Chapter 28: Having seen so many people, he no longer bothered to pay attention to our family...

It was that familiar, merciless tone.

When Zhao Liangxu entered, there were three or four people dressed as imperial physicians kneeling in the Empress Dowager's palace, all trembling as they endured An He's scolding.

She didn't spend much time with Anhe during this month. She took a few days to go to the palace to chat with the Dowager Consort or accompany Li Ying in her studies.

An He has been busy with something lately, staying in the palace so much that Zhao Liangxu seems a bit distant when she sees him now.

She hadn't figured out whether the flutter she felt that day counted as liking someone, and now seeing Anhe made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Therefore, when she entered the palace, she did not deliberately look at Anhe, but instead approached the Dowager Consort to inquire about her condition.

An He stared coldly at Qiu Cheng's movements.

Yu Guang unconsciously clung to Zhao Liangxu.

Zhao Liangxu didn't even look in his direction.

He scoffed inwardly. He was already in a bad mood because of these quack doctors, and Zhao Liangxu's subtle distancing only added to his anger.

In just one month, after meeting people from outside, he no longer wanted to feign politeness with them.

Kneeling in the hall was a row of old men with white beards, each one a senior physician from the Imperial Medical Academy. An He stood to the side, surrounded by a suffocating atmosphere, making one feel that he was about to kill someone at any moment.

The Empress Dowager's bedroom was naturally warm, but with Anhe watching over her, the atmosphere felt exceptionally cold.

Xu Huayue covered her mouth and coughed, helpless against An He's attitude.

Looking at Anhe's arrogant and gloomy demeanor, her cough not only didn't get better, but she also felt a throbbing headache.

Qiu Cheng checked the Empress Dowager's pulse and then carefully examined her throat. After a moment's thought, he said to An He, "Eunuch An, the Empress Dowager's cough is an old ailment that is most prone to relapse in cold weather. The diagnoses of these senior physicians are not serious, and my diagnosis will yield the same result."

Anhe hadn't summoned Qiu Cheng to listen to such useless nonsense. His face was devoid of any smile: "Oh? Does Lady Qiu mean that you, like these quack doctors, are unable to alleviate Her Majesty's cough?"

Zhao Liangxu looked up at him.

Having spent several days together, Zhao Liangxu could naturally sense the dissatisfaction in An He's tone.

And a hint of malice.

"Of course not. When Her Majesty's cough flares up, it is unbearably itchy and painful, and she can't stop coughing. Although it is difficult to cure completely, it can still be relieved with medicine." Qiu Cheng replied cautiously in a low voice. "I suppose the senior doctors have seen many illnesses, big and small, throughout their lives. Influenced by life, old age, sickness, and death, it is normal for them to be more cautious in their actions. It is not that Her Majesty's cough is incurable, but this medicine is too strong. It is necessary to carefully select other medicinal materials to neutralize its effects."

Qiu Cheng's temperament in the palace was unique, but that didn't mean she was reckless. Seeing An He's gloomy face, she naturally chose her words carefully in her reply.

This relieved Zhao Liangxu.

Qiu Cheng wrote down the required medicinal materials and handed them to An He for inspection. Several other imperial physicians also reviewed them and gave him an accurate answer.

Anhe's expression calmed down slightly.

He naturally knew Qiu Cheng's character as a doctor from the gossip of the palace servants. Xu Huayue had also mentioned Qiu Cheng's reputation once or twice. Given this, he was still willing to trust Qiu Cheng a little more.

Although he still has a gloomy expression, his mood has improved somewhat.

Anhe waved for the other imperial physicians to leave, and then sent someone to keep a close watch on the preparation of the medicine.

Xu Huayue then spoke up: "It's good that Eunuch An is thinking of me, but don't push the palace servants too hard. After all, we work together."

Anhe moved her lips, her gloomy expression lessening somewhat, but her tone remained stiff: "Your Majesty's words are truly worrying. We servants have failed in their duties and should be punished accordingly. If the imperial physicians are unable to fulfill their responsibilities, they should also be punished."

"Her Majesty is gentle by nature, which makes it easy for servants to be lazy and neglect their duties, causing her to catch a cold. If I find out, I will definitely discipline these brainless servants properly."

Xu Huayue knew she couldn't change anything about Anhe, so she sighed. A tickle rose in her throat, and she couldn't help but cough again.

