Chapter 40
Qiu Qi raised her head and met her eyes. Instantly, she felt that if she looked a little longer, she would drown in those azure, deep-sea-like eyes.
But that one glance unexpectedly sobered her from her excited joy.
If this were a strategy game, then Pei Yuqing’s sky-high initial stats were enough to determine that she was not an easy character to conquer.
Sweet words were certainly gentle and pleasant to hear, but she could not ignore the motive behind them.
The two of them were now a community of shared fate. If she died, Pei Yuqing could not remain unaffected either. Wasn’t the other party’s only current requirement that she stay alive?
Thinking of this, Qiu Qi clenched her fists, raised her eyes, and looked at her.
“Madam, let’s cancel the Servant Contract. I don’t want to drag you down.”
Pei Yuqing froze. Once upon a time, this had been the sentence she most wanted to hear. Or rather, the thing she most wanted to do was fulfill the contents of this sentence.
As long as the Servant Contract was dissolved, she would truly regain her freedom. She could do everything she wanted to do… But what did she want to do most right now?
In this instant, the impulse in her heart told Pei Yuqing that what she wanted to do most was stay by this person’s side.
Thinking of this, she lowered her head, looked into Qiu Qi’s clear eyes, and passed her feelings over.
“No. Wherever my lord is, that is where I will be.”
Aside from beside you, I do not want to go anywhere.
Qiu Qi stood frozen in place. In her mind, it was as if a light, cheerful electronic game sound had rung out.
She should have been happy. This was the result she had expected and worked hard for so long. But when she met Pei Yuqing’s eyes, which seemed capable of containing all things in the world, her heart was pressed down by a heavy emotion. Her fingers moved slightly, and only belatedly did she realize that she had unexpectedly developed the urge to flee.
She was not afraid of Pei Yuqing looking at her with hatred and disgust, and she could also deal with Pei Yuqing’s sharp, oppressive gaze. But this gaze, so tolerant as it wrapped around her, as if wanting to drag her into an abyss of no return, made her begin to panic.
In a game, after successfully reaching the end of a route, there was only one line: “Congratulations, you have achieved 100% progress.” No one had told her what to do or how to handle what came afterward.
She could not press the exit button now, nor could she save and pause. Control seemed to have already shifted from her, the player, into the other person’s hands. It felt as if she had lost control over what was about to happen next.
“My lord…”
While Qiu Qi’s thoughts were tangled in a mess, Pei Yuqing had already bent down toward her.
The lips pressing closer carried the sweet taste of grapes. It seemed that before Qiu Qi came back, Pei Yuqing had just eaten one.
Qiu Qi widened her eyes. Whether from fright or nervousness, she hiccuped from crying. Pei Yuqing retreated slightly, wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye, and gently rubbed her earlobe with her fingertip.
“My lord, close your eyes.”
Her damp lashes trembled hesitantly. She did not dare move. Then Pei Yuqing raised a hand and covered her eyes.
Her lips felt the deepened pressure even more. Their breaths became entangled and warm. Qiu Qi’s brows furrowed, and somewhat uneasily, she raised her hands to clutch Pei Yuqing’s clothes. In the gap when she opened her mouth, a sound escaped her that even she herself had not expected.
The temperature in the room gradually rose. Pei Yuqing cupped the back of Qiu Qi’s head and pressed her beneath her. At some unknown time, the hand that had been gripping Pei Yuqing’s clothes had tugged onto the bed sheet. When she exerted force, the veins on the back of her hand rose, revealing the restraint and endurance of its owner at that moment.
“Madam…”
The sweetness of candy, the kiss, and the crying that had just stopped once again melted into the voice spilling from Qiu Qi’s mouth.
Qiu Qi raised her elbow to cover her disheveled face. Tears fell one by one. When she sobbed, her body also trembled along with it. Pei Yuqing lowered her head and kissed the skin behind her ear, which had already turned peach-red. She lovingly encircled her, kissing away her tears bit by bit. After lingering heavily on her lips, she then searched elsewhere.
The moon hid behind the clouds. The true night had only just begun.
In the corner by the wall, the few people who had been eavesdropping had not yet left. At this moment, their faces were all red as monkey butts.
