Daily Survival After Inheriting a Harem (GL) - Chapter 19

“My Lord needs no explanation,” Pei Yuqing said, her smile not reaching her eyes. She picked up the little chubby bird, which was still bitterly licking the sugar water, and placed it on her shoulder. “It’s late. Time to return to our rooms.”

Qiu Qi shrank her neck, looking like a guilty child caught sneaking into an internet cafe to play games. “Oh, okay.”

The little chubby bird seemed oblivious to the unusual atmosphere in the air and was still pestering Qiu Qi for a popsicle.

“Lan Tang,” Pei Yuqing said sternly.

“Chirp!” Lan Tang ruffled all its feathers, looked up at Pei Yuqing, and quickly said, “Understood, Master…”

Qiu Qi cleared her throat, trying to change the subject. “Madam, are Butler Yan’s preparations complete? Can we remove the ring tonight?”

Pei Yuqing looked straight ahead. “Mm, the time is for My Lord to decide.”

“Then there’s no time like the present. Let’s go now.”

These words were exactly what Pei Yuqing wanted to hear. She nodded, finally showing a more pleasant expression.

••••

Yan Wan spent nearly half a day replacing all the water in the stone bath with Cobalt-Rhodium Holy Water, instantly depleting most of the thousand-liter reserve.

The water emitted its own warmth. As they stepped into the stone chamber, they could feel the comforting, humid warmth enveloping them.

On a nearby platform, a porcelain bottle of mermaid blood was prepared, along with a medical book and an acupuncture kit that Qiu Qi had asked Yan Wan to buy.

When the cloth was unfurled, it revealed a dense arrangement of long, hair-thin needles.

Pei Yuqing had seen these before, but she was puzzled by Qiu Qi’s purpose in displaying them.

“I’ve researched pain relief methods in acupuncture, and it’s not too difficult; there aren’t many acupuncture points to remember,” Qiu Qi twisted her wrist. “I’ve already tried it on myself. I absolutely won’t let Madam feel any pain, trust me.”

Long-term illness makes one a good doctor. Qiu Qi used to spend years hunched over a desk, developing minor ailments all over her body. She had frequented acupuncture and cupping sessions, roughly recognizing a few common acupuncture points herself. Furthermore, as an art student, she had specifically studied human anatomy, making her learning process exceptionally fast.

Pei Yuqing then remembered that for the past few days, Qiu Qi had always been holed up in the study, always reading until she was too tired to stay awake, only then returning to her room to rest. At night, she would often mumble strange things in her sleep.

So, she was practicing acupuncture?

“Alright, thank you, My Lord.”

Pei Yuqing turned around. With a few movements of her fingers, her plain white garment slid to the floor. Her long, ink-black hair draped behind her, completely obscuring her slender, upright figure.

She stepped into the pool water, one foot at a time. Her black hair, absorbing the moisture, gradually turned silvery white from bottom to top, just as Qiu Qi had seen it when they first met.

Pei Yuqing lowered her head, sweeping her long hair away from the back of her head with one hand, revealing her slender neck, which seemed as if it could be easily snapped, and her scarred back.

Qiu Qi’s gaze met the two increasingly grotesque scars, and she reluctantly looked away. She quickly picked up the bottle of mermaid blood, opened the lid, and dripped all of it into the pool water.

The transparent pool water turned a light pink, and with the sparse mist, the entire stone chamber diffused the alluring, sweet scent of mermaid blood.

Qiu Qi pinched her palm, maintaining her composure.

Fortunately, during the time she was reverted to her beast form, the Beast Core Orb would also be suppressed, greatly reducing the probability of losing control. As long as her willpower was strong enough, she should be able to control herself.

Placing the acupuncture kit on the floating platform, Qiu Qi tremblingly picked up the first needle. “Madam, I’m going to start. You don’t need to be afraid; this won’t hurt.”

Pei Yuqing gently acknowledged, her voice devoid of emotion. “Alright, I’m not afraid.”

On the smooth, silk-white back, only the two ring marks were particularly glaring. Qiu Qi looked at the body, now so thin that her spine protruded. She suppressed the bitterness on her tongue, calmed herself, and steadily inserted the needle.

Fortunately, her last-minute cramming was effective. After learning and practicing for these few days, she was quite accurate in finding the acupuncture points.

Every time she inserted a needle, she would ask Pei Yuqing if it hurt. Each time, Pei Yuqing would patiently reply, “It doesn’t hurt, My Lord can proceed.”

Finally, having sealed all the acupuncture points, Qiu Qi pressed on Pei Yuqing’s back. “Madam, do you still feel anything?”

Pei Yuqing’s palm, submerged in the water, opened and closed, somewhat stiff. It seemed her body was no longer under her control. Her heart sank. She couldn’t help but recall the anatomy drawing she had seen earlier. Was Qiu Qi going to take advantage of her decreased mobility to do something improper?

