"Teacher, I'm full, so I'll go back to rest first. If you have any questions and want to consult me, just come to our resting place." Chu Lian put down her bowl and chopsticks, elegantly wiped the soup from the corner of her mouth with a napkin, then stood up and spoke.
"So soon you're full?" Ning Zhiyuan was a little surprised, but after noticing the worry in her eyes, she suddenly thought of something and immediately changed her tone: "Then you go back first."
"Thank you, Teacher…" Chu Lian nodded, then said to Chu Chu and the others: "I'll go back first. If you're full, come back too."
Inori understood that she was hinting to them, "There's something, come over later." So they all nodded to show they understood. Moreover, Li Xiu'er also stood up just as Chu Lian was about to leave, walked to her side, hesitated for a while, but finally still held her small hand. Turning around, she said to Ning Zhiyuan: "Teacher, I'm also full, so I'll leave first."
Watching the two girls leave together, the others more or less felt tempted as well. After all, they had arrived earlier than Chu Lian and had already eaten plenty. For junior high students' appetites, this was more than enough to fill their stomachs.
So soon, some people couldn't sit still and also suggested leaving to Ning Zhiyuan. She didn't stop them, only instructing: "Gather before one o'clock this afternoon. We are going to Tokyo to go shopping. Don't you want to buy some specialties to send back to your family and friends? Remember, before one o'clock, gather here. Alright, you may leave now. Don't go outside the inn—it's dangerous."
With the teacher's permission, all the students became happy. At this age, boys and girls were the most restless. Making them sit and stare in a daze was unbearably difficult. Even if they were gifted individuals, they couldn't avoid such youthful nature. So when Ning Zhiyuan said, "You may leave now," more than half of them left, leaving only some who weren't full yet or who liked quietness.
"Let's go too…" Inori pulled Chu Chu's hand, stood up, and said.
"Mm, I also want to go back. Although the food here is mainly Huaxia dishes, I really can't get used to it here. Otherwise, I could have eaten more…" Chu Lian was a foodie, and Chu Chu was no exception. One could even say that the whole Chu family was the representative of foodies.
But being foodies didn't mean they'd eat anything. Compared to all kinds of strange things, they still preferred food they liked or thought was good. Other things, no matter how much, they couldn't eat.
"Ya, if there's something, you can come to our resting place to find us. If you encounter danger, just press this thing…" Inori was about to leave, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned slightly, spoke to Cai Ya, and at the same time handed her a small item. Without paying attention to her astonishment, she turned and left.
Looking at the crystal-clear sphere on the table, shining like glass, Cai Ya felt complicated. She knew this was something Chu Lian had planned to give her from the beginning, to protect her safety and make it easier for her to know if she was in danger.
However, what she hadn't expected was that this item was actually handed to her by Inori. Didn't she know that she was trying to replace her in Chu Lian's heart?
"Lian is different. To gain her approval requires more than just striving…" Her tangled thoughts were interrupted by Inori's faint sigh by her ear, which pierced directly into her heart.
She turned back in surprise, but didn't see the pink figure of that girl. She opened her mouth, but in the end only muttered: "Is this the ability of a practitioner? What did her words mean? Was it a warning not to go too far, or guidance on what to do?"
She turned sideways and saw Liu Yanran's misty eyes. The concern within them made her heart tremble slightly. "Perhaps, it's teaching me how to be someone people like. But… am I not likable already?"
No matter what was going on in the girl's heart, Chu Lian didn't know. Because at this moment, she was crouching beside the awakened white-haired girl, asking her something.
"How do you feel? Do you still have any strength in your body?" Seeing that her pale face finally had a little bit of color, Chu Lian couldn't help but ask.
"It's alright, at least I've regained some strength." Having been without anyone's care for so long, the white-haired girl felt very unaccustomed to it. But the sincerity in Chu Lian's eyes was something she couldn't deny as fake. After a moment of silence, she still answered her question.
"Hey, hey, hey, girl, you need to be clear about this. Right now, you are my prisoner. To be more direct, you are my possession, and I am your master. The master's questions cannot be refused, nor can you hesitate for so long to answer, otherwise you will be punished." Chu Lian noticed the white-haired girl's discomfort. A trace of understanding flashed in her eyes, and she spoke to her with a serious tone.
"I am your defeated opponent, I admit that. But this is no reason for you to trample on my dignity." Chu Lian's words clearly angered the white-haired girl. She struggled to get up, shouting angrily. If one ignored the weakness in her voice, it truly sounded like a shout.
"No, no, no, this isn't trampling on your dignity, but simply the truth. In ancient times, the fate of prisoners like you would have been far worse. For me to treat you as my possession is already quite normal. If you had fallen into the hands of a man, especially one lecherous and shameless, just think about what your end would have been." Chu Lian's words made the white-haired girl shiver.
Indeed, as she said, in the cultivation world, for a girl like her who had been captured after failing, the outcomes were usually either torture until death, or being taken as someone's forbidden plaything. The best result would have been to be killed quickly. Only those who had great value or strong backgrounds could remain safe.
