Sensing the Crown Prince’s gaze, Gu Qingwan no longer avoided it as she had before. This trip to the bathhouse had further solidified her confidence in her A-Yuan’s feelings. Even facing the Crown Prince, who stood above tens of thousands, Gu Qingwan now felt emboldened. With that, she lifted her chin, meeting the Highness’s slightly displeased gaze, a smile playing on her lips. She looked like a cat that had stolen fish, contentedly licking its paws in front of its owner, exuding provocation and satisfaction.
Ji Xuanyuan narrowed her phoenix eyes, gritting her teeth, a sudden surge of anger rising in her heart at the feeling of having been “stolen from.”
“Qingwan!” The voice of the Gu Family Matron suddenly rang out, breaking the subtle tension between the two women. The Matron hurried over, looking Gu Qingwan up and down, her frown deep enough to crush a fly. “Look at you! What kind of state is this? Your clothes are soaked, your hair is disheveled. Don’t you know we’re going out today? How can you appear like this in public?”
Faced with her mother’s scolding, Gu Qingwan pouted and explained, “That’s all A-Yuan’s fault! He sprayed me all over in the bathhouse just now!”
Huh? Sprayed??? How exactly?
Hearing this, everyone in the main hall quickly glanced between Chu Yuan and Gu Qingwan, their expressions as if they had just heard some shocking gossip. Especially since Gu Qingwan’s clothes were wet, she looked somewhat blissful and satisfied, as if replenished with spiritual energy. What exactly had happened? In this Immortal Dynasty that emphasized upholding Male Virtue, had this Chu family kid become so proactive?
Faced with the increasingly strange looks from everyone, Chu Yuan quickly corrected her. “It was water from the bathtub! When I jumped into the tub earlier, I moved too vigorously and accidentally splashed Wan’er.”
Hearing her words grow increasingly odd, the strange expressions on everyone’s faces intensified. The Gu Family Matron could clearly see that her daughter was blatantly provoking the Crown Prince. Naturally, she felt a sense of alarm.
These past few days, the Crown Prince had stayed in the West Courtyard without leaving, and Chu Yuan had been sneaking into Her Highness’s bedroom every night. Even a fool could see that this Chu family orphan had become the Crown Prince’s forbidden fruit. Her daughter’s series of provocative actions wereæ— å¼‚äºŽ snatching food from a tiger’s mouth. The alarmed Matron immediately grabbed Gu Qingwan’s sleeve and scolded loudly:
“Hurry! Go change into proper attire! Don’t embarrass the Gu family!”
Dragged by her mother toward the inner courtyard, Gu Qingwan turned her head to glance at Ji Xuanyuan, her eyes still filled with pride. Once they reached the inner courtyard, the Matron began reprimanding her. “Qingwan, do you know what you’re doing? Do you know the consequences of offending the Crown Prince? Even if you don’t think of yourself, think of the family!”
Gu Qingwan pouted. “Once I become the Medicine King Valley Saintess, even the Crown Prince will have to show me some respect!”
The Matron said angrily, “But you have to become one first! Do you think you can…”
Gu Qingwan’s eyes were resolute. “Don’t worry, Mother! I will become the Saintess by any means necessary!”
The Matron was stunned, rarely seeing such determination in her gentle daughter’s eyes. Thanks to learning of Chu Yuan’s feelings in the bathhouse, Gu Qingwan had gained confidence: A woman may be gentle, but for her husband, she becomes strong. My man, no one can take him away!!!
The Matron wanted to say more but held back. Thinking of the life-and-death trial journey, her daughter might perish in it. If that were the case, these days would be her only remaining time. Faced with her dying daughter, the Matron felt helpless and finally sighed in resignation. “Fine! But you must be more careful from now on! Now go change your clothes and get ready to leave.”
On the other hand, faced with Gu Qingwan’s proud gaze as she left, Ji Xuanyuan remained expressionless. She pretended not to have seen anything, but her hand holding the teacup unconsciously tightened. With a crack, fine cracks appeared on it.
