The Sickly Beauty and Her Guide Leopard - Chapter 40

Jian Li felt a possessive grip tighten on her fingertips. The kiss Yan Qingshuang had given her that morning made her head spin whenever she thought about it.

As they emerged from the dungeon, a fierce wind assaulted them. Jian Li, still thinking of herself as the Little Snow Leopard, clung to Yan Qingshuang. “I have lots of fur,” she said. “You don’t have to be cold.”

Yan Qingshuang patted the top of her head, subtly brushing off the spot where Jian Li had touched Hua Feiyi. “Where’s your fur?”

“Huh?” Jian Li lowered her eyelids. In her human form, dressed in clothes, she was indeed furless and rather susceptible to the cold. She sighed. “It’s true. Without my fur, I can’t even be your personal heater anymore.”

Yan Qingshuang: “A personal heater? That sounds adorable.”

Jian Li eagerly hugged the slightly cool body in her arms tighter. “Really?”

Yan Qingshuang: “Just as adorable as you.”

Suddenly, Jian Li felt the weather was perfect, even as the wind whipped her dress into a frenzy. Yan Qingshuang’s attitude hadn’t become distant or aloof after their kiss.

Jian Li selectively ignored the soft, sweet kiss from earlier that morning. “I still think my Little Leopard form is cuter. Tomorrow I can be all fluffy again!”

Yan Qingshuang: “Mm.”

Her tone was unreadable. Jian Li had so much she wanted to tell Yan Qingshuang, including how she’d nearly been swallowed whole by a Great Goose that morning, how Hua Feiyi had rescued her, and how they were now facing a dramatic emotional trial.

Yan Qingshuang occasionally responded, but mostly remained silent, her body pressed tightly against Jian Li’s.

Jian Li looked down at Yan Qingshuang leaning against her shoulder, the downward angle revealing a spring-like scene. Her face flushed, and she waited for her breathing to steady.

Through the white gauze, she saw Yan Qingshuang’s closed eyes. “You lied to me, Little Shuang.”

Yan Qingshuang paused. “What makes you say that?”

Jian Li: “There’s bl00d on your inner garment.”

Yan Qingshuang hummed, pulling her robes tighter. “It’s just chicken bl00d from butchering.”

Jian Li didn’t believe her. She had Yan Qingshuang store the Bamboo Staff in her Storage Pouch, then skillfully opened her collar with both hands, pressing her nose forward and sniffing.

“This doesn’t smell like chicken bl00d.”

A faint trace of Yan Qingshuang’s scent lingered. As the two soft mounds swayed with each breath, Jian Li murmured as if possessed, “Let me confirm again, okay, Little Shuang?”

Yan Qingshuang’s fingers clenched. “Mm.”

But she added, “Not here…”

Jian Li suddenly realized it was broad daylight. Even if few people were around, the Disciplinary Hall’s resident disciples were still patrolling inside and out.

Her face burned crimson. Lowering her blue eyes, now tinged with desire, she carefully closed Yan Qingshuang’s robes, covering them completely. Then, in a clumsy attempt to cover her tracks, she explained, “Don’t misunderstand, Little Shuang. I was just worried about you. There’s nothing else.”

“Mm, I understand,” Yan Qingshuang replied.

In the past, Yan Qingshuang’s words had always been concise, leaving Jian Li no reason to overthink. But now, burdened by guilt, Jian Li feared that Yan Qingshuang knew the truth yet pretended ignorance to cooperate with her.

Jian Li emphasized earnestly, “Really, even from a family perspective, I just wanted to check if you were coughing up bl00d again.”

“Chicken bl00d,” Yan Qingshuang countered.

Jian Li murmured skeptically, “…I don’t believe you.”

Since meeting Jian Li and taking the Bamboo Cane, Yan Qingshuang had kept her Spiritual Sense dormant, relying entirely on Jian Li to guide her. She asked softly, “If Xiao Li won’t let me use the Bamboo Staff, how am I supposed to get home?”

Jian Li gazed at Yan Qingshuang’s frail, weakened appearance. She worried that Yan Qingshuang had come to find her so soon after coughing up bl00d, yet refused to admit the truth.