It felt like it was going to get into my lungs.

Anhe softened her tone slightly and advised, "Your Majesty can indulge your subordinates as you please, but you really should take care of your health."

He then changed his tone and called Jing Shu, Xiao Qing, and the others out, reprimanded them, and coldly instructed them to take good care of the Dowager before stopping.

Before leaving, he made sure to take the quiet and reserved Zhao Liangxu with him.

"Zhao Liangxu, come out."

Zhao Liangxu rolled her eyes as she heard An He's sinister voice.

She left Zhumu in the Empress Dowager's palace and went out with her.

An He walked ahead without saying a word, and Zhao Liangxu had no desire to speak for the time being.

She really didn't know what to say.

Looking ahead, Zhao Liangxu could only see An He's tall and thin back.

Most people in ancient times were shorter than modern people due to malnutrition. Zhao Liangxu benefited from the Northern Zhou people's height, which was already considered extremely outstanding.

Perhaps because Anhe had become a eunuch at a young age, he grew a few years longer than others. In comparison, even with his back straight, Anhe was still about three fingers taller than her.

Today he wore a dark-colored python robe with silver embroidered pythons crawling on the hem, which seemed to come alive with Anhe's movements.

Zhao Liangxu stared intently at the swirling python robe on An He's body as she walked silently.

Anhe sensed that Zhao Liangxu was not going to speak, which made her feel even more frustrated.

Sure enough, after seeing so many people, he lost all interest in dealing with him.

He spoke first.

"Princess Zhao has had a very comfortable month, spending her days playing with cats and dogs in the capital. Has she forgotten the task we entrusted to her?"

Zhao Liangxu came to her senses and felt that Anhe, this eunuch, had a strange and unreasonable temper.

"Eunuch An, didn't you tell me to travel around the capital more? I've been going out diligently every day, and now it's my fault?"

Zhao Liangxu was not to be outdone verbally.

“When we ask you to move around, it doesn’t mean you have to go to the same few places every day: Zhilan Hall, bookstores, and teahouses. Even if you only go to one of the bookstores and teahouses, we haven’t even asked you what you’re thinking about.”

"How does Eunuch An know so much about my whereabouts?"

Anhe chuckled, stopped, turned around, and said, "What do you think?"

Zhao Liangxu thought that Anhe would definitely send someone to follow her and would never let her wander around the capital. Anhe indeed knew everything about who she met and where she went.

She looked puzzled: "Are you still concerned about me?"

An He never expected Zhao Liangxu to say such a thing.

She was also too confident.

Who gave her the confidence and courage to say that?

How could it be because he cares about her?

Is she genuinely ignorant, or is she just pretending?

Seeing that An He was speechless and seemed somewhat annoyed at being slandered, Zhao Liangxu continued eloquently, "I don't know what Eunuch An has been busy with in the palace these days. I rarely see Eunuch An. Although I am fishing in the capital for Eunuch An, I am still quite useful, aren't I? It is only right to send someone to keep an eye on me?"

Zhao Liangxu's words seemed to be an explanation for An He.

An Heben was so distracted by Zhao Liangxu's ramblings that he forgot what he was going to say next. But after hearing Zhao Liangxu's subsequent words, which seemed to be an attempt to make amends, he completely lost the hostility he had carried when he came out of the Empress Dowager's palace.

Now, all his surprise and speechlessness were directed at Zhao Liangxu.

"Talking nonsense, it seems you've become too wild, and all of this is just some unorthodox stuff you learned from outside?"

Anhe scoffed, trying to use those words to cover up the emotions he had just lost control of.

Zhao Liangxu acted as if nothing had happened and brought up her recent situation: "What kind of talk is that, Eunuch An? Eunuch An said that all I've done this month is go to bookstores, teahouses and clinics. How could I have gone astray?"

She walked side by side with Anhe again without even realizing it.

She just wanted to know if she really had any feelings for this eunuch.

The most intense exchange between them was nothing more than giving each other a near-death experience.

Rather than liking each other, shouldn't they have developed into enemies?

Not to mention that this powerful eunuch had tried to kill him more than once.

Zhao Liangxu now knows that she doesn't reject physical contact with him, which proves that she at least doesn't dislike him.

That's really strange.

