Chapter 32: A Slip, a Fall, and Unforeseen Revelations

Bai Jiujiu took out a handkerchief to wipe away the fragrant sweat trickling down her face from the exertion. She gazed, somewhat speechless, at Tong Qiu, who was just as naked as herself.

Tong Qiu had just broken through to the Core Condensation realm, absorbing an excessive amount of spiritual energy in a short time, which led to her power leaking. Had Bai Jiujiu not promptly suppressed it with her demonic energy, it wouldn’t have been mere clothes exploding in the next moment.

A sigh escaped her lips.

‘Such intense exertion is truly exhausting,’ she thought.

Bai Jiujiu pursed her lips, sitting with her legs spread in the center of the room. Her pristine body had taken on a rosy hue from the exertion of her demonic energy.

Two young women and a loli sat kneeling on the ground, their disheveled white hair plastered to their sweat-slicked, rosy skin and “peaks.” They gasped for breath in small, rapid gulps, their red eyes fixed on Tong Qiu with evident complaint.

Meanwhile, Tong Qiu lay flat on the ground, haphazard white strips of cloth draped over her form. A small, torn bloodstain, caused by the spiritual energy, marked her inner thigh and “plains.” Her gaze was unfocused, even devoid of its usual luster.

“Thank you…”

Tong Qiu quickly recovered. After all, she was now a Core Condensation realm cultivator; such a minor injury wouldn’t incapacitate her entirely.

Having understood Bai Jiujiu’s actions, she expressed her gratitude sincerely.

Bai Jiujiu extended a hand towards her, intending to help her up.

“Hah~ Come on, get up.”

“Alright~”

Just as Bai Jiujiu prepared to pull her up with force, her foot slipped on the soup water Tong Qiu had spilled during her fall. Her footing lost, the entire demon tilted and plunged towards the ground.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

Despite losing her balance, Bai Jiujiu thoughtfully maintained her grip on Tong Qiu’s hand. Tong Qiu, having only just advanced to the Core Condensation realm, couldn’t possibly escape Bai Jiujiu’s powerful grasp. The moment she stood, she was yanked down, falling alongside Bai Jiujiu.

In that critical instant, Bai Jiujiu’s battle instincts as a great demon in the Demonic Mansion realm kicked in. To prevent even 0.01 damage from hitting the ground, she embraced Tong Qiu mid-air, executing an incredible 180-degree flip with her.

She successfully positioned Tong Qiu to cushion her fall, with Bai Jiujiu holding her as she landed on top.

A breath escaped them.

One human, one demon, their eyes met, their bodies utterly exposed.

(A-Zhen fell in love with A-Qiang, on a starlit night~)

They could easily feel each other’s breath, even inhaling the air the other had just exhaled. Their skin pressed tightly together, and Bai Jiujiu’s legs instinctively clamped around one of Tong Qiu’s.

Tong Qiu’s constable token also tumbled from the table.

‘So soft~ This demon’s body is like flowing water, cool but not chilling. And that *place* is quite large; it feels strange pressing against me…’

‘Moreover, the scent that made me lose control and lick the snake has returned, making my eyes hazy and my body tremble.’

‘No, I can’t be like this. She’s a demon, Tong Qiu, Tong Qiu, you’re a constable! You absolutely cannot fall!’

Tong Qiu bit her tongue, attempting to snap out of the intoxicating daze.

However, Bai Jiujiu inexplicably shifted, and with both of them bare and Bai Jiujiu covered in sweat, Tong Qiu’s newly established defenses crumbled instantly.

‘But it truly smells wonderful. I really want to savor it more~’

‘So hard! I thought Tong Qiu had some curves when she wore her constable uniform, but she’s flat as a board! There’s absolutely nothing there, was she padding it all along?! My own peaks feel like they’re pressed against a stone slab.’

Bai Jiujiu wasn’t feeling quite so good. As a constable, Tong Qiu’s body, though clean and fair, was already well-muscled. She even had an eight-pack. This was no different from falling directly onto the ground; the hard, bouncy muscles made Bai Jiujiu grimace.

One was filled with tenderness, the other bore an odd look in her eyes.

“Big Sis! I’m back with dinner!”

Just as the lilies were about to bloom, the room door suddenly swung open. A girl, seemingly sixteen years old, walked in carrying a bag of steamed buns and two bowls of spicy soup.

She happened to see the female demon Tong Qiu had brought, pressing down on her. The two were pressed intimately together, one with a fierce gaze (from her perspective), the other appearing delicate and vulnerable.

She also acutely noticed blood flowing from her master’s lower body.

“Pfft!”

Two streams of blood gushed from the girl’s nostrils. She instantly dropped dinner on the floor and, without waiting for Bai Jiujiu and Tong Qiu to explain, slammed the door shut.

“Who was that?”

“An orphan I adopted. They happened to follow their teacher to this city for a tour.”

The interruption shattered the moment.

Both women immediately widened their eyes, swiftly separating from each other.

“Did she misunderstand something…?”

“Probably not.”

Bai Jiujiu, as if nothing had happened, unblushingly and calmly retreated into the white quilt, re-rolling herself into a cylinder. She had experienced such situations quite often, and was used to it.

‘It’s just a flat board, not as attractive as my graceful disciples.’

“You even adopt orphans?”

Tong Qiu couldn’t find suitable clothes in the wardrobe, and her constable uniform was too dirty. She could only pull out a yellow quilt, imitating Bai Jiujiu by spreading it on the bed, lying down, and wrapping herself into a yellow egg-drop roll.

“Otherwise, why would I betray the Demon Suppression Department to cooperate with you? Am I just bored?”

“Oh, oh. And those orphans are…?”

“They’re all orphans without parents, unwanted by anyone,” Tong Qiu accidentally rolled next to Bai Jiujiu, but remembering what had just happened, she rolled to the other end and continued, “Some were abandoned by their parents, some are the children of warriors who died on the battlefield, others were kidnapped by cults for experiments, or their families were wiped out by enemies, leaving only one survivor. All sorts, really.”

“So, when you first proposed fifty million gold taels annually, that was for them too?”

Hearing this, Bai Jiujiu was somewhat surprised. Gold taels weren’t a huge expense in this era; a normal family spending one gold tael a year was considered extravagant.

This topic helped Bai Jiujiu understand Tong Qiu better and served as a good diversion, allowing them both to selectively forget what had just transpired. When the orphans were mentioned, Tong Qiu immediately slumped, letting go of her reserve. She started complaining like an old market woman, wagging her finger.

“It’s not that simple. Children of every age have different needs. Since I adopted them, I have to treat them well. Food, drink, shelter, hiring nannies to specifically care for them. And then there’s pulling strings for them, seeing if they can cultivate. If not, they have to be sent to a school or a martial arts academy; at the very least, they need a skill to support themselves.”

One doesn’t know the cost of living until they manage a household. Raising children is always the biggest expense. These orphans were unrelated to Tong Qiu, and it seemed they weren’t exceptionally talented geniuses. They were simply children from the lowest strata of society. Tong Qiu’s actions were entirely thankless, and the sacrifices she made were enough to crush her.

“Don’t your family object?”

Such a ‘good Samaritan’ endeavor—a normal family wouldn’t support it, would they?

“I’m an orphan myself. Where would I get a family?”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Deductive Reasoning

Capable BottomDevoted TopFantasy

Read Now →
Not interested