The Empress Dowager’s eyes were bright and sparkling, carrying a hint of expectation.
No need to say how bewitching she looked.
"What is it that the Empress Dowager wants?"
Qin Yu struggled to suppress the impulse in his heart, deliberately playing dumb.
Faced with such a peerless beauty, a woman as otherworldly as a palace fairy, even if he had to battle fiercely with her for a whole day, he’d be willing.
"I just... just..."
The question made the Empress Dowager’s cheeks flush with embarrassment.
How could she say such a thing out loud!
But when she caught sight of the faint smile in Qin Yu’s eyes, she instantly sobered up.
Oh, so that’s how it is!
He’s doing this on purpose!
The Empress Dowager was annoyed. At once, she turned and mounted on top of him, looking down from above, suppressing him with her might—a Great Phoenix spreading its wings, set to make the one below yield.
"Empress Dowager, you mustn’t act like this!"
"Aren’t you no different from Her Majesty like this?"
"Aren’t you afraid of making Ling’Er sad?"
Qin Yu couldn’t move in the slightest, but he didn’t give up resisting, clutching hard at that phoenix, speaking righteously, trying to awaken the Empress Dowager’s kind and pure side.
"Huh?"
The Empress Dowager froze, falling into thought.
Her actions really did seem unfair to little Ling’Er.
But, Qin Yu has several Dao Companions anyway. Most importantly... This Palace is treating an illness!
She had a legitimate reason.
Even if little Ling’Er found out, she probably wouldn’t be angry, right?
The Empress Dowager thought about it. It seemed that even when she’d gotten close to Qin Yu before, little Ling’Er had never blamed her.
At that, her heart felt much lighter.
As for that useless Emperor?
She wasn’t suppressing Qin Yu with cultivation anyway, so of course it wasn’t the same.
┭┮﹏┭┮
Truth be told, she was getting a bit heady.
[Emotion Point from Bai Yiyi +4]
[Emotion Point from Bai Yiyi +4]
...
...
Once tasted, forever craved.
The Empress Dowager couldn’t stop, nor did she worry about being discovered.
Her mindset was worlds apart from Tu Yaoyao’s—she’d already considered herself Qin Yu’s woman.
Naturally, it all felt perfectly justified to her.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
Tu Yaoyao was stunned.
It had been seven days already!
Qin Yu and the Empress Dowager still hadn’t come out of that room. You didn’t need to think hard to guess what had happened.
How... how could he dare?!
That’s the auspicious beast, the Empress Dowager of Great Yan!
But it seemed that auspicious one was more than willing, acting like she couldn’t wait to offer herself up, even being that clingy.
Completely ridiculous!
Honestly, what man could refuse?
Thankfully, Little Ling’Er and Tu Jiujiu seemed oblivious, simply thinking Qin Yu was out there with the Empress Dowager, so they weren’t taken out to play.
With the improvement of the Lifebound Space, the realm inside had more than doubled. You wouldn’t feel uncomfortable at all in there.
Watching worry-free Little Ling’Er and Tu Jiujiu, a kind of...
...slightly wicked notion arose in Tu Yaoyao’s heart.
She wondered, if this Princess Dayan knew what the Empress Dowager was doing right now, what would her reaction be?
Hmph!
Now she had some leverage in her hand, let’s see if that auspicious beast dare come demand any answers afterward.
At last, Tu Yaoyao felt a weight drop from her heart.
She wasn’t afraid of facing off with the Empress Dowager; what she worried most was the little fox finding out.
Now, they were about even.
Strangely, Tu Yaoyao recalled a phrase Lin Shuishui often said... sharing the same pole and the same suffering.
Pah!
Who wanted to share the same fate with that auspicious beast?
But, having tasted the sweetness of the Warm Current, she could only describe it as being unable to stop.
...
The Empress Dowager was truly worthy of being an auspicious one.
She might look dopey, but her combat power exceeded even that of Her Majesty the Empress.
She was now the most formidable presence among Qin Yu’s beloved wives!
You really can’t judge a book by its cover.
Thank heaven for the Pure Yang Divine Body, otherwise, the Empress Dowager alone would be enough to end Qin Yu’s life.
Actually, Qin Yu wanted her to rest a while.
But every time he paused for a moment, the Empress Dowager would look at him with those big damp eyes.
How was he supposed to withstand that?
He could only give in to her demands.
These past few days in the Lifebound Space, every corner of the courtyard had...
...their footprints.
In the end, it was the Empress Dowager who finally grew weary.
She looked at Qin Yu with a gaze full of disbelief. At this moment, she could finally understand why, back in Huayang Hall, Yin Qinghe and the others cried so...
...so miserably.
She herself had just been in the same state.
Yet, more than anything, she felt excitement.
He really was the man she’d chosen!
So strong!
[Bai Yiyi Romantic Point: 50 (Never to part)]
She couldn’t bear to leave Qin Yu now.
Tch!
Qin Yu hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager’s Romantic Point to rise so fast.
Which just showed her purity.
"Rest now."
Qin Yu carried her, changed the bedding, then gently set the Empress Dowager down.
He didn’t leave.
Instead, he softly held her in his arms, and the Empress Dowager, just like a kitten, nestled in, even nuzzling closer to find a comfortable position; in moments, she fell into a deep sleep.
So cute.
Strangely enough, such words didn’t seem out of place at all when applied to an Empress Dowager.
And then there was her name.
Bai Yiyi.