She boldly declared, “It’s simple—I’ll carry you on my back!”

Yan Qingshuang looked at Jian Li, her eyes questioning, “Can you?”

Her gaze was as fervent as the soothing massage at dawn. Even through the thin veil, Jian Li could sense Yan Qingshuang’s unusual intensity toward her.

She gently touched Yan Qingshuang’s fingertips, slowly stroking them. Though the pads of her fingers were soft, the bony knuckles and the calloused area between her thumb and index finger revealed a thin layer of hardened skin.

Jian Li remembered that Yan Qingshuang was a Sword Cultivator. Powerful Sword Cultivators possessed a Life-Bound Sword. After Yan Qingshuang’s Golden Core was stolen, she should… no longer have a sword.

So far, Jian Li hadn’t figured out Yan Qingshuang’s cultivation method. Without a sword, could she even continue down the path of a Sword Cultivator?

Jian Li noticed Yan Qingshuang’s hand trembling, as if she wanted to withdraw. Refusing to let her escape, Jian Li said, “Your hand is so cold. Let’s hold hands. I’m not exactly warm either, but we can warm each other up.”

“Mm,” Yan Qingshuang replied.

Jian Li kept her word. She crouched down and said, “Get on.”

Yan Qingshuang hesitated. Jian Li raised her eyebrows in confusion. “I didn’t eat all that food for nothing, you know.”

Only then did Jian Li realize Yan Qingshuang looked uneasy. A little anxious, Jian Li watched as Yan Qingshuang reached out and gently kneaded her arm.

Jian Li chuckled. “Are you feeling my muscles?”

“Mm,” Yan Qingshuang replied. “I was afraid you’d drop me.”

Jian Li grabbed Yan Qingshuang’s hand and pressed it against her bicep, secretly flexing her arm. “You’re so annoying, not trusting me. Now that you’ve felt it, are you reassured?”

Yan Qingshuang paused, then released Jian Li, leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around Jian Li’s neck. Jian Li felt the soft, fragrant warmth against her back.

Her legs nearly buckled from the unexpected weight. Jian Li gritted her teeth, mustered her strength, and hoisted Yan Qingshuang onto her back.

So light, Jian Li thought guiltily. I stole most of Yan Qingshuang’s food, leaving her malnourished. Compared to her, I have more fat.

As they approached the Celestial Crane, Jian Li didn’t even need to set Yan Qingshuang down. Yan Qingshuang settled gracefully onto the crane’s back, waiting for Jian Li to sit beside her.

Yan Qingshuang whispered in Jian Li’s ear, “Xiao Li, you have such strong hands.”

Jian Li’s eyes widened abruptly. Her first thought wasn’t about the strength she’d used to carry Yan Qingshuang earlier, but about the morning, when she had kneaded Yan Qingshuang’s soft flesh, shaping it into various forms.

She also remembered Yan Qingshuang writhing beneath the covers for a long while, her fingers weakly gripping Jian Li’s arm.

Could that have been Yan Qingshuang testing me? Jian Li wondered.

Jian Li licked her lips, her warm breath brushing Yan Qingshuang’s ear. “Little Shuang… this morning… did it feel good?”

Yan Qingshuang’s breath hitched slightly, her cheeks flushing. But she answered truthfully, “It did.”

Jian Li’s face grew hotter. “Then… in the future… we… we…”

She blinked, twisting her fingers, hesitant to speak. It was a question akin to, Little Shuang, will you need my help again?

Blind people possess a heightened sense of perception, able to discern subtle movements and emotional shifts without the aid of sight.

Yan Qingshuang, with her meticulous attention to detail, gently pressed Jian Li’s hand. “It’s alright, you can tell me.”

Little Shuang’s hands are slightly larger than mine, Jian Li thought. Perfect for wielding a sword. But then, inappropriately, she recalled the sensation of that hand resting on her waist and abdomen.

Jian Li blurted out, “If you’re ever feeling unwell again, I can help you… help, massage you?”

Yan Qingshuang smiled. “That would be lovely, thank you, Xiao Li.”

