Chapter 71
“Wanqiu?”
Xiao Minghuang called out twice, but Lin Wanqiu didn’t respond. She had to gently tap her shoulder.
Lin Wanqiu, who had been gazing at the sky as if lost in thought, snapped back to reality when she felt Xiao Minghuang’s touch. She forced a smile.
“Your Highness?”
Xiao Minghuang looked at her with curiosity. “What are you thinking about, Wanqiu?”
Lin Wanqiu stammered, “N-nothing…”
Usually, when someone says “nothing,” it means there’s something on their mind.
Seeing Lin Wanqiu’s hesitant demeanor, Xiao Minghuang frowned slightly and feigned displeasure.
“Wanqiu, we’re so close, you can speak your mind directly. No need to hold back!”
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu clenched her palm and hesitantly asked:
“Your Highness, if I speak, will you not blame me?”
“Don’t worry, why would I blame you?”
Lin Wanqiu thought of the genuine affection Xiao Minghuang had shown her and how this matter concerned the princess’s personal interests, even her safety. Finally, she spoke:
“Your Highness, I believe that Eunuch Wang is someone who values profit over righteousness. He follows orders when there’s benefit and disregards them when there’s none. If Your Highness encounters any misfortune in the future, he will surely betray you and may even harm you!”
After saying this, Lin Wanqiu cautiously looked at Xiao Minghuang, her heart filled with anxiety.
Logically speaking, Wang Jin was a trusted confidant of Emperor Xia and had known the princess long before she did. In terms of seniority, she was at a disadvantage.
However, Xiao Minghuang’s face showed no displeasure. Instead, she nodded and said:
“Wanqiu, you’re absolutely right. I also feel that Wang Jin values profit over righteousness and doesn’t take me seriously at all.”
“After returning to the capital yesterday, Wang Jin slandered me in front of the Emperor, saying that you and I are in love and that the Emperor should arrange a marriage for us.”
“Tell me, if such an edict were really issued, how would we sisters get along in the future?”
Xiao Minghuang’s face showed a hint of grievance, a touch of helplessness, but mostly dissatisfaction with Wang Jin.
Hearing this, Lin Wanqiu’s beautiful eyes widened in astonishment.
Wang Jin had gone to the palace yesterday and brought up their relationship to the Emperor?
And the Emperor had issued an edict to arrange their marriage?
How come she didn’t know about it?
Seeing that Xiao Minghuang’s tone seemed off, as if the matter was about to fall through, Lin Wanqiu couldn’t care less about Wang Jin and quickly asked:
“How did Your Highness respond to the marriage arrangement?”
Xiao Minghuang smiled slightly, gently brushing aside the hair on Lin Wanqiu’s forehead with a tender motion, and said softly:
“How could I make things difficult for you, Wanqiu? Naturally, I refused on the spot.”
In an instant.
Lin Wanqiu felt as if she couldn’t breathe, her mind going blank.
She forced a smile and stammered:
“Your… Your Highness, refused?”
Xiao Minghuang took Lin Wanqiu’s hand and held it to her chest, her eyes filled with apology:
“Originally, I didn’t want to tell you about this… Wanqiu, don’t worry. If something like this happens again, I won’t bring it up to trouble you.”
Listening to Xiao Minghuang’s words, Lin Wanqiu’s face was full of reluctance, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask the question.
Why did you refuse the marriage?
If she had asked.
The answer would probably still be the same.
Our relationship cannot be measured by a mere marriage contract.
Seeing the look of disappointment on Lin Wanqiu’s face, Xiao Minghuang suddenly felt as if something important in her heart had shattered, leaving her at a loss.
…
Xiao Minghuang left.
She said she had some issues regarding alchemy to discuss with Ye Ruoshui.
Lin Wanqiu unconsciously walked in circles around the small lake, her mind filled with what felt like countless nuns chanting at her.
“What does Your Highness really mean?”
“She couldn’t possibly think that we’re just sisters, could she?”
Lin Wanqiu first dismissed this highly unreliable and incorrect answer.
Then, she continued to ponder.
Soon, she found a possibility in her memories.
For ordinary people, marriage represents the most intimate relationship two strangers can achieve.
But for martial artists, such a relationship is exceedingly rare, almost unheard of!
Generally, martial artists might form Dao Companions.
This signifies partners who pursue the Great Dao together.
In the secular world, one person can usually only marry one other.
If one person marries multiple people, it is often not considered correct behavior, and such agreements are typically invalid.
However, among martial artists, it’s different. A martial artist can have several Dao Companions.
Between Dao Companions, vows are made and contracts are signed. Violating these can result in extremely severe punishments.
Of course, if one feels the other is no longer a true “fellow traveler,” the agreement can be dissolved, but a certain price must be paid.
Therefore, finding a Dao Companion is difficult for martial artists, and forming such a bond is even harder.
It’s far from the simplicity of secular marriages, where one might marry based on looks or family background.
Thus, while a Dao Companion is not singular, their importance far surpasses that of a spouse.
Lin Wanqiu thought and thought, feeling that Xiao Minghuang wanted to form a Dao Companion bond with her.
She walked to the pavilion at the center of the lake, leaned against the stone pillar, and sat down, gazing at the calm water with a gentle smile on her face.
“Being Dao Companions isn’t bad…”
…
On the other side.
Xiao Minghuang arrived at Ye Ruoshui’s small courtyard.
As she stepped into the yard, she sensed the aura of someone at the first level of Qi Refining.
“It seems Ruoshui has also made a breakthrough, though her progress is slightly behind Wanqiu’s.”
Xiao Minghuang knew this wasn’t because Ye Ruoshui was less diligent than Lin Wanqiu, but because the former had devoted most of her energy to alchemy, hence falling behind in cultivation.
Inside the house.
A small furnace, only a foot square, was burning fiercely.
Ye Ruoshui sat upright in front of the furnace, continuously fanning it with a small fan.
“Using elephant flesh and blood as a substitute for tiger bone, the Body Tempering Pill produced may not match the original formula, but without practicing the Dragon-Tiger Sect’s techniques, it can still achieve the best medicinal effect.”
Ye Ruoshui murmured as she fanned.
Since returning to the capital, her main focus had been on refining Body Tempering Pills.
This unnamed Body Tempering Pill, made from elephant flesh and blood, primarily serves to temper the foundation and refine flesh and bones, offering immense benefits to Body Tempering martial artists!
Compared to the commonly used Ascension Pills among Body Tempering martial artists, it has a much stronger effect.
The essence of the Body Tempering realm is to attract spiritual energy to cleanse the body, achieving the goal of strengthening the body and bones.
Specialized Body Tempering Pills skip the step of attracting spiritual energy, directly using the pill’s medicinal effects to temper the body, hence their greater potency!
“Barring any mishaps, the efficacy of one Body Tempering Pill should be equivalent to ten Ascension Pills!”
A hint of joy appeared on Ye Ruoshui’s small face. She knew the princess wanted to cultivate a group of children as future trusted attendants.
But nurturing a large number of talents would require a significant amount of resources.
She must share the princess’s urgency and think as the princess does.
Just as she was feeling pleased, a knock came at the door.
In the mansion, the only person who would come to her at this time was the princess.
“Ye?”
The door opened.
Xiao Minghuang noticed that Ye Ruoshui’s cheeks were flushed, as if she had just emerged from a bath. Her hair was damp, and her beautiful eyes were misty, making her look utterly adorable.
“Ruoshui… are you refining pills?”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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