Chapter 469
Shang Qinqing rested her chin on one hand, a playful smile dancing on her lips. “What a pity! I heard the plot of the art book was created by someone we all know, and it was handed over to a disciple of Qingyuan Sect to illustrate.”
“Is that so?”
“Hehe…”
The joy in Shang Qinqing’s squinted eyes was unmistakable.
Whether you’ve seen it or not, she was determined to indulge in it first.
“?”
Ying Bing pursed her lips, uncertain if Shang Qinqing had guessed correctly. She then lowered her gaze to the outside.
It was already so dark.
Why hadn’t he returned yet?
At the Zhen Nan Wangfu (Prince of the South’s residence).
“There’s plenty of time ahead. You can take your time learning military strategy. As for the funding, let’s forget it; it won’t do you any good. Why not stay for dinner today?”
Zhong Qin asked as he stood before the sand table.
“I wouldn’t want to intrude. I need to get back to cook.”
Li Mo clasped his hands in a formal gesture, feeling a bit regretful that this investment hadn’t panned out. Yet, he understood that the Prince of the South meant well and didn’t want to drag him down.
It seemed he would have to change his approach...
“By the way, Uncle Zhong, during my travels in the southern frontier, I found that many villages are no longer isolated. They often come to Qingmu City to trade, and their specialties should sell quite well in Dayu.”
After Li Mo finished speaking, he glanced at the sky and hurriedly took his leave.
---
Chapter 524: A Lifetime of Eating
As night deepened, a gentle breeze swayed the sea crystal lamps of Buyun Tower, casting a warm glow.
Qin Yuzhi, wearing an eye mask, yawned as she descended the stairs, only to find the table empty. Ying Bing was there sipping tea, occasionally glancing outside.
Shang Qinqing was across from her, munching on sunflower seeds.
“Where’s Xiao Li?”
“He went to the Zhen Nan Wangfu,” Shang Qinqing replied.
“The Wangfu... What’s he doing there? He didn’t even come back to cook.”
Qin Yuzhi’s words carried a hint of morning grumpiness.
She had been running business deals for Li Mo in her dreams every night, and now he wasn’t even taking care of dinner.
“I think he should have returned by now, but he hasn’t. Plus, he offended the noble Zhu Ziguizhou of Dayu yesterday.”
Shang Qinqing cast a sidelong glance at Ying Bing.
Seeing her staring out like a stone statue waiting for her husband, she squinted and said in a low voice, “Is it possible that as soon as he entered the Wangfu, he was secretly captured?”
“!”
Ying Bing’s expression remained stoic, but she couldn’t help but look outside again.
“Being captured would be just fine.”
Qin Yuzhi huffed, “Once I restore the Huanshen Sect to its former glory, I’ll capture Li Mo, lock him in a little black room, and whip him with a little leather strap, not even giving him food.”
“Hmm?”
Ying Bing turned her head, her icy face scrutinizing her.
“Okay, okay, no need for the little leather strap.”
“And he can’t go without food either.”
Ying Bing said seriously.
“I’m still waiting for him to cook for me.”
Qin Yuzhi sniffled, feeling quite wronged.
Xiao Li might be enjoying a feast at the Wangfu while she was here starving, and she couldn’t even complain. Was there no justice in the world?
Shang Qinqing stared at Qin Yuzhi for a long moment, suddenly recalling something, and raised an eyebrow. “You’re the Qin Yuzhi who disappeared with the Huanshen Sect’s Yunmeng Hall?”
“How do you know me?”
Qin Yuzhi was taken aback. No one from the Huanshen Sect remembered her anymore, yet someone recognized her.
“I was born three hundred years after your disappearance, a pureblood Qingluan, in charge of marriages. I’ve met the Sect Master.” Shang Qinqing finally confirmed it was her.
“I see. You know me. It seems my story has continued to spread even after my slumber.”
Qin Yuzhi placed her hands on her hips, sighing dramatically.
It felt like meeting a fellow villager after a long time, both teary-eyed.
Shang Qinqing’s expression was complex. “I’ve indeed heard of you…”
“Wait a minute.”
Qin Yuzhi suddenly realized something and asked, “I instructed the higher-ups in the sect to wake me every three hundred years.”
“If the Great Shang hasn’t fallen after three hundred years, why has no one come to call me? Did something drastic happen in the sect during that time?”
