The Empress gently lifted her gaze, looking towards Qin Yu and the Empress Dowager, an unmistakable worry in her eyes.
"I will accompany her."
Watching Qin Yu sit there as if carved from wood, the Empress rose and moved closer, then attempted to help the Empress Dowager to the bed.
However, the Empress Dowager tightly held onto Qin Yu’s arm, refusing to budge.
"Your Majesty, shall we...leave it like this?"
Qin Yu smiled helplessly, as his arm involuntarily sank into the heavy trust due to the Empress’s actions.
He caught the subtle change in the Empress’s expression.
But this truly wasn’t his fault; he hadn’t moved one bit. To be blamed for anything, it could only be the Great Phoenix’s overwhelming majesty?
It was truly agonizing.
Why test him in such a way?
The Empress knit her brows, eager to rouse the Empress Dowager, but looking at her somewhat tired yet exquisite face, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
If not for dealing with that Taosha possessing ancient beast bloodline, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t have been put in harm’s way.
Though Auspicious Beasts have noble bloodlines, they lack combat experience, hence such incidents occur.
The reason for her clinging to Qin Yu was just to alleviate the pain caused by the bloodline curse.
Indeed, the Empress couldn’t bear seeing the Empress Dowager in suffering and torment.
The Flying Ship traversed swiftly, soon returning to the Great Yan Imperial Capital.
In the following days, the Empress tried every method to dispel the bloodline curse afflicting the Empress Dowager.
Yet, whether using Treasures of Heaven and Earth or employing the royal family’s hidden treasures, none showed any effect, falling short even compared to Qin Yu’s True Essence.
Clearly, the ancient beast’s bloodline curse wasn’t something these things could mitigate.
During this time, though the Empress Dowager said nothing, Little Ling’Er noticed her abnormality.
The Empress was even more troubled. How should she explain it to Little Ling’Er?
Luckily, Little Ling’Er didn’t seem to mind the Empress Dowager’s intimate contact with Qin Yu; in fact, she seemed to enjoy it.
And Yin Qinghe and the others? There’s nothing more to say.
They seemed long accustomed to it, without any opinions, just a moment of surprise at the first sight.
After all, considering the Empress Dowager’s noble status, even if she was close to Qin Yu, it was rare for such intimate...behavior.
The most challenging aspect for the Empress was that to care for the Empress Dowager, Qin Yu remained at the Jade Flower Palace day and night, not even returning to that space.
Because once he left, the Empress Dowager’s complexion would instantly turn pale, clearly enduring great pain.
Jade Flower Palace.
The night was ink-dark, candle shadows fluttered in the sleeping palace.
The Empress Dowager quietly leaned against Qin Yu’s arm, listening to his storytelling, a scene of tranquility.
After Little Ling’Er and the young wives returned to their Lifebound Space not long before, the Empress’s figure appeared as expected.
She wasn’t worried Qin Yu would act excessively towards the Empress Dowager.
After all, this guy behaved mannerly and respectfully usually, and under her watchful eye, he couldn’t possibly overstep.
"Your Majesty."
The Empress Dowager slightly pouted, wisely loosening her hold a bit.
This was an instinctive reaction from being reprimanded often.
The Empress nodded slightly, refraining from looking any longer because watching too long would tempt her to separate the two.
"This is Dew of Radiant Immortality; perhaps it can help purge the bloodline curse."
The Empress produced a crystal-clear Jade Bottle, containing a slight green fluid inside, imbued with a faint emerald light, as if stars flowed within.
Dew of Radiant Immortality, a mystical substance unique to the Ye Family of the Ancient Race, found only in the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land, condensable only once a century, is not as miraculous as the Elf Race’s Spring of Life, but it rejuvenates vitality and dispels curses.
To secure even a drop is akin to scaling the heavens for the Ten Thousand Races’ elites. And in the Empress’s possession, she had a whole little bottle!
"Your Majesty, I’m fine, no need to waste it."
The Empress Dowager shook her head in refusal.
During these days, the Empress had already used so many Treasures of Heaven and Earth, yet she could tell, even if using this Dew of Radiant Immortality, it wouldn’t have much effect on the bloodline curse.
"Simply pour it into the water and bathe."
The Empress spoke lightly, placing the Jade Bottle in the Empress Dowager’s hand.
The Empress Dowager pouted, unscrewing the bottle cap as an intense vitality emanated, like a spring breeze caressing dead wood, causing the flowers and grass outside the sleeping palace to quietly sprout new buds.
Qin Yu took a deep breath, calming the heat within him significantly.
Evidently, this Dew of Radiant Immortality was indeed extraordinary, even hard to measure its value with Spirit Stones.
"Oh~"
The Empress Dowager softly replied, then released Qin Yu’s arm, casually undoing the phoenix robe’s constraints.
"Go behind the screen!"
The Empress’s voice turned cold, her anger nearly uncontrollable.
It was getting more and more outrageous! Were it not for her injury, she’d truly wish to reprimand thoroughly!
"Qin Yu is not an outsider."
