Chapter 36: A New Kind of Guidance

Once a boy, Xiao Xixi had always harbored a dream.

One day, he would find a gentle, lovely, fair-skinned, beautiful, and curvaceous girl with no trace of stubble to be his wife. He imagined being dotingly cared for in his daily life.

As for why he specified ‘no stubble’ and ‘girl’—two seemingly unyielding requirements—it was because in his previous life, with an ordinary family background and an elder brother, Xiao Xixi felt that marrying a girl was somewhat difficult.

Now, having transmigrated into the ‘book’ world, Xiao Xixi was relishing the gentle feeding from his Senior Sister. He felt as though this life goal was finally halfway achieved.

Why only halfway?

Because his gentle Senior Sister Bai Luozhu perfectly embodied Xiao Xixi’s ideal wife. And indeed, she was currently caring for his daily needs.

While Senior Sister Bai Luozhu might lack a little in the ‘ample chest’ department, in Xiao Xixi’s eyes, her long, luminous white legs—even longer than those of his beautiful Master—more than made up for it in terms of ‘perky curves’.

Yet, even though his Senior Sister Bai Luozhu perfectly fit the persona of his ideal wife, Xiao Xixi, feeling an emptiness beneath him as he was fed, was on the verge of tears.

‘So,’ he thought, ‘now that I am a girl, can I still find a wife?’

****

Clad in a pristine white dress, Bai Luozhu was unaware of Xiao Xixi’s thoughts at that moment.

As she continued to feed the little one, she watched their belly gradually swell.

Observing the small stomach distending like a ball, Bai Luozhu, who had never interacted with anyone so intimately since childhood, felt a profound joy in nurturing.

After eating the food from this cultivation world, Xiao Xixi felt a warm energy permeate their entire body, even easing the ache in their waist considerably.

Full and content, with warm currents flowing through their body and the ordeal of being forced awake early, Xiao Xixi yearned for another nap.

However, as they instinctively leaned back, they felt not the soft, warm, and springy comfort of their Master as usual, but a cold, hard, ‘tablet-like’ rigidity.

At that moment, Xiao Xixi suddenly considered a problem: if their relationship with Senior Sister became too close, wouldn’t they be ‘eliminated’ by the protagonist, Ye Chen, in the future?

Upon this realization, Xiao Xixi felt their drowsiness largely dissipate.

Despite the reduced sleepiness, seeing a pair of delicate, slender hands wrapped around their waist, Xiao Xixi felt it wasn’t the right time to break free from the embrace.

Yet, being held so closely by their Senior Sister, who rarely interacted with others, also filled Xiao Xixi with apprehension that her affection might deepen further.

Thus, to divert Bai Luozhu’s attention, Xiao Xixi quickly put their clever mind to use.

Glancing at the ‘medicine bowl’ they held, a topic came to mind. Xiao Xixi clearly remembered their Master, Su Mei, stating yesterday at the Green Dining Hall that they did not offer takeout service.

However, having just tasted dishes that had the same flavor as yesterday’s cafeteria food, Xiao Xixi couldn’t help but wonder: how did they suddenly offer takeout now?

If the Green Dining Hall’s food could be taken out, even if the ‘medicine bowl’ wasn’t as large as a washbasin, being able to bring out such a bowl of food would be much more comfortable than eating at the cafeteria, Xiao Xixi thought.

After all, such a large ‘medicine bowl’ could last them three meals. Calculating it, three meals would save three primordial stones, effectively reducing the cost by nearly threefold.

Recalling the astronomical debt of one ‘primordial stone’ they owed their Master, Xiao Xixi spoke up, hoping to avoid the tragic path of exorbitant debt.

“Zhuzhu Xi Senior Sister Xi, why is this food like this? Wasn’t it not allowed to take out Xi Xi Xi Xi ma?”

Hearing the little Junior Sister’s mix of fox-like chirps and human speech, Bai Luozhu found it slightly peculiar. However, after filtering out the ‘xixi’ sounds, she could grasp the general meaning. She gently stroked Xiao Xixi’s head and explained.

“The Green Dining Hall does not allow ‘outer disciples’ to take food out because the ingredients contain ‘spiritual energy’. Many merchants and scholars aspire to taste the Green Dining Hall’s food. If takeout were allowed, many disciples would use it as a means of ‘profiteering’.

As for why Master can take food out, that’s because she holds a position of Elder or higher!”

Upon hearing Senior Sister Bai Luozhu’s explanation, Xiao Xixi felt a wave of despair. It seemed their money-saving plan had fallen through.

Seeing Xiao Xixi’s crestfallen expression, Bai Luozhu mistakenly thought the little one was worried about their meals for the next two days.

With this thought, she gently tugged at the little one’s cheek and said, “Xixi, you don’t need to worry. Even though Master will be out for two days, isn’t your Senior Sister still here? My position also allows me to get takeout!”

Upon hearing Senior Sister Bai Luozhu’s words, Xiao Xixi’s eyes lit up.

If they could rely on their Senior Sister for takeout, wouldn’t they save many, many primordial stones?

Assuming one meal every three days, the takeout food could last three meals. That would save two primordial stones in nine days, six in a month, and seventy-two in a year. As Xiao Xixi mentally calculated, their delicate little hands gestured animatedly.

Bai Luozhu didn’t know what her little Junior Sister was thinking at the moment.

However, seeing those luminous white hands waving so quickly and hearing the constant ‘xixi murmurs’ from their mouth, she found it utterly adorable.

Listening to the continuous garbled fox-speak, Bai Luozhu suddenly recalled her recent plan.

