Chapter 88 Southern Yue - Star River Tracker (Part 7) Rongrong, come here...
The Zhaode Hall hasn't been this lively in a long time.
Unlike Chaoyun, where the imperial harem system was well-established, the entire harem consisted of only a few beauties without children.
Qi Lingjie preferred quiet and had long since been exempted from the morning and evening greetings. They also kept to themselves and seemed to be mindful of not interfering with each other.
However, with the Empress Dowager pregnant, the whole country celebrated. Shi Xianxue listened to the joyful laughter in the hall and was also happy for Qi Lingjie.
To be fair, Qi Lingjie was a very good mistress. Unlike Qi Lingyu, who was two-faced, she came from a prestigious family, was tolerant and peaceful, and never arbitrarily punished palace servants. In this ruthless imperial city, she was a truly kind person who could put herself in others' shoes.
But when she thought that the child in her belly was most likely Wu Xiutang, the smile on her face disappeared.
Her ability to travel back eighteen years was both a human act and a twist of fate.
She needed to find out what exactly happened back then as soon as possible. After all, judging from what she saw that day, Qi Lingyu and Lou Su were not very familiar with each other, and Lou Su was not that strong. Instead, he looked weak from a long-term injury.
So what exactly brought them together and made them an alliance?
She remembered that Lou Su had placed the demonic bone into Song Qing Shu's body when they were at Misty Peak. Judging from Qing Shu's age, she should be eight or nine years old. So, does that mean that the demonic bone is still inside Lou Su's body at this moment?
The only reason for handing over such supreme power was that the demonic bones and his body reacted negatively to it.
He is not the best candidate for the Demon Bone.
If she threatens Lou Su into building the Star River Tracker and then eliminates him...
Shi Xianxue assessed the probability of this matter succeeding.
Well, she should just eat steamed sweet potatoes.
Once the noise outside subsided, Shi Xianxue quietly opened the door to the small kitchen a crack, and seeing that no one was around, she prepared to sneak out.
"Nianrong?"
Shi Xianxue paused, wiped her face haphazardly, and forced a smile to greet the newcomer.
"Your Majesty." She bowed but did not step forward. "It's late and the dew is heavy. Your Majesty is pregnant. Why did you come out alone? Why isn't Nianjiao with Your Majesty?"
Qi Lingjie's eyes were full of tenderness, and when she smiled, her cheeks revealed charming dimples.
She looks exactly like someone I remember.
Shi Xianxue was lost in thought, her gaze slowly falling on her lower abdomen.
Wu Xiutang.
"Nianrong, keep me company and have a talk."
Shi Xianxue had no choice but to refuse.
She returned to the palace and retrieved a white jade-trimmed cloak. Following the way Wu Xiutang used to take care of her, she carefully tied the ribbon, smoothed out the wrinkles, and wrapped Qi Lingjie up tightly, ensuring that not a breath of wind could get in.
A soft ribbon gently brushed against her face, but Qi Lingjie said nothing.
Nanyue is not a country where all cities have four distinct seasons, but in the city of Jinxiu, there are cicadas in autumn.
The swing made a creaking sound.
Qi Lingjie asked her about her recent situation without any reservations, seemingly genuinely concerned about her. Shi Xianxue, afraid that she would see the difference between herself and Nianrong, only gave the most important answers.
Seeing her so reserved, Qi Lingjie sighed with worry in her eyes: "It's my fault. You've reached the age to get married... Nianrong, let me send you out of the palace."
Shi Xianxue was stunned. She half-squatted down and looked up at her.
"Does Your Majesty intend to send Nianrong away?"
Qi Lingjie gazed at her tenderly: "I didn't mean to send you away. I just felt that leaving you here would make you suffer."
"Your Majesty!" Shi Xianxue's voice became agitated. She felt wronged for Nianrong. "I have never coveted His Majesty! We grew up together. Nianrong has only loyalty to you and has never had any other thoughts. Don't you believe in Nianrong?"
Based solely on Pei Zheng's one-sided account, is it fair to deny Nian Rong's loyalty to her over the past decade? In Nian Rong's memory, when Pei Zheng came to Zhaode Palace, because Nian Jiao was older and more attentive, she was always the one who took the lead in serving her. Even when it was Nian Rong's turn, she never overstepped her bounds, serving him with utmost care and not daring to even glance at him.
