Yun Shimo had to suppress a laugh. It was difficult to believe this was the same woman who had threatened to destroy the Long Red stalks. And neither of those matched the woman he’d seen in the tournament mere hours ago.
Which one was the real Hua Qiyue? Or were they all masks?
"I rarely find myself in the capital, so now that I have the opportunity to walk about, I asked Qiyue to show me around."
Hua Qiyue was surprised by his familiarity, but didn’t let it show on her face.
Constantly putting on an act for everyone around her was exhausting. Yes, she was clever and, some would say, beautiful, but putting on the front of the dim-witted old Hua Qiyue was taking a toll on her.
Sometimes, she just had to let the cleverness show.
"Tsk, I didn't expect Miss Hua to have such good fortune to not only win against Miss Ouyang but also find herself in the company of the Medicine Saint himself. She must be truly luc
"Outrageous! You dare to assault the princess?"One of the imperial guards pulled his sword out of its sheath and stepped toward Hua Qiyue. He was a few feet away when Yun Shimo grabbed his arm. The guard tried to pull away, but Yun Shimo’s grip was like steel."Prince Nan, please do not make this difficult!" the guard whispered to him.Princess Huiling could feel the bloody cuts on her hands and screamed bloody murder at Hua QiyuePrincess Huiya said, "Sister, do not be angry at Miss Hua. It was an accident.""An accident? She’s harmed a member of the imperial family — a crime punishable by death! Bring Hua Qiyue to the dungeon!"Ji Feng had seen everything clearly, and the corner of his mouth twitched as he heard Hua Qiyue whisper, "Princess... I didn't do it on purpose... I saw a frog in the grass and I wanted to catch it, and I accidentally pushed you...""You’re lying! How dare you lie to
Ji Jing looked at Yun Shimo with interest. Hua Qiyue's footwork was indeed unique and impressive, but she didn’t know as much about fighting as her brother or Yun Shimo.Yun Shimo turned solemn. "I don’t know what to think. I’ve never seen anything like it. Have you?"Ji Feng shook his head. "No, and neither has my father. He agreed to let Jing invite Qiyue for lunch but didn’t never brought it up.""That's because Dad knows that there must be a supreme master behind Hua Qiyue and that she’s smart enough not to reveal who they are," Ji Jing said, her eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "I told you the rumors couldn’t be true! Everyone else is just too stupid not to see Hua Qiyue for the smart woman that she is!"She turned a sly grin toward Ji Feng."But you weren’t fooled, brother. I saw how you walked so closely to her today."Ji Feng's face reddened. "Jing, don't say such nonsense!"His sister
Qiuyun was kneeling in front of Hua Mengshi in a small rundown pavilion in the back garden. Hua Mengshi gave the girl such a frosty stare, even Surou had to suppress a shiver."Speak! Did you put the drug into the soup?""Yes! Madame, I did not betray you! I placed the laxative into the soup! I don’t know why it didn’t work!" Qiuyun said with a look of terror."Oh, you did, did you? That was the strongest laxative the doctor had." Hua Mengshi smiled evilly. "I heard that Hua Qiyue is giving out cash to her servants like there’s no tomorrow. Tell me, Qiuyun… how much did it cost for you to betray me?"Qiuyun bowed so low her head was resting on the floor. "No! Please, believe me... I never even saw a copper coin!"Hua Mengshi narrowed her eyes. She’d had Qiuyun monitored constantly, and it didn’t appear that she had been bribed by Hua Qiyue.But if Qiuyun had, indeed, drugged the soup, and had
