Chapter 62: The Sequel to the Picture Book

The picture book that Tang Lu regarded as a "treasure" seems to be more than one copy, or... it has a "sequel".

On a warm, sunny afternoon, Tanglu discovered several more books in a corner of an abandoned bookstore where she often played. These books were made of similar materials but had a bolder and more realistic style.

Unlike the previous introductory book that depicted affection but ended with a kiss.

The "two little people" in these booklets, stripped naked and intertwined, are engaged in a more "deep" exchange that Tang Lu cannot comprehend at all.

Tang Lu sat cross-legged on the smooth, dusty floor, tilting her head and reading the pages intently, one by one.

His amber eyes were filled with confusion and curiosity.

[...Aren't they cold...not wearing clothes?]

[...are they fighting because they're stacked like that?]

Why does your expression... seem both painful and... comfortable?

[...This movement...looks like a small animal...]

Her pure spiritual awareness could not comprehend the desire and union contained within; she could only interpret it through the most basic observation and limited understanding.

But those closely connected lines, those images that seemed to convey gasps and tremors, still cast huge ripples in her heart, and a feeling of heat quietly spread, making her restless.

She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice when Chi Li stood at the entrance of the library.

Chi Li found it by following that faint but persistent sense of confusion and restlessness.

When she saw the booklet with obscene content that Tang Lu was holding, her crimson-gold eyes instantly darkened, and her aura suddenly turned cold.

"Tanglu".

The cold voice, like a thunderclap, resounded in the silent study.

Tang Lu was startled and the booklet in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

She looked up in a panic, meeting Chi Li's icy gaze, and her face turned deathly pale.

"Li, Lili..." She subconsciously tried to hide the booklet that had fallen to the ground behind her back, but it only made things more obvious.

As soon as Chi Li stepped in, the invisible pressure caused the dust in the air to freeze.

She ignored the filthy booklets on the ground and stared directly at Tang Lu: "Where did you get these?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a terrifying pressure, like the approaching storm.

Tang Lu had never seen Chi Li show such a cold, even... angry, expression to her.

Her eyes welled up with tears, her small hands clutching the hem of her clothes tightly, her voice trembling with sobs: "I...I found it...in the corner...Tang Lu didn't know...didn't know what was drawn on it..."

She "saw" the surging anger in Chi Li's heart. The anger was not directed at her, but it was clearly caused by her, carrying a sense of offense and a chilling killing intent.

This made her feel both scared and wronged.

Looking at the little tree spirit trembling with fear and tears welling up in its eyes, Chi Li's raging anger was instantly extinguished as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over it.

She bent down, picked up the booklets, and without even looking at them, her fingertips flickered with crimson flames, instantly turning them to ashes.

"Such filthy things are not for you to behold." Chi Li's voice still carried a lingering chill, but her tone had softened considerably.

Tang Lu's tears finally fell, and she asked through sobs:

"Why...why is it filthy?"

Aren't they...aren't they expressing their liking?

Like...like Tang Lu likes Li Li..."

Chi Li was taken aback by her naive yet fatal question.

How can I explain to her that I like things that are both innocent like a kiss and passionate like a union?

How can I tell her that those images, stripped of emotion and responsibility, are nothing but naked desire, which is poison to her immature mind?

She looked at Tang Lu's red, swollen eyes, which contained only pure confusion and resentment at being scolded by her.

Chi Li sighed inwardly, reached out, and gently wiped away her tears with her slightly rough but extremely tender fingertips.

“There are many ways to like someone.” Chi Li carefully chose her words, trying to explain in a way she could understand, “You give me flowers and fruits, wrap them around my wrist, kiss me… all of these are expressions of liking, pure and innocent.”

She paused, pointed to the pile of ashes, and said with unwavering certainty, "And that is not how you like me, or how I like you. At least, not now."

Tang Lu seemed to understand, but she took the words "pure and clean" and "not now" to heart.

She sniffed and asked softly, "Then... will it be like that in the future?"

Chili: "..."

Looking into the little guy's inquisitive eyes, she was speechless for a moment.

The thought of "...in the future?" made Chi Li's heart skip a beat, and a warmth crept up her ears.

She forcefully suppressed the fleeting flutter in her heart, straightened her face, and used her authority to conceal the slight unease: "Don't let your mind wander! You are not allowed to look at or seek out these kinds of picture books again! If I find out..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the threat was obvious.

Although Tang Lu still didn't quite understand, she could sense that Chi Li's anger had dissipated, replaced by a familiar, somewhat helpless, control.

She nodded obediently, her voice slightly nasal as she assured him, "Tang Lu understands... I won't look, I won't search..."

Chi Li's expression softened slightly.

She pulled Tang Lu up from the ground, brushed the dust off her, and looked at her still somewhat bewildered and uneasy face. Finally, her heart softened, and she gently embraced her.

"Don't be afraid," she whispered. "I'm not being mean to you." She simply didn't want any filth to taint her in the slightest.

Nestled in the familiar, warm embrace, inhaling the reassuring scent, Tang Lu's grievances and fears gradually subsided.

She stretched out a vine and habitually wrapped it around Chi Li's wrist, whispering, "Tang Lu likes Li Li the most... only Li Li..."

Chi Li tightened her arms around her, and the turmoil in her heart caused by the picture book finally subsided completely.

She looked down at the little tree spirit clinging to her in her arms, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

It seems that her "education" cannot stop at just kissing.

Some boundaries and perceptions need to be established for her earlier and more clearly.

