A Kitten Could Be Playful Too

After a long while.

Stars and moon hung high in the sky.

Although the sun had set long ago, the sky full of stars and moonlight still made the nearby scenery clearly visible.

Looking out, the fields beneath the moonlight resembled a silvery-gray velvet carpet, quietly stretching all the way to the horizon.

Beside the camp by the stream, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing had long since finished cultivating. Together with Zhao Linchuan, they waited for Ning Rongrong to completely absorb the Aromatic Silk Beauty.

The three sat beneath a canopy. The night breeze blew in from the stream, carrying the scent of moisture and fresh grass. It was cool and wonderfully comfortable.

Zhao Linchuan sat cross-legged in the middle with his eyes closed, though it was impossible to tell whether he was meditating or dozing off.

Xiao Wu leaned against his left side, twirling a foxtail grass stem in her hand as she watched the tent by the stream where Ning Rongrong was.

Zhu Zhuqing sat on his right, her legs together and her hands resting on her knees, her back straight as a rod.

Though her gaze was also directed toward the tent, her eyes were somewhat unfocused. Clearly, her mind was elsewhere.

Xiao Wu noticed Zhu Zhuqing's odd state. She tilted her head and watched her for several seconds before waving a hand in front of her face.

"Hey, hey, hey... Zhuqing, what's wrong?"

Hearing her, Zhu Zhuqing slowly came back to herself. She blinked, and her gaze regained focus.

She glanced at Xiao Wu, pressed her lips together slightly, then spoke slowly after a moment of hesitation.

"Xiao Wu, I've been wondering whether I should sell myself to your brother."

"Oh, I thought you were thinking about something serious, spacing out like that."

Xiao Wu waved her hand carelessly, the foxtail grass drawing an arc through the air as she replied in a relaxed tone.

"If you ask me, you should just sell yourself to him."

"Anyway, he has plenty of money. Stay by his side from now on, and not only will you never go hungry, he can even raise you until you're all fair and plump."

As she spoke, Xiao Wu's gaze unconsciously drifted downward, landing on the proud twin peaks beneath Zhu Zhuqing's black skintight outfit. The corners of her lips curled up, and she could not resist adding another remark.

"Fairer and plumper than you are now."

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head and glanced at her chest. Her cheeks reddened slightly, but she did not get angry.

Instead, she smiled and gently pushed Xiao Wu's shoulder, her tone complicated as she said,

"Xiao Wu, I really envy how carefree you are. You don't have to worry about your future at all."

"I used to worry a lot too." Xiao Wu remained as carefree as ever. She switched the foxtail grass to her left hand and casually rested her right hand on her knee.

"But my brother is capable. He took me home when we were little, raised me as his child bride, and solved all my worries for me."

"Hehe." Zhu Zhuqing laughed. She had long suspected the nature of Zhao Linchuan and Xiao Wu's relationship, so she was not embarrassed by it. If anything, she found it somewhat natural.

Still smiling, she continued,

"Then if I sell myself to your brother too, would that solve all those worries as well?"

"Of course it would." Xiao Wu said it as though it were only natural. "My brother is so amazing. Is there anything he can't handle?"

"Hey." Zhao Linchuan could not help but interrupt.

He opened his eyes and turned his head, sweeping his gaze back and forth across the two girls' faces.

"Could you at least avoid talking about me when I'm right here?"

"I'm such a big living person. Can't you see me?"

"Hehe." Xiao Wu smiled, her expression carrying a hint of coaxing sweetness and spoiled affection.

She edged closer to Zhao Linchuan and said softly in a flattering tone,

"My brother is so amazing. How could he stoop to the level of two weak girls like us?"

"Weak girls?"

Zhao Linchuan gave a soft snort, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. His gaze lingered on Xiao Wu's face for a moment before shifting to Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing had lowered her head at that moment, the corners of her lips raised slightly as though she were suppressing a laugh.

"Fine, you're weak girls. I won't stoop to your level."

He closed his eyes again and leaned back against the wooden pole, no longer paying attention to the two "weak girls."

Just then, a sudden splash came from the stream beside the camp, as if something had jumped into the water from above.

The three looked over. Beneath the moonlight, circles of silvery ripples spread across the stream's surface.

A figure emerged from the water, shaking out her dripping long hair before splashing about twice in the stream, seemingly enjoying the cool sensation.

Zhao Linchuan chuckled and spoke slowly.

"Looks like Rongrong has finished. We can head back now."

He turned to Xiao Wu and instructed, "Xiao Wu, go hurry her along. Tell her to wash up faster."

"Otherwise, it'll probably be midnight by the time she finishes bathing."

"Okay." Xiao Wu stood up without saying much else, patted the grass clippings from her skirt, and headed straight toward where the splashing had come from.

After Xiao Wu left, silence settled beneath the canopy.

The night breeze blew gently, the stream babbled on, and the occasional chirp of insects drifted from the distant fields, like the breathing of the night.

Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together. Her fingers lightly rubbed against her knees, as though she were preparing herself mentally.

After a moment, she spoke slowly.

"Brother Zhao."

"What is it?"

Zhao Linchuan opened his eyes and turned to look at her.

"I've made up my mind."

Zhu Zhuqing smiled faintly at Zhao Linchuan. It was not a particularly bright smile, yet it carried a sense of relief and resolve rising from the depths of her heart.

"I am willing to offer everything I have to you."

"No matter what you want me to do in the future, or what you want to do to me, Zhuqing will agree without hesitation."

"Why did you suddenly figure it out?" Zhao Linchuan's gaze paused on her face for a moment before shifting toward the moon-bleached fields in the distance.

"Because Zhuqing truly has nothing..."

She explained slowly, her voice calm and candid.

"I have no family to rely on, no sect to join, and no powerful Martial Soul to intimidate others."

"All I have is myself—this person, this life, and this talent that is barely passable."

"I want the strength to break free of my shackles and no longer be manipulated by others."

Her gaze settled on Zhao Linchuan's profile, and her tone softened slightly.

"But when it comes to you, Zhuqing chooses to make an exception."

Zhao Linchuan was silent for a moment. Then he turned back to look at her again.

Moonlight flowed between their faces, illuminating their brows and eyes.

"Really, anything?"

Zhu Zhuqing did not answer directly.

She lowered her head, the corner of her lips curling up as if she had thought of something amusing.

A moment later, she raised her head and spoke in a tone completely unlike her usual one, carrying a hint of teasing boldness.

"If you can finish before Xiao Wu comes back, then Zhuqing can agree to anything."