Chapter 265: Bragging Without Action, Protected by a Fragile Shield
“Little Disciple, as expected of you! A mere potato and you can turn it into a masterpiece!”
Yu Yao was praising enthusiastically while reaching out to grab some potato chips and crunching them noisily.
“Cut into strips? Not bad. And I feel like potatoes and tomatoes taste pretty good together. Maybe next time I’ll make some tomato sauce and dip the potato strips in it.”
“Hmm, that’s a bit hard to imagine,” Yu Yao pondered for a few seconds and then gave up. “If you make potato strips next time, definitely call me to taste it!”
“Of course, of course,” Bai Feng said, then reached out and placed a freshly made juice soda in front of Yu Yao. “Try this and tell me how it tastes.”
Yu Yao looked at the bubbles in the glass, feeling as if she’d been poisoned.
She silently looked up at Bai Feng and mumbled, “If you want to, you know… to be with me… you don’t have to put such weird stuff in it, right?”
“…This is a normal drink. I just added some special gases.” Bai Feng’s lips twitched slightly. “Besides, even if I wanted to slip that kind of thing in, it’d have to wait till Tian Yan leaves, wouldn’t it?”
“Hmph~ Maybe you think kitchen mischief is more exciting!”
“If you put it that way, I might really just drown you in the kitchen!”
Bai Feng reached out and gently brushed Yu Yao’s hair behind her ear.
Instantly, Yu Yao, who was always bragging, blushed. She lowered her head, clasped her hands to her chest, and stammered, “W-wait, doing that kind of thing in the kitchen is… too, too stimulating for me, Elder Sister.”
“Heh.”
Bai Feng chuckled softly, knowing it would be just like this.
All talk, no action; defenses that crack at the first poke—they’re all just bluff.
“Alright, Elder Sister, hurry up and try my fruit juice. It’s no good if it’s been sitting too long.”
He stopped teasing and pushed the juice towards her after withdrawing his hand.
Yu Yao, having her defenses blown, was noticeably more obedient. She reached out and took a sip, trembling slightly: “Hmm…”
She felt like this beverage was attacking her tongue, and the flavor was strange.
Alright, one more sip!
Bai Feng watched as Yu Yao sipped the soda bit by bit, then asked, “How does it taste?”
“The texture is strange, but I got used to it and it’s pretty good,” she mused, smacking her lips.
She set down the cup, picked up a potato chip, and started munching. Occasionally, she’d lift the cup to take another sip of the juice.
Honestly, the two go surprisingly well together. The juice is just right for cleansing the palate.
If sold, I bet a lot of people would like it.
“Alright, Elder Sister, you hold the potato chips. Let’s head out first.”
Bai Feng made two more glasses of juice soda and headed out of the kitchen with them.
Meanwhile, Tian Yan was still quietly eating her cake. When Bai Feng came out, she looked up, but upon noticing that she wasn’t holding cake anymore, she quickly looked away.
“Want a taste?”
Bai Feng set a small plate of chips and a glass of juice in front of Tian Yan.
Tian Yan picked up a chip and took a bite, then pushed the plate back. She then picked up a sip of the juice and drank.
A second later, she furrowed her brow, sticking out her small pink tongue with an unhappy expression, clearly dissatisfied with the taste of the juice soda.
“I know I’ve been freeloading on the cake, maybe I can help out in other ways.”
She lowered her head and whispered, as if the juice soda was a punishment for her.
“…No, I just made a new fruit juice and wanted you to try it,” Bai Feng explained. “I’ll get you a slice of cake next.”
“No need, I haven’t finished this one.”
“…Then don’t keep staring at me with those expectant eyes!”
Bai Feng sighed helplessly, feeling it was almost hopeless to change his stereotypical image of twin-tailed blondes.
When he went into the kitchen to get a cake, Xiao Jiu quietly looked up at the juice on the table—though Tian Yan’s face showed that she thought the juice was bad, Yu Yao beside her looked like she liked it a lot, which made Xiao Jiu curious about what this juice really tasted like.
Tian Yan noticed Xiao Jiu secretly eyeing the juice, so she reached out and put the cup on the ground: “For you.”
“Thanks.”
Xiao Jiu happily scampered over and licked the juice.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, it understood why Tian Yan had that look—this flavor was like a lingering ghostly fruit juice from some cursed spirit, relentlessly attacking its tongue as if seeking revenge!
Tian Yan’s small corner of her mouth curled slightly, unsure if it was mischief or just her leftover thoughts about Xiao Jiu eyeing her cake.
Xiao Jiu stared at the juice, contemplating for a few seconds. From the aftertaste, it thought the flavor was pretty good, but the initial taste was a bit odd.
It then secretly glanced at Yu Yao, who was holding her cup and drinking the juice. It realized its own way of drinking might have been wrong—it should hold the drink just like her.
So, it extended its paw, steadied the smooth cup, and then poured the juice into its mouth.
“Eh…!”
Xiao Jiu put down the cup and frowned—why did the juice still taste so strange after changing how it drank?
Could it be because it was a fox demon?
Thinking this, suddenly a silver-haired girl with white hair appeared in front of the juice.
She picked up the cup and took another sip, then put it down and furrowed her brow again—why does it still taste so weird?
But having tasted it several times, she was starting to get used to it, even thinking the flavor wasn’t so bad.
As she sipped the drink little by little, Yu Yao silently turned to look at her, her mind sparking with an idea—she had to figure out how to get her to change into beautiful clothes.
“Huh?”
A soft exclamation sounded, and Xiao Jiu hurriedly changed back into her nine-tailed fox form with a ‘bang.’
Bai Feng came over carrying the cake, looking at Xiao Jiu with a somewhat puzzled expression and asking, “I think I just saw a blonde girl drinking juice—Xiao Jiu, do you have any clues?”
“No, you’re mistaken!” Xiao Jiu shook her head and kept nibbling the juice with her paws.
Bai Feng laughed slightly: “Lying isn’t a good habit.”
Xiao Jiu averted her gaze subtly, her eyes tinged with fear: “I… I really don’t know. I’m just an ordinary nine-tailed fox.”
‘Hmm… Why does Xiao Jiu seem so resistant to her human form? She’d rather be scolded by Yue Yao than admit it. Is there a story behind this?’
Bai Feng muttered in his heart but didn’t press her further.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jiu, seeing Bai Feng wasn’t going to ask more, let out a sigh of relief—close call. If her true shape got exposed and humans caught on, that’d be the end of her.