Pei Yuqing was about to raise her hand to pull out the blade hidden in her hair for self-defense when she suddenly heard a crisp sound.

“Click!” The sound of a lock falling.

Then she felt a force pulling out the metal ring that had been embedded in her body for many years. Even knowing that Pei Yuqing was now anesthetized, Qiu Qi’s movements were still very cautious, fearing she might suffer any more harm.

Pei Yuqing silently lowered her hand, feeling the millennia-old chill being drawn from her body.

Around her, the familiar warmth of the Cobalt-Rhodium mountain surged into her heart. She felt as if she was re-energized, a feeling of abundant vitality that she hadn’t experienced in too long, making her unable to resist breaking free from suppression and releasing it with a loud cry.

Soon, Qiu Qi also removed the other ring.

Mermaid blood was indeed as miraculous as the legends claimed. The moment the wound opened, the skin began to heal, more miraculously than magic.

Pei Yuqing closed her eyes, activating the spiritual power that had returned to her body. She suddenly burst out of the water and soared into the sky. Her silvery-white hair grew continuously, falling like a straight waterfall, forming a spectacular sight. Enveloped in light, her entire skin became so pale it seemed transparent, appearing exceptionally ethereal.

Qiu Qi looked up and happened to see Pei Yuqing unfurl the pair of hidden wings behind her. Smooth as butterfly wings, they were very thin and transparent, with pale blue light veins extending from the roots all the way to the tips.

The wings flapped, and starlight seemed to fall from the sky. Qiu Qi reached out to catch it, but found that it had no physical form; it simply passed straight through her palm and into the pool water.

Ripples spread out in circles, and the previously calm pool water suddenly churned. Water splashes disturbed Qiu Qi’s vision, and the water droplets stung her skin slightly. Her ears twitched, and she keenly sensed that the air above her was being compressed. Something was tearing through the air, rushing directly towards her.

Before Qiu Qi could react, an icy, bone-chilling palm pressed against her neck a second later.

“My Lord actually trusts me so much?” Pei Yuqing’s lips held a faint smile. Her eyes, with their unintentional coldness, instantly froze Qiu Qi’s body. “Do you know that with this Profound Ice Ring removed, I can easily strangle you with one hand?”

The surrounding temperature dropped, and Qiu Qi’s lips turned purple. At this moment, she clearly felt the approach of death.

“Madam, do you truly intend to kill me?” She stared directly at Pei Yuqing with reddened eyes, as if a single nod from the other party would cause the overflowing tears to spill out. “I know my past actions were unforgivable, but I am willing to atone. For every bit I owe, I will repay tenfold. But are you unwilling to even give me a chance to make amends like this?”

Qiu Qi choked, her lowered voice sounding increasingly pitiful. “These past few days, was all your gentleness just a facade…? But when I said I like you, that I admire you, those were all true…”

Pei Yuqing knew that Qiu Qi’s words probably contained an element of acting, but upon hearing the emotionally charged “admire you,” her heart still trembled involuntarily.

She closed her eyes, avoiding eye contact with Qiu Qi’s expressive gaze. “Yes, I want to kill you. Now is my chance. But I am different from you; I know how to repay kindness. This time, consider it compensation for your self-sacrificing rescue that day.”

Qiu Qi grabbed Pei Yuqing’s wrist, her face flushed red. Upon hearing the latter half of her sentence, she finally relaxed her struggling movements and closed her eyes, looking as if she had just managed to regain her soul.

She admitted that this decision involved a gamble. After all, cracking open this thousand-year-old block of ice was no easy task. Fortunately, Pei Yuqing was not as cold-blooded and ruthless as she had been in the original body’s memories.

“But just because I don’t touch you doesn’t mean you’ll be safe and sound,” Pei Yuqing released Qiu Qi’s hand that was restraining her. “Countless people hate you. The Demonic race’s assassination that day was just the beginning. If you’re sensible, I advise you to find a respectable escape route for yourself soon. I would be willing to collect your corpse when the time comes.”

According to Pei Yuqing, Qiu Qi’s future seemed full of peril. Yet, the person involved was confident that she would be safe as long as she stayed by Pei Yuqing’s side. With this confidence, Qiu Qi even tilted her head, resting unguarded in Pei Yuqing’s embrace, and peacefully fell asleep.

This action caused Qiu Qi’s tightly clenched hand to fall limply. Pei Yuqing followed her gaze to a crimson mark and saw the bloody nail imprints in Qiu Qi’s palm.

One red crescent moon after another covered her entire palm. Looking at these marks, one could almost imagine how the other person had repeatedly used pain to stay conscious and resist the Beast Core Orb’s loss of control.

Pei Yuqing sighed, a gesture of concession to an instinctive reaction.

She tightened her embrace around the person in her arms, lowered her head, and pressed a kiss on Qiu Qi’s smooth forehead, softly saying, “You worked hard.”