The landlady's sudden appearance was like a bucket of ice water dumped overhead, instantly extinguishing the volatile tension that had been brewing in the restaurant.
Su Wan's icy aura quietly receded as she resumed her seat. Her frosty, beautiful face remained icy, her gaze refusing to linger on Adela for even a second.
Adela, ever perceptive, shrugged and flashed an innocent yet seductive smile at Auntie Anna. "My apologies, Auntie Anna. We were just... having a friendly exchange of feelings."
"Hmph! I don't care what 'feelings' you're exchanging!"
Auntie Anna slammed a massive wine barrel onto the table with a thunderous thud that made the ground tremble slightly. "You break my things, you pay double!"
She scanned the room with a warning glare before turning to leave.
And just like that, the heart-pounding showdown ended in a whimper.
Xia Lian let out a long sigh, her taut nerves finally relaxing, her back drenched in cold sweat.
Lin Xiyue slowly "rebooted" from her frozen state.
Her gaze shifted uneasily between Su Wan's murderous glare and Adela's fluffy tail, which swayed back and forth.
The rules of "Truth" compelled her to reveal her true feelings.
After agonizing over it, she finally succumbed to her deepest desires and stammered, "Um... Miss Adela, thank you for your kindness, but I..."
She tried to find a polite way to decline.
But as the words reached her lips, they transformed into the raw truth: "...but I still prefer someone like her."
The moment those words left her mouth, the room fell into complete silence.
Lin Xiyue belatedly realized what she had said. Her cheeks flushed crimson, the heat surging to the crown of her head, her face burning red enough to drip blood.
Su Wan's head snapped up.
In her ice-blue eyes, shock quickly gave way to uncontainable joy, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Adela's smile froze for a moment. She instinctively rubbed the soft fur on her ear.
The playful glint in Adela's fox-like eyes dimmed for a fleeting moment before she recomposed herself, adopting her usual nonchalant demeanor.
"Is that so? What a pity," she sighed, feigning regret. "Looks like I arrived a step too late."
Lin Qingyue was inwardly bursting with laughter, practically pounding the table with glee.
Great job, my silly little sister! Never fails to deliver when it counts!
That was a perfect strike right through the heart! Look how happy it's made our Young Mistress Su Wan! Even an iceberg would melt into a hot spring at this rate!
[Ding! Host experiences genuine joy witnessing younger sister's straightforward confession and the ice-cold young mistress's pure-hearted reaction. Elation Value +999!]
"However," Lin Xiyue suddenly changed tack.
She glanced at Su Wan beside her, whose cheeks were flushed with joy, then couldn't resist sneaking another peek at Adela's fluffy, alluring tail.
If she couldn't bear to part with either... why not have both?
"Could I bring Su Wan along to admire your tail?"
Adela: "?"
Su Wan: "???"
Lin Qingyue watched this utterly absurd turn of events, her inner chaos-loving soul burning with glee.
Here it comes! The anti-cliché masterpiece, "About How I Want to Touch Your Tail, But I Have to Bring My Wife Along"! This is the ultimate victory for the refreshingly blunt idiot!
[Ding! Host, having witnessed a miraculous twist in this grand love triangle and experiencing profound delight, your Elation Value has increased by 999!]
"I regret to inform you that my tail has no desire for your icy girlfriend's inspection."
Adela rose to her feet, this time truly preparing to leave.
"In that case, I won't disturb you any further."
However, as she turned, her gaze fell upon Lin Qingyue.
The pink-haired priestess, who had remained an aloof spectator throughout, leisurely watching the drama unfold, instinctively struck Adela as suspicious.
Especially during Su Wan's explosive outburst, the priestess had shown not a trace of tension, her eyes instead gleaming with a thrill that seemed to relish chaos.
Intuition told Adela that within this quartet, the true leader and most dangerous member was likely this seemingly harmless priestess.
"Hey, pink-haired sister," she stopped, raising an amused eyebrow at Lin Qingyue.
"I'm quite interested in you too. Want to consider me? Ears, tail, or other parts—anything's fine! And I guarantee my skills are far superior to that ice queen's."