Pei Zheng deliberately provoked and framed Qi Lingjie, but it lacked logic and boundaries. Did Qi Lingjie not have her own judgment?
“But Nianrong, this is the palace. I love His Majesty deeply and do not want this to create any distance between us. Besides—” Her face was radiant with happiness as she gently stroked her belly, “I am carrying his child.”
For a moment, Shi Xianxue didn't know what to say.
Even before her belly is showing, a seed takes root in the soil, sprouts, and grows into a tender green shoot in just ten short months.
She bit her lower lip, wondering how things had developed to this point: "Your Majesty, you shouldn't be wary of me."
She hung her head dejectedly, not knowing what to do.
"Your Majesty, I do not wish to leave the palace, nor do I wish to marry. If you and His Majesty are only at peace if I leave, then perhaps I should be transferred away from Zhaode Palace..."
A name popped into her mind.
"Let's go to Tianyi Pavilion."
Nowadays, Tianyi Pavilion is unguarded. Fallen leaves cover the ground in front of the gate, and the pavilion is deserted. Her job is tedious and boring, but it also gives her a quiet space to think and an opportunity to commit crimes.
After much deliberation, she decided not to wait for the house to collapse in panic, so she prepared to strike first. However, before she could even go looking for it, she was ambushed by Lou Su, who exuded a fierce aura.
He was tall and stood there coldly. The moonlight made his figure look like an inflated monster, and Tianyi Pavilion suddenly felt narrow and cramped. It was as if the air had been stolen away. Lou Su stared at her without moving.
It was like watching prey dying in a trap.
The star compass in her hand burst forth with a bright light, and the starlight and moonlight fell on Shi Xianxue's shoulder. She felt Lou Su's gaze become unfathomable in that instant.
"It really is you." The corners of his mouth widened, the star chart was crushed in his palm and turned into a glow, he tilted his head and looked friendly and easy to talk to.
"I remember you are called Nianrong, the Empress's dowry maid. What are you doing here?"
He took a step forward, and Shi Xianxue was forced to take a step back, until she had nowhere left to retreat. A cold aura, like a venomous snake, slithered over her, baring its fangs as if to attack her.
"Don't you know that Tianyi Pavilion is my territory?"
What do you mean, "his territory"? Is he a dog? Does he need to mark his territory?
It's strange, though. Since snow is so rare in southern Vietnam, why does Lou Su always have a faint scent of fresh snow on him?
She leaned forward unexpectedly, only to have Lou Su grab her chin with lightning speed.
He narrowed his eyes, the smile on his lips vanished quickly, seemingly displeased by her impulsive advances, and he pinched his chin and shook it dangerously: "What are you doing?"
"High Priestess." Shi Xianxue twitched her nose like a dog, her eyelashes curling up obediently.
"I think you smell so good, the whole Tianyi Pavilion smells like you."
She blinked: "What kind of incense did the high priest use?"
Lou Su stared at her with a sharp, scrutinizing gaze: "Asking me for advice comes at a price."
Shi Xianxue felt his hand, with its distinct knuckles, slowly move upwards and cover her mouth.
Shi Xianxue quickly said, "Then, I'll ask another question."
"What were you holding just now, an astrolabe?"
She had heard that crackling sound of the beads colliding before.
Lou Su raised an eyebrow. The skylight hadn't been closed yet, and starlight and autumn wind shone down, the girl's hair brushing against his face.
A cold breath brushed against her lips, and she heard the man's chest vibrate, emitting a low laugh: "You have good taste."
"Why don't you guess what I found out with the astrolabe? There's a reward if you guess right."
Oh, so that means it was used.
She didn't just read "Tianshui Bi" at Tianyi Pavilion. In an inconspicuous corner, she saw in the book that the Star Compass could reveal the secrets of heaven and human destiny, calculate the trajectory of fate, and those with high abilities could even use it to manipulate the universe and change their destiny. However, heaven does not bestow gifts for nothing, and using the Star Compass comes at a price, which is extremely detrimental to cultivation and lifespan.
Judging from Lou Su's current physical condition, could I take advantage of his illness and kill him...?
Shi Xianxue is a person with strong execution ability. Once she makes up her mind and makes a plan, she will be anxious and unable to sleep if she does not put it into practice and see the results.
