In an instant, the medicinal water in the tub seeped into his body through his pores, gently nourishing his depleted meridians. Seeing he had begun healing, Gu Qingwan moved a small stool and sat beside the tub, resting her chin in her hand as she watched him. “How does it feel?”
Chu Yuan exhaled a turbid breath. “Good. Better than expected.”
Gu Qingwan raised her head proudly. “Of course! The medicine I prepared, could it be bad? Every single medicinal ingredient used in this tub was carefully selected. The properties are gentle, the potency long-lasting, most suitable for someone as drained as him.”
As she spoke, Gu Qingwan added another medicinal ingredient to the tub. It was a Snow Lotus she had treasured for a long time, always reluctant to use it.
Chu Yuan didn’t open his eyes but sensed the aura of that ingredient. Snow Lotus? That thing isn’t cheap, is it?
Gu Qingwan said softly, “It’s fine. Compared to the Thousand-Year Lingzhi you gave me, it’s nothing. Just focus on recovering!”
Watching Chu Yuan’s face full of enjoyment, her gaze was as gentle as the water in the tub at that moment. Steam rose like her sentiments, making their figures hazy and indistinct, ambiguous and unclear.
Soon, Chu Yuan focused entirely on recovery, closing his eyes and continuously absorbing the essence of the medicinal bath. As the medicinal potency circulated within his body, every depleted meridian of Chu Yuan’s was nourished. Feeling the warm flow of the medicinal bath slowly coursing through his entire body, he let out a long, slow exhalation of turbid air.
These past days, being used as a cushion by Ji Xuanyuan, his spiritual energy had been drained almost completely. He thought he would need at least ten days to half a month of rest to recover. He never expected the medicinal bath this girl prepared to be so much better than he anticipated.
And during Chu Yuan’s recovery period—Outside the bathing room, the sky was faintly bright, the morning wind blowing through the corridor, making the guards on duty drowsy. After consecutive days of shift duty, all the women were somewhat fatigued. Several leaned against the corridor pillars, resting either sitting or standing.
Taking advantage of the rare leisure, a round-faced guard was the first to start the conversation. “What do you think, that Fairy Gu suddenly volunteered to give Young Master Yuan a medicinal bath… could it be…?”
Her eyebrows were raised high, her words only half-spoken, the implication self-evident.
The tall guard beside her chuckled. “Hey! Young Master Yuan is currently weak, even walking requires us to support him. What could he possibly do?”
By the end of the sentence, all the women couldn’t help but laugh strangely. The laughter wasn’t loud, but carried an indescribable, playful undertone, drifting far on the morning breeze. Another one leaned in and laughed, “That’s not necessarily true. There are methods for the weak too~! Hahaha!”
Before long, the round-faced guard grew even more curious. “Seriously, what’s so good about that Young Master Yuan anyway? His looks are just so-so, his cultivation isn’t high, his family background is ordinary. How come…?”
The tall guard agreed. “Yeah! The Crown Princess dotes on him, Fairy Gu sticks to him. How come everyone’s throwing themselves at him?”
The round-faced one speculated, “Maybe he has some strange… special skill?”
Special skill? Someone’s smile turned lewd. “Are you referring to that kind of special ‘length’?”
The women exchanged glances and laughed out loud again.
At the same time. In the West Courtyard.
Ji Xuanyuan had changed into a set of black formal attire, her long hair tied up and secured with a white jade hairpin. The hairpin’s style was simple, yet it made her appear even more aloof and ethereal, like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.
Ding~!
Just as she was examining herself in the mirror, that cold, mechanical voice sounded again in her consciousness sea:
[A new Divine Artifact has been detected for Your Majesty.]
[Divine Dragon Whip: An ancient relic, a weapon of attack. Wielding it can intimidate the dragon race. Under its lash, the enemy’s bones and tendons will shatter. However, its wonder doesn’t end there! With each lash received, one’s own bones and tendons are also tempered, increasing strength instead. The more pain, the stronger; the more setbacks, the more courageous. It is the ultimate body-tempering treasure of the ancient dragon race.]
