"Boohoo—Master! Boohoohoo..."
All the grievances, disappointments, and pain in her foot found an outlet, and Qing Jun could no longer hold it in. She threw away the troublesome boot, arms outstretched and tearfully cried,
"Hug me!"
The small figure, in her excitement, instinctively wanted to rush forward, completely forgetting she still had one shoe on.
Her body tilted, and she was about to fall.
The figure on the wall sighed, and in a flash, like a phantom, he appeared beside her, scooping the soft little figure into his embrace, holding her steadily.
"Hey, be careful my silly disciple. It’s one thing to learn walking on stilts, but you’re the ultimate boss; you can’t just fall flat..."
Chen Ye teased verbally, but his arms held the little one tightly, gently patting her back. Naturally, he bent down and used his free hand to remove the other silver thick-soled boot.
With his warm palm, he evenly massaged her sore ankle and small foot.
The disciple’s feet were small too, easily held in one hand.
"You... you... boo... you are the silly one! Don’t ever say Qing Jun is a child again! Qing Jun is a big... adult now!"
Qing Jun forcefully buried her little face into the master’s robe, which carried a mild herbal scent, while sniffing and mumbling in a muffled voice. Her tiny hands tightly clutched his black robe, as if afraid he would disappear the moment she let go.
"Yes, yes, my Qing Jun is a grown-up girl now. Wearing adult shoes, walking adult paths, so ambitious!"
Chen Ye held back his laughter, but his hands continued to move,
"But, maybe before deciding to be an adult next time, think about whether your feet can handle it first."
"Boohoo, it’s just... just because master said Qing Jun is..."
She couldn’t bring herself to say the last two words, so she bumped against the master again,
"It’s all master’s fault!"
"Alright, alright, it’s master’s fault, the master has bad eyes."
Chen Ye admitted his fault very straightforwardly, his tone was soft. Picking up the boot that was thrown aside, he weighed it a bit and shook his head with lingering fear.
"The Xu family isn’t great, they only care about dressing our Qing Jun up beautifully, not thinking about whether the shoes fit. It’s still master who is reliable; later, master will find you a pair that truly fits, so you can run and jump without a problem. Or... master’s shoulders, back, and arms can be your road, no need to grow taller."
He rested his chin atop the little girl’s head, affectionately nudging her a bit.
This little girl was always preoccupied with growing taller.
She really made the master feel helpless.
Qing Jun grumbled in his arms, though still with a nasal tone, all the displeasure disappearing the moment she saw the master: "Doesn’t master just like tall people! Staring at Sister Qiuyun’s legs all the time..."
For some reason, whenever she saw the master, unexplainable joy filled her heart.
"Ah this..."
Chen Ye was embarrassed, did you notice that?
But her Sister Qiuyun’s long legs were indeed a sight to behold.
He pretended to be serious, "Who said master likes long legs? Master only likes Qing Jun’s small stature!"
Qing Jun broke into a smile amid tears, "Master always said he’s not Taoist Chen! Taoist Chen, Taoist Chen, Taoist Chen..."
She muttered softly, rubbing against the master’s chin, feeling the long-lost peace, while the distant noise of No Thought Valley became a vague background sound.
"Come on, master will first take you to meet your senior sister; she’s been really missing Qing Jun."
Chen Ye helped Qing Jun put on her hat, then rubbed the back of her head a bit.
"Senior sister doesn’t miss Qing Jun at all... now that she has master, she doesn’t notice Qing Jun."
The little girl mumbled sourly, complaining as she bumped her forehead against Chen Ye’s chest.
This disciple, jealous of everyone?
"Nonsense." Chen Ye laughed and pinched her puffed-up cheek, "If your senior sister knows you’re here, she’d definitely be overjoyed. She may not say it, but she misses you more than anyone."
"No way! Senior sister is probably only thinking about master!" Qing Jun argued defiantly, her little head still burrowing into his chest like a spoiled pig.
Her mouth was defiant, yet her heart quietly rejoiced.
Last time, there wasn’t enough time for her to meet her senior sister.
Today... she would finally reunite with her.
That little stubbornness was ultimately suppressed by anticipation, as she clung to the master, hands and feet tightly.
Chen Ye shook his head, laughed silently, and stopped arguing with her.
With a few leaps, he silently returned to the ruined shelter where they hid, holding the little koala in his arms.
The door was gently pushed open.
Zhiwei was sitting cross-legged in the corner, eyes closed, adjusting her breath. The little white fox by her side twitched its ears, first sensing the familiar aura, and jumped up lightly, letting out two short calls.
Zhiwei opened her eyes at the sound, her dark pupils first lighting up at the sight of the master, but then settled on the small girl in the master’s arms, secretly observing her.
"Qing... Qing Jun?"
This was truly a reunion in every sense.
Since last time running into Qing Jun, but for various reasons, not meeting her, she was constantly thinking about reuniting with her junior sister.
"Hmph!"
Qing Jun, being mentioned, immediately turned her face away, burying it back into the master’s shoulder hollow, only revealing a strand of silver hair and an eye sneakily watching, her mouth pouting high.
"See, didn’t you say you didn’t want to see your senior sister?" Chen Ye waved a hand in front of her spying eye, his tone teasing.
"Master you’re despicable! You dared to spy on Qing Jun!"
The little girl was surprised, quickly closing her eyes, yet couldn’t bear it, secretly opening them again.
"You little thing, being the villain while accusing me, wasn’t it you who first spied on your senior sister?"