ã€ŠQuick Transmigration: Fate Trading Systemã€‹


 CH 1

    Chapter 1: I Want to Beat Someone Up

    Su Xin¡¯s figure moved through the night, her footsteps silent as a mouse. She climbed up the wall as she reached her destination and languidly passed through the windows. Finally stepping inside the premises, she dusted off her trousers when suddenly, the light enveloped the room. The light temporarily blinded her, making her eyes squint.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you come to my house the way normal people do? ¡°

    A woman dressed in pajamas, who stands atop the staircase with a lollipop in hand, said to Su Xin with a glare that indicated her irritation.

    ¡°Just get used to it as this won¡¯t be the last time.¡±

    Noticing the sweets, Su Xin added, ¡°Oh,  eating sugar at night? That would definitely ruin your teeth. Also, Qingqing, I¡¯m quite famished.¡± Su Xin rubbed her belly and winked at Qiu Qingqing.

    ¡°You¡¯re such a bother.¡± Qiu Qingqing retorted as she walked down the staircase towards Su Xin. She inserted the lollipop inside Su Xin¡¯s mouth and strutted to the kitchen to cook something for her unexpected guest. On the other hand, Su Xin made her self-comfortable on a chair, crossing her legs while she enjoyed the lollipop.

    Not long after, Qiu Qingqing brought out a plate of Yangzhou fried rice and placed it on the table.

    ¡°Eat.¡± She offered.

    Su Xin threw the remains of the lollipop and proceeded to the kitchen to wash her hands in preparation for the little feast. Afterward, she languidly made her way to the dining area.

    While Su Xin was eagerly chomping the dish,  Qiu Qingqing asked in a low voice, ¡°How many days can you rest this time?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I had just settled a few errands recently and I¡¯m a little exhausted.¡± Su Xin responded a bit ambiguously.

    Su Xin¡¯s profession is what people can refer to as unusual. Objectively speaking, she was not a good person; Being a hitman expects one to be shrouded in mystery. She has been in the field for 6 years and started at the age of 16.

    Lately, she was beginning to get sick of her job. It also didn¡¯t help to know that her parents, who were both killers, were mercilessly annihilated during a mission. She was four when they died, and the loss affected her life drastically. Her parents were well-known members of the organization and thus as a result, she was obliged to follow in their footsteps, even if her late parents had wanted her to live a serene, normal life. Under the organization¡¯s grip, she started a life that wasn¡¯t clean. For Su Xin, there was no end to the internal training of pointing one¡¯s blade at enemies; perhaps even at a comrade.

    She didn¡¯t impress anyone at the beginning because she stood by her principles, which was to spare the innocents. She then became the laughing stock of the organization because this was an absurdity in their line of work. It didn¡¯t please the head one bit. Therefore, after a year¡¯s work, she was assigned to be an agent that engages in black eats black scenarios regardless of her personal quims.

    Qiu Qingqing watched her finish the meal and collected the dishes.

    ¡°Qiu Qingqing, when will your vacation end?¡±

    Su Xin, being her sole confidant, was the only person she could be candid with her feelings.

    ¡°Soon.¡±

    ¡°Go on Su Xin, take a shower then go to sleep.¡± She motioned to her bedchamber.

    Su Xin nodded, took a shower and laid across the mattress. A few moments later:

    [Dingdong! Host received an exchange request from an ancient times¡¯ plane. Do you accept?]

    The voice of System Fourteen reverberated through Su Xin¡¯s mind.

    She chose to accept it.

    Actually, Su Xin was already dead. Her life had ended abruptly when she was crushed by a huge truck while saving a child. A life for a life indeed. Although she was ferocious as any cold-blooded killer, Su Xin was inevitably still as mortal as any human being. While she was contemplating the scenarios of meeting god, she heard a mechanical voice that would change her fate.

    That mechanical voice called itself as the voice of the Fate Exchange System.

    It was a system that gave souls like her a second chance at living as a reward for accomplishing missions. Su Xin established an agreement with the system and the terms stated that if she will succeed in any tasks given, she can live longer by a year. This was great news to Su Xin since she hadn¡¯t wanted to die, and thus, she promptly agreed.

    The Father of System Fourteen persuaded her with the good prospects the system had to offer. The methods of the system were all a puzzle to her but she needed to suffice no matter what. In the beginning, no task had been given to her because of the strict requirements needed to be met first, as one cannot switch destinies so casually. Su Xin also asked about the consequences if she happened to fail the task. She was then told that failure meant experiencing two more ways of dying. Having said that, Su Xin replied with absolute conviction that she would not.

    [Transferring Planes. The identity of the exchanger is being announced. The real world is frozen, hibernation is a success. Commence mission.]

    Su Xin gazed to the mournful eyes of a beautiful woman dressed in ancient attire.

    ¡°This humble servant asks, is the young lady of nobility?¡°

    The woman¡¯s genteel voice had a tint of excitement.

    ¡°Eh, I am. What is your desire?¡±

    Su Xin wore black leather pants, a stark contrast with the woman¡¯s style.

    ¡°This humble servant wants to become the number one courtesan and have the most beautiful person in the Four Countries admit that I am truly the most beautiful!¡±

    The woman was outrageously ambitious. Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Su Xin as though she was a newfound treasure.

    ¡°The body will be entrusted to the noble lady at once! This humble servant shall now depart.¡± The woman smiled and disappeared into thin air.

    It was then that the transmission occurred. Su Xin felt her soul being pulled by a strange force. The next thing that happened was that she was no longer in her own body but the ancient woman¡¯s. Su Xin opened her eyes to face a brass mirror where an indistinct image was reflected. The woman in the mirror had eyebrows that curved like a willow leaf, she was a beauty. However, her face was cold as a stone.

    ¡°Master Fourteen, say, what was the exchanger¡¯s wish again? Was it to become the most beautiful in the Four Countries?¡±

    [Indeed, great host.]

    ¡®What a sly wish. What were the rules to pick such a person? 1¡°

    Su Xin was supposed to be an agent, bringing forth vengeance and blood. Fighting and killing was nothing out of the ordinary. However, this beauty contest was a first for her.

    [Great host, please make ample effort. System Fourteen will always be your spiritual pillar.]

    Who is the most beautiful person in the Four Countries?

    [Let¡¯s see.. I have it found out. The Empress of Qiu Liu country ¨C Qu Fei Qing.]

    How big is the difference between her and me?

    [The difference between the land and sky.]

    Sky¡­

    There was a knock at the door and someone muttered, ¡°Young lady, it¡¯s time to wash and dress, mother asked for you.¡±

    Su Xin remembered that the body was still sixteen years old but in several days, it would bloom, just the way ¡°mother¡± expects it. She would then be subjected to the practices of a courtesan.

    This made her blood boil.

    [Host is exhibiting hostility.]

    I want to beat someone up!

    Translator¡¯s Note: For easier reading, Su Xin¡¯s monologues with the system are italicized while system fourteen¡¯s prompts are in bold.

 CH 2

    Chapter 2:  Ta Yan (1)

    The submissive servant came in slowly, carrying a basin filled with water used to wash the face and rinse the mouth. She stood by as she waited for her mistress to finish preparing.

    ¡°For what reason does the mama want to see me?¡± Su Xin asked, wiping her face.

    ¡°Shu Juan does not know. This servant only noticed the mama was happy and thought it ought to be a joyful occasion.¡± Shu Juan shook her head and earnestly replied.

    ¡°Things that make the mama happy¡­¡± Su Xin laughed bitterly, a sense of foreboding present at the back of her mind.

    ¡°The Young lady is well-mannered and will certainly have a good future.¡± Shu Juan assured Su Xin with a wide smile.

    Su Xin playfully patted the girl¡¯s forehead and said, ¡°Little girl¡¯s mouth is getting sweeter by the day.¡±

    ¡°Shu Juan is just saying the truth! Young lady should hasten. Time is running.¡±

    [Host¡¯s integration is rather fast. I am impressed.]

    Thank you for the praise.

    [Host is awarded with ¡®Crocodile Tears¡¯.]

    Crocodile tears? That doesn¡¯t sound like a good thing.

    [It allows the host the ability to trigger a beauty¡¯s tear-stained face. There are even other variants of weeping to choose from, such as, bawling, smiling tearfully and so on.]

    Su Xin accepted the reward, thinking it would be useful in the long run. You can count on her when it comes to killing, but crying was hard for her. The years of training had unfortunately made her cold-blooded.

    The owner of the body, which Su Xin was given temporary possession of, was called Xue Yao, and was very famous. However, it was just a name that was bestowed to her, nothing more. Xue Yao had already forgotten her real birth name. Just like other courtesan¡¯s stories, she was abducted when she was young and sold to the pleasure district. It was her good looks that made a female brothel keeper take and raise her.

    It was a cold November day in Yu Prefecture when the brothel keeper took Xue Yao under her wing. The keeper was looking at the snow-clad trees when a branch shook, causing some snow to fall. It was from that instance that her name, Xue Yao, which literally meant snow shake, came from. However, that brothel keeper died from an illness when she was eleven.

    From then on, Xue Yao¡¯s life took a rough turn. Still in need of a guardian, she was handed over to a young woman who had spent her entire life in the brothel.

    The new female brothel keeper ¨C Ta Yan, was a utilitarian and a clever person. Seeing potential in Xue Yao, she had severely disciplined her and changed her to her benefit. She would be worked to death every day and starved to maintain the desired weight and figure.

    ¡°Young lady, it¡¯s done.¡±

    Shu Juan inserted the last pin on Su Xin¡¯s inky black hair, making sure that every strand was in the right place.

    ¡°The Young lady is the most beautiful and is incomparable to a thousand moons.¡± Shu Juan said with envy while gazing at Su Xin¡¯s side profile. This face was truly an extreme beauty, flattering but not vulgar. Even when she was simply standing, she would still be a picture of beauty.

    Sadly, it was a waste. This beauty was only an instrument used for abominable things.

    ¡°I feel that Young lady has somewhat changed.¡± Shu Juan murmured to herself, her voice not lowered.

    Shu Juan was a servant girl bought by the original owner and had been with her for several years. Despite one being a master and the other a servant, they were close like sisters. They were also of the same age.

    ¡°What has changed?¡±

    Su Xin was quick to put on an indifferent smile, her reflection in the mirror graceful and subdued. She hid her sharp and bloodthirsty persona behind a charming facade so as to imitate the original owner of the body.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell. Shu Juan may have just bumped her head this morning and is now hallucinating.¡±  Shu Juan shook her head and watched Su Xin rise to her feet.

    ¡°Where were you hit? Let me see. This girl is so clumsy.¡± Su Xin approached Shu Juan with a glare and reached out to touch the back of her head.

    Su Xin was half a head taller than the other girl and naturally towered over her. Shu Juan became docile and let her mistress examine her head.

    ¡°There¡¯s no swelling. Pay attention next time.¡±

    ¡°This girl does! You should now hurry and look for the mama!¡±

    Without another word, Su Xin went out the door and was not able to see Shu Juan kneel on the cushion with a flushed face.

    System Fourteen saw it but felt that it had nothing to do with the host¡¯s task and therefore did not inform Su Xin.

 CH 3

    Chapter 3: Ta Yan (2)

    Su Xin maintained a lady¡¯s proper posture while she walked towards mama Ta Yan¡¯s door and knocked.

    Master Fourteen, this is the slowest pace I¡¯ve walked with in my entire life.

    [Eh, It doesn¡¯t matter. You will have to repeat it in the future.]

    In the modern times, Su Xin always walked hastily. She could even run quickly while wearing pumps, which were a need for some missions. But as Xue Yao, she had to adhere to a young lady¡¯s training and keep a ladylike and graceful pace. Ta Yan had strict rules and the training was surely pure torture for the original owner.

    If in any occasion Su Xin was caught walking briskly, she would absolutely be admonished thoroughly. Fortunately, this body entrusted to her had already perfectly honed this habit by muscle memory, allowing her to walk with ease.

    ¡°Mama, Xue Yao is here.¡±

    ¡°Xue Yao, ah, come in.¡±

    Su Xin opened the door and saw Ta Yan lying on an elegant couch. This female brothel keeper was a former courtesan herself and so, she held the beauty of one. Although she was now at her mid-thirties to forties, she still exuded an attractive allure. There was a whiff of elegance, and the feeling of coyness seeping out from her bones that was not unnoticeable.

    ¡°Xue Yao, you are already near of age. There¡¯s no need for me to elaborate further; you should know what I¡¯m implying.¡± Ta Yan cut through the chase and got right to the point.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Su Xin nodded.

    ¡°I heard that you weren¡¯t feeling well these past few days. Don¡¯t overthink. I want you to be mentally prepared when you enter these doors as a courtesan soon. You are my favorite girl and I hope you turn out to be worthy of me and my mother¡¯s education.¡±

    The former brothel keeper was Ta Yan¡¯s mother but no one, even her mother, could compare to her own craftiness. She was a master of the abacus. It was not a surprise when she took an interest in Xue Yao. She saw her as a golden goose which would lay eggs at the opportune moment. And good lord, it was fast approaching!

    ¡°Mama, I have a proposal.¡± Su Xin looked straight into Ta Yan¡¯s eyes, who raised her eyebrows in return and motioned for her to speak.

    ¡°I want to attend the Banquet of the Four Countries.¡±

    Ta Yan¡¯s expression sank, and she immediately sat up and looked at Su Xin, almost seething.

    Like a lion ready to pounce at her prey,  she growled, ¡°You say that again.¡±

    ¡°I want to attend the Banquet of the Four Countries.¡±

    ¡°Humph! If you wanted to escape, there¡¯s no need for such an excuse. The Banquet of the Four Countries ¨C don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Ta Yan sneered.

    The Banquet of the Four Countries was a event where important individuals assembled. The emperor of each country would be present, as well as every intellectual, elegant scholar, wise men and tactician. The female singer that will be given the privilege to perform will only be the top geishas chosen from the countless brothels from each country.

    It was the best way for a prostitute to earn a reputation for herself, and it was the perfect stage for her mission.

    The banquet is held once every five years. Four exceptional geishas from each country are chosen. Ergo, the banquet was a soft competition for the geishas. This era obviously gives high importance to the pleasure workers. They are treated as the epitome of beauty and are educated to be wise and resourceful. However, this event requires one thing ¨C all performers must be virgins.

    But how difficult is it for Su Xin to pull through this stunt? It¡¯s like a modern prostitute from a nightclub in a third-tier city aiming for Miss World.

    Exceedingly far-fetched.

    ¡°I can do it.¡±

    ¡°What makes you that confident? Your appearance is pleasing but how can you compare to the other participants in the capital? They had spent wealth for their training and you, young lady had not even earned me anything. Don¡¯t you even think that I¡¯ll spend a silver on you! You ungrateful wench, get lost!¡± Ta yan brandished Su Xin to leave.

    Like a lamb, Su Xin went out with a polite expression. She turned somber as soon as she was outside alone.

    For many years, no one has ever told her off like that.

    Su Xin¡¯s eyes flashed with determination, and she thought of way to make Ta Yan acquiesce to her proposal.

 CH 4

    Chapter 4 ¨C  Qi Yun¡¯s Daughter (1)

    Master Fourteen, do you have some kind of ability that can make people feel weak from chest tightness and shortness of breath? Ah! Even vomit blood or something?

    For some people, direct threats are more efficient than rhetorical appeals. Simply because they are afraid of death¡ªExtremely afraid of death and the pain that comes with it.

    [Yes.]

    Is it that strong?

    Su Xin whistled in her heart. This ability of the system sounds quite overpowered. If this was always readily available, then she would be able to threaten people with ease. Is there such a thing not on the system¡¯s fingertips?

    [But on one condition.] Fourteen slowly added, a bit belatedly.

    Su Xin snorted in her heart. There truly was nothing so good in this world! Su Xin thought there would definitely be no tasty meat pie in heaven, and if there was, it would be an iron pie.

    Sure enough, that iron pie was coming!

    [Every use requires a deduction of one-twelfth of your life span as compensation.]

    Fraudster! Exploiter!

    She could only get one year¡¯s worth of time rewarded to her for completing a task, not to mention a lot of time and effort spent in a foreign world. To only use it once and easily lose one-twelfth of her lifespan, Su Xin felt that her heart was bleeding.

    This is exploitation! This is the behavior of bloodsuckers! How can this be worthy of socialism? It¡¯s an abomination of capitalism! Doesn¡¯t your conscience hurt?!

    [Not at all. My conscience doesn¡¯t hurt. Our system doesn¡¯t need one.]

    Su Xin began to think about other methods which were more feasible and ignored the system. If she can¡¯t cheat with this ability, then she can use her own military force. Although her physical prowess is not as good as before, or even can be said to be far inferior, her underhanded means are still there.

    Although a first-rate assassin, Su Xin can¡¯t magically alter her face or make do with a human skin mask. She also can¡¯t use her non-existent knowledge on traditional medicine to make poison. However, it¡¯s not her fault. Su Xin can change her external image through makeup, but there are no lipsticks, eyebrow pencils, eyeliners and other types of cosmetics back in her world in this world. The more complex stuff should be even rarer or perhaps not yet even discovered in this world. What can she use to change her appearance?

    On the subject of poison, if she was to use this method, the recipes she knew were all made from new biological agents. She¡¯s not a traditional Chinese medicine doctor where she can expertly concoct poison from herbs.

    The only thing Su Xin is very good at are cold weapons1. Make her wield one and it¡¯s terribly easy to threaten a person without force.

    Su Xin suddenly thought of a question. Since this was an ancient plane¡ªspecifically the ancient plane of China¡ªwould there be a thing like Jianghu2? Such as, the kind of flying seen on TV shows where they used internal forces and so on.

    [ Yes, host. It indeed exists.]

    Su Xin rubbed her temples with her hands.

    Master Fourteen, is there another way to extend my lifespan other than completing my tasks? You see, if I use that ability just once and the bill already comes as one-twelfth of my lifespan. There should be some other way that I can earn it.. right?

    [ ¡­Indeed.]

    The host was pitiful but still logical, Fourteen realized this and felt a bit apologetic. They like the type of hosts that are just averagely smart. There are always those who are too wise and take advantage of their loopholes for their own benefits. But the system is designed to be simple and thus, it can¡¯t complete their complex orders, leading to miscommunication and affecting the flow of the mission.