“Did it happen?”
“It happened, it happened!”
“Aaaaaah, then Sister Pei won’t keep a cold face tomorrow anymore, right? Our bitter days are finally over.”
“It’s just… I didn’t expect Sister Pei, who looks so soft and weak, to actually be…”
Xiao Chu’er and Zu Mianmian exchanged a smile, both seeing the teasing in each other’s eyes.
Yin Ci rubbed her temple with a headache.
“Can I leave now?”
“Go, go, go! We’re all leaving!”
“Eh, do you think we should prepare that kind of soup again tomorrow?”
“We should prepare it, but it probably won’t be for Sister Pei.”
…
Qiu Qi did not know whether it was her imagination, but ever since she and Pei Yuqing had spoken openly, the other party seemed to have become somewhat clingy.
“Hiss…”
Using the word “clingy” on Pei Yuqing really created too strong a sense of disharmony, so strong that Qiu Qi could not help shivering on the spot.
“My lord, are you cold?”
Pei Yuqing, who was beside her, asked and took another fox-fur cloak, draping it over her shoulders.
Qiu Qi could not very well tell the truth, so she followed Pei Yuqing’s meaning and nodded.
“Mm. The end of this month has been cold for a long time.”
She gripped the fox fur cloak on her body tightly. This thing had never existed in their courtyard before. It was something Pei Yuqing had given to everyone near the end of the month.
At first, Qiu Qi had not known why she had done so. Later, when she saw Shi Luoning’s ashen face after receiving it, she reacted. Pei Yuqing was probably deliberately angering her.
She had not expected that her own cool and aloof madam also had this kind of black-bellied side. Qiu Qi actually found it somewhat funny.
But speaking of which, it was also strange. They had worn these fox-fur cloaks for half a month already, yet the weather still showed no sign of warming. It was as if this world’s original seasonal pattern had been scattered.
Qiu Qi tapped her fingers on the table and always felt something was wrong in her heart.
“My lord? Is there some obstacle with undoing the Soul-Seizing Gu?”
Pei Yuqing bent down.
“Ah?”
Qiu Qi turned toward her. Her eyes blinked unnaturally, then turned back.
“No. I just feel the weather lately is strange.”
Here it came again. That gaze again, as if it wanted to swallow her whole. Qiu Qi secretly rubbed her waist.
She turned her head slightly away and propped her cheek on her left hand, blocking Pei Yuqing’s gaze. Right now, the gentler and more considerate Pei Yuqing was toward her, the more panicked and guilty she felt inside.
“Mm.”
Pei Yuqing nodded.
“Perhaps it has to do with the recent abnormalities in the Lie tribe.”
Because the Lie tribe was located in the north, it stayed cold year-round. The harvest from the land had originally been poor. Added with the recent droughts and locust disasters, the area of crops and trees had shrunk sharply. The Liaowu Forest on the eastern side, which acted as a buffer zone, was becoming more and more desertified. The temperature in the areas surrounding the Lie tribe was also gradually dropping along with it.
Qiu Qi propped up her face and thought. She remembered that Zhuang Nan had once said the Lie tribe’s commandery prince did nothing except spend his days in pleasure, and because the emperor feared the military power held by the commandery prince’s uncle-in-law, General Yang, he rarely interfered in the Lie tribe’s affairs unless necessary.
But she had a premonition that if this matter continued being delayed, the ones affected when the time came would probably not be limited to the Lie tribe. Likewise, if they waited until then to act, it might very well be too late to salvage anything.
Just as she was thinking, noisy sounds came from outside. Lin Yujin rushed in, panting.
“My—my lord! Sister Pei! They’re fighting! They’re fighting again!”
Hearing that “again,” Qiu Qi could guess who it was.
“What happened? Isn’t today the day An’an is being buried? Zu Mianmian still won’t calm down?”
“It’s precisely because of this that a dispute started.”
Only after Lin Yujin caught her breath did she straighten up from leaning on her knees.
“Originally, we were helping Steward Yan set up the mourning hall. Who knew Shi Luoning would suddenly come? She stood outside the door and refused to leave, saying she wanted to wait until the time came and enter the mourning hall to offer An’an incense. Mianmian absolutely refused to let her, but Shi Luoning is also very stubborn. No matter how she was hit or scolded, she refused to leave. Mianmian got angrier and angrier… Now the scene is already impossible to clean up.”
