With that thin layer of cloth no longer between them, even Qiu Qi’s steady, powerful heartbeat seemed to travel through their skin. Pei Yuqing could now invade Qiu Qi’s mind with ease and inspect every thought within it. She ransacked the deepest reaches of Qiu Qi’s consciousness without restraint, yet what she found still left her disappointed.
Was this woman’s disguise simply too flawless, or was she truly as candid and sincere as she appeared?
“Whether you’re staying by my side to keep me company or to monitor me, if I can really keep up an airtight act around the clock, then even if I turn out to have ulterior motives, just as you claim, you’d still have to admit that I beat you fair and square, wouldn’t you, Madam?”
Qiu Qi looked composed on the outside, but only she knew how nervous she really was to say those words.
At present, she was merely a vessel containing a Beast Essence Pearl that might go berserk at any moment. She had no idea how to wield it. Forget restoring the original owner’s combat strength—she could barely stop herself from going berserk.
But people both inside and outside the estate were waiting to take her life. She had no chance of becoming a peerless expert in the short term. The only viable plan was to rack up Pei Yuqing’s favorability and turn her into a lifesaving trump card.
As long as the master-servant contract remained in force, Pei Yuqing couldn’t stand by and watch her die.
Pei Yuqing held her gaze. For all the audacity of Qiu Qi’s words, the depths of her shimmering eyes held nothing but limpid, harmless innocence, along with a sincerity so persuasive it was impossible not to believe her. For a moment, Pei forgot to look away.
The woman before her radiated warmth and gentleness. The sinister edge she had carried in the past was gone; with bright eyes and pearly teeth, even a simple smile made her impossible not to like.
Yet Pei hadn’t missed the tiny ulterior motive that flashed through Qiu Qi’s mind.
“You really can’t control the Beast Essence Pearl?”
If Qiu Qi merely wanted to use Pei as a protective talisman while she was unable to control the Pearl, that would also explain why she had helped Pei unlock the Profound Ice Ring.
“Of course I can’t. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be like this.”
That was true enough.
“Madam.”
Qiu narrowed her eyes in a smile and gave Pei’s hand a coquettish little shake.
“Did you read everything clearly? I didn’t lie to you, did I?”
“No… You didn’t.”
It was the first time Pei Yuqing had ever spoken in such an uncertain voice. She stepped back, and the faint, flirtatious intimacy between them dissipated with it.
“Then it’s settled!”
Qiu held out her little finger.
Pei didn’t answer. Instead, she reminded her once more:
“It’s time to eat, My Lord.”
“I know it’s time to eat, but you have to make a pinky promise with me first.”
Qiu pulled on Pei’s hand until their little fingers hooked together, then gave them a tug.
“Once we’ve hooked pinkies and sealed the deal, you can’t take it back.”
“Mm.”
“I knew it—Madam really is the best!”
The dining hall was quite far from the study. Since the original owner rarely read, the study had been deliberately tucked away in an inconspicuous corner when the residence was designed.
Estate rules dictated that only those who had received orange tokens could dine at the same table as Qiu Qi. Even they had to wait until Qiu took her seat before picking up their chopsticks. Everyone else had to wait until this table had finished eating before anyone would bring them their food.
By the time Qiu arrived, everyone else was already seated. Apart from Pei Yuqing, four others were at the table. They weren’t strangers, either—Qiu had seen them in the pavilion that morning.
The four had one thing in common: every one of them was ridiculously beautiful. When it came to taste, Qiu discovered that she and the original owner were surprisingly compatible.
Zu Mianmian was sweet and docile, Yin Ci was bold and carefree, Xiao Chuer was refined and elegant, and Lin Yujin was delicate and lovely. Each had her own distinctive charm; every one of them was beautiful in a completely different way.
If this had been a dating game, those gorgeous character portraits alone would have been enough to make Qiu throw money at it for a couple of weeks just to clear it.
