Chapter 429 Stubborn Steps

"This is outrageous! This is just too much!"

Shia slammed the books she was holding onto the table, then leaned back in her chair, panting heavily.

“Xia, actually these Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, Three Obediences and Four Virtues are mainly for restraining ordinary women of the Great Xia Dynasty. Female cultivators are somewhat different.”

"Aunt Audrey, then why are you making me watch this so-called female precepts? I am a powerful nun!"

Audrey held her forehead, feeling utterly helpless. Yesterday, she had discussed with Shia Allen's expectations and views of her. Shia immediately wanted to find the Great Xia's rules for restraining women to read, but she couldn't help but get irritable after reading only a few commentaries on these rules.

Stubborn little Shia couldn't stand such restraint. If her temper, which made her prone to fighting at the slightest provocation, could be controlled, she wouldn't have ended up fighting Kaihime so badly that she was black and blue and refused to repent.

"Xia, how did Qin Mo treat you before? Why did you choose him to awaken for you?"

Left with no other option, Audrey had to start from the source to see if she could help Shia figure things out.

"He treated me so well back then. The first time we met, I planned to punch him in the back, but he noticed and caught me, but he didn't punish me. Instead, he gave me lots of good food..."

"After I became his maid, he would grant me anything I wanted. If he didn't agree, I would just pester him a few times and he would. I've shown you my jewels! He bought them all for me..."

"That time I saw a gemstone I really liked, and Qin Mo initially disagreed with buying it for me. I grabbed his arm and pleaded with him for three blocks, and he finally bought it for me. He was so considerate back then..."

As Xia talked about her past trivial matters with Qin Mo, she gradually became happier, her eyebrows arched, and her large, light blue eyes sparkled with a lively spirit.

"Shia, why isn't your relationship with her like it used to be?"

"I………"

Shia stopped her excited chatter, her little face gradually scrunching up before she finally said uncertainly, "Because... I'm not the same as before! I'm the Sea Queen now... He should treat me even better..."

Audrey smiled. Once upon a time, she also believed that family background and strength were essential factors for a good match in marriage. She looked at the "well-matched" marriages of so many nobles, kings, and powerful figures in the Western Continent, and the tragic endings of the protagonists in those so-called "tragic" love stories, which all corroborated her idea.

However, Audrey, who had never been in a relationship before, realized she was completely wrong after starting to date Ellen.

Allen is very powerful, but when Audrey is with him, they mostly discuss "art" that has nothing to do with cultivation. They feel happy when they are together, but this feeling of happiness has no fundamental connection with the strength of either of them.

"Sia, do you want a marriage like those kings of the Western Continent? Or do you want to rekindle the feelings you once had with Qin Mo?"

"I...don't want that kind of marriage! I hate that kind of fake marriage!"

Hia said with great disgust that many kings' marriages in the Western Continent were merely formalities, with the husband and wife showing each other great respect, but to the point of being fake.

So you just want to recapture that feeling from before?

"......"

"But I will never apologize to him!"

Little Xia pouted and looked aggrieved for a long time before finally nodding her little head and saying fiercely.

"Of course you don't need to apologize to him. Just stay by his side and watch him silently. When he's mean to you, remember... to smile!"

"Is simply smiling enough?"

Yes, a smile can resolve all misunderstandings and grudges!

Shia's furrowed brows gradually relaxed. "Oh! If it's just a smile... I'll reluctantly tolerate it this time, as a matter of obeying the rules of womanhood..."

As night fell again, the tops of the Tamsui Twin Towers were once again illuminated by beautiful starbursts, adding a magnificent touch to the Tamsui cityscape.

A cloud of mist carried a slender, tall figure, whooshing into the Hengwang Mansion and heading straight for the Twin Towers.

The swing under the Twin Towers was the spot Shia had chosen. She was determined to sit there today, and no matter how rude Qin Mo was, she would just smile and never fight back.

Anyway, Qin Mo wouldn't hit him; Qin Mo would never hit a woman he was involved with.

Shia encouraged herself as she headed straight for the swing, but in the end she was unable to get on it.

Someone got there before her! That spot is already taken!

Kaihime sat on the swing that belonged exclusively to Qin Mo's personal maid, gazing blankly at the swirling stars at the top of the tower. Her son, Qin Ziyu, stood in her arms, constantly reaching out to try and catch the swirling starlight, though he always failed, he was still happily tireless.

A profound sense of defeat struck Shia's heart, leaving her feeling somewhat heartbroken. The helplessness of having her fate intertwined with another's made her lose the will to resist.

She didn't rush up and make a scene, nor did she turn around and leave.

She simply found a spot in a corner some distance away and sat down, lost in thought.

The chilly autumn rain fell in a dense drizzle, and the beautiful starlight draped the twin towers of the Hengwang Mansion in a shimmering veil.

A separate, multicolored star vortex appeared above Kaihime and Qin Ziyu's heads, keeping the cold drizzle out.

"Ugh... Ah..."

Qin Ziyu was extremely excited. Her chubby little hands reached out to grab the star-shaped swirl on her mother's head. The colorful swirl looked delicious.

The cold drizzle dampened Shia's hair, flowing down her slender neck to her chest, chilling her to the bone.

She curled up again, hugging her calves tightly with both hands, burying her head in her arms, letting the raindrops fall on her smooth skin.

The starlight dissipated, the starlight vanished, and the baby's babbling, accompanied by the mother's echoes, faded into the depths of the Prince Heng's mansion.

Xiao Xiya walked indifferently down the streets of Danshui City with her head down. These were familiar streets to her; a few years ago, she and Lin Ruoxi had happily chased and laughed here.

Now she is all alone.

Occasionally, passersby would see this strange little girl, but no one would disturb her, because the aura emanating from her was the deathly stillness before an explosion. Even ordinary people felt that cold chill and kept their distance.

"Little sister, where are you going? Do you want to find a place to shelter from the rain with your brother?"

A gentle voice, tinged with a hint of teasing, stopped the lonely mermaid girl, bringing a touch of warmth back to her chilled heart.

In the middle of the street, pedestrians walked around the two of them, occasionally casting an encouraging smile at the obviously sulking young couple.

Half a day passed, and Shia was still looking down at her soaked shoes, while Qin Mo didn't say another comforting word.

"I'm leaving now!"

The size 42 boots turned and walked away, while the size 36 shoes stubbornly followed closely behind, never leaving their side.