On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 51

The two were flirting and playing by the stream when suddenly, a righteous voice rang out from the opposite bank: “In broad daylight, I never expected an evil demon to be harming a human! I shall seal you away right now!”

Xie Xuanzhao quickly pulled Liu Qinglan into her arms, flicked her sleeve, and caught the long whip resting by the stone into her palm.

“Wait a moment.”

She looked toward the sound, but when she saw the opponent’s appearance, she froze and stopped her movements.

While Liu Qinglan was annoyed that she hadn’t finished making her “mark,” she timidly poked her head out from under the beautiful Empress’s arm to see who was so lacking in situational awareness.

Hovering above the stream was a book. Under the glow of the sunset, it shimmered as if plated in gold.

Liu Qinglan swallowed hard, immediately transformed into her original form (a feline-like creature), and leaped out from the Empress’s arms.

She pounced toward the book, enthusiastically pinning it to the grass with a paw, and then rolled around. “Master, it’s me! Little Liu!”

Xie Xuanzhao lowered her whip and looked at the book in surprise. So, this was… a book spirit?!

The bleary eyed book spirit finally recognized her; it was indeed the Fei Fei (a mythical leopard-like creature) he had taught for a period of time.

He had used too much force just now, and after being pinned to the grass by Liu Qinglan’s paw, he felt as if his old bones were falling apart.

Liu Qinglan poked her head over and gently tapped it with her paw. “Why aren’t you talking?”

“Hmph,” the book spirit grunted faintly, sounding very old and experienced.

Xie Xuanzhao tidied her appearance, wrapped the whip around her waist, and walked over.

The book lying on the grass was now completely closed, face up. The title on the cover read: Tao Te Ching.

Since this book was written by Laozi, the patriarch of Taoism, it was also known as The Laozi.

Xie Xuanzhao began to feel a sense of respect. This was a serious, orthodox book, it wasn’t a bad thing for Little Liu to have such a proper master.

However, she figured Little Liu probably hadn’t studied well. It was a blessing she hadn’t mastered it, though, otherwise, she might be facing a pedantic old scholar “Liu the Cat” right now.

Seeing that the book remained still, Xie Xuanzhao couldn’t help but ask, “Qinglan, is your master injured?”

“I don’t know! Why don’t you pick it up and check, Beautiful Sister?” Liu Qinglan subconsciously changed “Empress Sister” to “Beautiful Sister” because she didn’t want to expose Xie Xuanzhao’s identity as the Empress.

Xie Xuanzhao leaned down and picked up the book.

The book spirit felt itself being lifted by a pair of slender, delicate hands, warmed by the temperature of a beauty’s palm. Its “old face” turned red, and it immediately floated up again, hovering before them.

Liu Qinglan rolled on the grass, transformed back into human form, and stood beside Xie Xuanzhao, looking at the floating book.

“He’s the master who taught me how to draw talismans for protection.”

Xie Xuanzhao was puzzled. “Talismans?”

“The kind where you inject spiritual power to achieve different effects depending on what you draw. Like last time, I used a ‘Peach Blossom Beauty Talisman’ and became pretty~” Liu Qinglan explained patiently.

Xie Xuanzhao quickly understood and thought to herself: You have the nerve to mention that Peach Blossom makeup incident? It’s clear your skills are lacking, you managed to turn a beauty talisman into “morning-after” makeup…

Liu Qinglan coughed lowly. She was remembering the first time she met the Empress when she accidentally used a “Deep Affection” talisman instead of a “Gentle and Kind” one on the Ruyi scepter.

She scratched her ear. “Okay, I admit I didn’t study talisman drawing properly!” But if she hadn’t drawn the wrong talisman and made the Beautiful Empress misunderstand her feelings, they wouldn’t have this wonderful bond now. Thinking this, Liu Qinglan proudly wagged her little tail.

“Little Liu, you haven’t introduced this human woman beside you. Why were you pressing down on her just now?” The neglected book spirit finally spoke up, suspecting that if he didn’t make a sound, these two would truly forget him.

