The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Live Off Her - Chapter 32

Lian Liejin shook her head, thinking that the shopkeeper must have forgotten something again. After all, her habit of leaving things behind was nothing new.

“The door isn’t locked. Come in and get it yourself. When have you ever not forgotten something?”

“When have I ever forgotten anything?” Wei Wan’er stood there holding a red sandalwood food box, smiling at Lian Liejin with mild reproach. “You speak without even checking who it is. It’s almost the third watch, yet you’re still awake.”

“Hmm? Senior Sister, it’s you. I thought it was…” A shadow crossed Lian Liejin’s eyes. She stood and made room for Wei Wan’er, then opened the food box and peered inside. “White fungus and lotus seed soup? You even added goji berries. Senior Sister, I’m still young. I don’t need that much nourishment.”

Wei Wan’er relit the extinguished brazier and opened the window to let in fresh air. “Who did you think had come? I added plenty of honey this time. It’s very sweet.”

After watching Lian Liejin finish the soup, Wei Wan’er collected the bowl. She hesitated for quite some time before finally raising a smile. “Guan Xie, tomorrow you’ll return to Changyong with the princess, and in another two days, I’ll leave for Jinbei City again. Once we part, I don’t know how long it will be before we meet again. Perhaps we will never meet again in this lifetime.”

Lian Liejin had been absentmindedly moving the beads of her abacus. Hearing Wei Wan’er speak as though they were parting forever, she shook her head and said,

“Senior Sister, you don’t have to go to Jinbei City. The Stellar Medicine Sect needs you very much, and you’re the one who will eventually inherit it. You could even choose to settle in Changyong if you wished. Since you have choices, why trouble yourself so much?”

“Guan Xie, I cannot do whatever I please.”

Hearing the sorrow in Wei Wan’er’s voice, Lian Liejin finally looked up. Once again, however, she caught the faint trace of a familiar fragrance in the air. Her gaze moved uncontrollably toward the lattice window. Slowly, she rose and walked to the door, looking at the shadow outside the ebony panels as she said calmly, “The more you care about something, the more tightly it binds you. If you obtain the benevolence you seek, I believe Senior Sister will have nothing to regret, so long as you follow your own heart.”

“That is why I came to ask you one thing.” Wei Wan’er gave a bitter smile, faint hope appearing in her eyes as she gazed at Lian Liejin’s back. “If I don’t go to Jinbei City, would you be willing to take me away?”

No knock came from outside. Lian Liejin noticed that the shadow beyond the door neither entered nor left. Yet all she could sense was the familiar fragrance filling the space around her. She sighed inwardly, having failed to hear what Wei Wan’er had said, and impulsively pulled open the door.

In the pitch-black night, the young woman held a tall crane-shaped glass lantern. Her bright eyes shimmered faintly, and she resembled a red lotus blooming in the darkness, carrying a brilliant yet gentle fragrance.

Lian Liejin quickly glanced at the woman before her and found Gao Jingxi staring steadily at her, a trace of gentle light flowing through those eyes.

An unnatural expression flashed across the Seventh Princess’s face, but she still spoke quickly. “Liejin, I came to apologize for what happened earlier.”

After speaking, Gao Jingxi deliberately glanced at Wei Wan’er, who stood behind Lian Liejin with dimmed eyes. She had heard every word this senior sister said while approaching. However, she wanted to see what Lian Liejin would do.

Lian Liejin had never expected Gao Jingxi to come and apologize personally. Unfortunately, the beauty remained for only a breath. Without even entering the room, she turned and walked away.

What kind of apology was that? She simply said what she wanted, ignored the other person’s response, and left. Lian Liejin hurried after her and caught hold of Gao Jingxi. “Your Highness, are you leaving just like that?”

“I didn’t call you shameless because you said you couldn’t read.” Gao Jingxi’s exquisite features looked exceptionally gentle beneath the dim candlelight. “Please don’t be angry with me because of that, all right?”

“I-I was only…” Lian Liejin spoke for a long time but still failed to explain herself. Seeing Gao Jingxi preparing to leave again, she quickly caught hold of her and refused to let go.

“Your senior sister is looking for you. Naturally, I should withdraw.”

Following Gao Jingxi’s gaze, Lian Liejin turned around and met Wei Wan’er’s autumn-water eyes. Unlike usual, they seemed to contain fiercely burning flames.

She had never seen her senior sister like this before. Instinctively, she took two steps back and asked cautiously, “Senior Sister, what’s wrong with you?”

Wei Wan’er’s expression was serious. After glancing at Gao Jingxi, she continued in a clear voice, “I asked whether you would be willing to take me away. We could leave the Stellar Medicine Sect together.”

Lian Liejin frowned tightly. After a long while, she forced out a smile and asked in disbelief, “Senior Sister, from the way you’re saying this… you aren’t asking me to elope with you, are you?”

Hearing those words, the anger Wei Wan’er had provoked within Gao Jingxi instantly vanished. Lian Liejin had made the situation sound so unpleasant that Gao Jingxi’s previously anxious heart immediately settled. After all, the two of them were extremely close. If they truly loved each other, it would be difficult for Gao Jingxi to use her authority to keep Lian Liejin trapped beside her.

Gao Jingxi turned away, the corner of her lips rising slightly. Fortunately, Lian Liejin was a block of wood that had never awakened to romance. Otherwise, if she dared accept Wei Wan’er’s proposal, Gao Jingxi might have done something extreme.

“I told you that after this farewell, I don’t know when we might meet again. Are you willing to abandon everything and leave with me?”

