Chapter 34: A Delicate Distraction

Small, delicate things invariably possess an unexpected charm, captivating those who behold them.

As Zixia Peak’s Senior Sister, Bai Luozhu had always maintained a certain demeanor.

Though outwardly she appeared aloof and somewhat distant, exuding an air of cool detachment.

In truth, beneath that composed exterior, Bai Luozhu, like any young woman, harbored a fondness for adorable, miniature objects.

Proof of this inclination lay tucked away in a discreet corner of her elegant wooden cabin, where two or three exquisitely soft dolls resided.

However, as Bai Luozhu, with her particular affection for all things dainty, prepared to slip ‘undergarments’ onto her junior sister, who had innocently ‘parted her legs’, she suddenly froze.

What caused this momentary stupor?

It was the sudden discovery of a pair of utterly captivating, petite treasures as she readied to dress the little one.

They were a pair of exquisitely translucent, fair feet.

Upon seeing these pristine, overly delicate feet, devoid of any adornment, a line of poetry spontaneously surfaced in Bai Luozhu’s mind:

‘Lingering steps, a delicate dance; silken socks stir up the dust.’

At this moment, the little fox maiden’s lustrous feet seemed to bear a slight pallor, likely due to the peak’s chilly temperature. Their already jade-like fairness now revealed an almost sickly white hue, resembling a meticulously crafted work of art. Her ten toes were plump as pea pods, with a faint pink peeking through the nails, complemented by the alluring, crystal-like sheen of her nearly transparent, milky-white skin. Bai Luozhu found herself utterly captivated.

She had always adored exquisite, delicate, and charming items, and these tiny feet now perfectly embodied every preference she held for such diminutive beauties.

Staring at these tender, pale feet, Bai Luozhu even entertained, for a fleeting moment, an impulse to ‘collect’ them.

Her admiration was so profound that Bai Luozhu gradually forgot her initial purpose: changing the little girl’s clothes. Driven by instinct, she gently took one of these lotus-like feet into her right palm, reveling in the cool, smooth touch against her skin. In that instant, Bai Luozhu found an unexpected pleasure.

Due to Xiao Xixi’s petite stature, her feet were small. Even Bai Luozhu, a woman, could easily cup one in her hand.

She observed the plump, crystal-clear toes, each one like a peeled grape.

Gradually, as she gazed upon these jade-like feet, a new, unfulfilled urge stirred within Bai Luozhu, whose ‘delicate-item obsession’ was now fully awakened. She yearned for even more…

****

Xiao Xixi, who had closed her eyes in shy anticipation of the ‘changing clothes play’, suddenly felt waves of warmth emanating from the soles of her feet.

Opening her eyes in confusion, she saw Bai Luozhu, the ‘heroine’ of her book, gazing intently at her feet.

Witnessing this bizarre scene, Xiao Xixi’s thoughts became disoriented.

After all, Bai Luozhu, one of the heroines in the original plot, certainly didn’t possess such an odd fetish (foot fetish)!

As she observed her senior sister, who was clearly behaving unusually, Xiao Xixi felt a blush creep up, despite her feet being held.

However, to understand the reason, she quickly began to meticulously recall the original plot concerning ‘heroine Bai Luozhu’.

As she sifted through the original storyline, a daring hypothesis gradually formed in her mind.

****

In the original plot, Bai Luozhu hailed from a prominent marquis’s estate in ‘Tenglong Kingdom’, situated near the Azure Luan Sect.

Ordinarily, being born into such a noble family would be considered a blessing.

However, the head of the ‘Bai family’ (Bai Luozhu’s father) had long failed to produce a male heir to inherit the family legacy.

According to the text, when Bai Luozhu was born, she had a younger brother who was born alongside her, but he tragically died prematurely, while Bai Luozhu survived in good health.

This outcome already disheartened the Bai family. It was then that a Daoist priest, invited by an unknown person, uttered two ominous phrases upon seeing Bai Luozhu:

‘A solitary and cursed fate, prone to harming those nearby.’

Simply because of these words from the Daoist, Bai Luozhu, despite being a marquis’s daughter, endured a difficult life within the ‘Bai family’.

Feared as a harbinger of misfortune due to her ‘solitary and cursed fate’, Bai Luozhu grew up starved of affection, with no one willing to approach her.

When she was nine, her master, Su Mei, brought her back to the ‘Azure Luan Sect’. There, Bai Luozhu was recognized by some cultivators from ‘Tenglong Kingdom’ who had also come to cultivate.

Consequently, even within the Azure Luan Sect, Bai Luozhu’s social standing remained much like it was in the ‘Bai family’; no cultivators wished to associate with her.

