The moment the illustrious Miss Courtesan stepped into the break room, the whole place went quiet. Every one of the hostesses turned to look at her.
Li Fei: ???
For reasons she couldn't quite put her finger on, Li Fei felt that today their gazes carried something different — a kind of tender, worried pity, the sort one might reserve for a courageous warrior who had suffered a grievous injury yet refused to yield.
"Fei-bao."
The blood-kin girl Isabella cradled Li Fei's face in both hands, her expression overflowing with earnest emotion. "I was wrong," she said sincerely. "I never should have suggested a group outing."
Is this guilt over what everyone did to my new place? The smell is still going to linger for days.
Miss Courtesan, who could deceive even herself when she really put her mind to it, waved a breezy hand. "Pfft, don't worry about it. My place is everyone's place — come hang out whenever."
Out of consideration for Miss Courtesan's dignity, Isabella bit back what she actually wanted to say. But for the sake of preventing her dear friend's untimely demise, she ultimately settled on a more roundabout approach:
"Last night… how did it feel?"
"Meh."
Li Fei shook her head.
Getting physical with a stranger you have no feelings for — it was tense, awkward, even a little embarrassing. Not even the slightest urge to kiss. Pretty dull, honestly.
Women she falls for at first sight are a different story entirely, of course.
"Listen to your sister, some waters run deeper than they look. This is something you need to… know your limits with," Isabella said, her tone weighted with genuine concern.
— Is this woman insinuating I couldn't handle it?
In that instant, the bubble of certainty in Li Fei's heart wobbled dangerously, nearly sending her Dao-heart crashing into ruin.
But she talked herself back around within moments.
Impossible!
Eva said I was way better than Sofia!
Mrs. Annie basically admitted I outperformed her late wife.
Would they really both lie to me?
Dasha, the serpent-woman, slithered closer on her coiling tail, gazing with soft concern at Li Fei's colorless little face. She quietly pressed one of her scales into Li Fei's palm.
— Hmph. These scoundrels, plotting to mock me together. Good thing I have eyes sharp enough to see through their little scheme.
— Still, serpent-woman scales are one of the three core ingredients for a Sequence 8 advancement formula. Didn't expect one to just drop into my hand like this…
Li Fei rolled the scale between her fingers, privately rather smug.
Late that night, Mrs. Annie was still hunched over her writing desk.
After a long while, she let out a slow breath and lifted the manuscript pages to study the still-drying ink, reading the words silently to herself.
She considered for a moment, then began making revisions — cutting away the passages that were too delicate, too overwrought. The descriptions of the female characters, too, she rewrote; less restrained and lyrical now, more direct, drawing out their appeal in plain, vivid strokes. Words like "round," "pert," "stockings."
It wasn't particularly difficult for Mrs. Annie. She suspected it wouldn't take long before this style felt natural.
She set the pages in order, rose from her desk, and walked to her daughter's bedroom door — where she stopped, staring coldly at the empty room.
Lilith had not come home last night, though she was meant to.
It gave Mrs. Annie a quiet unease — Loxibrook was safe enough; what worried her was the possibility that her daughter had come home after all, just at the wrong moment, walked in on something that could shake a person to their core, and then quietly left.
And that she herself had been too absorbed to notice.
Mrs. Annie exhaled a long, hollow sigh and returned to her own room.
She picked up the nightgown Li Fei had worn and folded it with care — but when she opened the wardrobe, her hands went still.
After a moment's hesitation, she bit her lip. She didn't put it back at the bottom of the pile. She hung it on the rack instead, where it would be easy to reach next time.
Things have already come to this.
Face — well, what's left to lose? It's already gone.
Betraying my wife, seducing a naive young student barely older than my own daughter… I really am a terrible woman.
Mrs. Annie curved her lips in a self-mocking smile, then walked to the bed like a woman moving through water, hollow and mechanical.
Those deep, shadowed eyes caught — almost by accident — the half-empty pack of cigarettes Li Fei had left behind. She reached out with trembling fingers, picked it up, rummaged for the matchbox she used to light candles, and settled back against the headboard in the dark, one knee drawn up, everything about her desolate and adrift.
For a long time she didn't move.
At last she struck the match. The dancing flame cast her shadow across the wedding portrait on the wall, swallowing that sweet, tender pair of newlyweds in darkness.
Cough, cough…
She lit the cigarette clumsily and immediately choked on it — coughing, coughing — until the coughing became something else, a sound that couldn't quite decide whether it was laughter or weeping:
…Isn't this the life…
...
Come morning, the Fairy Mother — looking absolutely ghastly — sat in her grand estate eating a lovingly prepared breakfast.
Ram, it had to be said, was a thoughtful and capable eldest sister. Lately she had been inventing new ways to work the serpent-woman scales into all manner of dishes, nursing her younger sisters back to health.
How she managed it was anyone's guess, but she had somehow coaxed the scales into the texture of pickled kimchi. Paired with rice porridge, it was surprisingly easy to eat.
