Chapter 63

“All just youthful antics, needing to be spoilt.”

By afternoon, heavy snow began to fall again. The room quickly grew colder, far more so than the past few days. In the morning, it had been sunny and mild, like early autumn. But by evening, the wind and snow returned in full force. The Water Elementalists and Fire Elamentalists of the estate were dispatched again to reinforce the icy outer shell of the Qing Wang’s manor and then worked through the night to help Xianzhou residents repair their homes.

By evening, Ning Shiting began showing signs of a cough and a slight fever, his head clouded and heavy. While preparing food for Gu Tingshuang, he wrapped himself in layer after layer and donned a mask to prevent even the slightest impurity from contaminating the pastries.

“Gongzi, your voice sounds like you’re coming down with something. Should I call the physician to check on you and prepare some medicine early?” Lingjiao, who was standing by his side, asked with concern. Ning Shiting shook his head. “No rush. Just bring me more water and charcoal.”

Lingjiao did as instructed.

The water and charcoal burned steadily, filling the room with a misty warmth. Yet, despite the thick layers Ning Shiting wore, he still felt cold. When Lingjiao handed him a lamp with a frosty glass shade, the glass fogged up immediately from normal body heat—but not where Ning Shiting touched it. His side remained completely clear, revealing how cold his hands were.

Lingjiao was about to urge him again to take care of his health when Ning Shiting asked, “Have you added charcoal to the Shizi’s room?”

Lingjiao replied, “We knocked and said we’d bring it in, but His Highness only instructed us to leave the charcoal at the door. Soon after, we saw the Little Wolf Lord dragging it inside, so it seems there’s no issue.”

“And over on the Wangye’s side…”

Lingjiao continued, “The Wangye is hosting guests. He wasn’t present at lunch or dinner and hasn’t returned yet. As per your instructions, the Wangye’s accommodations are prepared in the eastern pavilion. Everything is ready there, but I’m not sure if he’ll find it to his liking.”

“After more than ten years away and only a handful of visits, it makes no difference where he stays,” Ning Shiting said, breaking into a few more coughs, a faint red hue appearing at the corners of his eyes. “Leave it as it is. How are things in the Baicao Garden today?”

The Baicao Garden had essentially become their code name for the place where the wolf pack was kept. As long as the Snow Yao remained a threat, the potential disaster it posed would persist. Thus, they would continue to shelter these wolves.

Hulu and Lingjiao, though initially terrified of the white wolves, had grown somewhat braver over time. Now, they could even assist by leading animals like the nine-coloured deer to serve as prey for the wolves to hunt and devour.

When the wolves napped at midday, Hulu and Lingjiao dared to stand trembling at the perimeter to count their numbers. They would then report their tally to Ning Shiting, who would pass the information along to Gu Tingshuang.

From Gu Tingshuang's perspective, this act was wholly unnecessary. With his spiritual awareness, he knew every detail about the white wolf pack under his command. He could tell without asking which wolves had returned to Spirit Mountain to visit their mates and pups and which mischievous cubs had snuck down from Spirit Mountain to play with the older wolves.

But Ning Shiting had his own reasons for doing this.

“How many today?” he asked.

Hulu replied, “It seems like there’s one more than yesterday, Gongzi. I counted several times—there is one more, but there are so many white wolves, I can’t tell them apart.”

Ning Shiting said, “I’ll take a look.”

He set down what he was working on, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and grabbed the Fire Lotus Parasol before heading out to the Baicao Garden.

Upon entering the garden, it seemed utterly desolate. Only when Ning Shiting stepped fully inside, leaving his back exposed to the creatures in the garden, did the white wolves relax. One by one, they leapt down and began circling him.

Among them, one wolf approached him deliberately. It crouched in front of him, bringing its nose closer to sniff him.

This was none other than Yueya, who he hadn’t seen in many days.

Ning Shiting recognised Yueya immediately and turned back to Hulu, saying, "It's fine. It's not an extra one—Yueya has returned."

He then looked down and softly asked Yueya, "Why were you gone so long? Did something happen on the way while delivering the letter?"

That day, Ning Shiting had been ambushed by the Immortal Chief’s Manor. Amid the vast expanse of snow-covered city gates, he had poisoned thirty men. One last assassin had hidden in the shadows, stabbing Ning Shiting’s hand clean through with a blade that nearly pierced his chest.

The ferocity, coldness, and unhesitating precision of the attack, coupled with the invisibility of the assassin, had left Ning Shiting certain of their identity—they were an ice mayfly.

This discovery raised his fears that the Xianchang Manor’s plans against the Qing Wang might involve the Baili family as well. He had written a letter to Ting Shu to inquire about the situation.

Ting Shu, that little one, had left without saying goodbye. Clearly, he was upset.

Ning Shiting wasn’t sure if Ting Shu would even reply—what if the child was still angry with him?

Yueya burrowed into his arms, insistently nudging its nose toward his hand. Ning Shiting, having rushed out without gloves, instinctively pulled his hand away.

He recognised this as the wolves' method of communication. He had seen Gu Tingshuang do the same before when commanding the little wolves—placing his hand gently near their snouts, their shared breath revealing the wolves' thoughts.

