Chapter 491

Que Feiling looked up, his gaze meeting hers.

He was momentarily lost.

Perhaps because he’d been dreaming for so long, Que Feiling was overcome by a sense of unreality. He reached up and tugged on one of his ear feathers.

He tugged too hard and pulled out a few feathers.

But the pain was sharp.

’It’s real.’

Que Feiling took a deep breath and massaged his temples.

Jiang Qingli raised a hand to rub his other temple. "What’s wrong? Don’t you feel well?"

"It’s just that I feel *too* good... so I was trying to remember what I’m supposed to say in this situation. I don’t think the forums covered this."

Que Feiling hadn’t been on his guard and blurted it out.

He only realized what a ridiculous thing he’d said after the words were out, and he quickly tried to take it back. "Ah, no, what I meant was—"

His words died in his throat.

Because Jiang Qingli was laughing again.

She smiled and rubbed the youth’s cheeks, then pinched them and pulled them outwards. "Does it hurt?"

Jiang Qingli used a bit of force, planning to tell him it wasn’t a dream once he said it hurt.

But instead, he said, "It doesn’t hurt."

Jiang Qingli: ?

She was quite strong, especially after her Superpower had awakened; the effects were remarkable.

Jiang Qingli increased the pressure. "Really? It doesn’t hurt?"

"It doesn’t hurt!" Que Feiling raised his voice, his tone as firm as if he were reporting to a superior officer.

’He really isn’t following the script.’

After a two-second silence, Jiang Qingli let go.

The youth’s already flushed cheeks were now even redder from her pinching. Jiang Qingli leaned in to take a closer look.

’So close.’

’She smells so good.’

Que Feiling felt his brain short-circuit, and he had the sudden urge to get a nosebleed.

He quickly leaned back, trying to calm his racing pulse. "I’m fine. Didn’t I just say? I have a very high tolerance for pain!"

Jiang Qingli: "..."

’Did he think I was testing him just now?’

’What kinds of forums does he even read? What on earth are they teaching him?’

Jiang Qingli curled a finger and flicked his forehead. "Have you recovered now?"

Que Feiling finally snapped out of it and nodded vigorously, a smile touching his lips.

"Can I touch them?" Jiang Qingli asked.

Que Feiling replied instantly, "Of course!"

He lowered his head, expecting a pat.

He never expected her fingers to thread through his soft, red hair and touch his ear feathers, giving them a curious little squeeze.

She had wanted to touch the Vermilion Bird’s ear feathers for a while now. They looked incredibly soft. But back then, she was in the middle of healing him and wasn’t sure why the feathers appeared. She couldn’t take advantage of him when he was vulnerable.

Now that she knew the ear feathers appeared because he liked her, she naturally wanted to satisfy her curiosity.

But after just two little squeezes, Que Feiling seemed to lose all his strength. His body went limp, and his forehead came to rest against her shoulder, his breathing ragged.

’Just from a little touch... how can it feel this good...’

Que Feiling felt as if his thoughts were scrambled, and he stared blankly at her other hand, which rested at her side.

His ear feathers, which he had managed to forcefully suppress until they drooped, perked right back up after Jiang Qingli’s touch, trembling with excitement.

Que Feiling’s reaction was too obvious. Jiang Qingli didn’t dare touch them again and silently withdrew her hand, letting him retract them.

Leaning against her, inhaling her scent, Que Feiling was in a state of unnatural agitation. It took him a long moment to retract his ear feathers and force himself to calm down.

A buzzing sound rang out.

Jiang Qingli glanced at her terminal screen and saw a message from Gu Nian: [Sister, the Prince is heading your way. You should leave as soon as possible. (*^▽^*)]

Jiang Qingli’s fingers twitched. "..."

’Hey, have you been watching this whole time?!’

In the few seconds she was speechless, Que Feiling had already seen the message.

