"I'm back." As soon as Chu Lian pushed the door open and spoke, a small figure leapt up from the living room sofa, covering ten meters in a single bound before throwing herself straight into her arms.
A tiny face rubbed against her flat chest as a soft meow sounded. "Meow, as expected, Master's place is the most comfortable. Even if it's small, small has its advantages... meow!"
"So you really do have a death wish, don't you?" The smile on Chu Lian's face instantly froze over, replaced by a layer of frost. Her eyes locked onto the white-haired, twin-tailed loli in a blue maid outfit in her arms, brimming with killing intent.
"Meow, I was wrong! Please forgive me, Master, I didn't mean it, it was just a slip of the tongue, meow!" Although she was in human form, the single strand of hair on Tina's head shot upright. It felt like a fatal aura had descended upon her, meow.
"You were wrong? Do you know what you did wrong?" Chu Lian wrapped one arm around the girl's slender waist while letting her schoolbag fall to the floor with the other. Expressionless, she stared into those azure eyes, frightening Tina into stiffening completely.
"Meow, I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong, meow..." How could Tina dare explain? She was certain that if she said it out loud, she wouldn't just be apologizing here—her tsundere master would probably send her flying out into outer space. Once the girl got angry, she definitely wouldn't let her off easily.
"Wrong, huh? Since you admit it, then fine. As long as you agree to one condition, I'll let you go." Chu Lian raised a delicate brow, her tone suddenly turning soft, as if she had truly been persuaded.
Sure enough, her attitude fooled the naive Tina into thinking she had been forgiven. She nodded repeatedly. "Meow, as long as Master thinks Tina can do it, you can order me, meow. Tina will definitely do it."
Tina's answer pleased Chu Lian greatly. Looking at her, she slowly lowered her head and whispered a few words into her ear.
Whatever Chu Lian said made Tina's entire face flush red, her expression shy and fidgety—so adorable that one couldn't help but want to pinch her cheeks.
"Master, I'll agree, meow." What choice did she have? She had already promised before hearing it—now it was too late to regret.
Right now, what she hoped most was that Master wouldn't go too far. Also, she absolutely had to get rid of the thought that "Master = idiot + tsundere + flat chest."
Even if she understood it in her heart, she couldn't say it out loud—otherwise she'd just be asking for trouble, meow.
"Good girl. That's my Tina." Having gotten the answer she wanted, Chu Lian no longer made things difficult for her. She set her down, turned to pick up her schoolbag—only to realize it was already gone.
"Mommy, welcome home." She looked up to see Anna holding her small bag with both hands, a gentle smile on her face—so gentle that it made Chu Lian a little unaccustomed.
"Mm, I'm back. This is Cai Ya—she'll be staying with us tonight." While bending down to change out of her small leather boots, Chu Lian introduced Cai Ya to Anna.
Although they already knew each other and had even met just two days ago, it was still proper to make introductions when a guest came over.
"We're already very familiar, Sister Cai Ya." Anna's words seemed to carry some hidden meaning—yet also seemed to say nothing at all. Cai Ya only wondered briefly if she was overthinking and didn't dwell on it.
"Anna has become much more obedient." Compared to two days ago, she was clearly even more well-behaved now. Li Mingxue's ability to raise children was truly astonishing.
Just imagine—within a single week, she had turned a girl prone to losing control into such a warm, considerate little angel. That kind of skill was incredible.
"Because if Anna behaves, Mommy won't be so tired. If Mommy isn't tired, she can spend more time with Anna." Anna was simply stating the truth—her meaning was exactly what she said.
But to others, it sounded far more touching, as if she were incredibly thoughtful.
With such command of language, it would be hard to believe her studies were lacking or that she couldn't learn.
"By the way, have Chu Chu and the others come back yet?" After changing into slippers and walking into the living room, Chu Lian looked around but didn't see her mother or Chu Chu.
"Sister Chu Chu hasn't come back yet. Mommy's mommy went out—she said she had something to take care of." Anna followed behind Chu Lian and answered immediately.
"They're not back... looks like the matter isn't resolved yet." Cai Ya also understood—although they had delayed for over ten minutes, that should have been enough time for a round trip.
But Chu Chu and Liu Yanran had other goals. Until they uncovered what they wanted, they likely wouldn't return.
She understood this. Chu Lian understood it too. The reason for asking was simply to avoid raising suspicion in Anna and Tina.
"Then let's wait for them." Chu Lian sat down on the sofa, glancing at the clock on the wall. It pointed to 5:40—twilight, the transition between day and night. Her mother should be back soon.
"Did Mommy say when she'd return?" Chu Lian looked upstairs, noticing a pink-haired girl walking down gracefully. While smiling faintly, she asked about Li Mingxue's return time.
