From Cold Palace Princess to Celestial Empress Ch. 33
Lin Wanqiu’s face was filled with infatuation, which Xiao Minghuang noticed, leaving her feeling somewhat helpless.
“We’re both girls. I’m just a little prettier than most, but is it really that surprising?”
She thought to herself as she walked up to Lin Wanqiu, gently patted her shoulder, and sighed softly:
“Wanqiu, besides giving you these pills, there’s something else I wanted to ask your opinion about.”
Her gentle voice carried a faint orchid fragrance, and Lin Wanqiu instinctively sniffed, intoxicated by the scent, unable to resist it.
“Your Highness, please ask! I’ll answer truthfully!”
Lin Wanqiu looked up, speaking with utmost seriousness.
“Good. This matter concerns a lifelong commitment between us, so you must think carefully and consider it thoroughly. You can take your time before giving me your answer.”
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu’s expression froze, and her fair face quickly turned red. The corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably, and her eyes sparkled with unrestrained joy.
“I’m willing!”
Xiao Minghuang raised an eyebrow, puzzled:
“I haven’t even asked yet, and you’re already willing?”
Lin Wanqiu smiled coyly, her eyes a mix of shyness and charm. She lowered her head slightly and whispered:
“Your Highness, why ask when you already know? I can be shy too!”
Xiao Minghuang was confused, feeling as though Lin Wanqiu might have misunderstood something.
“Wanqiu, I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to come with me to the capital to cultivate?”
At these words, Lin Wanqiu’s racing heart suddenly stopped, and her joyful expression froze on her face.
Her eyes filled with disbelief as she asked:
“Your Highness, is that all you wanted to ask?”
Xiao Minghuang replied:
“What else would it be?”
Lin Wanqiu sighed inwardly. She had thought Xiao Minghuang was going to discuss marriage with her and had been thrilled, only to realize she’d gotten her hopes up for nothing.
Still, being able to follow her to the capital was a great opportunity.
“I’ve thought it over, and I’m willing to go to the capital with Your Highness.”
Xiao Minghuang nodded slightly. Lin Wanqiu’s reaction was within her expectations, but she still asked again seriously:
“Once you agree, it’s a lifelong commitment. You can’t go back on it, understand?”
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu’s heart trembled. She immediately raised her right hand, fingers pointing to the sky, and declared solemnly:
“I, Lin Wanqiu, swear that I will never leave Xiao Minghuang in this lifetime. If I break this oath, may I be struck by—”
Before she could finish, a warm, jade-like hand covered her lips, stopping her from completing the oath.
Xiao Minghuang smiled and gently patted Lin Wanqiu’s head, her voice soft:
“Wanqiu, there’s no need for that. I believe in you.”
If she didn’t trust Lin Wanqiu, she wouldn’t have asked that question in the first place.
As Xiao Minghuang’s warm hand gently caressed the top of her head, Lin Wanqiu’s heart pounded fiercely, her cheeks flushed crimson. Only then did she realize that she had just said something quite extraordinary.
But upon reflection, the words she had spoken paled in comparison to the sweet nothings Xiao Minghuang had uttered.
At that very moment.
Xiao Minghuang suddenly took out a storage pouch from her bosom and, without any explanation, directly placed it into Lin Wanqiu’s hand.
Lin Wanqiu held the storage pouch, her face filled with confusion and uncertainty.
Xiao Minghuang smiled and said:
“The pill just now doesn’t count. What I’m giving you now is the real gift. Open it and see!”
Lin Wanqiu followed the instruction and extended her spiritual sense into the storage bag.
When she saw what was inside, her face immediately turned pale with shock.
There, lying quietly in the storage bag, was a pill emitting a strange and divine radiance. It was suffused with a five-colored divine light, and a fragrant aroma of elixir permeated the air. Its surface was covered with mysterious patterns, seemingly interpreting some supreme truth of the universe.
If not for the system’s seal, the moment this pill appeared, terrifying phenomena would have soared into the sky, and the vast spiritual energy would have erupted, affecting the entire Beiyang City and even the entire Savage Forest.
At this moment, Lin Wanqiu’s eyes were filled with disbelief. If the previous Spirit Nurturing Pill was still within her expectations, this incredibly miraculous pill before her eyes was completely beyond her imagination.
After a long while, she finally snapped out of her shock and, holding the storage bag, murmured:
“Your… Your Highness, what is this pill?”
Xiao Minghuang smiled faintly.
“This is a top-grade Heaven-tier pill, called the ‘Five Viscera Spirit Origin Pill.’ It has the effect of shaping the body and nurturing the spiritual roots. This is the real gift I’m giving you. Keep it well, and don’t disappoint my expectations of you.”
With these words, Xiao Minghuang turned and left.
As she watched Xiao Minghuang’s graceful figure drift away like a startled swan, Lin Wanqiu still felt a sense of unreality lingering in her heart, as if she were in a dream, not yet awake.
But when she looked down and saw the pill in the storage bag, suffused with the five-colored divine light, everything felt so real.
“Your Highness… how much does she like me…”
Lin Wanqiu’s voice choked, and she couldn’t help but feel her nose tingle, her eyes reddening.
But she couldn’t afford to linger in tender emotions, because she knew that Xiao Minghuang had great expectations of her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have so easily given her such an indescribably precious pill.
“I must work hard in my cultivation and not disappoint Your Highness’s expectations!”
With this thought, Lin Wanqiu made up her mind. She would grow as quickly as possible, to have the qualifications to stand shoulder to shoulder with Xiao Minghuang.
Even to possess the strength to protect her forever.
…
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, host, for completing a random task, triggering a ten-thousand-fold critical compensation. The final reward has been doubled, and you have obtained a top-grade Heaven-tier pill, Five Viscera Spirit Origin Pill *2!]
As Xiao Minghuang left Lin Wanqiu’s courtyard, she heard the system’s voice and wasn’t the least bit surprised, as these two pills had already been in her pocket.
She didn’t return to her room to seclude herself and refine the pills.
Instead, she headed towards Ye Ruoshui’s residence.
The most precious treasures she had were the Origin Mending Pill and the Spirit Nurturing Pill, both of which were nine-tenths quality pills with pill patterns. The former had already been given to Lin Wanqiu as compensation for the Five Viscera Spirit Origin Pill, and the latter naturally had to be given to Ye Ruoshui.
She was a fair person, and when it came to the two most important girls by her side, she naturally had to treat them equally.
“I wonder how many compensations this Spirit Nurturing Pill will trigger?”
Xiao Minghuang took a few steps and arrived at Ye Ruoshui’s courtyard in a few breaths.
Sensing her presence, Ye Ruoshui came out to greet her.
Seeing her dressed in a bright red dress, the little girl’s joyful expression instantly faded, but she forced herself to perk up and put on a smile, saying:
“Sister!”
Noticing the change in her expression, Xiao Minghuang knew that Ye Ruoshui was probably unhappy. So she walked over, reached out to pat Ye Ruoshui’s little head, and gently pulled her into her arms, softly comforting her.
Ye Ruoshui leaned her head against Xiao Minghuang’s chest and asked in a muffled voice:
“Did Lin Wanqiu give Sister this dress?”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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