On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 35

The ancient legend tells of Kuafu chasing the sun, when he abandoned his walking stick, it transformed into a peach forest stretching for thousands of miles.

This legend is recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and Liu Qinglan naturally knew the twists and turns behind it.

The first peach blossom to bloom in this forest found its opportunity, ascended to godhood, and took charge of the Register of Emotional Entanglements for the world. But in this world, besides humans, there are also demons, spirits, and monsters. Humans have seven emotions and six desires, there is no reason why these supernatural beings wouldn’t have them too.

The Peach Blossom Deity was gentle and kind by nature. Having witnessed the suffering of sentient beings, she was moved by compassion and decided to act as a matchmaker for these “monsters and ghosts” to reduce the number of tragedies and regrets.

This drew the ire of the other gods, yet the Peach Blossom Deity persisted. It wasn’t until the great war between gods and demons, where the barriers between realms were shattered that emotional fates became entangled, and cross-species romances began to appear.

Eventually, the Peach Blossom Deity fell from grace of her own accord, ceasing to be a god. In the spirit realm, a Peach Blossom Demon appeared, holding the Register of Fate.

An Unexpected Realization

Liu Qinglan had only just remembered this history after hearing the black mist’s purpose. Previously, because the Peach Blossom Demon only had a partial form, Liu Qinglan assumed her cultivation was shallow and even wanted to be her “boss.” Now, it seemed this ancient peach blossom had lived for tens of thousands of years, calling her “Great-Grandmother” wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.

Meow-wu! Liu Qinglan cried out internally. It turns out I’ve had such a powerful boss right by my side!

The Peach Blossom Demon opened her eyes, looking at the Infant Spirit Energy standing obediently before her. She was actually a bit startled young as it was, it was already trying to imitate adults by seeking a fated bond.

The “Sister” (the human girl) couldn’t hear their voices. She only saw the black mist stop before the peach tree. She gripped her short sword warily, her eyes cold as ice as she surveyed the surroundings. She thought to herself: If this black mist has companions that swarm me, I might end up a corpse in the wilderness tonight. But even if I die, I must drag this mist down with me to keep me company in the underworld.

While she was lost in these grim thoughts, the Infant Spirit was jubilant: “Did you hear that? She wants to die on the same day as me and be companions in the underworld! Doesn’t that mean she likes me?”

Peach Blossom Demon & Liu Qinglan: “…”

The Infant Spirit continued proudly, “I knew she liked me long ago. She sneaks in to watch me every night, hiding on the rafters and talking to me in her heart. I know everything, it’s just a pity she can’t hear me when I speak.”

“Um… there might be a misunderstanding here,” the Peach Blossom Demon tried to break the black mist’s delusion.

But the mist continued in its innocent, childlike voice: “You know, she’s always praising me! No one has ever praised me before, they all think I’m unlucky and filthy. Only she… is willing to chat with me.”

The Peach Blossom Demon looked at the Infant Spirit, who was deeply entangled in unrequited love, and couldn’t bear to tell her: Honey, this human just has a very busy inner monologue ,she isn’t talking to you!

The “Praises”

The Sister watched the black mist as it began to hop around. She sensed it was happy, and her hand which was about to draw her sword, paused. She decided to see what it would do next.

“The other night I saw her come again,” the Infant Spirit said. “I got excited and couldn’t help showing myself. She was so shy that she turned and ran, making me chase her for a long time. But on the way, she kept calling me smart! Hehe~”

The Peach Blossom Demon coughed softly. “What did she call you, exactly?”

“Lots of things! Like ‘insidious and cunning,’ ‘scheming,’ ‘deeply calculating,’ and ‘ghostly and clever’ (gui ling jing guai)… I especially like that last one!”

Liu Qinglan, crouching nearby, flicked her tail. Are you… are you sure those are compliments?! That last one was definitely the girl using the wrong idiom because she didn’t study hard enough!

“It’s just that there’s a cat demon there who is so annoying,” the Infant Spirit added gloomily. “I know she doesn’t like that cat, so I wanted to help her, but… sigh, I can’t beat that cat.”

