Chapter 0: No Small Ambitions
Qin Gou and Ye Qishuang immediately turned around with different expressions.
They saw Yi Chengying let go in a panic, letting out a scream from her small mouth. The whole person fell straight back into the shadows, as if falling into a pool.
“You get back here for this Palace!”
As soon as the words fell, Yi Chengying’s little face was flustered, and she poked a small head out of the shadows like a mole.
“Come out.”
Only then did Yi Chengying carefully stand up, her head drooping, on the verge of tears.
To Qin Gou, even Yi Chengying, who had been backlashed and pursued by Mo Qingyang, facing almost certain death, had never been as flustered and panicked as she was now.
“What exactly were you trying to do just now?” Ye Qishuang asked with a strange expression.
“Little, Little Chair was just too happy, so she got carried away for a moment,” Yi Chengying said with a trembling voice.
“Does that explain your strange behavior just now? Just because you were happy, weren’t you afraid of startling your Master?” Ye Qishuang’s dark eyebrows furrowed slightly. Moreover, no matter what, this Palace has raised this Silly Chair for many years. Why is it that when she saw this Palace before, she wasn’t so affectionate, wishing she could pounce on her immediately?
“I… I know I was wrong. Little Chair accepts punishment. I beg Palace Lord to calm your anger.” Yi Chengying clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, her head lowered, almost burying it in her not-so-prominent small chest.
“Alright, Qishuang, don’t make a fuss.” At this moment, Qin Gou looked at the pitiful little appearance of the chair and couldn’t help but say, “As your Master, I understand that you have always valued etiquette. But after all this time, in my interactions with Little Chair, she has risked her life to get into trouble for me several times, turning desperate situations around for me. She is no longer a simple superior-subordinate relationship to me.”
Moreover, Old Qin couldn’t help but feel fortunate that Yi Chengying had intended to hug him this time, rather than kiss him directly. Otherwise, that Silly Chair might have been so scared that she would have fainted on the spot.
Hearing this, Ye Qishuang looked at Yi Chengying with surprise and asked, “Did you really resolve crises for Master several times? But with your cultivation, Little Chair…”
Yi Chengying honestly nodded her little head and said, “Palace Lord, you know me. Little Chair is not afraid of death.”
“I understand. That is indeed your style, child.” Ye Qishuang couldn’t help but chuckle, her expression softened slightly. She took Yi Chengying’s small hand and said, “This time, for Master’s sake, it won’t happen again.”
“Yes, Little Chair will remember…”
“I know you have powerful people supporting you now, but at least, in front of this Palace, you cannot do this!”
“Palace, Palace Lord, what are you saying?” Yi Chengying’s expression startled, and she said in disbelief.
“Follow me.”
With that, Ye Qishuang bowed to Qin Gou, took Yi Chengying’s small hand, and walked out of the cave dwelling.
Qin Gou looked helplessly at their retreating figures. He had always advocated for nothing to be hidden. It’s just that this Silly Chair always thought about ‘I would rather die than be ahead of the Palace Lord’, and couldn’t convince herself.
…
Star-Shifting Pavilion, Yangyao Spiritual Spring.
It was originally a place for tempering the body, opened for core disciples who had made significant contributions. Now, only Ye Qishuang and Yi Chengying were resting by the pool, and no outsider dared to disturb them.
“So that’s how it is. Eldest Senior Brother’s true body has returned to the Purple Extreme Demonic Sect, and you were allowed to leave. And in the end, the order for you to follow Master was personally given by this Palace,” Ye Qishuang said calmly.
Yi Chengying nodded forcefully. What she feared most at this moment was that the Palace Lord would say that she intended to withdraw her previous order.
“How long has it been since you and this Palace last met?” Ye Qishuang continued to ask.
“Since parting at the Sword Questioning Sect, it has been one hundred and thirteen days,” Yi Chengying said without hesitation.
Ye Qishuang’s voice held a hint of surprise, “You remember it all?”
“Yes.”
Hearing this, Ye Qishuang turned her face and meticulously examined Little Chair from head to toe. She pursed her lips and smiled, “You were always by my side before, and this Palace was already accustomed to it. Now that we are reunited after a long separation, it feels like waking from a dream. I remember that the little dot who always followed me timidly back then has grown up so gracefully. Do you still remember what I told you back then? I would never stop the nine Saintesses from falling in love with anyone in the Cultivation World…”
As she spoke, Ye Qishuang gently placed her hand on Yi Chengying’s shoulder. “I wonder if Little Chair has truly confirmed her chosen one during these past days? At your age, it’s the perfect time to find a good Dao Companion and marry yourself off honorably. Of course, don’t forget, even so, you are still Yi Chengying of our Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace, and this Palace’s most beloved Lone Shadow Saintess.”
Yi Chengying’s face immediately turned pale. She quickly pleaded in a sweet voice, “Little Chair wishes to accompany you for this life and this world, and to serve Palace Lord with all her might!”
“Is that so?” Ye Qishuang’s lips curved into a teasing smile. “Little Chair might not only want to accompany this Palace alone now, right?!”
Yi Chengying trembled instantly, frozen stiff.
“Little Chair, this Palace understands you as if I were understanding myself! Even your slightest glance, your smile, can reveal so much to this Palace! However, your ambition, Little Chair, is truly not small!”
With her bright and intelligent eyes, Ye Qishuang suddenly leaned close to Yi Chengying’s flustered little face and said playfully, “You’ve been the Lone Shadow Saint Lord for so long and it’s still not enough? You even want to become the legitimate… Cult Master’s wife!”
“Ah?”
Yi Chengying’s beautiful eyes widened, and she looked at Ye Qishuang in disbelief. “No, Palace Lord, you must have misunderstood!”
“Misunderstood what? You still want to hide it? Do you still have this Palace in your eyes?”
“Didn’t you admit yourself at the Sword Questioning Sect that you became his exclusive ‘Little Saint Lord’ because of someone’s words? This Palace even blessed you back then! Now, the evidence is conclusive!” Ye Qishuang snorted with a hint of displeasure. “You know, a few days ago, Eldest Senior Brother was at the Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace and spoke to this Palace with particular solemnity, saying that you, Little Chair, are not what you used to be, and that this Palace must treat you better in the future and not be too harsh! Otherwise, this Palace might suffer great misfortune! Master must also know about this, which is why he dotes on you so much now?”
“This Palace never expected that you, Little Chair, would be so capable as to make Eldest Senior Brother personally warn me. Perhaps you’ve used all the methods you learned in our Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace for charming male cultivators on Eldest Senior Brother? You haven’t let down the cultivation our Mystic Maiden Palace has given you!”
“No, I’m not, I really didn’t. Palace Lord, please believe me!” Yi Chengying said with a tearful little face.
However, Ye Qishuang shook her head, and couldn’t help but laugh herself. “Alright, I’m not blaming you. After all these years, Eldest Senior Brother has indeed lacked a close companion by his side. If it’s you, this Palace can also rest assured! For this, this Palace should indeed thank you properly!”
As she spoke, Ye Qishuang even began to search for a generous reward in her Nas.
