The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Be a Kept Woman (GL) - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Radish Transforms into a Lantern

Lian Liejin turned her head following the voice and saw a girl dressed as an obvious wealthy young lady, wearing a simple blue garment and holding the Phoenix Lantern, standing not far away, calling out to her.

“I… I want to, want to exchange lanterns with you,” the girl in blue asked, blushing. “Is that possible?”

“You like the Rabbit Lantern?” Lian Liejin looked at the red candle inside the Rabbit Lantern. She only chose it because the red candle was bigger. The candle in the Phoenix Lantern was too small.

Hearing Lian Liejin’s question, the girl in blue felt a surge of delight in her heart. “Mmm, I like… this one in your hand.”

“It’s not impossible…” Lian Liejin frowned. She was just worried the candle was too thin to start a fire. “How about this, miss? Would you be willing to swap the candles inside the Phoenix Lantern and the Rabbit Lantern?”

“Mmm,” the girl in blue was flushed and barely heard what Lian Liejin said.

This was, after all, the first time she had actively asked someone to exchange lanterns during the Lantern Festival. Exchanging lanterns implied a proposal for marriage, which was indeed a bit rash. But the person before her, from just that brief, stunning glimpse, had made her lose her composure, and she had chased after her without thinking.

A cold wind blew in from the river, and Lian Liejin coughed twice, trying to recall the girl in blue’s senses. “If you agree, once we swap the candles, this Rabbit Lantern is yours.”

Seeing the girl in blue nod, Lian Liejin placed the Rabbit Lantern on the ground, just about to take the Phoenix Lantern to swap the candles.

Almost instinctively, without thought, her heart suddenly moved, and she gently turned her head, seeing a woman in red standing still five meters away.

“Liejin.”

Gao Jingxi took light, lotus-like steps, her red clothes accompanied by the bright moonlight behind her, making her ineffably beautiful.

It was hard to tell which was more beautiful: the moonlight in the sky, the snow on the ground, or Gao Jingxi’s unparalleled beauty.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

At this moment, Gao Jingxi could no longer distinguish if she was saying this to Guan Xie or to Lian Liejin.

There were simply too many moments of profound recognition tonight, and yet she had bumped into Lian Liejin standing with someone else, holding a lantern that symbolized a commitment.

She found this sight somewhat jarring.

“Your High… Weren’t you at Tianyuan…” Lian Liejin wished she could slap herself a few times. She had given herself away.

“Where was I?”

The candlelight in the lantern gently enveloped the two of them. Lian Liejin could almost see her reflection in Gao Jingxi’s dark eyes.

“Miss, I was here first.”

Hearing the slightly dissatisfied voice of the girl in blue, Gao Jingxi’s eyes sharpened, her smile seemingly touched with ice and snow. She tugged Lian Liejin’s clothing, forcing her to bend down.

“You just said, where was I?”

There was only an inch of distance from Gao Jingxi’s red lips. The beauty’s breath was like orchids. Lian Liejin felt her breathing constrict, her brain starved of oxygen.

So, after a long time, Gao Jingxi received an entirely irrelevant answer: “I was going to start a fire.”

The beauty’s phoenix eyes slightly lifted, showing disbelief.

“Really,” Lian Liejin took the candle out of the lantern and said to the girl in blue, “If you like the Rabbit Lantern, take it.”

She carefully shielded the candlelight in her arms and led Gao Jingxi to where the radish and cabbage were, pointing at the ground. “Look, there’s the pot.”

Looking at the mess on the ground, Gao Jingxi suddenly laughed aloud. “Cabbage and radish?”

“Exactly. Pearl, Emerald, and White Jade Soup,” Lian Liejin lit the fire, then took a dagger from her sleeve and began peeling the round radish she had previously washed.

The girl in blue had left at some point. The distant streets were still crowded, but here, it was just the two of them.

The firewood in the ground fire crackled. Gao Jingxi crouched down, resting her head on one hand. “Consort, do you always do things that make others misunderstand?”

“Why do you say that? I don’t think so.” Lian Liejin didn’t lift her head, focusing intently on the radish in her hand.

After a while, Gao Jingxi didn’t speak again, but something bright and shimmering suddenly appeared before her.

“A lantern made from a radish,” Lian Liejin held up the lantern, grinning excitedly. “Unprecedented, wouldn’t you say?”

The radish before her had been carved into a hollow sphere by Lian Liejin, resembling fine white jade. A small red candle was placed in the center, its flame flickering precariously, strung through with a tree branch, making for a uniquely charming sight.

Taking the lantern, Gao Jingxi looked intently at Lian Liejin, her red lips parting slightly. “There is.”

“What?”

As a large amount of fireworks erupted in the sky again, Lian Liejin didn’t quite catch what Gao Jingxi said. But the Princess ignored her, holding the radish lantern tightly and focusing on the fireworks.