Hmm... that name did seem pretty random.
Was it supposed to mean she’s the only one?
Qin Yu didn’t leave, because the Empress Dowager clung to him like an octopus, and he didn’t want to wake her, so he let her be.
They gradually drifted off to sleep together.
...
Imperial Study.
The Empress stood by the window, gazing far in the direction of the bedchambers.
Ever since Qin Yu went in with the Empress Dowager, they hadn’t come out yet.
"It’s almost two days now. According to Qin Yu, that should be over seven days in there already, right?"
The Empress’s brow furrowed slightly, her palm clenching quietly inside her sleeve.
With that scoundrel’s self-control, once she wasn’t around to intimidate him, he’d definitely fail to restrain himself, right?
Absolutely so!
Seven days!
She truly wondered what that silly auspicious beast would go through.
The Empress knew the Empress Dowager’s circumstances well. Don’t be fooled by her big Phoenix looks; truth is, she might be less mature than little Ling’Er.
That noisy, impulsive temperament of hers gave the Empress constant headaches.
Still, whenever she imagined what the Empress Dowager would experience, the Empress couldn’t help but worry.
Auspicious beast...
Could she handle it?
Heh!
She was worrying for nothing. After all, that was an auspicious one, not like delicate little Ling’Er.
Moreover, with how eager the Empress Dowager had been to offer herself... she probably...
...enjoyed every moment of it, right?
The Empress wasn’t regretting her decision.
Qin Yu...
She honestly didn’t know how to judge him.
But, after all, he was a loyal, devoted man.
Because Lin Shuishui and the others had always come out daily, and the Empress’s keen observation told her that Qin Yu’s spoiling of them truly came from the heart.
There was nothing insincere about it.
At the very least, being his Dao Companion meant never worrying about neglect, or even... abandonment.
The Empress’s heart was in turmoil.
She herself didn’t know where all these conflicting feelings came from.
The Empress Dowager could go in with Qin Yu, but as the ruler of a nation, she herself naturally couldn’t set aside her dignity that way.
Of course.
What really drove her to make that decision was the bloodline curse weighing on the Empress Dowager.
She’d already done her utmost, but... the results were pitifully little.
At present, this was the only solution left.
She really wondered what the auspicious beast was up to right now.
Sigh!
If, in the future, Ling’Er found out about these matters, would she blame them?!
She herself did it to survive the Seven Emotions Tribulation; the Empress Dowager was forced by the bloodline curse.
No matter the reason...
They were ahead of Ling’Er.
The Empress felt a stab of guilt.
Once this is settled, she must put an end to the Empress Dowager giving herself away so freely.
Otherwise, it would be a terrible scandal if word got out.
The Empress’s gaze wandered afar, a trace of worry flickering in her eyes.
At present, the Great Yan Immortal Country was far from stable.
The Ruins Rift in the Hundred-Thousand Mountains still existed, and shortly after her own departure, Yan Ruo had messaged her about a strange perception she’d had at the time.
Someone came out of the Ruins Rift?
The Empress’s brow knit together faintly.
Was that even possible?
If someone did come out, what kind of being would that be?
All unknowns.
The Empress even hoped it was just Yan Ruo’s imagination.
At least, the seal she left was still there, intact, and no Ruins Beasts had escaped from the rift.
To prevent incidents, she’d already ordered the Flame Guards to thoroughly investigate every hall domain for hidden dangers. Black Soul Hall would not get another chance.
On top of that, most troubling to her was the message from the Emperor of the Great Qin.
After this Ruins Rift calamity, all the Immortal Country Royal Families knew how dire things were for the Great Yan Immortal Country.
The Emperor of the Great Qin had already reached out: so long as she was willing to yield the fortune she’d gained in the Endless Fire Domain, Emperor Qin would send an avatar to help in person.
On the surface, this seemed friendly, but it made the Empress exceptionally wary.
Clearly, the foremost emperor hadn’t forgotten about the opportunity in the Endless Fire Domain. Now he could wait and send messages, but once Emperor Qin was about to face tribulation, he’d definitely descend on the Great Yan Immortal Country in person.
At that time...
The Empress took a deep breath; even with her unrivaled power, the thought of that towering figure made unease well up inside her.
Fortunately, she had comprehended the third kind of Power of Dao Rhyme... Light Attribute.
With the Warm Current and Treasures of Heaven and Earth aiding her, at her current cultivation speed, within half a year at most, she’d be able to forge a hundred steps in the Light Attribute’s great Dao!
There was no way she’d hand Qin Yu over!
And when that time came, with the power of Gold, Thunder, and Light Origin, she might even face Emperor Qin directly!
Suddenly.
A strange ripple surged forth.
The Empress’s expression tensed; she instantly appeared above the Imperial Palace.
A mighty imperial might surged out, covering the entire Imperial Capital. Her gaze was like lightning, scanning each corner of the surrounding space.
After a long moment, the Empress frowned slightly, her gaze landing on the Ancient Divine Bell hanging in the sky.
Just now, her sharp senses had noticed a faint disturbance in the bell—she instinctively felt something slip into the capital.
But the bell only rippled for an instant; then it was back to normal, and she detected no further abnormalities.
The Empress was confident—even if the Hall Master of Black Soul Hall came in person, it would be impossible to hide completely under her nose without leaving a trace.
"Was it just my imagination?"
The Empress whispered, but still felt uneasy; she swept the area once again—yet found nothing unusual at all.