Su Yu held Qian Renxue's arm, his gaze burning as he looked into her eyes, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness mixed with indulgence:
"Alright, Sister Xue'er, stop fooling around."
The words "Sister Xue'er" fell softly by her ear, causing Qian Renxue's body to tremble as if scalded, her cheeks flushing with warmth.
She stiffened her neck, her eyes darting away evasively, yet her tone remained stubborn, even stuttering slightly:
"W-who's your sister! I'm not your sister, and I'm not fooling around either!"
"You're older than me!"
Su Yu counted on his fingers earnestly, a teasing smile playing at the corners of his lips.
"You're also the teacher's daughter. By seniority and age, you're clearly my sister, right?"
He deliberately paused, his gaze lingering on her reddened earlobes before slowly adding:
"Or perhaps... you prefer being a tsundere puppy, denying it with your words while secretly acknowledging it in your heart?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Qian Renxue reacted as if her tail had been stepped on, abruptly shaking off his hand and taking half a step back, her cheeks flushing crimson.
"W-who's tsundere! Who's a puppy! Su Yu, stop talking nonsense!"
Though her rebuttal was fierce, she couldn't bring herself to look at Su Yu anymore, instead fixing her gaze firmly on the ground, the redness at the tips of her ears impossible to conceal.
The words "Sister Xue'er" seemed to carry a magical power, leaving her heart in disarray and robbing her retorts of their conviction.
Su Yu chuckled softly at her contradictory demeanor:
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Anyway, I'm just glad it's you."
Qian Renxue snapped her head up to glare at him, but there was no real anger in her eyes—instead, they held a hint of inexplicable awkwardness.
She opened her mouth to say something more but ultimately just snorted, turning her back to him, the redness of her earlobes glaringly obvious.
Su Yu stepped in front of Qian Renxue, lightly brushing his fingertips over his Soul Guidance Device.
A palm-sized jade box appeared in his hand, its surface warm and smooth, glowing with a faint luster.
"Sister Xue'er, I specially prepared a gift for you. Don't you want to see it?"
He shook the jade box in his hand, a mysterious smile in his eyes.
Qian Renxue shot him a sidelong glance, the corners of her mouth twitching upward despite herself, though her words remained sharp:
"Hmph, at least you have some sense. Since you've already brought it, I'll reluctantly accept it."
Even as she spoke, she eagerly reached out and took the jade box.
The moment her fingertips touched the box, she felt a subtle cool warmth. The box wasn't heavy but exuded an air of exquisite craftsmanship.
She looked up at Su Yu, curiosity hidden in her eyes though she deliberately maintained a stern expression:
"What is it?"
Su Yu grinned wider: "Why not open it and see? I guarantee it'll be useful to you."
Qian Renxue let out a soft humph and carefully unclasped the box. A golden mango came into view.
The instant her eyes fell upon it, her Six-Winged Angel Spirit trembled faintly within her, a strange sense of familiarity surging through her bloodline.
Qian Renxue's breath hitched, her feigned composure instantly shattered as she looked up at Su Yu in delight, her voice trembling:
"This is—!"
"This is an Immortal Herb, called the Holy Light Spirit Sprout."
Su Yu looked at her sparkling eyes with a gentle smile.
"Carefully sense it—the pure sacred energy it contains is greatly beneficial to Martial Souls with sacred attributes."
He paused, his gaze falling on her slightly heaving chest, and added:
"Your Six-Winged Angel Spirit possesses both sacred and fire attributes. This Immortal Herb can nourish the essence of your Martial Soul, allowing the two attributes to blend more harmoniously."
Qian Renxue held the jade box, her fingertips lightly brushing against the Holy Light Spirit Sprout.
Beneath its cool touch, she could clearly feel the surging energy within.
She bit her lip and looked up at Su Yu, the surprise in her eyes not yet faded, now mixed with complex emotions:
"You... how do you have such an Immortal Herb? Even in the Spirit Hall's treasury, such a treasure would be hard to find."
"I obtained it by chance. Seeing how suitable it is for you, I saved it for you."
A simple statement, yet it warmed Qian Renxue's heart.
She looked at the golden-glowing fruit, then at Su Yu, as if a corner of her previous awkwardness and defensiveness had melted away in this warmth.
Pursing her lips, she drew the jade box closer to her chest, her voice soft but no longer prickly:
"...Thank you."
Seeing her accept it, Su Yu's smile deepened. "Why so polite with me, Sister Xue'er?"
The affectionate address "Sister" didn't provoke her usual bristling reaction this time. Instead, the tips of her ears faintly reddened as she lowered her head and adjusted her collar, tacitly accepting it.
"Regardless, I still need to thank you!" When she looked up, there was a genuine warmth in her eyes.
"Then, may I ask for a reward?"
Su Yu seized the opportunity, a sly glint in his eyes.
"No!"
Qian Renxue rejected without hesitation, her cheeks slightly flushed, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.
"Don't think I don't know what you're scheming! You're still wet behind the ears yet already thinking of nonsense—behave yourself!"
"I went through great hardship to get this from Poison Douluo! Can't you even give me a little reward?" Su Yu pouted at Qian Renxue.
"Poison Douluo? Are you insane? Dugu Bo is no ordinary person! Did he poison you? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Frustrated and anxious, Qian Renxue's fingers instinctively softened as they touched his collar.
She traced along his sleeve to his shoulder, then around to his back, carefully checking for any abnormalities.
Su Yu tickled under her touch, shrinking his neck with a laugh:
"I told you I'm fine. Though Poison Douluo is fierce, he doesn't poison people on sight."
"When I asked him for this, he was busy fiddling with his precious poisonous herbs and had no time for me—just tossed it to me casually."
"Tossed it to you casually?"
Qian Renxue stopped her hands, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Is Dugu Bo's stuff so easy to obtain? You didn't make some deal with him, did you?"
"Ah! I definitely didn't make any deal with Dugu Bo!"
Su Yu waved his hands hurriedly. Seeing Qian Renxue's lingering disbelief, he leaned closer on purpose, deliberately frowning.
"If there's any discomfort, it's that my face feels a bit itchy. Maybe I touched something? Sister, could you take a look for me?"
Unable to resist his pestering, Qian Renxue leaned in closer to carefully examine his face.
His skin was fair, his features handsome, and as he tilted his face up slightly, his eyelashes cast small shadows beneath his eyes.
She was looking intently, her fingertips nearly touching his cheek, about to carefully examine if there were any small wounds or rashes.
Su Yu suddenly leaned forward slightly, the movement was small, yet it instantly closed the distance between them.
Qian Renxue, caught off guard, almost bumped her nose against his forehead. Instinctively, she tried to pull back, but her lips landed squarely on his cheek.
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "QueenTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!