“Big brothers, sit down quickly, I’ll spray some medicine for you.”
Ruan He chuckled, “Shushu, there’s no need for you to bother. With the minor injuries they have, using medicine is almost a waste. They’ll be fine in a day or two.”
This is a true grandfather for you!
In her soft, childlike voice, Ruan Shu replied, “It’s no trouble, and I’m not tired. Spraying medicine helps them heal faster. Big Brother and Qingran Brother still have to go to work. It wouldn’t be good for them to go while they’re still hurt.”
She was, without a doubt, very considerate.
In the whole family, she was the only little sweetheart. Who wouldn’t want to be close to her?
Ruan Shu expertly sprayed medicine on both of her brothers, giving extra attention to their faces. Afterward, she poured them tea to help calm their tempers.
“All done.”
Ruan Fengsi pinched her cheek and said, “I’ll let today’s incident slide, but remember—no more of this in the future!”
Ruan Shu nodded vigorously, “Mm-hmm, I’ll remember everything Big Brother says from now on.”
Finally, she managed to soothe her big brother.
Later that night, it was time for bed. Ruan Shu lay on her bed, kicking her little legs as she attempted to communicate with her Jingshen’s tendrils.
Following her brother’s instructions, she focused on sensing her mental sea, and she quickly found the knack for it.
Unlike Brother Qingran’s, her mental sea was exceptionally pure, with no trace of any pollutants.
She searched around and finally located her Jingshen.
And then, she froze.
Her Jingshen was lying blissfully on an enormous, super-soft-looking cloud.
Looking closer, she realized that the puffy cloud was made up of countless tiny, white dots of light.
Yes, the very same milky white lights that had aggressively chased after the X substance.
The cloud appeared huge and fluffy, making Ruan Shu want to scoop it up and give it a squeeze.
Her Jingshen was clearly enjoying itself, rolling around happily on the big cloud, carefree and chubby.
That’s right—chubby.
At this moment, her Jingshen looked completely different from the tendril-like form it took when reaching into Qingran Brother’s mental sea.
When extending outside her mental sea, her Jingshen looked like a slender tendril, with a slightly rounded tip that seemed rather cute.
But right now, her Jingshen looked more like a small ball, about the size of a ping-pong ball, with a tiny tail behind it, similar to a tadpole’s tail.
So… did you stretch yourself out when you left the mental sea?
Ruan Shu was baffled. If not for the distinct feeling that it was her own Jingshen, she would have thought she’d mistaken it for something else.
Reflecting on it now, compared to hers, Brother Qingran’s spirit threads were thin and sharp, with an almost dangerous air. Just a slight twist of those threads could easily slice through someone’s skin.
And there were so many of them. If Brother Qingran’s mental sea were completely clean, his spirit threads would probably be patrolling around with a majestic, intimidating presence.
What about hers?
Ruan Shu searched everywhere, left and right, almost combing through every corner of her mental sea, and all she found was this chubby, round little Jingshen ball.
It seemed quite content, having created a soft, fluffy cloud as a little nest within her mental sea.
If it weren’t for the slight color difference between its creamy body and the soft white light spots around it, this little fellow would’ve blended in so seamlessly that even if she sensed it, she might not have found it.
Ruan Shu couldn’t help but glance a few more times at that puffy cloud.
She… she actually envied how comfortable and cozy it looked, just perfect for lounging.
“Little rascal?”
That’s right—ever since she discovered her Jingshen was rated F, she had been quite heartbroken at first. After all, Xiao Yuanyi didn’t want her anymore because of it. She was just a child in an unfamiliar world, with no idea how to survive.
After being brought back to the Ruan family, Ruan Shu never really blamed herself for her low Jingshen level; her fear was only that her family would despise her and abandon her because of it.
So she quietly gave her Jingshen a name in her heart—“little rascal,” just like herself, a little rascal.
In a soft, tender voice, Ruan Shu called out, without any hint of disdain, but with a sense of endearment.
The most amusing thing was that the little Jingshen ball actually lifted its round little head and looked around, then ‘rolled over’ from the soft cloud.
“Little rascal, are you the only Jingshen here?”
The little cream-colored ball lifted its round head, tapping the tip of its tail on the cloud, as if saying yes—it was the only one here, and everything in this space was its own!
Even though it was a little ball without any expression, Ruan Shu inexplicably understood its feelings.
Ruan Shu quite liked her little Jingshen ball. It might not have the imposing aura of her brother’s, but it was undeniably adorable.
It was clearly her own Jingshen, but Ruan Shu felt like she had a cute little pet.
They chatted for a good while until she finally grew drowsy and bid it goodbye.
“I’m going to sleep now. I won’t call you ‘little rascal’ anymore. Daddy and the others said you’re a treasure, the strongest and most useful. From now on, I’ll call you Qiuqiu, alright?”
The little ball with its tadpole tail happily bounced on the cloud. Of course, it was the strongest!
It had completely forgotten how timid it had looked before.
“Goodnight, Qiuqiu. I’m going to sleep now. Do you enjoy talking to me? If you do, I’ll come to visit you often, okay?”
Ruan Shu’s voice was soft and warm. Seeing Qiuqiu happily rolling and bouncing on the cloud, she couldn’t help but smile.
Qiuqiu bounced on the cloud again, wagging its little tail as if nodding in agreement.
It liked it—its previous owner had never sought it out, and it had always played by itself.
Ruan Shu wanted to hug it, but unfortunately, she could only talk to it; she couldn’t touch it at all.
“I’m sorry. I never knew you existed. Until today, I thought Jingshen was something intangible, but now I see I can actually see you in the mental sea.”
Qiuqiu bounced twice, as if saying it didn’t mind.
Ruan Shu smiled. She truly loved her Jingshen—it was so adorable!
After saying goodnight to Qiuqiu, Ruan Shu finally went to sleep.
The next morning, when she woke up, her big brother wanted to take her along to his company.
But Ruan Shu was thinking about helping her grandfather with his Jingshen treatment, so she declined. However, as he was leaving, Ruan Shu held onto his hand and nuzzled her head against it obediently.
Then, she stretched out her little arms, asking for a hug.
Ruan Fengsi huffed but eventually scooped up the soft, cuddly little girl.
Ruan Shu wrapped her arms around her brother’s neck and, being as sweet as could be, pressed her chubby little face against his cheek.
“Big Brother, come home early, okay? Shushu will miss you.”
The fierce “big cat” was instantly soothed by his little sister’s affection.
“All right, I’m heading out.”
Ruan Fengsi lightly nibbled her soft little cheek—something he’d wanted to do for a while, and, as expected, it was as soft and delightful to nibble as he’d imagined.
Then he put her down and left with a casual wave.
Ruan Shu stood there, holding her own cheeks, utterly dazed like a little milk bun.
What was that? Biting people?
It didn’t hurt, but Ruan Shu muttered to herself, grumbling about her brother nibbling her cheek. Too much!