On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 24

Beside the waterside pavilion, Xie Xuanzhao personally helped Liu Qinglan roll up her sleeves, then squatted with her by the water to wash their hands.

Liu Qinglan cupped a handful of clear water and washed the dirt off her face. After washing, she habitually shook her head, like a small mountain creature frolicking by the water.

Xie Xuanzhao turned to look at her with a gentle smile. A playful thought suddenly occurred to her, and she ran her fingers across the water, raising a string of droplets that scattered over the surface, with some falling onto Liu Qinglan’s hair.

The water shimmered, reflecting the setting sun, golden like fish scales. A few pure white swans occasionally glided through the swaying reeds, stretching their long necks to call out, or gracefully bending to drink, forming a beautiful, gentle arc.

Liu Qinglan turned back to look at the beautiful Empress beside her, and in this exquisite twilight scenery, she saw Her smiling face bright, elegant, with phoenix eyes gleaming so beautiful that the little demoness Liu forgot what day it was.

Liu Qinglan grew up in the mountains and forests and had seen many beautiful animals, but never such a beautiful human. Xie Xuanzhao’s vivid face was close at hand, radiating a gentle smile, and a faint, natural fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose. A gentle breeze blew, lifting Xie Xuanzhao’s long, flowing hair to brush against Liu Qinglan’s face.

In that instant, Liu Qinglan felt as if the gentle strands of hair had also brushed her heart, which then began to beat strongly.

She pressed her hand against her chest, her round eyes slightly wide, and stiffly turned her head away, staring at the vast water ahead, unsure what was happening to her.

It was just that her heart was beating so fast, and her mind was filled with the image of the beautiful Empress’s hair flying in the air moments ago.

It must be that the spiritual energy is too abundant, and I rubbed against her too fiercely just now. Hmm!

Xie Xuanzhao couldn’t help but laugh at her silly, dazed look, and used her finger again to flick up a string of water droplets to splash her.

Liu Qinglan couldn’t resist looking at her again, only to see the Empress, who was usually lofty, cold, and aloof, smiling like a girl next door. She had completely shed the constraints of her status at this moment, the two of them were equal, with no hierarchy. Xie Xuanzhao narrowed her eyes in a smile, rarely revealing such playfulness.

Liu Qinglan felt her little heart was about to pound out of her chest. Meow-meow, what is going on?!

She was completely unaware that she had unknowingly provoked Xie Xuanzhao in this way countless times before. The complex and restless feeling she was experiencing now was exactly what Xie Xuanzhao had gone through many times.

Xie Xuanzhao touched her hand, “Qinglan, what’s wrong?”

Liu Qinglan’s face was flushed. She waved her hand at her, “N-nothing…”

It’s just that my tail is trying to come out again!

The restless urge of her tail this time was different from the previous feeling of wanting to pop out when startled.

Liu Qinglan’s face was beet red, and she thought miserably: Spring is not here!!!

Her arrogant and agitated tail didn’t care about her and insisted on emerging. Liu Qinglan quickly stared at the water, not daring to look at the beautiful Empress’s face again.

Xie Xuanzhao looked at her nervous and shy little expression, thinking, Why is she still so shy? At this rate, we won’t make any progress. Since she was too shy, Xie Xuanzhao realized she would have to take the initiative to guide her.

Thinking this, Xie Xuanzhao slowly reached out, intending to give her courage through physical contact.

The moment her hand touched Liu Qinglan’s sleeve, the latter splashed, plop! She jumped straight into the lake.

Xie Xuanzhao: “…”

The twilight lake water still held the residual warmth of the day. Liu Qinglan bubbled and soaked in the water. Only after the cool water washed away the heat from her face did she resurface. Her palace dress clung to her body underwater, and the tail that had just begun to sprout whoosh shrank back in.

Because there were few animals that had achieved enlightenment in the mountains and forests, and because the Feifei (her species) was very selective about partners, Liu Qinglan had lived alone for several hundred years. Later, when she reached a certain age, there were always a few restless days whenever spring arrived. At first, Liu Qinglan would lock herself in her grass nest to meditate. When she really couldn’t bear it, she would come out and howl at the moon like a wolf.

Later, she met a book spirit who had traveled in the human world. The book spirit told her that humans experience the same thing, and when they don’t have a partner, their solution is to take a cold shower. Cough, cough, of course, there are also self-reliant methods, but the book spirit did not tell Liu Qinglan about those.

So, in the spring, Liu Qinglan would hide under a waterfall to cultivate. Under the shower of cool spring water, she gradually became pure and desire-free.

Now that Liu Qinglan was entirely submerged in the water, after calming down, she deeply realized a problem: It’s not just spring when I go into heat.

Xie Xuanzhao leaned forward, looking at the little favored concubine bobbing in the lake, “Is the water cool enough?”

Her face held a mischievous smile she simply couldn’t resist teasing Liu Qinglan.