    How?

    [By triggering all kinds of side quests. If this kind of quest is really triggered, I will tell you. After all, this is a mutually beneficial thing. I won¡¯t have to hurt you. ]

    The mechanical sound of Fourteen echoed in Su Xin¡¯s mind.

    Master Fourteen, regarding the ability you gave me, you say I have to use my own vitality to use it. Can you give me a little something with it?

    [What is it?]

    A pill! The kind of pill that resembles a poisonous drug but is not really poisonous, otherwise, what other means can I use to threaten?

    A little red pill materialized on Su Xin¡¯s palm.

    This is perfect. Thank you.

    [You¡¯re welcome.]

    ¡ª

    Su Xin went back to Ta Yan¡¯s door, raised her hand and knocked.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Ta Yan obviously had quite the temper at the moment and everything she said was laced with anger.

    ¡°Mama, it¡¯s me, Xue Yao.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    The room was eerily silent. Ta Yan¡¯s angry words remained in Su Xin¡¯s mind.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Another excuse won¡¯t work on me. There¡¯s no hiding. Stop being delusional.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to show mama something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Su Xin approached slowly like a lion zeroing in on its prey. She firmly stepped on Ta Yan¡¯s foot, making her sit straight in shock.

    For a split-second Su Xin had a thought when she saw the red, small pill melt immediately upon entrance at Ta Yan¡¯s mouth.

    What the system produces is truly of superior quality.

    Ta Yan was caught unexpected. She didn¡¯t know why, but immediately she was dry heaving. Her mouth was filled with a sickeningly sweet and unctuous flavor; it made one feel dizzy with nausea from the taste.

    ¡°What did you make me eat!¡±

    ¡°Mama did not agree with me, so I had to resort to other means.¡±

    Although this method was not straightforward and upright3, this kind of thing also doesn¡¯t have to be justifiable. Su Xin doesn¡¯t think she is just person, but for her own ends she would go hook or by crook. What¡¯s more, the pill wasn¡¯t truly poisonous.

    ¡°Mama, the medicine I just gave you is special. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d want to know what it¡¯s called, and you can forget about finding an antidote for it. Why, I do not need you to do anything huge or spend money on me! All I need is to preserve my virginity.¡±

    ¡°Hmph! You ingrate! Who knows what you even fed me!¡±

    It was not known whether the effect was true or psychological, but Ta Yan felt her mouth was very uncomfortable. She felt nauseated enough to retch, but couldn¡¯t spit it out.

    This is the behavior of an ingrate indeed. Su Xin¡¯s mouth twitched at the corners at this statement. After all, she has spent more than ten years here since she was taken in after her first caretaker died. Although her life can¡¯t be considered good, she was treated fairly by Ta Yan. She has not received any severe treatment from her, beaten or left to starve.

    Su Xin bent over Ta Yan and soothingly consoled, ¡°Mama, I won¡¯t hurt you. This is just a helpless move for now, no matter how despicable you think it is. When I succeed in the future, I will return to my mama and this establishment a hundredfold.¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯ll believe anything you say? Especially that? Foolish!¡± Although weak, Ta Yan still had the spite to berate Su Xin and she frowned at her mockingly.

    Su Xin gazed steadily at Ta Yan, ¡°Mama, in a moment¡¯s time you will feel lightheaded. And then your chest will hurt, it will be hard to breathe. You¡¯d want to vomit but you won¡¯t be able to. Your body will be like lead; powerless and weak.¡±

    Su Xin hastened the system to start the effect of the pill. Only then did the conditions Su Xin elaborated appear on Ta Yan. It gave Ta Yan a huge scare and she clutched at her chest in horror. It was the perfect intimidation.

    ¡°Mama, I will come back on that day. I hope you will cancel your plans for me and listen to my terms.¡°

    Su Xin calmly went out and closed the door behind her as if nothing had happened. In the room, the faint smell from her body¡¯s powder lingered.

    Ta Yan got up from the floor with difficulty and sat back on her couch, unwillingly thinking for a long time.

    Translator¡¯s notes: Hello everyone! Thank you for the massive support you have shown these past few days for this novel. This was actually the chapter that made me fall in love with Su Xin¡¯s character. We have seen a lot of main characters who are almost perfect in everything, which for me just screams overpowered and unrealistic, and it becomes agonizing to read. Here, we see Su Xin just as an assassin, nothing more. She¡¯s not even a genius. She was just a girl who was forced into this kind of life after her parents died. It¡¯s actually kind of sad.

    Back to the chapter, what are your thoughts? I love reading your comments and a discussions on the novel.

    And also, I¡¯ll be quite busy starting next week so the releases might be erratic.. Sorry!

    If there are errors in grammar or improvements that can be made in the translation, then by all means feel free to comment it. Do you also like to see the Chinese idioms as it is or have it simplified and understandable with the original Chinese translation in the footnote?

 CH 5

    Chapter 5 ¡ª The Protagonist (2)

    Like the calm before the storm, everything was quiet after Su Xin¡¯s confrontation with Ta Yan; its repurcussions had yet to rear its head. And Su Xin had foreseen it was bound to be ugly. so she was not surprised when Shu Juan came barging in like she was being chased by the devil himself.

    ¡°Young lady! Young lady! What did you do to the mama?¡± Shu Juan was pale, eyes wide in fear, ¡°The mama is livid!¡± Her words signified how immensely rattled she was at the moment.

    A nonplussed Su Xin was sitting by the window observing the sights. An absolute contrast with the frightened, trembling girl leaning on the doorway.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Su Xin slowly pulled her gaze from the scenery outside to look at the girl in front of her.

    It seems the storm has arrived.

    ¡°Mama is going to send you to the second floor! Oh, heavens!¡± Shu Juan slumped down, the myriad of emotions finally hitting her and leaving her drained.

    ¡°How is this even possible?¡± Shu Juan whispered and glanced at her master. Seeing her unfazed reaction, she was struck dumbfounded.

    How could she still be so calm?

    In this brothel, the girls who had status, even just a little bit, all reside on the third floor and Su Xin was the cream of the crop¡ªhaving the best room. The second floor, on the other hand, was mediocre. It served as the place for those who had little money and maintained no reputation. Some even had to take in patrons.

    For Su Xin, who was from the third floor and was Ta Yan¡¯s favorite, to be swiftly demoted to the second floor would be a big controversy and surely a topic for everyone¡¯s schadenfreude.

    But Su Xin knows her moves are limited for the meantime. Patience was her only friend at the moment.

    She needed to be wise with her decisions and ride out the storm.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right. Just let it be. I¡¯ve got plans.¡± Su Xin gave Shu Juan what could be called a reassuring smile to appease the panic-stricken girl.

    ¡°Young lady, how can I not be anxious! Obviously¡ªobviously after a few days..¡± Shu Juan¡¯s words faltered and she looked at Su Xin, tears gleaming in her eyes.

    ¡°I am only worried for the Young lady.¡± She whispered, voice breaking.

    Su Xin knelt beside Shu Juan and carefully wiped her tears with her handkerchief. Afterwards, helping her get to her feet.

    ¡°Shu Juan, listen to me. I am planning to take part in the Banquet of the Four Countries.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Shu Juan¡¯s mouth was agape. Her disbelief with her master was growing by the second.

    The Banquet of the Four Countries! Never has it crossed Shu Juan¡¯s mind, nor the ladies in the establishment. Not even in her wildest dreams. For the Young lady to suddenly have this far-fetched idea was beyond her!

    Su Xin could see the incredulity in Shu Juan¡¯s eyes and hastened to say, ¡°Even if I fail, I still must give it a try.¡±

    She looked steadily at the girl before her. Shu Juan didn¡¯t know her reasons and she couldn¡¯t tell. She couldn¡¯t blame if the girl thought she was being delusional. However she knew she had to be firm.

    She was no longer the Xue Yao she knew. This was for her mission and not from some fanciful impulse.

    ¡°Shu Juan, I won¡¯t be resigned to this fate.¡±

    Shu Juan stopped weeping. It seems like there was no stopping her master. The best she could do was to support her.

    She gave Su Xin a determined smile.

    ¡°Yes, Shu Juan will always have Young lady¡¯s best interests at heart. This servant intends to follow Young lady regardless of any circumstance.¡±

    No matter what decisions the Young lady makes, she would still be Shu Juan¡¯s favorite person to serve all her life.

    Su Xin¡¯s eyes were unreadable. She could see the girl¡¯s unwavering loyalty to the body¡¯s original owner and she didn¡¯t know what to make of it. ¡°Foolish girl.¡±

    The room returned to its former stillness, to which Su Xin was grateful for. It gave her space to think.

    Su Xin unconsciously returned her eyes to the window. Inadvertently on the same line of sight was a person. As if on cue, that person also returned Su Xin¡¯s stare.

    Su Xin stifled a laugh.

    Even from afar, she could directly tell that the person was a female clad in clothes for a young man! What even made it more ridiculous was that she was not alone in this charade. A small girl, dressed haphazardly just as she was, was following beside her.

    What could these two runts be up to?

    [That person is the protagonist of this world. Befriending her might be favorable to your mission.]

    Su Xin¡¯s eyes widened at this statement. Protagonist, huh? She studied the girl whose gaze was still fixed at her.

    Su Xin smiled¡ªa smile that was so bright she was sure would leave an impression on the girl. She turned her back and disappeared from the window.

    A plan steadily formed in her mind.

    ¡ª

    ¡°Miss, what are you looking at? We should go back. This place is very strange.¡° Hong-er nervously tugged at He Yunshu¡¯s sleeve incessantly, wanting to get her attention.

    She still didn¡¯t know what had just happened today. Out of the blue this morning, the deranged Eldest miss woke up as if she were a different person. She ruthlessly got rid of her evil servants who had been tormenting her for some time now.

    It shocked everyone to their core. And for the unfortunate ones who had slighted her¡ªfear.

    The servants couldn¡¯t believe the once meek Miss, who would only cower when they abused her, would one day become so ferocious, snatching back her authority and had them grovelling for their lives.

    After the ordeal, she put on men¡¯s clothes without shame and took off to the streets saying that she was going to pay a visit to the brothels. Hong-er was obliged to come, forgetting her initial shock. She was afraid that her master was going crazy!

    The brothel, ah! No lady from a respective family should even dare to be of close proximity.

    He Yunshu was not paying attention to the small servant girl beside her. She was transfixed by something, more specifically, someone.

    The girl was a beauty, extremely seductive but there wasn¡¯t a trace of vulgarity in it.

    He Yunshu¡¯s heart stirred ¡ª like a pebble falling into a calm lake, disrupting the surface and making ripples.

    She was a true beauty of the ancient era.

    However, a fact made her pause in her musings. The girl was inside the premises of a brothel which probably makes her a pleasure worker.

    He Yunshu felt disprited.

    Such a young girl and already robbed of her future, it was too unfortunate. While she was thinking such thoughts, the girl had beamed at her like the sun and then she was out of sight.

    As if a spell had been broken, He Yunshu was now aware of the anxious servant beside her.

    ¡°Goodness Hong-er, stop nagging me.¡± He Yunshu stopped walking and looked at Hong-er, annoyed.

    As if she didn¡¯t hear a thing, Hong-er resumed in pestering her. ¡°Miss, we should really go back!¡±

    Playing the same antic, He Yunshu asked, ¡°Hong-er! Do you know who lives in that room?¡± She pointed at the window where the beautiful girl was before.

    ¡°Huh? The one on the third floor.. that room is Young lady Xue Yao¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Hong-er, didn¡¯t you say that unmarried young misses of the family are not allowed to talk about such things? How did you know who lives in that room? Hmmm?¡± He Yunshu¡¯s tone was accusatory and she looked at Hong-er teasingly.

    Immediately, two red spots appeared on Hong-er¡¯s small face, ¡°What! No, miss! Young Lady Xue Yao is very proper. She has helped many people.¡±

    ..Weren¡¯t they digressing? This Miss of hers has just craftily turned the conversation around, ah!

    ¡°This servant has heard that Young lady Xue Yao will be¡­ but the rumours are uncertain anyway. In short, Miss, we should now return to the manor!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay, you go back.¡± He Yunshu made a shooing motion with her hands.

    To transmigrate to the ancient times¡ªhow could one not visit the brothel?! It would be incredulous to pass off this opportunity.

    He Yunshu was looking forward to the evening as the brothel was definitely more interesting in this time.

    Xue Yao¡­ Snow Shake. The name rolled off He Yunshu¡¯s tongue interestingly.

 CH 6

    The news of Xue Yao¡¯s demotion spread throughout the brothel like plague¡ªunstoppable. Needless to say, other courtesans must have felt triumphant but Su Xin couldn¡¯t care less. All of them were insignificant to her and most importantly, the mission.

    She was gathering her belongings with Shu Juan, following Ta Yan¡¯s ¡®order¡¯, when she saw someone leaning against the doorway. That person was smiling in derision.

    Must be one of those harlots laughing at her misfortune.

    ¡°What did older sister Xue Yao do to anger mama? Do you want Wan Yue to talk to the mama for you?¡± Wan Yue came in shaking a fan gracefully and making her every step as gentle as possible. Her facial features were soft and lovely; her manner of speaking coy yet charming. She looked at the room all the way around, scrutinizing in both envy and triumph.

    She was a promising courtesan¡ªan acceptable replacement for the stubborn Su Xin.

    ¡°This screen is terrible. Uh! Disgusting! This rouge¡­¡± Wan Yue made a show of picking up Su Xin¡¯s rogue, disgust written all over her face.

    Su Xin¡¯s eyes followed Wan Yue¡¯s every move, her eyes amused.

    What childish antics.

    Yet for a certain Shu Juan, she was incensed at having her master mocked. And in her own room nonetheless!

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch Young lady¡¯s things.¡± Shu Juan said through gritted teeth and blocked Wan Yue from getting close to Su Xin¡¯s dresser.

    Wan Yue glanced at Shu Juan and smiled mockingly at Su Xin, ¡°How rare! Older sister Xue Yao has a good dog!¡±

    Su Xin decided she had enough of Wan Yue and she gazed at her indifferently.

    Su Xin didn¡¯t spare her a word. Her eyes did the talking, conveying how unaffected she was with her taunts.

    Wan Yue was a bit displeased with Su Xin¡¯s apathy. The least she could do now was end the conversation by rubbing salt into her wounds.

    ¡°I won¡¯t waste any more breath with older sister Xue Yao. I hope that older sister will immediately leave so that my servant girl can start tidying up the room in peace.¡±

    Unfortunately, this only served to further Shu Juan¡¯s anger and she looked at Wan Yue straight in the eyes with hate. An act of disrespect considering that she was but a mere servant girl.

    ¡°Who do you think you are? You¡¯re supposed to lower your gaze, servant.¡± Wan Yue was furious, but she knew she had the upper hand. After all, she had the higher status between the both of them.

    In this brothel, Young ladies are more privileged than the servant girls, but this wasn¡¯t always the case for the residents of the second floor. In that floor, the line blurs between the Young ladies and the servant girls. In some cases, a few of the demoted servant girls with passable looks sometimes receive guests.

    There are not many maids in the building responsible for the cleaning and handling of miscellaneous tasks. Young ladies take care of patrons while those girls on the second floor have no special servant girls to serve them, nor could they afford to raise one.

    The Young ladies on the third floor all have some spare money in their hands and the slave contracts of their servant girls. Meanwhile, their slave contracts are with the mama, Ta Yan. The Young lady shoulders all expenses of her personal servant girl while all the Young ladies and the maids¡¯ expenses in the building were managed by Ta Yan. The division between the Young ladies and the servant girls was very distinct.

    Su Xin has been demoted to the second floor, so her standing had taken a turn for the worse. Not to mention Shu Juan, who was a mere servant girl.

    (T/N: So basically, brothel hierchary is as follows:

    Su Xin is in the 2nd tier(formerly 1st), Shu Juan in the 3rd tier(formerly 2nd) and Wan Yue in the 1st. Hope this clears up any confusion.)

    Despite this, Shu Juan was undeterred. She tilted her chin upward and retorted,¡°The last time I checked, I am not your servant. Why can¡¯t I dare not look at you so.¡±

    For Shu Juan, she only had one master. Despite this master of hers being demoted, she was still fiercely devoted. Thus it angered her when Wan Yue came only to ridicule Su Xin.

    Wan Yue was seething when suddenly, she saw Ta Ya at the door. Wan Yue hurriedly went over and leaned at the woman. Her mind forming a plan to punish Shu Juan.

    ¡°Mama, older sister Xue Yao has this insolent servant! She even had the nerve to disrespect me! Hmph!¡± She looked daggers at Shu Juan while trying to act spoiled with Ta Yan.

    Wan Yue knew a direct confrontation with the servant girl was prohibited. The same goes for internal strife between Young Ladies in the building. This was a strict rule established by Ta Yan herself. What they could only do is complain to Ta Yan and let her reprimand those who deserve it. Wan Yue was thinking of using Ta Yan to scold Su Xin so Su Xin could handle Shu Juan.

    Two birds with one stone!

    Ta Yan looked at the girl who was clutching at her robes endearingly. She felt dipleased¡ªone because she could see through Wan Yue¡¯s pretenses and two, this girl had a bad temper and was too impetuous for her own good.

    Ta Yan was not a person to be used. She was the one who uses other people to her advantage.

    ¡°You, ah! Go back and pick up your things first.¡± With a flick of her hand, Ta Yan dismissed Wan Yue who looked shocked then dissatisfied. She knew she couldn¡¯t push the matter further lest she provoked Ta Yan¡¯s ire. Left without a choice, she sashayed her way out of the room, her steps heavy and slow¡ªa blatant display of her vexation.

    Ta Yan watched the girl leave. Although the girl had an immature personality, this wasn¡¯t a problem. What matters is she¡¯s good-looking and obedient.

    She would be able to control her unlike another strong-willed girl.

    Ta Yan looked back at Su Xin, a sliver of regret in her chest.

    ¡°Your servant has an uncontrollabe rage.¡± Ta Yan lightly glanced at Shu Juan on one side and looked at Su Xin, subtly hinting the prior incident.

