The Empress Wants It All: The Empire and Me - Chapter 41.1

Chapter 41.1

 

Lin Yanran didn’t want to stop at all; it wasn’t nearly enough.

 

Except for her rational mind, almost nothing could hinder her from continuing. Yet, cursedly, that damn reason kept reminding her: Stop now, or the Death Guards will come for your little life!

 

How hateful!

 

Lin Yanran was nearly driven to a breakdown by this predicament—torn between left and right, up and down, making a difficult situation even harder.

 

She dithered, slowly moving her lips away from the gland bit by bit. During the process, she took the chance to kiss the center of the gland again, and at the very last second of pulling away, she couldn’t resist giving it a lick.

 

Finally, she managed to suck a trace of fluid, holding it on the tip of her tongue and savoring it carefully. The fluid, carrying a sweet and exotic fragrance, tasted as wonderful as celestial dew, slightly making up for the massive sense of loss in her body and soul.

 

At the moment Lin Yanran’s lips finally left her gland, Youqin Mingyue went completely limp. Whether it was her body, soul, or mind, everything collapsed into exhaustion at this instant. She couldn’t even move a finger, curling up limply in Lin Yanran’s arms.

 

Lin Yanran’s lips had moved away, but her eyes were still fixed intently on the gland. It was still emitting that singular fragrance; the crimson center of the gland was like an abyss enticing one to fall, wildly tempting her.

 

She secretly held Youqin Mingyue a bit tighter. By doing so, she moved half an inch closer to the center of the gland, her lips hovering just above it, almost touching the edge of the gland. Her breath fanned over the skin of Youqin Mingyue’s nape, immediately sending a dense, tingling shiver down her spine.

 

“Let go of me!” she barked in a low voice, but her tone was charming and stirring, devoid of any deterrent force.

 

Lin Yanran said troubledly, “Mingyue, my pheromones have exploded too. Right now, even a small movement is painful. Let me rest for a bit, okay?”

 

Youqin Mingyue had her back to her and couldn’t see her expression, so she remained silent.

 

After being marked, a Kunze would experience a terrifying state of collapse; her mind had already begun to grow hazy. The sense of powerlessness in her limbs made even moving a fingertip difficult.

 

Lin Yanran took the opportunity to hold her tighter again. She pulled her into a firm embrace from behind, her lips brushing against the gland as if by chance. It was so fragrant and soft; the scent could slightly alleviate the distress in her body.

 

Youqin Mingyue grew more and more dazed, but she didn’t dare fall asleep. She was still afraid Lin Yanran would act recklessly. In her blurred state, she heard Lin Yanran leaning against her nape, calling her name softly.

 

“Mingyue…”

 

She could hear that her voice was very repressed, revealing pain and a faint sense of expectation. This commoner was enduring the pain of a pheromone explosion and was calling her name because she wanted her to provide comfort.

 

In her dreams!

 

Lin Yanran called out softly again.

 

“Mingyue… I…”

 

She felt like crying from the discomfort. Youqin Mingyue had received relief, but her own pheromones—just like last time, had only just begun to act up. She called out her name, each cry filled with emotion, trying to test if she would soften her heart.

 

However, Youqin Mingyue gave no response for a long time; she had already slipped into a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness due to exhaustion. In her haze, she heard Lin Yanran calling her, the voice soft and extremely gentle. Coupled with the mellow aroma of wine emanating from her body and swirling around her nose, it gave rise to a rare sense of tenderness.

 

Next, she felt Lin Yanran secretly holding her tighter, her lips cautiously rubbing against her nape. The temperature on those lips was scathingly hot. She realized in her trance that this commoner’s pheromones were one step slower than hers and were only now exploding in full force. She was enduring the torture of a pheromone outbreak.

 

Lin Yanran drew even closer to her, wrapping her soft body tightly in her arms, her lips tentatively pressing and rubbing against the edge of the gland.

 

“Mingyue…”

 

“I… I can’t hold back. Let me take another bite, okay?”

 

Before Youqin Mingyue had time to shout a refusal, her gland was sucked into her mouth, and teeth sank into it, sucking deeply.

 

That d*mn commoner, how dare she be so presumptuous! She was furious and ashamed, but immediately a surge of palpitation drowned her. All her violent emotions were smoothed over, and her already bone-soft body grew even more supple.

 

The scent of the Qianyuan grew richer and richer, gradually overpowering her own body fragrance and swallowing her whole. She fell into a stupor, vaguely feeling Lin Yanran refusing to let go of her gland, her tongue secretly licking it with movements that were cautious and filled with affection, as if treating a precious treasure.

 

And although her hands were pinning her tightly, she hadn’t made any other unruly moves. She simply used her lips to explore the gland without any pattern—very clumsy, yet very passionate. Somehow, this made her humiliated heart feel a bit better.

 

At the moment before her consciousness sank completely into sleep, she issued one last warning.

 

“Commoner, if you dare act recklessly, my guards will surely tear you into ten thousand pieces!”

 

Having said that, she could no longer resist the fatigue and fell into a deep stupor.

