The Sickly Beauty and Her Guide Leopard - Chapter 34

Suddenly, Yan Qingshuang began coughing violently. Jian Li immediately stood on her lap, using both paws to pat her chest.

“Are you okay?”

Yan Qingshuang coughed for a while before replying, “I’m fine. I just choked on the soup.”

Jian Li sighed in relief. “Be careful. I’ll drink the rest of the soup.”

Yan Qingshuang nodded. Still worried that she might cough up the medicinal pill, Jian Li kept glancing at her with concern.

Only when Yan Qingshuang assured her that she was truly fine did Jian Li finally snuggle into the crook of her arm. “Then feed me slowly. I can eat it gradually.”

For some reason, Yan Qingshuang’s coughing reminded her of someone—not someone particularly important, just someone she’d encountered on the street in her previous life, about six months before her transmigration.

That day, she was working a part-time job at a coffee shop. While waiting at a crosswalk, she accidentally stepped inside the zebra stripes. Even though she wasn’t in the middle of the road, it was still dangerous, and no one warned her.

Jian Li was staring down at her phone, checking out the newly announced closed beta for a game that allowed players to withdraw real money. Intrigued by the potential earnings, she immediately signed up.

“Step back a bit and be careful.”

A clear, cool voice sounded behind her, and a faint, delicate fragrance reached her nose.

“Oh, okay. Thank you.”

Jian Li looked up and saw the kind stranger wearing a mask and sunglasses, long hair cascading over her shoulders, and a floral-print maxi dress. Slender and tall, she leaned on a jet-black cane. She couldn’t be blind, or she wouldn’t have warned Jian Li about traffic safety.

The stark contrast in her attire struck Jian Li as deeply incongruous. She retreated behind the crosswalk, politely averting her gaze.

Suddenly, the stranger began coughing violently, bending over so sharply she could barely stay upright with the cane. Bystanders cast indifferent or frightened glances, instinctively backing away.

Jian Li hesitated, torn between helping and the fear of catching a contagious illness.

As she wavered, a black Bentley pulled up beside the stranger. A woman in a bodyguard’s uniform opened the car door and helped her inside.

“Young Miss, why did you come here so suddenly? The Old Madam is very worried.”

Still coughing incessantly, the stranger muttered something as she settled into the car: “Someone… playing… a game…”

Jian Li had no friends or family, and her personality was somewhat withdrawn. This was partly because she was unwilling to accept advances from others.

As a result, nothing particularly memorable had happened to her throughout her life.

Yet, strangely, this kind-hearted person lingered in her memory for an entire week.

After that, she never encountered the kind-hearted person again.

Yan Qingshuang’s breathing was unsteady, and her hand trembled slightly as she fed Jian Li vegetables. Noticing this, Jian Li’s thoughts snapped back to the present. “Little Shuang, why is your hand shaking?”

At her words, Yan Qingshuang unleashed her Spiritual Sense to counteract the Pill’s effects. The Pill Jian Li had given her was overwhelmingly potent; within mere moments, a heat like a hot spring enveloped her Dantian, spreading evenly throughout her body.

Though this Pill seemed less intense than the previous one, Yan Qingshuang still had to expend a significant amount of Spiritual Power to suppress it temporarily. The pain of the Pill’s effects, combined with her own suppressed desires, neutralized each other, making the ordeal somewhat more bearable.

However, her body temperature had risen slightly.

“I probably didn’t sleep well last night,” Yan Qingshuang replied.

Separated by layers of fabric, Jian Li couldn’t detect Yan Qingshuang’s elevated temperature. Moreover, Yan Qingshuang’s expression remained as calm and composed as ever, unshaken by any disturbance.

With her doubts dispelled, Jian Li reminded Yan Qingshuang not to become too engrossed in cultivation and to strike a balance between work and rest.

Yan Qingshuang smiled in response.

If only this peaceful, worldly life could last forever, Jian Li thought, her eyelids growing heavy as she listened to Yan Qingshuang’s gentle, soothing voice.

