Panda Cub – Chapter 73

Hold a grudge

After the two of them finished messing around, Jing Dan lay on He Ying’s body, pouting slightly in dissatisfaction and glaring angrily at her.

He Ying, who was already laughing so hard that she had no strength left, lay on the sofa gasping for air with her mouth open. Seeing Jing Dan still daring to look at her like that, she raised her hand and pinched her cheek, gritting her teeth and saying, “Look at what you’ve done!”

This person was really ruthless, not letting her go no matter how much she begged for mercy, insisting on tickling her until she was completely powerless.

Jing Dan hummed a couple of times and said in a small voice, “Who told you to drink my milk?”

He Ying squinted at her, “Wasn’t that the milk I made?”

“But you made it for me to drink! So it’s mine!”

He Ying: “…”

“Get up!” She patted her on the butt.

“No!” Jing Dan turned her head, unwilling to move.

“If you don’t get up, how can I go make you more?” He Ying asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jing Dan immediately rolled off her, not blocking her at all.

He Ying found it amusing and couldn’t resist pinching her cheek before leaving.

Jing Dan felt a bit wronged from the pinch. She hadn’t been lying on her anymore, so why did she still get pinched? She immediately turned the tables, “You pinched me too hard! You have to make me an extra cup!”

He Ying completely ignored her attempt to play the victim and leisurely headed to the kitchen. Didn’t she know exactly how much force she used? And now she wanted to play the victim?

Seeing that she was being ignored, Jing Dan became unhappy. She followed He Ying, pointing to the spot that had just been pinched, and said righteously, “It’s red!”

He Ying calmly glanced at it, gave an “oh,” and then said, “After you pointed it out, I still need a magnifying glass to see the redness.”

Jing Dan: “…”

She snorted coldly. She had originally wanted to give her a kiss, but now she decided not to!

Turning away with her hands behind her back, she walked out, saying, “I don’t want to kiss you today!”

She didn’t believe that He Ying wouldn’t get anxious after hearing that!

“Oh,” He Ying responded behind her, her voice flat and unaffected.

Jing Dan turned her head in disbelief that He Ying actually agreed! In that case, she absolutely wouldn’t kiss her today! Otherwise, it would be like slapping herself in the face!

She pouted and walked toward the living room, crossing her arms over her chest. When He Ying came out, she only gave her a glance without any further attention.

He Ying didn’t mind her attitude at all. She placed a cup of milk in front of her and raised an eyebrow, asking, “Not drinking?”

Jing Dan’s gaze fell on the cup of white milk. After He Ying’s hand moved away, she couldn’t resist the temptation and picked it up, slowly drinking it, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Seeing her satisfied little expression, He Ying smiled gently beside her. After she finished drinking the milk, before she even put the cup down, He Ying leaned in and kissed her lips, tasting the milk flavor in her mouth, unable to resist deepening the kiss.

“You… mmm…” Jing Dan’s eyes widened, and the milk cup in her hand slipped and rolled onto the carpet. A small splash of milk spilled out, staining the brown carpet and dampening it slightly.

There was a hint of moisture in the corners of Jing Dan’s eyes as she pushed He Ying away, her tongue slightly tied as she said, “I… I said I wouldn’t kiss you today!”

She, Jing Dan, was a principled person!

“But you didn’t say I couldn’t kiss you. Just now, it was me kissing you,” He Ying said with a reasonable smile.

Jing Dan widened her eyes, recalling what she had said earlier. It seemed like she had indeed only mentioned not kissing He Ying! And it was indeed He Ying who initiated just now!

“Um… you, you… are cunning!” Once again kissed, Jing Dan vaguely accused.

“It’s because you didn’t set strict boundaries,” He Ying said with a low chuckle.

Having had enough fun, He Ying gently stroked Jing Dan’s unusually rosy lips with her fingertips. With a deeper smile in her eyes, she said, “You should go take a shower first. Rest well tonight, and we’ll go to Chilian Lake tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Jing Dan obediently nodded, lowering her gaze.

He Ying gave her a strange look. What’s going on? Normally, Jing Dan would either explode with frustration or show some resistance at a time like this, but she’s being so obedient now?

