Traveling to the Ancient Times to Rely on Love and Marrying a Shadow After O - Chapter 38

I suppose I have a good sense of the bigger picture. Knowing that the matter True Lord Beixiao was about to discuss would be quite embarrassing if overheard by others, I clapped my hands to give him face. After bidding the little baby farewell, I hurried away.

At this moment, Zhao Ning was certainly in Yuyao Palace preparing a “grand reception” for me. My mind whirred; I decided to give her more time to prepare and took a stroll outside first.

As I walked, a whiff of wine fragrance drifted from nowhere. Zhao Ning usually forbids me from drinking, but now the scent was so irresistible that I instinctively followed it to the apricot grove.

At this time of year, the apricot trees had not yet borne fruit. There were only a few little immortal maids watering the trees with celestial dew. Seeing this, I lamented in my heart. This Little Mistress has to drink in secret, yet these apricot trees can enjoy jade nectar just by standing there. They truly live more comfortably than gods.

Seeing me approach, the little immortal maids stopped their work and bowed. “Little Mistress.”

I responded cheerfully, already thinking of how to dismiss them so I could find my apricot wine. Not paying attention, a sudden downpour of rain drenched me like a drowned rat.

Before I could react, one little maid plopped heavily onto her knees. “Little Mistress, have mercy! This servant did not do it on purpose! I saw Little Mistress and… was so excited for a moment that I lost control of my magic. Please forgive me!”

I pride myself on being generous, yet this maid acted as if she had seen the Ghost King. Did she think I was going to eat her?

“Little Mistress, Xiao Fu is a newly transferred maid. Her irrigation skills are still very clumsy. Please forgive her this once.” Before I knew it, the maids were kneeling one after another like geese jumping into a river. If an outsider saw this, they would think I was a tyrant.

Speechless, I rubbed my brow and waved them away. “The grove is mostly watered. Go elsewhere.”

the maids looked at each other for a moment, likely thinking I was in a bad mood and didn’t want to see them, so they packed up and left with their heads bowed.

Now I was delighted. Though I was soaked, I had found a good excuse to dismiss them. I figured a pot of fine wine would be enough to save my chilled heart.

Without further thought, I tidied my clothes and ran into the grove to find the fragrance. Having longed for wine day and night, I had developed a sense of smell superior to most. The wine was buried under a tree, and I found its hiding spot in no time.

I waved my hand toward the green leaves, and the wine broke through the soil, landing right in front of me. Happy, I grabbed the jar, leaped onto an apricot branch, and found a comfortable position to savor it.

I couldn’t help but admire myself. Even though I was that drunk the other day, I had managed to secretly hide two jars in my stupor. Truly, even a drunken haze cannot stop my wit.

With the maids gone, I was alone in the grove. After drinking, I felt a warmth spread through me. In my daze, I forgot to use my spiritual power to dry my clothes and fell asleep on the tree.

“True Lord, don’t…”

After all, I have hung around the Old Man under the Moon for three hundred years. Though I haven’t experienced love, I am all too familiar with this sound. Startled, I opened my eyes to find a shameful scene laid out before me.

True Lord Beixiao stood with his back to me, acting shy with that little immortal maid. He continued with sweet words, “Xiao Die, without the celestial contract, you are free. This Lord will treat you well and cherish you like a treasure.”

Good heavens! Is my destiny incompatible with yours, Beixiao? Not only did you get my flower core for cheap, but now you’ve come to occupy my private apricot grove? No peace at all!

My sleepiness vanished instantly. I rolled off the branch and hid behind the tree. If I rushed out now, wouldn’t it be awkward for everyone? Better to hide here.

“True Lord, Xiao Die found that flower core in the grove this time. I am a hero; you must reward me.”

I was speechless. So it really did fall in the apricot grove. A top-tier treasure, and this little maid didn’t hand it in, but spoke of it so boldly. It seems Beixiao’s taste in immortals is not great.

“Then what reward do you want?”

“Well… hugging and holding is boring. True Lord, Xiao Die wants you.”

Hearing this, my darkened face flushed hot. I felt a wave of revulsion, and my stomach churned. A surge of wine hit me, and I felt a sudden, agonizing urge to vomit.

“Mmph…”

Just as I was about to cover my mouth, another hand beat me to it. A sudden cool sensation flowed through my body, calming the rising tide. Looking up, I saw the Heavenly Emperor, Chu Yuan, leaning against the tree in front of me. She glanced at the couple behind the tree, then looked at me with a dark, lingering smile.

I… I, I, I…

The nausea was gone, but the heat on my face only intensified. Didn’t the Emperor’s gaze completely misunderstand me?

What a bitter fate! Our destinies clash! I really wanted to flee this den of vice and get as far away from Beixiao as possible. However, the Emperor was blocking the way. I could neither move forward nor retreat. The situation was extremely awkward.

Neither of us spoke or moved, communicating only through our eyes. The pair behind us was shameless, calling each other “treasure,” “husband,” and “wife.” The sounds of heavy breathing made my head spin, almost causing me to faint.

I blinked desperately at the Emperor, signaling her to step out and end the scene. But she seemed confused, blinked back at me, and did nothing. I glared at her, full of admiration. Her eyes weren’t red and her heart wasn’t racing; her cultivation must be incredibly high. Who wouldn’t be impressed?

After half an hour of “prison” torture, True Lord Beixiao finally left with the maid. My ears were finally at peace, and I felt a wave of relief. I pushed the Emperor aside and shook the leaves off my clothes. “Hualing truly did not expect that the Emperor would enjoy eavesdropping from the shadows.”