Since her tail had retracted, Liu Qinglan regained her confidence. Her dark, round eyes darted around, and she cupped a handful of water with both hands. Imitating what Xie Xuanzhao had done just now, she tossed a string of droplets toward the shore and said playfully, “Come on, let’s cool off together~”

Xie Xuanzhao was splashed in the face, and the front of her collar was also wet. She simply sat on the wooden deck and began to take off her shoes and socks. “You wait.”

Her phoenix shoes were set aside, and her snow white socks were removed, revealing a pair of perfectly curved, snow white feet. Her slender ankles seemed frosted with snow, delicate and fair.

Liu Qinglan’s cat-like eyes were glued to them, so much so that she only reacted when the Empress approached the water.

“Ah, ah, ah…” Liu Qinglan quickly dodged sideways, but was still showered with a handful of water.

A curtain of water splashed up between the two of them, the droplets falling like broken pearls. Through the water curtain, Liu Qinglan saw the beautiful Empress smiling charmingly, and her heart tingled. She, too, began to splash up a string of water droplets towards her.

So, the two of them began to frolic in the lake like children. Liu Qinglan was used to being carefree in the mountains and forests and loved to be close to nature. In this tranquil body of water, with the reeds swaying, swans drinking, the twilight setting, and a beautiful person by her side, Liu Qinglan happily released her nature, paddling the water with her paws, swimming happily with splashes.

Xie Xuanzhao, on the other hand, came from a general’s family. She grew up riding small horses in the hunting grounds with her father and brothers, and was good at climbing trees and catching fish, until she was confined to the women’s quarters to await marriage after the age of ten. Under her family’s arrangement, she married into the Eastern Palace, and the memories of her childhood’s unrestrained play gradually faded away. At this moment, she felt like she had returned to her childhood, free from the worries of her status, allowing herself to enjoy the moment.

It was because they were unconsciously drawn to each other that they played together so harmoniously. Neither of them had expected that a simple hand washing trip would turn into this.

The moon hung over the willow branch, and night gradually fell. The two who had indulged their inner child finally finished playing and returned to the shore.

Xie Xuanzhao had removed her outer robe beforehand, wearing only an inner garment. The moment she emerged from the water, the thin, soaked shirt clung to her body, fully revealing her graceful figure slender waist, full bosom, and an aura of fatal seduction.

Liu Qinglan lay soaking wet on the wooden deck, which was covered in water. Her eyes were wide as she watched the “water lily emerging from the water,” and her breathing slowly grew ragged.

The accursed tail is restless again!

Xie Xuanzhao seemed completely unaware. She sat lazily on the deck, in no hurry to put on her outer robe, choosing instead to admire the deep blue, approaching night sky.

A night breeze swept in, bringing a hint of coolness. Xie Xuanzhao narrowed her phoenix eyes and looked at Liu Qinglan, who was lying on the wooden deck beside her. “I had a lot of fun today.”

Liu Qinglan stared at her snow white neck, wet chest, slender waist, and long, spread-out legs. She was so mesmerized that she forgot all about rubbing for spiritual energy.

A wave of despair washed over Liu Qinglan: Why is my spring coming early?!

She felt that if this continued, she would probably pounce on her like a hungry wolf and start nibbling! Meow-woo~

Based on the powerful willpower that helped her endure countless springs, the little demoness Liu quickly got up and picked up the phoenix outer robe that Xie Xuanzhao had set on the ground.

Under the beautiful Empress’s puzzled gaze, the little demoness Liu ran over slavishly, presenting the robe with both hands, “Please, Empress Sister, put on your clothes!”

Xie Xuanzhao’s heart warmed slightly. The little beauty is too considerate!

She looked down at the petite Liu Qinglan. Soaked from head to toe, she looked like a drowned kitten, seeming to have shrunk in size, truly a sight that evoked pity and a desire to hold her in one’s palm and cherish her. With compassion, Xie Xuanzhao draped the robe over her. “You wear it. Later, Yan Mo will bring clean clothes. You change first before going back.”

As the phoenix robe landed on her, Liu Qinglan felt the spiritual energy lingering on it. Yes, this is the beautiful Empress’s personal clothing, much better than the fan I stole before.

If it were peacetime, Liu Qinglan would secretly rejoice, drag the robe home, lock the door, and slowly rub against it herself.

But now…

Liu Qinglan secretly glanced at the beautiful Empress next to her, who was thoroughly soaked. She was sitting there, radiating a fatal temptation, right beside her too dangerous!

She felt an itch in her nose and quickly lowered her head again, not daring to look, her heart pounding like a drum, desperately trying to press her restless tail back down.

Xie Xuanzhao watched her lower her head as if extremely shy, like a bashful water lily, prompting her to lean closer, “Do you want… me to take off this set on me, too, and give it to you…”

Her breath was like orchids, like a seductive fox wagging a fiery red tail, teasing her mercilessly.

Liu Qinglan felt her little heart truly about to leap out of her chest at that moment. The beautiful Empress… said… what…

The thin shirt clinging tightly to her body, for me?!

An instant before her nose started bleeding, the little demoness Liu knelt down with a plop and tearfully pleaded, “Please, Empress Sister, put on your clothes! Absolutely! Positively! Must!”