On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 75

The Little Witch, who had attempted to flirt only to be flirted with in return, could only lie back down on the bamboo couch. She nursed her injuries while enduring the restlessness, even if her longing made her bones ache and feel weak, she had to endure.

After a few days like this, the swamp god-domain welcomed uninvited guests.

The Peach Blossom Goddess carried a flower basket, landing gracefully upon a giant iridescent mushroom at the entrance of the swamp. “I wonder what brings the two High Goddesses here?”

This divine realm was remote and silent; since the Peach Blossom Goddess was a minor deity, visitors were rare.

Standing before her were Ba (The Drought Ghoul) and Xi Wangmu (The Queen Mother of the West). For them to be disturbed, the matter was clearly of no small consequence.

“Not long ago, did anyone from the Demon Realm pass through here?” Ba was a goddess who brought drought and heat, and thus her presence was thick with hostility. Xi Wangmu, who presided over punishment, exuded an even sharper air of solemn execution. This stood in stark contrast to the gentle, fresh temperament of the Peach Blossom Goddess.

Sensing their ill intent, the Peach Blossom Goddess shook her head. “No one.”

“I know you only manage the Register of Marriages and turn a deaf ear to all other affairs, but this concerns the safety of the God Realm. Please, speak the truth.” Ba’s eyes were deep, staring at her as if trying to see through her thoughts.

The Peach Blossom Goddess had indeed been out of touch with the outside world for a long time. She asked, “Has something happened outside?”

“The Young Master of the Demon Realm had a falling out with the Demon Lord’s successor queen and ran away from home. The Demon Realm suspects our God Realm is secretly detaining their Young Master and is launching a massive crusade. We indeed detected a trace of demonic energy passing by, right in your direction, Peach Blossom Goddess.”

The Peach Blossom Goddess understood immediately. The person currently lying on her bamboo bed nursing wounds was likely the “Young Master” they spoke of. “If she is found, how will the High Goddesses handle her?”

“Naturally, she will be returned to the Demon Realm, and we shall remain uninvolved with each other.”

“I will keep a close watch. If I discover anything, I will certainly report it to the High Goddesses.” The Peach Blossom Goddess bowed respectfully, seeing them off.

“That would be best,” Xi Wangmu nodded and prepared to leave.

Ba continued to stare at the beautiful flower goddess with her deep eyes, saying nothing. The Peach Blossom Goddess met her gaze calmly and politely. Ultimately, Ba said nothing more and followed Xi Wangmu away.

The moment they left, the Peach Blossom Goddess sank down into a sitting position, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. It was her first time lying, and she couldn’t help but feel nervous and afraid. Now that the tension had broken, her body felt weak and her heart raced.

She sat atop the swamp mushroom, letting the peach blossoms flutter wildly in response to her turbulent emotions. Only when her heart steadied did she rise and return to the bamboo house, her expression once again indifferent and gentle.

Jiang Shu sat by the rosewood window, one knee hooked up. She watched the woman grip a vine and leap toward the bamboo house, witnessing a gust of wind catch the hem of her floral skirt, revealing calves as white as fresh snow.

Jiang Shu’s blood began to boil again. This goddess seemed cold and aloof, yet she seemed to be provoking her every single day.

The Peach Blossom Goddess walked up to her with a composed face. She stood still and suddenly reached out, placing her soft, cool hand directly over Jiang Shu’s empty chest.

Jiang Shu felt as if she’d been hit by a surge of electricity. Every inch of her skin tightened unnaturally; beneath her skirt, her small toes curled and tensed instinctively. She set her jaw so firmly she couldn’t speak, fearing that if she opened her mouth, her voice would tremble.

From childhood to now, she had never been this disheveled, nervous, or expectant. She knew that in just a few days perhaps from the first moment she saw the goddess undressing, she had been deeply poisoned. Now, the toxin had seeped into her internal organs, only growing worse.

With one hand pressing against Jiang Shu’s chest and the other bracing against the window frame, the Peach Blossom Goddess leaned in slowly. She stared into Jiang Shu’s dark eyes, her breath shallow as she asked:

“Tell me honestly, who was it that carved out your heart?”

Jiang Shu felt too pathetic, so she chose silence.

“Your father is making a great fuss searching for you. Using the excuse that the God Realm is detaining you, he intends to go to war with us.” The Peach Blossom Goddess looked at the reddened tips of Jiang Shu’s ears with interest. “Little girl, you aren’t listening to me. What are you thinking about?”

Because they were so close, Jiang Shu’s mind was a blank space, unable to process what the goddess was saying. The little witch’s heart and mind were full of the goddess’s sweet, gentle scent and the face right in front of her. She desperately wanted to lunge forward and take a lick of that jade-white cheek.

In fact, Jiang Shu did exactly that. She straightened up, braced herself against the window, and pressed her red lips against the pale red birthmark at the corner of the goddess’s eye, licking it with a mix of pity and hunger. Her tongue even traced a circle around the mark.

As expected, it was delicious.

Jiang Shu finally tasted the flavor she had dreamed of every night for the past few days, sweet, soft, and fragrant. The goddess before her was like the most delicate peach blossom, specifically the first bloom on a branch in March.

The Peach Blossom Goddess gazed at her, her expression remaining clear and gentle. “If you do that again, I will have no choice but to hand you over.”

