The Sickly Beauty and Her Guide Leopard - Chapter 22

Jian Li: “Of course I like you more, Little Shuang.”

You’re my super-rich sugar mama, my hope for a life of blissful laziness, she thought.

Jian Li’s casual reply, spoken without intention, struck a chord with Yan Qingshuang. A wave of warmth spread from the tips of her ears down to her neck.

Yan Qingshuang picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and brought it to Jian Li’s mouth. “You didn’t eat lunch.”

“Because I wanted to save my appetite to eat with Little Shuang.”

“You’re such a smooth talker,” Yan Qingshuang said softly. “Don’t starve yourself. You’re already so thin.”

Why did you have to bring that up? Jian Li thought glumly. The mention of body image reminded her of Wu Yun’s voluptuous, muscular physique—a constant assault on Jian Li’s self-esteem about her own short, slender legs.

Moreover, Body Cultivators tended to be tall and imposing. Compared to them, Jian Li, as a Little Snow Leopard, felt like an ant that could be crushed between their fingers at any moment.

“Stop teasing me,” Jian Li grumbled. “Even if I transform, I’ll never have that ‘clothes on, look slim; clothes off, look ripped’ thing going on.”

Yan Qingshuang chuckled softly and gently tapped Jian Li’s twitching pink nose. “Where did you get such a silly idea? You’re still growing. You need to eat more to get stronger.”

“I told you, I’m not small…”

Before Jian Li could finish, she had to open her mouth wide to accept Yan Qingshuang’s offering.

“Oh, I just remembered—did you cough up bl00d?”

Yan Qingshuang: “Hmm? Why do you ask?”

“Spiritual Beasts have very sensitive noses. I smelled it as soon as I entered the room and just remembered to ask. Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

Mumbling through a mouthful of food, Jian Li said, “Coughing up bl00d is nothing to worry about? What if you cough up your heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys?”

Yan Qingshuang deliberately avoided the topic and continued feeding Jian Li, stuffing her cheeks until they bulged.

By the end of the meal, Jian Li had devoured most of the food, now lazily curled up to digest, her tail and belly intertwined.

Yan Qingshuang secretly channeled a sliver of Spiritual Power, briefly restoring her ability to see. Her gaze swept over Jian Li’s Storage Pouch.

“Did you buy a new Storage Pouch?”

“Huh?” Jian Li was rubbing her belly, her eyes half-closed. When she saw Yan Qingshuang’s fingers caressing the pouch, she startled upright, wanting to snatch it back but hesitating.

“Why would I waste money buying it? Sister Chang gave it to me, of course.”

Yan Qingshuang felt a surge of displeasure, though she couldn’t quite explain the source of her unease. She forcibly suppressed the inappropriate thoughts that threatened to surface.

“Sister… Chang,” Jian Li said slowly, unsure of Yan Qingshuang’s reaction. She hesitated, then added, “She’s older than me. Calling her ‘Sister’ is just being polite.”

After a long silence, Yan Qingshuang turned away without a word.

Jian Li breathed a sigh of relief, nearly convinced she’d said something wrong and was about to be scolded. Moments later, Yan Qingshuang returned with paper and a calligraphy brush.

With the inkstone and ink already prepared, what was Yan Qingshuang planning? Jian Li rested her front paws on the spotless table and eagerly offered to help grind the ink.

“Are you practicing calligraphy?”

“No,” Yan Qingshuang replied.

When the fragrance of ink filled the air, Yan Qingshuang lifted the brush, straightened her posture, and nodded. Her elegant, vigorous strokes danced across the paper.

Jian Li praised her beautiful calligraphy, her voice still soft and childlike as she read aloud: “Taiwei Era 2974, tenth month, third day, midnight, light snow.”

“What year is it now?”

Yan Qingshuang, unusually playful, replied, “Guess!”

The date and time were clearly written in black ink on white paper, down to the hour. Jian Li remarked meaningfully, “Could this be your birthday?”

“Exactly.”

“But you…”

Jian Li hesitated, not because she was afraid to speak, but because she feared Yan Qingshuang might be reminded of painful memories. For others, birthdays were joyous occasions with loving parents present. But Yan Qingshuang…

Yan Qingshuang finished her sentence, “There’s no ‘but.’ I’m several cycles older than you.”

Unexpectedly, Yan Qingshuang showed no sadness, casually comparing their ages. Jian Li nearly burst out laughing—a twenty-six-year-old woman!

Yan Qingshuang was only half right; it wasn’t several cycles, but just five years.

Jian Li wrapped her arm around Yan Qingshuang’s and hummed, “Should I call you Sister Shuang?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You wish, Little Shuang. Let’s talk again when you can afford to support me.”

When Jian Li called Chang Chi and Zhang Yuan “Sister,” it was with clear ulterior motives. But with Yan Qingshuang, there was no need for such excessive flattery.

Who knew? Yan Qingshuang might end up relying on Jian Li for support.

Yan Qingshuang replied, “That day is coming soon.”

The metallic tang of bl00d still lingered in Jian Li’s nostrils. She released Yan Qingshuang and rubbed her nose with her paw pad.

“Forget about all that for now. You suffer so much every month—isn’t there anything that can ease the pain?”

