Chapter 11: We Didn’t Do Anything

Indeed, the speaker was none other than Leng Qingqiu.

She’d gone to great lengths outside to shake off Xia Baiqian.
Finally, out of options, she’d pulled out the “Master card,” claiming a new species of gu insect was about to emerge in the Far North.
She lied, saying Master had tasked her with subduing it.
Only then did she manage to send the suspicious, Master-clinging, cutesy Xia Baiqian away.

Thinking this bought her at least half a month to keep Xia BaiVousqian from learning about Master’s amnesia and severe cultivation loss, Leng Qingqiu’s lips curled into a victor’s smile.
But upon pushing open the door, her smile froze.

That vixen had the audacity to sit on Master’s lap, seducing him! Utterly infuriating!
It felt like she’d fought tooth and nail to protect her beloved, only to come home and find him stolen.
Well played, Bai Li. Who knew she’d dare something so bold?

In Leng Qingqiu’s plan, she’d have half a month to live a sweet dao companion life with Master, uninterrupted, subtly reshaping him to be hers alone.
Yet Bai Li had beaten her to it.
As expected of a centuries-old Great Vehicle demon cultivator.
She’d seemed naive and easy to control, but behind that cute facade was a cunning mind.
Leng Qingqiu admitted she’d misjudged. Thinking Bai Li was docile and dim, she’d underestimated her.
Just like Xia Baiqian—both were schemers!

She’d need harsher measures in the next half month, but for now, she’d deal with this sneaky fox.
Leng Qingqiu’s thoughts raced, but her face remained impassive, as if she didn’t care.
Yet the air around her grew colder, ice crystals forming in the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Bai Li, realizing it was Leng Qingqiu speaking, made a snap decision.
Her super brain calculated the best move: transform back to fox form and hide in Chu Huaizhou’s arms, pretending nothing happened.

Poof—
White mist rose again, but before it could dissipate naturally, Leng Qingqiu snorted coldly.
A bone-chilling wave of spiritual power rippled from her, blasting the mist away.
It revealed Bai Li in fox form, frantically stuffing her ornate human-form robes into a storage ring.
Where was the ring hidden? Deep within her nine tails, rarely shown.

Bai Li sighed inwardly at Leng Qingqiu’s rudeness, angry but too scared to speak.
After all, Leng Qingqiu had caught her in such an embarrassing act.
If Bai Li knew her well—and she did—Leng Qingqiu would assume she was seducing the human. The worse part? She actually was.

“Bai Li, shouldn’t you explain what’s going on here?”
Leng Qingqiu flashed a painfully fake smile, her eyes narrowing like she was staring at a dead fox.
She flicked a finger, sending a shard of ice crystal infused with pure spiritual power toward Bai Li.
Whoosh—
It grazed her ear and landed on Chu Huaizhou, vanishing.

Still wrestling with his warring mind, Chu Huaizhou felt a cool surge flood his body.
His mind quieted, his spirit cleared, and his expression returned to normal.
Bai Li, however, trembled under the obvious warning shot.
Seeing more ice crystals forming around Leng Qingqiu, her mouth gaped in an O, her nine tails curling into a protective ball, her four legs shaking.
If she weren’t a Great Vehicle cultivator, free of impurities, she’d be sweating buckets.

“Uh… um, Qingqiu, calm down, meow. It was a misunderstanding, I was just…”
“Hm, take your time. I’m reasonable. I’ll hear you out.”
“Uh, meow?! I mean, I was just, you know, doing that thing, meow.”

Faced with Leng Qingqiu’s mountain-like aura, Bai Li’s mind blanked, her words incoherent.
She shrank deeper into Chu Huaizhou’s arms, seeking protection.
But after what she’d done, he was probably furious and wouldn’t shield her.
No choice—she’d have to confess and hope Leng Qingqiu wouldn’t hit too hard.
Her neck shrank at the thought.

For some reason, Leng Qingqiu would inexplicably pull her away from the human, claiming it was to “train her combat skills.”
Each time, she’d leave Bai Li sore all over.
Blinking, Bai Li mustered her courage:
“Fine, I was actually…”

But before she finished, a gentle voice came from above—Chu Huaizhou, now clear-headed, defending her.
“Qingqiu, you misunderstood. I asked her to transform into human form. With my amnesia, I was curious what she looked like.”
“I was so eager I forgot she was on my lap, so that’s why we were in that position.”

“Human…”
Bai Li hadn’t expected him to cover for her. Her big eyes welled up, gazing at him adoringly.
A pinch on her butt snapped her back, reminding her to play along.
“Y-Yeah, exactly! I got carried away. You’re not mad, right, Qingqiu?”

Leng Qingqiu didn’t reply. Her lips curved slightly, but her eyes glinted with frost.
Her slender finger lifted, and an invisible spiritual force instantly restrained Bai Li.
“Eek, meow?!”
Before she could react, her body stiffened.
Like a cat grabbed by the scruff, she floated out of Chu Huaizhou’s arms and landed in a corner with a thud.
Her nine tails stayed curled, unable to move, her amber eyes dimming as if her vision was sealed.

Leng Qingqiu’s fingers brushed her chest, shaking her head with mock regret.
“Mas—”
She stopped, her voice trembling slightly.
“No, Huaizhou…”

Chu Huaizhou sensed danger and tried to flee, but ice chains—appearing from nowhere—bound his limbs.
As Leng Qingqiu glided forward, frost flowers bloomed beneath her steps.
Each step tightened the chains, spreading across his body.
By the time she stopped before him, the bone-chilling chains had him completely immobilized.

“Have you forgotten? We’re the ones who are dao companions…”
She leaned close, her white hair brushing his bobbing Adam’s apple, her blue eyes glinting strangely.
“Yet you always protect outsiders…”
Her cold fingers traced his jaw, then gripped it tightly, pulling him closer.
“How should I punish you… to make you remember who your dao companion is?”