    In the midst of a silent war, both women were caught in a stalemate: with the threat from the pill looming over Ta Yan¡¯s life and Su Xin lacking  options, was unable to rush her trip to the capital.

    Yet despite being threatened with her life, Ta Yan still firmly demoted her to the second floor. Su Xin couldn¡¯t retaliate knowing she needed more time in order to advance her plans. This was Ta Yan¡¯s way of pressuring her. Ultimately, the endgame depends on the person who succumbs first.

    What a ferocious woman.

    Meanwhile for Ta Yan, there was no longer the need to pamper Su Xin after being threatened. She had become unruly, unable to be restrained by Ta Yan; It was clear that she¡¯s no longer goods to be taken advantage of since she couldn¡¯t be manipulated anymore.

    Why should she still be polite?

    However, Ta Yan knew she could only do this much. At the end of the day, she was no hooligan. Proper dignity must still be maintained, that¡¯s all.

    She still wasn¡¯t taking Su Xin¡¯s threat seriously. Or more likely¡ªshe refused to acknowledge it.

    ¡°It was to protect her own master, nothing more. Many thanks.¡± Su Xin answered Ta Yan and thanked Shu Juan.

    Without another word, Ta Yan left them to finish the chore.

 CH 7

    Chapter 7 ¡ª To Play Gangster (2)

    Su Xin and Shu Juan moved to the second floor. The room was much different than the one they had before. It was gloomy and cold. Also situated on the farthest part¡ªmaking it the most remote room on the second floor, hence moisture had accumulated overtime.

    ¡°Young lady..¡± Shu Juan bit her lip and fought back the urge to shed tears.

    Su Xin somewhat understood why some people said that women were made of water. The girl, Shu Juan, could cry a river, yet she could always stop without a hitch. It was like a faucet which could be turned off and on at will. Su Xin was at a loss on how to deal with this emotional servant of hers.

    After all, emotions were not her strongest suit.

    Su Xin tentatively touched Shu Juan¡¯s double top knots and gently rubbed the small buns. This caught Shu Juan¡¯s attention successfully and she stopped crying, looking instead at her master questioningly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this road was chosen by myself. I need to bid my time before I can seize my slave contract without trouble, and then make haste to the capital.¡±

    The requirement to attend the Banquet of the Four Countries was very strict, actually akin to the imperial examination. Although the former is an formal occasion, it is still below than the latter.

    The place she was staying at was quite distinguised and she even had a bit of reputation for herself. However, it still won¡¯t hold a candle to the courtesans in the capital.

    The system for the Banquet of the Four Countries is akin to a black box.1 There¡¯s no transparent procedure on how decisions are made or which guests are chosen.

    However, high officials and noble members of the imperial households are sure to be the majority of the attendees in the banquet. Hence, Su Xin must have a striking reputation to be chosen out of the numerous courtesans or else, she would be squashed like a potato.

    Her initial plan was to befriend someone of high status once she arrives in the capital. However, she realized it may take plenty of time and shamelessness. Her face might grow too thick. With Fourteen¡¯s help, she seemed to have found a faster way¡ªby becoming good friends with He Yunshu. She just needed to coerce Miss Mary Sue to her side and the road will be paved for her.

    As the the protagonist, He Yunshu¡¯s status is unusual because she is not an upgrade event offered by the system. She just needs to properly coerce her to her side which at the moment, was very beneficial to the task.

    Especially to get inside the Banquet of the Four Countries.

    After cleaning the room spotless, Shu Juan sat on a chair and blankly stared for god knows how long.

    Su Xin wasn¡¯t doing better either. She was looking at the floor in a daze thinking, ancient days were truly very dull. There were no TVs, computers and mobile phones¡ªthere wasn¡¯t anything to do to pass time, ah!

    The hours of slacking was very dragging!

    Su Xin felt her sanity was dwindling by the minute. The former owner would usually do embroidery, write characters, play the Guqin and dance until her feet were sore. All of which did not fancy a modern-day girl like Su Xin. She even felt incredulous at knowing the former¡¯s days passed just like this.

    Su Xin hasn¡¯t touched such a thing like the Guqin. After all, she didn¡¯t need to have this skill in the past for her missions, but with nothing to do, the Guqin suddenly piqued her interest. She placed it on the edge of the table and gently plucked its string with her fingers. Experimenting.

    It was kind of fun.

    It filled the room with a pleasant tune which was much better than the empty silence.

    Evening came and dinner was served early as usual. Afterall, workers have to replenish their energies as the late hours were quite eventful and the patrons expect no less from them.

    Shu Juan went out to take Su Xin¡¯s dinner. Ta Yan did not give excessively but it was still the same quality as before.

    A delicious dish gives the person an appetite and it brightened the mood of the room once more.

    ¡ª

    At night, He Yunshu wandered around the brothel in her men¡¯s clothes and was surrounded by several women.

    Spring is boundless in color¡ªthis was the sole statement that was inside the overwhelemed He Yunshu.

    She was savoring everything when, in the midst of the decadent music being played, she could faintly hear someone playing a little tune akin to a ballad.

    Her eyes wandered, and she came across a sight of a woman standing on the railing of the second floor. She was dressed in muted aqua blue and looked refined, quiet¡ªout of step with the hustle and bustle of the room.

    He Yunshu unconsciously went in her direction to have a closer look.

    Cheeks powdered with rogue, eyebrows as distant as mountains¡ªit was the beautiful girl she saw on the brothel¡¯s third floor earlier, the Young lady Xue Yao.

    ¡°Young lady Xue Yao.¡± He Yunshu softly called out to her.

    There is such a charm in the world that can blur the distance between the sexes.

    There was an impregnable silence before Su Xin saw her. Su Xin recognized her instantly but quickly hid her astonishment. This must be her lucky day!

    She walked towards He Yunshu, stopping extremely close and making the poor girl nervous.

    He Yunshu held her breath, only to hear the woman in front of her laugh and say:

    ¡°This is not a very suitable place for a noble family¡¯s daughter to play.¡±

    He Yunshu¡¯s eyes bulged, she couldn¡¯t believe what she heard. She quickly scanned their surroundings to make sure no one was within hearing range.

    ¡°Pardon? How did you know¡­ Ahem¡­ Who says I¡¯m a girl?¡± He Yunshu tried making her voice masculine, but it did little to hide her flaming cheeks.

    Su Xin laughed even more. For her, He Yunshu¡¯s reaction was priceless.

    ¡°Young master¡¯s disguise is very clumsy. Tsk, tsk.¡± Su Xin pointed at He Yunshu¡¯s bundled chest with an amused stare.

    On instinct, He Yunshu took a step back to protect her chest. How very crass!

    This young lady must have played as a gangster in her past life!

 CH 8

    Chapter 8 ¨C Leaving (1)

    To say that He Yunshu was surprised is  an understatement. Out of all the people she encountered, only the Young lady Xue Yao¡ªand a courtesan at that¡ªhad managed to unveil her disguise! It was unthinkable.

    Or it could be worse. It might be that only the Young lady had the guts to tell her and she had been prancing around town looking like a complete idiot.

    How reckless! He Yunshu scolded her self internally.

    She had been pulled from her thoughts by Su Xin¡¯s soft, inviting voice.

    ¡°Come inside my room and we shall talk.¡± Su Xin kindly offered.

    He Yunshu followed Su Xin to her room. As she stepped foot inside, a frown settled on her face.

    Although the room looked clean, it was old and unkempt. Tables and chairs were chipped, walls were bare, there wasn¡¯t really any sort of  charisma in the room. Outrightly unembellished as it was, it didn¡¯t match the Young lady Xue Yao¡¯s elegance. She simply looked out of place.

    Why was the Young lady here anyway? If He Yunshu was not mistaken, she¡¯d seen her upstairs this afternoon. She appeared skeptical with the way things were.

    Curiosity always gets the best of her and it sometimes gets out of hand.

    To begin with, she was looking forward to see the infamous festivities in the brothel firsthand, not to chatter inside a lady¡¯s room. But to her utter disbelief, it seemed like her feet had a mind of their own. The Young lady must have bewitched her!

    He Yunshu cleared her throat and proceeded to ask what¡¯s necessary instead.

    ¡°Please enlighten me, how did you know I¡¯m a girl?¡±

    Su Xin breathed a deep sigh of relief, though not so obviously, and answered He Yunshu¡¯s query. ¡°The miss has the lingering fragrance from the cosmetics that of a daughter from a distinguished house, which must have accumulated through time. Also, those clothes are everything, but a vain attempt in concealing the miss¡¯ delicate form.¡± Su Xin paused with a concerned look. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, you are unlikely to convince anyone.¡±

    Anyone at a distance would go haywire.

    ¡°Getting to know each other is fate. The miss is of noble blood and I am well, a courtesan which is far below nobility.¡± Su Xin put the silver back into He Yunshu¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. Your kind is not inferior in any way, at least for me. I have not looked down on people who dabbled in questionable methods to get out of poverty1. Let alone you are not a normal courtesan who sells their body but art and entertainment2. You are not lowly.¡± He Yunshu urged Su Xin to keep the money as meeting gift.

    ¡°Many thanks.¡± Su Xin bowed as an expression of her gratefulness. Her voice was distinct and soft, like a lullaby. He Yunshu looked past the dim lighting to see a gorgeous countenance.

    After He Yunshu left, Su Xin called Fourteen in her mind.

    Master Fourteen, do you know when will Miss Mary Sue go to the capital?

    [To check and report to the host.. half a month from now.] The dutiful AI answered Su Xin¡¯s question.

    I see. Master Fourteen, what do you do when I don¡¯t talk to you?

    Su Xin became interested in the system¡¯s life outside of work.

    [Looking at other hosts.]

    Oh? I have a fellow worker?

    [Well, there are two of you.] Fourteen answered. Because candidates for the Fate Trading system are difficult to find, it was only able to found two.

    Is it a boy or a girl? Can I speak to them?

    Su Xin asked curiously.

    [It¡¯s a girl. Initiating call request¡­]

    [I¡¯m sorry but the other party hung up on your request angrily, saying this greeting was insulting.]

    Why is that?

    Su Xin was genuinely bewildered. This coworker of hers seemed to be a difficult person to get along with. Would a little chat hurt?

    [Because the other person is currently making some.. sauce3.] Fourteen¡¯s voice was a bit clipped and defensive.

    Su Xin mouth twitched at the corners. This system was trying to kill her for being so insensitive, ah. Didn¡¯t even inform her in advance that the recipient was currently engaged with such activities.

    Well, isn¡¯t this system a smartass.

 CH 9

    Chapter 9 ¨C Leaving (2)

    ¡°Xue Yao, is this rouge to your liking?¡±

    He Yunshu turned out to be an inventor in the making. She carried out experiments all by herself and was keen on producing quality cosmetics.

    Since ancient times, women have always struggled to earn money and He Yunshu was unwilling to join this trend. She intended to develop this potential business, so she came to her good friend first for her opinion.

    Indeed, He Yunshu¡¯s journey was like that of a fledgling¡¯s first flight. In the beginning, she came to this strange world unsure. To make her flight even rockier, she was greeted by evil servants and the only one that is actually humane was her servant girl, Hong-er.

    Too bad for the evil servants; she was not a woman to be trifled with.

    She had managed to get rid of them for good. Afterwards, she began to wander aimlessly and met the first woman in this strange world who she could actually call the most beautiful.

    She found Xue Yao excellent at talking. Though born into the lower class of society, she still preserved a cultured bearing. She noticed that they could get along really well¡ªlike they have been friends for a long time. Even though they had just recently known each other, their views on some things were particularly in harmony.

    He Yunshu came from the future and her ideas were greatly influenced by her origin. However, it was so bizarre that Xue Yao had similar ideas which gave He Yunshu some misgivings. Did she perhaps befriended a transmigrator like her? She thought of asking Xue Yao the impossible but chose to tell her  a phrase instead.

    ¡°Socialist Scientific Outlook on Development1.¡±

    Su Xin, who was about to give her opinion of He Yunshu¡¯s rouge, immediately fell silent.

    Could Xue Yao possibly tell something about the famous outlook of modern China?

    He Yunshu hoped for a reaction that screams familiarity but what she got was a confused look instead.

    ¡°Yunshu, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, something just came into my mind.¡± He Yunshu shook her head and lost her heart. Xue Yao was not a person from her original world.

    At this moment, Su Xin was wearing the newly fabricated rouge on her lips while He Yunshu scrutinized. Her lips looked enticing, covered in bright red color but He Yunshu thought it was too striking for Su Xin¡¯ demure face. She promised to give a softer shade next time.

    As the time progressed, Su Xin got weary and helplessly told Fourteen that she felt like she was a marketed consumer and He Yunshu was the one instigating the business.

    [I can¡¯t find the appropriate words for this situation.] Fourteen said nonchalantly, ignoring Su Xin¡¯s plight.

    They spent a lot of time in each other¡¯s company. He Yunshu deemed Su Xin as someone who has a pure heart, almost childlike, despite of the circumstances she was in. She was full of political wisdom and philosophies that are all ahead of her time. Her speeches were also remarkable. It was a truly a pity that someone this clever was ought to stay in this pit for forever.

    On the other hand, Su Xin thought that He Yunshu was a golden finger. Not only can she make rouge but also soaps. Miss Mary Sue has great opportunities. She looks forward to the day when she will make sanitary napkins.

    T/N: Pls join our discord, don¡¯t just lurk here (?`¦Ø¡ä?) If there are errors please feel free to leave a comment below. Christmas is also coming. Which means there are good things in store¡­

 CH 10

    Chapter 10 ¨C Leaving (3)

    Half a month passed by quickly amidst Wan Yue patronizing Xue Yao, the persistent greetings of the girls in the building, the constant deadlock between her and Ta Yan and He Yunshu¡¯s unwavering efforts of visiting her.

    At this time, He Yunshu had calculated a plan to return to the capital. Her purpose was to  avenge the body of the original owner who was the previously deranged di daughter1¡ªthe third young miss of the prime minister¡¯s residence. She was consigned to a remote mountain villa and abused by her own wicked servants who held disregard for the authority of the meek miss.

    The original owner was tortured to death and He Yunshu had transmigrated inside this pitiful miss¡¯ badly beaten body. He Yunshu promised to help her get sweet revenge starting with the servants who had killed the original owner. But it doesn¡¯t end there¡ªthe crux of the original owner¡¯s demise had started with her family in the capital.

    This visit to the capital was first on her to-do-list.

    However, before she leaves, she thought she must bid Su Xin a proper goodbye. She was her only friend in this unfamiliar place.

    Day after day, Su Xin had been waiting painstakingly. Finally, the time has come for her plans to be set in motion. She had expected He Yunshu to visit her before leaving and her assumptions were proven to be true.

    ¡°Xue Yao, I have to go.¡±

    Su Xin could see He Yunshu¡¯s tense shoulders, hear the tremble in her voice. She didn¡¯t know if this was because He Yunshu felt reluctant to part with her or because of what awaits her in the capital.

    But Su Xin knows one thing: He Yunshu was a transmigrator like her. One that also had a mission.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand. I am going to be away¡ªindefinitely.¡±

    Now, He Yunshu¡¯s ability to disguise was much better than before. No one could suspect her true gender at a glance. From clothes to gestures, her disguise was on point. She looked like a handsome young boy with an androgynous face.

    If she departs for the capital now, she wasn¡¯t sure if she could return to this place. She had a lot of things¡ªand people¡ªto settle, of which involves the previous owner¡¯s scheming concubine mothers and sisters, and power-grubbing brothers.She didn¡¯t know how long will it take to clean up her reputation and stabilize her position. By the time she returns, this place will have changed. Even her beloved friend, Xue Yao.

    It was a long journey ahead which didn¡¯t allow her to look back. She must only move forward.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Su Xin pretended to be oblivious and asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m going back to the capital, where my home is.¡± He Yunshu sneered. In front of Su Xin, she does not hide her feelings towards the family in the capital.

    ¡°I also want to go.¡±

    This was understandable, Miss Mary Sue had a mission. One that was probably more dangerous than Su Xin¡¯s own mission. Her task should not overlap too much with the protagonist¡¯s storyline. After all, the client¡¯s wish does not entail changing this world.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need your protection. I have plans on my own.¡±

    ¡°Really? Tell me then what are you going to do in the capital.¡± He Yunshu was surprised, absentmindedly drumming her fingers on the table¡¯s smooth surface.

    ¡°I aim to partake in the Banquet of the Four Countries.¡±

    He Yunshu was unfamiliar with the event so Su Xin explained it to her in detail.

    He Yunshu was so baffled by the proposition. She was actually hoping that Su Xin would tell her she was joking but sadly, it wasn¡¯t the case. Su Xin was dead serious.

    The lady never failed to surprise her.

    For her, desiring to be a higher ranked courtesan leaves a bad taste in the mouth. If Su Xin would be liberated from her slavery, why on earth would she choose to advance her self in prostitution and be paraded around like goods during the banquet?

    Su Xin¡¯s face was tangled with different emotions when she went to take her slave contract from Ta Yan.

    This was it¡ªher cold war with Ta Yan was finally over. She would be free from the bonds of prostitution and move on with her mission, but with this freedom meant there were bigger challenges ahead.

    For Su Xin who was a lone ranger, even if she had Fourteen, she still lacked the necessary skills and equipment to survive in this world where jianghu exists; It far surpassed her fighting prowess. Not to mention, if she asked a cheat from that corrupt system of hers, it might come as another invoice of her life span!

    ¡°That¡¯s not a good road.¡± Ta Yan was futilely trying to coerce Su Xin back to her side. Su Xin¡¯s threat on her life has finally sink in.

    She couldn¡¯t fathom how Xue Yao could entertain that kind of fantasy. She always thought Xue Yao was a very smart person but all Ta Yan could see now was a naive girl. She didn¡¯t think there was such a foolish idea in her head and she knew the consequences wouldn¡¯t be good.  She was like a mole cricket and ant2 that could easily be trampled to death in a place where the powerful gathered.

    ¡°I made this choice myself. Even if this will cost me my life, I won¡¯t regret this.¡±

    Su Xin took her slave contract, her heart triumphant. As promised, she stuffed the antidote provided by Fourteen into Ta Yan¡¯s mouth in exchange of it.