Yan Qingshuang instinctively took a step back, crumpled the paper into a ball, and spoke with a lack of interest.

“The fruit you gave me didn’t alleviate the pain, but it did make me pass out.”

Pass out? That didn’t sound good. Jian Li hesitated. “You’re going to use it again next time?”

Yan Qingshuang dropped the crumpled paper into the inkstone, watching the black mass sink. “If you’re willing to give it to me, yes.”

Jian Li pondered. After all, the others had accepted her red fruits, which at least proved they weren’t poisonous. She’d even eaten one herself, and so far, there had been no side effects.

“We’ll see when the time comes. Hey, wait a second.” Jian Li hopped down and gestured for Yan Qingshuang to follow.

Yan Qingshuang followed her to the kitchen and began washing dishes. Jian Li squatted on the floor, rummaging through her Storage Pouch, her brow furrowing deeper with each passing moment.

“What’s in there?”

Jian Li pouted. “Something your old flame sent you.”

The sound of water washing over ceramic filled the air. Yan Qingshuang, exhausted from the day’s exertion, moved more slowly than usual. She looked puzzled. “Old flame?”

Jian Li let out a whoosh as she pulled a massive slab of meat from her Storage Pouch, wiping her brow with a look of self-satisfied exhaustion.

“Hey, Wu Yun—you remember her, right? Just delivering stuff, as usual,” Jian Li said, deliberately rubbing her paws against the fattiest part of the meat to catch Yan Qingshuang’s attention. “Look at this greasy mess! So unhygienic.”

Yan Qingshuang glanced at the meat before her gaze shifted to the Little Snow Leopard, who was puffing up her cheeks in a huff.

With a sigh, Yan Qingshuang picked her up and rinsed her paws with warm water from a nearby pot. After lathering them with soapberry, she patiently explained, “She’s not my ‘old flame.’ We’re just old friends who’ve known each other for a long time.”

“Oh, so tell me,” Jian Li pressed, “has she given you meat more than once? What else has she given you?”

“Not many times. I still have to spend Spirit Stones to buy ingredients from her.”

Jian Li’s mind flashed to the delicious meat buns Yan Qingshuang had made before. “Were those meat buns you made for me earlier also from her?” she asked eagerly.

Yan Qingshuang dried Jian Li’s paws with a towel. The fur would take a while to dry completely, especially since it was autumn and her house couldn’t maintain a warm temperature with Spiritual Power.

Her reply was simple: “I buy wherever it’s cheapest.”

Shivering from the cold, Jian Li burrowed into Yan Qingshuang’s arms, muttering, “You’re so good at managing the household. So virtuous.”

Yan Qingshuang: “You don’t sound very happy about it.”

Jian Li: “No, I am! The ‘can cook and clean’ type is really popular.”

“You’re always so good at comforting people.”

For the first time, Yan Qingshuang observed Jian Li closely. As expected, she was petite, with a round head, small round ears, and black-and-white spotted fur. Despite her slightly protruding belly, it felt soft.

That tail trailing on the ground… Yan Qingshuang recalled Jian Li’s indignant tone.

Her hand moved from Jian Li’s belly downward, her slender thumb, index, and middle fingers encircling the tip of the tail. She gently squeezed.

“Ah!”

Jian Li’s entire body tensed, arching like a cooked shrimp. “W-what are you doing?”

Yan Qingshuang intensified her actions, her palm enveloping a larger section of Jian Li’s tail. “It’s so soft… I missed this.”

“Didn’t you say I wasn’t allowed to touch you there?” Jian Li pressed her paw against Yan Qingshuang’s chest, the unspeakable sensation continuing to gnaw at her. “You touched it once already! I don’t mind.”

“Will you let me touch it again in the future?”

“Huh? You want to…”

Yan Qingshuang stopped teasing her, gently stroking her pink belly. “From now on, don’t let them touch you there.”

Still dazed from the strange sensation, Jian Li didn’t understand who “them” referred to. She mumbled, “Okay.”

“What if you break your promise?”

“What salt? I prefer sweets.”

Yan Qingshuang didn’t press the issue, glancing at the stove. They hadn’t bought any ingredients for making pastries yet.

“I’ll make you something sweet in a few days.”

Jian Li, pleased with her clever wordplay, decided to play dumb to the end. She closed her eyes and said, “I want to take a nap.”

Yan Qingshuang carried her inside. A small stone tablet by the door read: -101,100 Spirit Stones.

She paused briefly, said nothing, then smoothly laid Jian Li on the bed, tucked her in, and knelt beside her, watching her.

Why is she putting me in bed again?

Jian Li had no intention of sleeping. Her gaze clung to Yan Qingshuang like a snake. She forced a yawn and said lazily, “Little Shuang, go take care of your own things.”

“Alright,” Yan Qingshuang replied.

As soon as Yan Qingshuang left the room, Jian Li burrowed under the covers and began giggling, secretly discussing important matters with the System.

“I have 32,500 Spirit Stones now. I’ll pay you back 1,100, spend 30,000 on Great Tonic Pills, and have 1,400 left.”

By the time she finished calculating, Jian Li was already itching to make a grand transaction with the System for the Great Tonic Pills.