Li Fei crunched away contentedly, completely ignoring Eva's reproachful, aggrieved stare.
After finishing her meal, Li Fei looked over at the little ghost-miss huddled in the corner drawing circles on the floor, her translucent, delicate face a portrait of misery.
In last night's hide-and-seek game, Li Yue had won without any trouble at all — but given the penalty for losing, it was a win that felt like a total loss, practically a crushing defeat…
She'd spent the whole night squatting in that corner, muttering to herself: "I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot…"
What an admirably honest child — nothing like Eva, who the very first time they played hide-and-seek had walked straight into the trap within one second flat. Unfortunately, since the Fairy Mother had been simultaneously referee and competitor, that round was declared null and void, and Eva was stripped of her eligibility to participate for the better part of a month.
"Yueyue."
Li Fei beckoned with a warm smile, gathered Li Yue into her arms, and offered a thorough round of comfort until the little ghost's expression shifted from stormy back to sunny, her spirits restored.
Sofia hadn't been able to come and pay her respects to her mother-in-law this morning — official duties. Tended by her fairies as they helped her into her stockings, Li Fei stepped out into the bright morning light.
But the moment she crossed the threshold, she stopped.
Standing at the door waiting for her was a woman of antique grace and ethereal beauty — white robes like fresh snow, black hair cascading like a waterfall, a figure stepped straight from an ink-brush painting. Peerlessly radiant, beautiful enough to make the morning sun feel dim.
"Zhihua-jie."
In an instant Li Fei's face broke into a blossoming smile. She clasped her hands behind her back, bounced over to her side, then pulled her into a deep, tight embrace, whispering against her ear with faint grievance:
"You're so heartless, abandoning me all these years without a word."
"It wasn't that long," Qin Zhihua said, holding her back, eyes warm with a gentle smile, her voice soft as flowing water.
"Haven't you heard the saying — a single day apart feels like three years?" Li Fei said with perfect conviction. "So how are you going to make it up to me?"
— Round it up generously and I, Li, have kept myself pure and untouched for you for a whole year! That's worth at least a chastity commendation, hehe.
"Whatever you like," Qin Zhihua said softly.
"Mm-hm."
Li Fei loosened her hold and took Qin Zhihua's face in her hands, studying it carefully. The same elegant, refined beauty as always — only with two shades more swordsmanship spirit than before.
The seclusion had clearly done her a world of good.
Qin Zhihua was looking at her beloved too. That bloodless, sickly complexion gave her a start; her eyelashes trembled faintly.
She came out of seclusion still looking this haggard?
Is the aftermath of soul damage really this severe? Or has she still not recovered the vitality she exhausted those two days?
Qin Zhihua's look of tender, aching concern made Li Fei feel rather guilty.
Yesterday afternoon, owing to the vast difference in their physical attributes, Li Fei had only let her attention slip for a moment — and Mrs. Annie had ended up with quite a few bruises.
The gap between Qin Zhihua and Li Fei's attributes was unlikely to be any smaller — and yet throughout that coming-of-age ceremony, all Li Fei had felt was warmth and comfort.
Miss Zhihua, you are so incredibly gentle!
Li Fei felt a genuine pang of warmth and couldn't help pressing close again.
Qin Zhihua stroked the dark hair at the back of Li Fei's head, her gaze lowered.
She was no fool. After the brief moment of surprise, she had already pieced together a likely explanation — and that realization made her smile grow heavy and bittersweet.
She had always known that such a free-spirited, unrestrained woman could never be devoted to one person alone. She had prepared herself for it, had even quietly selected candidates for the position of secondary companion — but… it was too soon.
She wasn't ready.
"I'm sorry."
The quiet voice reached her ear.
Li Fei had of course been bracing herself for exactly this confrontation ever since Qin Zhihua emerged from seclusion.
The excuse of soul damage might fool others, but it could never fool the woman who shared her bed.
So Li Fei had known all along that her indiscretion would be found out, and she had no intention of trying to force a cover-up.
With sufficient confidence that "forgiveness" was within reach, she had chosen to lay her cards on the table.
Devotion to one person was never going to happen — not for her. And for the sake of eventually having all her loves move into the new home together, for the sake of a harmonious and happy life ahead, Li Fei had no choice but to grit her teeth and face it head-on.
Cruel as it was to make Zhihua confront this the very moment she emerged from seclusion — well, the arrow was already loosed. There was no going back.
Qin Zhihua was silent. Her fingers threaded into Li Fei's hair and tightened — yet no matter what, she could not bring herself to push her away.
"Mm—…"
Li Fei felt a sudden sharp pain at her neck. Teeth broke skin. Blood welled up and trickled down, pooling in the hollow of her collarbone like dark wine collected in a vessel of ivory.
"Don't leave me."
Li Fei endured the pain and spoke the words that were selfish to the bone.
Qin Zhihua bit deeper. Li Fei held tighter.
After a long while, Qin Zhihua finally released her, lips stained crimson:
"Does it hurt?"
"Your heart hurts ten thousand times more than this — unless you don't love me."
