CHAPTER 375: CHAPTER 303: MEETING MY PARENTS

Yin Tingxue followed closely behind as she walked out of the bedroom.

In the hall, Chen Yi was seated casually in the main seat, sipping tea as though lost in thought.

Noticing a sound, Chen Yi caught sight of Yin Tingxue out of the corner of his eye as the young girl approached him.

"I’ve successfully reached Foundation Establishment."

Yin Tingxue’s voice was soft.

Chen Yi smiled slightly, put down the tea, and patted her head, saying:

"Very impressive."

He raised his hand to touch her, and Yin Tingxue didn’t shy away; instead, she leaned forward just a little and replied with a quiet "Mm" while pursing her lips.

Her posture suggested she had more to say.

Chen Yi didn’t rush her and waited patiently.

Under the candlelight, Yin Tingxue studied his expression closely. Seeing that he showed no signs of displeasure, she gathered her courage and softly asked:

"Husband... you love me very much, don’t you?"

Chen Yi was slightly puzzled but replied nonetheless: "Of course. I’ve said it several times before."

Yin Tingxue nodded obediently and gently lifted Chen Yi’s hand, pressing her cheek to his palm.

Blushing slightly, she exhaled delicately and said:

"Then, husband... do you also love us?"

She was referring to herself and Yin Weiyin; Chen Yi immediately picked up on it and answered without hesitation: "How could I not?"

Yin Tingxue’s lips curved faintly as she softly murmured:

"Then, husband loves Sister Weiyang too."

Chen Yi froze for a moment, not expecting this to be the issue. He asked:

"Are you here to plead for her?"

Yin Tingxue shook her head, and, noticing his change in expression, she lowered her voice further:

"It’s not exactly pleading...

Sister Weiyang cried. She cried miserably, pitifully so."

Chen Yi frowned slightly.

Yin Tingxue noticed and leaned closer to him. Though her heart trembled in fear, she suppressed it and moved further into his embrace.

Having spent so much time with Chen Yi, she understood: the more he displayed this kind of expression, the more she needed to be submissive. Only then would his heart soften.

"Trying to soften me again?"

Chen Yi didn’t hold back; he wrapped an arm around her.

Yin Tingxue’s face turned scarlet. When his arm encircled her, she stiffened for a brief moment, but eventually leaned into his chest.

After holding her for a while, Chen Yi scratched her chin lightly and asked:

"What else does my little fox have to say?"

Yin Tingxue seized the opportunity and spoke in a meek tone:

"Sister Weiyang is very afraid of you."

"Of course I know she’s afraid of me. I also know... you’re afraid of me too." Chen Yi seemed indifferent to whether women feared him.

"Mm... we’re all afraid of you. But I’ve grown used to it—Sister Weiyang hasn’t yet," Yin Tingxue paused before continuing in a softer voice: "Husband, could you let her get used to it a little more, please?"

When speaking to Chen Yi, she never outrightly said no, instead choosing a moderate approach to persuade him without going against his wishes.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure if her persuasion would work. She might even suffer for it herself. But Sister Weiyang had cried so much and dared not speak out, leaving Yin Tingxue no choice but to face this challenge.

After all... they were all concubines.

The melancholy-prone girl sighed internally, edging even closer to him.

Chen Yi held the little fox for a while longer before finally saying:

"She’s restless. Even though I’ve reached Golden Core, I don’t necessarily need to harvest her Taoist Skill anymore. However, what’s said is said—I won’t take it back."

"I used to be disobedient too, but now I’m very obedient, aren’t I?"

As she said this, Yin Tingxue lowered her gaze.

Chen Yi inhaled deeply and chuckled: "If she were as obedient as you, I wouldn’t mind returning her cultivation to her."

"So, could you give her a chance? Sister Weiyang won’t act like this in front of you anymore."

The princess of Xiang Kingdom vouched for the princess of Jing Kingdom.

Chen Yi flicked her nose and said:

"Don’t make promises you’re not certain about."

"But if I don’t say anything, I’m afraid you won’t give her a chance." Yin Tingxue spoke and leaned even closer.

Her words left Chen Yi in thought.

Give Yin Weiyin one more chance...

Truthfully, he’d given her plenty of chances, countless big and small ones.

But this woman never seemed to understand—either squandering them or making the wrong choices.

To Chen Yi, even though she was now his concubine—half a member of the household, half an outsider—she remained an enigma.

Seeing Chen Yi deep in thought, Yin Tingxue stayed quiet in his arms, patiently softening him with her presence.

After a long while, Chen Yi turned his face toward her, his tone darkly sinister:

"Fine. One more chance. But if she doesn’t cherish it, you’ll be the one to suffer."

Yin Tingxue shrank slightly and muttered:

"She will, she will."

After hearing this, Chen Yi paused for quite some time.

Eventually, his tone unexpectedly softened as he asked:

"Do you feel like eating snow fungus soup?"

Yin Tingxue blinked in confusion.

She wasn’t especially hungry, nor was she craving it, and was about to reply.

Chen Yi left no room for discussion: "You feel like eating it."

With that, he released her. Yin Tingxue watched as he walked toward the kitchen and couldn’t help but giggle softly:

"Oh, I do feel like eating it."

Chen Yi slightly turned his face, his gaze sweeping over her.

Yin Tingxue shrank back and hurriedly said:

"I truly feel like eating it."

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

The female crown wasn’t certain how long she’d lain on this bed.

Chen Yi had harvested her cultivation before, the worst being for ten years.

So, compared to before, this time she felt an even deeper despair.

Genuine, powerless despair.