He stood up and straightened his clothes. "Miss Jiang, there’s a place to draw fortunes up ahead. Would you like to take a look?"

Jiang Qingli nodded. "Alright."

The two walked side by side out of the ancient grove and over to the area for drawing fortunes.

Though they walked together, Que Feiling didn’t get too close, merely maintaining a distance that was slightly closer than that of a normal friend.

His luck must have been exceptionally good today, because Que Feiling drew a "Great Fortune."

The two of them went to find the attendant who could interpret the fortune.

But his attention wasn’t on the fortune itself.

The youth glanced around before asking in a low voice, "Um, Miss Jiang, did... did that count as holding hands just now?"

Jiang Qingli replied, "No."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Que Feiling’s eyes. "Oh, right."

’I guess I was getting ahead of myself.’

’That’s not very suave. Next time, I’ll...’

Just as Que Feiling was wondering when he could get a little closer, his hand, hanging by his side, was suddenly taken.

Jiang Qingli swayed their joined hands and said, "Now it is."

Que Feiling’s mind went blank with a ROAR. He’d short-circuited again.

His mind repeated a single thought: ’We’re holding hands. We’re really holding hands...’

He didn’t say a word, and Jiang Qingli didn’t ask, simply leading him to the interpretation booth.

The meaning of Que Feiling’s fortune was very auspicious.

He thanked the Divine Servant, then stood before her, looking as if he wanted to say something but was hesitating.

Jiang Qingli asked, "Is there something you want to say?"

"Can we walk around a little longer?" Que Feiling took a deep breath, his eyelashes fluttering nervously. "Just... holding hands."

His face was nearly redder than his hair.

Jiang Qingli hooked her pinky around his. "Of course."

...

After strolling through the temple for a while, Que Feiling suggested they leave.

Jiang Qingli asked, "Aren’t you going to go say hi to the others?"

’Aren’t he and Qin Muye on good terms now?’

Que Feiling fell silent for a moment.

’Against Qin Muye alone, I could hold my own. But against a beatdown from eight other males...’

’I haven’t even secured my place yet. I don’t want to get beaten to a pulp...’

Que Feiling glanced at his starry-faced watch and furrowed his brow, feigning busyness. "Ah, I... I have to go buy my sister some specialties from the Ninth City... I should probably get going..."

He wasn’t a good liar; the words just tumbled out.

But Jiang Qingli seemed intrigued. "Oh? And what’s that?"

Que Feiling: "..."

’I just made that up, I have no idea!’

The youth rubbed the tip of his nose and forced himself to answer, "Er... mushrooms?"

Jiang Qingli wanted to laugh again. For some reason, she found it incredibly easy to laugh whenever Que Feiling had that dazed look on his face.

After a moment of laughter, she patted Que Feiling’s shoulder. "Alright, don’t worry. I’ll tell them about this when I get back to the First District. I’ll handle it."

A light flickered in Que Feiling’s eyes. "Okay."

-

The two said their goodbyes in a long corridor.

As Jiang Qingli walked back, she looked down to message Gu Nian, asking where the others were.

After a few steps, she glanced back. Que Feiling was still standing in the same spot, his ears bright red as he watched her walk away.

...

There was one thing Que Feiling had never told anyone.

Ever since Jiang Qingli had finished healing him, his five senses had recovered significantly—more than enough for daily life and missions.

But his eyesight hadn’t fully recovered.

Most of the time, everything in Que Feiling’s sight looked like a faded photograph, the world dim and colorless.

But Jiang Qingli was the exception.

Only she was the single, brilliant splash of color in an otherwise faded landscape.

In fact, Que Feiling didn’t mind this at all.

On the contrary, he thought it was wonderful.

Because it meant he could always spot her in a crowd with a single glance.

...

After parting ways with Que Feiling, Jiang Qingli took turns praying before the statues with her other Beast Husbands.

By the time they finished, the sky had already grown dark.

The Great Divine Servant invited them to stay the night.