"Meow, um... Mistress said she'd be back around six, meow." Tina used a rather unusual term—"Mistress."
It sounded a bit strange, though not incorrect by definition. Still, Chu Lian found it awkward. She would rather Tina call her "Master" than "Mistress."
"Mommy's mommy left at two o'clock." Anna added as she finished placing the bag down, then quietly picked up a book and began reading, her diligence making Chu Lian feel slightly embarrassed.
"Two o'clock? I hope it's not that matter." Cai Ya immediately became alert. Earlier in the afternoon, she had received a message about a strange incident that required someone special to handle.
And shortly after, Li Mingxue had gone out. It was hard to believe there was no connection.
Still, it wasn't something to tell Chu Lian just yet. If Li Mingxue hadn't returned by 6:30, then she would bring it up.
After all, there had already been enough happening today. Adding Li Mingxue's situation on top of it would surely overwhelm her.
She didn't want to see that happen.
Though she refused to admit it, the girl who quietly cared was always protecting her in her own subtle way.
"Inori, where are Satsuki and Hiyori?" Hiyori, who should have been standing in the hall like a statue since last night, was nowhere to be seen upon returning. Kurosaki Satsuki was also absent—no idea where the two of them had gone.
"They're on the rooftop, sparring." Inori sat beside her, raising a hand to point upward as she spoke softly.
"Aren't they afraid of tearing my house apart?" Chu Lian felt a bit speechless. Couldn't those two training maniacs behave for once? If they wanted to fight, couldn't they go outside instead of doing it at home?
Even though this building had undergone multiple modifications and used many special materials, the maximum level of energy impact it could withstand was only at the peak of the Spirit level.
And those two—one at high Spirit level capable of exerting peak Spirit-level power, and the other at peak Spirit level capable of reaching half-step Earth level. If they really fought seriously, damaging something would be all too easy.
"It's fine. Aunt Mingxue has already limited the energy level they can use here to mid Spirit level. Even if they fight, at most it'll just be noisy—they won't break anything."
Inori didn't seem worried at all. If not for her own special condition, she probably would have gone up there to spar with them as well.
"What I was thinking has already been anticipated by Mother... honestly..." Chu Lian was completely in awe of her mother. She always thought things through so thoroughly that there was almost nothing left for her to worry about.
"Oh right, speaking of training—when are you going to teach us?" Hearing the topic shift, Cai Ya recalled what Chu Lian had said during the school trip about helping them cultivate. She wondered if she still remembered.
After seeing Qu Ningmeng, who had transferred in today, as well as Li Xiu'er's current situation, she felt even more strongly that she needed power of her own—only then could she take control of her own fate.
"Ya, your attribute is ice. Ice-type is a bit troublesome... because I don't actually know how to guide your energy out." Although she had boasted before, energy guidance required someone highly experienced in that field.
Unfortunately, while her strength was sufficient, she had only been cultivating for less than a month. She was still essentially a rookie—many specialized techniques were beyond her, and sometimes she could barely manage her own situation, let alone solve others' problems.
So whenever this topic came up, Chu Lian felt rather embarrassed.
"Then what about what you said—helping me train?" The hopeful look in Cai Ya's eyes instantly faded, her tone returning to calm as if nothing had changed.
However, Chu Lian knew this was the prelude to an outburst. If she didn't come up with a solution soon, Cai Ya might just strangle her.
Sensing a threat to her life, Chu Lian's thoughts raced, and she quickly came up with a solution. "No need to rush—just wait until my mom gets back. She can definitely do it. Once she helps guide your ability out, you won't have to worry anymore."
"You said it. If you're lying to me, I'll be very angry." After hearing this, Cai Ya's lips curved slightly into a faint smile, as if nothing had happened at all.
"Of course. When have I ever lied to you?" Chu Lian said confidently, almost patting her chest in assurance.
"Who knows? Maybe you've lied and I just didn't realize it." Cai Ya shot her a sidelong glance, muttering softly.
"Ahem, let's end this topic here. Let's talk about something else." Chu Lian realized that if they continued, she'd end up exposing all sorts of things, so she decisively cut it off.
Pfft~ Beside them, Inori—who had been teasing Tina—let out a soft laugh. Given her understanding of Chu Lian's nature, the reason behind her behavior was far too obvious.
"Even though I know you're changing the subject, I won't pursue it further." Cai Ya seemed to mutter to herself, but it made Chu Lian stiffen. So she had been found out after all?
"Alright, I get it. I'll find a way." Ayase wasn't here, and she didn't know whether Shiroha—who held the Third Authority—could solve this problem. All she could do was hope.
With that thought, she closed her eyes and sent a strand of her spiritual sense into the system, searching for Shiroha...
The others nearby exchanged glances upon seeing her like this. They all knew—Chu Lian had drifted off into one of her "dazes" again.