Indeed, a book has very little “presence.” Moreover, young people nowadays don’t like reading the Tao Te Ching.

Liu Qinglan snapped back to attention and hurriedly said, “She is my woman.”

Although she hadn’t successfully left a mark just now, they had already registered with the Peach Blossom Demon and tied their heartstrings together, so saying this was perfectly fine.

The floating book suddenly went still. The pages that had been rustling in the autumn wind stopped moving.

Morals are declining! To think there are even “wife and wife” couples now!

Xie Xuanzhao couldn’t hide her smile. She hooked her hand into the little beauty’s and said, “She is also my woman.”

The book spirit, having taken ten thousand points of critical damage, wobbled in the air. After barely accepting this reality, he looked at Liu Qinglan. “You still haven’t introduced your Master to her.”

Liu Qinglan turned back to her Beautiful Empress. “He is my master, a book spirit.”

The book spirit really wanted to fly over and smack his stupid disciple on the head. Duh! Does that even need an introduction?!

Xie Xuanzhao curled her fingers to her lips and coughed. “I can already see that.”

Liu Qinglan was confused. “See? Then Master, why did you want me to introduce you?”

“I think I understand what he means.” Xie Xuanzhao patted Liu Qinglan’s head, stepped forward, and reached out. “Greetings, Qinglan’s Master. My name is Xie Xuanzhao. How should I address you?”

The book spirit finally calmed down. He took a serious look at the clever beauty in front of him and thought that Little Liu finding her wasn’t bad, 000they complemented each other well.

“You can call me Huaidan. That is my name,” the book spirit said in a gentle tone.

Xie Xuanzhao couldn’t help but ask, “Your voice sounds very young, not like an elder.”

Huaidan chuckled. “You are indeed a clever one. I am indeed young, so there’s no need to be so formal. I am actually younger than you.”

Liu Qinglan watched from the side, squinting at her master.

Huaidan felt he was being doubted. He gave a shake, grew a pair of legs, and landed on the ground. Once the white light faded, a handsome, elegant young man stood before them.

Xie Xuanzhao finally believed it, this was indeed a “young” book.

“Beautiful Sister, don’t let my master fool you. He’s lived for thousands of years, he’s an old bag of bones.” Liu Qinglan despised how this book spirit always used this refined, youthful appearance to go around deceiving innocent girls.

Huaidan pulled a folding fan from his sleeve, looking very much like a literary talent. He said composedly, “I have mastered the art of maintaining my youth.”

Xie Xuanzhao: “…”

After showing off, Huaidan finally remembered his business. His expression turned serious. “I returned to Mount Huo this time to gather medicinal herbs. An evil spirit has appeared in nearby Qingfeng Town, spreading a plague that has killed many. The local magistrate didn’t dare report it to the imperial court and handled it privately by burying countless citizens alive. I must hurry back. I’ll save as many as I can. Little Liu, your cultivation is still shallow. Besides your own training, you must do good deeds to help your power grow. Since we’ve met here, why don’t you come with me to take a look?”

Liu Qinglan had been taken into the palace as soon as she descended the mountain, and she had been busy soaking up the Beautiful Empress’s spiritual energy. In that confined space, it was hard to do good deeds. Hearing this, she was moved and looked at Xie Xuanzhao for her opinion.

Xie Xuanzhao’s expression became grave upon hearing this. This involved the court, she could not ignore it.

The Qingfeng Magistrate dared to hide such information, she wondered who gave him such audacity. And the Inspector responsible for overseeing the region hadn’t investigated either, there had to be a massive conspiracy behind this.

Xie Xuanzhao pondered and said, “To think such a wicked thing is happening. I will go with you. I know a few officials in the court; I will write a letter to them, and the authorities should send someone to investigate. For now, let’s go to Qingfeng Town and check the situation.” She looked at Liu Qinglan. “And you can follow your master to gain some experience and increase your cultivation.”

Seeing her agree to go, Liu Qinglan nodded quickly. “Okay! Beautiful Sister is the best!”