[Your Majesty must absolutely not miss this opportunity. Acquire it.]
Ji Xuanyuan’s eyes gleamed slightly. Divine Dragon Whip… with such divine effects?
Her divine sense followed the location given by the system, which was an auction house several miles away. It seemed today’s auction wouldn’t disappoint her. However, thinking that the Divine Treasure Cushion was actually her Junior Brother, Ji Xuanyuan muttered to herself, ‘Could this Divine Dragon Whip be another strange thing?’
Tap, tap, tap!
Just as she was lost in thought, footsteps sounded outside the room. Fang Henian, wearing a newly tailored brocade robe, his hair meticulously combed, stood outside the door. He cupped his hands in salute, his voice carrying a hint of flattery. “Your Highness, the Divine Grade Auction is about to begin. This old minister has come specially to escort Your Highness there.”
Ji Xuanyuan nodded. “Good! This Princess is aware!”
After speaking, she couldn’t help but think of Chu Yuan. It had been quite some time since he went for the medicinal bath. She couldn’t help but extend her divine sense towards the bathing room. Along the way, sensing her guards were all chatting in the corridor, Ji Xuanyuan felt suspicious. ‘Why are all the guards outside? Then who is attending to Young Master Yuan during his medicinal bath?’
Puzzled, she sent a sound transmission to inquire: [Why are all of you outside?]
Hearing the Crown Princess’s phoenix-like voice, the women’s laughter ceased abruptly.
“Y-Your Highness!”
The round-faced guard was the first to react, quickly bowing in salute. The others also hurriedly fell silent, each standing straight, the playful smiles on their faces long gone to the far ends of the earth.
Seeing this, Ji Xuanyuan grew even more puzzled. Her divine sense probed towards the bathing room but found it blocked by a layer of formation. She inexplicably felt a sense of foreboding and pressed with a deep voice: [Where is Young Master Yuan?]
The lead guard hurried forward and saluted towards the void. “Reporting to Your Highness, on our way bringing Young Master Yuan for the medicinal bath, we happened to encounter Fairy Gu. Upon learning of your instructions, she volunteered, saying she wanted to prepare it for Young Master Yuan. This humble servant saw her intentions were good, so…”
Her tone was cautious, worried the Crown Princess might hold them accountable. Ji Xuanyuan’s expression remained unchanged, but her heart stirred. ‘That Fairy Gu actually volunteered? Could it be…???’
A wave of vigilance suddenly surged in Ji Xuanyuan’s heart. ‘Right now, Fairy Gu and Junior Brother are alone in a room, and Junior Brother is so weak? Could she take advantage of his vulnerability and directly do something she shouldn’t to Junior Brother???’
In an instant, Ji Xuanyuan’s fists clenched. But quickly, she shook her head vigorously. ‘No, no, no! She and Junior Brother are already mutually affectionate. What reason do I have to interfere? Besides, Junior Brother has been almost completely drained by me. He can’t do anything! No matter how capable that Fairy Gu is, even the cleverest housewife can’t cook without rice!’
Thinking of this, Ji Xuanyuan actually felt lucky she had drained Junior Brother beforehand, even though she knew she shouldn’t think that way. Just in case, Ji Xuanyuan still gave orders: [This Princess is departing for the auction. Hurry and have Young Master Yuan prepare. Additionally, arrange proper attire for him. He cannot always appear in simple cloth garments.]
“Yes! Your Highness!”
With that, the guards hurriedly began bustling about.
Knock, knock! Among them, the round-faced guard knocked on the bathing room door. “Fairy Gu, are you done? The Crown Princess is departing for the auction and requires Young Master Yuan’s company!”
The sound came abruptly, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the faint, ambiguous atmosphere within the room. Gu Qingwan’s delicate body trembled. As if feeling guilty, she jumped up from the stool. The movement was too hurried, causing her knee to painfully hit the edge of the tub, but she didn’t have time to rub it, hurriedly responding, “Yes! W-we, we’re coming out right now!”
The violent motion caused the fullness of her chest to sway, mirroring her frightened state of mind.
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