After Kissing the World-Weary Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 80

Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu, who was just about to grab Song Xingzi’s ears and lecture her: …Is this child trying a new tactic to shut me up? You just got back and you’re already fighting with a grass demon. You’re getting way too bold, aren’t you?

The words were stuck in her throat and simply wouldn’t come out. Yet, Song Xingzi clung to Qīnglán’s arm, her pair of dark eyes staring at Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu, looking incredibly pitiful.

Forget it, forget it. I’ll let her off this time. So silly, how could she dare to use even the Nine-Turn Rebirth Technique?

“Alright, just one kiss.”

The soul-captivating Nine-Tailed Fox demon squatted down, meeting Song Xingzi’s level. Her shimmering peach blossom eyes locked onto the little squirrel.

The Foxtail Grass had already reverted to its original form the moment Song Xingzi let go, hiding in the grass pile to observe the gossip with its friends.

“Song Xingzi is going to kiss Sister Nine?”

“Brother Mèng Bǎimò will arrive on the battlefield in one second!”

“Did Song Xingzi lose her mind on her trip? Normally, Brother Mèng Bǎimò gets angry even if Sister Nine just hugs us!”

“I bet one leaf that if we tell Brother Mèng Bǎimò, Song Xingzi will have nightmares for at least a month.”

“I’ll add one leaf! Song Xingzi will have nightmares for half a year!”

Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu: …Can you all please be mindful of the impression you’re making? Leave some dignity for your Lord of Qīngqiū.

Song Xingzi’s head was dizzy. Seeing her Fox Sister smile, she felt both sad and happy inside, a mix of sour and swelling emotions. She didn’t know why she wanted to kiss Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu; she just felt like doing it and blurted it out without thinking.

Now, the Nine-Tailed Fox demon, with her flawless skin, seductive yet not vulgar beauty, and stunning beyond compare, was squatting in front of her as she wished, waiting for her kiss.

Song Xingzi’s soft little paws held Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu’s face. She looked left and right—peach blossom eyes, cherry lips, a perky jade nose, and porcelain skin. Every feature was perfectly beautiful, forming a gorgeous painting that was both enchanting and seductive. The most exquisite detail was that Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu, having lived in the peach forest for a long time, carried a faint, clear, and slightly sweet scent of peach blossoms.

Fox Sister is so beautiful. I was right.

A sudden, dull ache and tightness filled her chest, as if someone had stolen her most cherished treasure. Song Xingzi lowered her head, large tears rolling down.

The peach blossom scent is too strong; it overpowers the nose of a demon. No good. I still prefer cedarwood scent.

In the end, with tears, Song Xingzi only rubbed her small head against her Fox Sister’s cheek, sparing herself the cost of half a year of nightmares.

“Sister Nine, Pine Nut misses you so much, and Brother Mèng Bǎimò, and Qīngqiū too,” Song Xingzi’s little baby voice was tearful. “Isn’t that strange? I only went to the Human Realm for one day and only stayed with Aunt Qīng for half a month.”

Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu felt a pang of sadness. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have told Mèng Mèng about the illusion test. Little Pine Nut must have suffered a lot. That damned male lead! You better not appear in front of Pine Nut again, or I’ll make sure you experience countless cycles of reincarnation, tasting the bitter fruit of your own making.

“It’s not strange at all. Little Pine Nut did so well,” Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu took Song Xingzi from Qīnglán’s arms, rubbing her cheek against the little squirrel’s belly, and said with a smile: “Little Pine Nut, you must have eaten quite a few of Aunt Qīng’s elixirs. It’s only been a few days, and you’ve gained weight!”

Qīnglán covered her mouth, her voice gentle and soft: “Not at all. Pine Nut is so adorable. Liǔ’er and I wished she would stay for a few more days.”

Song Xingzi grumbled, cutting into the conversation, her inexplicable sadness dissipating slightly: “Hmph! Pine Nut didn’t get fat! Sister Nine must have not held me for too long and is imagining things!”

“Really?” Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu exaggeratedly held up the little squirrel, smiling at Qīnglán: “Aunt Qīng, look at this! She’s as heavy as thousand-year-old Black Iron, and she says she hasn’t gained weight! Children are truly masters of self-deception.”

“No, no, no,” Song Xingzi thrashed her limbs in the air, struggling to maintain a maiden’s last shred of dignity. “I’m still Little Pine Nut, as light as a swallow! I can stand on the Foxtail Grass’s head! Right, Aunt Qīng? I’m super light!”

Qīnglán covered her mouth to hide her smile, nodding gently, taking the side of her fluffy niece.

