From Cold Palace Princess to Celestial Empress Ch. 24
Betrothal!!!
Suddenly hearing these two words, Ye Ruoshui abruptly sat up, almost hitting Xiao Minghuang’s chin with her head, her eyes wide and round, filled with disbelief.
Seeing Ye Ruoshui’s utterly shocked expression, Xiao Minghuang’s heart inexplicably raced, and she felt a sense of panic.
“Listen to my explanation, it’s not what you think!”
Ye Ruoshui’s entire body trembled, her eyes gradually losing their luster, turning gray, her whole being filled with a sense of desolation, as if being born human was a great regret.
Seeing this, Xiao Minghuang quickly shook her shoulders and said repeatedly:
“Ruoshui, what’s wrong?!”
Ye Ruoshui slowly spoke, her voice devoid of any vitality, like a mortally wounded person on the verge of death, delivering their final words.
“After I leave, Your Highness and that woman must be happy…”
Xiao Minghuang hurriedly explained:
“Ruoshui, you must have misunderstood. In Sister’s heart, you are the most important person. How could I let you leave?”
In Ye Ruoshui’s eyes, which had been filled with despair, a faint glimmer of light suddenly appeared. She looked up at Xiao Minghuang for a moment, then lowered her head again.
“Your Highness, please don’t deceive me. Let me be alone for a while. I should be able to get used to life without you…”
Xiao Minghuang held Ye Ruoshui’s delicate, boneless hand and pressed it against her own chest, speaking with utmost sincerity, word by word:
“Every word I say is true, without a hint of falsehood. If you still don’t believe me, Ruoshui…”
As she spoke, Xiao Minghuang raised her right hand, fingers pointing toward the sky, her expression solemn:
“I, Xiao Minghuang, swear here that Ye Ruoshui is the most important person in my heart. If I ever deceive Ye Ruoshui, may I be struck by…”
Before she could finish, Ye Ruoshui suddenly lifted her small hand and covered Xiao Minghuang’s lips.
“Don’t say anymore. I believe you.”
Feeling the warm touch on her lips, Xiao Minghuang couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.
She had always thought of Ye Ruoshui as a soft and gentle girl, but she hadn’t expected her to have such a temper. It seemed she would have to be more careful in the future and not upset the little girl.
Xiao Minghuang reached out and gently ruffled Ye Ruoshui’s soft hair, then pulled the warm, delicate body of the little girl into her arms, pressing her tightly against her chest.
“Tonight, I’ll hold you while you sleep, okay?”
“Okay…”
Ye Ruoshui slumped into Xiao Minghuang’s embrace, her voice muffled.
The two girls nestled together in the quiet camp. The bonfire gradually extinguished, and all was silent, leaving only the soft whispers of the wind, narrating a lonely and tranquil melody.
However, in a tent not far from them, a pair of ears perked up, clearly hearing every word of their conversation.
…
In the dimly lit dense forest, a pair of girls, one big and one small, nestled together against a huge rock.
Xiao Minghuang held Ye Ruoshui’s soft body in her arms. Seeing the sweet sleeping expression on the little girl’s face, she couldn’t help but show a warm smile.
But the matter of cultivation could not be neglected.
“System, has my compensation arrived?”
【Ding!】
【Detecting…】
【Congratulations, host, you have triggered a fivefold…】
After receiving the spiritual medicine returned by the system, Xiao Minghuang felt slightly disappointed. The previous compensations had been at high multiples, at least a hundredfold, but this time it was only fivefold, which was indeed a bit less.
Xiao Minghuang seriously suspected that this was all part of the system’s routine, giving her high multiple compensations at the beginning, and then suddenly reducing the multiples after the transition period ended.
It seemed similar to some gacha games she had played in her previous life.
Xiao Minghuang steadied her mind, drove away the strange thoughts, and began to take stock of the remaining resources on her.
But just at this moment.
The system’s voice sounded again in her mind.
【Ding】
【Ding! Detecting that the host meets the conditions for a gift count, opening the second contractor slot!】
【Triggered task: Bind a second contractor, limited to the same gender as the host.】
【Task reward: The first gift to the second contractor will definitely trigger a ten thousandfold compensation, and the final reward will be doubled again!】
Ten thousandfold compensation?
Doubled again?
Xiao Minghuang was puzzled. Since it was already a guaranteed ten thousandfold compensation, doubling it would make it twenty thousandfold. Why did the system go out of its way to add “the final reward is doubled”?
“System, please explain in detail what ‘the final reward is doubled’ means.”
【Ding! The final reward being doubled means that when the host receives the compensation settlement, it will be doubled again based on the compensation received. This probability is calculated independently and is not affected by the compensation multiple.】
After the system’s explanation, Xiao Minghuang roughly understood.
The gift compensation multiple and the final reward multiple are calculated independently and do not affect each other. The rewards she receives will be stacked.
In other words, no matter how many times the critical hit is triggered, she can only get one compensation, but now she can get two compensations.
After understanding the system’s function, Xiao Minghuang fell into a dilemma again.
The system made it clear that she must bind a second contractor to receive the task reward, but in this situation, where could she find a second contractor?
Once a contractor is bound, unless the contractor dies, it cannot be unbound, so she must ensure that the contractor is a trustworthy person.
Moreover, this person must be reliable, not have ulterior motives, and must not part ways with her in the future, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to receive compensation through gift-giving.
Originally, Xiao Minghuang planned to find a simple and obedient girl from the common folk, raise her by her side from a young age, and cultivate feelings, but now she was far away in Beiyang City and didn’t have time to do these things.
After a day of travel and a fierce battle with evil cultivators at night, Xiao Minghuang was already exhausted, and unknowingly, the sound of the wind lulled her to sleep.
…
The next morning.
Xiao Minghuang woke up early. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Ye Ruoshui, the little girl, who had somehow undone her clothes and was pressing her small face tightly against the soft fullness of her chest, a sweet smile on her face.
“Mmm… so soft… big white buns… so tasty…”
Ye Ruoshui murmured in her sleep, restless as she turned her face and buried it into the peak of that softness, then suddenly bit down.
“Ah!”
The next moment.
Ye Ruoshui fell hard onto the ground, her eyes opening in confusion as she looked around, seemingly completely unaware of what had just happened.
Xiao Minghuang tightened her clothes, her cheeks slightly flushed, but she maintained a natural composure and said calmly, “It’s dawn. We should get moving.”
Ye Ruoshui got up from the ground, still puzzled but obediently went to pack their belongings.
As Ye Ruoshui opened the tent, she saw Lin Wanqiu, fully dressed and about to step out.
After a night’s rest, Lin Wanqiu had developed heavy dark circles under her eyes, as if weighed down by worries. She looked listless and utterly dispirited.
Ye Ruoshui frowned slightly but didn’t dwell on it, guessing that the woman might have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar places.
“Miss Lin, did you not rest well last night?”
“It was fine…”
Lin Wanqiu forced a smile, but there was no joy in her expression. Her mind was a tangled mess, and she had no energy for small talk with Ye Ruoshui. She simply set off on the path ahead.
Watching her retreating figure, Ye Ruoshui didn’t think much of it and continued packing.
Before long, all their belongings were neatly packed into the storage bag.
The three of them—Xiao Minghuang, Ye Ruoshui, and Lin Wanqiu—set off toward Beiyang City.
Initially, Xiao Minghuang had planned to explore the forest for a while longer, hoping to find traces of opportunity.
But after three days of searching, she found nothing. Reluctantly, she gave up and decided to head to Beiyang City instead.
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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