Then, she really couldn't sleep anymore.
Because this guy broke her hand.
She screamed in pain, tears streaming down her face, completely losing her composure. She dared not use her repair skills for fear of revealing her condition, so she could only grit her teeth and endure the pain. But since she couldn't hold chopsticks, she couldn't eat. She arched her back and stuck out her buttocks, trying to eat like a bird pecking at rice in a tree. She only managed two bites before knocking over the bowl.
A sneer came from above at just the right moment.
Shi Xianxue angrily bit the rim of the bowl.
If Lou Su really is Wu Xiutang's master, then to be honest, their ways of handling things and their styles of doing things are damnably similar.
Shi Xianxue was filled with resentment, staring at the distinct grains of white rice on the table, almost grinding her back teeth to powder.
It hurts so much, it hurts so much I feel like vomiting.
She was still very hungry, and the feeling of having delicious food right in front of her but not being able to eat it was incredibly frustrating.
Not to mention, it seemed like this guy was deliberately getting revenge on me. Knowing full well that I couldn't eat much and wouldn't be able to get my hands on any of it, he still made sure to prepare a sumptuous Manchu Han Imperial Feast for the past few days...
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Shi Xianxue turned her body to the side and said angrily, "I'm not eating!"
Don't even think about making a fool of her, that annoying thousand-faced devil.
Unexpectedly, the man opposite him suddenly moved. He barely suppressed the smile on his lips, held the rim of the jade bowl with his slender fingers, scooped it up with a spoon, and brought it to his lips: "Eat."
Shi Xianxue felt that the two of them had already fallen out, so naturally she wasn't going to give him a friendly look. "I'm not eating. What are you pretending for? Didn't you break my hand?"
"Hypocritical? Rongrong, I genuinely want to feed you." He seemed to have a mental disorder; at night he was dark and violent, like a violent maniac, but during the day he became refined and gentle, completely different people.
Seeing her disbelief and wary expression, Lou Su's smile became even gentler. He put down his bowl and said, "My elder sister once taught me that one should have compassion. If you can't kill someone with one blow, give them a quick death, then don't do it."
He carefully removed the fish bones from her hand and peeled the shrimp shells clean. "It was wrong of me to break your hand. I should have been gentler with you."
Shi Xianxue rolled her eyes. Nobody would believe that.
"It's true, Rongrong. I promise I'll be very gentle with you from now on." He brought the shrimp to her lips, his green eyes reflecting the soft moonlight like a pool of water. "Be good."
Shi Xianxue got goosebumps.
"Now, open your mouth."
"Why not take advantage of this opportunity?" Shi Xianxue is the most pragmatic person.
Shi Xianxue: "However, you just said... chew chew chew... elder sister, you also have... elder sister... chew chew chew."
Lou Su gave a light hum, stuffed the shrimp meat into her mouth, and spoke candidly about his background: "I am an orphan, and was raised by my older sister since I was a child."
Shi Xianxue swallowed the shrimp meat: "Then where is your sister now?"
How come she'd never heard of Lou Su having an older sister?
"I did something bad to upset her, and she doesn't want to see me anymore; she's hiding." Although he spoke of something upsetting, there was no trace of emotion in his eyes. "But it's okay, I'll find her soon."
He spoke as if he were an observer, talking about someone else's affairs. He was very indifferent and didn't seem to care much. Shi Xianxue didn't even hear from his tone how important her sister was to him, nor did she think that their relationship was so close that they would go to such lengths to find their relatives.
But this man was always abnormal, and his speech was incoherent and mixed with truth. Shi Xianxue couldn't tell the difference. She didn't want to communicate with him anymore, so she lowered her head and let him feed her.
Lou Su seems to have a knack for taking care of people; at least she's very good at reading people's expressions. Sometimes, when she encounters a dish she doesn't like, all she has to do is furrow her brow, and without saying a word, Lou Su will stop picking up that dish.
By the time she had finished eating slowly and carefully, the sound of bells ringing outside Tianyi Pavilion could be heard, and it seemed that white snowflakes were drifting in, but they melted as soon as they landed, leaving no trace.
Lou Su seemed a little surprised, "He's so small, but he has quite an appetite."