“Not exactly.” Shang Qinqing shook her head, hesitating to speak.
But seeing Qin Yuzhi’s curiosity, she continued, “All the higher-ups in the sect believed it was unwise to wake you.”
“That’s a long story. Initially, I heard from others that your slumber was accompanied by great terror, and it was absolutely forbidden to approach you or attempt to wake you. Otherwise, that existence would awaken, and the entire world would fall into eternal sleep.”
Ying Bing listened with lowered eyes.
These secrets from the Great Shang era were unknown even to her.
“They weren’t entirely wrong... but also not right.”
Qin Yuzhi frowned. “That’s precisely why I instructed them to regularly check for a way to completely seal the ancestor of Yunmeng and rescue me.”
“Hold on, let me finish.”
“Oh, oh…”
Shang Qinqing continued, “Later, I discovered they had other reasons for not waking you.”
“For instance, the ancestor of the Mingjiao clan, who controlled the winds and rains, was on the verge of extinction due to insufficient life force.”
“On his deathbed, he told me he had hidden a lot of gold and silver treasures, colorful shells, and corals from his wife, all in his little treasury. The location of that treasury, besides him…”
“Only you know.”
Qin Yuzhi: “?”
So they opposed waking her just to keep their secrets safe?
“And then there’s the leader of the Tianma clan, who had a few little mares hidden from his wife. Only you knew about that.”
“??”
“The leader of the Luwu clan actually liked wearing human women’s clothes; Yu Shigong was the most handsome man in the Great Shang but suffered from hemorrhoids; and the poet Shao Yun, whose verses have been passed down through the ages, is still a model gentleman, but he has a peculiar fondness for women’s feet…”
“.....”
Ying Bing, upon hearing this, lowered her gaze, fiddling with her doll.
“So they don’t want to wake me because they’re afraid I’ll hold onto those secrets for a lifetime? How could they do this?”
Qin Yuzhi was furious and felt quite wronged.
She hadn’t even enjoyed those secrets that many times—just three, four, five, or six times at most.
Shang Qinqing sighed, “Because knowing someone’s face doesn’t mean knowing their heart. Who would have thought that the jade-like gentleman, unparalleled in the world, would have a thing for feet?”
When she learned these things, she was equally shocked.
If it weren’t for their impending demise, she would have indulged in those secrets five, six, or even seven, eight times...
“Oi, Xiao Bing’er, your tea is about to spill!”
“....”
Ying Bing stared at the swaying sea crystal lamp, the warm light making her eyes seem a bit dazed.
“Xiao Bing’er, don’t you think they’re being unreasonable?”
“Li Mo probably doesn’t think so.”
“???”
Qin Yuzhi still didn’t understand what Li Mo had to do with this.
And besides... why hadn’t that guy returned yet?
“Looks like I’ll have to work on an empty stomach today.”
“Qin Sect Master, wait for me a moment.”
Though Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi were from different generations and had never met, they were still on the same side and had much to discuss.
As they were leaving, Qin Yuzhi couldn’t help but turn back and say, “Xiao Bing’er, he might not come back tonight. You should get some rest early.”
“I know. I’ll drink some more tea.”
“Alright then.”
Shang Qinqing curled her lips; she had heard this before.
The doll had been played with for so long that its forehead was almost shining.
The two ascended the stairs.
The hall fell silent, and Ying Bing pondered whether she should use Gong Chanjuan to ask him.
But the last time, Li Mo had been busy with something important when Taiyin Yihun lit up, and now, at this hour, how should she ask him?
Should she ask if he wanted to sleep together?
.....
Meanwhile.
On the rooftop of Buyun Tower, in the Ice Block’s room.
“Where did the Ice Block go?”
Li Mo had returned using his Jindouyun (Cloud Somersault).
At the usual time he returned, the Ice Block should have just finished her training, perfectly timed.
If she was in Buyun Tower, she should have returned to her room by now.
“When did she leave?”
Li Mo decided to head to the main hall of Buyun Tower to ask the innkeeper.
As soon as he arrived in the hall, he noticed that most of the lights had been extinguished, casting a dim light.
At their usual table, the Ice Block sat quietly under a bright lamp.
The flickering light made her appear even more delicate, yet her brows were furrowed, as if something troubled her.
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