Little Tail rolled his eyes, shaking his head at Song Xingzi from the grass: “Darn it! What’s there to brag about? Your Mount Tai crushing me almost flattened my iron head!”

“Dare you say that again?” Song Xingzi’s gaze lingered suggestively on Little Tail’s tuft. “Am I fat?”

Treacherous! Perverted! She even learned how to threaten demons! The Human Realm is indeed not a good place; she learned bad habits the moment she went!

Little Tail covered his tuft, speaking against his will: “Grass, not fat. Dead light. You’re about to fly away with the dandelions on the next mountain.”

“Alright, stop talking now, both of you,” Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu put on a stern face, feigning anger. She grabbed the soft flesh on the back of the little squirrel’s neck and carried her like a little chick towards Song Xingzi’s wooden house. “You’re all sick and listless, yet you still have the energy to squabble with Little Tail. Looks like you’re fine.”

“She is indeed fine,” Qīnglán followed slowly, her hand brushing the emerald hairpin in her hair, retrieving some Elixirs for Vitality and Foundation. She placed them by the little squirrel’s bedside. “Just take some Elixirs for Vitality and Foundation and some spiritual plants to recuperate. It’s not all bad, either. Little Pine Nut’s meridians are wider now, and her dantian is more stable than before. When she resumes cultivation, it should progress rapidly.”

Qīnglán paused, quite moved: “It’s just, this big bed, is Pine Nut comfortable sleeping on it in her original form? Why don’t I have your Aunt Liǔ send your Golden Silk Nest over?”

Song Xingzi: …I can turn into human form, okay? I just like being held by my sisters and aunties so I don’t have to walk on my own legs.

“No, no, no,” Song Xingzi repeatedly refused. “A challenging environment is conducive to honing a demon’s will. The big bed will spur me to cultivate harder, so I can re-condense my core sooner!”

If Aunt Qīng sends the Golden Silk Nest over, needless to say, my little wooden house at the foot of the mountain will be like Mount Wēizhī, with groups of demons visiting daily to check in and sightsee the popular internet celebrity of the Demon Realm, who is a Grade One cripple and unable to care for herself.

No way, no way. I’ve had enough of those gossiping and venomous spiritual birds. If coming home is going to be the same, why bother coming home?

Song Xingzi refused decisively. Qīnglán pretended to wipe a tear, sighing mournfully: “Alas, an exquisite nest is indeed not as good as one’s own humble abode. If Pine Nut likes it, that’s what matters. I’ll have your Aunt Liǔ store your Golden Silk Nest for now. Whenever Pine Nut wants to come to Mount Wēizhī to play, it will be prepared for you again.”

Song Xingzi: …Did the gentle auntie just imply that my little wooden house is a humble abode? No, absolutely not! Aunt Qīng is such a gentle and polite Qīngluán. How could she say a word like that?

Song Xingzi secretly condemned her own petty demon heart, waving her paws and saying: “Thank you, Aunt Qīng! Really, no need!” I will never go to Mount Wēizhī to be a tourist attraction for the spiritual birds again! It’s too humiliating! No demon would want to go through that a second time!

“It’s fine, it’s all kept for you,” Qīnglán placed Song Xingzi onto the bed, taking the opportunity to give the mixed-blood Treasure-Spitting Rat’s fur another good pet. It was truly too comfortable! Why wouldn’t Pine Nut stay for a few more days?

“Little Nine, Pine Nut cannot use large amounts of spiritual power before her core re-condenses. Watch her closely. But don’t worry too much. Using excessive spiritual power before re-condensing the core causes pain like being torn apart by carts. Little Pine Nut is so afraid of pain, she shouldn’t be foolish, and there’s nothing in Qīngqiū that requires her to expend a large amount of spiritual power.”

As a diligent doctor, Qīnglán carefully detailed the precautions to the patient’s family, gave the mixed-blood Treasure-Spitting Rat one last good pet, and then reluctantly returned to Mount Wēizhī.

Tǔ Jiǔ Yōu stayed with Song Xingzi for a while longer before leaving as well.

The moment the Lord of Qīngqiū left, Song Xingzi’s little wooden house became lively. The small animals, who could no longer resist their desire for gossip, gathered in front of Song Xingzi’s little wooden house like a market day crowd, embracing each other.

The Grass and Wood Spirits with average relations simply called her name, hiding in the back, quietly asking: “Song Xingzi, Song Xingzi, was your inner core really dug out? Are humans that cruel? Do all humans look particularly terrifying, carrying talismans and peach wood swords, thinking only of killing demons all day?”