Yan Qingshuang held a spoon and fed Jian Li sweet soup. Unlike savory dishes, Jian Li had a particular fondness for sweets.

Suddenly, Yan Qingshuang paused, her violet-gray pupils contracting sharply. She could now clearly see Jian Li, the Little Beast nestled in her arms…

For days, whenever Yan Qingshuang held Jian Li to feed her, she had instinctively wrapped her arm around her, using it as a pillow for Jian Li to lean against, her palm resting casually on Jian Li’s belly.

When Jian Li was full and content, she would close her eyes and rest for a while, snuggling against Yan Qingshuang and asking her to gently pat her back.

Yan Qingshuang would pat Jian Li’s back until the Little Beast signaled her to stop. Once the food was digested, the Little Spiritual Beast would perk up and resume her valiant battle against the remaining dishes.

Having grown accustomed to Jian Li’s beast form, Yan Qingshuang had gradually forgotten the girl from her dream. The idea of exchanging a Form Transformation Pill for a human form had merely been a casual jest.

When Jian Li announced she had taken the Form Transformation Pill, Yan Qingshuang found herself unable to refute her, a flicker of anticipation in her heart.

According to the Pill’s effects, it should have taken effect quickly. Yet, there were still no signs of transformation. As Jian Li had predicted, it must be a fake.

Therefore, when Yan Qingshuang suddenly noticed a change in the sensation on her palm, her breath caught in her throat, her mind went blank for a moment. Her Spiritual Sense swept from the food to the Spiritual Beast, and her gaze followed.

The clearly visible Little Beast—no, it wasn’t small anymore. It had shed its animal form and transformed into a breathtakingly beautiful young woman.

Where her arm had previously cradled the fluffy head of the beast, raven-black hair now cascaded down, strands brushing against Yan Qingshuang’s leg.

Her palm rested on the girl’s smooth stomach. Just moments ago, she had felt the plump, furry belly; now, her fingers traced the delicate texture of human skin.

The girl’s expression was still youthful, her peach-blossom eyes sparkling with an innocent yet alluring charm.

Yan Qingshuang had witnessed Spiritual Beasts transform before, and without exception, they were never left indecently exposed. Jian Li seemed to be the exception… She should have prepared clothes for her in advance.

The girl had always relished her meals. Her full, cherry-red lips parted and closed, appearing moist and inviting.

Yan Qingshuang felt the girl’s weight in her arms—not heavy at all. Despite her hearty appetite, she never seemed to gain weight; Yan Qingshuang could easily carry her with one hand.

She shouldn’t have let her Spiritual Sense sweep over the girl, scrutinizing every inch of her body with insatiable hunger, like a ravenous beast.

More shameless, more depraved than the Demon Race.

The girl’s appearance was identical to her dream self, triggering vivid flashbacks of those unspeakable scenes and causing her body to react uncontrollably.

The images flashed before her eyes, the phantom figures solidifying under the scrutiny of her Spiritual Sense.

With each rise and fall of the girl’s breath, the two crimson peaks on her chest invaded Yan Qingshuang’s thoughts, her very breath, consuming her entirely, leaving no room for any other focus.

Yan Qingshuang’s fingertips involuntarily pressed down.

Not enough… Her curse flared, burning from within, infecting her fingertips inch by inch. She wondered if the heat in her palm would betray her to the girl.

Before taking the Form Transformation Pill, Jian Li had been just a playful little leopard cub, always cheerful, with eating and drinking as her greatest joys.

The realization struck Yan Qingshuang like a thunderbolt. Jian Li still didn’t know she had transformed, clinging to her animal instincts.

Her hand recoiled instinctively. She should never have defiled this innocent Little Beast.

Losing the support behind her head, Jian Li nearly fell backward. She quickly leaned back, nuzzling against Yan Qingshuang’s palm.

“Are you teasing me?” Jian Li snapped, feigning anger. “Hey, Little Shuang, you’re going to drop me!”