She was clearly not one of those two categories. That Chu Lian only treated her as a possession was already merciful. Even if this made her feel her dignity was being trampled on, she could not refute it. In the end, she could only stare silently at the ceiling with wide eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't make you do those shameful things, like being a maid, warming the bed, bathing me, or calling me 'Master.' I have only one demand right now: when I ask something, you answer. Is that clear?" After reaching her goal, Chu Lian no longer pressed her, but returned to the topic.
The white-haired girl nodded, showing her understanding. This time she responded immediately. After all, being from the cultivation world, she was already prepared for such things. If she had unfulfilled wishes, she could not complain—this was the consequence of being the loser.
"Your wound has already started scabbing, hasn't it?" Chu Lian asked as she lifted the blanket covering her, exposing her body clad only in undergarments. The air was still chilly after the rain, and when her unclothed body lost the blanket's warmth, a wave of cold made the girl shiver.
Sensing this, Chu Lian reached out to hold her hand, channeling a stream of warm spiritual power into her. Not only did this prevent her from catching cold after her injury, but it also accelerated the healing of her wound.
After finishing this, Chu Lian's gaze fell to her waist, at the wound about seven to eight centimeters long.
Frowning, she reached out to touch the thin scab forming over it. This made the white-haired girl's body tremble again from the pain. Yet her expression remained cold, as if the physical suffering could not affect her at all.
"The wound is diamond-shaped, with the flesh around it torn outward. It looks like the weapon pierced your skin and then drove straight into your body. To do this, aside from the tip of a halberd, only a spear could. Was the one who injured you using which weapon?" These were things Chu Lian had learned in her past life. As an amateur enthusiast of ancient weapons, she could still make such judgments.
"A spear. Nearly three meters long." This time, the white-haired girl opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.
"Too slow in answering—that means punishment." She had just said she must not hesitate, and yet she had done so again. It seemed that without real punishment, she wouldn't remember.
Chu Lian gently turned the white-haired girl's body over, then firmly smacked her raised bottom a few times. Pa! Pa! Pa! The crisp sound rang throughout the room, making the girl's cheeks flush scarlet in an instant.
"Let me go! If you keep this up, once my body recovers, I will definitely take revenge!" The white-haired girl, her face turned to the side, bit her lip as she spoke. Her words were vicious, but her tone was soft and powerless. It sounded less like a threat and more like a sulky protest.
"Oh my, daring to threaten me? If I don't discipline you, how could I call myself a qualified master?" Chu Lian was amused by the girl's attitude. As soon as her words fell, she landed a few more smacks.
The girl bit her lip, her eyes staring hard at Chu Lian, yet mist slowly began to gather within them. Always observing her closely, Chu Lian noticed this at once and quickly stopped her hand. This cold, expressionless white-haired girl seemed to possess quite the unexpected trait.
"Just ask your questions, and I'll answer immediately. Please turn me over now, alright?" As Chu Lian stopped, an unnoticed trace of disappointment flickered through the white-haired girl's eyes. She spoke coldly.
"You should have had this attitude earlier. Why did it take punishment for you to understand?" Hearing this, Chu Lian turned her body back over. After making sure not to touch the wound, she pulled the blanket over her again, covering the body that was only slightly better than her own, and spoke.
Just as their conversation grew deeper, even touching upon the pursuers, the closed door suddenly opened. Li Xiu'er entered carrying a bowl of soup, followed by Inori and Chu Chu, both holding food. The three appeared before them.
"Hungry? We brought some food." Originally, Li Xiu'er had returned with Chu Lian, but on the way she had been sent to fetch some nourishing dishes. On the way back she met Inori and Chu Chu, so the three of them simply asked a waiter for a pile of food and supplements.
"As expected of Inori, so thoughtful…" Chu Lian let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, Li Xiu'er had met up with Inori and Chu Chu. Otherwise, if they had returned right while she was "disciplining" the white-haired girl, wouldn't she have been caught red-handed? If that hobby of teasing girls got spread around, her integrity would be gone.
"I just thought of it, that's all…" Inori picked up a bowl of porridge, sipped it lightly, and spoke.
"Mhm, I think Big Sis was right—Inori really is very considerate." Chu Chu, completely unreserved, hadn't eaten her fill earlier. Now she picked exactly what she liked, and as soon as she entered, she began eating heartily. If not for hearing Chu Lian and Inori's conversation, she wouldn't have spoken at all.
"Did she say anything?" Li Xiu'er handed the soup to Chu Lian, glancing at the white-haired girl still lying down as she asked.
"She did…" Chu Lian nodded, answering Li Xiu'er's question. Then, holding the ginseng soup, she turned and walked to the white-haired girl's side. Lifting her head, she placed it on her lap and said: "Be good, open your mouth, let your master feed you soup."
The white-haired girl's expression remained cold, but her eyes were filled with complexity. This time, she did not hesitate. She opened her mouth and drank the soup, cooled to the perfect temperature by Chu Lian's breath. A wave of warmth surged through her heart. How long has it been since I last felt this kind of care?
While warmth filled Chu Lian's side, outside in the bamboo forest around the Wafuu Inn, a group of uninvited guests had arrived…