But Ning Shiting wasn’t Gu Tingshuang. He had no way of understanding what Yueya was trying to convey.

The wolf had neither brought back the original letter nor any reply, leaving Ning Shiting uncertain whether the letter had even been delivered.

Bending down slightly, he asked, “Can you go talk to Yinbing and have him tell me instead? Would that work?”

Yueya seemed to understand and nodded knowingly before following Ning Shiting.

As Ning Shiting walked, Yueya trailed closely behind, wagging its tail as they left the garden together.

This wolf was exceptionally intelligent. Though it had only recently returned, it seemed to have already gathered an understanding of the situation in the Qing Wang’s residence from its packmates. Previously, the wolves avoided being seen by anyone from the residence, confining themselves to Baicao Garden. But now, perhaps aware of the other master who posed a threat to them, they even kept themselves hidden within the garden.

Following Ning Shiting out of Baicao Garden, Yueya transformed into a wolf cub and quickly burrowed into his sleeve.

The weight of it was noticeable. Ning Shiting struggled to lift his sleeve and found himself face-to-face with a pair of bright, glistening wolf eyes.

Ning Shiting chuckled. “If you’re going to hide, this isn’t the way. Burrowing into my sleeve like that makes such a lump—anyone who sees it will be curious about what I’m carrying.”

He lifted Yueya out and held it in his arms, continuing on his way.

Every wolf had its own temperament. Yueya was clearly the obedient one, compliant and well-behaved with Ning Shiting. Unlike the playful, mischievous cubs or the stern, silent Golden-Back wolf, Yueya was distinct.

When Ning Shiting returned, he glanced at Gu Tingshuang’s door. It was still tightly shut. After pondering for a moment, he concluded that the youth was likely sulking because he’d heard through the wolves that Gu Feiyin had mishandled the matter of the Nine-Treasures Pastries. Gu Tingshuang must have assumed that the pastries made for him had been given away, and now he was brooding.

Carrying Yueya, Ning Shiting entered the adjacent room. Hulu brought Yueya a bowl of meat morsels drizzled with golden suanni oil, which the wolf obediently ate by Ning Shiting's side.

After washing his hands, Ning Shiting resumed making the Nine-Treasures Pastries.

As the name suggested, the dish required nine rare ingredients. He had already prepared items like jade fusang flowers and ginseng fruit in advance over the past few days.

The flickering candlelight restored tranquility to the room. Yueya, having finished its meal, sat beside him, quietly watching his every move.

Ning Shiting leaned over the table for a long time. The most challenging step was delicately removing the stamen from the jade fusang flowers with a fine silver pick, then embedding each petal into the soft dough. This process was painstaking and mentally exhausting.

When he finished, Ning Shiting massaged his temples and blinked a few times to clear the strain from his vision.

Tilting his head toward the white wolf beside him, he whispered conspiratorially, as though plotting mischief, “Yueya, go check if your master is asleep. If not, we’ll go bother him.”

Yueya obediently trotted off, returning shortly after. It tugged on the edge of Ning Shiting’s sleeve, indicating that Gu Tingshuang was still in his room and likely not asleep.

When Ning Shiting arrived, he heard the sound of wolf cubs scurrying about. One cub leaped up and nudged open the door latch, pushing the door wide open. Acting in perfect coordination, Ning Shiting walked in with a cheerful smile, carrying a food box.

Gu Tingshuang wasn’t in his usual spot in the wheelchair. Instead, he was reclining against the bed, fully dressed. His expression, however, suggested he wasn’t in the best of moods.

The moment he saw Ning Shiting enter, Gu Tingshuang glanced at him briefly before quickly averting his gaze. “What are you doing here? I told you not to come unless the Nine-Treasures Pastries were finished.”

Ning Shiting replied, “I’ve just finished them, so I came to present them to Dianxia. Didn’t you say you wanted them fresh out of the oven? They don’t taste as good if left too long.”

Gu Tingshuang scoffed. “Don’t try to fool me. I’ve eaten plenty from the shop down the alley. I can tell the difference between fresh and stale. I bet you made these for my father instead, didn’t you? Then you had someone buy these from a street vendor and tried to pass them off as your own.”

He glanced at Ning Shiting again before awkwardly looking away, muttering, “Such hypocrisy.”

Ning Shiting observed him with a tilted head, the smile in his eyes growing brighter.

Gu Tingshuang’s emotions were too transparent. Ning Shiting knew he had exceptional spiritual senses and must have overheard earlier that the pastries were indeed made for him.

Moreover, despite his tone, it lacked the true anger that accompanied his actual outbursts.

His current behaviour resembled that of a playful wolf cub, pretending to bare its teeth in defiance, or like Ting Shu, hiding to demand attention and coaxing.

All just youthful antics, needing to be spoilt.

The amusement in Ning Shiting’s eyes deepened. Perhaps sensing this, Gu Tingshuang’s stiff expression began to falter until he finally turned away with a huff, glaring at Ning Shiting. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

Ning Shiting laughed softly. “I’m just thinking, Dianxia, you’ve been pestering me about wanting these pastries, so now that they’re ready, I’ll have to watch you finish every single one. Even if I have to force-feed you. Otherwise, I won’t ever make these Nine-Treasures Pastries for you again—so troublesome.”