467: Chapter 467 Asking the Junior Imperial Advisor

The tianque divine boat cut through the vast sky, with the sea of clouds surging like tides beneath it.

This was on the way to the next resonance dao tower.

On the deck, You Ruo crouched by the ship's railing, her pair of amber beast eyes darting around. She was secretly observing Jiang Wangqing and her sister, who were smiling as they picked up a purple jade grape and fed it to Ling Hao from both sides.

Ling Hao opened his mouth and ate it.

You Ruo blinked, lowered her head to rummage through her storage ring, and pulled out a bright red spiritual fruit.

She stood on her tiptoes, held the fruit up with both hands, and offered it to Ling Hao's mouth, saying in a milky voice, "Male Brother, ah—"

The Moonshadow Sect Elders and Disciples nearby saw this and covered their mouths with auntie-like smiles, their gazes sweeping back and forth between You Ruo and Ling Hao, whispering among themselves in hushed tones.

Ling Hao looked down at You Ruo, opened his mouth to take a bite of the spiritual fruit, casually ruffled her hair, and then waved his hand to signal the Elders and Disciples to disperse.

"Is it delicious?"

You Ruo tilted her face up, her tiger ears twitching, her eyes full of anticipation.

Ling Hao smiled and nodded. While chewing, he turned and walked toward the cabin: "Let's go, we're heading back."

You Ruo trotted happily behind him like a little tail, her tiger tail swaying gently behind her.

Inside the main cabin, the candlelight was warm and yellow.

Jin Linger was kneeling by the couch, carefully smoothing out the quilt and straightening the pillow, ensuring every wrinkle was perfectly flat.

Hua Lian was fiddling with the tea set on a small table nearby. Spiritual tea had already been brewed in the celadon pot, with steam curling up and a faint, refreshing tea fragrance filling the air.

The door opened, and Ling Hao walked in.

Seeing the prepared bed and the steaming tea, he was slightly taken aback, then smiled.

He walked over and reached out to gently stroke Jin Linger's head: "Not bad."

Jin Linger remained expressionless, but a hint of satisfaction flashed in her purple-gold slit pupils.

You Ruo immediately thrust her head forward, rubbing her tiger ears against Ling Hao's chin: "I want it too! Male Brother, pet me!"

Jin Linger glanced at her and quietly shifted half an inch closer to Ling Hao, almost pressing against his arm through the fabric.

Hua Lian picked up the teacup and handed it to Ling Hao, her voice soft: "Brother, tea."

Ling Hao took it, sipped, and praised: "Good tea."

Hua Lian's eyes curved into crescents, her lips curling up uncontrollably, and her earlobes quietly flushed a crimson red.

The night grew deeper.

The three little ones changed into thin, light nightgowns and gathered by the couch.

You Ruo wore a short black and white taiji cloud-patterned nightgown, the hem reaching only to her mid-thigh, revealing her fair, tender calves; Hua Lian wore a pink and white petal-patterned gauze nightgown, her long pink hair draped over her shoulders, surrounded by a faint fragrance; Jin Linger wore a dark gold form-fitting nightgown, outlining her slender, youthful yet exquisite curves.

The routine scramble began.

You Ruo was quick-witted and agile; with a dash, she rushed forward, lifted the quilt, and dove inside, burrowing around until only her little head and two perked-up tiger ears were visible.

Hua Lian held her pillow and stood by the couch, her watery eyes looking pitifully at Ling Hao, lips slightly pursed, like a kitten waiting to be taken in.

Jin Linger stood at the foot of the bed, hands folded in front of her, her purple-gold slit pupils calmly watching Ling Hao. She neither snatched nor urged, just waited quietly for him to speak.

Ling Hao sighed, pointed to his left side: "Hua Lian, here." Then he pointed to his right: "Linger, there." Finally, he lifted a corner of the quilt, glanced at the huddled mass of You Ruo inside, and said helplessly: "You just lie there."

They finally settled down.

The three little ones lay in the covers, but had no desire to sleep.

You Ruo rolled over, nuzzled into Ling Hao's shoulder, tilted her face up, and said: "Male Brother, tell us a story!"

Hua Lian nodded along, tugging at Ling Hao's sleeve with her small hand, chiming in softly: "Brother, tell us one."

Jin Linger didn't speak, but her slit pupils also turned toward him.

"What do you want to hear?" Ling Hao asked casually.

You Ruo raised her hand immediately: "I want to hear the story of Zhuge Kong playing the zither on the city wall to lull Jia Baoyu to sleep!"

