I Got Together with the Goddess [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 68

Like a cat caught by its master after falling into the water.

Under the guidance of the palace attendants, the two arrived at the Purifying Heart Pool. It was a stone surface carved from a grayish-white rocky plateau. The water inside flowed like boiling liquid, forming countless swirling vortices that constantly churned and leaped. On a stone seat beside the salt plateau, three words were engraved: “Purifying Heart Pool.”

The scenery here possessed an ancient and desolate atmosphere, vastly different from other places in the palace.

Ning Yinxi folded her hands in prayer and said, “I pray the late Emperor protects Princess Anxu, helping her clear her mind and wash away her anxieties, so she may achieve clarity.”

Jiang Yiqing followed her lead, folding her hands in devout prayer, though she wondered: How exactly does one know if the heart-purifying process is successful?

“Princess, the water in this pool reflects your heart. Its turbulence and agitation indicate that your mind is ill at ease. When the pool water turns into a mirror of clarity, waves without vortices, then you will have successfully purified your heart.”

“That… sounds quite difficult,” Jiang Yiqing said. If she could control what she thought about, why would she even need to come here?

“Naturally, you are not meant to simply meditate,” Ning Yinxi explained. “The water of the Purifying Heart Pool can help you discard distracting thoughts and pull out the roots of evil. You may enter the pool to bathe; once you succeed, simply call for me. If you haven’t succeeded after one hour, I will come to find you.”

“You’re not staying with me?” Jiang Yiqing asked. It was her first time in the imperial palace, and being unfamiliar with the place, she felt rather uneasy.

“Princess, this Purifying Heart Pool can only accommodate one person at a time. Unless two people’s hearts are completely as one, how could they purify their hearts simultaneously?”

“Alright, thank you for making the trip with me,” Jiang Yiqing said. “Once the hour is up, make sure you remember to come and get me.”

“I will.”

After Ning Yinxi left, the maidservant placed Jiang Yiqing’s change of clothes nearby and departed as well.

Jiang Yiqing nervously removed her robes and put on the bathing suit the maid had left behind—it was quite similar to a modern bikini. Looking at the turbulent, surging water of the Purifying Heart Pool, she found no place to step.

“No way, this isn’t a bath at all. What’s the difference between this and falling into a stormy sea while sailing?” Jiang Yiqing muttered, asking the system: “Nothing bad will happen if I go down like this, right? My swimming skills are mediocre; I’m afraid I’ll drown in there.”

“Buy a swim ring,” the system replied.

Jiang Yiqing nodded. Holding the swim ring, she carefully braced herself against the rocks and entered the water.

The rock bed was incredibly hard and the bottom was slippery. The current was swift, and Jiang Yiqing couldn’t even stand steadily in the water. Fortunately, with the swim ring, she relaxed her lower body and let herself float.

“Can anyone actually stay in this Purifying Heart Pool properly without external help?” Jiang Yiqing asked.

“Most women in this world possess spiritual roots, so their physical constitutions are naturally stronger than yours. Host, this place is rich in spiritual energy. As long as you collect more fragments to refine into elixirs, in due time, you will not be inferior to them.”

Although Jiang Yiqing had bragged to Wanqi Yanjing about how powerful she was and how she wasn’t afraid of her, she was actually quite unsure of herself. As a “cultivation amateur,” how could she compete with Wanqi Yanjing, who had become an immortal at the age of three?

“I understand. How can I grow as quickly as possible?”

“Go check the Princess’s Manor when you have time. The original host was a princess, after all. Even if she had no spiritual root, she likely had some collections.”

“Exactly!” If the system were a person, Jiang Yiqing would have wanted to hug and kiss it. How could it be so smart!

As she thought this, the Purifying Heart Pool finally calmed down a bit. The water temperature was around 40 degrees Celsius. Jiang Yiqing relaxed her body, feeling the change in the current, and suddenly felt that it was actually quite pleasant.

While Jiang Yiqing was dazing out on her swim ring, the pool water finally turned completely still. Suddenly, a streak of golden light shot out from above the pool, faintly shining into the space between Jiang Yiqing’s eyebrows.

Sensing something strange, she opened her eyes just as the golden light submerged into her body.

At the same time, a loud bang suddenly erupted by her ear. Startled, she looked toward the source of the noise and saw that the barrier above her had been torn open, and a woman dressed in black was descending from the sky.

Seeing that face, Jiang Yiqing was like someone caught by a ghost, screaming in terror: “Ah—!”

“Jiang Yiqing, I found you.”

“You still dare to come see me?” Jiang Yiqing felt cowardly inside—after all, her opponent’s combat power was off the charts, a walking “cheat code”—but her mouth remained stubborn: “I told you, didn’t I? If you harass me again, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

“You took my country’s national treasure and thought you could just walk away? Jiang Yiqing, I order you to hand over the Exotic Bone Luminous Jade Pendant immediately.” Wanqi Yanjing’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly already planning how to subdue her.

“I’ll give it back to you!” Jiang Yiqing said. “I didn’t realize that thing was so important. When I get back to the Princess’s Manor and scrape some money together, I’ll return it to you immediately.”

“What nonsense are you talking about,” Wanqi Yanjing said. “Forget it, I’ll take it myself.”

As she spoke, Wanqi Yanjing leapt into the pool. Her movement was like that of a mermaid. Seeing her swimming closer, Jiang Yiqing was struck by a fear that came from nowhere; as much as she wanted to say tough words, she was actually incredibly intimidated.