The way she had helped Yan Qingshuang that morning had been embarrassing, but from another perspective…

Yan Qingshuang had said that friends and family should help each other. Jian Li loved Yan Qingshuang’s hands, tracing meaningless lines and circles on the back of her hand.

Clutching Yan Qingshuang’s fingers, Jian Li asked, “So, even if we’ve done… comfortable things together, we’re still friends and family?”

Yan Qingshuang replied, “Yes.”

This answer should have satisfied Jian Li, but her heart inexplicably tightened, a sour ache welling up until tears brimmed in her eyes.

Trying to distract herself, Jian Li declared solemnly, “Then, as family, I want to buy you a sword.”

Yan Qingshuang replied, “Alright.”

Jian Li sensed Yan Qingshuang’s low spirits. Could mentioning a sword have reminded her of painful memories? Du Xiaqing? Or Meng Ruoyi, the betrothed Dao Companion others had mentioned recently?

Her wild thoughts only deepened the unease in her heart.

When they returned home, Jian Li, like a young lord who had run away only to be brought back by her mother, meticulously inspected every corner: the rooms, sniffing for any changes in scent; the small hall, checking if Yan Qingshuang had coughed up bl00d here; the kitchen, wondering what delicious treats Yan Qingshuang had bought.

The peach tree in the backyard didn’t escape her scrutiny either. She dug at its bark, the dry, blackened outer layer peeling away to reveal solid wood beneath, untouched by insects.

Yan Qingshuang stayed close, holding Jian Li’s warm hand. She smiled. “You really like this tree, don’t you?”

Jian Li rested her chin in her hand, pointing earnestly at the trunk. “I think I could carve a Peach Wood Sword for you before they chop it down.”

Yan Qingshuang leaned closer, resting her chin on Jian Li’s head. “Why a Peach Wood Sword?”

Jian Li made a questioning sound, quickly accepting Yan Qingshuang’s closeness. She wanted to be extra kind to her when she was sick. Jian Li laced her fingers through Yan Qingshuang’s, their hands interlocking.

“Because Peach Wood Swords ward off evil spirits! I hate it when they talk about you being cursed or unlucky.”

She didn’t believe it for a second. Her wonderful Little Shuang could never turn bad. Yan Qingshuang cooked for her every day—the first person in her life to treat her so kindly.

Yan Qingshuang chuckled. “So you’re admitting I’m cursed in a roundabout way?”

Jian Li realized her contradiction and looked up, struggling to explain. “That’s not what I meant… I, I…”

She stammered for a while, then fell silent.

It wasn’t her fault. When Yan Qingshuang was ill, she resembled the demonic creatures described in this world’s lore, her eyes terrifyingly intense.

Jian Li couldn’t convince herself that the Peach Wood Sword was anything more than a symbolic comfort.

Yan Qingshuang didn’t mind. She curved her index finger and gently brushed it down Jian Li’s nose. “It’s alright, Xiao Li. You’re not afraid of me anymore.”

“Why would I be afraid of you?” Jian Li asked. “Well, except for your eyes when you’re sick. But that’s okay, we can just cover them up!”

“Mm,” Yan Qingshuang murmured.

“You’ll let me cut down this tree now?” Jian Li exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

Yan Qingshuang’s gaze lingered on the peach tree for a moment before she said softly, “Xiao Li, close your eyes first.”

Normally, when a girl closes her eyes like this, it means she’s about to be kissed.

Wait, why am I thinking about kissing? Jian Li’s face flushed crimson.

She tilted her chin slightly upward, closed her eyes, and stammered, “O-okay.”

But Jian Li waited and waited, her neck growing stiff, yet Yan Qingshuang didn’t kiss her. A strange emptiness settled in her heart, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Is it done?”

Yan Qingshuang remained silent.

A gentle breeze brushed against Jian Li’s cheek, unlike the biting winds of autumn and winter. This warm breeze carried a faint, delicate fragrance.

Jian Li found the scent intoxicating—it was Yan Qingshuang’s scent. She parted her lips to speak, but Yan Qingshuang’s slender index finger pressed against them.

The sound of shattered jade striking stone rang in Jian Li’s ears.

“Xiao Li, open your eyes.”