Shi Xianxue retorted instinctively, "Eat your food..." But then she thought about it and realized that this Manchu Han Imperial Feast was indeed a special meal prepared for her by Lou Su, so she swallowed the rest of her sentence. "My mother said that eating more is good for your health and makes you run faster."
Lou Su raised an eyelid, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He stood up, his back as straight as a pine tree.
"Now that you've finished eating, come with me somewhere."
Shi Xianxue nodded and stood up with him.
Shi Xianxue never expected that the place he was going to was Beiyong. He went straight to the snow mountain without even informing the city lord's mansion, as if he were in an empty place.
She wanted to remind him that there were snow maidens and guardian beasts on the snow mountain, but seeing that he looked normal and was very familiar with the route up the mountain, she refrained from saying anything more.
When the Snow Maiden knelt before him and called him "Master," Shi Xianxue peeked out from behind him with a shocked and distorted face.
“Master, I have placed her in a cave. Her condition is very bad. She is just waiting for you to come.”
Who is she?
In the circular space, on the stone walls carved with strange symbols, Shi Xianxue's heart sank with each step she took. Her face was pale. The man in front of her seemed to sense something and turned around to wave at her: "Keep up close. This isn't Nan Yue. One wrong step and you'll be bitten to death by a snow beast."
Shi Xianxue quickly ran forward, grabbed his clothes, and carefully looked around again, trying to find the overlooked truth from the clues.
Noticing her little movements, the man curled his lips into a smile, grabbed the back of her hairy head with his large hand and pressed her toward his side, warning her in her ear, "Rongrong, if you keep looking around like that, I won't be able to resist gouging out your eyes."
Shi Xianxue trembled and obediently let him lead her away.
He doesn't listen to his older sister and is supposed to be gentle with girls. He's just a crazy person who does whatever he wants, acting on his whims without any logic.
The two had already exceeded a safe distance.
The Snow Woman, filled with curiosity, kept stealing glances at the two. When she couldn't help but look over again, she met their gazes, which were as cold as a deep pool.
The snow woman was startled and immediately became obedient.
Lying in the black coffin was a pregnant girl, who looked no older than Nianrong. Sweat soaked her clothes, her belly was swollen high, her eyes were tightly closed, and the muscles in her body were taut in a terrifying way. She couldn't even let out a cry.
Shi Xianxue's vulgar thoughts surged up, "Lou Su, you perverted bastard!"
She underestimated the depravity of human nature! This pervert actually imprisoned an innocent girl in this freezing cold to have his child; he was utterly inhuman and worse than an animal.
Lou Su slowly rolled up his sleeves, ignoring her curses.
"You pervert, what are you planning to do? You're not going to kill me to cover your tracks, are you?"
Lou Su wasn't angry, but Xue Nu was enraged. She roared, "Don't you dare slander your master! You shallow and ignorant human, your master was saving her!"
"I'm shallow and ignorant? Compared to a monster like you who loves to rip out other people's hearts and eat them, my personality is far more valuable, isn't it? Save her? I'm not blind, he clearly wanted to... hey?"
As the emerald green aura flowed into the girl's body, she suddenly gasped for breath and opened her eyes.
Shi Xianxue curiously examined that aura.
Neither immortal nor demonic, this cultivation method belongs to any sect. It is like a spring rain that comes and goes in a hurry, or like the clouds in the sky, free and mysterious.
Lou Su's face was horribly pale, and only then did Shi Xianxue belatedly realize that Lou Su was risking his life to prolong his life.
The girl's pupils trembled with pain, but she still managed a weak smile when she saw him clearly. Her damp hair clung to her temples, and she shook her head weakly at Lou Su: "I know my body. There's no need to waste your energy saving me. You've already done enough for me. I've already repaid your kindness long ago."
Even speaking seemed to be draining her life force; the girl was panting heavily: "Just save my child, he must live."
Lou Su stopped the delivery and nodded expressionlessly.
He glanced at Shi Xianxue, his tone ambiguous: "Rongrong, come help me."
Shi Xianxue is going crazy.
Human life is at stake. How could she know that Lou Su's offer of help was to help deliver a baby?
Her hands were covered in blood, trembling violently, and her vision blurred; she nearly fainted.
Lou Su's face remained expressionless. Blood stained his sleeves, but he didn't even flinch. He used his slender fingers to pry open the passage and accurately grabbed the baby's arm.
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