Chapter 58: A Lifetime to Repay
Early morning, as the mortal world was just waking up…
Luo Qiaoqiao stormed into the inn where Chen Yin was staying, bypassing the innkeeper and heading straight for his room on the second floor, guided by his familiar aura. With a swift kick, she flung the door open.
“Chen Yin! I found out about the thing you asked me to investigate! Now hurry up and give me my rewa—”
“—rd…” Her voice trailed off as her face stiffened.
On the bed, two figures, one large and one small, were sleeping soundly. Besides Chen Yin, Luo Qiaoqiao saw a fluffy-eared young fox girl nestled in his arms.
The girl was dressed in a loose blue and green dress, her clothes rumpled from her restless sleep, revealing her delicate shoulders and a sliver of pale skin beneath her collarbone.
Her childish and adorable face was peaceful, her rosy lips slightly parted, a tiny trail of drool escaping from the corner of her mouth.
Chen Yin, on the other hand, was sprawled out, his arms wrapped around the little fox like a cuddly pillow, snoring softly.
Startled awake by the sudden intrusion, Chen Yin sat up, rubbing his eyes. He looked at Luo Qiaoqiao with a confused expression. “Sister Qiaoqiao? Why are you—”
Then, as if realizing the situation, his expression gradually turned awkward and stiff.
“Chen. Yin.”
“…Give me a chance to explain.” Chen Yin said seriously.
“What if I don’t?”
“Then… can you please not hit my face?”
So, Luo Qiaoqiao considerately kicked him in the face instead.
***
“…That’s what happened.”
Half an hour later, Chen Yin sat at the table, nursing his still-swollen face, sighing as he spoke. “She’s just a little fox demon servant I picked up, that’s all.”
“It’s not what you think. You don’t need to report me to the authorities. I’m not a lolicon.”
Luo Qiaoqiao sat with her legs crossed, elegantly lifting the teapot with one hand and pouring the tea directly into her mouth. She wiped her lips and looked at him skeptically.
“A fox demon servant? How did you get so lucky to just stumble upon such a cute little fox?”
“Uh, maybe because I’m handsome?” Chen Yin said cautiously, glancing at her.
The next moment, she slapped his other cheek.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch… Sister, be gentle…”
Luo Luo sat obediently at the table, her head tilted as she looked back and forth between them.
Luo Qiaoqiao glared at Chen Yin, then turned to Luo Luo with a friendly smile. “You’re a demon from the fox clan?”
“Yes.”
Luo Luo suddenly grabbed Luo Qiaoqiao’s sleeve and said sweetly, her tail wagging excitedly.
“Sister Qiaoqiao! You’re so beautiful!”
“Hmm… Do you know me?”
“Of course! Young Master talks about you all the time.”
Luo Luo smiled. “I’ve never seen a girl as beautiful as you before.”
With her cute fox ears, her innocent smile, her adorable little fangs, and her wagging tail…
Luo Qiaoqiao couldn’t help but smile dotingly. “Come here, let big sister hug you.”
Without hesitation, Luo Luo leaped into Luo Qiaoqiao’s arms, burying her face in her chest and saying in a sweet voice:
“You smell so good, Sister Qiaoqiao~ Are you wearing the Fireworks Rouge from the Ten Thousand Fragrance Pavilion?”
“Hey, you know about that? I love that scent and color.”
The two beauties seemed to hit it off instantly. They sat together, chatting and laughing like close sisters.
Luo Qiaoqiao, especially, seemed to be completely smitten with the adorable little fox girl, constantly pulling her into her arms and stroking her soft fur.
Luo Luo would occasionally rub her head against Luo Qiaoqiao’s chest, then glance at Chen Yin with a playful wink.
…Jealous much?
…Not at all.
Chen Yin sipped his tea and shrugged.
Was this the unique charm of the fox clan? Even a strong woman like Luo Qiaoqiao couldn’t resist Luo Luo’s adorable fox ears.
It seemed that falling asleep while reading her a story last night wasn’t his fault after all.
It was all because Luo Luo was too comfortable to hold. Yes, that must be it.
Seeing that the two women were about to chat endlessly, Chen Yin quickly interrupted:
“Alright, alright, we can chat later. Let’s talk business first.”
“Since you rushed over here so early in the morning, I assume you have some news about the thing I asked you to investigate?”
Luo Qiaoqiao finally remembered the purpose of her visit. Her smile faded, and she said seriously:
“I asked my father. You were right, the Changli Palace incident was a big deal back then.”
“However, most of the information was suppressed. Only a handful of high-level cultivators, like my parents, know some of the details.”
“Do you know who suppressed the information?”
“…The Mist Spirit Sect.” She said slowly.
Chen Yin fell silent.
As expected.
He wasn’t surprised at all.
This explained Xiang’er’s desire to destroy the Mist Spirit Sect and the strange events that had transpired at the Fairy Conference.