“Sigh.”
Qiu Qi put down the brush and stood.
“Madam, let’s go take a look.”
“Mm.”
Qiu Qi and Pei Yuqing walked fairly quickly. When they arrived, Zu Mianmian still had not managed to lift the roof off, but her voice was so loud it could be heard two courtyards away.
“An’an was also my family. I want to go in.”
There was a slap mark on Shi Luoning’s face, and blood at the corner of her mouth, but the firmness in her words had not changed at all.
“How many times have I said it? She doesn’t have a family member like you!”
Zu Mianmian’s eyes were red.
“Shi Luoning, don’t you feel guilty? An’an’s death had your share in it too. What face do you even have to disturb her?”
Shi Luoning took a deep breath and closed her eyes to steady herself.
An’an’s death had her share too. In these past few days, she had already been reminded countless times. After hearing it so many times, she unexpectedly no longer felt the anger and unwillingness she had felt when she was first told.
“Yes. Precisely because of that, I need to do even more for her to make up for it.”
Shi Luoning raised her bandaged right hand and took a flute wrapped in a handkerchief from inside her robes.
“This was the flute An’an cherished most when she was alive. I only came to return it to its rightful owner.”
“The flute…”
The instant Zu Mianmian saw that emerald flute, many tears fell from her eyes.
“This is the flute I made for An’an.”
She snatched it over.
“Don’t touch it with your dirty hands.”
Shi Luoning’s hand grabbed at the air and then hung by her side.
“I did not come today to argue with you. I only hope you can let me go in and offer An’an one stick of incense.”
“The flute was mine to begin with.”
Zu Mianmian shook her head, her voice turning cold.
“As long as I’m here today, don’t even think of getting half a step closer to An’an.”
Seeing Zu Mianmian’s expression, Qiu Qi knew she was serious this time, the kind that ten people could not persuade back.
Perhaps for ordinary little fights, she could coax her with some benefits. But An’an was her bottom line. Even if it meant exchanging her life, Zu Mianmian would agree without blinking.
“Shi Luoning.”
Qiu Qi walked forward and patted her shoulder.
“Come out with me.”
Shi Luoning stood in place with her back straight.
“I’m not leaving.”
“Come out with me.”
Qiu Qi’s tone became heavier.
“At least let them clean this place up first.”
There were broken porcelain shards all over the floor, and the offerings on the table had been thrown everywhere. When she had just entered, one foot had stepped on a banana. If Pei Yuqing had not held her quickly, she would have fallen right on her butt.
Shi Luoning’s expression hesitated. Meeting the hostile gazes of the row of people opposite her, her fists clenched. After a moment of stalemate, she still turned and followed Qiu Qi out.
“I’ll help.”
Pei Yuqing knew they had something to discuss and did not intend to disturb them.
“Call me if something happens.”
“All right. Madam, go ahead.”
Qiu Qi gave her a smile.
Qiu Qi pulled Shi Luoning out of the courtyard and stopped beside the woods.
“Didn’t you say you’d try to avoid conflict with Zu Mianmian as much as possible? Is this how you avoid it?”
“I only wanted to offer An’an one stick of incense,” Shi Luoning repeated.
Qiu Qi raised a hand and patted her forehead, feeling helpless as if there was nothing she could do with her.
“You can offer incense anywhere and anytime. Why insist on making a scene right in front of Zu Mianmian?”
Shi Luoning did not blink.
“I was also her family. Today, I should have been there.”
Her natural tone nearly made Qiu Qi laugh in anger.
“Shi Luoning, there is one thing you should recognize clearly.”
Qiu Qi crossed her arms and looked at her.
“Back then, An’an getting lost was an accident. The things she told you were all false memories altered by your so-called Master using illusion arts.”
“In reality, An’an was a child who had a home to return to and people who loved her. She was imprisoned by you. She never belonged to you, nor did she belong to your ‘family.’ Never mind Zu Mianmian not accepting it. Even we outsiders would feel that you’re thick-skinned.”