Gao Jingxi was different tonight, seemingly holding a hint of tenderness. Lian Liejin had no mind to appreciate the fireworks above her head, only focusing on the beauty before her.

“You are very much like someone I know.” Gao Jingxi tilted her head slightly, looking at the sky one moment, and the person beside her the next.

“Your humble servant has a common face.”

Stumped again by Lian Liejin’s answer, Gao Jingxi decided to ignore the person’s logic and sighed. “That person also knew medicine. You really are alike. No, you are very similar.”

“Then she certainly isn’t as good at medicine as your humble servant,” Lian Liejin’s head felt hot under Gao Jingxi’s gaze. She chuckled foolishly, then suddenly recalled the bottle of pills laced with Immortal Powder. “Was it that person who treated Her Highness’s injury?”

After receiving Gao Jingxi’s affirmative answer, Lian Liejin gave a cold snort, her peach-blossom eyes instantly filled with frost. “The beast who uses that kind of medicine to treat people deserves to be struck by lightning and die a terrible death.”

“The matter is not yet concluded, is it?” Gao Jingxi felt a little nervous, turning the words over on her tongue several times before asking, “Consort, where did you learn medicine?”

“It was a small place, in Qing…”

A sound of something tearing through the air came from behind them. Lian Liejin reacted swiftly, quickly pushing Gao Jingxi away. The two barely dodged an arrow.

The arrow was enveloped in blue-green Stellar Energy. The starlight surrounding the arrow shaft even vaguely resembled a skull.

Although the grass by the riverbank was damp and soft, it couldn’t withstand Lian Liejin’s full-force push. Gao Jingxi’s head was still spinning when Lian Liejin forcefully pulled her up again.

However, the person firing the hidden arrow was cunning. They only avoided that one arrow. The two subsequent arrows, although missing them, contained Stellar Energy that caused them internal injuries.

“Your Highness, there are assassins.” Lian Liejin forced down the surging blood and qi in her body. A streak of Stellar Energy had grazed her right shoulder.

Gao Jingxi, nearby, spat out a mouthful of blood and said weakly:

“The assassin’s Stellar Rank is far above mine.”

One should know that Gao Jingxi was already the youngest Star Tamer, albeit a novice. Finding someone more powerful than her was not easy.

The enemy is in the light, and I am in the dark. Gao Jingxi made an immediate decision. “Consort, I fear the assassin is targeting me. The field of view here is too open, advantageous for an archer. Cough cough, we must head for the woods to…”

Lian Liejin quickly helped Gao Jingxi catch her breath and pulled her toward the small forest.

However, the arrows seemed to have eyes, shooting one after another in the direction of their escape.

The already dim forest was nearly illuminated by the green starlight, making it even more eerie and terrifying.

“Consort, the assassin’s Star Chart must be Hawk-type, allowing their archery to remain unaffected by the lack of light at night.”

Another arrow shot past. Lian Liejin was pushed aside by Gao Jingxi and crashed into a tree, experiencing the same dizzying sensation Gao Jingxi had felt earlier.

What was more terrifying was that the trees hit by the arrows slowly began to burn. The black smoke from the damp wood made the air choking and hard to breathe. The owner of the arrows seemed impatient. After confirming their direction, he no longer hesitated. A sharp whistling sound, accompanied by a shower of arrows, representing death, streaked toward the two of them.

Suddenly, the green light before Lian Liejin was gradually covered by a rising golden radiance. A dragon’s roar echoed through the sky. The golden starlight that had been meandering everywhere slowly solidified, transforming into a four-legged golden dragon that soared into the heavens.

All of this happened in an instant. Lian Liejin didn’t have time to stop Gao Jingxi’s seemingly suicidal act. The woman was attempting a challenge beyond her rank, wanting to kill a Star Cultivator much stronger than herself.

As if hearing Lian Liejin’s thoughts, Gao Jingxi’s body glowed with points of starlight. She said firmly, “Even an ant clings to life, let alone us!”

In a blaze of fire, phoenix chicks surrounded Gao Jingxi. The chicks continuously flew toward the golden dragon in the sky.

This was the so-called “Bringing the Dragon to Life” — two golden phoenixes with long tails, like meteors chasing the moon, transformed into the golden dragon’s eyes.

The flying dragon, soaring in the sky, roared furiously toward the distance. At this moment, the green arrows in the forest instantly vanished upon contact with the golden light.

The distant mountain was illuminated by the golden dragon’s massive body, igniting a sky-high flame.

The golden dragon struck true. Gao Jingxi’s strength was depleted. The phoenixes and the golden dragon dissipated simultaneously. The surging gust of wind nearly made her fall to the ground. Lian Liejin rushed over and caught her.

“It’s not over yet…” Gao Jingxi strained to say.