Ji Xuanyuan didn’t know why she felt this way and wanted to pretend she didn’t care. But the more she recalled the pride in Gu Qingwan’s eyes, the more it felt like a bone stuck in her throat. Fang Henian, standing beside her, saw it clearly but didn’t dare ask, wondering to himself: What’s wrong with Her Highness? Is she anxious? Over an evil cultivator? Impossible! Didn’t she already see through that evil cultivator’s schemes? Then why is Her Highness so anxious now?
In truth, Ji Xuanyuan herself didn’t know why she felt this way. Whenever she thought of her junior brother and Gu Qingwan being intimate in the bathhouse, a faint pain would ache deep in her soul. She couldn’t explain where this subtle feeling came from and could only let it go. She walked gracefully toward the manor’s exit, her expression cool and detached, as if the subtle emotions in her heart had never existed.
The morning light fell on her shoulders, casting a faint golden edge on her black formal attire. Fang Henian quickly followed, stealing glances at the Crown Prince’s back. Her waist was straight as a sword, sharp and imposing, making others dare not approach.
“Since everyone is here, let’s go.” Ji Xuanyuan set down her teacup and stood up. Taking Chu Yuan with her, she stepped into the imperial carriage. The gauze curtains hung low, filtering the sunlight into fragmented golden threads. Ji Xuanyuan sat upright on the soft couch, closing her eyes and suppressing the chaotic thoughts one by one back into her heart.
Today was the Divine Grade Auction. The Divine Dragon Whip the system had reminded her of was something she was determined to obtain. As for this Chu Yuan… Ji Xuanyuan recalled Gu Qingwan’s provocative actions earlier and thought: That girl has a gentle personality. Why would she suddenly show such hostility toward me? Who gave her the confidence? Did they really do it? With junior brother’s weak state, did he really have the energy for that? It seems junior brother hasn’t been drained dry yet…
No! How can I think like this? Shouldn’t I be supporting the two of them? Why am I starting again? Haven’t I already figured it out??? But if I don’t drain junior brother, how can I quickly improve my cultivation??? This is all For the Sake of the World’s Great Righteousness!!!
Right now, Ji Xuanyuan’s heart was in turmoil. On the surface, she thought she had let go. In reality, even she herself didn’t realize she was using the banner of “For the Sake of the World’s Great Righteousness” to forcibly keep her junior brother by her side.
Just then, Ji Xuanyuan suddenly noticed Chu Yuan sitting upright beside her, the corner of his lips curling into a meaningful smile. This further stirred her unease. “Young Master Yuan, what are you smiling about? Could it be you’re reminiscing about your time with Fairy Gu in the bathhouse earlier…”
Chu Yuan shot her a glare and couldn’t help but explain. “Your Highness, what are you imagining? I was just thinking about how I can save the Sovereign of my past life from hardship today. Naturally, I’m overjoyed!!!”
Looking at his happy and emotional smile, Ji Xuanyuan couldn’t forget the provocative look in Gu Qingwan’s eyes before they left and said darkly, “Oh? Is Young Master Yuan really reminiscing about your Sovereign? Someone who didn’t know might think you’re happy about your time with Fairy Gu in the bathhouse earlier!”
Sensing a hint of jealousy in Ji Xuanyuan’s words, Chu Yuan felt both disdainful and helpless. In his view, if the Crown Prince merely saw him as cultivation material, she wouldn’t be acting like this. Could it just be simple possessiveness? He truly couldn’t understand what about his current state had caught the Crown Prince’s eye.
Moreover, although Gu Qingwan was his childhood sweetheart, their friendship spanned only those nineteen years. Aside from her “first love” aura, she was just a childhood playmate. But his bond with the Sovereign spanned over a hundred years; they were practically siblings who depended on each other for survival. In Chu Yuan’s heart, the Sovereign came first, and his childhood sweetheart second. Of course, having been reborn, Chu Yuan not only wanted to save his childhood sweetheart but also make up for the Sovereign’s missing childhood.