 

Lin Yanran heard her warning, but she simply couldn’t control herself. She sucked and kissed the gland, biting it greedily. Her body was so hot it felt like it would explode; only by sucking and biting Youqin Mingyue’s gland did she feel some relief.

 

After a long while, she finally received some respite from the loss of control caused by the pheromone explosion. However, her lips were still reluctant to leave. Leaning against her, she too fell into a dazed sleep.

 

When Youqin Mingyue woke up, she found herself held tightly in Lin Yanran’s arms, her body pressed close to hers without a single gap. Solid arms enveloped her, and the warm, pleasant scent of a Qianyuan drowned her entire being.

 

Then she discovered that the back of her neck was trapped in a patch of wet heat. She was confused for a moment before she realized that Lin Yanran had actually fallen asleep while holding her gland in her mouth!!!

 

At that moment, Lin Yanran wriggled slightly, her lips instinctively sucking a bit. A surge of numbness immediately traveled from the gland, bringing a dense shiver down her back.

 

A massive sense of shame suddenly rose within Youqin Mingyue, accompanied by an extraordinary rage! This commoner, how dare she be so bold!

 

She violently broke free from her embrace and turned around. Seeing her sleeping face, she didn’t hesitate to swing her palm. At the moment her arm rose, she felt her shoulders were limp and her arm was like a noodle, but she still bit her teeth and slapped down hard.

 

Slap!

 

The crisp sound of the slap was exceptionally loud in the early morning room.

 

Lin Yanran was slapped awake. She opened her eyes dazedly and saw Youqin Mingyue’s indignant gaze. A charming flush covered her face; it was unclear whether it was from shame or anger.

 

Having no idea what had happened, she hurried to sit up and asked with concern, “Mingyue, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

 

How could Youqin Mingyue say it? She couldn’t possibly speak of such a shameful thing. She gave her a hateful glare: “Look at the ‘good deed’ you’ve done!”

 

Only then did Lin Yanran recall the events of last night, and she couldn’t even help but savor the memory for a moment. She immediately understood the root of her anger and remained silent. She climbed over her and jumped off the bed.

 

Since she hadn’t even taken off her clothes last night, she was fully dressed once she put on her boots. However, her clothes were already wrinkled beyond recognition; she would have to change them later.

 

Youqin Mingyue stared hatefully at her back.

 

Lin Yanran turned around then. She glanced at her, not knowing what to say, so she simply leaned down and scooped her up.

 

“Commoner, what do you want to do?” Youqin Mingyue immediately scolded. However, she didn’t struggle; even in her anger, she maintained her dignity.

 

Lin Yanran lowered her eyes, looking at her gently. “I’ll wait on you to get up, okay?”

 

The warm voice was reassuring and soft, and the clear gaze fell on her face, flowing like spring water. Youqin Mingyue even felt a wordless sense of tolerance. She was stunned for a moment and looked away.

 

Lin Yanran carried her and sat her on a chair. She found her shoes—high-topped shoes she had spent a great deal of money on. They were exquisitely made, embroidered with beautiful mandarin ducks, perfect for a woman wearing a long skirt. She squatted down to personally put the shoes on her.

 

Youqin Mingyue’s expression suddenly changed. Only now did she have the chance to carefully feel the changes within her body, and she discovered—

 

She had actually ascended in rank!!!

 

Her eyes widened slightly, her pupils constricted sharply, and her breathing couldn’t help but become rapid. Her hands slammed onto the back of the chair.

 

Lin Yanran sensed something abnormal and looked up. “Mingyue, is something wrong?”

 

Youqin Mingyue met her gaze. At this moment, her heart and soul were shaken. Panic and shock hit her body and mind like a massive tidal wave, but through sheer willpower, she forced herself to regain her composure.

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

Lin Yanran gave her a suspicious look, then lowered her head again to put on the other shoe.

 

Youqin Mingyue’s fingers curled into her palms, her digits trembling uncontrollably.

 

She had suffered from pheromone restlessness since she was a child, so she had read countless medical books. One might say she became a doctor by being a patient; her knowledge of pheromones was more profound than that of some master physicians.

 

Kunze are divided into four ranks: Low-rank, Mid-rank, High-rank, and Top-rank. This is the general public’s understanding. However, when that legendary physician diagnosed her, he had said meaningfully: “Everything has an exception. There is a rank above Top-rank Kunze, but the numbers have been so scarce since ancient times that even the records of it have been lost.”

 

Above Top-rank Kunze is the Exquisite-rank Kunze.

 

She was born a Top-rank Kunze, and now she had ascended—doesn’t that make her the legendary, one-in-ten-thousand Exquisite-rank Kunze?

 

Everything was clear now!

 

Why did the legendary physician only prescribe her a pill that treated the symptoms rather than the root and had to be carried at all times? The essence of the medicine was using her natural singular fragrance to neutralize the herbs, and the resulting efficacy could only alleviate the symptoms of a pheromone outbreak. Because she was a rare Exquisite-rank Kunze, the quality of her pheromones was at the peak of the world; no medicine could suppress these peerless pheromones.