Little did He Ying know, Jing Dan was currently thinking about how she could be a bit more cunning than her and gain the upper hand!

Jing Dan snorted inwardly. She was determined to have a few more tricks up her sleeve than He Ying!

After Jing Dan finished washing up, He Ying picked up the milk cup from the floor and replaced the carpet. While tidying up the tea table, she suddenly frowned. Since when did Lady He develop a liking for green tea?

Without dwelling on it, she cleaned everything up and returned to her room. At that moment, Jing Dan had just finished showering, with a slight mist enveloping her, especially noticeable in her eyes. Perhaps having just experienced the refreshing shower, her eyes seemed exceptionally clear and pure.

She really wanted to step forward, hug her around the waist, and give her a kiss, but considering that Jing Dan had already finished washing up while she hadn’t, she dismissed the thought and instead said, “You should dry your hair and go to bed, no playing on your phone.”

“Okay,” Jing Dan shrugged, giving way for He Ying to enter the bathroom. Using her spiritual power, she quickly dried her hair and climbed into bed. She sneakily glanced at the bathroom door, and upon hearing the sound of running water from inside, she bit her lip and took out her phone to start playing.

A smile played on her lips as she secretly sought guidance from Hu Tu.

Hu Tu had become her emotional advisor by now, offering her many effective strategies.

【Bear Cub】: What should I do to be a little more cunning than He Ying?

For some reason, whenever she faced He Ying, she always felt like He Ying could easily find flaws in what she said or did and then turn the tables on her!

On the other side, when Hu Tu saw this sentence, her expression was somewhat indescribable. What kind of person are you? You don’t have any merits at all, yet you still want to think more than He Ying?

She typed slowly: I think you don’t need to worry about this matter.

That He Ying has a lot of tricks up her sleeve, even she might not be able to outsmart her.

【Bear Cub】: …

I came to seek your advice, not for you to pour cold water on me!

She tossed her phone aside, sighed softly in her heart. Right, how could her tender grass compare to He Ying, this old cow?

As she thought about it, Jing Dan suddenly felt somewhat content. She was just a tender grass.

When He Ying came out of the bathroom, what she saw was Jing Dan lying on the bed, happily laughing. Her steps paused for a moment, her expression momentarily hesitant. What had made this person so happy? If not, her current expression made He Ying feel a bit uneasy, fearing she might suddenly cause trouble…

Jing Dan’s eyes brightened when she saw He Ying come out. She waved at her and said, “Hey, Old Cow!”

He Ying’s original step toward her stumbled, unable to believe her ears as she looked at Jing Dan, somewhat hesitantly asking, “What did you just call me?”

“Old Cow!” Jing Dan said confidently.

He Ying: “…”

She remembered back in the Gulong Mountain Range when this person referred to herself as a tender grass. So, the reason she was being called “Old Cow” was because she ate this tender grass? Her mood became particularly complicated at this thought. She looked at Jing Dan, who appeared both confident and innocent, feeling a bit at a loss for words.

What kind of karma had she created? Why did she even bring up that topic in the first place? And now that they were back from the Gulong Mountain Range, what had stirred up memories of this incident?

“Don’t call me Old Cow!” He Ying stepped forward and pinched her cheek, narrowing her eyes dangerously. “Don’t you think that calling me Old Cow is really unpleasant?”

After being pinched on the cheek, Jing Dan’s words became muffled, but her eyes were particularly sincere. “I don’t think so!”

He Ying: “…I said don’t call me that!”

“Old Cow!”

Narrowing her eyes dangerously, “Fine, owe me a bottle of milk!”

“…Old Cow!” Jing Dan said even louder.

“You tender grass!” He Ying countered through gritted teeth.

However, her counterattack was not considered as such by Jing Dan. Her eyes sparkled slightly, and she even seemed to show a hint of shyness, softly saying, “Yes! I am indeed a tender grass!”

He Ying: “…” Defeated by her.

She released her grip on Jing Dan’s face, flipped over, and lay down on the bed, pulling the blanket over herself. Then she reached out to turn off the light, saying softly, “You’ll only have milk to drink when you change your way of addressing me.”