    ¡°The antidote. Farewell.¡±

    Su Xin left, her head held high and Ta Yan watched her walk out, feeling agitated.

    There goes all her money, ah!

    Meanwhile, He Yunshu was waiting for her not too far away. She had changed back into women¡¯s clothing and looked charming with a fickle countenance of a young girl.

    Two women of different fate shared the same courage that could never be trampled. Together, they hit the road to the capital.

    Su Xin never fought unprepared battles, so she asked for detailed information about Qu Feiqing from Fourteen.

    Qu Feiqing is the female emperor of the Qu Liu country. It is even worth mentioning that Qu Liu¡¯s country is not at all a female-dominated country, but a traditional, patriarchal society as all other countries.

    This could only mean one thing: Qu Feiqing was not a woman to be trifled with.

 CH 11

    Pieces of Qu Feiqing¡¯s information from Fourteen were listed in detail iniside Su Xin¡¯s mind.

    Qu Feiqing¡ªFemale. 23 years of age. Former third princess of Qu Liu country and ascended the throne four years ago to be the current reigning female emperor.

    Su Xin gradually absorbed herself in the woman¡¯s life until she had a clear picture of what kind of person she would have to deal with.

    She couldn¡¯t help but groan and rub her forehead in the process.

    This one is very difficult. She had the reputation of being vicious and merciless. Her circumstances were different from the only female emperor in the history of Su Xin¡¯s original world¡ªWu Zetian. Even if both were known to be dangerous females to have ruled a country.

    Wu Zetian had only plotted to ascend the dragon throne when she was the empress dowager; she was already old1. In Qu Feiqing¡¯s case, she was young but already had a sophisticated and profound mind that of a ruler. She was ferocious with her military actions and decisive in dealing with war.

    She was not one to shy from bloodshed and the cruelty in the world a young maiden wouldn¡¯t be able to tolerate.

    Nevertheless, both ascended the throne in the same fashion¡ªby killing their kin. Wu Zetian got rid of her own sons2 while Qu Feiqing killed her father and brother.

    Qu Feiqing is definitely not a good person. If she was, then she would not be sitting on the throne with several high officials under her control and a whole country to rule. It was not a secret that blood was spilled as she hungered for power. In ancient times where patriarchy was prevalent, it was unheard of for a woman to have such paramount power, simply unnatural and some would even say¡ªa sin against the natural order of things.

    Thus with her ascension, she took the world by storm.

    Su Xin felt her stomach was in knots.

    How on earth could she ask such a person a preposterous question?

    The wish of the original owner, Xue Yao, is to let the first beauty of the Four Countries admit that she is the most beautiful.

    Su Xin had thought of asking Qu Feiqing straightforwardly to get over the task. Ah! She could already picture how damnable that scenario would be. Qu Feiqing will surely have people throw her out and chop her to death!

    Oh, the trouble.

    Master Fourteen, I¡¯m ready to start. Su Xin told fourteen but her countenance didn¡¯t show her usual confidence.

    [Don¡¯t be afraid or you will be more afraid later. You have only just began; more difficulties are yet to come.] Fourteen said in attempt to comfort Su Xin.

    Your mother is a prostitute!3

    [Pardon, host?]

    Your mother is a prostitute! I shouldn¡¯t be saying this but forget it! I¡¯m going to say it again! Your mother is a prostitute!

    This system was too cold! Su Xin didn¡¯t know if she got a defective system or it was just displaying its lame comforting skills courtesy of its low empathy. Either way, isn¡¯t an upgrade for the system in order?

    How could there be such a vicious system in the world?

    [Well, I can be more vicious if you want.] Fourteen answered indifferently.

    Su Xin had enough of the snarky system and turned silent, instead turning her attention the present. She knows that the task is not that easy and felt apprehensive about it. After all, the price set to change one¡¯s fate is to give up their own soul. It couldn¡¯t be easy, otherwise it¡¯s fake.

    At the moment, she was sitting inside the carriage of He Yunshu, which was spacious, plain and simple.

    Garbed in women¡¯s clothes, He Yunshu looked like a character straight out from a painting. She was reading a book beside the window, her arms postured to have that proper reading light from the sunshine, and looking quite relaxed. She looked as regal as any woman of her standing.

    He Yunshu is indeed Miss Mary Sue, a transmigrant from the modern times who was skillful in lots of area. Su Xin was also someone who excelled in her profession. But she can¡¯t cook, fiddle with medicine nor make human face masks and be versatile like He Yunshu. Su Xin thought that there was not a thing that Miss Mary Sue can¡¯t do.

    ¡°Xue Yao, by the time we reach the capital, we have to part ways. You take care of yourself.¡±

    The residence in the capital was still an unfamiliar territory to He Yunshu and she could never guarantee Su Xin¡¯s safety. She didn¡¯t wish to involve Su Xin in her mess in the future when people will come to antagonize her.

    On top of that, she was a woman of good standing, a di daughter of the prime minister. Meanwhile, Su Xin was just a commoner¡ªworse, a courtesan at that; she had no background. People in her circle would not think twice to trample on Su Xin at every chance they¡¯d get and they might even use Su Xin against her.

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Su Xin understood He Yunshu¡¯s thoughts, she too was thinking she must not be tangled with the protagonist¡¯s story line any further. Her path should deviate at this point.

    Su Xin had enough money to last her and Shu Juan for days¡ªor so she hoped. This was her first time being outside the comfort of the brothel where her needs were provided dutifully.  She didn¡¯t know how much the inns and goods in the capital would cost her; it always seems more expensive whenever one was in the heart of a country. She realized things will not be as easy as before.

 CH 12

    Chapter 12 ¨C The Capital (2)

    Su Xin cast a cursory glance to He Yunshu whose nose was still buried in the book.

    It seems like her final and only plan was to cling to the protagonist¡¯s thigh for the meantime. As the protagonist of this world, Miss Mary Sue would prosper in her own agendas and become a winner in the future. It was safer to stay here close to the protagonist with the female lead halo.

    She continued to be lost on her thoughts when suddenly, the sound of the horses¡¯ hooves hitting the dust road weren¡¯t the only thing that can be heard in the carriage anymore. There were indistinct shouts from outside and bunch of other noises that indicated they were in a populous location.

    Su Xin peeked outside and was greeted by the bustling crowd of the capital. They have finally arrived!

    It was a refreshing sight for Su Xin who¡¯d been isolated in the brothel ever since she had transmigrated.

    They unloaded their trunks and paid for the travel fees. Finally, He Yunshu and her collaboration would end there.

    ¡°Xue Yao, after you and I have settled down, I will look for you. If you are bullied, you must tell me!¡± He Yunshu held Su Xin¡¯s hand with a firm grip and Su Xin nodded.

    Su Xin found a relatively remote alley to live in. The rent is cheaper than the rest of the inns in the capital and the landlady was a kind, old woman. When she saw a young girl like Su Xin aimlessly walking down the streets, she offered the rent a little cheaper for her and even brought her another servant.

    Quite a rarity in this city where everyone was stingy with money.

    Back at the brothel, Su Xin asked whether Shu Juan should leave. After all, her road may not be easy but when Shu Juan heard this, her eyes moistened and she eventually poured her heart out.

    ¡°Does Young Lady not like Shu Juan anymore? Where did this servant not do well? Shu Juan will change. As long as the Young lady says it, Shu Juan will follow it.¡±

    Shu Juan had a panicked look on her face. Her master wanted her to be free and to be able to live without restraint. Instead she had an negative thought that she was going to be abandoned because her master didn¡¯t found her useful anymore.

    Su Xin was left with no choice but to keep Shu Juan close to her. She thought it would also be easier for someone to serve her needs. At least, she wouldn¡¯t have to cook for herself.

    Su Xin can learn anything, but cooking alone she couldn¡¯t do. She seems to be a natural disaster in the kitchen yet, her appetite was superb. This dilemma of hers remained even after having someone else¡¯s body.

    Su Xin and Shu Juan kept themselves busy all day, cleaning up the small garden and tidying up the small nest for the time being.

    There was a year before the start of the Banquet of the Four Countries.

    Su Xin had progressed with her plans and was closer to getting a way to join the banquet. No matter what happens, she had to be chosen out of all gorgeous courtesans competing for the position. The selection wasn¡¯t like the auditions in the modern times where contestants are judged while an audience watches. No, this is one was far more sophisticated¡ªonly people of great importance were to have a look.

    Hence, Su Xin must start working her magic on the bigwigs of the capital. It sounded easy but Su Xin knew that it would be thorny as hell.

    She doesn¡¯t know if in this ancient era Miss Mary Sue would have a dashing, distinguished and dangerous prince that would serve as the male lead or supporting male lead. Usually in stories, he would be initially be idle and deemed as an idiot, waste, womanizer etc. by the general public, but is in fact a hidden triumph card with amazing skills and wealth that would aid the female protagonist in her endeavors of revenge and ascension to the top.

    After deliberating on who mostly had this male lead halo, Su Xin set her goal on the distinguished fifth prince¡ªYu Hongliang.

    A womanizer, this fifth prince loves beautiful people regardless of gender. But he had a weird quirk: he was fond of weeping beauties.

    When Su Xin knew this eccentricity, she asked if the Fourteen was an unknown prophet, or why else would he give her that ¡®gift¡¯ before. Su Xin had received fourteen¡¯s [Crocodile tears] which would allow her to weep easily.

    [It¡¯s actually a coincidence. I was merely ordered to release it, nothing more.]

    Fourteen gave Su Xin the information of Yu Hongliang for Su Xin to meticulously study.

    Master Fourteen, you are really a good system that does your duty effectively. Almost omnipotent.

    Su Xin thinks that system Fourteen is a very anthropomorphic, intelligent system. In addition, it can also mock with a poison tongue and so on. Ugly attitude aside, this was forgivable since Fourteen was a powerful all-rounder; there was no required information that can¡¯t be found.

    [The complement is appreciated.  This was what I was made to do, however I am not omnipotent. If I am as powerful as you say, then why is there a need for hosts?] Fourteen said earnestly.

    Beyond any doubt, the system was impressive. Its power is beyond Su Xin¡¯s intellect.

    However, she can¡¯t praise it so much. Otherwise, its narcissism will shot towards outer space.

 CH 13

    Chapter 13 ¨C The Capital (3)

    [Call request from next door host, do you want to receive?] Fourteen asked Su Xin for her permission on how to deal with the unexpected call.

    Oh? Receive it.

    Su Xin remembered that this thoughtless system didn¡¯t tell her when her coworker was busy, leading to a refused phone call and was even greeted with swearing. For a moment, Su Xin shrank a little in shame inside. Stupid Fourteen!

    [Sun Yixiao here, coworker is waiting for a reply.] The bright and clear female voice sounded in Su Xin¡¯s mind. It was unlike the electronic sound of Fourteen and it made Su Xin feel a little dizzy adapting to this new voice in her head.

    [Su Xin.]

    [Oh, oh, hello.. Forgive me for not being hospitable the last time you called. I was a bit busy when Fourteen reached me, so ahem.. ]

    [It was nothing. I completely understand.]

    [Oh, I¡¯m so relieved. Thank you. Actually, I just came to say hello and to know how you¡¯re doing.  If you have any problems that can¡¯t be solved, in the future you can talk to me. At this point Fourteen¡¯s calls should not be turned down. After all, it is a task-oriented system and is quite responsible.]

    [All right, thank you.]

    When the conversation was cut off, Su Xin sat on a chair and pondered on Sun Yixiao¡¯s offer. Su Xin had not figured out what questions she was going to ask, and there was no problem that couldn¡¯t be solved at hand. Although there was curiosity for this other coworker of hers, Su Xin was not the kind of person who loves to chat. So, she placed it at the back of her mind and decided only to ask if she needed to.

    For now, she must focus first on her mission.

    From the information provided by Fourteen, the prince¡¯s hobby is to stroll around the city and flirt with girls as the womanizer he is. Perhaps, he enjoyed the attention every time he graces these common places with his presence.

    It¡¯s been half a month since Su Xin came to the capital but some things had already changed with her in that short span of time. Su Xin who arrived in the capital jobless was now a seamstress in an embroidery house, thanks to the grandma landlady who helped her.

    How lucky of her, the original owner¡¯s body was already accustomed to needlework. Thus, it only took a little practice for Su Xin to produce decent works. She made use of her old gowns and made purses out of it which she presented as samples to the embroidery house. She also came with a recommendation from her landlady  and thus was hired right away.

    Though the pay was not impressive, it kept her and Shu Juan from living on the streets. At this time, she had not yet encountered the fifth prince. The world must be against her, ah!

    After a day¡¯s work, Su Xin bought a roast chicken wrapped in oil paper on her way back. While on the road, she accidentally bumped into someone and tightly protected the wrapped chicken from falling.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Su Xin checked the wrapper for any tears. Seeing as her precious meal was still intact, she was satisfied and prepared to leave.

    ¡°Wait a minute, hit me and walk away so easily?¡± Although this was a threatening statement, the man¡¯s voice was pleasant and seductive. This made Su Xin stop on her tracks.

    ¡°Gongzi, is there something wrong?¡± Su Xin faced the aggravating man who had a smirk on. In fact, she can¡¯t tell whether the man just bumped into her intentionally or unintentionally for this purpose only. What a flirt.

    It was only then that she realized, she was looking at the fifth prince, Yu Hongliang.

    Finally! This must be her lucky day.

    Yu Hongliang looked at Su Xin with her arms holding the chicken protectively in her chest with an unreadable smile1. He thought she was quite alright. All the girls in the capital would blush in a heartbeat at the sight of him¡ªeven those who did not see his affectionate eyes. However, in front of this woman, there was no such thing.

    She was more concerned about the chicken than him!

    Nevertheless, she was good looking. As good looking as the women he had seen in his life¡ªand they were the best. Today, he was supposed to buy a roasted chicken and have little feast with the little idiot but he knocked into a beauty instead.

    ¡°That accent.. You¡¯re not from the capital, are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m from the south. Anyway.. Gongzi2, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Su Xin followed Fourteen¡¯s advice which was to play hard to get when she meets the prince.

    Fourteen said that for this kind of chauvinistic and dignified men, it¡¯s best to keep them at arm¡¯s length to arouse their interest. However, it can¡¯t be too much, otherwise they¡¯d think she was playing hard to get. Just the right amount of tease and then do something that would make him feel this was something brand new and exciting.

    When Su Xin heard Fourteen say this, she felt like this AI had a story. It sounded like it was speaking from experience.

    ¡°Fifth master, is buying a roasted chicken that difficult? You were taking so long that I already bought the wine and then you¡¯re still  empty-handed here and uselessly hitting on a young lady, tsk.¡±

    Su Xin heard a very familiar womanly voice from not far away while Yu Hongliang turned around, embarrassed.

    ¡°Little idiot, what¡¯s the rush? Come here.¡±

    ¡°Says who? You are the idiot.¡±

    The woman came over to his side with a bounce in her step and was immediately stunned to see Su Xin.

    It was none other than He Yunshu.

    ¡°Xue Yao!¡±

    He Yunshu strode past Yu Hongliang, bumping into him and hugged Su Xin tightly.

    ¡°Yunshu.¡±

    Long time no see, Miss Mary Sue.

 CH 14

    Miss Mary Sue was indeed a Mary Sue. She¡¯d already became acquainted with the fifth prince in just a matter of days! It was all so surreal that Su Xin thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but He Yunshu¡¯s too tight embrace told her that everything was indisputably real.

    That female lead halo is shining too brightly, ah!

    She could hardly breathe from He Yunshu squishing the life out of her, but Su Xin didn¡¯t mind. It turns out, she also missed the company of Miss Mary Sue and she returned the embrace just as tight as she could.

    ¡°Do you two know each other?¡± Yu Hongliang who was tossed in the corner like a third party, broke the moment and playfully winked at He Yunshu as if to imply something mischievous.

    ¡°Go, go, shoo! This one you cannot touch.¡± He Yunshu glowered at him, knowing that the fifth prince in front of her was a playboy by nature.

    She thought that her friend is such a good cabbage that must not be so casually eaten by a pig. But Yu Hongliang turned a deaf ear to this, Xue Yao had already piqued his interest. It was too late to play indifferent now.

    ¡°Why, your friend?¡± Yu Hongliang raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. He didn¡¯t expect He Yunshu to befriend a civilian from outside the capital. It was unorthodox.

    He looked at Xue Yao sharply. Born in the imperial household where politics is a common routine, Yu Hongliang was an ace in assessing people. For him, Xue Yao was innately gorgeous in a pleasant, exotic way. He could also see that she keeps herself well-put.

    Yet, what bothered him was her bearing, the way she walked, her gestures¡ªit all looked she was trained.

    However, as subdued as she was, Yu Hongliang could still tell that she was not a person of nobility. There were still some differences between her and the bearing of an unmarried daughter from a noble family. Of course he knew this, he¡¯d been in the company of some after all and would naturally have a keen eye for these matters.

    The scrutiny didn¡¯t escape Su Xin¡¯s observant eyes. She suppressed her dark aura defensively, just like how she always did. She wouldn¡¯t allow this calculating man to spill what she truly was inside. Under the innocent face, was a cold personality and a gnawing bloodlust which kept everyone at bay.

    In this case, she was truly no different to Qu Feiqing. Though she was no domineering oppressor of a ruler, she was ruthless and unchaste. She was not as harmless and good as what He Yunshu thought of her. One mistake and this carefully built up facade of her will crumble into dust and probably send He Yunshu as far away as possible from her. No, she wouldn¡¯t let it happen. She couldn¡¯t afford to lose her and also possible jeopardize her mission.

    Whether it¡¯s Su Xin or Xue Yao, there is not a trace of a noble aura. Su Xin was an uncultured loner who spent her youth in the company of firearms, bombs and bullets. Xue Yao wasn¡¯t any better either. The brothel was her childhood. Immorality surrounded her, and she was brought up in the ways of a courtesan for the sake of honing her according to the likings of others. The poor child was thoroughly brainwashed to please anyone, cursing the life that was given to her. Else, why would she sell her soul to the system just for the sake of being called the most beautiful?