Her gaze swept across the room, quickly landing on an ancient text titled ‘3000 Classical Poems’. With a flick of her slender hand, the ancient book flew into her grasp, as if by magic.

This unscientific sight was, of course, noticed by Xiao Xixi, who was still in her arms.

Seeing the ‘3000 Classical Poems’—the very catalyst that led to yesterday’s bullying (teaching) by Master Su Mei—appear before them once more, Xiao Xixi suddenly had a bad premonition.

However, remembering that the person behind them wasn’t their scheming Master, but the upright and unparalleled Senior Sister Bai Luozhu, who, despite her aloof exterior, had a soft and muddled heart, Xiao Xixi couldn’t help but relax.

After all, Senior Sister wasn’t Master; she shouldn’t bully them.

Having come to this realization, Xiao Xixi quickly picked up the ‘3000 Classical Poems’, practicing the pronunciations line by line under Senior Sister Luozhu’s gentle guidance.

It seemed to be fate, as the page Xiao Xixi randomly opened to was the same poem as yesterday.

“Leaves connect in many ways, flowers bloom in hues the same. Laden with dew, they softly droop, swaying with the wind, they rise and lean.”

Guided by Bai Luozhu’s clear, melodious voice, Xiao Xixi soon began to repeat the poem.

“Jie jie xixixi zhong, hua hua xixixi, han han xixi, feng xi feng xixi.”

Classical poetry was already difficult to pronounce, and for Xiao Xixi, who was just learning to speak, the challenge was immense.

Yet, after Master Su Mei’s instruction the previous night, Xiao Xixi clearly felt they had improved.

At least yesterday, they could only utter a few non-‘xixi’ syllables; today, they managed four in a row.

Just as Xiao Xixi was marveling at their progress, they felt their body lighten.

Immediately, they realized they had been moved from the soft thigh to the somewhat firm bed.

Confused by Senior Sister Luozhu’s sudden action of placing them on the bed without explanation, Xiao Xixi then heard their vibrant and beautiful Senior Sister speak with utmost seriousness.

“Xixi, I’ve discovered why you can’t speak human language properly.”

Hearing Bai Luozhu’s words, Xiao Xixi felt an uncanny sense of familiarity.

Hadn’t their Master said the exact same thing just yesterday afternoon?

Feeling a faint sense of unease, they swallowed hard. Yet, seeing Senior Sister Luozhu’s utterly serious expression, they dismissed the possibility. After all, Senior Sister was the most礼-abiding heroine in the original text; their suspicion must be a misconception.

As Xiao Xixi wrestled with this inner turmoil, Bai Luozhu continued, “Xixi, I observed you carefully just now, and I found that your tongue is slightly shorter, and it instinctively curls upwards every time you speak. For your situation, I believe a little ‘guidance’ is needed.”

Bai Luozhu spoke with profound seriousness.

However, her words made Xiao Xixi, the listener, feel a flush of embarrassment.

Just yesterday, they had been ‘guided’ by their Master, Su Mei, and the memory of that peculiar sensation of ‘southern barbarian invasion’ made Xiao Xixi’s cheeks burn red. Now, hearing their Senior Sister utter the same words as Master, they instinctively reacted.

To prevent that experience from recurring, Xiao Xixi instantly clutched Senior Sister Luozhu’s two tender, delicate wrists with their own small hands.

Bai Luozhu, surprised to feel her wrists held by a delicate, almost boneless hand, then heard the little fox-girl in front of her say, “No… xixi, no… xixi, use xixi hand, also not xixi…”

(Translation: No, don’t use your hand, and don’t guide.)

Due to speaking too much at once, Xiao Xixi could only produce ‘xixi’ sounds for the word ‘guide’ at the end.

Bai Luozhu, hearing this and observing Xiao Xixi’s actions, only understood the literal meaning: ‘don’t use your hands’.

So, the next second, to reassure Xiao Xixi, Bai Luozhu said softly, “Xixi, don’t worry, guiding you to speak doesn’t require using hands!”

Hearing her Senior Sister say this, Xiao Xixi relaxed. It seemed their Senior Sister had understood their meaning.

But just as they relaxed, they heard their Senior Sister add, “Xixi, you’ve only just taken human form, so there’s much you don’t understand. On this path of cultivation, we seek fundamental truths without undue restraint. Just like you learning to speak now, my instruction might be a bit advanced later, but don’t worry too much about it. After all, it’s all for your growth.”

As Senior Sister Bai Luozhu finished speaking, Xiao Xixi felt their unease intensify.

Though their Senior Sister’s words sounded righteous, as the one experiencing it, Xiao Xixi clearly sensed an underlying motive—a hint that Senior Sister was exploiting her nature as a fox-girl to trick her.

As Xiao Xixi pondered this silently, they didn’t notice that the aloof Senior Sister Bai Luozhu’s luminous face had imperceptibly drawn closer.

Feeling a warm breath on their cheek, Xiao Xixi snapped back to reality, meeting Senior Sister Bai Luozhu’s sparkling almond eyes.

Having never had her face so close to another girl’s since childhood, Xiao Xixi’s eyes widened at the sight. Their cherry-like mouth parted slightly in surprise, emitting continuous ‘xixi~’ sounds.

Seeing her little Junior Sister’s adorable expression, Bai Luozhu gently withdrew her right hand, which had been clutching the little one’s wrist. Then, she softly placed her palm on the back of Xiao Xixi’s smooth, long hair, chuckling as she said, “Xixi, don’t be nervous. Just leave it to your Senior Sister. I will definitely teach you how to speak!”

After these words, Xiao Xixi saw the almond eyes before them widen further.

Simultaneously, an intensely sweet and soft sensation enveloped them…