Jing Dan: “…”

She moved closer, hugged He Ying from behind, and cooed softly, “Don’t say that, you’re the best~” As she spoke, she rubbed her face against He Ying’s back.

“Heh.” He Ying chuckled coldly. “No, I’m not the best. I’m not good at all. I’m quite petty!”

Jing Dan widened her eyes, resolute in the darkness. “I won’t allow you to speak of yourself like that! You’re the best!”

He Ying: “…Fine, but the one who’s good to you is He Ying, not some Old Cow.”

She raised an eyebrow, curious to see how Jing Dan would respond this time.

“But didn’t you eat my tender grass?” Jing Dan said softly, lacking confidence in her tone.

He Ying turned to face her, gritting her teeth slightly. “Then I still think I’m that tender grass!”

This question was completely unresolvable for the two of them!

Jing Dan shrugged, recalling her past life with a hint of guilt. “Alright, alright, you’re the best, He Ying.”

As she said this, she hugged He Ying tightly and continued in a soft voice, “Mine!”

He Ying’s heart softened, and she reached out to hold her in her arms, saying helplessly, “Alright, alright, I’m yours. So can we rest now?”

Indeed, she was just like a tender grass, with a bit more energy than others.

“Oh.” Jing Dan responded, but instead of closing her eyes and falling asleep immediately, she kept her gaze fixed on He Ying and reminded her, “Did you forget something?”

“Hmm? Did I forget something?” He Ying asked, looking puzzled.

Seeing that she genuinely seemed to have forgotten, Jing Dan became a bit anxious. She pointed to her own lips with her index finger and said, “Goodnight kiss!”

“Oh?” He Ying raised an eyebrow. “But didn’t you say you didn’t want to kiss me today? What are you doing now?”

“But if you kiss me first, then it doesn’t count as mine!” Jing Dan said confidently.

He Ying: “…”

She couldn’t help but chuckle, but seeing the intense gaze in her eyes, she eventually surrendered. She leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the lips, then withdrew, saying softly, “That’s enough, we can’t continue.”

Now the two of them were lying in bed. If they continued any further, who knew what thoughts might arise.

“Oh.” Jing Dan obediently responded this time and nestled in He Ying’s arms, closing her eyes to drift off to sleep.

With a faint smile on her lips, He Ying also closed her eyes and fell asleep.

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Early the next morning, the two of them, having had ample rest, woke up one after the other. Knowing they had important tasks today, Jing Dan didn’t linger in bed. After He Ying got up, she followed suit, running into the washroom to brush their teeth side by side. Jing Dan couldn’t help but smile as she watched He Ying with a mouthful of foam.

Even He Ying’s eyes were filled with a smile, entangled with Jing Dan’s gaze through the mirror in front of them.

After finishing their morning routines, they put on clothes chosen by each other and headed out, while He Yuan had already been waiting outside early.

Seeing them come out, a faint smile appeared on He Yuan’s face. “Let’s go.”

“Mmm.” He Ying took Jing Dan’s hand and followed He Yuan outside. None of them chose to teleport, instead opting to walk slowly. On the way, He Ying asked curiously, “Why can’t you go underwater?”

Logically speaking, Lady He’s strength shouldn’t have prevented her from going underwater. After all, that place isn’t some forbidden area for various clans.

He Yuan’s expression darkened slightly. “I don’t know. I’ve tried to go underwater before, but every time I felt a force resisting me, so over the years, I haven’t been able to bring up that person’s remains.”

“And that’s why I suspect he might not be dead yet.”

He Ying’s expression changed slightly. She had never heard Lady He mention this issue before.

Jing Dan, holding her hand tightly, squeezed it. Even if that spirit wasn’t truly dead, his strength would surely be greatly diminished by now. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have constantly chosen to hide at the bottom of that lake. And this time, she was determined to ensure he had absolutely no chance left!

He Ying turned her head and met Jing Dan’s gaze, feeling reassured by the smile on her face. She returned a gentle smile in response.

