On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 6

Liu Qinglan stuck out her small, feline tongue and licked a piece of pink peach blossom petal. The taste was sweet and refreshing.

“Hmph, why are you eating me?” A charming female voice drifted lazily from behind the deep green peach leaves, carrying a hint of petulance.

Liu Qinglan used her paw to brush aside the green leaves and saw a Peach Blossom Spirit perched on a branch, hiding behind a small, green peach.

This was a bewitching and flirtatious sprite. Due to the nature of the peach blossom itself, her eyes were soft with emotion, her cheeks were rosy white, and every glance and pout was utterly captivating.

But she only had one face.

This beautiful face floated in the center of the peach blossoms, lacking a human body.

It was Liu Qinglan’s first time encountering a half-demon. She couldn’t help but move closer, using her snowy, fluffy paw to poke at a petal fluttering in the wind. “You’ve only cultivated halfway, haven’t you?”

The Peach Blossom Spirit blinked her long, slanted eyes. She didn’t answer the question but instead asked, “Are you new here?”

Her expression was haughty and wary, like a queen guarding her domain.

Liu Qinglan grunted softly, then vigilantly looked around. After confirming no one was near, she shook herself and transformed into her human form.

To stand steadily on the peach branch, she deliberately shrank her size, hiding under the green leaves a tiny little person.

“Niangniang, the wind is picking up, let’s go inside,” Yan Mo draped a cloak over Xie Xuanzhao’s shoulders, simultaneously glancing toward the spot she had been staring at.

That area was in the direction of the Imperial Kitchen. Her gaze only landed on a single peach tree with lush branches and leaves.

Xie Xuanzhao raised a finger, “Yan Mo, go fetch…” She suddenly paused. In that brief moment, the snowy white cat had disappeared.

“Niangniang, what is it?”

“Never mind, let’s go back.” Xie Xuanzhao felt a little unfinished but had to give up.

Liu Qinglan smugly lifted her chin, looking at the Peach Blossom Spirit who only had a human face in front of her. “My cultivation is higher than yours, you should call me ‘Elder Sister’!”

When she transformed into her small appearance, her palace dress also shrank, making her look like a doll.

A hint of amusement surfaced in the Peach Blossom Spirit’s eyes. She watched Liu Qinglan swaggering back and forth in her territory with an air of indulgence.

Liu Qinglan stepped onto the peach branch, which was now wide relative to her size, propped her chin in her hands, and assumed a mature look. “The thousand-year-old White Snake used to take the five hundred year old Green Snake as a sister, calling each other sisters. Little Peach Blossom Spirit, if you follow me and recognize me as your sister, I’ll definitely protect you in the future. You can walk sideways through this whole palace!”

As the very first peach blossom to bloom on a peach tree that had lived for tens of thousands of years meaning she herself had actually lived for tens of thousands of years, the ancient Peach Blossom Spirit was both amused and exasperated. She figured this little Feifei hadn’t even been conceived when she was already floating free across the world.

The Peach Blossom Spirit didn’t want to expose her ancient identity and said with a smile, “Alright, Little Elder Sister.”

Liu Qinglan was delighted with her new little follower. She sat on the peach branch, legs dangling, swinging them as she began to give orders: “Since you call me Elder Sister, you have to show some appreciation. I want to eat Matatabi.”

The Feifei’s tastes were very similar to a cat’s; they loved catnip and Matatabi. Just thinking about the scent made her feel intoxicated.

The Peach Blossom Spirit chuckled awkwardly. So, this was a little foodie who went to such lengths to make her recognize her as a sister just for a bite to eat.

“I can do that.” The Peach Blossom Spirit looked toward the nearby house, her eyes growing tender. “I’ll have Little Taoxi prepare it for you tomorrow.”

Liu Qinglan happily clapped her paws, then couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “What is your relationship with this beautiful cook?”

“I am here to repay a kindness,” the Peach Blossom Spirit’s tone was calm, but beneath that calmness lay an emotion that had surged for tens of thousands of years.

Liu Qinglan hung a strip of cloth detailing the request for Matatabi on the peach branch.

“From now on, whatever you want to eat, just hang a strip of cloth on the branch. She will prepare it when she sees it.” The Peach Blossom Spirit looked at the cloth fluttering in the wind, like a wish ribbon.

“However, I also have one condition,” the Peach Blossom Spirit withdrew her gaze and looked at Liu Qinglan, who had transformed back into her original form and was preparing to leave.

Liu Qinglan wagged her long, white tail. “Go on.”

“Promise me that you will protect her, ensuring her safety in this palace.”

Liu Qinglan froze, just as she saw the beautiful cook, Taoxi, push the door open and step out.

“Alright, I promise you.”

A clean, pink peach blossom petal drifted down gently, landing on Taoxi’s nose, which was dusted with flour.

The Peach Blossom Spirit spoke in a voice only other spirits could hear: “The inner palace is dangerous. She is just a little cook, far from home and without any backing. I truly cannot feel at ease. It’s a pity I cannot transform into a human shape to protect her, so I can only entrust her to you, Little Elder Sister.”

The final three words, “Little Elder Sister,” immediately made Liu Qinglan feel a great sense of responsibility!

She puffed out her cat chest. “I will definitely help you take good care of her!”

“Just protect her in secret,” the Peach Blossom Spirit added worriedly, feeling a pang of sourness in her heart.

It was the sourness of jealousy.

Liu Qinglan was completely oblivious. Wagging her tail, she jumped down from the branch, chewed on some grass in the nearby garden, and then headed back.

At dusk, the Emperor sent someone to fetch her. Liu Qinglan was already familiar with the routine; this summons for the night was no different from before.

Liu Qinglan slept soundly on the dragon bed outside the screens while the Emperor was intimate with his new male consort. A folding screen separated the two worlds.

After being escorted back to Moon Fei Palace, Liu Qinglan felt she hadn’t slept enough, so she burrowed into the quilt and fell asleep again.

“Our Niangniang attended to the Emperor last night. Her body is delicate and requires rest today, so she will not attend practice.”

“It’s only the first day, and she is already so lazy! How does this reflect upon the Empress’s dignity?!”

The voice was sharp and old, piercing through the gauze curtain and reaching Liu Qinglan’s ears, startling her awake from her dream.

Liu Qinglan quickly realized that yesterday morning, she had dug a huge pit for herself.