Hua Qiyue smiled at Ji Jing. "I’d be honored to treat you to a meal, but it’s a bit early for dinner. Would you be willing to walk around with us until then?"Hua Qiyue breathed in sharply as she noticed Yun Shimo sitting next to Ji Feng. Tianci noticed him as well and waved excitedly to him, which Yun Shimo returned with a faint smile.They resumed their journey, with the Ji family's carriage following them into the city.As they passed a snack shop, Tianci tugged at Hua Qiyue's dress and pointed.Hua Qiyue signaled for the carriage to stop. "Do you want a snack?"Tianci nodded exaggeratedly while Ji Jing and Ji Feng alighted from their carriage. The delicious smell of the food made their mouths water as they stepped into the small shop.Hua Qiyue had seldom ventured out of the restaurant with Tianci. Maybe it was time to spoil him just a little.The shop specialized in roast and barbeque pro
The princesses seldom left the palace, but the Emperor had given them permissions to leave for the duration of the tournament, so they finally had an excuse to wander around.Princess Huiling had heard about Wangyue’s sterling reputation and brought her sisters along. When she’d heard that Ji Feng was also there, she’d asked the waiter to show her to his table.What she hadn’t expected was for Hua Qiyue to be there, as well.She snorted in disbelief. "Brother Ji, did you really catch frogs with this idiot?""Yes." Ji Feng responded simply.Ji Jing glanced at Princess Huiling in annoyance.Tianci saw Princess Huizhen and Zhou Zhicheng, and began trembling. Hua Qiyue held his hand."Tianci, aren’t you going to greet your father?"Zhou Zhicheng’s face briefly lit up as he saw Hua Qiyue, then seemed to remember the princess beside him. He smiled gently at Tianci, but the boy only look
As Princess Huiling’s maidservant made a second attempt to calm the princess down Hua Qiyue used her Spirit Summoning Art to release a puff of air from her finger toward the Princess Huiling, injecting hatred and inhibition into it.When the hateful air reached her, Princess Huiling screamed, pulling an ornate knife out of her dress and stabbing it toward Princess Huizhen!The group at the table held their collective breath.Princess Huizhen cried out as the knife pierced her arm.Ji Feng stood to intervene, but he wasn’t quick enough to stop an engraged Huizhen from picking up the fish plate with her good arm, sending fish flying everywhere, and slamming it into Huiling’s face.Blood began pouring from her nose as Huiling let out an incomprehensible scream of pure rage as she lunged at her sister.It was at this point that the imperial guards intervened, pulling the two bloodthirsty princesses apart as th
Princess Huiling tried to suppress the contempt in her eyes. She couldn’t treat Hua Qiyue poorly with so many people watching."Miss Hua! Please, join us."Hua Qiyue wore a slight smile and sat down with Tianci. The meal before them was quite simple – a couple of basic dishes and a bowl of soup."My son was hungry, and I’d heard this restaurant was quite good, so we stopped in to get a quick bite. I never imagined you’d be here, princess. I am honored."Princess Huiling said with a smile, "You should be.""Princess Huiling... last night...”Huiling clenched her fists beneath the table. How dare she bring up last night in public!“…Princess Huizhen really over-reached," Hua Qiyue finished.Princess Huiling snorted, but unclenched her fists."Princess Huizhen has secretly been with Mr. Zhou for a long time. I’ve heard that before his wife passed away, they..."