When Zu Mianmian had hit her so many times and scolded her so harshly just now, Shi Luoning had shown no reaction. Yet Qiu Qi’s sentence, “you should recognize clearly,” quickly made Shi Luoning’s eyes turn red.
She gritted her teeth and denied it.
“No… no… An’an truly regarded me as her sister.”
“You said it yourself. She regarded you as a sister.”
Qiu Qi emphasized the words.
“That is still ‘regarded as.’ It doesn’t mean you really were her sister. Zu Mianmian is the biological older sister she grew up playing with and is related to by blood.”
After saying this, she also felt her words were too blunt, a little cold-blooded and cruel. So she softened her tone and continued advising her,
“I know you have your pitiful parts, but please also put yourself in Zu Mianmian’s shoes and think about her current feelings. Then you’ll understand why she insists so much.”
“I only wanted to see An’an one last time. Why can’t even this wish be fulfilled…”
“I can’t decide this matter either. But if you insist on entering the mourning hall later and Zu Mianmian wants to drive you out, I want to tell you the truth in advance. I will stand on her side.”
After Qiu Qi finished speaking, she handed her a handkerchief.
“And you have time now, so why not think more about what to do about the Soul-Seizing Gu in your body? Don’t… don’t cry.”
Shi Luoning clutched the handkerchief and lowered her head, not speaking for a long while.
Only after Qiu Qi’s footsteps left did the sobs she had been holding back erupt.
Shi Luoning crouched down, hugged her knees with both arms, and buried her disheveled voice in her body.
“Why… why… why can’t a single person stay by my side…”
Qiu Qi’s line, “I will stand on her side,” made Shi Luoning clearly realize that even if she could provide Qiu Qi with countless benefits and uses, even if she could help her undo the Soul-Seizing Gu and save her life, her place in Qiu Qi’s heart was still not as important as these consorts who had once wanted to kill Qiu Qi.
All her thoughts seemed to have been wasted. In the end, they had all become a joke.
When the worship ceremony began, Shi Luoning did not appear again.
It was only when Qiu Qi left that she saw a freshly picked sunflower beside the main gate.
She thought for a moment, picked up that flower, and placed it in the corner of the pile of offered flowers on the worship table.
Let it be like this. It was better for everyone.
…
The elf race was skilled at using birds to deliver messages. Birds and beasts that had been covered in spiritual energy on Guluo Mountain since childhood became extremely intelligent. They recognized roads and masters and were very efficient.
When Pei Yuqing saw the familiar blue bird-beast on the tree branch, the smile that had originally floated at the edge of her lips instantly disappeared. But Qiu Qi was still beside her, so she did not show anything unusual.
Only after she was alone did she walk back beneath the tree and beckon to the bird.
“Chirp chirp.”
The bird-beast landed on her palm and used its beak to pull a small bamboo tube from its wing. Very quickly, it turned and flew away again.
Pei Yuqing hid the note in her sleeve and opened it. After only one glance, she raised her hand and burned it with spiritual arts.
“Master…”
Lan Tang looked at her worriedly.
Pei Yuqing raised her hand and touched her head.
“It is nothing. If letters come again in the future, burn them for me directly.”
“But—”
“There is no but.”
…
While using Shi Luoning’s medicine to delay time, Qiu Qi also searched for a way to make contact with Ruan Yunqing.
It was said that this former Saintess had a solitary personality and rarely went out.
Although she was the dean of the Royal Spiritual Practitioner Academy, she rarely attended even important occasions. Her usual social circle was also not wide, and she seemed to have no dealings with anyone.
But Qiu Qi could understand this too. After all, someone who had once been so glorious could now only spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Any person—never mind such a proud person—would become unwilling to interact with others.
This just made it hard for her to find a way to communicate with her.
However, what Qiu Qi did not expect was that the chance to communicate with Ruan Yunqing would actually descend from the sky together with an invitation and suddenly smash onto her head.
“The two-thousandth anniversary celebration of the founding of the human race…”
Qiu Qi flipped through the exquisitely crafted paper.
“On such an important occasion, Ruan Yunqing will definitely be there, right?”
Pei Yuqing was peeling grapes for her. Hearing this sentence out of nowhere, she raised her head to look at her.