The Animal Spirits with slightly better relations were more concerned about Song Xingzi’s health, and their voices were louder, one opening their mouth was enough to silence the whole room: “Pine Nut! Are you really going to be okay? How could someone dig out your inner core? When will you be well? I brought you some Ganoderma (Ginseng/Snow Lotus/Nutmeg…). I don’t know if it’s useful, but just eat it as you see fit.”

The closest ones, who grew up playing together, besides caring for Song Xingzi’s health, also teased her: “Little Pine Nut, you silly clutz! How could your inner core be dug out? I heard it was dug out while you were asleep. Are you a Pig Spirit? How could you sleep so soundly? Look at you, when will you get better?”

The fans of Divine Chef Song Xingzi: “Exactly, exactly! We won’t be able to eat Pine Nut’s cooking for a long time!”

The Grass and Wood Spirits who felt they had narrowly escaped disaster: “Great! Song Xingzi won’t be able to mess with me for a long time!”

The other little demons who came to listen to gossip: “Song Xingzi, Song Xingzi, is there really no tragic and moving love story? We want to hear it.”

When it came to gossip, all the demons’ eyes lit up. They stared collectively at the small ball on the bed and asked in unison: “We want to hear it!”

“I bet it was a talented scholar and a beautiful maiden, love at first sight!”

“Why couldn’t it be two beautiful maidens? I thought Song Xingzi and Sister Nine looked very compatible when she asked for a kiss today!”

“No! I think it was a demon hunter working at midnight, cruelly killing a demon!”

“Bah! Couldn’t it be that their identities were exposed, causing conflict, and the female lead severed her own path? How tragic and beautiful!”

“Wuwuwu, too miserable, too miserable! Love between humans and demons is destined for no good ending!”

Song Xingzi: …Darn it, can you all eat your melon rationally? Don’t believe rumors and don’t spread them? I only stayed in the Human Realm for one day and one night combined. Where would I have a tragic and moving love story? In a dream?

Song Xingzi, the Master Riddler and Amateur Detective who always stumbles upon the truth in the strangest places, listened to the little demons’ chattering, which gave her an enormous headache.

Everyone was talking over each other, making noise like a vegetable market. If there were a wooden house here, they would flip it over.

Song Xingzi spoke up to stop the discussion: “Stop, stop, stop! Hold on, hold on! You’re getting more and more off-topic! Why don’t you go write storybooks and earn money? The packaged storybooks business at the Demon Market has been very good lately.”

“I heard Brother Mèng Bǎimò is going to rectify the Demon Market.”

“Yes, he was tricked into buying packaged bootleg storybooks.”

A certain Grass Demon present: “I know! Sister Nine got angry at him and told him to go set up a stall to sell the storybooks!”

“Wow, really? Tell us!”

“Hurry and tell us! I want to hear it too. Brother Mèng Bǎimò is terrified of Sister Nine.”

They are truly Grass Demons who walk on the front line of gossip! There is no gossip they don’t want to hear, and no gossip they can’t dig up!

Song Xingzi swept a look of approval over the Grass Demon who spoke and inwardly gave her a thumbs-up. While the demons were absorbed in the new gossip, she quietly packed all the gifts and elixirs into her spatial bell. Feeling the jingling little bell, she ran out the window.

Nonsense! In a perfect opportunity like this, if I don’t run, should I stay and wait to be caught and forced to talk about my humiliating incident? Wasn’t I questioned enough by the birds on Mount Wēizhī?

Song Xingzi clapped her paws and ran to Mèng Bǎimò’s research lab on Mount Túshān.

Heh heh heh, Brother Mèng Bǎimò actually bought a huge package of storybooks! I, Little Pine Nut, unilaterally declare that they are all mine!

“Wow, oh my god! So that’s what happened!”

“Brother Mèng Bǎimò bought bootlegs and harmed a demon! Good thing Sister Nine found out!”

“Brother Mèng Bǎimò must have been looking for a small bargain. Good thing he didn’t show them to us.”

The Grass Demon with a gossip nose far superior to the others: “Hey, where’s Song Xingzi? She hasn’t told us about her time in the Human Realm yet?”

“Pine Nut? Pine Nut? Where did you run off to?”

“No sound. Looks like she ran away. She must have a secret.”

“Right, there’s a story! Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so guilty!”

“Good! I, Little Grass, will take on this task!” The Grass Demon clenched its fist, looking serious and determined, as if taking on a great responsibility for the nation. “I will definitely dig up Song Xingzi’s story!”

The demons were greatly moved, and then dispersed…