Free Web NovelChapter 98: Chapter 98: Jiang Xia’s Transformation
It was definitely cold when she first came in.
But now she had adapted a bit. It wasn’t as shocking as the sudden drop in temperature when she first arrived.
Shi Lan couldn’t help but be glad she had worn a long-sleeved shirt today.
Thinking this, she immediately pulled a thick overcoat from her Space Bag and put it on, saying to Jiang Xia, "Just turn off the Snowfall Device. You don’t need to raise the temperature."
This prison cell had been painstakingly customized to Jiang Xia’s liking, and he had grown accustomed to this environment. If the temperature rose, his favorite Snowfall Chair would probably melt.
Besides, her treatments never took that long.
Jiang Xia’s lips pressed into a thin line, his expression stubborn. "No. It’s too cold. Lanlan will catch a cold."
’Mother said that a female’s body is more delicate and needs extra care.’
And it wasn’t like he had to stay in a low-temperature environment; he had just gotten used to it since coming to Black Star.
"It’s fine..."
With the coat on and Jiang Xia thoughtfully warming her feet, Shi Lan wasn’t so cold anymore.
She wanted to persuade him further, but seeing his resolute attitude, she kept her mouth shut.
After all, he was still a patient suffering from High-level Spiritual Power collapse. She couldn’t provoke him.
"Alright, then. Shall we start the treatment now?"
Her voice softened. Her eyes scanned the cell, searching for a place to sit. After looking around, she saw that Jiang Xia’s room only had a single ice bed.
However, she had almost never seen him stay there. He usually just lay directly in the snowdrifts, often scrubbing his face and paws with snow. In any case, he was always clean and carried a crisp, cool scent. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Seeing this, Jiang Xia took the initiative and nudged her leg with his head, pushing her toward his favorite Snowfall Chair.
Then, he looked at the chair forged from ice, and as if remembering something, he grunted and huffed as he dragged a white, fluffy cushion out of a cabinet with his teeth. He then leaped nimbly onto the chair and laid it out for Shi Lan.
"Lanlan, you sit here."
This was the cushion his mother had asked Shi Lan to bring last time, along with some other daily necessities.
But Jiang Xia didn’t have high standards for his living conditions. As long as he had good food and drink, he was fine. He’d gotten used to roughing it during his two years in prison.
’Jiang Xia is so thoughtful.’
Shi Lan couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. She bent down again to pet his head. Seeing that he didn’t mind her closeness at all, she grew bolder and gave him a few extra scritches.
The body beneath his thick fur was scorching hot, and her cold fingers quickly warmed up.
’So comfortable!’
Even though the room was slowly warming up, the chill wouldn’t dissipate right away. Shi Lan’s uncovered face was slightly flushed; whether from excitement or the cold, it was hard to say.
She really wanted to bury her own head in his fur, but Jiang Xia was a male, after all, not just an animal. Such an act would be far too intimate and presumptuous.
She withdrew her hand with a hint of regret and sat on the soft cushion. "Thank you. You’re very thoughtful, Lord Jiang."
Jiang Xia blinked. Praised by Shi Lan once again, both of his ears perked up excitedly.
’If only Lanlan would pet him a little more. Her hands were so soft and gentle, and they felt cool to the touch. When she reached out to him, he could smell the fragrance on her.’
His pink nose couldn’t help but twitch a couple of times. As if mesmerized by the scent, his gaze seemed to lose focus. "Lanlan, you smell so good."
If any other male had said that to Shi Lan, she would have definitely thought he was hitting on her. But Jiang Xia’s eyes were so innocent. She looked down at him; his round golden pupils were wide with bewilderment and curiosity, and his pink nose was still twitching slightly, as if he were still trying to figure it out.
Shi Lan couldn’t help but smile as she explained, "It’s my shampoo. Rose-scented. If you like it, I can bring you a bottle next time."
"Okay!"