The difference in strength was obvious. If she hadn’t sneak-attacked Wanqi Yanjing, and if the other woman hadn’t been taking her seriously and failed to put up her guard, she never would have been able to escape from the Qin Kingdom’s palace.

“System, what are the chances of me beating her now? Use all the remaining Star Coins.”

“The remaining amount isn’t quite enough, Host. You need to gather 5,000 Star Coins to have a chance of catching her off guard and sabotaging her.”

“If I had known, I would have made money faster! This Wanqi Yanjing—how did she get here so quickly!”

Seeing her get closer and closer, Jiang Yiqing hurriedly paddled forward, but her clumsy efforts were useless in the current, which had become swift once again.

A playful smile curled on Wanqi Yanjing’s lips, masking her intense anger. She reached Jiang Yiqing’s back and snatched her out of the swim ring. Watching the girl’s hair cling to her ears and back, her face pale and her skin vividly clear—the pure contrast between black and white made Wanqi Yanjing’s heart stir again.

Jiang Yiqing kept her eyes closed, trembling all over like a cat caught by its master after falling into the water. She looked pitiful enough, but Wanqi Yanjing would not be deceived by such a pitiful facade a second time.

“I’ll pay you back…” Jiang Yiqing stammered. “I’ll return your things exactly as they were. Let’s… let’s just call it even from now on, okay?”

“Then return it now,” Wanqi Yanjing said.

“…I need some time.” If she had known, she would have harvested some fragments in the Imperial Garden earlier, though whether she could have gathered enough for the Flying Carriage was hard to say.

“Are you playing with me?” Wanqi Yanjing reached out and began searching her body.

“I don’t have anything on me! Don’t touch me!” Jiang Yiqing felt she was being molested and protested strongly.

“How will I know if you’ve hidden it if I don’t look?”

“You… you…” Jiang Yiqing said, unable to hide her shame. “You are going too far.”

“Too far? No one in this life has ever been able to ambush me, and their ends are usually quite miserable.” Wanqi Yanjing indeed found no trace of the Exotic Bone Luminous Jade Pendant on her, assuming it had been placed elsewhere, her face turning cold as ice.

“How could I possibly be some concubine for the rest of my life?!” Jiang Yiqing yelled. “Have you ever considered my feelings? Have you ever treated me like a human being? You forced my hand! I said I’d give the thing back and we’d be even—is that so hard?!”

“In the future, when I crush the three kingdoms and unite the world, if you obey me in everything, why would you worry about not sitting on the throne of the Empress? It’s much better than being a cowardly princess.” Wanqi Yanjing looked at her like a hunter eyeing its prey. “I’ve taken a liking to this cat that only knows how to bite. Your body belongs to me; where else do you think you can go? Do you need me to help you remember how you were conquered by me? Or is it that you, my concubine, turn your back on me after enjoying the pleasure?”

“It was just a fleeting moment of indulgence—you actually took it seriously? If you force me to go back with you, I will ambush you again one day, I might even destroy you!” Jiang Yiqing shouted, throwing caution to the wind.

“You can try.” Wanqi Yanjing ambiguously traced that arrogant and gorgeous face, pinching Jiang Yiqing’s chin to force a soft expression out of her. Her angry eyes only added a unique charm. “Let me tell you, from now on, you only need to lie in the Hall of Delicate Orchids and wait for my favor. This mouth of yours only needs to let out melodious groans’ day and night. If you can’t learn that, my concubine, I will teach you—thoroughly.”

She reached out, preparing to touch Jiang Yiqing’s lips. Aside from the “art style” matching up, Jiang Yiqing realized things were completely different from before. How had she provoked such a lunatic? Please, Heavens, stop joking with her!

Jiang Yiqing grabbed her hand and gave a dry laugh. “Calm down, think about it carefully. I didn’t really do anything wrong. I just want to return to my previous life. This world is vast; what can’t you get, Empress? You should broaden your horizons—don’t hang yourself on just one tree.”

“Hang myself? I think the one who’s going to be half-dead soon is you.” Wanqi Yanjing’s eyes reddened slightly. She pulled Jiang Yiqing into her waist and whispered, “My concubine has skin of ice and bones of jade; I’ve had a taste and can’t forget it. It’s only been a few days, and I can’t endure it for another moment. Why don’t I favor you right here in this Purifying Heart Pool of the Zhai Kingdom?”

Jiang Yiqing turned red from head to toe at her words. She cursed, “Did you crawl out of some R-rated novel? Can you be normal for a second? Sister, I’m begging you.”

“No matter. The louder you scream, the more excited I get.” Wanqi Yanjing leaned down and pressed her against the pool wall, looking at her. “But you will never have another chance to run away from me.”

“It’s the effect of the Exotic Bone Luminous Jade Pendant! It’s all your delusion! You and I are just passing acquaintances—how did we get so entangled?! If this continues, you will surely be harmed by it! Your Majesty, why can’t you see through all this with a clear mind?”

“…These lips are so sweet.” Wanqi Yanjing leaned forward and pressed a deep kiss onto Jiang Yiqing’s pink lips.

It’s over, Jiang Yiqing thought. She couldn’t reason with her at all; it seemed she had to use force!

Just as she thought this, the streak of golden light that had previously entered her body suddenly burst from between her eyebrows. Like a golden needle, it flew out directly toward the center of Wanqi Yanjing’s brow, striking her and forcing her to release Jiang Yiqing. She stumbled back repeatedly until she hit the wall on the other side of the pool.

A drop of fresh blood fell from the center of her brow, dropping into the Purifying Heart Pool and spreading outward.