The Emperor straightened her clothes with a smile. “This Lord saw that Little Mistress was very interested, so I helped you avoid being discovered. It was an act of kindness; how did it become low character in your eyes?”

I dithered for a moment, then said angrily, “This Little Mistress only came here to find a pot of wine. How could I have known I would encounter such a scene?”

She gave a dry laugh and changed the subject. “This Lord thought Little Mistress was also here to investigate the Nine-Leaf Longkui Flower Core. It turns out you just came here behind Zhao Ning’s back to drink. No wonder there was a scent of wine; I thought I had smelled it wrong.”

I gave a sheepish smile. Afraid she would tell on me to Zhao Ning, I quickly cut in. “The Emperor mentioned the flower core… I have heard of it. Today I visited True Lord Yunhua with Zhao Ning and saw that the gift Beixiao brought was the Nine-Leaf Longkui Flower Core. I heard a little maid shared half the credit.”

“Oh?” she feigned confusion. “Was it that maid named Xiao Die?”

I nodded sheepishly, wondering how her news traveled so fast. I had just stepped out of Yunhua’s place, and she was already chasing me into the grove. Is the Emperor that idle?

“Is there something wrong with the flower core? For the Emperor to investigate personally?” My heart tightened; I hoped Zhao Ning hadn’t complained to her.

The Emperor placed her hands behind her back and smiled. “As Little Mistress said, it is called the ‘Nine-Leaf Longkui Flower Core.’ You should know that besides my father’s lineage, no one dares to use a celestial item with the word ‘Long’ (Dragon). True Lord Yunhua naturally did not accept the gift, but out of respect for the true feelings between Beixiao and the maid, she canceled the maid’s contract.”

I nodded dumbly. She continued, “Little Mistress must have heard that Beixiao has a very bad temper and many enemies. The light from that flower core was seen by everyone in the Heavenly Realm. A divine official took the opportunity to report him, saying he intended to imply that Yunhua’s child could inherit the heavens. Since this matter can be large or small, I felt it best to resolve it personally.”

There are some rules in the Heavenly Realm that I, despite my long life, have never heard of. Why did Zhao Ning never tell me?

I shuddered. “Then, how does the Emperor plan to resolve it?”

“Little Mistress.”
The Emperor waved her hand, instantly drying my clothes and leaving a trace of warmth. “Your status is above mine. In the future, when no one else is around, just call me Chu Yuan.”

I paused for a moment and ignored her.

The Emperor smiled and answered my question. “Little Mistress heard it too; the maid found the core in this grove. That means she didn’t intentionally incite Beixiao to take it; they likely just couldn’t find a good gift and presented that. Since there was no intent to usurp the throne, I am naturally too lazy to care. Seeing that Little Mistress is so idle she has time to drink here, you must be very willing to share my burdens. I am busy, so I will leave this matter to you—find out who actually took the flower core.”

“What if I refuse?” I asked. Who wants to play a game of “thief catching thief”?

She blinked and walked away. “If Little Mistress refuses, I will tell Zhao Ning and have her bury this place where you hide your wine.”

My breath hitched, and I quickly waved my hand, accepting the task with a smile. I picked up the remaining jar of wine, my mind already calculating. The flower core matter must be investigated. If she asks tomorrow, I must answer. I’ll just say the Mount Longkui God had a connection with True Lord Yunhua, heard about the baby, and sent a core up. But his power failed, and it fell into the grove, where the maid found it.

I have to protect my life and my apricot wine, and I can’t break up a divine marriage.

But the Emperor seemed to see through all my thoughts. As I was about to flee, she grabbed my shoulder. Before I could react, she pinned my hands above my head. I retreated until I hit a tree trunk.

“Emperor, wait! Mmmm!”

I was caught off guard, my eyes wide as I stared at the Emperor. Our eyes met, and terrified, I quickly closed mine. My mind was blank; I only thought of resisting. But the Emperor is the Emperor; no matter how high my status, I was no match for Chu Yuan’s power.

When we parted, my vision was blurry with tears. I sobbed, my words broken. “Chu Yuan… you… what do you… mean by this?”

I am the Little Mistress of the Three Realms; how could she be so presumptuous?

Chu Yuan had a smile in her eyes. In front of me, she licked her lips as if savoring the taste. Like a child, she had no aura of a Heavenly Emperor. She said leisurely, “This Lord was just curious. What exactly does the wine Little Mistress loves so much taste like?”

I was speechless. What else could it taste like? It wasn’t some legendary ancient brew; it was just ordinary wine. An immortal like the Emperor, who rarely touches alcohol, should be careful not to get drunk.

I wiped my mouth and asked, “Then, did the Emperor taste it?”

Chu Yuan looked at me with a beaming smile. While I wondered why she was looking at me like that, I heard her say playfully, “Naturally, it is sweet.”

In an instant, I understood her meaning. My face burned so hot I could feel the temperature without touching it. I felt I could never show my face again. I just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

And that “crawling” woke me up.

Seeing Sister, I suddenly remembered Chu Yuan’s face in the dream. Why did Chu Yuan look exactly like Sister?

Sister smiled and asked me, “What did you dream about?”

I smiled back, threw my arms around her neck, and left a kiss on her cheek.

If that truly was our first life, I have so many, many stories I want to tell Sister. The stories of the last life must be told in this one. And the stories of this life will be continued in the next.

For all eternity, the story between Sister and me will probably never end.

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