CHAPTER 249: CHAPTER 218 WASH IT ONCE

Before the Great Hall of Treasures,

the towering woman trembled as she stepped outside, her serpent-like eyes losing their luster.

In the deserted temple, she seemed to move to the water tank purely by instinct.

With both hands, she scooped up water.

After several trips back and forth, she finally cleaned herself. When the water surface settled, reflecting her distraught face, the woman prince froze momentarily.

The bones of her face still carried traces of heroic strength. Qin Qingluo stared vacantly for ages before silently wiping away the dried tear stains on her cheeks.

She gripped her hair crown tightly, trying to gather the disheveled ponytail back into order. Yet her trembling fingers failed her, and eventually, she gave up.

Her tattered clothing barely managed to conceal her figure as she walked slowly back to the Great Hall of Treasures. Kneeling on the prayer mat, she turned her face miserably to gaze at the scarlet-clad woman on the floor.

Even now, this towering woman still possessed notable strength.

Back then, just one surge of breath within her chest would have sufficed to strangle the other person.

However, the wound on her body might have been just a minor tear, but the one carved into her chest ran much deeper.

Qin Qingluo said nothing, lowering her head in silence as she stiffly stared at the two pools of crimson on the ground.

Husband and wife, both on the same day...

It was like a bone stuck in her throat.

Who knows how much time passed before the scarlet-clad woman slowly came to.

The scarlet-clad woman’s gaze was hazy, a hint of confusion mixed with a touch of infatuation. Experiencing her first intimacy, she looked pitifully delicate.

Her body seemed soft and powerless, and it took considerable effort for her to sit up slowly.

"Why is your hair so messy?"

Zhu E asked reflexively. She had fainted on the ground earlier, and now she propped herself up, crawling over. Using her slender, delicate hands, she gripped the ponytail at the base and root, tenderly undoing the hair crown to help Qin Qingluo comb her hair before securing it with the crown.

The always silent towering woman shuddered faintly, feeling the familial care, her shaky hands trembling uncontrollably.

"Aunt Zhu..."

The woman prince turned her slightly cold gaze, after a long time, and hoarsely spoke:

"... Wash it off."

After finishing Qin Qingluo’s hair, the scarlet-clad woman paused for a moment.

"I can’t... It mustn’t be touched,"

she murmured shyly, her voice tinged with heated fervor:

"That was left by him."

Qin Qingluo’s body stiffened, falling again into silence.

Seeing her reaction, the scarlet-clad woman heaved a soft sigh:

"I know this pains you, Prince... For you to choose not to kill him, that alone is already..."

Zhu E didn’t finish her sentence. She observed Qin Qingluo’s form—over eight feet tall—struggling desperately to suppress the despair surging within.

Between the two of them, an invisible crack seemed to have emerged, even though they remained closely bonded by family.

The scarlet-clad woman only sighed softly and spoke with a gentle voice:

"Let’s... return. Return to the Southern Border. I’m still your aunt, and I still bear the title of the Princess of Annan."

Qin Qingluo lowered her head further, a barely audible acknowledgment escaping her lips.

Zhu E placed an intact outer robe over her, just like she used to, carefully helping her niece pull the sleeves into order.

Before leaving, the scarlet-clad woman picked up the broken Purple Electric Gun.

..................

At the teahouse, Yin Tingxue swung her legs, staring out from the window as she waited. When that familiar figure appeared in her view, she straightened sharply and dashed down the stairs excitedly.

As soon as Chen Yi stepped into the teahouse, he noticed his concubine standing by the entrance, waiting.

"Have you been waiting long?" he asked, patting her head.

Yin Tingxue obediently let him pat her head, but after some thought, she mustered the courage to scold him:

"You... You’ve lost all sense of shame staying there for so long."

After speaking, she glanced at Chen Yi, prepared to admit her fault the moment he showed any sign of anger.

Chen Yi burst into laughter, easily catching on to his clever little fox’s thoughts. He pinched her cheek and teased:

"I wouldn’t bully anyone else, but coming back just to torment you feels right."

Yin Tingxue, hearing that, shrank back slightly in fear. Yet, seeing his good mood, she still ventured another scolding:

"But that’s so improper of you."

Chen Yi chuckled again and ruffled her hair.

The two of them strolled upstairs to the second level of the teahouse. On the staircase, a thought crossed his mind.

Feigning nonchalance, he said:

"Little fox, you’re going to have a little sister soon."

At first, Yin Tingxue dismissed it out of hand before visibly freezing in place.

She turned to face Chen Yi, her lips pursing slightly, and murmured softly:

"How could that be possible..."

Chen Yi grinned, stepping past her and patting her soft, supple back.

"People’s constitutions vary. For some, it might just happen in one go."

The young girl behind him lowered her head, biting her lips unconsciously.

She possessed the Heavenly Ear Technique, so divine intuition made his cryptic words as clear as day.

Could it be... that he was going to have another child?

Lost in thought, images of him holding a baby and grinning like a fool flitted through her mind. She bit her lip harder.

Much later, she finally calmed herself. Catching up with Chen Yi’s pace, her heart buzzed with chaos that refused to take shape or give voice. She dared not speak.

She simply sat cautiously next to Chen Yi, placing herself closer to him than ever before.

Chen Yi turned his eyes slightly, catching every bit of her thoughts with a mere sidelong glance.

Vaguely uncertain, disjointed notions hovered around her.

Chen Yi let out a faint chuckle, but said no more.

After all, they still had so much time ahead of them—long and endless time.

There were no other outsiders on the teahouse’s second floor. As a white-clad female crown caught sight of Chen Yi’s radiant demeanor, the image of the high and mighty towering woman collapsing to her knees flashed through her mind.

And she hated how she hadn’t been there to witness it.

Chen Yi turned to her, as though seeing through her thoughts, and remarked:

"Tch, want me to show you a reenactment when we get back?"

Yin Weiyin shuddered, hurriedly shaking her head in panic.

She lowered her face, but shifted uncomfortably under Chen Yi’s continued gaze. After some time, she mumbled softly:

"She’s suffering even more than I am. Knowing that is enough."

Her thoughts churned endlessly; fearing Chen Yi’s thirst for vengeance, she acted as though her grudges were resolved, shaking her horsetail whisk lightly for effect.

Chen Yi watched her antics and chuckled.

Yin Tingxue saw that Chen Yi wasn’t giving her Sister Weiyin any trouble and felt reassured. Just as she had considered long ago—if Sister Weiyin behaved, anything was possible.

With well-behaved women, Chen Yi was always a bit lenient.

Someone like herself, or even someone like Min Ning.

For no apparent reason, Yin Tingxue began to think of Min Ning. It had been days since she last saw him. She wondered how the young knight was doing.

Thinking of Min Ning led her to thoughts of the Capital City, and thoughts of the Capital City led her to Yintai Temple. She leaned on her palm, lost in thought, without even realizing she had ended up resting against Chen Yi’s waist.

At that moment, Chen Yi turned to Dong Gong Ruoshu and asked:

"Miss Donggong, exactly how deadly is your master’s killing sword?"