Xie Xuanzhao couldn’t help but smile as she rubbed the girl’s hair. The best just for this? You are too easy to please.

Huaidan returned to the stream bank and found his herb basket, which was already filled with herbs gathered from Mount Huo.

“The herbs near Qingfeng Town were all snatched up, so I had no choice but to come to Mount Huo. Let’s head back now.”

Xie Xuanzhao led her well-fed horse from under the tree and looked at Liu Qinglan. “You can summon animals in these mountains. Do you know any birds in the sky? I want to send a letter ahead first.”

Liu Qinglan thought for a moment and finally remembered a “Little Fat Bird.” “Yes, I’ll call her over and have her deliver the message.”

Xie Xuanzhao unfastened a charm hanging from her waist. It had a red tassel and a bronze sheath. Inside was a tiny brush and a tube of ink. This exquisite miniature stationery set was a gift from her brother, made by master craftsmen. Xie Xuanzhao loved it and had worn it in place of a jade pendant ever since.

As for the paper, they had a “book spirit” right there, so the problem was easily solved.

Xie Xuanzhao wrote down her whereabouts and the situation in Qingfeng Town. During this time, Liu Qinglan used her demon telepathy to notify the little fat bird in the forest.

A moment later, a mountain bird landed on a branch by the stream.

Xie Xuanzhao rolled up the letter, tucked it into a hollow reed, and looked at the bird. Her eyes instantly lit up.

Perhaps cute people only have cute friends, this mountain bird was chubby and round, with a long, perky tail and two black-bean eyes that were incredibly adorable.

“Is she a little spirit too?” Xie Xuanzhao asked.

Liu Qinglan beckoned the bird over, telling her there was no danger. The bird cautiously flew down and landed on Liu Qinglan’s shoulder.

Xie Xuanzhao looked at the little creature; it was even cuter up close.

Liu Qinglan rubbed its head. “This is a little spirit who just successfully started her cultivation, she’s basically a child. But she is very reliable. Right, A-Yin?”

The bird’s voice was melodic and youthful. “I would never mess up Big Boss Liu’s business.”

Xie Xuanzhao carefully tied the reed containing the letter to the bird’s leg, then stroked its feathers. She looked at Liu Qinglan. “What kind of bird is she?”

“A-Yin is a Silver throated Long tailed Tit.” Liu Qinglan held her in her palm as she and the Empress gently petted her feathers together.

The bird puffed itself up into a round ball, looking like a snowball, with its beautiful long tail sticking out.

“A-Yin, be careful on the road. Just deliver this letter to this person. You mustn’t let it fall into anyone else’s hands,” Liu Qinglan instructed, letting the bird see the image of the Head of the Xie Family.

The bird flapped its wings. “This human man is so handsome, he’ll be easy to recognize. I won’t get it wrong.”

“Good. Go then. You’re so cute, you must stay safe. Don’t let anyone catch you, okay?” Liu Qinglan patted its head and watched it fly away.

On the side, Huaidan, who had been waiting anxiously for the two to finish “petting the bird,” said, “Since everything is settled, let’s leave immediately.”

Xie Xuanzhao saw they only had one horse. Although the two were spirits and could travel a thousand miles on their own, going into a human town like that might cause a panic. She said, “Huaidan, why don’t you turn back into a book and lie in the basket? Then I’ll carry the herb basket and ride to Qingfeng Town.”

Fortunately, before leaving, Xie Xuanzhao had prepared two sets of travel clothing, so riding to the town wouldn’t look out of place, and she wouldn’t have to worry about her identity being discovered.

Liu Qinglan hurriedly asked, “What about me? What about me?”

She knew the horse could carry two people for a short distance, but it would be exhausted on a long journey.

Xie Xuanzhao already had a plan. She put on the herb basket and looked at the little beauty. “You transform back into your original form too. Lie in my arms, and I will hold you the whole way.”

The little Liu-Demon looked at the Empress’s fragrant embrace, her heart racing. This meant she could spend the whole journey shamelessly snuggling and rubbing against the Empress in her arms!

“Then… let’s go!”