Yan Qingshuang carefully restrained herself. Her slender fingers wrapped around the tip of Jian Li’s tail. “Does this feel uncomfortable?”

A little strange… like I need to pee.

Probably drank too much water during lunch.

Jian Li stubbornly insisted, “No, it’s fine! Not uncomfortable at all.”

She steeled her mind, focusing on the path ahead and occasionally guiding Yan Qingshuang on which way to go.

They strolled down a street, and fortunately, everyone was too busy with their own stalls to notice a blind woman being guided by a little leopard.

Jian Li held her breath until the sign appeared. She exhaled slowly. “Um, you can let go now.”

Yan Qingshuang quickly withdrew her fingertips, tucking her hands neatly into her sleeves.

Jian Li surveyed the small pushcart stall. A sign and a wooden table stood beside it. The sign featured a dragon with outstretched wings, flames erupting from its mouth.

The table was laden with various tools: Spirit Mirrors, whips, swords, bells, flutes, throwing knives, silver needles—all essential for cultivators’ battles.

A little girl with pigtails sat on a small wooden stool. Her almond-shaped eyes darted over Jian Li before settling on Yan Qingshuang, her expression radiating disdain.

“Yan Qingshuang, what kind of monstrosity have you brought to the Sect?”

Jian Li had grown immune to insults over the past few days, but she still feigned helplessness in front of Yan Qingshuang. “Little Shuang, who’s this brat?”

Yan Qingshuang nodded slightly at the vendor. “Senior Sister Long, this is my Spirit Beast,” she said calmly.

The woman addressed as Senior Sister Long was Long Qianmeng, the eldest disciple of Bailian Peak and the highest-ranking member of the six major peaks besides the Elders. Her status stemmed from being a True Dragon who had transformed into human form a century ago.

True Dragons possessed innate divine vision, allowing them to instantly distinguish between Spiritual Beasts and Monster Beasts within the Beast Clan.

Yan Qingshuang’s Spirit Beast emitted a chaotic aura of iridescent colors mingled with dark, stagnant water, its deathly energy palpable.

Long Qianmeng had never encountered such a bizarre creature. Despite being part of the Beast Clan herself, she usually turned a blind eye to Monster Beasts.

“Fine,” she said. “A strange Monster Beast for a strange person. Take her to Spirit Taming Peak for identification tomorrow. Don’t let the beast roam freely.”

Yan Qingshuang gave a casual hum of acknowledgment.

Long Qianmeng had always resented her detached demeanor. She grabbed a Recording Stone and channeled Spiritual Power into it.

Long Qianmeng intended to capture Jian Li’s image and send it to Spirit Taming Peak.

Yan Qingshuang swiftly pulled Jian Li into her arms, her wide sleeves concealing the creature’s form.

“Senior Sister Long, there’s no need to target it like this.”

Long Qianmeng scoffed. “In all these years, I’ve never seen you defend anyone so fiercely.”

“Rumor has it you’ve lost all your Spiritual Power and had your Golden Core extracted. Could this Strange Spiritual Beast be involved?”

Yan Qingshuang’s eyes darkened beneath her white veil. “Whether that’s true or not, I’d prefer you not pry further, Senior Sister.”

Jian Li, nestled against Yan Qingshuang’s chest, felt deeply moved by her words, tears welling up in her eyes.

Long Qianmeng stared intently at Yan Qingshuang and the cowering Jian Li.

A beast of unknown origin, with such meager strength… She suppressed her hostility, a smirk playing on her lips.

“Fine, Junior Sister Yan, look all you want. Today’s a special sale—consider yourself lucky.”

Yan Qingshuang purchased a simply crafted Spirit Mirror, paid, and left.

Only after they were well out of sight did Long Qianmeng activate the Spirit Mirror to contact her acquaintance at Spirit Taming Peak.

Jian Li nearly suffocated beneath the billowing sleeves.