    ¡°Yes, this is my friend. So don¡¯t make a fool out of yourself.¡± He Yunshu clung to Su Xin¡¯s arm dotingly, her stance protective.

    She blocked Xue Yao out of the prince¡¯s sight and asked, ¡°Xue Yao, are you making progress on what you wanted to do?¡±

    Fortunately, He Yunshu had recently progressed in her mission. Although the people in her residence¡ªespecially the jealous, scheming concubines¡ªdid their hardest to make things difficult for her, all their schemings was to no avail. He Yunshu remained undeterred and eventually established her foothold in the family and seized control in that unruly place.

    She accidentally met the fifth prince who was a known philanderer. She found his reputation hilarious and in no time, they unexpectedly became good friends.

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Su Xin shook her head with a look of disappointment. She was really not making any progress. Not until today.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Yu Hongliang inquisitively asked. He was blatantly eavesdropping at the back of He Yunshu.

    ¡°It¡¯s to participate in the Banquet of the Four Countries.¡±

    Yu Hongliang¡¯s former curiosity was replaced with a dark expression. He deeply looked at Su Xin, sizing her up.

    ¡°Not a daughter from a good family?¡± Yu Hongliang¡¯s voice was full of scorn. A clear contrast of his genteel voice from before.

    ¡°I am a type of courtesan called qing guan1. I came to the capital to redeem myself.¡± Su Xin said flatly, not feeling the least embarrassed for having no shame.

    Yu Hongliang was astounded and looked at He Yunshu with disbelief. He called He Yunshu an idiot sometimes but it was only a jest. He never once meant it. But now, he didn¡¯t know what to think of her. She was foolish to sympathize with people who used her for such blatant schemes.

    ¡°Silly idiot, don¡¯t let people take advantage of you. You should sell this person for a hefty price.¡± Yu Hongliang said with a cruel smile. In his eyes, Su Xin has become a scheming woman who wants to use He Yunshu as a pedal for her own benefit.

    He had seen these types of women before; a common occurrence in his life courtesy of living in the Imperial palace. And he detested them, especially those who took advantage of innocent, gullible people. Yu Hongliang may call He Yunshu a little idiot. But it was a love-and-hate relationship¡ªhe definitely cared for her more than he¡¯d care to admit.

 CH 15

    Well, it really looked that way but it was not Su Xin who sought her. He Yunshu delivered herself to Su Xin¡¯s doorstep. Besides, Su Xin¡¯s friendship with her was not a hypocritical show of affection, not anymore. Su Xin will definitely stand up when friends are in need of help. For Su Xin, He Yunshu was not a mere stepping stone, but rather her lucky charm.

    ¡°Since you love to jump into conclusions, let me clarify this. Before I knew Xue Yao, she had already set a goal to attend the banquet. When we met, she was demoted by that female brothel keeper just because she didn¡¯t agree to Xue Yao¡¯s plans.¡±

    He Yunshu did not like Yu Hongliang¡¯s words about Su Xin. She strongly believed that Su Xin was a good person despite someone in prostitution. So she defended Su Xin from Yu Hongliang who questioned her friend¡¯s motives towards her.

    Seeing Su Xin downcasted, He Yunshu felt disappointed just as much. She began to think of ways that she could help Su Xin.

    At that exact moment, sudden realization hit her¡ªthe man in front of them was the beloved prince of the imperial palace! Therefore, he is the only person she knew who has the most influence to help Su Xin.

    ¡°Fifth Master, can you please help us?¡±

    He Yunshu¡¯s eyes turned somber as she looked straight at Yu Hongliang, daring him to decline. Yu Hongliang was powerless under the threatening look and accepted his fate silently.

    He rubbed his chin and coughed twice, thinking.

    ¡°It is possible, but it still depends on her own efforts. I may be able to give her a recommendation, but.. ¡°

    ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°There is a condition, you¡¯ll have to agree to my request.¡±

    ¡°What is your request?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± Yu Hongliang answered, his eyes telling them that there were onlookers surrounding them.

    Oops! It seemed like that they forgot that they were in a public place, not an appropriate venue to discuss such trivial matters. Having the cocky prince with them, they were attracting too much attention. With suppressed laughters, they left so as to not cause further ruckus.

    On their way out of the marketplace, Su Xin served as a third wheel of the pair. Miss Mary Sue bantered flirtatiously with the prince who kept on stealing her attention every time she conversed with Su Xin.

    This womanizer actually resembled a pitiful dog wagging its tail after its beloved owner.

    When it was almost dark, the prince declared that it was time to go home. He Yunshu objected, still wanting to chat with Su Xin and catch up with things, but Yu Hongliang was swift to drag her away.

    Yu Hongliang sent someone to pick up Su Xin by the next day.

    ¡°Young lady indeed was blessed by the heavens! Shu Juan did say that nothing was impossible with the Young Lady!¡± Hearing that Su Xin will be given the opportunity to attend the renowned Banquet of the Four Countries, Shu Juan was even more excited than her master. Her cheeks were bright red out of elation as she showered Su Xin with hugs and blissful cheers.

    This is indeed a rare opportunity, the rarest there might had been. Who would have known that the Su Xin from a small town was now an official attendee of the upcoming banquet? It felt like it was just yesterday when she was walking the streets of the capital, hopeless and utterly dejected.

    Shu Juan thinks it is more mysterious than a meat pie falling from the sky1.

    ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Yunshu.¡± Su Xin did not forget Miss Mary Sue¡¯s contribution. She was heaven-sent; The meat pie that fell from the sky.

    ¨C

    The selection and training of the courtesans for the banquet was held privately in a small courtyard inside the imperial palace of the capital. On the day Su Xin entered, she was intimidated by the blatant scrutiny from the respected folks, the grandeur of traditional activities that could be seen at every corner and most of all, the unparalleled elegance of the place.

    The history books of the modern world didn¡¯t give justice to the paradise she had seen. The imperial palace was absolutely mesmerizing, built from highest architectural specifications. It took her everything to keep her mouth shut the

    moment she saw the luxurious exterior of the palace. The interior didn¡¯t disappoint as well. It was just as outstanding.

    Women arrived in succession, each was desperately trying to garner the attention of the spectators. Some came with musical instruments, offering entertainment while others came with massive supporters whose cheers could be heard faintly from outside the thick towering walls of the palace.

    Su Xin only came with Shu Juan. As contenders, the women were required to stay in the imperial palace to train at which Su Xin was glad to accept. She wouldn¡¯t dream of passing off this privilege and she made sure that Shu Juan would have her fair share.

    There were four women in the little yard, adding Su Xin as the fifth. The competition had heated up by a notch since only two out of the five competitors would be selected to attend, in willful obedience to what the banquet entailed. Upon seeing Su Xin, the women had actually the audacity to scowl at her, rather unabashedly. For them, Su Xin was another hindrance to their goal that must be eradicated in the briefest of time, nothing less.

    Su Xin would be lying if she had said that this vulgar aggressiveness towards her didn¡¯t irk her even at the least.

    Well, she didn¡¯t expect a welcoming party and hugs on her arrival but these women were too much! They conspired to ostracize Su Xin, refusing to be civilized in her presence. All of these impudence but still, they failed in squeezing a reaction from her. Su Xin would never give them that satisfaction. Hence, she returned their maltreatment with her coldest indifference.

 CH 16

    Chapter 16 ¨C The Empress (3)

    These things were trifle matters for her.

    Su Xin had Fourteen with her and with it, she had the whole world at her hands.

    As a strong but not omnipotent AI, as what it said, Fourteen has collected a lot of worldly information. Erudite and informed does not begin to describe it.

    Su Xin easily adapted to this fictional world under the guidance of Fourteen. On some occasions, Su Xin found herself engaging in poetry. Without the technology she was so used to, a poet suddenly emerged from her.

    Ah! This ancient world could certainly do miracles to her in ways that her old self would never expect.

    Fourteen was nevertheless, the ulterior agent in Su Xin¡¯s new found hobby. Su Xin wrote like a true connoisseur in poetry as she winded up verses from Fourteen¡¯s innovative ideas.

    That¡¯s right, innovation.

    As a system with poetic grace, writing poetry as well as composing music was nothing sort of difficult for Fourteen.

    Sometimes, Su Xin felt like Fourteen was more talented than she will ever be. Its complex code enables it to do the most splendid of things.

    Being a poet is acceptable, but being jealous to an AI? Su Xin felt that she might have a loose screw in her head.

    [Thanks to the creator.] Fourteen calmly answered. The creator, in order to suffice the task¡¯s needs, embedded the  necessary codes to Fourteen.

    I see.. Master Fourteen, I have always been curious about this. What exactly is the significance of the system? What is it built for?

    Su Xin didn¡¯t quite understand the justification behind giving a person another shot at life while taking away their soul in exchange.

    Fourteen avoids this topic like taboo but not today. Su Xin wondered what the system had eaten for it to finally open up to her.

    [My creator is a genius from a higher plane, but God does not give a person too much. No doubt, his body is currently in poor health. Simply put, his soul¡¯s force is very weak. I remember that the host had asked about what the client had to pay to have her destiny changed. My dear host, she had to sacrifice her soul to my creator.]

    Life could be so cruel to some, that¡¯s why it is no surprise that many people want to have their  destinies changed. Nothing was more perfect than having your fate drawn according to your desires, to see yourself living on the cloud nine that you¡¯ve always envisioned in your mind during those moments of self contemplation. Having someone do it for you is an extra perk.

    But with this privilege comes an equal price. Once the task was completely rendered, the client¡¯ soul would be fully dedicated to the creator. It would replenish his weakening soul force and therefore, preserve his life. This is a fair transaction which requires mutual consent between both parties.

    Su Xin remembered the woman who stood before her formerly, dressed in ancient attire and a genuine smile plastered on the same face she was bearing. She could still recall her vague confusion the moment the woman uttered her wish. But everything happened so fast that Su Xin wasn¡¯t given the chance to know the depth of her reason.

    What I don¡¯t understand¡ªfor the title of being the fairest of all, is it worth it to give up your soul?

    [Everyone is entitled to the choices they make. Maybe the client does not only aspire to be the most beautiful woman of the four countries, but she also wants to escape from her own fate.]

    In the world, there exists the brave men and of course, the cowards. To fight or to yield is a choice but this is not always true. A choice sometimes doesn¡¯t root alone from one¡¯s will, but it is rather affected by external circumstances. With that, one could say that choices are simply virtual reflections of people¡¯s state of life.

    The original Xue Yao might have succumbed to her fear of the future that awaited her. Her youth will wither and beauty will fade, making her nothing but a dirt in everyone¡¯s shoe. When she could no longer serve her purpose, she will have to live the rest of her retired life as a nameless prostitute of the capital.

    However, Xue Yao was not to blame for the grime situation she was in. From the time she was sold into the building, the tragedy of a lifetime began.

    ¨C

    Su Xin proved to be a strong contender as the days passed. She never failed to impress everyone with her flawless performance during the trainings. Showing just the right amount of finesse, their mentors couldn¡¯t help but praise Su Xin at every turn.

    Unlike her, some contenders tend to exaggerate in delivering their performance, making them too agonizing to watch. Seeing Su Xin getting all the attention they badly wanted, the four conniving women got all riled up. Su Xin¡¯s unbeatable grace inflamed their hostility and they began to get more physical with their assaults against Su Xin.

    Shu Juan¡¯s eyes were red and cheeks were blotchy as she stood in front of Su Xin. Her face was marred by a scratch that was obviously scraped by a sharp fingernail. It was bleeding a bit which showed that she got the wound just recently.

    But it was not her wounded face that caused Shu Juan¡¯s red rimmed eyes, it was the exposed feet of her master that was covered in several ugly bruises. Deep purple and blue color tainted the once delicate pale feet of Su Xin. It was quite a miserable sight.

 CH 17

    Courtesan aren¡¯t called entertainers for no reason. By standards of society, these kind of prostitutes are well-educated, well-versed in artistic matters and most of all, they are endowed with talents.

    For this reason, dancing is a must during the training of the selectees. Dances were prepared such that it would be executed, not individually, but by two people simultaneously. After all, you don¡¯t dance with yourself in a party. On some occasions, the mentors tested their innate skills and gracefulness by letting them manifest their own versions of dancing in groove to the music provided.

    Five women were seen swaying to an alluring tune, their movements were agilely calculated and faces conveyed tranquility with just the right amount of sultriness. But only those who had eagle eyes could see that one woman was not favored by the rest. Su Xin was crowded with the other four who were discretely trying to stomp on her feet and bump into her arms. If she caused a scene, the odds were one to four; she could be easily labeled as a liar. Su Xin endured all of this harassment¡ªnot bothering to retaliate as she skillfully maneuvered through their petty tricks with an ease of a lithe panther. In turn, earning more compliments from the trainers.

    She maintained a composed countenance while her feet ached from the exercise. These girls wanted to get a reaction out of her, and she was not going to give it.

    Su Xin¡¯s nonchalance made the women even the more frustrated but they didn¡¯t dare go beyond the limit. If something serious happened to Su Xin, they will naturally be suspected as the doer of the crime. Plus, Su Xin was like an eel out of water; always slipping from their grasp! Thus, they veered their frustration on a defenseless, unsuspecting Shu Juan.

    Shu Juan was aware of the women¡¯s unpleasant behaviors. She had witnessed her master artfully dodging their attacks and making her movements as if part of the choreography.

    In awe of her master, Shu Juan never expected that their hostility would be diverted to her¡ªan insignificant person. So when Su Xin had told her to keep her distance from the women at all times, she did her best to follow so. But on one unfortunate night, she was cornered by one of the women while fetching her master¡¯s dinner.

    Like a snake, the woman approached her languidly. Shu Juan kept her head bowed as she plead silently for the vile creature to leave her alone. Wanting to relish in her small victory, the woman decided to toy with Shu Juan first. She started off by confusing Shu Juan¡¯s perception of her by wearing her most amiable smile. One moment, she was complimenting Shu Juan on her good skin and on another, she was digging her nails on the servant¡¯s face, saying that her skin would be much prettier with a little scratch adorning it.

    Shu Juan felt that she had been careless and she brushed the awful memories away from her head. She withheld this information from her master, thinking that it was her own fault. She squatted down to apply the ointment on Su Xin¡¯s beaten feet, when unexpectedly, Su Xin touched her chin and tilted it towards her.

    ¡°Remember to take care of your face later.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Shu Juan whispered a reply, not expecting that her master was so perceptive, and she bowed her head in silent gratitude.

    Su Xin was mad as hell. In the first place, she was not a person with a good temperament. In her previous career, she played a vicious persona and was responsible for felonies that would make any woman¡¯s scheming look amateur. These women didn¡¯t know how lucky they were that Su Xin refused to unleash her hidden ferocity. It won¡¯t be so good to them if it did.

    As a representation of a shady person who does illegal things to survive1, Su Xin doesn¡¯t need much kindness in her heart.

    From the first day she executed her first kill, life has taught her a lesson: Kindness to one¡¯s enemy is cruelty to oneself!

    For the sake of her reputation as Xue Yao, she kept herself from indulging to their cheap tricks. If it wasn¡¯t for this and the task, these women had left this world a long time ago.

    A predator in the darkness stalking her prey¡ªher steps are slow but precise. Su Xin knows she must bid her time before she strikes.

    Su Xin tried to diffuse her anger by shifting her focus on the pale, pink paint on her nails. She never had a nail dyed in her enter life. She was not particularly fond of the strong chemical smell2 of nail polish and it was too troublesome to some of her previous operations. However, the nail polish in ancient china was even more intolerable. It was made from organic materials and raw egg which smelled like decayed matter after several hours from application. As much as she hated it, painted nails were a necessity in ancient china for it was a way of showing one¡¯s social status.

    It made her even more irritable.

    [The host is found to have a grumpy index of five stars. Do you need a hot cup of chrysanthemum tea?]

    What the hell?

    [Chrysanthemum tea is recommended to have at home because of its effectiveness to alleviate internal heat..]

    Fucking chrysanthemum tea¡­ Is it worth your life?

    [There¡¯s no need for that dear.]

    Oh, come on.

    [All right dear.]

    Dear yourself! You ice block!

    Su Xin felt that this system might be insane.

    Fourteen later returned to normal. His colleagues told him that he might scare the host because of his imprinted robotic demeanor. So, they advised Fourteen to be a little compassionate to her sometimes and urged him to converse with Su Xin like a empathetic human. The AI, unaware of its absurdity, agreed to this and let his colleagues instill a new data in him. That is why upon sensing the host¡¯s distress, he offered a calming treat.

    His robotic voice addressing Su Xin as dear sounded ridiculous. No wonder Su Xin became more upset, but still nevertheless, accepted the tea. Fourteen then omitted the new data and vowed to never accept advice from his pig colleagues anymore.

    Su Xin felt calm and peaceful as though she was in a quiet, serene environment while she sipped the tea. Meanwhile, Shu Juan was doing a good job in nursing her feet. The ointments in the palace were excellent and was made available to the courtesans. After all, they couldn¡¯t afford to showcase the performers with blemishes on their skin to the influential people of the banquet.

    Shu Juan gently blew the soles of Su Xin¡¯s foot as she finished applying the ointment. When she looked up and saw her master¡¯s face, she uncontrollably trembled in terror inside.

    She didn¡¯t know why it felt like the Young lady has changed as of late. The change didn¡¯t come from the outside, but from the inside. It seemed like she was serving a different person altogether¡ªone with a much colder personality.

    She never felt intimidated with Xue Yao before, they practically grew up together! But this Xue Yao in front of her was too different from the warm Xue Yao she knew.

    She hated to admit this, but she had developed an unspeakable fear of the Young lady.

    ¡°Shu Juan, raise your head a little higher. I will apply the medicine.¡±

    Shu Juan raised her head obediently and let Su Xin smear the medicine on the gash.

    ¡°Many thanks, Young Lady.¡±

 CH 18

    A few days later, one of the competing courtesans in the small courtyard was found to have red dots all over her face. The imperial physician was called for consultation for this matter. However, she was only diagnosed with a seasonal allergy and therefore, only time could heal it. After giving her ointments to soothe the itchiness, the physician promptly left.