Jiang Xia nodded his head eagerly, thrilled at the thought of soon smelling the same as Lanlan. He then moved closer to her leg and blinked. "So, Lanlan, should we start now?"
"Mm, okay."
Shi Lan said, and from her seated position, she asked him to give her a paw.
Jiang Xia obediently extended his right paw, his other three legs stubbornly planted on the ground.
Shi Lan squeezed it instinctively. Jiang Xia’s ears, which had just relaxed, shot straight up again. He stared at her blankly. "Lanlan?"
"Ahem."
Shi Lan cleared her throat. "Be good now. Stay quiet. I’m about to start your treatment."
"Oh."
Jiang Xia obediently shut his mouth, but his tail, resting on the snow, restlessly kept flicking back and forth. His eyes were fixed on Shi Lan’s hand holding his paw.
’It dawned on him a moment later—Lanlan was holding his hand!’
His pupils contracted into excited little dots. Seeing that Shi Lan hadn’t started yet, he pushed his paw a little deeper into her palm.
Seeing that she didn’t push him away, the corners of his mouth curved up into a delighted arc. His expressive face didn’t hide his feelings at all.
Shi Lan was afraid he might suddenly speak again, so this time she didn’t dare to openly squeeze his paw. However, she could feel his movement and didn’t reject it. She passively held his warm paw in her palm like a hand-warmer, letting out another comfortable sigh in her heart.
’In this cold weather, getting to touch something so fluffy is one of life’s greatest pleasures.’
She glanced a few more times at the smile on Jiang Xia’s face. It was the first time she had seen such a distinct smile on a fluffy creature, and it was quite interesting. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
But they had already delayed for quite some time since she came in. Shi Lan stopped letting her mind wander, tightened her grip on Jiang Xia’s right paw, and got serious.
When Jiang Xia saw her close her eyes, he also became well-behaved and didn’t dare to move, though the unabated wagging of his tail betrayed its owner’s good mood.
Some twenty minutes later, Shi Lan opened her eyes.
Because they hadn’t established a Spiritual Connection this time, the treatment once again lowered his collapse value by 6%.
But for Jiang Xia, this 6% was more than enough.
He could feel it—he could return to his human form!
Jiang Xia had long wanted to show off his good looks to Shi Lan. After all, he’d had no shortage of female pursuers before. Even though his beast form wasn’t as imposing as other Beastmen, females still flocked to him one after another.
He said happily, "Lanlan, look at me."
With that, he leaped onto a clear patch of slowly melting snow ahead. With a flick of his tail, in the blink of an eye, the Pallas’s cat that had only reached her thigh transformed into a tall, handsome man who stood out from the crowd.
Previously, Shi Lan had thought the cell was empty and spacious. But the moment Jiang Xia’s figure appeared, the cell’s ceiling beams seemed to lower, and her downward gaze turned into an upward one.
Once again, Shi Lan couldn’t hide the amazement in her eyes.
Compared to others, Jiang Xia’s skin was closer to the color of snow. It might have been, as Jiang Yan had said, because of his poor health in the past, giving his skin a translucent, almost pale complexion. However, his lips were the color of cherry blossoms, so he didn’t give off an unhealthy impression.
And to her surprise, while Jiang Xia’s beast form looked round and chubby, his human form was lean. But it wasn’t the frail, skin-and-bones thinness she might have expected; it was a perfectly proportioned slimness. He wasn’t wearing a Combat Suit like Ye Ming or Yan Huoshui. Instead, his outfit was very similar to what Mu Tangfeng had worn under his trench coat the other day.
A tight-fitting vest with dress pants, the belt at his waist cinching an alluring silhouette. Below that, it was all legs.
They say a beautiful woman’s waist is a deadly weapon. Well, when this man was trying to be seductive, he was a life-taking scimitar in his own right.
But, more than any of that, what truly captivated Shi Lan was his waist-length silver hair and... the fluffy ears nestled in his hair that hadn’t retracted.
It was like a 2D character had suddenly broken through the dimensional wall and stepped right out of a manga.
