Chapter 68
Xiao Minghuang walked into the pavilion and saw Ye and Lin looking dazed. She was puzzled and asked with a smile:
“What are you looking at?”
At how beautiful you are!
Both Ye and Lin had similar thoughts but wouldn’t say it out loud.
Their cheeks slightly reddened, and Lin Wanqiu began to change the subject, asking first:
“Nothing much. Your Highness, you were gone for so long. Was there any decree from the palace?”
Wang Jin had come to decree a marriage between her and Wanqiu. Since she had already refused, there was no need to mention it and cause unnecessary discomfort.
Xiao Minghuang thought for a moment and said:
“Nothing much, just some cultivation resources were delivered.”
As she spoke, she took out the storage bag, divided the spirit stones and pills into two portions, and along with the various resources she had obtained earlier, gave them to Ye and Lin.
[Ding!]
[Detected…]
[Congratulations, host, triggered three times…]
The voice of the system rang in her mind, but Xiao Minghuang’s expression remained unchanged. Although the multiplier was low, it was within her expectations.
Giving away such a large amount of resources at once, getting the lowest double multiplier was already good.
After sending out the resources, Xiao Minghuang’s thoughts returned to that phoenix hairpin.
When she first saw the hairpin, her immediate thought was of Lin Wanqiu.
But now, with both Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu present, giving it solely to Lin Wanqiu might not be appropriate.
I’ll set this matter aside for now and revisit it later, Xiao Minghuang thought to herself.
Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu accepted the storage bags, repeatedly expressing their gratitude. Since they had started spending time with Xiao Minghuang, they had been receiving gifts from her almost daily. What had once been a source of astonishment had now become something they were almost accustomed to.
This didn’t mean they weren’t grateful; rather, they had buried that gratitude deep within their hearts, transforming it into profound affection and reverence, to be cherished forever.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, and through the bright eyes of Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu, Xiao Minghuang could see that these two girls truly held deep feelings for her.
Xiao Minghuang remembered how Ye Ruoshui had once asked for a kiss from her every day.
Back then, she hadn’t yet bonded with Lin Wanqiu.
Now, faced with both girls, she wouldn’t neglect either of them.
Xiao Minghuang leaned down gently, placing a soft kiss on the corner of Ye Ruoshui’s lips, then turned her head and kissed Lin Wanqiu’s lips in the same manner.
Suddenly kissed, both Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu blushed slightly, their eyes darting away, yet they couldn’t help but steal glances at her.
Xiao Minghuang smiled warmly and said softly, “From now on, one kiss every day. We’re family, after all!”
Hearing this, apart from their shyness, Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu felt a surge of warmth in their hearts.
They knew that Xiao Minghuang truly treated them equally, without favoring one over the other.
At that moment, Lin Wanqiu suddenly looked up, leaned close to Xiao Minghuang’s face, and gave her a light, fleeting kiss on the lips.
After a moment, their lips parted.
Lin Wanqiu, like a startled little rabbit, turned and ran out of the pavilion, disappearing from sight.
Watching Lin Wanqiu’s retreating figure, Xiao Minghuang was momentarily stunned. Unlike the previous kisses on the corners of their mouths, this lip-to-lip kiss seemed to carry a completely different meaning.
The soft sensation lingered for just a moment, and Xiao Minghuang clenched her hand, feeling a warmth that, apart from sweetness, also evoked a sense of déjà vu, as if she had experienced this feeling somewhere before.
This sudden kiss startled Ye Ruoshui, who was standing nearby.
Although she had kissed Xiao Minghuang many times before, it had never been so intimate, with their lips touching.
In Ye Ruoshui’s heart, apart from shyness, there was also a sense of envy.
But she wasn’t as bold as Lin Wanqiu. She could only twist the hem of her clothes, purse her lips slightly, and look at Xiao Minghuang with her beautiful eyes darting shyly, as if hoping for something.
Seeing Ye Ruoshui’s expression, Xiao Minghuang understood her feelings.
With a slight smile, she reached out and gently pulled the soft little girl into her arms, feeling the warmth of their bodies against each other.
Xiao Minghuang extended her right hand, using her index finger to lift Ye Ruoshui’s rounded chin, and placed a gentle kiss on her soft, pink lips.
Ye Ruoshui shyly closed her eyes, feeling a warm sensation like spring rain and summer breeze wash over her heart, lingering for a long time.
But the kiss didn’t last long.
Xiao Minghuang slowly raised her head, exhaled softly, and looked at the blushing Ye Ruoshui in her arms, smiling as she said, “Ruoshui, your sister will be in seclusion for a few days. During this time, don’t wander off. Focus on your cultivation, okay?”
Ye Ruoshui was left in a daze by the kiss, her heart pounding wildly, feeling as if she couldn’t catch her breath. Suddenly hearing Xiao Minghuang’s voice, she immediately snapped back to reality and looked up to respond:
“I will diligently cultivate and not disappoint Your Highness’s expectations!”
Seeing her adorable little demeanor, Xiao Minghuang felt that this little girl was even more endearing.
She gently ruffled Ye Ruoshui’s soft hair and said warmly:
“Then I’ll be off now. These days, the imperial city isn’t very peaceful, so don’t venture out of the residence casually. If anything comes up, discuss it with Wan Qiu, okay?”
“Your Highness, rest assured!”
Ye Ruoshui nodded earnestly.
After giving her instructions, Xiao Minghuang turned and left.
As for Lin Wanqiu… being the eldest daughter of Beiyang City, she had her own plans and didn’t need excessive worry.
…
In the cultivation chamber.
Xiao Minghuang sat at the center of the spirit-gathering array.
She took out countless spirit stones and elixirs from her storage pouch and placed them around her.
Having reached her current level of cultivation, the lowest-grade spirit-gathering array in the chamber provided minimal benefits.
The primary means of advancing one’s cultivation realm still relies on the assistance of spirit stones and medicinal pills.
Xiao Minghuang took a deep breath and activated her cultivation technique.
Countless medicinal pills and spirit stones were drawn by her aura, their potent medicinal energy and spiritual power breaking free from their shells, like young swallows returning to their nest, all surging into her body.
Absorbing such a large quantity of spirit stones and medicinal pills simultaneously, although there would be some loss in quality, the advantage lay in being able to absorb more spiritual energy in less time.
With only one month left before the grand competition, she couldn’t afford to cultivate at a slow, methodical pace. Speed was of the essence.
Moreover, as a Heaven-grade Five-Element Spirit Root, her speed of absorbing spiritual energy was countless times faster than that of ordinary spirit roots.
If an ordinary spirit root were to absorb so many spirit stones and medicinal pills at once, they would likely have their meridians instantly flooded with spiritual energy, leading to a fatal explosion!
However, Xiao Minghuang was not affected in the slightest. The Heaven-grade Spirit Root’s ability to absorb and convert spiritual energy was extremely fast, and the Five-Element Spirit Root could absorb spiritual energy of all attributes from the world. The two complemented each other, resulting in an effect that was not simply one plus one.
But rather, one multiplied by two!
Feeling the spiritual energy within her body gradually boiling, Xiao Minghuang’s focus intensified.
“Gather!”
In an instant.
A vast amount of spiritual energy, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, surged into her body, circulating through her meridians and flowing to every part of her limbs and bones. It was like a vast ocean, with turbulent waves ceaselessly rushing forward, as if it could wash away everything.
In this manner of cultivation.
Her strength rapidly increased.
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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