Chapter 73 - Qi Qiqi’s Gentleness (I)

Chapter 73 – Qi Qiqi’s Gentleness (I)

At dusk, Xue Qilin returned to Snow-facing Abode after the short parting.

Illuminated by the setting sun, Snow-facing Abode looks like it is dressed in dark gold clothes with a faint glow, adding a bit of a poetic flavor.

Xue Qilin crossed the front yard and passed her room, but didn’t enter inside. Instead, she continued forward, until she reached Qi Qiqi’s room. All the while, an ever changing shadow followed closely behind her.

Earlier, she and Qi Qiqi made an agreement to have diner together, so she is here to meet her appointment.

Knock, knock! She knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

A resonant voice like a singing wine glass came from inside. After savoring it, Xue Qilin didn’t forget to shout in reply.

“It’s me!”

“Wait a moment.”

With the deep sound of a chair scraping the floor as prelude, the sound of light footsteps full of rhythm sounded immediately after.

When the door opened, a faint fragrance of flowers with a the hint of water spread.

“…!” Xue Qilin held her breath subconsciously, and her eyes opened wide, staring straight at the figure in front of her.

Qi Qiqi who has already changed into a red dress she uses at home is in front of her.

She probably just took a bath. Her cheeks are scarlet red, and there is a trace of moisture in her breath. Her damp the black-ink-colored hair sticks to her body, sketching a near-perfect, delicate curve.

A drop of water dripped from her beautiful face and slid along the line of her collarbone.

“Hey, why are you spacing out?”

“Ah!”

A fair hand suddenly appeared before her eyes and waved, and Xue Qilin screamed from fright.

“What are you screaming for?”

Then, Qi Qiqi knocked Xue Qilin on the head with her fist.

“Ouch, why did you hit me!”

And she used a considerate amount of force to boot! Tears welled up inside Xue Qilin’s eyes, and she rubbed the place that was hit.

“You scared me!”

“That’s not a reason to hit people!” Xue Qilin protested, aggrieved, “Or do I attract your fist?”

“Uh… this…” Qi Qiqi mumbled. Her fingers entwined and fidgeted, “Before anything else, it wasn’t on purpose… just an unconscious reflex…”

Did hitting me become your subconscious reaction? Xue Qilin almost knelt on the ground.

“Ah, I’m sorry… does it still hurt?” In a rare fashion, Qi Qiqi put her pride aside and apologized in a low voice.

At the same time, she stroked the place where she hit the lass, “I can stroke it for you at most.”

“Am I a little kid that has to be coaxed?” The lass rolled her eyes, but she didn’t resist the girl’s “compensation”, and let her caress the place.

“That said, is the meal ready?” While she asked, Xue Qilin stuck her head out in order to look past the girl before her eyes who occupied most of her vision to see if the food has been prepared. After cleaning all day, the lass is a bit hungry.

Qi Qiqi scoffed and retracted her hand.

“Come in, I’ve been just waiting for you.”

Then, Qi Qiqi got out of the way reluctantly.

“That so? All right!” Xue Qilin smiled mischievously and stepped into the room.

Simple and elegant – is the feeling Qi Qiqi room gives off.

The floor is made out of wood and disseminates a wood fragrance. The furniture, which is also made out of wood, looks ordinary and a bit old-fashioned, appearing a bit aged.

Xue Qilin’s eyes inadvertently drifted to the corner of the room.

This is already a habit. Every time she comes to Qi Qiqi’s room, she always does it.

Where has gaze fell, there is an imposing bookcase.

The bookcase is as tall as the roof and about as wide as 10 people standing shoulder-to-shoulder, filled with all kinds of books. Xue Qilin has looked previously at several of the books, but she didn’t understand any of them.

[Detailed Explanation of Mo School’s Philosophy], [Inner Force and Human Nature], [School of Diplomacy’s Guidelines and Tactics]… who the hell can understand them! At least Xue Qilin can’t. In particular, the two books [A Lecher’s Weakness Lies Underneath the Skirt] and [The Last Bystander Mercenary] are even more unintelligible.

“… What are you looking at? You’ve been here so many times, haven’t you seen enough yet?”

An unhappy voice prompted Xue Qilin to look away.

Unwittingly, Qi Qiqi has already closed the door and taken a seat by the round table in the center of the room.

On the round table, there is fish and meat. There are three dishes and a soup.

The food is exquisite. In terms of the outward appearance alone, it’s enough to make people salivate.

“Aren’t you hungry? Hurry up and eat.”

“I’m coming!” Xue Qilin approached quickly.

When she pulled a chair and sat down, Qi Qiqi handed her a bowl full of rice.

“Thank you!”

The moment she got the bowl, Xue Qilin took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and stuffed it into her mouth impatiently. Without chewing, she swallowed the piece of meat.

Then…

She made a sound of surprise and raised her left eyebrow.

“There’s something wrong!”

“What’s wrong?” Qi Qiqi asked anxiously, “Doesn’t it taste good?”

“It tastes good, but…” Xue Qilin put down the bowl and chopsticks and touched her chin, “There’s still something wrong with the taste!”

“What, what’s wrong?”

For some reason, Qi Qiqi looks a little uneasy, and her tone is also a little flustered.

Xue Qilin noticed this and asked, puzzled, “Hey, Little Seven, why are you nervous?”

“Let’s leave that aside. Tell me what’s wrong with the taste.” When she reached this point, Qi Qiqi suddenly hesitated, “Could it be… it doesn’t taste good?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what’s the problem!”

Qi Qiqi has an expression of “I’m going crazy here”.

“Why do you care so much?”

It clearly doesn’t concern her! Xue Qilin is surprised.

Qi Qiqi’s eyes twitched, and she raised her fist slowly.

“Yah!” Merak Temple’s Young Ancestor made an embarrassing cry and shook violently, “If you have something to say, then go ahead and say it…”

“Will you talk or not?” Qi Qiqi uttered with a cold face.

As she spoke, she lifted her fist, and the lass shrank back.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk…”

Looking at the fist that can break a table at will, Xue Qilin suggested timidly, “Put down your fist first… Violence is never the answer.”

“Spill it out!” Qi Qiqi humphed at the lass wimpy response.

“… the taste isn’t right.” Xue Qilin spoke with certainty, “This is not Fang Yikuai’s cooking.”

“Hey, you can really tell that?” Qi Qiqi seems to be surprised by Xue Qilin’s sharp sense of taste.

“The taste is a little light. It’s definitely not Fang Yikuai’s cooking.”

Fang Yikuai is the head chef in Merak Temple’s inner temple. He prepares meals for the key figures of Merak Temple. As Merak Temple’s Young Ancestor, Xue Qilin also gets to enjoy his cooking.

Xue Qilin has long been accustomed to Fang Yikuai’s cooking, and is well aware of his seasoning habits.

The food he makes is quite rich in flavor, unlike the piece of meat just now.