Liu Qinglan raised her paw. This is an evil-warding paw! Of course you can’t beat me! But then she paused. The girl didn’t like her? Liu Qinglan flicked her tail unhappily, it seemed that was indeed the case.

The Transformation

“I cannot bind your fates yet,” the Peach Blossom Demon said. “I don’t know her heart, and I cannot act on your words alone.” She saw only hostility coming from the girl. However, seeing that the Infant Spirit wasn’t malicious, she decided to help.

“That’s why I brought her here!” the Infant Spirit said, before lunging toward the girl.

Shing! The sword was unsheathed, cold light flashing. The black mist swirled around the blade, playing happily, thinking the girl was “frolicking” with it.

The Peach Blossom Demon asked, “Why do you like this human girl?”

“Because she liked me first! She always sneaks around to find me!” Moreover, the spirit sensed a familiar aura in the girl, one formed in darkness: lonely, aloof, unable to live in the sunlight, only moving at night.

“How about this,” the Peach Blossom Demon suggested. “Revert to your original form, restrain your evil energy, and see if she will pick you up and take you home. Spend some time together. But remember, you must not harm anyone.”

The Infant Spirit crumpled into a ball. “I’ve wanted to, but I can’t.”

Liu Qinglan opened her cat eyes wide and finally saw an incantation seal in the center of the mist. It was the one Lin Yulang had placed there to restrain it.

“That’s easy to fix,” the Peach Blossom Demon said. With the spirit’s consent, she exhaled a breath that melted the seal away.

Whoosh! The black mist vanished.

The Sister sheathed her sword and walked toward a sound. She leaned down and picked up… a black egg. It was pitch black and hard as iron. She wondered if a black hen had laid it, or if the mist was hiding inside. She tried to crack it against a stone, but it didn’t budge. Instead, a crying face appeared on the shell.

Terrified, the girl threw it into the spring. The egg didn’t sink, it floated and showed a smiling face. The girl turned and bolted, this was too creepy! The black egg wouldn’t be left behind and went hopping after her.

Caught by the Empress

Liu Qinglan laughed until she rolled on the peach branch. The Infant Spirit’s true form was an egg! After the pair vanished, she turned to the Peach Blossom Demon.

“I won’t ask you to call me ‘boss’ anymore,” Liu Qinglan said sheepishly.

The Peach Blossom Demon’s eyes turned flirtatious. “Then will you call me ‘boss’?”

“I can’t,” Liu Qinglan refused immediately. The Beautiful Empress had told her she could only have one boss.

“I know what you’re thinking,” the Peach Blossom Demon smirked. “You want to bond with the Empress. But you must bring her here. I can only help if both hearts are in sync.”

“That’s easy! I’ll bring her when I have a chance,” Liu Qinglan planned.

As she sneaked back toward the palace, she realized the guards had increased. She crept along the corridor in her cat form. Suddenly, the Empress appeared, walking back from the banquet, holding the hand of a small, jade-carved boy.

Liu Qinglan dazed out, staring at the Empress’s beauty.

“Little kitty!” the boy shouted.

Oops! Caught. Liu Qinglan’s reaction was a second too slow. Before she could bolt, her snowy-white tail was grabbed, by none other than the Empress herself!

The Empress, Xie Xuanzhao, recognized this strange cat. She picked it up, stroking its fur. “So cute,” she murmured, unable to put it down. The little prince waited expectantly, hoping the Empress had caught it for him, but Xie Xuanzhao finding the cat unexpectedly cuddly, simply ignored his longing gaze and kept the “snowball” for herself.

Liu Qinglan was initially despondent, but as she felt the Empress’s fingers through her fur and the abundant spiritual energy emanating from her, she realized: Wait, I’ve accidentally fulfilled my wish of being cuddled by the Empress!

She hooked her claws into the Empress’s sleeve and began to enjoy the ride.

Back in the sleeping quarters, the maid Yan Mo asked, “Your Majesty, do you intend to keep this wild cat…?”

“It doesn’t look wild, someone must have raised it. It’s dangerous in the mountains, so it will stay in my room. I’ll sleep with it tonight,” Xie Xuanzhao said casually.

Liu Qinglan’s cat body shuddered. S-sleeping together?!