He Yuan caught sight of their interaction, then quickly averted her gaze and looked ahead with a neutral expression.

The three of them walked briskly, with He Ying and Jing Dan almost following He Yuan’s footsteps. Before long, they arrived at the location of the Chilian Lake.

The Chilian Lake looked completely different from when they had visited during the New Year. The surrounding trees were lush with vitality, and even the lake surface was soft with ripples, making it impossible for anyone to stand on it and skate.

“You two go down. I’ll wait here. The location of the remains is in the center of the lake,” He Yuan said.

“Okay,” He Ying replied softly. She cast a barrier over herself and Jing Dan to prevent their clothes from getting wet.

After the two of them jumped into the lake, He Yuan stood by the lakeside, watching the ripples spread across the surface with a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

As the two descended deeper into the water, they could see the murky green expanse of the lake, making it difficult to discern their surroundings. He Ying held Jing Dan’s hand and swam towards the center of the lake, relying on her familiarity with the lake. She knew exactly how many steps it would take from their entry point to the center of the lake.

Approaching the center of the lake, He Ying felt a sense of puzzlement and asked Jing Dan, “Do you feel any resistance?”

Jing Dan shook her head. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Just like jumping into any normal lake, there was nothing unusual.

With a slight furrow of her brow, He Ying suppressed the strange feeling rising in her heart. After arriving near the center of the lake, the two of them tried to dive towards the lake bottom, while carefully scanning their surroundings.

In this greenish lake bottom, He Ying’s gaze swept inch by inch through the mud and rotten branches on the bottom. After searching around, she didn’t find any trace of the supposed bones. She frowned in contemplation.

“No, could they be buried?” Jing Dan murmured softly.

He Ying’s eyes brightened. Yes, over two hundred years had passed. How could the bones still be on the surface?

She raised her hand and used her spiritual power to flip the bottom of the lake. Her gaze fell on a pile covered in lake bottom mud and green algae. Upon closer inspection with Jing Dan, they indeed found a set of bones. Moreover, the bones were well connected, having been dug out of the sand without any separation.

The length of the bones was approximately 1.87 meters, indicating that the person was tall. But as she looked at the bones, He Ying’s unease intensified.

It was too smooth.

If there really was something resisting her approach as He Yuan had mentioned, why didn’t she and Jing Dan feel it? Moreover, the bones seemed normal, except for their excellent connectivity, just like the archaeological finds of skeletons that had been dead for centuries.

There was nothing unusual.

They exchanged a glance. Could Lady He really have been mistaken? Was he actually dead?

Seeing this, Jing Dan felt a little relieved. Indeed, he was dead. Why shouldn’t he be, that bastard?

Although He Ying still felt somewhat uneasy, the current situation seemed to confirm that they had been overthinking.

“Let’s bring it up first,” He Ying said, regardless of whether they were overthinking or not. The bones had to be brought up and handed over to He Yuan.

“Okay!” Jing Dan nodded and raised her hand, enveloping the bones with her spiritual power and dragging them towards the surface of the lake.

The two surfaced, their eyes meeting He Yuan’s from a distance. Her first question was, “Did you find the bones?!”

He Ying nodded, feeling a bit uncomfortable inside.

They reached the lake shore, with He Ying climbing out first and then reaching down to pull Jing Dan up. Jing Dan then raised her hand and dragged the bones from the water onto the ground, making a thud.

He Yuan’s expression changed slightly, taking a half-step forward before restraining herself and asking, “You didn’t sense anything unusual underwater, did you?”

He Ying noticed her reaction and furrowed her brows slightly, shaking her head. “No, it was very calm.”

“Is that so,” He Yuan murmured softly, then didn’t say anything else. She approached the bones, examining them as if checking for completeness. After confirming that nothing was missing, she squatted down and gently placed her hand on the skull, showing unusual tenderness.

Seeing this, He Ying’s expression changed instantly. Could Lady He still have feelings for him?!

She kept her gaze fixed on He Yuan’s every move. When He Yuan stood up straight without any further action, He Ying breathed a sigh of relief. “How do you plan to handle these bones?” she asked cautiously.