She walked diagonally forward, which brought her closer and closer to Anhe.

Anhe was unaware: "Yes, it's just these few places. If it continues like this, even if you stay for another ten years, you probably won't encounter any suspicious people."

"So, does Eunuch An mean I should go to some unstable places, such as casinos or brothels?"

Upon hearing these two places, his brows furrowed: "When did I ever say you should go to places like these?"

How could she go to such a dangerous place?

The thought popped into his head: how could he be worried about her safety?

Before Anhe could think any further, he was startled by the sensation on his arm.

Zhao Liangxu not only walked alongside him, but she got closer and closer until her arm was pressed against An He's arm.

"you......!"

Zhao Liangxu hummed in response, as if she didn't know what she was doing.

"What exactly does Eunuch An mean? Going to crowded and safe places is not good, and you are not happy to go to unstable places either. Eunuch An also scolded me for not making any progress this month. What should I do?"

In reality, Zhao Liangxu's actions didn't involve any real intimacy with An He; at most, their arms bumped into each other accidentally.

This left Anhe somewhat at a loss.

At that moment, he forgot about any sense of alienation or sarcasm.

He still remembered that he had wiped his hands with a handkerchief under the tree that day, trying to hide his unease, but Zhao Liangxu mistakenly thought that he disliked her.

He didn't dislike her.

No.

Normally, even if he truly disliked someone, he would never let anyone get close to him.

However, he didn't want Zhao Liangxu to misunderstand.

He did not feel uncomfortable with such contact.

But Zhao Liangxu did not stop there.

Seeing that Anhe didn't speak, she took his hand through her sleeve.

A note from the author:

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The next chapter will be available for purchase! Thank you all for your support! You can check out my pre-order in my author page: "Crushing Through the Cultivation World Before Ascension"

Qing Chong transmigrated to a world of cultivation, eager to start his protagonist life, only to have his spiritual root dug out by his biological parents and die.

...This is truly an inauspicious start.

Qing Chong said: He was very introverted and was buried before he could explain.

Fortunately, although her physical body was buried, she obtained a tiny seed by chance, which opened the path of ghost cultivation.

But... no one told her that ghost cultivators were so universally hated!

*

Qing Chong didn't want to make a fuss and just wanted to be a ghost and cultivate immortality honestly, but there were always some blind people who wanted to kill her.

"A ghost cultivator? He'll cause endless trouble; this child must not be allowed to live!"

Qing Chong then attached himself to him with a light puppet thread, controlling him to roll away, and said: "The villains at point X, turn left and don't come near me."

"Ghost cultivator? A low-class lineage! Take this sword from me!"

Qing Chong stepped on his back and poked him with his bone sword, saying, "Has no one ever told you to leave yourself an out when you're out and about?"

Sword cultivator? Is that so rare? Looking down on others will bring retribution.

"Ghost cultivators? People from the Xianyin region have attacked! Ancestor, save me!"

Qing Chong had no time to explain and could only watch helplessly as the other party unleashed the mighty and vigorous Ancestor.

Qingchong: That's the downside of being socially awkward. I was still figuring out how to explain politely without feeling embarrassed when the other person called.

Say nothing more, let the child hit if they want to.

When one ancestor falls, countless more ancestors will come after him.

Qing Chong is tired: Why are there so many ancestors in the cultivation world?

It wasn't until Qing Chong saw two acquaintances mixed in with them that he finally saw them.

With two Dao Lords at the Mahayana stage behind them, the crowd pointed at Qing Chong, their faces flushed, and shouted: Senior, it's her!

Qing Chong raised his numb hand and greeted one of them, saying, "Long time no see, old man."

Meanwhile, another person, under the expectant and respectful gazes of fellow cultivators, hesitantly and incredulously shouted something to Qing Chong.

"Master?!"

Everyone: Wait a minute, isn't this wrong?

***

The journey is fraught with peril, and the path to immortality is long.

Those who cultivate immortality seek only the four words: immortality and ascension.

Qing Chong walked from the tomb to a place where no one could reach.

Sword in hand, surveying the heavens, seeking the Great Dao, striving for immortality.

The first person in thousands of years to ascend to the Dao and become a Rakshasa Immortal.

Reading tip: This is a cultivation-themed story with a focus on the female protagonist's growth; there aren't many romance subplots.