“No!” The little witch reached out and hugged the goddess’s soft, warm waist tightly, wishing she could fuse her entire body into hers. With a face full of panic and fear, she cried, “I’m scared, Sister.”

Peach Blossom Goddess: “…”

One could only say the other party was too deep in character, the “weak little white flower” act really didn’t suit her.

The Peach Blossom Goddess reached out, tilted Jiang Shu’s well-defined chin up to force her to look at her, and narrowed her eyes. With heavy, dark eye makeup and flaming red lips, this was clearly a rebellious and arrogant little witch whose very bones screamed of slaughter and hatred.

“I’ll ask one more time: Who carved out your heart?” Her tone was still gentle, but it sounded quite chilling to a demon.

Jiang Shu swallowed hard. This time, her sadness was real. “Why make me dig up those tragic memories and bleed out the story again? It hurts.”

“Even if it hurts, you must speak.” The goddess’s eyes were soft yet firm.

“I mean….you’re squeezing my chin! It hurts!”

Jiang Shu was forced to hold her head high, her chest pushed forward, held captive by this seemingly fragile goddess. She couldn’t escape. Even though she cried out in pain, the Peach Blossom Goddess did not let go. She continued to pinch her chin, even increasing the pressure.

“That depends on whether you speak or not.”

Four eyes met, one pair charming and cruel, the other deep and fragile.

“Fine, I’ll talk, I’ll talk.” The little witch finally surrendered.

She thought the goddess would let go, but she didn’t. The Peach Blossom Goddess leaned closer, her breath like orchids. “Talk first. Then I’ll let go.”

So overbearing?! The little witch swallowed again, not daring to resist.

The little witch was of noble birth but lived like a Cinderella, with a cruel stepmother hounding her every step. Eventually, after being misunderstood by her father again, she fled in anger, only to be caught by her stepmother’s people.

She thought they were going to take her back to the Demon Realm, but she had underestimated her stepmother’s malice. The woman carved out her heart and threw her into the God Realm, leaving her to fend for herself. She was resilient, escaping through the God Realm despite her heavy injuries. Just as she was about to make it out, her condition worsened, and she fell into this swamp domain, where the Peach Blossom Goddess found her.

“That’s the whole process,” Jiang Shu said expressionlessly, her black eyes hollow.

The Peach Blossom Goddess slowly released her. “Very tragic.”

“Don’t mock me, and don’t pity me.”

“I don’t have that much free time.” The Peach Blossom Goddess released her grip, but then suddenly swept Jiang Shu up in her arms.

The goddess looked fragile, but her strength was not small.

“You… you…” Jiang Shu didn’t understand what this reaction meant.

The goddess carried her all the way to the bed and looked down at her. “Have you considered the motive for the Demon Queen carving out your heart?”

“She just hates the sight of me. Because I’m the Young Master, she’ll get nothing in the future!”

“Then right now, you should be a dead demon.”

Jiang Shu felt a bit indignant. “Do you want me to be dead?”

“She wounded you and threw you into the God Realm. I suspect that heart is currently in the residence of some deity. She’s waiting for the Demon King to search, find the heart but not you, and conclude that you were tortured and killed by the gods. The resulting war between the two realms is exactly what your stepmother wants.”

Jiang Shu was stunned. “What a poisonous heart.”

The Peach Blossom Goddess handed her a bowl of medicinal porridge brewed from divine herbs. “So, little girl, what you need to do now is recover properly. Then go out and clear up the misunderstanding.”

Jiang Shu took the porridge. Looking at the soft-featured goddess, she now saw the beauty within her, she was not only lovely but also brilliant.

As she drank the medicine, Jiang Shu choked up with emotion. “Sister, you are so good to me.”

Her reward was a flick to the forehead.

The goddess calmly withdrew her hand. “Don’t call me ‘Sister’ recklessly.”

“Why?”

“Young Master of the Demon Realm, why do you think?”

Jiang Shu drank her medicine thoughtfully. It wasn’t until she had nearly finished the bowl that she had an epiphany. “I’m older than you!”

The Peach Blossom Goddess had been swinging on a vine swing in the room for a long time. Hearing the other’s ecstatic and incredulous voice, she shook her head helplessly. That reaction time was far too long.

Jiang Shu clapped her hands, full of excitement. “Then hurry up and call me Sister!”

The Peach Blossom Goddess said faintly, “Sick demons shouldn’t get so agitated.”

“I have to be agitated! Come on, call me Sister once~” Jiang Shu huddled up next to her, squeezing onto the same swing.

The goddess was nearly pushed off.

“We can fit, come closer.” The little witch didn’t act like a stranger at all, grabbing the goddess’s sleeve and pulling her toward her.

The Peach Blossom Goddess reluctantly sat beside her.

“From now on, I’ll recover properly. I definitely won’t cause trouble for you,” the little witch said, swinging her legs and tilting her head seriously.

The goddess remained unruffled. “I hope so.”

“You, as a god… why are you so dull? You’ve seen so much, but you’re too old fashioned. Listen to your sister, you have to be more lively. For example, you should smile more.” Having finished her medicine, the little witch’s energy had returned, and she was lecturing away.

The Peach Blossom Goddess turned her head to look at her and spoke.

“Sister.”

“Ah~” The little witch was so affected by that sudden “Sister” that her bones felt like jelly. “Yes? What is it?”

The Peach Blossom Goddess said playfully, “Sister, it’s time for you to go night-night.”