Snacking on lychee, pears, and apple slices, Liang Wu explained his infiltration of the Qian manor between bites of the delicious fruits.

“As a hawk, I flew over the Qian family's estate. It looked quite beautiful on the outside, with its many gardens filled with flowers and lotus ponds. However, inside, it was rotten to the core.” Liang Wu began his explanation, picking up a juicy pear slice. “Mm, the fruit is really good.”

Li Li and Daiyu sat listening intently, though their expressions showed they were waiting for him to get to the more important details.

“Then I landed on a large tree, transforming into a little squirrel. Climbing onto the rooftops, I searched around, eventually finding two gossiping servants.” He paused for a second, popping two lychees into his mouth.

“What were the servants gossiping about?” Li Li asked, curiosity piqued.

“You,” he said bluntly.

With an incredulous look, Li Li pointed to herself. “Me!?”

Liang Wu nodded lightly. “Yes, they were talking about a fiancée from the Chen family arriving tomorrow. Unless there is a second girl from your family marrying into the Qian family, it should be you.”

Li Li’s hands slowly balled into fists, her body trembling slightly. When she finally slammed them down on the table, it wasn’t with reckless anger but a deliberate, restrained force. The plate of fruit jumped, and Liang Wu hurriedly grabbed it, catching the slices before they could spill.

“Phew,” he breathed out a relieved sigh, glancing at Li Li’s still clenched fists. “I can't recall exactly what they said, I just remember wanting to chuck some acorns at them, but I didn’t have any acorns to throw.”

The two girls chuckled softly at his joke, relieving some of the tension, but he wasn’t joking. He really did want to throw some acorns.

Why acorns, though? Maybe being in the form of something makes you take on some of its characteristics? He mused briefly, his mind wandering.

“So, what happened next?” Daiyu asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Oh, right.” Liang Wu continued, shifting in his seat. “Next, a servant ran past the two gossipers. He told them he was going to see young master Qian Pang. Recognizing the name, I followed him.” He paused once more, slipping a slice of crispy apple into his mouth. “The servant entered a secluded building. Inside, he spoke to someone, telling them that everything was ready, and that once the fiancée arrived, she would never leave.”

Liang Wu quickly moved the plate of fruit to the side again, anticipating Li Li's next reaction. This time, her clenched fist simply pressed into the table, causing a subtle crack to form on its surface.

Li Li’s thoughts darkened. The image of being trapped in the Qian estate forever, like some caged bird, sent a wave of nausea through her. Her fists tightened, knuckles white from the force. "Those bastards planned to trap me there forever!" she growled, her voice shaking with fury.

"It's okay, Li Li," he said softly, his voice steady despite the tension. "Now that I'm here, they'll never succeed."

Her anger dimmed slightly, though her brow remained furrowed. "Thank you, Liang Wu."

He nodded, glancing at Daiyu, who seemed equally disturbed by the revelations. "After that..." A shudder ran through his body, the memory almost too visceral. "I became a fly."

"Ew!" Both young women exclaimed in unison, their expressions contorting in disgust.

He kept going, ignoring the looks of slight disgust they were directing towards him.

“I flew through an open window. Once inside, I saw Qian Pang. He looked like a gargantuan golden-coated meatball—a truly repulsive being.” His appetite now ruined, he reluctantly pushed the plate of fruits away.

Daiyu and Li Li shuddered at the thought of Qian Pang, their imaginations painting an even more grotesque picture of him.

“As I observed, he called for an old man named Shun Hanpo—the soul cultivator who injured your father, Li Li.” He paused, glancing at her, waiting for the inevitable outburst.

Li Li’s face flushed deeply, her chest rising and falling as anger welled up inside her. “Go on,” she forced out, her voice trembling with barely-contained rage.

“Qian Pang had planned to tell you it was your uncle who killed your father, promising to help you get revenge. His goal was to shatter your resolve and make you dependent on him. And as it turns out, your father's death was orchestrated by both your uncle and the Qian family.”

Liang Wu, noticing Li Li trembling in fury, motioned for Daiyu to comfort her.

Daiyu responded immediately, leaning over and wrapping her arms around Li Li. “It's okay, Li Li. We won’t let these vile people hurt you any longer.”

Tears brimmed in Li Li’s eyes as she sobbed softly. “I suspected my uncle had something to do with my father’s death, but a part of me still wanted to believe he wouldn’t betray our family... that he wouldn’t kill his own brother.”

“Li Li…” He hesitated, unsure of how to comfort her further. Daiyu signaled for him to join in.

Standing up, he moved to the other side of the table. His chest felt heavy seeing her like this. What was he supposed to do in situations like these? He wasn’t great at comforting people, and seeing her like this made him realize how little he understood her pain. Still, he tried. He mimicked Daiyu, awkwardly wrapping his arms around Li Li.

