Chapter 35: Not That Fast, But Getting There!

Night fell, the Chu family mansion.

Chu Ruoyan paced back and forth in her room, looking troubled.

“I must make things clear with Xiao Ming tonight—no chance for him to speak.”

Her fondness for Li Chen was now very high; she would never run away with Xiao Ming.

But Xiao Ming still didn’t know this—he still thought Chu Ruoyan was enduring humiliation beside Li Chen.

Yet one thing Xiao Ming knew: if he didn’t act soon, Chu Ruoyan wouldn’t just be enduring humiliation beside Li Chen—she’d be beneath him.

The thought of his goddess entwined with another man made him scratch his head and gnash his teeth.

The saint’s lingering soul within Xiao Ming’s necklace thought such emotions would hinder his cultivation, and in severe cases, even cause qi deviation.

But before the saint’s soul could advise him, it was astonished to find Xiao Ming’s cultivation speed surging violently at this very moment.

The saint’s soul began to suspect: could his disciple possess some special attribute?

Chu Ruoyan also knew Xiao Ming’s nature—he never changed his mind once decided, and he would come tonight.

She had prepared plenty of polite refusals; she absolutely must speak first and make things clear.

But this time, Xiao Ming didn’t give her the chance to speak.

As Chu Ruoyan paced, a short sword pierced cleanly through the window, embedding itself firmly into her room’s wall.

Chu Ruoyan initially thought it was a hidden weapon, but upon closer inspection, she saw a letter tied to the blade.

The letter read: I know every day here is agony for you—don’t think of me too much. See you in five days!

After reading it, Chu Ruoyan was furious—this guy really won’t give me any chance to explain?

She only hoped Xiao Ming wouldn’t cause any trouble; otherwise, it would be hard to clean up.

Should she tell Li Chen ahead of time?

But what could Xiao Ming do against Li Chen’s realm?

Meanwhile, inside Wu Qi’s residence.

“What’s wrong? You look so listless.”

Wu Nanzhi, eating fruit, noticed her nephew returning in low spirits and asked curiously.

“Nothing. I didn’t meet the person I wanted to see, but spent all day staring at someone I didn’t want to see.”

Wu Qi sat directly on the threshold, looking exhausted.

He had gone to the Chu mansion early that morning to stake out, hoping to follow Chu Ruoyan and win favor with her man.

Near the Chu mansion, he spotted Liu Hao.

That guy probably had the same idea.

They exchanged looks of contempt but said little.

Yet strangely, neither of them saw Chu Ruoyan leave the mansion today—had the Empress Dowager grown cold toward her?

After staking out all day, they finally returned to their own residence.

In truth, Chu Ruoyan had already guessed they’d do this—so she didn’t leave through the main gate, but climbed over the side courtyard wall instead.

Wu Qi and Liu Hao naturally failed to intercept her.

But word had it the Emperor would attend the Yunlu Academy’s ceremony tomorrow—perhaps they could chance a meeting there.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Wu Nanzhi, who was still eating fruit.

Wu Qi wondered how to trick his aunt into going to Yunlu Academy.

If the Emperor took notice of his aunt, he’d have accomplished his greatest mission!

Wu Nanzhi hadn’t realized her nephew truly intended to sell her off.

“Auntie, didn’t you go to Yinyuan Mountain today? What did the fortune slip say?”

“It’s fine. The scenery there was nice, but fortune-telling? I just did it for fun—I don’t believe in that stuff.”

In truth, she had drawn the highest fortune—the fortune-teller said she would soon meet her destined one.

Wu Nanzhi thought the fortune-teller was just saying nice words and paid it no mind.

“Did you meet anyone interesting?”

Wu Nanzhi didn’t answer, but she had indeed met a man.

He had a powerful aura, strikingly handsome, and most importantly, his eyes were utterly clear—giving her a distinctly different feeling.

Seeing Wu Nanzhi fall silent, Wu Qi changed the subject, talking about Yunlu Academy—this piqued Wu Nanzhi’s curiosity.

“Your grandfather told me the professors at Yunlu Academy are Saint Realm experts—he once met one and held him in high regard.”

Seeing his aunt interested, Wu Qi naturally kept talking.

Finally, after persistent coaxing, Wu Nanzhi agreed to accompany him tomorrow.

Deep in the palace, when Li Chen returned to his quarters, he found a graceful figure lying on his bed.

He wasn’t surprised—this person was Li Sining.

After leaving the imperial study, Li Sining had come straight to Li Chen’s quarters.

It had been a long time since her last visit, but each time, she felt delighted.

Outside, the composed and virtuous Ninth Princess was here simply a girl unbound by restraint.

She opened a familiar door, revealing toys Li Chen had made himself during idle moments.

!

For some reason, no matter how many times she played with them, Li Sining still loved the “Lego” toys immensely.

Now that Li Chen wasn’t here, this was her domain!

The feeling of not having to pretend was wonderful.

With her deft hands, the Legos became all manner of marvelous structures.

After two full hours, she even completed a miniature imperial palace.

If she could only receive Li Chen’s praise now, it would be perfect.

“Sigh, when will Brother come back? When will this date ever start?”

Li Sining yawned, looking slightly tired, and collapsed onto Li Chen’s bed.

She took a deep breath, her face lighting up with a satisfied smile.

The lingering scent on the bedding brought joy to every cell of her body.

Unconsciously, she hugged Li Chen’s pillow and fell into a deep sleep.

When Li Sining opened her eyes again, a face she had longed for appeared before her.

“Brother, you’re finally back.”

Li Sining slowly opened her eyes, like stars contained within, still hazy with sleep, radiating an untouched innocence and delicate softness.

Her eyelashes trembled gently as her gaze slowly focused, still clouded with the drowsiness of awakening—enough to stir deep tenderness.

Her long hair spilled loosely beside the pillow, strands brushing her cheeks, adding softness and allure.

Beneath this silken hair, her left shoulder, unintentionally exposed, revealed porcelain-pale skin, faintly flushed, inviting imagination.

Li Sining rose slightly, making the shoulder even more visible.

“I couldn’t help it—I didn’t want to come back, but there’s much to do tomorrow.”

Li Chen said casually.

At that moment, Li Sining’s face drew close, wearing a mischievous smile.

“How’s it going?”

As she spoke, her left hand formed a circle, her right index finger moving back and forth inside it.

“Cough, cough—not that fast… but getting close.”

Li Chen didn’t understand—who had taught her these things?

Had the late Emperor made her read books, and she’d only been reading these?

No one could have imagined their conversation could be so blunt!

(End of Chapter)