    This was a pure nightmare for all the competitors. A less impressive appearance would mean a lesser chance to perform in the banquet. It was just how things worked; beauty was the golden card in the competition. By the time the rashes disappears, there¡¯s a strong underlying possibility that the woman¡¯s face wouldn¡¯t be as flawless as before. The rashes would most likely leave unwanted scars, thus it would surely be the end of the road for her.

    A long, arduous day had ended and Su Xin returned to her chamber waiting for a show that was about to happen. This time, she had revealed her hand. All that was left is to wait for her prey to come knocking at her door. As usual, Shu Juan fixed her dinner and helped her prepare for sleep, oblivious to Su Xin¡¯s schemings.

    Candle lights were turned off and only the moonlight seeping through the partially draped window illuminated Su Xin¡¯s bedchamber. Su Xin was sitting on her bed when suddenly, an incessant knock rang through the calm night, disrupting the silence.

    A wry smile formed on her lips.

    Languidly, Su Xin made her way to the sound, schooling her face in an impervious look. She opened the door to see a fuming, disorderly woman. It was none other than Qing Lian. Out of the four courtesans, this woman was the most frivolous, owing to her skills that was unrivalled by the three other courtesans¡ªexcept for Su Xin. Thus, she made it her mission to be the ringleader of Su Xin¡¯s daily harassments.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Su Xin asked sweetly.

    ¡°It was you! Wasn¡¯t it?¡± Qing Lian shoot an accusatory look at Su Xin.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Su Xin answered in mock bewilderment.

    ¡°You little¡­give me the antidote!¡±

    Su Xin remained impassive to the angry women in front of her, and she looked at her with cold eyes.

    ¡°Oh? Antidote? I thought the imperial physician has already left an ointment for you. Or, perhaps you have mistaken my humble abode for a clinic?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s cut to the chase, how about we just form an alliance?¡± Qing Lian proposed, her words stuttering and body trembling in anger.

    Su Xin smirked. Although as much as her cruel self wanted revenge on Qing Lian, her task remained first priority; there was no room for personal vendettas. As it turns out, this woman was not as shallow as she initially thought. She was almost on par with Su Xin in skills. Eliminating her to weed out the competition could be good, but having her as an ally would be much better.

    In her poorest shape, Qing Lian was somewhat gnashing her teeth1, her body was shivering visibly and forehead was laced with cold sweat. The rashes had drastically worsen. Small amount of disgusting liquid leaked from the wounded spots which indicated infection¡ªit was surely not a seasonal allergy.

    She couldn¡¯t fathom what exactly was happening to her. But she was certain of one thing: Xue Yao was responsible for the mishap she was having.

    It seemed like Qing Lian underestimated this lone wolf. She became too comfortable in her pedestal surrounded by her minions and fell right into her trap. Now, she was going to lose her precious game if she didn¡¯t bargain properly with this vicious courtesan.

    Not to mention, this sickness was too despicable! The imperial physician was aghast on how to treat her infection and clumsily prescribed her common medicines, only then to leave hurriedly. She was dumbfounded, at the very least. And those medicines didn¡¯t do a thing to get rid of the worsening spots on her face. Most shameful of all was Qing Lian  also felt that her female genitalia was very itchy. This was not the kind of itch from lust, but rather like an uncomfortable sting.

    Her body was in agony and it was all because of the woman standing in front of her.

    Su Xin was naturally a dangerous person and these methods were only of the norm back in her past life. She had to play dirty, especially when she didn¡¯t have Miss Mary Sue¡¯s support at this time. There was no room to ponder morality, and this woman had this karma coming for her.

    It was her little payback, nothing more.

    From the outside, a low grumble could be heard from the sky lit by a dark purple hue. It seemed like that even the heavens was aware that a sinister deal has been unfolded between these two women.

    One year later, before the start of the banquet, Miss Mary Sue had seized full control over the the prime minister¡¯s residence. Her concubine mothers and sisters were futile in their attempts of robbing her of her deserved place in the residence. She arrived as a storm and disrupted the serene, ignorant lives of her scheming family. The victor¡ªshe took what was due and paid retribution.

    All of them was now at her mercy.

    Not only this, she even had several relations with princes at the court. Slowly but surely, she was building her way to the top of the society.

    While reflecting the success of her agenda, He Yunshu was invited to attend the Banquet of the Four countries. It had been so long since she had last saw Xue Yao and she was excited to see her once again.

    Su Xin was put in custody to the palace for her training. Not a day had passed without Su Xin occupying her mind and she fretted over her friend¡¯s welfare everytime. The palace was a new territory to Su Xin after all. However, the training was closed off to spectators, and thus, outside help wasn¡¯t possible. It all depended on the participants¡¯ skills and wit.

    Nonetheless, she¡¯d already foreseen that Su Xin will be one of the chosen performers¡ª  her eyes inflamed with such determination told He Yunshu that she could make it.

    It was the night of the Banquet; another phenomenon that would fill the herald¡¯s paper and would be remembered in the rich history of this world.

    As of the moment, He Yunshu was sitting among the honorable individuals, her eyes kept on darting at every direction, in vain hopes of having a glimpse of her friend.

    At least three tiers above them, the four emperors sat on the seats of honour. Afront was the extraordinarily huge stage where performers slowly started to gather. The whole place was made lively with thousands of candles placed on candelabras carved from the finest golds and silver of ancient China.

    The event commenced and series of exquisite performances was delivered to the crowd consisting only of highborn individuals. All of a sudden, the ambience of the place took a significant change.

    Two women adorned with the finest silks came out of the heavy expensive draperies of the platform.

    He Yunshu¡¯s breath was taken away from her. One woman out of the two was no other than her dear friend, Su Xin.

 CH 19

    Su Xin wore a pale pink silky dress with a sheer thin sheet on the outside bearing the same charming color. The woman with her was Qing Lian, who was also dressed to perfection. With their team up, the two managed to secure their places as performers in the banquet, leaving the three women disqualified.

    A zither was positioned at the stage, of which Su Xin took ahold of and placed on her lap in a graceful manner. The moment Su Xin¡¯s delicate fingers plucked the bronze strings of the instrument, He Yunshu released a deep sigh unconsciously. She was so immersed with the sight of Su Xin that she didn¡¯t notice that she was holding her breath from the very moment Su Xin appeared on the stage.

    As if the music she produced was not enough to astonish everyone, Su Xin began to sing a heart-wrenching, passionate ballad. Her voice, although cool, was extremely penetrating. People were in awe; it looked like Su Xin wasn¡¯t only plucking the strings of the zither but she was also plucking the stoned hearts of the audience, beckoning for them to shatter the barred walls they had built around their hearts. The song stirred something in them, making them feel emotional.

    While Su Xin pierced everyone with her voice, Qing Lian delivered a captivating dance portraying a wholesome story.

    He Yunshu was sitting underneath, her gaze trained on Su Xin alone. Although Su Xin didn¡¯t move from her spot to dance, and only played the zither and sang, He Yunshu felt that she must be very good at dancing.

    He Yunshu was suddenly brought back to the time when she first met Su Xin. She was just a tiny bud by then, tucked away at a dark corner of a room with meager sunlight. But now, He Yunshu was proud to see her flourish into a flower at full bloom.

    With drooping eyes, Su Xin casually gave a fluid glance to the crowd, stirring up their fascination of her. The outer corner of her eyes were painted with ink in the shape of petals, which made her appearance even more alluring.

    Su Xin was the sole subject of He Yunshu¡¯s attention but Su Xin¡¯s eyes were trained on someone else than He Yunshu. She would occasionally look up at one person.

    The only woman on the throne of the four emperors, Qu Feiqing.

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s hair was bunched up highly, adorned with several hairpins showing her regal status. It was easy to say that she was the most elegant looking woman in the event. It was a shame to not look at her.

    However, she was extremely young compared to the other three emperors, all men who were in their prime age.

    With a face that could topple countries, Qu Feiqing was indeed worthy of being called the most beautiful woman in the four countries.

    She was the true definition of sophistication. Her beauty was unlike any other, it was exceedingly luxurious; not a soul in the room could even hold a candle to her. She was that beautiful, truly incomparable. Even so, her formidable aura made people pay less attention to her physical appearance.

    In fear of their life, people would usually shrink in her presence and bow at the lowest angle possible to kiss the ground she was walking on. It was intimidation at first glance.

    Like a sword out of its sheath, Qu Feiqing would not think twice to kill anyone who displeased her.  Even when at rest and curbing her strength, she was a lion that could get up anytime upon sensing a nearby threat, slit their throats and call it a day.

    Such a person, others dare not come close. To get close, you have to be fearless of death. Heck, even court it.

    Su Xin and Qing Lian finished their melodramatic performance which received a round of subdued applause from the audience.

    To show their utmost respect, they approached the seats of the four emperor.

    Su Xin¡¯s heart missed a beat, cold anxiety crept up to the back of her neck¡ªit all just dawned on her that she would finally face the focus of her mission. She kept her eyes trained on the floor as they made their way closer to the emperors.

    They stopped just at a respectable distance and Su Xin, with her eyes drooped, caught sight of the trains of Qu Feiqing¡¯s deep ruby gown that was artistically arranged on the floor beneath her.

    Then, she and Qing Lian bowed in their earnest.

    Upon rising from the traditional bow, Su Xin dauntlessly looked straight at Qu Feiqing who met her gaze in mid-air. The stare-off happened for a fleeting moment, a game instigated with only the two of them aware of it.

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyes swept over her and there it was¡ªthe familiar feeling that Su Xin knew all too well.

    Bloodlust.

    Su Xin could practically smell it from the woman, she reeked of it. No matter what Qu Feiqing wore, it could never conceal the underlying monstrousness that was running in her veins. The same monstrousness running inside Su Xin.

    For a brief moment, Su Xin¡¯s blood boiled and her hands vaguely shook. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was from the perverse excitement at having found another one like her, or the feeling of desolation; this was the ghost that had haunted her at every moment ever since her parents¡¯ death. The game changer of her life.

    The way Su Xin sees it, they were both slaves of the same darkness. Two unfortunate souls left scrambling in a cruel world to survive. Alone.

    It was pitiful.

 CH 20

    Qu Feiqing was holding her cup of wine and was absentmindedly drinking from it, savoring its unique, sweet taste. She began to grow bored of the event and out of the blue, felt the crushing, indescribable loneliness that filled her for years among the noisy clamor of the room.

    At the ripe age of 23, she brought with her the burden of ruling a whole country.

    A country so vast, that one couldn¡¯t possibly fathom how a young woman like her could have conquered it. Well, being in prime power wasn¡¯t exactly all sunshine and rainbows. Qu Feiqing had to sacrifice the innocence of her youth and her future of living a tranquil life. She would forever be living in the chaos she herself had made.

    The show continued its course but it didn¡¯t captivate her anymore. Qu Feiqing covered her mouth to yawn when she suddenly felt a burning gaze.

    It was the beautiful woman from Yu country who had just performed. Qu Feiqing was ready to move her eyes. For her, she was nothing out of the ordinary. But the next moment her eyes fixed on this courtesan, the woman¡¯s expression had suddenly changed.

    As if all pretenses had been torn apart, a coldness that did not match the pretty face was revealed. She smiled like black ink being drip on a pure, white paper¡ªexceedingly dark. This kind of smile, Qu Feiqing was all too familiar with. All of the sudden, she became much more pleasing to the eyes than before.

    Perhaps this is how it feels when you meet your kindred soul.

    Qu Feiqing wanted to see it again, but Su Xin had already returned to her usual gentle appearance, refusing to look at her again.

    This feeling of excitement was a new thing to Qu Feiqing. She had been uninterested for a long time, her heart devoid of any emotion. Nothing had piqued her attention until now.

    As Qu Feiqing observed Su Xin who was slipping through the crowd, she absentmindedly shook her wine glass and took another sip from it. She glanced at the Emperor Yu who was seated beside her.

    ¡°Is something the matter, Emperor Qu?¡± The Emperor Yu was a scholarly man in his forties. He too, was just observing the crowd, when he noticed the young Emperor Qu look at him. He saw this as a chance to strike up a conversation with this infamous Emperor and subtly inquire about the relationship between the two countries.

    Emperor Yu was a wise man and he could naturally see that the young woman before him was not a person he should underestimate. He had heard of her bloody conquest on her rise to become an Emperor¡ªthings that a grown, hardened man would do, but not a young maiden. Thus, he couldn¡¯t hold contempt for this person becoming emperor despite her young age.

    What lies beyond the youthful exterior was a ferocious ruler.

    Unlike them old men, her mind is still in her prime and would surely progress more in the future. The Emperor Yu was anxious of his later generations not being able to hold a candle to Qu Feiqing¡¯s craftiness and ruthlessness. There was a risk of his own country being seized by this person. Thus, the only preemptive solution he had at hand was to establish a peaceful relationship between the Qu and Yu country.

    ¡°What¡¯s the name of that woman?¡± Qu Feiqing was oblivious to Emperor Yu¡¯s reservations and signaled to Su Xin¡¯s direction.

    Emperor Yu glanced back at the crowd, looking for the woman that had caught Qu Feiqing¡¯s attention. ¡°Well.. this emperor1 believes she is one of the courtesans called Xue Yao. From my own country, if this emperor might add.¡± Emperor Yu had been informed beforehand that one of the performers accepted into the banquet came from his country. At first he had paid no mind to it, but in this moment, he wanted nothing more than to grovel on the ground and thank the heavens.

    His eyes flashed as he glanced meaningfully at the young emperor beside him, ¡°Is Emperor Qu interested in her?¡±

    Perhaps sensing this old man¡¯s calculating scheme of making the courtesan as a bargaining chip, Qu Feiqing merely lowered her eyes to quietly sip on her goblet. Leaving the Emperor Yu clueless to the female¡¯s true motives.

    The lively, exuberant feast had lasted until late at night. As the evening progressed and the people became more loose and rowdy, Qu Feiqing found the festivities becoming boring and bland by the minute. Yet she couldn¡¯t leave early when the three other emperors still remained. If she acted superior, there was no telling if these men would form an alliance to squish her. The only thing keeping them at bay from engaging into conflict with her, were the stories of her merciless personality and bloody rise to power.

    If she had found a way to antagonize all three at once, despite everything cruel she had done to become emperor, she would still be no match to three countries closing in from every side. It would be a massacre.

    When the Emperors finally had their fill of the night, Qu Feiqing retreated together with them. She went on a separate road, towards her resting place, and unexpectedly saw Su Xin standing in the corner, waiting for her in sheer clothing that accentuated her curves and made her incredibly seductive.

    Qu Feiqing motioned for the carriage to stop. She stepped down and walked towards the woman in a slow pace.

    She wasn¡¯t expecting she¡¯d boldly show her face again so soon, after she refused meeting her eyes in the banquet.

    A feet apart, two beautiful women were basked in the soft haze of the moonlight. One had the appearance of a seductress in her nightgown, while the other, donned in gold and silver, had an imposing beauty.

    It was quite a sight.

    Su Xin pursed her lips and silently steeled herself. It was now or never!

    ¡°Emperor, there¡¯s one thing I¡¯d like to ask.¡±

    Qu Feiqing raised her eyebrows and looked at Su Xin deeply before speaking. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°.. Am I beautiful?¡±

    There was a pause before Qu Feiqing slowly answered, ¡°Are you mentally ill?¡±

    Huh, what?! What do you mean I¡¯m a retard!

    Well, this is embarrassing.

 CH 21

    Su Xin had clear instructions from Fourteen regarding the measures that can be taken for her mission.

    Qu Feiqing must say Xue Yao is the most beautiful. Su Xin thought hard about it and later found a loophole regarding this: she could ask an ambiguous question, it could take any version whichever Su Xin sees fit, but its essence should stick to the main point of her mission. Fourteen made it clear that the client¡¯s words didn¡¯t say that Su Xin specifically had to be the most beautiful, but rather, acknowledged by the number one beauty as the most beautiful.

    Su Xin¡¯s rationale was, if Qu Feiqing was to acknowledge she was beautiful, then doesn¡¯t that make her first in place with the first beauty acknowledging her beauty?

    Hearing this, Su Xin¡¯s mind worked like sherlock.

    From what she understood, her mission was just a game of words! As long as Qu Feiqing uttered the magic words ¡°You are beautiful¡±, whether genuine or sarcastic, she could still call it mission success.

    That is why, as the banquet came to an end, Su Xin didn¡¯t waste any more time. She dressed in her most revealing clothes, taking care to bring out her ravishing beauty, and headed towards the side of the street where the emperor¡¯s carriage would pass.

    This was a loophole she was willing to take a chance of. Fourteen was quick to tell her although it was an ingenious idea, she must also take note of the system¡¯s rules.

    [Dear Host, please bear in mind, if it¡¯s convenient for you, then it¡¯s also convenient for us. It¡¯s certainly not disadvantageous for me if you wanted to finish the task in this manner. We have already made it clear to the client before that they will sign the contract only after they¡¯ve understood what¡¯s written on it. And one condition stated is, the host must not destroy the world order while undertaking this mission.]

    Regardless of the means used, as long as it can accomplish the task, it will suffice. But the Fate Trading System has strictly imposed this last policy as to not break the equilibrium of the world.

    Despite not breaking any rules, Su Xin¡¯s bold, shortcut attempt not only failed, but it gave out an embarrassing scene.

    [Host you are¡­ very straightforward.]

    Even Fourteen didn¡¯t see this coming. He didn¡¯t expect for his host to be so direct. For the first time, he was out of words and he fell into a stupefied silence.

    With her heart racing, Su Xin gawked at the emperor while she thought of ways to fix the mess she caused. Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyebrows was slightly raised, she looked at Su Xin like she was the biggest lunatic she¡¯d ever met.

    Out of nowhere, Qu Feiqing stretched out her hand and wiped the petal painted on the corner of Su Xin¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Ugly.¡±

    Just like that, Su Xin¡¯s spirit was dampened and confidence was buried six feet under mud. Not only did the emperor refuse to say that she was beautiful, she also called her face embellishment ugly!

    Not far away, the palace maids appeared very quiet and unmoving and their attention was deeply focused on the ground1, as if it was the most interesting thing.

    Caught in the same stupor, Su Xin was also driven to silence, her mind in shambles.