He Yuan glanced at her and said, “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll take them for now.”

With that, she raised her hand, intending to store the bones in her own space.

He Ying furrowed her brow, about to speak, when suddenly she heard Jing Dan say, “Wait!”

She turned to look, seeing Jing Dan’s serious expression. “In the previous life, he hurt me too much. He inflicted serious injuries on me. If he hadn’t injured me so badly, I wouldn’t have died. So, I hold a grudge against him!”

He Yuan’s face stiffened, looking at her. “What do you want to do, then?”

“Of course, I want to exact revenge on him right now!” Jing Dan said firmly!

He Ying turned her head slightly, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, not opposing Jing Dan’s words.

“You, but he killed many of my White Crane Clan. Of course, it should be up to me to deal with him!” He Yuan insisted.

“In theory, as an elder, I should yield to you, but he really hurt me badly. This time, I don’t want to yield!” Jing Dan persisted, her spiritual power covering the bones, preventing He Yuan from taking them.

He Yuan’s expression changed slightly as she looked at Jing Dan without speaking.

Seeing He Yuan’s reaction, He Ying narrowed her eyes, then suddenly widened them and coldly exclaimed, “Who are you?!”

The He Yuan in front of her turned to look at her, and even Jing Dan beside her turned her head to focus her gaze on her, asking with some confusion, “Who is she? Isn’t she your mother?”

He Ying didn’t look at Jing Dan. Her gaze was fixed firmly on the “He Yuan” in front of her, and she said coldly, “She’s not my mother. My mother would be eager to see his bones crushed to dust. There’s no way she would stop you!”

Every time her so-called father was mentioned in the past, Lady He’s eyes would only show disgust and hatred. But just now, when Lady He saw those bones, she seemed to be subtly excited, even showing a great deal of care for them, without a trace of the expression one would have upon seeing an enemy.

When faced with an enemy, even if that enemy was dead and reduced to bones, one would only want to lash out, not eagerly rush to check the integrity of the bones thrown on the ground.

Such behavior was not characteristic of Lady He. So the person in front of them must not be her!

“Heh heh heh…” The He Yuan in front of them suddenly burst into laughter, then stopped abruptly, looking at He Ying with an appreciative and approving gaze. Nodding, she spoke in an elder’s tone, “Indeed, you are my daughter. I’m impressed you saw through it.”

Even though it was still Lady He’s voice, the tone was completely different from Lady He’s.

He Ying’s expression changed abruptly as she stared tightly at the person in front of her, saying each word deliberately, “Are you him?”

Her finger pointed to the pile of bones covered in mud and algae. Although it was phrased as a question, her expression was extremely certain.

The smile on “He Yuan’s” face was somewhat strange as she clapped her hands, saying, “Well done, well done. Your reaction was quick.”

Jing Dan looked at the situation in front of her incredulously. So, this person really didn’t die, but she did?

She furrowed her brow and looked at “He Yuan” with a tone of deep perplexity, as if urgently seeking answers: “I remember crushing your spiritual core myself back then. How did you survive?”

Indeed, by crushing the spiritual core before the soul could escape the body, logically, there shouldn’t have been any possibility of survival, right?

“He Yuan” looked at her, her expression momentarily distorted, then chuckled, “Do you want me to tell you how I managed to deal with it?”

Jing Dan: “…” Though it was the truth, she was genuinely curious!

“Come out!” He Ying exclaimed, her gaze fixed firmly on “He Yuan,” her hand clenched into a fist at her side. “Don’t use my mother’s face to make those disgusting expressions of yours!”

“Haha, I only have this face for you to won’t dare to lay a hand on me, hahaha!”

He Ying was tense all over, but utterly powerless.

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The author has something to say:

Happy Qixi Festival! There have been so few comments these past few days that I’m starting to doubt if I messed up in my writing. I’ve gone back and re-read the story, and I don’t feel like it’s gone off track according to the outline, so why is that? (Puzzled, scratching head)

Oh right, also, over at Da Yan Zi’s place, I wrote a Qixi Festival extra. If you want to read it, you can go and check it out. For specific details, refer to the introduction in my author column.

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