The smile finally froze on Lian Liejin’s face, and her peach-blossom eyes became filled with wind and snow. “You intend to abandon the Stellar Medicine Sect? Just for me?”

“That’s right. I wanted to tell you six months ago, but Master sent me away to practice medicine. I missed my chance, and then you married…”

Looking at Wei Wan’er’s serious expression, Lian Liejin felt both frightened and furious. “Wei Wan’er, do you remember when Master taught us medicine and told us to guard our hearts? At the time, you said the heart you wished to guard was to practice medicine and help the world while living freely. Now you intend to abandon that true heart for me?”

“Unfortunately, I’m not worth it. Senior Sister is my family, but I am not the right person for you.” An inexplicable sense of betrayal rose within Lian Liejin. She lowered her eyes and spoke calmly. “Senior Sister, when I was ten, I became gravely ill while Master happened to be traveling. If you hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t be alive today. Everyone calls me a genius, but in my eyes, you—the one obsessed with medicine—are the true genius.”

“Guan Xie, I remember everything.” Wei Wan’er’s eyes reddened. She had believed Guan Xie had forgotten, but it turned out she remembered it all. However, Wei Wan’er’s true heart had changed without her realizing it.

“But I don’t love you, Senior Sister. Do you still intend to persist?” Lian Liejin half narrowed her eyes and looked at the crescent moon in the sky. “You taught me half of what I know about medicine. That night, the moon was curved like a hook, and we promised never to betray everything we had learned. What did you say?”

Silence fell. Gao Jingxi had originally only wanted to see how this blockheaded goose would respond to another person’s affection. She had never expected to witness such a dispirited yet bold and carefree side of Lian Liejin.

Wei Wan’er remained silent for a long while before slowly answering, “I said that since I had made that promise to you, I would keep it for the rest of my life.”

“Then I hope Senior Sister will keep your word. Don’t sacrifice yourself for an irrelevant person like me.” Lian Liejin had just turned to leave when Wei Wan’er asked hoarsely,

“Are you rejecting me because of her?”

“No. What exists between Senior Sister and me has nothing to do with anyone else.”

Wei Wan’er smiled faintly. “Guan Xie, fate is truly strange.”

Lian Liejin shook her head. “It has nothing to do with fate. Senior Sister simply doesn’t understand me.”

The blue-tiled courtyard finally became quiet. Inside the bedroom, Lian Liejin lay beside Gao Jingxi, tossing and turning without falling asleep.

After a long time, Gao Jingxi suddenly gave a small hum, pinched Lian Liejin’s waist, and used the leverage to roll into her arms. She then touched Lian Liejin’s face and said softly, “Go to sleep.”

Lian Liejin was instantly surrounded by that subtle fragrance, and the blood throughout her body began to boil again. She deeply regretted not carrying the powder with her. At least it could have concealed the Seventh Princess’s natural scent and allowed her to sleep peacefully.

Feeling Lian Liejin’s body grow tense, Gao Jingxi rubbed her hair again. “I won’t kick you anymore. Hurry and sleep. It’s so cold.”

“Ah.” Lian Liejin sighed deeply, closed her eyes, and decided to count the names of medicinal herbs until she fell asleep.

The following day, only Lian Liejin and Gao Jingxi made the return journey. Little Radish remained behind to handle the relocation of Guanxie Residence’s headquarters.

Before they boarded the carriage, Junior Sister Zhao reluctantly said farewell to Lian Liejin, tears glittering in her eyes. “Senior Sister Guan Xie, if anyone bullies you, you must tell me. I’ll rush over immediately and support you.”

Before Gao Jingxi could say anything, Lian Liejin planted her hands on her hips and laughed loudly. “Junior Sister, you’re worrying too much. I barely meet any outsiders. Who could possibly bully me?”

Junior Sister Zhao choked on her words. Only after a long while did tears return to her eyes, and she smiled. “Then I’ll visit you on Master’s behalf. I… We will all miss you.”

Lian Liejin lowered her head and leaned toward Junior Sister Zhao. “I won’t give you the chance to leave. Thank you for your wedding gift. Also, take good care of Eldest Senior Sister.”

“Eldest Senior Sister? She seemed to have left Qingyue Mountain last night. You…” Junior Sister Zhao’s brows arched into a small mountain. “You actually didn’t know?”

Lian Liejin answered something entirely different. “That may be for the best.”

Gao Jingxi’s eyes darkened slightly as she said lightly, “Liejin, it’s time to leave.”

Believing that her relationship with the Seventh Princess had improved considerably, Lian Liejin had specially hired a coachman so that she could sit inside the carriage with Gao Jingxi.

Unexpectedly, the moment the princess saw the large pile of clothes Wei Wan’er had made inside the carriage, she immediately said in a delicate voice that she did not wish to see a man. She efficiently dismissed the coachman, put on a cold expression, and ordered Lian Liejin to drive outside.

Thus, for the first time in her life, Lian Liejin drove a carriage. The weather was freezing, and the farther north they traveled, the colder it became. After less than two days, they had just left a small city when the carriage encountered an icy road and skidded uncontrollably two or three times.

Lian Liejin therefore stopped beside the road and bought several pieces of coarse cloth. She tied the cloth around the wheels and the hooves of both horses to prevent slipping. Gao Jingxi then released stellar power to wrap around the cloth and wheels, increasing the carriage’s speed.

Just as Lian Liejin was about to continue the journey, she heard a faint sound from the nearby grass, resembling the weak cry of a small animal.

“Your Highness, did you hear something?”