    Qu Feiqing on the other hand was full of questions regarding the woman before her who was boldly dressed in a gown that leaves little to the imagination, but countenance meek and docile as though of a mouse.

    She remembered the sinister smile Su Xin threw in her direction not too long ago. She suddenly had a strong urge to unveil this woman¡¯s mask, to see her erupt into something more dazzling in her eyes.

    Swabbing her ink tainted finger on her gown, Qu Feiqing formed this mission in her head. She had always loved the chase.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°This servant was waiting for her Highness.¡±

    ¡°Waiting for this emperor2?¡± Qu Fei asked, despite knowing the answer. Was she waiting for this strong, lonesome monarch, taking vulnerability of her loneliness?

    ¡°Yes.¡± Su Xin said, almost a whisper.

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyes were cold as she looked at Su Xin. ¡°Why?¡±

    Su Xin took a deep breath, feigned sincerity and looked up at Qu Feiqing¡¯s beautiful face.

    ¡°Xue Yao wanted to see up close what the first beauty of the four countries looks like.¡±

    If someone other than Su Xin had said it, the words would have sounded provocative, presumptuous even. But Su Xin delivered it earnestly and was able to stick to her demure character as the naive Xue Yao. It made the people around her hear it as coy words coming out from her mouth.

    ¡°Are you courting death?¡± Qu Feiqing asked her imposingly, unfazed by Su Xin¡¯s coquettish manner. But the latter seemed to not hear any word she had said.

    Su Xin was struck by Qu Feiqing¡¯s beauty and stood frozen in her place. At this close distance, she could see well the perfection of the emperor¡¯s face; it looked ethereal, sculpted according to god¡¯s liking.

    Beautiful and noble, Qu Feiqing could be compared to an extravagant, garishly red Cassia Roxburghii¡ªa very precious flower in the continent. It stood out from the common flowers due to its fragrance and distinct color. Aside from that, it is also used for ancient medicinal remedies.

    (T/N: Red cassia( Cassia Roxburghii) is a graceful tree with spreading, drooping branches appearing to be overweighted by its wealth of clustering orange-red blossoms. Picture below.)

    But what makes the flower peculiar is its antagonistic nature. It is quite territorial, thus it cannot be planted along with other plants, or else, those plants would not survive. The growing conditions are even more delicate, but once it fully blooms, everything would look dull against its vivid colors.

    ¡°Well?¡± Qu Feiqing¡¯s sultry voice brought Su Xin back to earth.

    Su Xin shook her head. She took too long to answer, and by the time her mind was able to escape from her trance, she was only able to give a nimble shake of her head.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±

    Qu Feiqing moved closer to Su Xin, almost within a hairbreadth, her face devoid of any warmth. Her eyes shone bright in a cruel manner. Perhaps Qu Feiqing wanted Su Xin to see what kind of cold person she was, but all Su Xin could see was the terrible emptiness inside reflected from those dark, beady eyes.

    Qu Feiqing was an iron king who brought upon bloodshed.

    She committed patricide at an early age; she killed her older brother and imprisoned her younger brother. All this she had done while relying on her extraordinary wisdom and apathy, quite uncommon for someone her age.

    A woman who ascended the throne¡ªit was a great violation of the natural order of things. But what could the officials have possibly done against it? They could only watch in horror as Qu Feiqing ruthlessly eliminated all the other potential candidates to the throne, leaving her the sole choice for the dragon seat.

    The country couldn¡¯t fend for itself, it needed a ruler. And a ruler she became.

    She was an emperor strict in passing laws and regulations; if a policy isn¡¯t properly implemented, to Qu Feiqing it doesn¡¯t matter whose heads will roll. If a government official cannot comply to his measly job, then what is the use of keeping him around like a useless, parasitic leech feeding of the country¡¯s money?

    In dealing with governance, despite being a merciless person, she was not a tyrant. If she finds out her officials are dealing in corruption, everyone in his family is killed without exception.

    Her reputation became tarnished because of her bloody ways in dealing with conflict, but Qu Feiqing did not care for this. What matter¡¯s is the country¡¯s economy thrived and the common people were content of the status quo.

 CH 22

    Qu Feiqing began to circle Su Xin like a predator, the hems of her gown could be heard rustling against the rough gravel.

    ¡°Scared?¡± Qi Feiqing whispered from behind Su Xin, her breath tickled the exposed skin, causing small goosebumps to outbreak.

    Tired of the intimidation, Su Xin faced the emperor who was older and taller than her. She had to tilt her head up at an uncomfortable angle due to the closeness.

    However, Qu Feiqing¡¯s height did not conceal Su Xin¡¯s imposing manner. She fearlessly shed her disguise and let Qu Feiqing have a sight of her true colors.

    ¡°Now, this is more pleasing; just the way you are.¡± Qu Feiqing chuckled.

    Master Fourteen, she is forcing me to abstain from my weak public persona as Xue Yao.

    Su Xin said, wary that she might do something that would disrupt the world order.

    [Appropriately shed disguise, but by all means get ahold of yourself.] Fourteen reminded.

    ¡°Do you even see what you really are?¡±

    Older sister, can¡¯t you perk up? I am not ugly. Su Xin wanted to have a fit, the emperor was more enthralled with her veiled unappealing nature than her charming physical attributes.

    Su Xin didn¡¯t answer right away and instead, stared at Qu Feiqing with an air of melancholy surrounding her. The emperor had already questioned her sanity. If she asked again, Qu Feiqing might lose her patience and Su Xin would be digging her own grave in no time.

    How could a well-known first beauty willingly admit that she looked less beautiful than the woman before her?

    Clear as broad daylight, Qu Feiqing was more beautiful than Su Xin. If the two were engaged in a beauty competition, the jury would have an easy time distinguishing the victor without doubting the authenticity of their beauty. This was ancient china, plastic surgery was nothing but a figment of imagination.

    Qu Feiqing continued to put pressure on Su Xin with her penetrating gaze that drilled holes on the girl¡¯s face. She knew that the girl wanted something from her, but she was not certain what it was.

    ¡°I¡¯m just a commoner, a courtesan even. I came here to redeem myself.¡±

    It sounded like a good story to Qu Feiqing, who thought that it was more worthy of listening to than the tragic dramas her entertainers offered to ease her boredom many times. She straightened out her clothes and motioned for Su Xin to continue.

    Su Xin¡¯s body was honed for entertainment. She could play several stringed-instruments, could sing and dance well, but Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t lack of entertainers.

    But.. Qu Feiqing was in need of a person to serve as her companion.

    Realization hit her hard and Su Xin was filled with momentary dread, she would be losing so much time if ever this would happen. Still, she could make out positive things that would come with this arrangement, protection is one example.

    ¡°I came here only to meet you.¡±

    ¡°To let me praise you for being beautiful?¡± Qu Feiqing couldn¡¯t help but slightly grin, her purpose was really hilarious.

    Su Xin nodded, how direct of her.

    ¡°Will you leave if I praise you for your beauty?¡±

    Su Xin nodded again, quite chipper than what she wanted.

    Yes, beautiful older sister. Just say I¡¯m a beautiful adult and I¡¯ll be gone like the wind.

    Su Xin chose to serve her weakness in a silver platter to the emperor, begging for the praise that would relieve her of her task. But, she was not a soldier in dismissal, a silent war was still brewing between them¡ªQu Feiqing was still in the quest for the true reason why Su Xin sought her attention out of all the powerful officials who were much more forgiving than her, a better choice than her.

    Su Xin thought, there truly was no escaping scrutiny. After all, her task does sound ridiculous.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t?¡±

    Su Xin swallowed a lump in her throat, she couldn¡¯t possibly let that happen.

    ¡°Then wait until Emperor Qu says so.¡±

    A gamble where time was the bet, Su Xin became worried of the amount of time the task will consume. Afraid that she didn¡¯t have the luxury of time, she vowed to make sure that the rolling dice in this gamble would give the best possible outcome. Fourteen was also quick to pour cold water on her.

    [The life of the host¡¯s body is 40 years, so far there are 26 years left. If the task is not completed within the lifetime limit, the soul of the host will¡­ ] Fourteen didn¡¯t say the rest, he believed Su Xin already knew of this.

    26 years, huh.. I guess I can afford to wait.

    There was a reason why performers in the banquet were most likely courtesans. They served as priced gifts to the people of nobility who had the power to buy them whenever they wanted to. After the banquet, these courtesans would go to auction-like procedures wherein they will be sold to the highest bidders.

    However, it wasn¡¯t as commercialized as an actual auction is. Courtesans were not merely goods sold by the palace, they were also given the right to give conditions, may it be a house, a whole new wardrobe or even a farm as long as the bidder will agree. In light to this, they could also decline the offer of the bidder if they failed to meet their ends of the bargain. But despite all this, there are still some hidden rules for powerful officials which allows them to skip this procedure and directly seize what they want.

    ¡°Do you want to follow me?¡± Qu Feiqing knew of this rule. Amidst the powerful, but lecherous men in the banquet, choosing to be protected by a woman was a smart move

    There are many honorable women coming to the banquet of the four countries, such as the daughters of various ministers and princesses. But the most honorable woman was Qu Feiqing¡ªa female emperor, other women couldn¡¯t offer a greater protection than she could.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re thinking that things will be easy for you, you are mistaken. My country, Qu Liu, is not as amicable as what you probably would think. However, you can¡¯t blame my race, its heart will be different.¡±

 CH 23

    Qu Feiqing gently squeezed Su Xin¡¯s chin, challenging her to retreat with her commanding attitude.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I said I¡¯ll come with you.¡± Su Xin met Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyes with a determined gaze.

    She wants to barge in head first1 and quickly get her trust to carry on with the mission effectively.

    But beyond that, she saw a lonely lion in Qu Feiqing¡¯s heart, just like the Su Xin she was before.

    She was not always with Qiu Qingqing in the original world. They were separated at the age of 14 after being taken away by the organization for training. Alone, Su Xin went through challenging experiences which made her ruthless and callous to the point people refused to be involved with her. She was an island of her own.

    Qiu Qingqing reappeared four years later. She naturally encroached on her life as if the four years of separation did not do anything to dwindle their friendship. Su Xin didn¡¯t become alone after that.

    The feeling of being warm inside is good; it can change a person for the better.

    ¡°This emperor has noted it down.¡±

    Qu Feiqing released Su Xin. She turned the other way and begin to walk away, her figure gradually getting further step by step. A lone gold-donned figure amidst the dull greys of her surrounding servants painted a striking, yet lonely picture.

    A cold wind blew in and Su Xin shivered coldly in her thin clothes, breaking her out from her reverie.

    Master Fourteen, can this be considered a preliminary success?

    [It counts, I guess.] Fourteen reluctantly affirmed, he was only responsible for data statistics of the growth of his host¡¯s mission. This crooked method of Su Xin was a glitch in his calculations.

    Hmph! By the way, Master Fourteen, can you see your hosts¡¯ private activities? Otherwise, how did you know last time that my colleague was busy doing something naughty, huh!?

    [ The system always respects the privacy of the host and the.. unspeakable content will be blocked. I know what you are doing, but it will be pixelated in my eyes.] Fourteen answered dully, not in the least interested in the hosts¡¯ naughty affairs.

    Su Xin calmed her heart. Although the system is an intelligent AI, there are still some things that are not convenient for people, even for an AI, to see.

    As she walked back towards her room in the palace, Su Xin¡¯s mind dwelled on the long journey she was to start in the days to come. Her thoughts were disrupted when she saw a familiar figure by her door¡ªHe Yunshu stood, an anxious mess.

    Upon seeing her, He Yunshu was quick to come over. ¡°Xue Yao! Where did you go? I couldn¡¯t find you! This kind of occasion can get disorderly, you must not wander so casually.¡± She reprimanded her, distressed. She had searched for Su Xin as soon as the event ended. She was so worried that she had the atrocious thought of Su Xin having an accident. Fortunately, Su Xin came back before she could come to her wit¡¯s end.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Su Xin comforted her frightened friend and held He Yunshu¡¯s ice-cold hands.

    There was something in Su Xin¡¯s calm demeanor that made He Yunshu sweat in trepidation.  ¡°Perhaps the day after tomorrow.. what are you planning.. or, it¡¯s done¡­¡±

    With clammy palms, He Yunshu was reluctant to speak. She had finally regained her standing and could take Su Xin under her wing to protect her. But she did not know if Su Xin approved of this. In the end, her friend had her own plans she was unaware of; she was left in uncertainty.

    She could give her friend money to buy her own residence and let her live well. But she was afraid that she didn¡¯t need her anymore now that Su Xin would surely be offered greater prospects. Even in the name of a good friend, she was afraid that Su Xin would not accept this proposition.

    She felt bitter for a simple reason. Although she was the di daugther of a big shot like the prime minister from the beginning, she was not the most special of all the people and dignitaries who came to the banquet of the four countries. During the performance, the greedy eyes of those powerful people looked at Su Xin with meaning. He Yunshu doubted her capability; she was afraid that she won¡¯t be able to fight against them. Ultimately, Su Xin might choose them over her. And as selfish as it was¡ªit would crush her heart into thousands of pieces.

    ¡°I have my own plan. Don¡¯t fret over me.¡±

    Su Xin caressed He Yunshu¡¯s worried face. She felt happy knowing that Miss Mary Sue would rise as a person of greatest importance in the future.

    However, sadness began to creep inside of her. No matter how much she wanted to tell He Yunshu of her plans and do things together in this world as fellow transmigrators, she couldn¡¯t. It was prohibited as she was the protagonist of this world with her own mission and she was a host of the Fate Trading System. Su Xin was expected to fulfill wishes and travel between worlds; she was no protagonist or main character.

    Maybe it¡¯s time to say goodbye.

    Her cold heart bled over the impending loss of a friend.

    ¡°How can I not worry about you! Quickly go inside, you might catch a cold.¡± He Yunshu referred to the thin gown Su Xin was wearing and pinched her nose.

    ¡°Yes..¡±

    They embraced each other quickly.

    Su Xin gathered her clothes, rubbed her hands and disappeared inside the walls of her room. He Yunshu silently watched her back for a while, thinking that Su Xin was keeping something from her and then, she left. He Yunshu didn¡¯t know why, but she was restless all the way back home.

    After Su Xin entered the room, she saw Shu Juan still waiting for her. Like another worried mother hen fearful over her chick.

    ¡°Young lady, you finally came back! Where have you been?¡±

    Shu Juan scrutinized Su Xin from head to toe, found that she was fine and was hurriedly relieved. She wasn¡¯t able to pay heed to the flimsy gown Su Xin was wearing while under the influence of distress, thus she found nothing fishy.

    The Young lady looked so beautiful tonight and the place was so hectic for a naive Shu Juan. When her master had disappeared, she was afraid something had happened.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s getting late, Shu Juan. You must go to bed early.¡± Su Xin hurriedly consoled her, especially worried about this girl¡¯s ability as a crying bag.

    ¡°Young lady¡­¡±

    Shu Juan wanted to ask her master of her plan now the banquet is over but she hesitated and shook her head. It didn¡¯t matter what her master¡¯s plans were, she vowed to follow her to the ends of the earth; her devotion remains unchanged.

    ¡°I have my own arrangement. You tidy up our things, we may leave in two days.¡±

    If no problem will occur in Qu Feiqing¡¯s transaction with the palace concerning her, the emperor would take her away.

    Shu Juan nodded blankly. Her master¡¯s chosen path would affect her for sure. Though she didn¡¯t know Su Xin¡¯s plans, she was still glad that Su Xin already had an idea for the future.

    ºá³åÖ±×² (he?ng cho?ng zhi? zhua?ng) lit. bashing sideways and colliding straight on (idiom)

 CH 24

    At dawn, two days after the banquet, Su Xin was summoned by the emperor.

    ¡°Emperor Qu likes you very much. This emperor1 doesn¡¯t need you to do other unnecessary things. You just have to remember to please her at all cost.¡±

    Emperor Yu directly said to Su Xin with resolute eyes; she understood her role in this matter. Anyways, even if this emperor was trying to use her to maintain a good relationship with the Qu country, that¡¯s fine. Sooner or later, Su Xin¡¯s mission will take her near Qu Feiqing¡ªthis was her easy ticket.

    When the courtesans who performed in the banquet began making arrangements and sealing contracts, He Yunshu realized that Su Xin was nowhere to be found.

    He Yunshu felt disappointment hit her gut. She hurried to the courtyard where Su Xin and her last met.

    From afar, she could already draw Su Xin¡¯s silhouette. She seemed to be waiting for her and He Yunshu closed their distance, almost out of breath, with a jovial smile.

    She thought Su Xin was waiting for her because she chose her.

    ¡°Xue Yao.¡±

    He Yun took Su Xin¡¯s hand whose face looked mournful. Upon seeing her friend¡¯s distressed countenance, He Yunshu knew that she was mistaken. Su Xin¡¯s decision didn¡¯t involve her and it wiped her smile away quickly.

    ¡°Yunshu, I have to go.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    He Yunshu was a little angry. It turned out this was Su Xin¡¯s original plan. A plan that did not include her.

    ¡°I was about to..¡±

    ¡°Where will you go? Who are you going with? Tell me.¡± He Yunshu felt deeply hurt and her voice did not conceal how she felt at the moment.

    Su Xin didn¡¯t know why she felt guilty when this separation was already bound to happen, with their circumstances and all. She looked at He Yunshu forlornly, knowing nothing can be changed, ¡°Emperor Qu.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    He Yunshu stared at Su Xin, eyes wide like saucers. From what she heard, Qu Liu country was infamous for its dark legends, especially its ruthless female emperor.

    ¡°How did you get involved with her? She is a very dangerous person. Why did you choose to let her protect you? Xue Yao, I can.. You know I can..¡± He Yunshu¡¯s voice trembled at the end, she couldn¡¯t contain her sadness anymore but she fought back the tears.

    He Yunshu couldn¡¯t understand why Su Xin wanted to have anything to do with Qu Feiqing, and didn¡¯t want to ask her for help instead. Weren¡¯t they friends?

    ¡°Yunshu.. I have my own business to do, so I have to leave. That¡¯s my goal.¡±

    Su Xin felt helpless with her friend reacting so strongly. She didn¡¯t want to say goodbye with unresolved misunderstandings.