Hua Lian thought for a moment and whispered: "I want to hear about Cao Cao meeting Pan Jinlian at night..."

Jin Linger was silent for a moment, then said calmly: "Lin Daiyu uprooting the weeping willow."

Ling Hao's mouth twitched: "...Who told you all these stories?"

The three little ones said in unison: "Sister Zhaoxue!"

Ling Hao took a deep breath and decided to give up on questioning them further.

He thought for a moment and made one up on the spot: "It is said that one day, Lin Daiyu carried the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade and went up to the Bronze Bird Terrace alone. Cao Cao was holding Pan Jinlian, drinking and making merry. Seeing Lin Daiyu arrive, he smiled and asked, 'Little sister, can you sing a tune?' Lin Daiyu didn't answer; she slashed down with her blade, cut off the eaves of the Bronze Bird Terrace, shouldered it, and walked away."

"Cao Cao asked her what she was doing. Without looking back, Lin Daiyu said, 'Granny Liu has no firewood left, so I'm tearing down this Bronze Bird Terrace to use as firewood for her.'"

"Cao Cao was furious and hurriedly called men to capture her, but Lin Daiyu fought her way in and out seven times..."

"Wow! This Sister Lin Daiyu is so amazing..."

The three little ones listened intently, their eyes shining, and unconsciously leaned against Ling Hao.

Hua Lian rested on his arm, You Ruo lay on his chest, and Jin Linger leaned against his shoulder, their breathing gradually becoming even.

Ling Hao looked down at the three little faces in his arms.

Hua Lian slept peacefully, a smile still hanging on her lips; You Ruo's little tiger teeth were slightly exposed, and her silver tiger tail had wrapped around his wrist at some point; Jin Linger kept her lips pursed even in her sleep.

His heart softened. He lowered his head to gently kiss the top of Hua Lian's head, reached out to pat You Ruo's back, and finally pulled the blanket over to cover Jin Linger carefully.

The night lamp was like a bean, the candlelight swaying gently.

I don't know how much time passed, but Ling Hao faintly felt something unusual in a certain part of his body while in his sleep.

He opened his eyes suddenly, lifted his head slightly, and saw three little lumps bulging under the quilt.

One was burrowing at his chest, one near his lower abdomen, and another... His eye twitched slightly; he didn't need to look to know where those three little ones had gone.

From under the quilt, vague murmurs could be heard.

Ling Hao closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he forcefully suppressed the surge of heat rising within him.

He pretended that nothing had happened and continued to "sleep."

The next morning.

The morning light spilled into the cabin through the window lattice. The bedding on the couch was messy, and the three little ones woke up.

Upon waking, they found that Ling Hao was gone, leaving only the three of them and the faint, lingering warmth in the quilt.

Hua Lian hugged her pillow, her little face buried in the soft cushion, her voice filled with distress: "Brother... does he not like us? Because we aren't big enough? But there's no way to grow bigger in an instant..."

She lifted her head, "And we did everything Sister Liuli told us to do..."

Jin Linger was silent for a moment, her purple-gold slit pupils looking at the spot where Ling Hao had slept: "It might take some time. Persistence is victory, just like Cultivating."

You Ruo drooped her tiger ears and nodded: "Then shall we... go ask Sister Liuli again?"

The three little ones changed their clothes and pushed the door open to come out, just in time to bump into Shui Liuli, who was leaning against a pillar. Her silver hair fluttered in the morning breeze, and her purple eyes held a hint of mischievous laughter, as if she had been waiting there for a long time.

"Sister Liuli!" You Ruo rushed over, "Where did Male Brother go?"

Shui Liuli blinked: "Revered Master? Ancestral Master Baiyan came to find him."

The three little ones lowered their heads in frustration and told her about what happened last night.

After listening, a flash of surprise crossed Shui Liuli's eyes. Revered Master is actually so good at restraining himself? If it were the usual Senior Sisters, they would have long been...

She rolled her eyes, crouched down, and lowered her voice: "You three, after returning to the Moonshadow Sect, you can go to the Wutong Divine Dynasty and seek advice from that Little Imperial Preceptor."

"Little Imperial Preceptor?" Hua Lian tilted her head.

"Yes," Shui Liuli said with a giggle, "She is just like you—the same flat chest, and the same height."

She gestured to her own waist, "Revered Master loves interacting with her. She definitely has a way."

The three little ones looked at each other, hope reigniting in their eyes.

Outside the Moonshadow Sect, three streams of light streaked across the sky and landed on the platform in front of the mountain gate.

"Achoo—!" The small figure at the very front suddenly sneezed and reached up to rub her nose.