“Technically, it’s considered a scandal for the Mist Spirit Sect.”
Luo Qiaoqiao said softly, “Changli Palace was just a small, insignificant sect back then, living a peaceful life in a secluded immortal mountain in the south.”
“They were known for having a good relationship with the mortals, often helping the people in the nearby villages without any arrogance. They had a good reputation in the southern region.”
“However… according to my father, the Sect Master of Changli Palace seemed to have obtained a very valuable treasure, a treasure that the Mist Spirit Sect had been searching for tirelessly.”
Luo Qiaoqiao hesitated and glanced at Chen Yin.
But Chen Yin remained calm and said, “Continue.”
“Not long after that, the Mist Spirit Sect suddenly received news of demonic cultivators wreaking havoc in the region. They investigated and traced it back to Changli Palace.”
“And then, well, you know what happened.”
Luo Qiaoqiao shrugged. “The Mist Spirit Sect claimed that the Sect Master of Changli Palace had been secretly practicing demonic cultivation and was actually an elder of the demonic path. When his secret was exposed, he went mad and massacred the entire Changli Palace. It took great effort for the Mist Spirit Sect elders to subdue him.”
“But that’s just the Mist Spirit Sect’s side of the story. After all, the only witnesses were the massacred disciples of Changli Palace and the people from the Mist Spirit Sect.”
“That’s all my father knows.” Luo Qiaoqiao took a sip of tea, her throat dry. Then she pouted. “There are too many suspicious details in this incident. Many sects suspected something was amiss back then.”
“However, the Mist Spirit Sect was at its peak at the time, and no one was willing to openly confront them based on mere suspicions.”
“This incident became a taboo topic in the cultivation world.”
“Oh, right,” she added, “If my father remembers correctly, the Sect Master of Changli Palace was named Yin Changli.”
After listening to her story, Chen Yin fell into a long silence.
Finally, he sighed softly.
“…I see. I think I understand now.”
“Thank you.” This time, he bowed deeply to Luo Qiaoqiao.
Luo Qiaoqiao was embarrassed by his formal gesture and stammered, “Wh-what are you being so polite for? We’re friends. It’s no big deal…”
“It’s still a favor.”
Chen Yin said calmly, “Without your help, Sister Qiaoqiao, it would have taken me a lot of effort to gather this information.”
Luo Qiaoqiao blushed at his praise and lowered her head shyly.
“So… is there a reward?”
Chen Yin’s composure crumbled, and he coughed awkwardly. “Uh, as long as it’s not something harmful to your health, I’ll consider it.”
“Then… come stay at my house for a few days?”
“That would definitely be harmful to my health!”
Luo Qiaoqiao pouted and said playfully, “What? You make it sound like I’m some kind of insatiable beast. I won’t devour you, you know.”
“…”
Chen Yin cleared his throat and changed the subject. “It’s not because of that. It’s just that I still have things to do.”
“What things?”
Chen Yin hesitated. If he told Luo Qiaoqiao, she would definitely insist on coming with him.
That would risk exposing Xiang’er’s identity and make it difficult for him to act.
So, he made up an excuse. “Master is injured. I need to go west and find some of her old friends to get her some healing medicine.”
Hearing this, Luo Qiaoqiao couldn’t say anything more. She could only lower her head dejectedly. “Aw… so we have to part ways again…”
“It’s okay. You can stay at home and relax for a couple of days.”
Chen Yin said gently, “I’ll come find you after I’m done.”
“Really?”
Luo Qiaoqiao said excitedly, “You’re coming to visit the Heavenly Net Sect?”
“Yes.” Chen Yin nodded.
…He also had some questions about Master that he wanted to ask Luo Qiaoqiao’s mother.
“Alright, but you have to finish your business quickly.”
Luo Qiaoqiao, as always, was impatient. She grinned at Chen Yin and was about to leave when she suddenly turned back.
“No, I can’t let you off so easily after all the trouble I went through. I need some interest.”
Chen Yin froze, a sense of foreboding washing over him. Before he could react, Luo Qiaoqiao was already standing before him, her red dress swirling around her.
She gently lifted his chin with her slender fingers and stood on tiptoe, pressing her lips against his.
Luo Luo, stunned by Luo Qiaoqiao’s bold and unrestrained actions, covered her eyes with her hands, her face flushed. But she couldn’t resist peeking through her fingers, her curiosity piqued.
After a long and deep kiss, Luo Qiaoqiao finally parted her lips, her cheeks flushed but her eyes shining brightly.
“Consider this the interest.” She nodded with satisfaction.
“…Just the interest?” Chen Yin swallowed hard.
“Of course. The real reward won’t be this cheap.”
The young girl skipped to the door, her red dress accentuating her graceful figure. She turned back and gave Chen Yin a playful smile.
“As for the real reward—”
“—It’ll take a lifetime to repay.” She said with a mischievous grin.
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