On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 61

Liu Qinglan poked her head out and glanced around at this moment, the two of them were the only ones in the entire courtyard.

“Yan Mo took the others to purchase winter clothes, so it’s just us here. Don’t worry,” Xie Xuanzhao said with a smile, unable to resist reaching out to stroke the fuzzy ears that had popped out.

A moment later, a snow white Liu Qinglan curled up in the arms of the beautiful Empress. She blinked her round eyes and said, “Stroke gently, don’t make me lose fur.”

Xie Xuanzhao stroked the glossy, snow white cat fur. Perhaps due to the good food in the palace combined with her daily cultivation as a demon, the texture was exceptional, far beyond that of an ordinary kitten.

Xie Xuanzhao rubbed her long tail and scratched under her chin with her other hand, causing the little Liu demon to tilt her head back, narrowing her long, enchanting eyes in enjoyment.

Eventually, Liu Qinglan simply rolled into the beautiful Empress’s embrace. Lifting her paws, she clawed at Xie’s lapel and hung onto her entirely, rolling over to expose her belly and acting spoiled, completely releasing her natural instincts.

Watching the frolicking little demon in her arms, Xie Xuanzhao suddenly had a strange thought: Who is actually petting whom here?

While enjoying the gentle touch of the Empress’s fingers, Liu Qinglan rubbed herself frantically against the beautiful, fragrant bosom to her heart’s content. Her tail swished here, her paws padded there, and then she took a deep breath of spiritual essence, becoming so intoxicated that her limbs went limp and her gaze turned misty.

Thus, one petted and the other rubbed, both finding their own peace.

“Meow~”

A voice tinged with anger and jealousy came from beneath the flower bushes.

The little Liu demon glanced sideways. Xuetuan (Snowball) had already bared its claws, its blue cat eyes flashing with the small flames of a slighted pet.

Hmph. The little Liu cat hugged her beautiful sister even tighter, her tail wagging triumphantly.

Xie Xuanzhao watched the two of them with amusement, though her hands never stopped their work.

“Sister Beauty, wait a moment, I’ll be right back,” Liu Qinglan suddenly leaped up, jumping down from the daybed.

Xie Xuanzhao quickly caught her tail. “You aren’t allowed to go fight.” She thought the two cats were about to brawl.

Liu Qinglan turned around and, with a paji sound, pressed her paw onto the Empress’s hand. Her cat face was solemn and serious. “Of course I’m not going to fight. I have excellent breeding.”

“Alright, alright, go on then.” Looking at that cute cat face trying to act sophisticated, Xie Xuanzhao was utterly charmed. She patted the small head and let her run toward the flower bushes.

Xuetuan crouched nearby, watching like a tiger stalking its prey, but never dared to actually pounce or show claws, knowing instinctively it was no match for this demon. Meow-ooo~

Liu Qinglan drilled under a Begonia plant, carefully bit off a flower branch, and quickly turned back. Under Xuetuan’s dazed gaze, she hopped back onto the daybed.

Standing elegantly on all fours with her tail wrapped around her front paws, she held the Begonia branch in her mouth, her cat eyes shining as she looked at the beautiful Empress.

Xie Xuanzhao reached out, took the flower from her mouth, and sniffed it at the tip of her nose, her eyes curving into smiles. “Thank you for the flower, little cat~”

Xuetuan watched the entire process, dumbfounded. Where did this little demon come from? She really knows how to charm people!

Having successfully gifted the flower, Liu Qinglan transformed back into human form, as the painting wasn’t finished yet.

She stood before the paper again, picking up the brush with focused concentration. Xie Xuanzhao leaned against the daybed, her gaze as gentle as water as she watched her “little wife” paint, feeling as though she could watch until the end of time.

But Liu Qinglan painted quickly. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she put down the brush with satisfaction. “Finished!~”

Xie Xuanzhao rose, set down her silk fan, walked to her side, and looked at the paper on the mahogany desk.

One look and… well.

Xie Xuanzhao pointed at the simple, magically abstract lines. “This is your ‘painting technique’?”

“My master taught me. He said this is called being a ‘Soul Painter’~” As Liu Qinglan spoke, she took the brush and smeared a few lines on a blank piece of xuan paper. Pointing at the messy black smudge, she said, “This is how you draw a flower. What do you think?”

Xie Xuanzhao pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling helpless. She really had believed this cat’s nonsense, what good painting could come from a pair of cat paws? They were only good for stamping “plum blossom” prints.

She took the brush from Liu Qinglan’s hand. “Watch closely. This is what true painting looks like.”

Liu Qinglan leaned over, propping her face in her hands, watching the beautiful Empress with anticipation.

Xie Xuanzhao looked up, seeing the lovely little beauty resting her chin in her hands. She changed her mind. “Come here.”

Liu Qinglan stood up and ran to her.

“I’ll teach you. Give me your hand.”

Xie Xuanzhao took her soft hand in hers and began teaching her stroke by stroke. This way, there was much more “flirtatious interest” to be found.

The late autumn days passed in playful flirtation. When the first snow of early winter arrived, it didn’t seem so cold.

Following the Peach Blossom Demon’s advice, Liu Qinglan stayed by the Empress’s side constantly. At night, they hid behind red gauze curtains, lingering in tenderness and sleeping neck to neck.

In a corner of the Imperial Kitchen, snow fell on a peach tree, covering the greenery. A sharp-nosed pit viper curled at the roots, beginning its long hibernation.