“Cheep, cheep…”
From the moment Qiu appeared, the atmosphere had frozen. Only an oblivious little blue sparrow chirped softly before flapping over to Pei Yuqing’s shoulder.
“What an adorable little bird.”
Qiu had absolutely no resistance to chubby, adorable creatures.
But before her finger could touch Lan Tang, the bird gave it a vicious peck.
“You nasty thing! Don’t touch me!”
Though Qiu’s body was impervious to blades and spears, it could still feel pain. She turned a woebegone gaze on Pei Yuqing.
“Madam… it hurts.”
“Lan Tang, apologize to My Lord.”
“Huh?”
All four stared over in astonishment.
Pei Yuqing was so proud that even under Qiu’s brutal torture, she had clenched her teeth and refused to utter a single word of submission. And now she was actually ordering Lan Tang to apologize?
“Master…”
The little fat bird looked deeply aggrieved.
“It’s all right.”
Qiu gave it a good-natured smile.
“I reached out too suddenly and frightened it. I’m the one who should apologize.”
“What?”
The four shocked gazes swung back to Qiu.
Zu Mianmian couldn’t resist leaning toward Yin Ci and whispering:
“Sister Yin, did the sun rise in the west today?”
Even Lan Tang, the bird at the center of the whole spectacle, was completely bewildered. It opened its tiny, beady eyes and looked questioningly at its master, who quickly gave it a reassuring look.
“Cheep?”
“Sorry, little cutie. Next time I want to pet you, I’ll ask first.”
“Cheep!”
Lan Tang hurriedly hopped to Pei Yuqing’s other shoulder. To it, Qiu’s toothy grin was downright horrifying, as though Qiu might pounce the very next second and swallow it whole.
“Everything’s all right now. Let’s eat.”
Pei Yuqing pulled everyone’s attention back.
“If we wait any longer, it won’t be fresh.”
“Right, right! I’m so hungry my stomach’s about to cave in.”
Qiu watched eagerly as Pei lifted the cover from the table. But when she saw the sumptuous “dishes” spread across it, her expression fell, and her face began to turn deathly pale.
The dining table was huge and covered with plates, but there wasn’t a single thing on it that Qiu could bring herself to eat.
A rabbit that had just been skinned, its bloody muscles still twitching…
A tiny squab with tear-filled eyes turned toward the heavens, dead but still unable to close them…
A whole snake coiled like a mosquito coil, its jaws propped open by the chef in an attack pose…
“This is…”
Right—how could she have forgotten? Aside from their combat strength, the beastfolk were no more advanced than cavemen in any other respect. If not for their trade with humans, she probably wouldn’t even have clothes to wear now and would have to cover herself with leaves.
“My Lord, what’s wrong?”
Pei Yuqing looked at her.
“Aren’t these all your usual favorites?”
Qiu was close to tears.
“Heh heh… Actually, I feel like eating something vegetarian today. Do we have anything like that in the estate?”
“Haven’t you always preferred meat, My Lord? Why the sudden craving for vegetables today?”
“Madam…”
Qiu lowered her head and rubbed at her eyes, then pinched herself hard on the thigh. When she raised her reddened eyes again, she looked so pitifully close to tears that she unleashed a special skill at Pei Yuqing:
“Bunnies are so cute! How can anyone eat bunnies?”
*Zu Mianmian: You’re usually the one who has the most fun killing bunnies. What are you saying now?*
*Yin Ci: Does anyone have a knife? I feel like killing someone. :)*
*Xiao Chuer: This is… what Pei Yuqing meant by “worlds apart”? Honestly, did she suffer a cultivation deviation or something?!*
*Lin Yujin: Somebody save me. The stranger she acts, the more frightened I am.*
*Lan Tang: Cheep, cheep, cheep! Master, run!*
Something in Pei Yuqing’s eyes seemed to be crumbling.
“What did you say? Say that again?”