The Empress Dowager slightly pouted, quietly defending herself.
Hearing this, Qin Yu felt embarrassed.
Your Majesty, you should hear my defense; this truly wasn’t my doing.
"I don’t wish to say it a second time."
Suppressing the anger within, the Empress thought this foolish Auspicious Beast had no idea that Qin Yu, despite appearing honest, in reality... was anything but respectful!
"Then I’ll return it to you."
The Empress Dowager reluctantly handed over the Jade Bottle.
"Are you threatening me?"
The Empress’s body trembled slightly, she was so worried, yet she put on an indifferent demeanor.
Truly infuriating!
In the end, the Empress Dowager chose to compromise, walking towards the screen with hesitation, seeming as if she wanted to call Qin Yu over, but swallowed back her words under the Empress’s explosive gaze.
"Qin Yu."
Hearing the sound of water behind the screen, the Empress turned her gaze towards Qin Yu.
This fellow, although not so honest.
However, after all these days, with the Empress Dowager clinging to him like that, he surprisingly managed to keep his composure, which was quite unexpected.
The Empress had thought...
If she didn’t indulge just a little, it would certainly be false.
After all, she had personally experienced the various benefits of the warm current, perhaps it might even dispel the curse of blood.
Therefore, the Empress turned a blind eye at times.
Who knew that at such a crucial moment, Qin Yu would behave so decently instead.
What is he trying to do?
"Your Majesty, do you have any orders?"
Qin Yu didn’t dare to lift his head; he certainly didn’t want to anger the Empress at this time.
"You..."
The Empress paused, unable to resist asking, "Are you confident in assisting the Empress Dowager in removing the curse?"
"This..."
Qin Yu was momentarily confused about what the Empress meant.
After all, there were some matters he and the Empress had never discussed openly; every time felt like a tribulation.
After each time, it was as if the Empress remembered nothing, and he never brought it up, as if none of those things had ever happened.
"I am not sure either."
Qin Yu hesitated slightly but eventually spoke truthfully.
The curse was a backlash from the Ancient Beast’s bloodline as it lay dying.
To be frank, he had never encountered it before and didn’t know if the warm current would work.
However, the warm current is extremely magical, injuries deemed incurable in the eyes of the world can easily recover, and it can even improve one’s root bone.
Perhaps, it might have a certain suppressing effect on the power of the curse.
"How did you resolve Ling’Er’s physique issue?"
The Empress pondered slightly before asking.
She was sure that Qin Yu hadn’t acted inappropriately towards Little Ling’Er.
Yet now, Little Ling’Er’s Innate Ice and Fire Dao Rhythm Body had been controlled and even restored to normal.
If it continues like this, it might not be too long before Ling’Er can attempt cultivation.
"Perhaps it’s because my space is rather special?"
Qin Yu thought for a moment before speaking.
These matters, he never intended to hide from the Empress, as they had a thoroughly familiar relationship.
The Empress nodded silently; she had long realized this and asking was just for formality.
A moment later, she was already certain that the Dew of Radiant Immortality given to the Empress Dowager earlier had no effect.
Behind the screen, the Empress Dowager’s aura was noticeably somewhat unstable.
"You, perhaps you should take the Empress Dowager inside to try."
After a long time, the Empress took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"Huh?"
Qin Yu was taken aback, to take the Empress Dowager to the Lifebound Space?
The Empress had always opposed letting the Empress Dowager enter that space, hadn’t she?
Has she had a change of heart?
The Empress gave Qin Yu a faint glance, turned, and her form vanished from the sleeping palace.
This guy, upon hearing about taking the Empress Dowager to that space, his expression instantly changed.
She truly couldn’t bring herself to say it.
The Empress genuinely didn’t want the Empress Dowager to follow Qin Yu into that space, previously fearing the Blessed Land’s gift would be given freely, let alone in such a clingy state now.
However, she had tried every possible method she knew.
Truly powerless.
The auspicious sign has immense significance to the Great Yan Immortal Country and even the Human Race.
If the bloodline curse affects the power of the auspicious sign, it would be a considerable loss for the Ten Thousand Races!
Moreover, even without mentioning the auspicious identity, just based on feelings, the Empress couldn’t bear to see the Empress Dowager in such pain.
"Your Majesty, come and support me."
While Qin Yu was lost in thought, from behind the screen came the weak voice of the Empress Dowager, bringing him back to reality.
"Empress Dowager, the Empress has already left."
Qin Yu exhaled gently and reported softly.
"The Empress... has left?"
The Empress Dowager seemed taken aback; these past few nights, the Empress had been by her side, never leaving.
How did she leave so suddenly?
Soon, the Empress Dowager gracefully emerged from behind the screen, fully enveloped in a luxurious phoenix robe.
In truth, she didn’t mind being more natural in front of Qin Yu, only, the sinister black lines coiling around her shoulders, she was reluctant to reveal, even more unwilling to let Qin Yu see.
However, unbeknownst to the Empress Dowager, in Qin Yu’s eyes, those black lines did not diminish her grace; instead, they added an indescribable...
Charm.