Chapter 117: Cool Down

“Phew…”

Chen watched the direction Fu Xuan had vanished in and let out a long, theatrical sigh. The strained, polite smile he had worn while facing her instantly collapsed, melting away as he returned to his usual, far more relaxed demeanor.

“Are you out of your mind?!”

March 7th immediately pounced, grabbing Chen by the shoulders and shaking him vigorously.

“What in the world were you thinking just now?! Jumping down from that high! And what was with all those fireworks?! What did you blow up?!”

“Ow, ow, ow… March, let go, let go…” Chen’s head swam from the violent shaking, and he quickly begged for mercy. “I knew what I was doing! See? Precious Qiong caught me perfectly!”

As he spoke, he shot a conspiratorial wink at Qiong, who stood silently nearby.

“Alright, March.” Ms. Welt walked to their side, placing a gentle hand on March 7th’s shoulder to signal him to release his victim. “What’s important is that Chen returned safely.”

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her sharp gaze falling on Chen. “However, Chen, you do need to explain yourself. That explosion just now… and what exactly happened while you were off on your own?”

Chen rubbed his now-crumpled collar, cleared his throat, and plastered on an expression of pure, unadulterated innocence. “Aunt Yang, I just went to the entrance of that alley over there.”

He began gesturing wildly, painting a picture with his hands. “And then, I stumbled upon this abandoned old starship. I saw it could still move, so I thought… well, I’d just modify it a little, you know? Improve its performance so I could get here faster.”

“A ‘slight’modification?” March 7th eyed him with deep suspicion. “And that’slight modification’ just so happened to end with it exploding into a firework display?”

“That was an accident! A complete and total accident!” Chen waved his hands frantically, his denial a little too quick to be convincing.

Ms. Welt stared at him in silence for a few long seconds before finally letting out a soft, weary sigh. “Just… be more careful next time.”

“I will, I will!” Chen nodded repeatedly, a wave of relief washing over him. He was off the hook, for now.

“Alright, enough messing around,” Ms. Welt said, looking up at the sky. “Let’s find a place to rest first and wait for news from Fu Xuan.”

Qiong, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, simply followed behind Chen with her head bowed, lost in thought. Chen, busy scheming about whether he might get a chance to run into Kafka at the Divination Commission later, didn’t notice at first.

It wasn’t until he tried to strike up a conversation with her for the third time and received only a soft “mm” in response, her eyes never leaving the ground, that he realized something was wrong.

“Precious Qiong?” Chen stopped walking, tilting his head to get a better look at her face. “What’s wrong? Were you scared just now?”

Qiong shook her head, still refusing to look at him.

March 7th, who was walking a few paces ahead, turned back and whispered, “She’s been like this the whole time we were waiting for you. You said you’d be back soon, but then you nearly blew yourself to bits… Chen, did you lie to her again?”

Chen froze. He remembered now. When they parted ways, he had indeed thumped his chest and promised Qiong he would be back in a flash.

To Qiong, that ‘flash’ had been an eternity filled with worry.

“Um… Precious Qiong,” Chen leaned in closer, his voice softening into a coaxing tone. “I… I ran into a bit of an accident. See? I came back in one piece, didn’t I?”

Qiong finally lifted her head to look at him. There was no anger in her golden eyes, only the quiet sting of broken trust. She pursed her lips and whispered, “You said ‘soon’.”

“My fault, my fault!” Chen surrendered immediately, pressing his hands together in a gesture of apology. “I miscalculated the time and made my Precious Qiong worry! I apologize! A sincere, heartfelt apology!”

Qiong just looked at him, her silence more damning than any scolding.

Chen scratched his head, his eyes darting around as an idea sparked in his mind. A sly grin spread across his face as he lowered his voice. “Precious Qiong, how about I show you something really cool as an apology?”

Qiong blinked, her curiosity piqued.

“Stand over here,” Chen said, pulling her a few steps away into a shadowed alcove, out of sight. He glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention. March 7th peeked over curiously, but a sharp glare from Chen sent him sheepishly retreating.

Then, a soft light enveloped Chen’s body.

A pair of wine-red fox ears sprouted from his hair, twitching delicately. They were followed by a magnificent, fluffy, and impossibly soft tail that unfurled from behind him, its fur gleaming even in the dim light.

It was the very same tail from his Tingyun transformation.

Chen turned around, offering the tail to Qiong with a smug yet pleading smile. “Want to touch it? A Foxian’s tail feels amazing. They say it has a calming effect!”

Qiong was already accustomed to Chen’s bizarre transformations. Her gaze fell instinctively upon the big, fluffy appendage. She hesitated for a moment before reaching out, her fingertips gently brushing against the very tip of the tail.

An incredibly soft sensation traveled up her arm.

Qiong’s eyes widened. She touched it again, this time with a bit more force, her fingers sinking into the thick, plush fur.

Chen gritted his teeth, enduring the strange, ticklish sensation that shot through him. This body was his, after all, and the connection was very real. He forced himself to maintain his smile. “How is it? Comfortable, right?”

Qiong didn’t answer. Her fingers began to gently comb through the fur, her hand stroking it over and over. The disappointment on her face gradually faded, the light returned to her eyes, and the corners of her lips even curved into a small, contented smile.

Seeing the change in her expression, Chen breathed a sigh of relief. It worked.

A cautious voice suddenly came from the side. March 7th had somehow crept over again, his eyes glued to Chen’s tail, practically sparkling with longing.

“Ch-Chen… Can I touch it, too? Just once! Just one little pat is fine!”

Chen’s face fell. “…”

He looked at Qiong, who was still completely absorbed in stroking the tail, then at the pleading March 7th. A headache was definitely starting to form.

“Absolutely not,” Chen refused righteously, subtly moving his tail closer to Qiong. “This is an apology gift for Precious Qiong! I can’t just let anyone touch it!”

“Just once!” March 7th pressed his hands together, his face a mask of desperation. “I’ve never touched a Foxian’s tail before! It looks so soft and comfortable! Chen, you’re the best!”

“I said no, and I mean no!” Chen guarded the tail as if it were a priceless treasure. “And I don’t like that look in your eyes… I feel like you’re up to no good!”

“Stingy!” March 7th puffed out his cheeks in a pout.

Chen stuck his tongue out at him.

While they were bickering, Ms. Welt, who had been walking ahead, stopped and looked back. “You three… what are you doing now?”

“Coming, coming!” Chen called out quickly. With a single thought, the ears and tail vanished, and he reverted to his original form.

Qiong’s hand remained frozen in mid-air, still in a stroking motion. She looked at her empty palm, then at Chen, a faint trace of regret flitting through her eyes.

“I’ll let you touch it again later,” Chen whispered, giving her a quick promise before hurrying to catch up with the group.

Qiong nodded, a small smile returning to her face. She picked up her baseball bat again and followed him, her steps noticeably lighter than before.

March 7th trailed behind them all, staring daggers at Chen’s back and muttering under his breath.

“Hmph, favoritism… When we get back, I’m gonna have Pom-Pom make me a fake tail, too…”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]