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Li Li leaned into his chest, her tears threatening to spill at any moment. “Thank you for coming into my life. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. Thank you so much for pretending to steal my hairpin back then.” Her tears began falling, wetting the front of his robes. However, thanks to the high-grade material, the tears slid harmlessly off.

“Uh… yeah, you’re welcome,” he froze up slightly, thinking back to when they first met. I wasn’t pretending when I took her hairpin. I was really going to sell it… but I probably—no, I definitely—shouldn’t tell her that.

She lifted her face, staring up at him, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, giving her the impression of a delicate, dew-kissed flower. “Kiss me, please?” she pleaded gently.

“Um…” He glanced down at her beautifully tantalizing face, hesitating. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Daiyu motioning.

“Kiss her,” she mouthed silently.

Liang Wu wiped the tears at the corners of Li Li’s eyes before leaning down. His lips lightly brushed hers.

A bolt of lightning seemed to course through her veins, causing her to shudder.

Leaning in further, he pressed his lips tighter against hers. Moments later, he pulled away, giving her a chance to breathe.

Gasping, her mouth opened, and he took the opportunity to lean in again, deepening the kiss.

She recoiled slightly at the foreign sensation of something invading her mouth but soon began to enjoy the feeling of his soft tongue rubbing against hers.

The electric sensation continued to surge through her body. She tried to move closer to him, seeking more of that feeling.

Sensing her shift, he adjusted to allow her closer, placing his hand on the table to balance himself. However, his hand slipped, sending him crashing to the floor, banging the back of his head on the floorboards. “Ow!” he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head.

Both young women were initially stunned but soon burst into laughter.

They couldn’t stop laughing for what felt like ages, leaving Liang Wu slightly embarrassed.

A few moments later, their laughter died down to small chuckles. “Are you done yet?” Liang Wu asked in a moody tone, his lips forming into a small pout.

His upset look only triggered another round of giggles from the girls.

It had been morning when they arrived in the city, and now, after Liang Wu’s spying and the excitement at the inn, the sun was beginning to set.

Noticing the darkening sky outside the window, Liang Wu tried to shoo the girls away. “It’s getting late. You two should head off—we’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Li Li said firmly.

“What? But this is my room,” Liang Wu replied, confused.

“We’re all sleeping here tonight,” she stated matter-of-factly.

Her reply caught him off guard, though he wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea. “Oh... okay. But isn’t it a little early for that?”

The two girls exchanged a glance, confused at first, before their faces turned bright red. They spun back to Liang Wu.

“Pervert!” they shouted in unison.

“We’re not doing that! We’re just sleeping,” Li Li clarified, her cheeks still flushed.

“We wanted to talk to you about your plan for tomorrow,” Daiyu added.

“Ah... right. My mistake.” Liang Wu let out an awkward chuckle.

Li Li and Daiyu each grabbed one of his hands, pulling him towards the bed on the other side of the room.

They lay him in the center of the bed and each took a side next to him.

He lay there awkwardly not knowing where to place his hands or feet.

“Let's talk about your plan for tomorrow, how are you going to act? And what do we need to do?” Li Li asked.

He spent the next few hours going over his plan, they added their own ideas and their plan evolved slowly.

—

The three lay cuddled on the bed, with Liang Wu tucked between the two girls no longer as awkwardly as earlier. He stifled a yawn as they began to doze off after a long night of planning for tomorrow.

“Liang Wu, I have a question,” Li Li said as he was just about to close his eyes.

“Hm, what is it?” he mumbled sleepily.

“How do I use the technique you gave me? It’s the one you used to become the Crystal Guardian and those little animals, right?” She was referring to the Beast Transformation technique he had given her a while back.

“Yeah, it’s the same technique. I got it from the beginner loot box,” he replied, barely staying awake.

“It came from a loot box? I thought all the skills from loot boxes were single-use,” she said, puzzled, since the technique she received had disappeared after she learned it.

“They are… wait, they are!” He answered absentmindedly before realizing the technique should have vanished after he learned it. “That’s strange… the techniques in loot boxes should be copies of the original, and only single-use. That means this one is the original.”

“So how do I use it? What does it mean when it says ‘Qi Fluctuations’?” she asked, eager to learn. Ever since she’d seen him turn into that cute little bear, she’d wanted to try it herself, but had no idea what Qi Fluctuations were.

“Yawn… I’ll teach you tomorrow. Too tired tonight,” he muttered, drifting off into sleep.

Li Li pouted. She really wanted to know now. “Yawn… whatever, I’m tired too,” she mumbled, but no one was awake to hear her.

Her thoughts lingered on the mysterious technique, wondering how long it would take before she could master it. She imagined herself transforming into a cute little bear like Liang Wu had. Then she remembered what happened after his transformation ended. Uh… maybe I shouldn't learn the technique… what if he sees me like ‘that' as well? She blushed profusely at the thought of Liang Wu seeing her when the transformation was over.

Shaking her head, emptying it of distractions she used Liang Wu’s arm as a pillow, soon drifting off as well, a content smile on her face.