Hua Qiyue knew what the Second Madame was up to. She wanted her to marry someone with a bad reputation."Second Madame, I know you're joking. How could I marry your nephew when he has such a strong reputation? Grandma, this is about my marriage, so I humbly ask that I be allowed to make the decision!"Madame Hua wasn’t an idiot. When she saw Qiyue’s confident smile, she knew that her granddaughter had a plan. Besides, she’d become such a boon to the Hua family in recent weeks.If Hua Qiyue could provide yet another pleasant surprise, she would be happy to accept.Madame Hua nodded. "I suppose it depends on what you have in mind, Qiyue.” After departing the main hall, Hua Qiyue spent some time with Tianci. Looking down at his happy, pink face, Hua Qiyue promised herself she’d be a perfect mother in this life.Later on, Lvxin and Youshui served dinner, joined by Qiuyun, who appeared to be well-rested. The y
The Fiery Divine Tree wrapped its branches around the white jade vial. It was greatly shocked. "Is this... an Essence Pearl? Are you... are you imparting all your powers to her?" Tianpi raised his brows. "She's my disciple. So why not? If you won't do it, I still have enough energy to destroy this forest. You must know that I'm half-demonized. Even you won't be my match." The Fiery Divine Tree went silent. Then it sighed lightly. "Ah... Very well then, I shall make this trip for you. But... I'm still shocked by your act. This must be a penance over the Peach Fairy?" "Old fellow, you're a busybody!" Tianpi raised his brows, very displeased. A wicked smile hovered over his diabolically handsome face. "Set off at once. And don't tell her it's from me. Tell her it's your gift to her. That bird and that stinking lad won't know what it is..." The Fiery Divine Tree silently departed. Once it left, Tianpi leaned against the gigantic tr
"Mom, what's wrong?" While Hua Qiyue was frantically searching for Tianci, a familiar boyish voice made her turn her head at once. She saw Hua Zun pulling Tianci and watching her curiously. When he found Hua Qiyue all drenched in blood, Hua Zun was greatly shocked. Tianci hurriedly threw himself forward. Hua Qiyue saw him and embraced Tianci fiercely in her arms. "Go at once... go quickly. In a moment, he will be here, he will be here!" Hua Qiyue cried out in terror. Night had fallen. All around in the forest were dense, overlapping shadows. It seemed that Tianpi's figure was everywhere! He seemed to be here everywhere. His presence drove Hua Qiyue to extreme panic. "Qiyue, what's wrong? What happened?" Hua Zun was frightened and stunned. It took him a long time to recover. By then, Hua Qiyue had already lifted Tianci up and raced away from Hua Zun's sight. Hua Zun followed closely behind. They left
"Qiyue is not willing to consummate our relationship, nor am I willing to hurt her. Even though I've demonized... I still retain a shred of sanity. Yun Shimo, don't you have a whiff of Qi from the Purple Primordial Chaos Bead? Force that Qi out for me now!" Tianpi cruelly curled up the corners of his lips. He was laughing smugly, his bloodshot eyes glittering with chill. "Otherwise, I will do something you won't want to see..." After he said this, he kissed Hua Qiyue's raven hair. Yun Shimo suddenly and tightly clenched his fists. Hua Qiyue was gasping slightly. She had never expected Tianpi to act this way. If Yun Shimo refused, would he kill her? "Didn't you say you are unwilling to hurt her? So release her now! You want the Qi from the Purple Primordial Chaos Bead? I'll let you have it!" Yun Shimo did not hesitate at all. Although he hated Tianpi for acting so wickedly, he was even more afraid that Hua Qiyue wo
She had said repeatedly that she would not marry Yun Shimo but Tianpi. Yet right now, she could not but be concerned over him. She was really a cheap slut! Hua Qiyue took a step back and left, heading for Ice Palace in a distraught state. She was afraid she would involuntarily go near him if she had stayed another second. Only after Hua Qiyue ran away did Yun Shimo slowly turned his body. He watched the direction from which she had left and smiled a bitter smile. He thought that she would still show him some care. But she could not overcome the hurdle in her heart. Forget it then! Let her do what she likes! Yun Shimo was already under the tree for a day and a night. His whole body had turned numb thanks to the cold. It it weren't for the anima energy inside his body, he would have frozen to death. After thinking for a day and a night, Yun Shimo came to a conclusion. Let Hua Qiyue live her life as she