Yin Weiyin clutched the quilt, bitterness sinking deep into her heart. She found herself unwilling to say or do anything, instead choosing to stay confined to this bedroom day and night, letting him take as much as he liked—take until the end of days.

As the image crossed her mind, the female crown instinctively whimpered but offered no resistance, curling up even tighter.

Footsteps sounded from outside the door.

Yin Weiyin shivered and soon saw him enter, holding two porcelain bowls.

"Get up." His voice reached her ears.

Yin Weiyin didn’t dare delay. She grabbed her outer garments, draped them over herself, sat up, and walked over trembling under his gaze.

She lowered her eyes toward the porcelain bowl, which contained snow fungus soup.

It felt almost like quenching thirst with images of plums; her tongue twitched, recalling the sweetness from that night.

Back then, nothing seemed particularly unusual, but now, upon reflection, Yin Weiyin realized that had been perhaps the best night she’d spent with Chen Yi.

Not only the snow fungus soup—at least that night, Chen Yi had only harvested three days’ worth of her cultivation.

Yin Weiyin pulled out a chair, cautiously sat down, her gaze fleetingly met his before quickly dropping again.

The elder Yin’s demeanor left the younger Yin restless.

Chen Yi stared at Yin Weiyin for a while and then casually remarked:

"Do you have something to say?"

The female crown’s lips parted slightly, visibly hesitant. She seemed like she wanted to speak but didn’t know where to start. Even when she gathered her thoughts, the words lodged themselves in her throat.

Yin Tingxue grew anxious watching from the side, but she dared not interject—doing so would count as cheating.

Chen Yi’s eyes gradually lowered, casually stirring the chilled snow fungus soup.

The coolness of the soup seeped forth, candlelight reflecting off the spoon and onto her, drawing Yin Weiyin’s cautious gaze. She couldn’t look away.

She dared not look at him, only the snow fungus soup, as she muttered:

"I want to eat..."

Chen Yi raised his gaze slightly, saying:

"I’ll feed you."

Yin Weiyin didn’t refuse. Chen Yi pulled his chair closer and brought a spoonful of snow fungus soup to her lips.

As her lips brushed against the soup, she flinched slightly but eventually drank it willingly.

Chen Yi scooped another spoonful.

Yin Weiyin sipped the soup, eventually pressing half the spoon against her soft lips.

Tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

Chen Yi noticed and gently scooped another spoonful, which she slowly consumed.

Spoonful after spoonful, the bowl of snow fungus soup gradually diminished.

Cool sweetness trickled from her tongue to her chest and into her heart. Yin Weiyin wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. Finally, she found the courage to choke out:

"I’ve behaved..."

Chen Yi’s gaze softened slightly but remained wary as he sneered:

"Really behaved? I’ve told you many times, don’t hide things from me."

Yin Weiyin choked back a sob, hesitating as she rasped:

"I didn’t mean to keep things from you, but you... but you..."

Chen Yi was about to question her further when he caught little fox’s pleading glance out of the corner of his eye.

She was silently asking him to wait a moment.

Chen Yi held back for a while, and Yin Weiyin finally said:

"But you don’t like me..."

At these words, Chen Yi became gentler. He pulled her into his arms and whispered:

"It’s not that I don’t like you,

If you don’t hide things from me, I’ll truly like you..."

The female crown bit her lip but couldn’t fully relax; she remained tense, murmuring faintly:

"...Husband."

Chen Yi heard her soft plea and realized that he had always been fond of this fragile version of the princess of Jing Kingdom.

So, he lowered his voice more, saying:

"Speak up. Don’t hide anything from me again."

"Alright..."

Yin Weiyin responded softly, slowly returning to her senses.

At this point, she could only resign herself—there was no other path to take.

With this clarity, Yin Weiyin calmed slightly, slowly adapting to Chen Yi’s embrace.

At that moment, his voice came from beside her:

"Speak. I know you wouldn’t be here without a reason."

Yin Weiyin froze, her words wavering before retreating. She tilted her face away and murmured instinctively:

"...This isn’t about any reason."

Chen Yi smirked derisively:

"Then what is this place?"

Yin Weiyin didn’t know how to respond. For her, this place was practically a den of demons, yet she, the Taichua Goddess, had to often offer herself as sustenance to the demon, bowing before him.

Though these thoughts filled her mind, she didn’t dare utter them. And for now, she was at a loss for words.

Just then, Yin Tingxue whispered:

"Home."

Yin Weiyin’s eyes lit up, as though grabbing hold of a lifeline:

"...Mm, home... it’s home."

Copying again.

Yin Tingxue shook her silver fungus soup; though she’d saved Sister Weiyang for a moment, seeing her like this left the little fox displeased.

How could Sister Weiyang still be so sluggish after so much help?

She didn’t voice her frustrations though, instead shaking the soup faster.

Perhaps, unconsciously, Yin Tingxue had noticed that when Yin Weiyin was present, she didn’t fear Chen Yi as much.

Because at such moments, Chen Yi’s desires were focused on the female crown instead of her. Under these circumstances, he seemed gentler, almost motherly.

Yin Tingxue always feared Chen Yi’s desires spilling onto her.

She could handle him as her husband, but not as her father figure—the distinction was very clear to her.

Watching Yin Weiyin narrowly avoid catastrophe with the little fox’s help, Chen Yi finally softened, caressing her hair gently:

"It’s good that you know this place is home. At least it’s not for nothing that you call me husband."

"..."

Yin Weiyin tilted her head, contemplating for a long while before suddenly saying:

"Then husband... will you meet my parents?"

Chen Yi’s hand froze.

So this was... Yin Weiyin’s reason for coming today.