novelDetecting an "Affair"
| ← Ch.180 | Ch.182 → |
On it were a few characters in a delicate handwriting: "Prince Nan is meeting Princess Qianyang in a midnight rendezvous."
The note must be trying to lure her out?
Or perhaps what was written was true. Hua Qiyue remembered Yun Shimo's performance in the hall. She began to feel a headache coming.
Caining was standing outside the window. When he saw Hua Qiyue in her nighties, his face flushed and his heart started to thump. He leaped away and did not dare to look any more.
Otherwise, he would sink even deeper.
His mistress was such a lovely woman. Perhaps only Yun Shimo can deserve her... but now even Yun Shimo seemed no longer deserve her.
Hua Qiyue pinched the note. She wanted to tear it, to obliterate its contents from her mind, but she was so troubled that she could not sleep.
She glanced at the moonlight. It wasn't midnight yet, but it would be soon.
For some unknown reason, she got up from her bed and put on a black skirt. This way, she would not be too conspicuous.
Hua Qiyue nimbly climbed out of the window. She leaped up to the rooftop, landing lightly outside the yard.
Caining followed behind her."Your Highness... are you really going to take a look? Let me go instead. If it's a trap, won't Your Highness be in danger?"
Hua Qiyue gave a slight smile."If I let you go, won't you be in danger too?"
Caining heard her and his face started to redden a little. He lowered his eyes full of strange light."Can... can I follow along?"
"Me too." Caiqing had also crept out from nowhere, whispering.
"One of you stay here and guard. Caining and I will be back very soon." Hua Qiyue thought for a while and realized that midnight was coming. Her figure flashed and she streaked swiftly toward the Princess's palace.
Caining followed closely behind her.
Caiqing stood where he was, feeling a little dejected. But he soon recovered. He must listen to his mistress and guard Hua's Mansion well.
Hua Qiyue and Caining arrived at the back gate of the Princess's palace. There were a few alleys around the gate. They would not be detected hiding there.
Hua Qiyue put her back to the wall, her heart thumping. Why couldn't she calm down every time she encountered a problem involving Yun Shimo?
Caining stood silently by the side, his heart aching faintly. He saw Hua Qiyue and realized that she really valued Yun Shimo. If not, why would she spy on him at such a late hour?
Midnight had arrived.
The moonlight was fair, and the silvery rays spread all over the ground. Insects were chirping incessantly.
At this moment, someone flew in from the other side, landing just before the palace's back gate.
Although the noise was very slight, Hua Qiyue could still hear it.
She slowly poked out her head and saw that man all in black, standing there. His back was so suave and handsome. With one look, Hua Qiyue could tell he was Yun Shimo!
Her heart seemed to be splashed with cold water. Her entire body was feeling ice-cold.
The back gate opened and someone walked out."This way, Prince Nan. Her Highness has been waiting for you!"
Fifth Venerable Master's voice rang out.
Caining heard the voice and became infuriated. He was about to dash out when Hua Qiyue held him back.
"Don't alert them beforehand."
Hua Qiyue said quietly. Her heart was in pain, but her expression was so quiet—as quiet as a pool of clear water. She made Caining's heart ache even more.
"Your Highness, he has treated you this way..."
"Shhh..." Hua Qiyue softly stifled his voice. Caining could only look out. He indeed saw a tall man in black entering through the palace's back gate. Wasn't it Yun Shimo?
When the gate shut, Caining lost himself in a daze. Yun Shimo was about to marry Hua Qiyue. Why then was he in a rendezvous with the Princess? Were they in a complicity?
"Is Prince Nan and Princess Qianyang in some sort of a complicity?" Caining asked in a low, angry voice. Hua Qiyue silently released his robe sleeve and turned around, soaring up the rooftop and returning to Hua's Mansion.
Caining saw her leave calmly. He was worried and immediately followed close behind her.
The two of them returned to Hua's Mansion, one after the other. Nothing had happened in the mansion. Hua Qiyue also raised the alert. It seemed that the informant was just notifying her about Yun Shimo and Princess Qianyang's rendezvous, not trying to assassinate her.
In other words, only Princess Qianyang's subordinates would do such a thing. Since Princess Qianyang was in love with Yun Shimo, she must find a way to drive a wedge between them.
"Your Highness, what do you mean? You've seen Yun Shimo in a rendezvous with Princess Qianyang and you are unmoved?" Caining was still infuriated. He really wanted to slap Hua Qiyue and wake her up.
Caiqing hurried over."What happened?"
"Yun Shimo is secretly meeting Princess Qianyang!" Caining said coldly. Caiqing's face changed color as he stared at Hua Qiyue.
They saw her standing in the courtyard, before the flowers under the moonlight. Her skirt was fluttering in the breeze and she looked ethereal and transcendentally pure. She was so lovely.
Her lovely countenance was so calm that not a ripple of an emotion could be seen. No one knew what she was thinking.
"Your Highness!"
Caiqing also muttered angrily. Hua Qiyue gave a light shake of her head."Don't be angry over this. No matter who Yun Shimo likes, it doesn't concern me. Now there's the trouble of the Gnawing Devils Sect next month. We won't be able to get married."
Hua Qiyue said quietly."If I have the energy, I might as well cultivate more. Go back and don't create a scene. Remember, your mistress doesn't care for such a forced relationship."
Saying that, she soared and leaped in through the window. She pulled down the curtains which separated her from Caining and Caiqing.
