Chapter 13: Master, What Are You Thinking About?

Ugh, what a headache. Chu Huaizhou hadn’t expected protecting Bai Li to be such a hassle.
It wasn’t that he was some saint, endlessly forgiving Bai Li, ready to defend her even after she’d used her charm technique on him.
Truth be told, he’d have loved to see Leng Qingqiu teach her a lesson.
It might make Bai Li behave and curb her wild ideas.

But Chu Huaizhou was helpless. The situation demanded he keep the fox close.
Sure, Bai Li had feelings for him, but she knew when to stop, proving she was a good fox at heart.
At least she’d pulled back at the critical moment, showing some restraint—just not much.
Keeping her nearby was manageable.
If he didn’t protect her and let Leng Qingqiu, claiming the role of dao companion, force her away, Chu Huaizhou would be in real danger.

It wasn’t that he disliked romance or wanted to avoid it entirely.
His pre-transmigration values just made him wary of diving into things casually, especially in his current confused state.
There was no dissonance in his memories—just a normal sleep, then waking up to find three hundred years had passed!
Everything had changed, and he was supposedly a top cultivator.
The stark contrast sent shivers of fear through him if he thought about it too long.
If someone could shrug that off in under an hour and start thinking about romance, Chu Huaizhou would tip his hat to them.

The seven great immortal sects might be righteous, but their relationships weren’t exactly friendly.
What if another sect had caused his amnesia to manipulate him for some scheme?
A massive cloud of doubt loomed over him, like the Sword of Damocles.
So, if he hadn’t had an intimate relationship with Bai Li before his amnesia, he’d better not start now.
That was his trust in his pre-amnesia self.
Given Bai Li’s feelings and his own fondness for fox-eared girls, there had to be a reason he’d kept things platonic.

As for Leng Qingqiu… well, he wasn’t sure if her claims of being his dao companion were true. He needed to verify that.
Until he figured things out, he had to avoid anything inappropriate.

As his thoughts churned, Leng Qingqiu slid off him.
As expected of a Great Vehicle cultivator, her expression returned to its usual icy calm, though her gaze still held tenderness—and a hint of moisture?
She silently moved back to where she’d entered, acting as if nothing had happened.
With a flick of her finger, a surge of spiritual power flowed.

Bai Li, previously frozen, suddenly moved again, landing on all fours and shaking her head, clearly confused.
But as a Great Vehicle cultivator, despite her muddled mind, she had experience.
She quickly realized she’d been sealed, her tails puffing up like a dandelion.
She shot Leng Qingqiu an indignant glance but flinched at her icy face, turning away sulkily.
Bai Li was furious but too scared to act.

Leng Qingqiu had planned to use Chu Huaizhou’s closeness with Bai Li as an excuse to fully claim him.
Naturally, she wouldn’t let the vixen watch, so she’d sealed Bai Li’s senses and frozen the space around her.
Unexpectedly, Master’s words had touched her heart, making her decide to spare him—for now.
Next time, she’d demand double!
Since she wasn’t going through with it, she released Bai Li’s seal. It was tiring to maintain.
Normally, sealing a Great Vehicle cultivator was near impossible, but Bai Li hadn’t resisted, allowing Leng Qingqiu to do it quickly, though it still took effort.

Seeing Bai Li wisely stay back, Leng Qingqiu nodded in approval, then returned to Chu Huaizhou’s side.
With a flow of spiritual power, she conjured an ice-crystal chair and sat gracefully, her skirt billowing like snowy waves, exuding untouchable majesty.
Propping her chin with one hand, her frost-laden phoenix eyes now shimmered with spring-like warmth, fixed on Chu Huaizhou.
Her other hand, hidden from view, quietly hooked onto his, teasing his palm with her fingertips.

Having just said those placating words, Chu Huaizhou didn’t dare pull away, instead clasping her hand, their fingers interlocking.
Bai Li squirmed, turning her tails toward Leng Qingqiu, pretending to be a mere mascot.
I can’t see anything, meow. Nothing at all.
As Great Vehicle cultivators, such antics were obvious with a glance of divine sense.
Normally, Bai Li would’ve jumped up, accusing Leng Qingqiu of sneaky behavior.
But caught red-handed, she was too guilty to move.

“Master, what are you thinking about?”
Leng Qingqiu’s voice remained cold, but it carried a hint of playful coquetry.
Seeing her gaze full of him, Chu Huaizhou felt a pang of guilt.
No matter what, she was his eldest disciple. He should trust her more, not treat her like a thief.
To cover for Bai Li, he’d even lied against his conscience.
What if Leng Qingqiu really was his dao companion?
If he put himself in her shoes—his beloved dao companion waking after a month-long coma, only to distrust and avoid him—he’d be heartbroken too.
He should say something she’d like.

“Nothing much, just thinking how much you’ve changed, Qingqiu. You look beautiful when you smile.”
That wasn’t a lie.
Sitting by the window, sunlight streamed through the carved lattice, gilding her porcelain skin, making her look like a fairy from a painting.

He recalled how Leng Qingqiu used to be cold to everyone, stunning but monotonous.
Once, to bond as master and disciple, he’d suggested seeing her smile, praising her beauty and mentioning how many in the sect admired her swordplay.
Her face grew colder, and she shot him a look like he was trash, saying:
“You want to see me smile? I don’t like it. It’s not my personality.”
“Do you even act like a master? What’s this, flirting with your disciple?”
“And mentioning people watching me practice—trying to make me seduce someone?”
Her triple rebuke left him speechless, too scared to try again.

Now, though, her eyes were soft, her lips curving unconsciously as she looked at him.
A completely different person!