As for "the future"...

Chi Li's eyes darkened. It was a distant yet beautiful future that required more patience, waiting, and protection.

Right now, preserving her purity in this moment is the most important thing.

**

Since the "picture album incident" in the library, although Chi Li has not been stern with her, Tang Lu can clearly feel that Li Li is keeping a closer eye on her.

It wasn't that her freedom was being restricted, but rather that the omnipresent gaze was becoming more intense.

When she went to explore those corners where "miscellaneous books" might be hidden, a servant would "happen" to pass by, or Chi Li's divine sense would "inadvertently" sweep over them.

Although Tang Lu still had a vague curiosity about the contents of the burned booklets, she was more afraid of upsetting Li Li than about that curiosity.

So she obediently stopped looking for similar "treasures" and reinvested her enthusiasm for exploration back into her flowers, her little garden, and... Lili.

However, once some seeds fall, even if they are removed in time, the marks they leave behind are difficult to completely erase.

The unfamiliar, restless feeling brought on by those images would occasionally surface when she and Chi Li were being particularly intimate.

For example, right now...

After dinner, Chi Li leaned back on the soft couch for a short rest. Tang Lu curled up beside her like a clingy kitten, her head resting on Chi Li's lap, casually playing with a strand of Chi Li's hair.

The hall was warmly lit, and the atmosphere was peaceful.

As Tang Lu played, her gaze unconsciously fell on Chi Li's slightly open neckline.

A small patch of delicate collarbone was visible there, its lines graceful and gleaming with a subtle sheen under the light.

She recalled the figures in the picture book, entangled yet seemingly unattached, and her heart inexplicably quickened. An impulse to touch them, to get closer, surged up without warning.

She reached out her little hand as if possessed, and her fingertips gently touched that skin.

Slightly cool, smooth...

Chi Li was not asleep; she noticed the moment her fingertips touched her.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, but she did not open her eyes or stop it; her breathing became disordered for a moment.

[…What is this little guy…thinking about now?]

Through soul resonance, Tang Lu clearly "heard" the helplessness and vigilance in Chi Li's heart.

As if burned, she abruptly withdrew her hand, her face flushed, and she lowered her head guiltily, pretending to be engrossed in studying the embroidery patterns on the crimson robe.

Chi Li slowly opened her eyes, looking down at the fluffy little head in her arms that was almost huddled into her embrace, her eyes swirling with emotions.

How could she not sense Tang Lu's innocent curiosity and restlessness?

Like a newly sprouted bud, it instinctively seeks sunlight and rain, but its tree spirit's pursuit is somewhat... off track.

Suppressing her forcefully is not a good strategy; it will only confuse her more and may even backfire.

Chi Li sighed silently in her heart.

She reached out, but instead of touching the spot where Tang Lu had just touched her, she gently stroked the back of her neck with a soothing touch, slowly caressing it.

"Tang Lu." Her voice sounded particularly low in the quiet hall.

"Hmm?" Tang Lu responded sullenly, still not daring to look up.

"Do you know what a 'boundary' is?" Chi Li asked.

Tang Lu raised her head blankly, meeting Chi Li's calm yet profound eyes: "Boundaries?"

"Mmm." Chi Li gently tapped the tip of her nose with her fingertip.

Then it slowly moves down, lightly brushing against one's collarbone, then down again, stopping at the position of the heart:

"Here, here, and even deeper..."

It is a realm that only the closest, most intimately connected, and fully prepared partners can reach and share.

Her voice was slow and solemn, more like a declaration and guidance than an explanation.

“A kiss is affection, a hug is dependence,” Chi Li’s gaze locked onto Tang Lu’s bewildered eyes, “but a deeper union is a promise of complete fusion of soul and life, which requires the most solemn sincerity and a long period of time as its foundation, and cannot tolerate the slightest carelessness or ignorance.”

Tang Lu seemed to understand but not quite, but the words "Daoist companion," "promise," "solemn," and "time" caught her attention.

She vaguely understood that Lili was telling her that the things depicted in those picture books couldn't be done simply by "liking" them; something more important was required.

"Then..." Tang Lu blinked and asked softly, "Are Tang Lu and Li Li... a Daoist couple? Are we... ready?"

Chi Li's heart trembled slightly at her straightforward question.

She looked into Tang Lu's pure, untainted eyes, where she saw complete trust and affection.

She couldn't deceive her, nor could she brush it off with a perfunctory answer.

"You and I are naturally Daoist partners." Chi Li's answer was without the slightest hesitation, carrying the unique certainty of a demon king.

“But precisely because we are Daoist partners, we should cherish each other even more.” She gently lifted Tang Lu’s chin with her fingertips, allowing her to see more clearly the seriousness in her eyes. “You are still young, your mind is not yet settled, life is long, we have plenty of time, let’s take it slow.”

She wasn't rejecting it; she was promising a future that required patience and mutual growth.

Tang Lu seemed to understand a little.

It's not that Lili dislikes her getting close, but rather that she wants to save the best and most complete things for the most suitable time.

She snuggled back into Chi Li's arms, wrapped her small arms around her waist, pressed her face against her warm belly, and said in a muffled but firm voice, "Okay! Tang Lu will listen to Li Li! Take it slow!"

She will grow up well, love Lili well, and wait until the time Lili said she was "ready".

Chi Li felt the soft, dependent little body in her arms again, and listened to her obedient promise, her heart filled with tenderness.

She lowered her head and placed a gentle kiss on Tang Lu's head.

"good."