Caining and Caiqing stood there for a long time. They stared at each other, their eyes full of complicated emotions. Even Her Highness had admitted there would be no wedding the next month. She also said with such easy composure that she did not care for this forced relationship.
They ought to be angry on Hua Qiyue's behalf. But why are they feeling a whiff of... joy in their heart?
Sigh. The human heart is unpredictable. They were in love with Hua Qiyue but felt themselves beneath her. They could only silently obey her orders.
Hua Qiyue was lying on the couch. She tossed and turned but could not sleep.
She had seen with her own eyes Yun Shimo in a rendezvous with Princess Qianyang. What else could she feel but grief in her heart? She remembered Zhou Zhicheng in her former life, and felt a sorrow out of nowhere.
Over her two lifetimes, was she destined to have no true love?
Hua Qiyue could not sleep and she preferred to enter the Mysterious World to cultivate. As he watched her practice madly, Tianpi remained on one side, saying nothing.
He only knew that her mood was very bad.
Hua Qiyue madly inhaled the heaven-and-earth primordial energy. By her side, Tianpi was watching her, dumbfounded. She's too crazy! Look, her body's beginning to bloat!
"Hua Qiyue, are you crazy? You'd better stop! If you explode, you'll be dead, Hua Qiyue!" Tianpi inmediately gave a shocked growl. He waved his big sleeve, trying to dissipate the heaven-and-earth primordial energy creeping into her body.
Hua Qiyue was panting furiously. Then, she slowly directed the primordial energy to her lower abdomen, slowly trying to turn them into energy. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into Tianpi's enraged eyes.
"Are you crazy? Is it worth doing this over a man? When will your son do if you die? You are crazy, obsessed and stupid! How can I have such a foolish and hopeless disciple?"
Tianpi let loose a torrent of abuse. It was the first time Hua Qiyue had seen him so angry. She remembered Yun Shimo and gave a cold snort. She cried angrily, "Yes, your disciple's really very foolish, a hopeless failure! I've gone through two lifetimes and have always been cheated by others. No one has loved me with a true heart! So how can I not cultivate madly? If everyone tries to kill me, what can I do to protect my precious son?"
Hua Qiyue started to rave."Go away. I will be temperate. I won't die! It's just a guy. Do I really care? You mean I, Hua Qiyue, cannot live without a man? Haha, it's a great joke!"
Hua Qiyue growled furiously, almost as if she was blaming Tianpi for disturbing her practice. She was really giving vent to all her anger and frustrations.
Tianpi was shocked. He watched that frantically panting woman before his eyes. Her eyes were full of madness and hatred, with a faint sorrow.
His heart trembled and Tianpi stretched out his hands, pulling Hua Qiyue into his arms."How can you say that no one loves you with a true heart? Your Master, I, use my heart... to train my disciple. I will never oppose you."
Actually, some of his words changed meaning when he said it. Tianpi gently patted the agitated Hua Qiyue to calm her down.
Hua Qiyue gradually calmed down.
She pushed Tianpi away. The refreshing odor of this man made her a bit embarrassed. Her face reddened a little. Of course, Tianpi's odor was quite different from Yun Shimo's.
His odor was like the smell of the vast earth under the sun. But Yun Shimo's resembled the scent drifting from an herb field.
Damn! Why did she remember that man again?
"Thank you, Master, I will work hard." She would work hard not to rely on a man to survive!
Hua Qiyue's determined expression made Tianpi sense that she had calm down a lot. He nodded and a strange glimmer flitted across his eyes. He turned his head."I can sense there's excessive spiritual energy inside you. You must cultivate a bit. I think you are about to break into the next realm."
After he said that, he walked leisurely back to the stone bench he often sat on, under the banyan tree. He leaned against the tree with his head pillowed on his hands, idly watching Hua Qiyue, who was starting to cultivate hard again.
Hua Qiyue was practicing Heart of Fire and her other lethal skills. She became more frantic as she went on. Finally, came a boom—a silvery stream of energy crept out from her body. She had reached the lower level of Moon Eclipse!
Hua Qiyue could only feel relentless energy coursing around her body. Her Qi Art was now even more powerful.
Hua Qiyue gave a gentle sigh. Not too bad, she had finally broken into the lower level of Moon Eclipse. Her powers had increased again.
She crouched relaxedly by the edge of the pool, watching the blue sky and white clouds changed, shutting her eyes. It slowly turned into a fair day.
She had not expected herself to enter dreamland the moment she shut her eyes. She slept very soundly. Perhaps it was because the environment here was quieter and the heaven-and-earth primordial energy plentiful. She felt refreshed and rejuvenated in her body.
After she awoke, Hua Qiyue immediately leaped up in shock."How long was I asleep?"
Tianpi replied lazily, "Probably... eight hours?"
Hua Qiyue had a big fright. It must be noon outside. Wouldn't Tianci go crazy if he could not find her? She had entered the Mysterious World with her physical body.
Having no time to explain, Hua Qiyue's body flashed and her mind disappeared to the outside. Her body trailed her mind and disappeared from within the green jade gourd.
Tianpi was stunned, leaning askew on the banyan tree. He gave out a gentle sigh."To her, Tianci's always the most important. There's just a syllable difference between our names. Why the big contrast in attitude?"
The moment Hua Qiyue appeared on the jade couch, she heard Tianci's sobs.
"Mom... boohoo... I want Mom!"
| ← Ch. 180 | Ch. 182 → |