She squeezed her head out, her eyes rimmed with red. “Little Shuang, you really defended me! You’re treating me like a life-saving leopard, worshiping me like a deity!”

Yan Qingshuang leaned against the wall, bending down to apologize. “I’m sorry you had to endure such humiliation.”

“It’s alright. I’m already used to this dog-eat-dog world where the strong prey on the weak.”

“Take me to buy a Bamboo Cane, okay?”

“Mm!”

After returning to their residence, Jian Li helped Yan Qingshuang calculate their remaining funds. After deducting the cost of the Spirit Mirror and Bamboo Staff and transportation expenses, they were left with 200 Spirit Stones.

I wonder if we can even make it through the day.

Jian Li gnawed on a chicken leg, her brow furrowed in worry, suddenly acutely aware of their bare-bones existence.

Yan Qingshuang heated a tub of water in the kitchen and entered the room, leaning on her Bamboo Cane. “Do you want to bathe?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” Jian Li replied without hesitation. “I’ve gotten so dirty being out all day.”

Yan Qingshuang approached her. “You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s nothing,” Jian Li said, wrapping her arms around Yan Qingshuang’s neck. “The Spirit Mirror you brought back requires Spiritual Power to activate, right? But you don’t have any Spiritual Power anymore…”

“I bound it with a Spiritual Imprint earlier. I can activate it later for normal use.”

Jian Li’s greatest reward from this transmigration was obtaining a pre-blackened beauty villain, one who worked tirelessly without complaint.

Yan Qingshuang lathered Jian Li with soapberry, cupping water to create a foamy lather. She meticulously scrubbed each tuft of fur, asking about the water temperature.

The shower room filled with steamy warmth as Jian Li let Yan Qingshuang tend to her from head to toe.

A bubble accidentally slipped onto Jian Li’s lips. She blew out a transparent bubble that burst, sending soapy droplets into Yan Qingshuang’s violet-mist eyes.

Yan Qingshuang blinked and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

Jian Li burst into laughter. “I just remembered something strange. Why did you tell me to stay away from you at first? Were you afraid I was a bad leopard?”

Yan Qingshuang: “No, you’re wonderful.”

“Then what are you afraid of?” Jian Li asked.

Yan Qingshuang’s pale lips parted. “I’m afraid…”

Ding-dong!

“Ah, someone’s calling me!” Jian Li exclaimed, cutting her off. Before Yan Qingshuang could finish, she leaped out of the wooden tub with feline agility, darting across the room like a small rocket, her wet fur leaving damp paw prints on the floor.

Yan Qingshuang paused, then grabbed a dry towel and followed her inside.

Jian Li held up the Spirit Mirror and spoke into the screen. “Big Orange, this is my Spiritual Imprint. Remember to keep it safe.”

Glancing sideways, she noticed Yan Qingshuang trying to get her bearings. Jian Li tilted her chin and called out, “Little Shuang, I’m over here! I’ve added Zhao Yu’s Spiritual Beast, Big Orange!”

Yan Qingshuang approached and crouched down to help dry Jian Li’s fur, her movements gentle.

Big Orange: Got it. I’m going to sleep now.

Jian Li: How can you sleep? Don’t sleep! What about the task I gave you?

Big Orange: Oh, right! There’s a haunted house eighteen miles east of town. The Immortal Alliance is offering a reward of thirty thousand Spirit Stones to exorcise the ghost.

Jian Li: That’s a fortune! Won’t everyone be fighting over it?

Big Orange: Nope. All the cultivators who went there died.

Jian Li: …Okay, why do you think I can handle it?

Yan Qingshuang was drying Jian Li’s tail, which was particularly wet. She applied a bit more pressure.

The entire leopard shuddered violently, her ears twitching repeatedly. Her furry paw lost its grip on the Spirit Mirror, which clattered to the floor.

She slumped against the armchair, her legs trembling uncontrollably, feeling like her bath had been a complete waste.