Fortunately, as a heroine, Bai Luozhu channeled her sorrow into motivation, cultivating even harder and eventually becoming a ‘direct disciple’.

It was after this that Ye Chen, the main protagonist of the novel, made his appearance.

During an outdoor training expedition, the two were ambushed by villains. Relying on each other, they eventually escaped a perilous situation from which few return alive.

Xiao Xixi distinctly recalled the detailed description of Bai Luozhu in the novel when her feet were injured, and protagonist Ye Chen held her in his arms.

‘Never before, from childhood to adulthood, had anyone been this close to me. So this is what it feels like for humans to touch each other—it’s truly wondrous.’

This was the moment when the inherently love-deprived heroine, Bai Luozhu, first began to develop feelings for the protagonist, Ye Chen.

****

Considering these scenes from the original text, Xiao Xixi suddenly realized, *emmmmm*, had she, in a way, altered the plot?

After all, in the original story, the first person heroine Bai Luozhu had intimate contact with after birth was the male lead, Ye Chen. She then gradually fell in love with him.

Yet, looking at Bai Luozhu, who had clearly had many ‘intimate contacts’ with her recently and was currently holding her feet, Xiao Xixi felt a sudden, ominous premonition.

Was she, at this very moment, inadvertently stealing the male protagonist Ye Chen’s future wife?

*Emmmmm*, thinking this, Xiao Xixi felt like crying without tears.

As a transmigrator who had read the original novel and knew the story’s progression, she was naturally aware of the protagonist’s cheat-like opportunities.

And now, as a villainous junior sister, she was about to steal the protagonist’s future wife?

Xiao Xixi felt as if a giant ‘DANGER’ sign was flashing above her head!

She looked again at her senior sister, who was still lost in thought over her feet, clearly not herself.

After much contemplation, Xiao Xixi decided.

To avoid future retaliation from protagonist Ye Chen, for the sake of her own life, and to break this awkward situation, she resolved: from now on, she would maintain a slight distance from her senior sister.

Observing the obvious intimacy between herself and her senior sister at this moment, Xiao Xixi pondered for a few seconds before a plan suddenly emerged in her mind.

With this plan conceived, the next second, the little fox maiden spoke, “Xixi… ha… Xixi… Fourth Sister… Xixi itches.”

As the ‘Xixi’ language emerged, her soft, tender feet, held firmly in Bai Luozhu’s grip, seemed to unintentionally slip from her palm.

Then, the path of these faintly fragrant feet, as if by accident, landed squarely upon Bai Luozhu’s exquisite, beautiful face.

Xiao Xixi’s plan hinged on Bai Luozhu’s strong desire in the original novel to maintain her image among her ‘junior brothers and sisters’.

Presumably, after this unexpected foot-strike from her junior sister, the aloof Senior Sister Luozhu, being someone who valued her reputation, would surely be angered and likely find her rather unreasonable, thus keeping her distance.

Though the thought of Senior Sister Luozhu ignoring her made Xiao Xixi feel a pang of discomfort in her heart.

Ultimately, for the sake of her own life, Xiao Xixi made this difficult choice.

‘Pia~’

Since this seemingly accidental event was orchestrated by Xiao Xixi herself, and fearing she might hurt her senior sister, she did not use much force.

As her soft, tender foot brushed Bai Luozhu’s cheek, Bai Luozhu felt no pain whatsoever. Instead, a ticklish sensation spread across her face.

Feeling the tickle on her cheek, the delicate skin on the sole of the foot, and the faint, unique fragrance of Xiao Xixi continuously wafting from these slender, jade-like feet, Bai Luozhu gazed at the snow-white, creamy expanse before her eyes.

Even the sole of the foot was as pristine as the instep, free of calluses or yellowish grime, a perfectly smooth, delicate foot, like that of a newborn infant.

Normally, a calm Bai Luozhu, if kicked in the face, would likely be furious.

But at this moment, with only two people in the room and her entire attention focused on this tiny foot, she didn’t even grasp the true nature of the event. Instead, she silently swallowed.

As for why she swallowed, it was because a wild thought had suddenly erupted within her mind.

She even wanted to know what this luminous white… actually was.

****

Xiao Xixi, unaware of her senior sister’s internal turmoil, observed her senior sister.

She hadn’t erupted in anger, nor shown any hint of disgust. In fact, she seemed to be subtly enjoying herself.

In this moment, Xiao Xixi felt utterly bewildered.

Her Senior Sister Luozhu’s reaction was clearly not right!

Was her character setting about to collapse?