She was currently short on Spiritual Power, indeed leaving her incapable of cleansing herself with it, so she relied on the most primitive method.
Manual water washing.
Ah Da scurried into the bathroom with her short little legs.
The bathtub was too big for Ah Da, and it didn't take much water before she could swim in it; Ah Da took off her clothes and plunged in.
Resisting her body's yearning for the water, she quickly washed herself clean with swift, practiced movements.
When it came to putting on new clothes, she fumbled around for a while before managing to get dressed. The outfit was a complete set, including undergarments.
As Ah Da dressed, her cheeks flushed red—the fabric was simply too scant. However, she wasn't a non-human who hadn't seen the world. Having observed humans for so long in the incense burner space, coupled with the intermittent life lessons from the bronze broken sword,
she understood quite a lot.
She got the method of wearing a skirt right, but no matter what, she couldn't tie the thin belt around her waist; her arms were too short to reach behind her back, so Ah Da had no choice but to carelessly tie it on the side of her waist.
Her thick black hair, dripping wet, hung down her back. Ah Da had seen Qin Yu use a machine to dry it, but upon seeing the massive object hanging on the wall, Ah Da abandoned that idea.
The reason was simple; she couldn't lift it, not at all, and with her small stature, turning it on would likely blow her away.
Ah Da laboriously climbed onto the vanity, sat at the edge, and carefully dabbed her hair with a paper towel to absorb the moisture.
What Qin Yu saw when he came in was exactly this scene.
The little girl, dressed in a princess skirt that made her look even more like a doll in a shop window. The tissue was larger than she was, her hair a wild mess hanging all around. Her original hairdo was also undone. Seeing him come in, her delicate, pale pink face showed a touch of surprise.
"You... you, how did you get in here?" Ah Da's eyes widened in astonishment as she questioned, instinctively clutching the paper towel close to shield her body.
Qin Yu stood outside the door, "This is my house."
Ah Da: "..."
A moment of grievance surged in Ah Da's heart, and with teary eyes, she indignantly accused: "Even if it's your house, it's still not okay. I was bathing, and your sudden appearance is simply rude."
Her voice was frail and sticky sweet, lacking any deterrence, causing Qin Yu to sneer. His finely carved face, catching the light, became even more stunningly beautiful to the point where one could hardly bear to look directly. Folding his fingers, he tapped on the door frame to remind someone who was boldly blaming others despite being in the wrong.
"Get it straight, it's you who didn't close the door."
Ah Da froze: "..."
She seemed to have... really not closed the door...
Ah... How could she not have closed the door? Doesn't that mean he heard her singing while she bathed too?
Watching the girl hugging the paper towel transform into a quail as she turned away, Qin Yu stepped forward, pulled out another tissue, used both hands to help dry her hair, and then reached for the hair dryer, turning it to the lowest setting and even testing the temperature in the palm of his hand.
Ah Da saw all this and felt a touch embarrassed, experiencing an unprecedented gentleness from him—a stark contrast to the previous icy, unsociable scoundrel, almost as if he was a completely different person.
"Close your eyes," the man commanded.
Ah Da: Well, maybe he's the same person, still so fierce!
Ah Da glanced at the device in his hand; belatedly, she shut her eyes, soon hearing the machine start up by her ear, followed shortly by a gentle, warm breeze.
How comfortable, Ah Da thought, squinting her eyes in enjoyment.
It didn't take long for Ah Da to realize that Qin Yu kept blowing on the top of her head, persisting even after it was dry—was he trying to cook her brain?
Unable to bear it any longer, Ah Da passed the ends of her hair to him, "Blow here, please; it's still damp."
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"And your ears too, your neck needs to be dried as well."
"Keep the dryer a bit further away, don't hold it too close."
Command after command.
Qin Yu hesitated for a moment before he finally took the ends of her hair with a stoic face and slowly brought the dryer towards them. It was the first time he realized that drying hair was an art, and he wondered if there were any smaller hair dryers available on the market.
But even the smallest one was probably not as tiny as her.
After drying her hair, Ah Da scooped up a handful of her locks and lowered her head to smell them, inhaling a delicious floral fragrance that made her feel much more comfortable.
Qin Yu washed his hands and dried them with a paper towel, frowning the entire time. He looked at himself in the mirror, unable to understand why he had suddenly taken it upon himself to look after that little creature—taking her shopping, drying her hair. He felt like he was naturally doing these things, worrying she might have drowned in the bathtub when she took too long to come out.
Was he spending too much time on her?
Qin Yu rubbed his temples.
Ah Da stood up and, seeing him like that, couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Aren't you going back to sleep?"
Qin Yu opened his eyes, which had cleared, and turned to look at the tiny girl in front of him standing on tiptoes with concern. Less than palm-sized and having switched from her chest-level skirt to a fluffy dress, she appeared even more playfully spirited.
It was indeed magical. Just a pet, what need was there for any reason? He did what he wanted.
"Come here," Qin Yu opened his palm.
Ah Da hesitated for a moment, then, lifting her dress, stepped up. She swayed and almost fell as she walked; grabbing onto his thumb felt solid and reassuring.
Exiting the bathroom, Qin Yu placed the little girl on the pillow and then leaned back, lying down on the bed.
As soon as Ah Da came out, she smelled the comforting scent of the incense. Strands of luminescent light drifted from the incense burner, falling onto her and, like droplets into the sea, silently merged with her.
It was so comfortable that Ah Da fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
Qin Yu hadn't expected her to fall asleep so quickly. She seemed to like sleeping face down, her small form sinking into the pillow, with half of her delicate, fair face exposed and her slightly pursed lips pushed up by the weight, her breathing soft and barely audible.
Strangely, even with the burning incense, Qin Yu could easily detect the sweet fruity fragrance of the little girl, like a half-ripe peach or refreshing citrus.
Qin Yu turned off the light, covered himself with the blanket, and closed his eyes to enjoy the sleep quality improved by the fragrance.
In the following days, Ah Da went back and forth between the bedroom and the living room. Qin Yu would take her with him when he ate, but otherwise, he left her in the bedroom while he disappeared.
Ah Da returned to the incense burner space to sort through her treasure stash. There were still plenty of pearls. She had made an agreement with Qin Yu to exchange pearls for new dresses, and Ah Da was one to keep her word.
But plans couldn't always keep up with changes. Qin Yu had actually moved everything from his shop home. While Ah Da was shocked, she couldn't help but mutter in her mind—if he had decided to cut ties, why did he take her along and let her pick for herself?
She really couldn't fathom Qin Yu's logic.
Regardless, clothes were to be worn, and money had to be paid. Ah Da put her hands on her hips and looked at her mountainous stash of gold. She took a deep breath, then the next second, dived into it.
From the Jade Incense Burner space, a series of clinking and clattering sounds emerged, as Ah Da tossed items out—one after another—pure gold goblets, bronze broken swords, and several Divine Beast Statues.
It was strange; in Ah Da's memory, she had always been sealed within the incense burner unable to escape. Since she couldn't leave, where did that little gold stash inside the incense burner space come from?
And how did all those bottles and jars get there?
This question had always troubled Ah Da, elusive and baffling. She had once asked the Bronze Sword, which casually suggested that perhaps it was because it had been so long she didn't remember, and maybe a long time ago she could come and go as she pleased but later, for some reason, she became unable to leave the incense burner.
Ah Da believed this explanation, thinking that perhaps someday she would suddenly remember.
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