 

Why did the pill Lin Yanran confidently refined cause her pheromones to explode even more violently after she swallowed it? Because they were Exquisite-rank pheromones, they refused to be subdued; once suppressed, they would instead trigger the most intense rebellion!

 

And because of this, Lin Yanran’s pill had accidentally stimulated her pheromones, causing her to ascend. And because of this, that legendary physician had warned her: When pheromones explode, you must never take medicine recklessly.

 

So that was it. All the questions had answers.

 

But a new problem arose: those capable of marking a Kunze must either be a Qianyuan of the same rank or a Qianyuan of a higher rank. Lin Yanran is currently only a High-rank Qianyuan—how could she mark her? She had doubts last time, but then she thought it was just a temporary marking which wasn’t restricted by rank. Now it seemed there was likely another reason, which was—Lin Yanran’s own rank was much higher than it appeared!

 

At this point, Lin Yanran finished putting on her shoes, stood up, and said, “Mingyue, I’ll go get water for you to wash up.”

 

“Wait—” Youqin Mingyue called her back. She studied her, her voice sounding a bit strange as she asked, “How do you feel now?”

 

Lin Yanran was stunned for a moment. Then she sensed her own body. It seemed nothing had changed, except her body felt much lighter. There was a refreshing feeling of being as light as a swallow; walking felt especially easy, as if she couldn’t feel the weight of her body at all.

 

Why would Youqin Mingyue suddenly care about her? Could she be testing whether she had acted recklessly last night?

 

Lin Yanran was startled and quickly said, “Mingyue, I don’t feel any change. My pheromones exploded a bit late last night, so it was quite painful. I felt dazed and couldn’t move, so I…”

 

Couldn’t move was obviously a lie, but if she didn’t say that, the villain would definitely know she was intentionally staying by her side to hold her. Lin Yanran peeked at her with her small eyes. Seeing her staring without blinking, she panicked, and her voice became weak and timid.

 

“So I wanted to stay close to you; it would feel better that way. Mingyue, I didn’t act recklessly, really. Please believe me.”

 

Seeing her cowardly state, Youqin Mingyue’s sense of shame from being temporarily marked last night immediately lessened a great deal. However, since this commoner was so afraid, she naturally wouldn’t expose her. It was better to let her stay terrified.

 

Hmph. To actually dare fall asleep while holding my gland in her mouth—utterly presumptuous!

 

Thus, her expression didn’t change at all as she asked coolly, “Is there really no change in your body?”

 

It’s over, it’s over. The villain really is testing me.

 

Hearing her ask this, Lin Yanran became more certain. She knew nothing of the common knowledge regarding Qianyuan; she only thought that if a Qianyuan did something to a Kunze, it would cause physical changes. Youqin Mingyue was asking to see if she had truly molested her.

 

What a cunning villain! she thought miserably.

 

She steeled herself and said, “There really is no change at all. Can’t you see for yourself? My body is exactly the same as yesterday.” Lin Yanran said cowardly.

 

Seeing her so timid, Youqin Mingyue felt even more refreshed. She deliberately kept a dark face and said, “I felt that you… bit me again later. Who gave you permission to do that?”

 

Lin Yanran was shocked. She hadn’t expected the villain to still be dwelling on this. Didn’t she just take one extra bite? She thought it over and decided to tell the truth. She looked at her seriously and admitted straightforwardly, “Yes, I took one extra bite. It’s only because you are too beautiful; I couldn’t control myself.”

 

“Presumptuous!”

 

Youqin Mingyue immediately gave a low scolding. A flash of embarrassment and annoyance crossed her face, and then she straightened her expression. “If you dare be so presumptuous again, I will certainly not show you mercy.”

 

Lin Yanran looked at her and said sincerely, “Mingyue, don’t be angry. I truly respect you from the bottom of my heart, but at the time, I really couldn’t control the situation… In short, it was my fault. Please don’t be angry, okay?”

 

In truth, given Youqin Mingyue’s gloomy personality, if she hated her, she would have ordered the Death Guards to take her life directly without asking. The reason she asked was purely because she felt disgruntled. Now that Lin Yanran’s attitude was so sincere, although the “honest truth” she spoke was bold, it was very pleasing to the ear. The sense of shame in Youqin Mingyue’s heart lessened once more.

 

She looked at Lin Yanran expressionlessly, thinking to herself: I have ascended to an Exquisite-rank Kunze. There will never again be a medicine in this world that can suppress my pheromones, and it will be difficult to find a Qianyuan with a matching rank to help me. Therefore, for the next pheromone outbreak, I can only use Lin Yanran.

 

Moreover, Lin Yanran had already shared physical intimacy with her. It was naturally most appropriate to continue using her to solve this unspeakable problem. In any case, her little life was in her hands; if she dared to do anything to betray her, she could just kill her.

 

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but ask once more with an unpredictable tone, “Is there really no change in your body?”

 

Lin Yanran only thought she was going to settle accounts with her later and quickly denied it: “Yes, there is no change in my body at all. It’s the same as before.”