On his arm was his blood-drenched robe. Hua Qiyue silently took them. "Let me wash it for you. Have a good rest." A blissful smile unfolded on Tianpi's pale face. "Haha, lass, you're so understanding. Thank you." Hua Qiyue rolled her eyes at him. They were already at their wits' end and yet he had the gall to joke with her. After washing his robe, she lay it out to dry in the sun. Then she went into the kitchen to heat up the tonic he had yet to finish and brought it to him. Tianpi had not yet fallen asleep. He was sitting cross-legged silently on his bed. When he heard the noise, Tianpi opened his eyes. He found Hua Qiyue had already brought him the soup. Pursing his lips, he gave a light smile. "Lass, you're more and more virtuous. Why don't we get married? After all, you won't accept Yun Shimo." It was a joke but it made Hua Qiyue crease her brows softly. She gave no answer, serving him the soup i
The Sun Moon Deity fumbled inside his Storage Ring and finally fished out a scroll. Hua Qiyue immediately unfurled it. It contained a rune sealing art. Since she, Yun Shimo and the Sun Moon Deity all understood runes, it would not be too difficult to execute such a sealing art. "The requirement is that you must have reached the first level of Great Deity. I've just reached that level. So it shouldn't be a problem, right?" Hua Qiyue glanced at the scroll and then threw it to Tianpi. When Tianpi saw the procedure inside, his wan face showed indifference. "It doesn't matter. Let's try it." Hua Qiyue heard him and was exceptionally happy. After Tianpi had been resealed, he could come out after the demonic energy in his body cleared. Hua Zun was rather suspicious. "Will it work? The rune sealing art 10,000 years ago was very powerful. Hare, are you sure your scroll isn't a counterfeit?" The
Was that... the demonic energy? Wasn't there only a slight whiff of it? It seemed there was a lot of demonic energy. Hua Qiyue's heart began to worry. As Tianpi gave a muffled snort, her nerves began to tense. Red hair began to sprout slowly on Tianpi's face. He seemed like a monkey. He gave another muffled snort and a white circle of light condensed desperately in his hand. Tianpi struck that white light forcefully on his head. Instantly, the crimson light on his body waned somewhat. But his striking hand had opened up a large gash on his face. Blood trickled down... Hua Qiyue could not bear to look. She turned away her head forcefully and headed out. Tianpi claimed that he was fine in the day, but he was lying. He must have wanted her not to worry. After Hua Qiyue left, Tianpi managed successfully to curb that layer of demonic energy. But he knew that every midnight, he would suffer from its attack! When the dem
Hua Qiyue was gasping. She shook herself free of Yun Shimo's hand and her eyes were full of mounting anger. "He's already so poorly. So how can I not worry? Please get lost, Yun Shimo. It's none of your business!" Yun Shimo watched the exceptionally vexed Hua Qiyue and heaved a deep breath. "I will find him back." The moment Yun Shimo said this, Hua Zun also stepped out. "I will go too." He was afraid Yun Shimo would try some wicked scheme on Tianpi. Tianci pulled Hua Qiyue's hand. "Mom, I'd like to find Grandmaster too." "Be good, Tianci. We will stay here. In a moment, dad will bring your Grandmaster back." Yun Shimo glanced at Hua Qiyue and then departed Ice Palace with Hua Zun. Watching them disappear in an instant, Hua Qiyue's heart was disconcerted. Tianpi had left because he did not wish to harm her. But she was, after all, indebted to him for her reborn life. So how could she ju
Hua Qiyue frowned and said, very displeased, "Do you guys have the habit of voyeurism?" Tianpi gave a light snort. "I merely can't stand you two. Since you won't accept another man, you might as well be with him." Hua Qiyue's emotions were suddenly stirred. "Who says I can't accept another man?" "You can? If you can, why treat Hua Zun so coldly? Why reject the others so completely?" Tianpi flatly curved up the corners of his lips. "Because I owe you too much in your former life, I won't force you now. I will respect whoever you choose. But you don't need to mind the past so much." Mind? Hua Qiyue's face sank. In Tianyuan Continent, women regarded their chastity as more important than their lives. Could Tianpi's mere words make her forgive the past? Tianpi started to wave his fan coquettishly. Hua Qiyue cursed him as a nutcase. The weather was so cold and yet he was playing with her Drunken Flower Fan!