The relaxed atmosphere instantly tensed again.
Su Wan's gaze sharpened into icy daggers.
Lin Xiyue glared at her protectively, "Hey! Don't you dare hit on my sister!"
Lin Qingyue, however, merely smiled.
Setting down her wine glass, she casually picked up a bamboo skewer, still glistening with grease from the roasted meat, and twirled it deftly between her slender fingers.
"First of all, she and I aren't that kind of thing. My silly little sister is the one she's with." Her voice remained calm.
"Secondly, your height and build don't meet my standards. If you want me to consider you, you'll have to show me some other skills. Unless your only talent is having a pretty tail?"
Though phrased as an invitation, the words carried a clear challenge.
Adela's eyes glinted with even greater amusement. "Oh? How would you like me to demonstrate?"
"It's simple."
Lin Qingyue gently extended the bamboo skewer, its slender tip pointing across the table toward a sizzling piece of meat on the grill, nearly burnt to a crisp.
"I want that piece of meat."
Lin Qingyue didn't even rise from her seat, simply leaning back casually and flicking her wrist downward with an effortless motion.
In the next instant, the unremarkable bamboo skewer transformed into a blur, tearing through the air with a sharp, piercing sound as it hurtled toward the sizzling meat!
The seemingly casual motion concealed the essence of the "Point" and "Thrust" techniques from the Dawnstar Piercer style!
The skewer struck at a treacherous angle, moving with lightning speed, while an invisible aura of piercing sharpness had already locked onto its target.
Adela's pupils constricted sharply.
She had never imagined that a priest who looked as if she couldn't lift a chicken could unleash such a ferocious strike!
Thinking was now a luxury; her body's combat instincts took over completely.
With a twist of her waist, her fiery red, voluminous tail lashed out behind her, cleaving through the air with a scorching gale and a sharp, piercing whistle!
Such immense power! This tail isn't just for show—it's a natural heavy whip-chain!
The moment the fox tail swept toward her, Lin Qingyue's wrist flicked nimbly, refusing to retreat.
The tip of the bamboo skewer hovered like a hummingbird, lightly "pecking" the furry, heavy whip with pinpoint precision.
Millelith Spear Techniques: Flow Interruption!
Pfft!
A barely audible sound.
Adela felt a subtle yet devastating tremor penetrate a crucial pressure point on her tail, momentarily freezing the sweeping force of her strike!
That split-second of stagnation was a fatal opening!
With an even more bizarre and unpredictable maneuver, the bamboo skewer instantly bypassed the fox tail's frontal defense and continued its thrust toward its target!
Millelith Spear Techniques - Entwining Spear!
Adela's expression completely changed.
If the first strike had been astonishing, this second strike was utterly terrifying!
The Priest's combat skills reminded her of some deeply unpleasant experiences.
Just as the skewer was about to strike home, Adela let out a cold snort, clenched her fingers into claws, and savagely swiped at Lin Qingyue's skewer with nails gleaming with a frigid, metallic sheen!
This claw strike was clearly a honed killing technique, refined through countless battles!
Lin Qingyue's eyebrow arched slightly.
Oh? Flustered and enraged?
A cold smile curled her lips. Instead of speeding up her movements, she inexplicably slowed them down by half a beat.
Just as Adela's razor-sharp claws, glinting with malice, were about to seize the skewer, Lin Qingyue's bamboo skewer flickered again, moving after Adela's strike but arriving before it.
Ding!
A crisp, light sound rang out.
The oily, gleaming tip of the skewer, as precise as a surgeon's scalpel, gently tapped the knuckle joint of Adela's outstretched claw.
Not an attack.
More like... guidance.
Adela felt a spiraling, ingenious force penetrate the skewer's tip, burrowing into her knuckle joint with pinpoint accuracy. Her fully charged claw instantly lost control, stiffening and curling involuntarily.
Good strength, speed, and technique. But still not good enough.
Lin Qingyue mentally assessed.
The bamboo skewer leisurely turned, gliding past her rigid fingers with elegant precision before piercing the perfectly roasted meat—crisp on the outside, tender within—with a soft plop.