Yan Qingshuang: “Sorry, it was an accident.”

Jian Li blinked. Yan Qingshuang’s voice sounded unusually hoarse. That makes sense, she thought. Yan Qingshuang isn’t in good health, and her daily cultivation must be exhausting. Plus, she has to cook and feed me. It must be really tough on her.

Feeling magnanimous, Jian Li said, “That’s why I told you to make me a bib! I can hold the spoon and feed myself.”

Yan Qingshuang gazed at her, her violet-gray eyes darker than ever. She shook her head. “No need to trouble yourself.”

Since Yan Qingshuang was willingly serving as her personal feeder, Jian Li had no further objections. This woman is truly captivated by my fluffiness, she thought.

Yan Qingshuang fed her another spoonful of soup.

Jian Li half-closed her eyes in contentment. “Alright, I didn’t really need a bib anyway. Ah, no more soup. Give me some meat—a lean piece, please.”

“Mm.”

Yan Qingshuang picked up a piece of meat and held it to Jian Li’s mouth. She watched as Jian Li opened her mouth, her pearly white teeth biting into the crimson flesh, her cherry-red lips glistening with oil, and her tongue darting out to lick them clean.

Jian Li devoured piece after piece. Before she could even chew properly, Yan Qingshuang was already offering her more. She frowned. “Little Shuang, why aren’t you letting me chew properly?”

Yan Qingshuang: “Sorry.”

Jian Li couldn’t understand Yan Qingshuang’s sudden apology. She felt something was off, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She opened her eyes fully and stared intently at Yan Qingshuang.

“Little Shuang!” she called out.

Yan Qingshuang’s fingers tightened around the bamboo chopsticks. “Hmm? What is it?”

Jian Li pointed at her face. “Your face is so red! Do you have a fever?!”

Before Yan Qingshuang could explain, Jian Li reached out and touched her face, gently pinching her cheek as she felt the heat. “You’re burning up! See? I told you not to wear so little…”

Jian Li paused, looking at her hand pressed against Yan Qingshuang’s cheek. Ah… she realized what was wrong. Where had her fluffy fur gone?

Still not fully aware that she had transformed into human form, Jian Little Leopard turned her pale hands over and over, examining them curiously.

Jian Li had eaten too much, and the lingering effects of carbon overload continued to slow her thinking.

It took a long moment for her cognitive abilities to slowly return. Her eyes widened, and a joyful smile bloomed across her face.

She raised her arms and hugged Yan Qingshuang, cheering, “Little Shuang, I’ve turned human! It wasn’t fake medicine!”

The corners of Yan Qingshuang’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Mm-hmm.”

Jian Li wrapped her arms around Yan Qingshuang’s neck, swaying back and forth as she repeatedly emphasized the good news. “Ahhh, now I can eat by myself, Little Shuang!”

To avoid the soft, fleshy pats on her face, Yan Qingshuang turned her head away, her lips pressed tightly together, letting Jian Li’s smooth arms tighten around her.

After the initial excitement subsided, Jian Li noticed Yan Qingshuang might be ill. She resolved to care for her, and given her newfound agility, she could even brew Chinese medicine.

Tears welled up in Jian Li’s eyes. Who naturally enjoys being treated like a baby and spoon-fed? She, Jian Li, was a strong, independent woman!

She could walk on two legs, run swiftly, use chopsticks to eat, and dress herself…

Wait, something still felt off. Jian Li lowered her gaze, finally realizing their position.

One on top of the other, she was nestled in Yan Qingshuang’s arms. The familiar hand that should have been resting on her stomach was now pressed against her waist.

Jian Li’s lower abdomen tensed, her soft belly inexplicably flushed crimson.

Oh… she wasn’t wearing any clothes…

Yan Qingshuang’s residence was indeed secluded, but it wasn’t entirely devoid of life. Small animals frolicked among the dew-kissed trees in the back mountains, while a row of sparrows perched on the withered peach tree in the courtyard, taking a midday nap.

“Ahhhhhh!!!”