“My lord wants to go to the human race celebration?”
This celebration happened once every hundred years. The human emperor would invite the leaders of all races. In previous years, invitations had also been sent to the original body, but she had never gone.
“Of course.”
Qiu Qi analyzed it with her.
“First, not to mention whether Shi Luoning’s antidote can be made in time, the main thing is that I feel it’s never reassuring to place my life in an outsider’s hands. So I want to ask Dean Ruan for a method to reshape the Beast Core Pearl and leave myself another way out.”
Since this matter involved the Soul-Seizing Gu, Pei Yuqing also had no intention of opposing it. She nodded.
“Then you should go meet her. However, we still have not fully grasped the Demon God’s movements. We should retain some caution toward the outside world.”
“Right, right, right.”
Qiu Qi still treasured her own life very much.
“So is Madam willing to go with me?”
Qiu Qi was somewhat nervous, because she knew Pei Yuqing did not like dealing with the human emperor. What’s more, last time at Xuanning Academy, there had been such a huge unpleasant incident.
And although she had not officially taken office yet, the news that she would become a mentor at Xuanning Academy had long since spread. There would probably be quite a few people coming to watch the excitement. What Pei Yuqing hated most was that kind of environment.
“Of course. How could I be at ease letting my lord go alone?”
…
“Your Majesty, the Beast God has accepted the invitation.”
The eunuch below presented the reply with both hands.
The little emperor had originally been lazily leaning against his seat, propping up his head and flipping through an illustrated booklet. Hearing the eunuch’s words, he raised his brows slightly in surprise.
“Oh? Did she raise any conditions or requests?”
“No.”
The eunuch shook his head.
That was precisely the strange part. No one could figure out Qiu Qi’s thoughts.
“All right.”
The little emperor waved his hand.
“I know. You may withdraw.”
On the day of the banquet, the human imperial palace had been lively since before dawn. Colored ribbons were hung from the beams, fine wine was carried out from the warehouse, and expensive porcelain plates were filled with carefully prepared dishes.
Qiu Qi was also pulled out of bed early in the morning to wash, groom, and dress.
“Mm… sleepy.”
She complained softly with hazy eyes. Her fluffy, soft hair had been slept into a messy ball, covering her head like a freshly made cotton candy. It made one unable to resist wanting to reach out and pinch her.
In fact, Pei Yuqing did exactly that. The soft, smooth, dumpling-like feel of her cheeks beneath her fingertips made her reveal a smile that showed her mood was quite good.
“My lord, close your eyes and sleep a little longer. I will try to move gently.”
Qiu Qi hummed, and her head nodded bit by bit as she fell asleep again.
Pei Yuqing picked up a wide-toothed comb and planned to first comb Qiu Qi’s messy hair smooth. Worried that it would hurt her, she first held the roots of the hair with her hand before handling the knotted areas. Once that head of fine, soft hair had been combed smooth, Qiu Qi’s whole person looked much more obedient.
Her long hair, usually worn loose, was combed up. For once, her entire face was clearly revealed. Pei Yuqing looked at the drowsy person in the mirror, and a trace of warmth appeared in her eyes.
“My lord.”
She bent down and called softly beside Qiu Qi’s ear.
“It is time to put on makeup.”
“Mm… okay.”
Qiu Qi nodded, but her eyes were still closed.
Very quickly, she felt a gentle pressure on her face, pressing and applying something. It should be Pei Yuqing fussing over her.
Qiu Qi had never paid much attention to things like makeup. After all, she spent her days at home, and the farthest trip outside she had ever taken was probably to the supermarket.
“My lord, open your mouth a little.”
Qiu Qi obediently did as she was told. Then Pei Yuqing used a finger dipped in lip rouge and lightly tapped it on her soft lips. The tingling itch unintentionally stirred up by the movement made her open her sleepy eyes.
The texture of the lip rouge was somewhat heavy. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she pursed her lips.
“Can I not put this on?”
It would affect eating later.
Pei Yuqing smiled faintly.
“My lord looks beautiful like this.”
“Beau… beautiful?”
Qiu Qi realized her cheeks felt a little hot.
This person usually did not speak much at all. Why was it that the moment she opened her mouth, she was so direct and flirtatious?
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