"You're shameless. You absolute wretch."
It was a rare loss of composure from Qin Zhihua. The words came out through clenched teeth: "You knew perfectly well—"
"I hurt just as much as you do. In my heart, you are one of a kind."
"But my heart," Li Fei said, her voice going muffled and low, "has shattered into many, many pieces…"
Qin Zhihua's anger flared. Her eyes darted to Li Fei's neck again; she very much wanted another bite to vent her feelings — but looking at the blood still slowly flowing, she found she simply couldn't.
She drew a long, deep breath and pressed a vial of medicine into Li Fei's hands:
"You're going to be late for class."
"Were you originally planning to walk me to the Academy?"
"Yes."
"Changed your mind?"
"…Yes."
"Can I come see you tonight?"
Li Fei pressed her hands together in front of her chest, asking with a soft, pleading voice.
Qin Zhihua closed her eyes, then opened them. Her expression was helpless and complicated all at once — and in the end, she could not find the words to refuse.
"Fine."
"Why the long face?"
Irena tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"My heart has shattered into many, many pieces…"
Li Fei said, face a picture of woe.
"Perhaps what you need is a beautiful and brilliant elder sister to help you through your troubles."
The silver-haired beauty puffed out her chest with a meaningful air.
"Oh? Is that so."
Li Fei shot her a sideways glance — then suddenly threw her arms around her and bellowed at the top of her lungs: "SAYA—!"
The broomstick lurched wildly. Irena scrambled to clap a hand over Li Fei's mouth, the corner of her eye twitching: "Please refrain from doing things that cause people distress."
"I just wanted to watch my dear sister demonstrate how to soothe the jealousy of a woman who's desperately in love with you."
Fooling around with a pretty girl always did wonders for one's mood. Li Fei's spirits lifted a little, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Good sisters share each other's burdens — isn't that right?"
"Sisters? Who's your sister?"
Irena put on the exact same smile as Miss Nicole.
You little brat…
Li Fei puffed out her cheeks, then suddenly called out: "Stop here for a second."
"What is it?"
Irena tilted her head. The broomstick drifted slowly downward.
"Filling my bottle."
Li Fei walked over to the Lucky Fountain, cupped her hands together, scooped up a handful of the clear, cool water, scrubbed her face with it, then took two long, grateful gulps. After that she drew out her water bottle, maintaining her daily ritual of one full bottle of fresh, uncontaminated Lucky Fountain water.
Irena covered her mouth.
There were nights, in the quiet small hours, when she had used this very fountain to wash her feet.
When Li Fei came back with her bottle, Irena couldn't help herself: "Is it good?"
Li Fei smacked her lips, savoring the aftertaste, and gave her verdict:
"A little sweet… what are you laughing at?"
"Nothing." Irena smiled, bright and radiant. "Just remembered something funny."
By the time they reached the door to the Dean's office, Li Fei had her emotions firmly under control.
A filial impulse stirred eagerly in her chest.
"Thank you."
The moment she stepped through the door, the special-recruitment student didn't waste a single word — she bent at the waist in a deep bow, directing at Mama Nicole her most sincere and heartfelt gratitude.
— If not for Mama Nicole's Water of Life replenishing her depleted vitality, would Miss Courtesan have had the energy to do anything yesterday?
— Safe to say, the smooth and natural conclusion of affairs with Mrs. Annie owes at least thirty percent of its success to Mama Nicole.
Li Fei thought this with considerable inward snark.
It was abundantly clear that beyond the snuggling itself, when it came to the matter of groping the Dean, Li Fei was a classic case of more addiction than talent — failing repeatedly, and trying again just as happily each time.
The Dean's brow furrowed faintly. She had the vague sense that she was being taken advantage of somehow, yet couldn't quite identify the culprit.
So she gave Li Fei an amiable smile. "Thank me for what?"
"Yesterday was very fruitful," Li Fei said brightly. "It made me truly feel the depth of the Dean's consideration for us all."
"Oh? Did it now."
Nicole poured two cups of tea for her daughters. "Tomorrow is the lottery draw ceremony, Li Fei. Do your best."
Got her!
Li Fei cheered inwardly, her smile growing even more radiant:
"Bringing glory to my alma mater is a duty I embrace without question."
"I shall charge forward bravely and not disappoint the Dean's generous care and cultivation."
"Incidentally — before the lottery draw tomorrow, there will be a demonstration match," Nicole said unhurriedly. "I'll leave that opportunity to you."
"It'll give your classmates a chance to see the magical abilities of our special-recruitment student."
Nicole arranged everything with a handful of words, placing particular emphasis on the word "magical."
Evidently, the Dean had no obligation to accurately decode the subtext hidden in Li Fei's words. All she needed was a suspicion — and she could tailor her pedagogical arrangements accordingly.
— Nicole, you played me!
Li Fei's mouth fell open into a perfect "O," her face going even paler.
A magic duel? Doesn't that mean I'm going to get publicly thrashed?
Do I still have any dignity left or not?!
____
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