Before falling asleep, Jiang Wenwen asked the Peach Blossom Demon: “Do you really not regret it? Does she not regret it?”

“This is the agreement between us. Naturally, there is no regret,” the Peach Blossom Demon’s voice was gentle. “Watching her like this, doing what I love, is enough for me.”

“Hmph, the grand Young Master of the Demon Realm… to think her dream was just to be a little cook accompanied by the smoke of a kitchen. Truly disappointing. No wonder those evil spirits refuse to recognize her as their master.” Jiang Wenwen sighed with emotion. Not long ago, pestilent auras, maliciously nurtured and strengthened by absorbing dozens of grievances, had traveled thousands of miles to reclaim their master and take her back to revive the Demon Realm. But the Peach Blossom Demon had blocked them all single-handedly. That defense had cost her dearly, she was now lingering on the brink of death, heavily wounded.

Jiang Wenwen stayed by her side, fearing those evil spirits might take advantage of her weakness. Without the Peach Blossom Demon, the girl Tao Xi would face a terrifying, hellish transformation.

“You’ve guarded her for so many years, life after life, just to let her be a cook. It’s truly not worth it for either of you.”

The Peach Blossom Demon said softly, “You don’t understand.” Only this way could they stay together, otherwise, there would only be forced separation.

Jiang Wenwen curled her body tighter and murmured, “How could I not understand?” Thinking of the little girl from the Jiang family, she began her hibernation.

The Peach Blossom Demon looked toward the main palace, silently spitting out a drop of essence blood. This drop of peach blossom blood landed on a snow covered branch. Before her eyes, it sprouted leaves, bloomed, bore fruit, and finally grew into a tiny, fuzzy green peach on the branch.

She watched the green peach tenderly, waiting for it to ripen and turn red.

The first snow in the capital was heavy and lasted a long time. Every palace began burning charcoal for warmth. Xie Xuanzhao sat in the bedroom, huddled by a small stove with Liu Qinglan.

A small iron pot sat atop the stove, bubbling with Mao Xue Wang (spicy duck blood curd). Fresh vegetables and meats were set on a low table, ready to be tossed in.

Liu Qinglan held a warm porcelain bowl and sighed, “I only now realize the benefits of being human. In winter, you can sit by a fire and eat, it’s warm and fragrant. You couldn’t even dream of this in the forest.”

Xie Xuanzhao tossed a handful of bean sprouts into the boiling broth. A moment later, she scooped them out, dipped them in a secret imperial sauce, and placed them in Liu Qinglan’s bowl. “Try these. You can’t just eat meat.”

Following the Empress, Liu Qinglan had gradually begun to enjoy cooked vegetables, finally appreciating their beauty.

The two could spend an entire afternoon around the stove. There was endless cuddling, and Xie Xuanzhao would occasionally prepare fine wine to liven things up, getting the little Liu cat drunk before leading her to the bed for some “this and that.”

Consequently, Liu Qinglan secretly vowed to improve her alcohol tolerance. As a result, she drank more and more. Whether her tolerance improved, she didn’t know, she only knew that her waist and thighs felt very sore…

Today, as they were about to roast corn over the fire, Yan Mo’s voice came from outside the curtain. “Your Majesty, LuLu says she has something to report.”

LuLu immediately spoke from outside: “The Emperor has suddenly summoned Consort Yue! The people sent to collect her are already waiting outside Qinglan Palace!”

Liu Qinglan reluctantly put down the sweet corn and looked at the beautiful Empress. “I have to go.”

Xie Xuanzhao frowned. She stood up with her and said, “A sudden summons… I fear something is afoot. Go for now. I will bring people and follow shortly.”

Liu Qinglan waved her hand. “It’s fine. The Emperor has summoned me before. It’s just for show, using me as a shield~”

Xie Xuanzhao took her hand. “Today is different from the past. The Emperor has been acting strangely lately. My brother’s advice has been ignored, and they have become estranged. We must be careful in all things.”

Seeing her seriousness, Liu Qinglan nodded. “Alright, I’ll be careful.”

The Emperor’s bedchamber was warmed by underfloor heating, filled with a wave of warmth.

Under the guidance of the eunuch, Liu Qinglan entered this long-unvisited place. She felt the atmosphere was eerie, unlike the peacefulness of before.

Gauze curtains hung to the floor. Silence reigned. Liu Qinglan couldn’t help but ask, “Where is His Majesty?”

The eunuch lowered his eyes. “His Majesty is bathing. Your Ladyship may wait here.” Having said that, he withdrew, leaving Liu Qinglan alone.

She looked around and sat down nervously, waiting for the Emperor to appear.

After a while, there was still no sign of him. It remained silent behind the screen. Liu Qinglan had always been curious about what was back there. When she first entered the palace, she was timid and didn’t dare move, but now, she sat still and released a wisp of her aura to creep behind the screen.

Behind the mahogany doors was a large bathing pool, currently shrouded in thick mist. Two strong, slender figures were entangled together, accompanied by low, aggressive panting.

Liu Qinglan’s eyes widened slightly. She couldn’t see clearly through the steam, but she heard the two people gasping heavily, as if engaged in strenuous exercise.

Could they be fighting? Just as she was about to peer through the mist to see clearly, the person pinned underneath let out a deep, agonizing, and wretched scream. Immediately after, a cloud of blood mist, foul smelling and stench filled, rushed toward her. It directly repelled her wisp of aura, forcing her soul back into her body.

Liu Qinglan stood up instantly. She saw a pool of bright red blood slowly seeping out from under the screen.