    He Yunshu let go of her hand, somewhat dazedly looking at Su Xin.

    ¡°Xue Yao, I really do not understand what you want to do.¡±

    Oh dear Miss Mary Sue, even if I told you that I wanted the female emperor to praise me for my beauty, you would not believe it.

    Su Xin didn¡¯t say a word. It¡¯s better to be silent.

    ¡°..It may be difficult to see each other in the future.¡±

    He Yunshu was disheartened, this dynasty had shortcoming in terms of transportation. There was almost no way that she could visit Su Xin, it was also very difficult to communicate. Especially when Su Xin will be in another country.

    ¡°Yunshu will certainly become a very powerful person in the future. When that time comes, I will cheer for you in my heart, always.¡±

    Su Xin was assured of this. After all, He Yunshu, the protagonist, is Miss Mary Sue. Unlike Su Xin who was a mere assassin, He Yunshu had more skills worthy of being called the female lead and to survive in this world.

    With or without her, He Yunshu would fare.

    It was nice meeting you, Miss Mary Sue.

    ¡ª-

    A few days later, Qu Feiqing returned to Qu Liu country bringing with her Su Xin and Shu Juan.

    Su Xin and Qu Feiqing sat in the same carriage. Shu Juan was left to travel with the other servants just outside the emperor¡¯s carriage.

    The carriage was decorated luxuriously despite made for travel, and was wide, leaving some respectable distance between her and the emperor. The two opposing seats occupied by both women were covered by thick, silky blankets that promised comfort during a rough travel.

    Qu Feiqing was reclining in her seat with her eyes closed, leaving Su Xin on the other side who was secretly dying from boredom. It was a long, dull travel and all she saw was empty landscapes, her backside hurting from the long hours of sitting. The excitement she felt from when she first arrived to the capital was nowhere to be found; faded with the seriousness of her impending mission in the Qu Liu country.

    Su Xin glanced at Qu Feiqing, and seeing that this woman was intent on ignoring her, she began to divert her attention to harass the poor AI, Fourteen.

    Master fourteen, do you also have a system called Thirteen and Fifteen?

    [Well, the creator has limited energy and was able to create only 15 systems. I am the 14th. ]

    Are all systems like you?

    [How?]

    Responsible, diligent, attentive to detail, serious and unsmiling. Has no sense of humor.

    Su Xin felt that if Fourteen was personified, he would be a professional man in a suit. Perhaps, with  sleek-looking eyeglasses, dark straight hair and tall physique.

    [Uh.. no.. For that matter, is the host is willing to turn on a temporary system group chat function?]

    Su Xin¡¯s eyes widened at this unexpected prompt from Fourteen. It wasn¡¯t everyday you get to talk to different systems in the Fate Trading System.

    Open, open, open! Su Xin cheerfully said the three repeated words to Fourteen and then a string of voices came to her mind.

    [Hi darling, I am system Thirteen. Fourteen? Ah! This guy¡¯s not cute at all, he can¡¯t even act cute. I tried several times to persuade him only to fail.]

    The voice of Thirteen was so lively, it was not robotic like Fourteen who speaks in a flat tone.

    [Dear, if I¡¯m not busy, we can talk together and¡ª]

    Thirteen¡¯s line was suddenly cut off.

    [He¡¯s noisy. I closed the connection.] Fourteen ruthlessly said with his robotic voice. Su Xin was relieved. She didn¡¯t want to admit this, but she had become used to Fourteen¡¯s monotonous voice. Thirteen¡¯s would probably give her a splitting headache.

    Master Fourteen, I think it¡¯s still a good thing that you are just like that. Thirteen is so noisy, How is his host?

    [Birds of the same feather¡ªThirteen¡¯s host likes to hear thirteen nag.2]

    Fourteen sometimes lamented that as a colleague, he couldn¡¯t strangle the Thirteenth! But, Thirteen¡¯s host was really tolerable with it. He could only shake in head and watch them with judging eyes.

    Su Xin couldn¡¯t help but emit a laugh, earning a strange look from Qu Feiqing who seemed to have just woken up from her respite.

    Su Xin immediately entered her expressionless state.

    Hey, there¡¯s no need to look at me like that. She was not a retard, her brain was sound. Really.

 CH 25

    The carriage was rocking sporadically as it hit the uneven dirt road, but Su Xin remained immobile as a statue, acting like she hadn¡¯t just shown deranged behavior just a few moments ago. To no avail, Qu Feiqing was certain that what she witnessed wasn¡¯t something she made up. The woman was really sniggering on her own and making faces as if she was talking to someone before her.

    This made her have qualms about Su Xin¡¯s brain structure. Could hers be different from that of ordinary people? Qu Feiqing found her more interesting, a specimen she was yet to study.

    All her life, she lived in a shallow stagnant water; monotonous and dull. But as of late, these waters started to form small ripples which fed her with a little excitement of having found something new.  Su Xin was that small ripple.

    Vigilant eyes watched Su Xin from head to foot, swallowing her, but Su Xin remained immune to the stare. Instead, she firmly trained her gaze at the carriage wall in front of her like it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

    The emperor¡¯s scrutiny lasted for a while, much beyond Su Xin¡¯s preference. She could not help but wonder if Qu Feiqing had some sort of eyesight deficiency or why else would she stare at her with squinting eyes for so long.

    ¡°If this emperor now will say that you are beautiful, will you leave immediately?¡± Qu Feiqing retracted her gaze and drew the curtain closest to her apart to glance at the scenery outside while she spoke. This allowed Su Xin to calm her rapid heartbeat.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Older sister, you must say it quickly!

    Facing the emperor, Su Xin¡¯s eyes were ablazed with steadfast determination that Qu Feiqing felt that if she¡¯d grant her wish at this very moment, this woman would go on her merry way without looking back.

    Su Xin was eager to make her intention clear, but Qu Feiqing was just as eager to stomp on her hopes. For her, it was pure entertainment to see her face drained of all colors as she deflates her hopes with discouragement.

    She gave a clear cough indicating her mild refusal.

    ¡°But I never say anything against my will.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Su Xin¡¯s face remained impassive.

    Seeing Su Xin¡¯s stoic demeanor, Qu Feiqing stopped teasing. She drew patterns with her finger on the small table instead, however Su Xin did not look up to pay attention to this.

    Outside of the carriage, servants were lined up as they travelled on feet. Shu Juan was among them but her mind was not. It had been hours since she found out her master¡¯s plans but she was still caught in a stupefied and unresponsive state of disbelief. Never would she have thought that she¡¯d see the day where her dear Young lady Xue Yao will sit inside the carriage of a great oppressor.

    When her master told her that she ¡®had arrangements¡¯, she never thought that it meant this. The Young lady was now an official companion to the Emperor Qu and they were now travelling miles away from the capital.

    Shu Juan couldn¡¯t justify Su Xin¡¯s choice. It shook her to the core why the Young lady had been continually engaging herself in such risky situations. She¡¯d been playing with fire from the moment she left the safety of the brothel as a free courtesan, devoid of any protection. Nonetheless, Shu Juan still gave her unfaltering support and full trust.

    She leaned against the carriage, exhausted not from the long travel but from finding a valid, good reason of her master¡¯s course of action. Su Xin entering the imperial palace could never compare to the fear she felt about her present affair. They were heading to another unfamiliar territory and will live within the iron grip of the infamous Emperor Qu.

    Shu Juan was in internal conflict, she felt like the person whom she devoted her whole life was becoming a stranger as the days passed.

    She looked at the scenery before her, hoping that it could ebb the unrelenting turmoil in her mind.

    ¡ª

    Su Xin wanted to specifically establish a good relationship with Qu Feiqing but the woman remained aloof as ever, even if she had taken Su Xin with her for some reason. Su Xin would talk and Qu Feiqing would only smile in return, never speaking. This made Su Xin¡¯s head throb.

    Older sister, don¡¯t make this hard for me!

    To build respectful and passive relationships between countries, the four countries took turns in holding the banquet and each leader were expected to attend. At this decade, Yu country administered the event and Qu Feiqing started her voyage at least a month before it commenced.

    According to Qu Feiqing¡¯s trusted navigators, the travel back to Qu Liu would take ten days and half a month based on the predicted weather in the coming days.

    Under the scorching sun, the marching crowd of servants, horses and guards hit the road causing dust to gather around them.

    Little did they know that not far away from them, figures began to creep closer.

 CH 26

    Horses started acting in frenzy as they sensed danger. Flared nostrils and whites of their eyes were showing in fear as they produced high-pitched neighs that made the crowd frantic.

    Trunks formerly situated at the back of some horses began hitting the ground in dominoes and ropes could be heard snapping, unable to restrain the stressed horses.

    Despite the commotion outside, Qu Feiqing remained unusually calm inside the carriage. This seemed to be a usual occurrence to her.

    Su Xin, thinking that Qu Feiqing was asleep, attempted to insinuate a warning to her, but the emperor was already on her feet before Su Xin could actually utter a word.

    She began to get rid of the heavy garments she was wearing. It created a rhythmic flopping sound as it fell on the carriage floor, pooling around the emperor¡¯s feet.

    Looking at the emperor, it took Su Xin several seconds before it sank on her mind that Qu Feiqing was actually undressing right before her very eyes.

    She looked away accordingly and coughed to hide her embarrassment.

    ¡°This emperor is fearless. What are you hiding from?¡± Qu Fei Qing chuckled. She was not afraid to be looked at nor was she embarrassed.

    To Su Xin¡¯s relief, Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t strip until she¡¯s naked. She only took a thick layer of her magnificent garments, revealing  an inner thinner gown which allowed her to move freely.

    ¡°We are in a dangerous situation. Be careful.¡± Qu Feiqing commanded Su Xin.

    She then took a sharp hairpin from her hair causing some black silky strands to spring freely from the intricate updo.

    With precise movements, Qu Feiqing positioned the hairpin in her hand and threw it like a dart. Su Xin was in awe as the hairpin surged through the air with palpable energy, earning a strangled whimper of pain from one unlucky intruder outside. She felt like she¡¯d witnessed magic unfold before her, but she knew that it was not a trick of illusion but simply one manifestation of the wonders of Jianghu; the martial arts of ancient china.

    Qu Feiqing appeared satisfied by her first strike. She felt alive, her eyes were dilated out of pure ecstasy.

    When the Son of Heaven,1 such as Qu Feiqing, is provoked, a mountain of corpses are left in the wake.

    This kind of ambush was not new to Qu Feiqing, it didn¡¯t perturb her one bit. Su Xin on the other hand appeared nonplussed, but she later on got back to her senses and quickly brought in Shu Juan who was completely vulnerable outside. The girl curled up inside Su Xin¡¯s arms, her pale lips trembling. Shu Juan was never exposed to these types of  traumatizing incidents. Su Xin felt a little bit guilty that her servant had to go through this and would leave her unscarred emotionally. The least she could do was keep her safe.

    The carriage bore the seal of the emperor which glinted against the glaring sun, making it the most dangerous place in this situation. The assassins were clearly aiming for Qu Feiqing. So if there¡¯s a place the assassins would be eager to target, it¡¯s the carriage. But Su Xin couldn¡¯t think of other hiding spots for Shu Juan to hide. They were practically in the middle of nowhere; they couldn¡¯t possibly hide nor escape. There was simply no running away from this ambush.

    It was planned well.

    The ruckus outside got even heated up as the clamour outside from opposing parties rose in volume by the minute. After seeing to it that both Su Xin and Shu Juan could fend off themselves, Qu Feiqing stepped out of the carriage to confront her assassins.

    Su Xin lifted up the curtains to see men garbed in black fighting against Qu Feiqing¡¯s guards. Servants were contained in one corner, each was crouched on the ground, hands covering their ears in great fear. It was simply mayhem.

    [Host, you are advised to leave this carriage at once. After 5 seconds, you will be shot with a hedgehog.]Fourteen issued an emergency alert.

    Without hesitation, Su Xin exited the carriage and dropped to the ground, pulling Shu Juan down with her. True to Fourteen¡¯s words, the carriage was shot with a resounding boom split seconds after. An instant kill.

    Su Xin made a noise at the back of her throat. If it was not for Fourteen, she perhaps met death for the second time. Only this time, her soul would never had the chance to see heaven but instead, it will feed the life force of the system¡¯s creator.

    But this crazy system, ah. It wasn¡¯t a hedgehog, but a canon!

    Shu Juan shook even harder, her life flashed before her eyes. She couldn¡¯t even think of the possible consequences if they didn¡¯t manage to dodge. She was so scared that she couldn¡¯t cry; even her tears refused to fall.

    She gritted her teeth and braced herself for another possible attack.

 CH 27

    Su Xin was keeping her head down while casually glimpsing through the chaos to see how Qu Feiqing was doing.

    Quick as lightning, Qu Feiqing was a sight to behold in the battlefield. With her amazing agility, she didn¡¯t need to have the strength of the bull to take down assassins twice her size. Her weapon was a folding fan with a series of concealed sharp blades embedded at each tip.

    Light footed as she was, Qu Feiqing could be mistaken as though she was dancing. She moved gracefully, flopping her fan such that the blades were sent flying and in a few seconds, several men were lying on the ground writhing in pain. The cries and shouts of horror were her music and the battlefield was her stage. With her every step came spurts of blood staining her white gown.

    In her peripheral view, she caught sight of a whooshing arrow shooting towards the carriage. She held her breath for a moment, worried that her companion might not be able to reach her country after all. But not long after, inky black hair peeped through the smoke. With that, Qu Feiqing continued doing her slaughter knowing Su Xin was fine.

    The assassins outnumbered the emperor¡¯s guards and several of them were now advancing towards her in a pack. Shouts of people yearning for the remaining guards to protect her majesty could be heard. It was pure chaos, the ground glistened like it was drenched in rain but the liquid was an ugly shade of scarlet.

    From the corner of her eyes, Qu Feiqing saw Su Xin sprint for the forest with Shu Juan. Qu Feiqing became livid, thinking that Su Xin was taking advantage of the situation and was escaping from her and their agreement. Or worse, she could have been a double spy. Her eyes shone a ghastly coldness from her believed betrayal and she began to wield her weapon with much furor than before.

    Qu Feiqing was delivering her attacks aggressively without any trace of mercy, when she sensed a someone approaching her from the back.

    On instinct, she aimed her weapon towards the unwanted person but lowered it after seeing who it was.

    Su Xin tore the outer layer of her gown as she ran towards Qu Feiqing, wind blowing against her face uncomfortably making her appear even more flustered. Su Xin knew herself that she was not in shape to fight but she¡¯s flexible enough to help.

    Astonished, Qu Feiqing could only look at Su Xin in daze.

    ¡°Your Majesty, here I am.¡± Su Xin said while catching her breath and Qu Feiqing was brought back from her stupor.

    Wasting no time, Su Xin plunged into the battlefield with a weapon from a corpse nearby her.

    After hiding Shu Juan in a safe corner, Su Xin rushed back to fight alongside the emperor despite Shu Juan¡¯s cries of protest. Her savage nature begged her to join the battle, to relish in the pleasure of killing once again.

    She also wanted to gain Qu Feiqing¡¯s trust.

    With all her might, she waved the long, double-edged sword in her hands with a rather awkward technique. It¡¯s been ages since she last took ahold of a cold weapon and the untrained body of original owner was not helping one bit.

    Merely relying on memory and on her own fervor in fighting, Su Xin swung the mighty sword against the assassins. It turned out to be a futile move. One specific assassin concentrated his internal energy on his palm and punched it at Su Xin¡¯s chest when she was open.

    Su Xin was was sent flying away in mid air. Her backside violently hit the ground and she howled in agony. She even heard her bones crush due to the impact.

    It looked like she could never rival these men¡¯s ancient martial arts no matter how good she was at combat.

    [Host, that was the martial arts of ancient China.] Fourteen¡¯s science chimed in at the wrong time.

    I fucking know it. If not, how the hell would I go flying away?

 CH 28

    Su Xin¡¯s face was contorted with pain and she wiped the blood off the corners of her mouth. Feeling the searing pain, she stood up with difficulty.

    [Asking permission from the host whether to activate the immuno pain suppression mode or not. This function takes 1/12 hit points and suppresses the host¡¯s pain for ten minutes. Moreover, it will double the pain that will be endured by the body right after deactivation. This function can be activated for free only this time. ]

    Free event? The system still has a bit of humanity left in it after all.

    Su Xin flipped her hair back. This was her last resort.

    Bring it on.

    The next moment, the pain completely disappeared and Su Xin felt revived like she wasn¡¯t hurt in the first place.

    Qu Feiqing was already encircled by the enemies, but she was hardly flustered. She saw Su Xin who was blown away by one of the assassins in her attempt to help her and her fury awhile ago was quickly replaced by pity.

    A person who is this fragile is not suitable to live beside her.

    Her life was not peaceful, it would never be. Even after four years of reigning as the emperor, she still couldn¡¯t shake off some deep-rooted hatred towards her. She couldn¡¯t count the number of people who want to see her head roll.

    But now she knew that Su Xin was not among the people who loathe her. She saw Su Xin coming towards her with a smile and she was instantly surprised.

    There it was¡ªthe bloodthirsty smile from the banquet was on her face once again.

    Overwhelmed by the effect given to her by the system, Su Xin felt that she was about to become a hero just like the legendary tales she read in her previous life. Just like Robinhood who robbed from the rich and helped the poor. Heck, she even felt like she could be at two places simultaneously and save the world.

    Wounded and dead lay spread on the ground with their weapons. Somehow this situation became convenient to Su Xin. She abandoned the heavy sword and replaced it with a dagger she found.

    Then, she began to execute her attack, protecting the emperor behind her. But, Qu Feiqing wasn¡¯t too happy by what she saw and her forehead was bunched with a frown. Su Xin held a dagger which put her into close proximity with the enemies, giving them the chance to hurt her easily. It was a technique which didn¡¯t benefit the user [note]ËðÈË²»Àû¼º (su?n re?n bu? li? ji?) to harm others without benefiting oneself (idiom)[/note].

    It was killing enemies by one thousand and injuring thyself by eight hundred[note] ¡°A thousand injured, self-damaged eight hundred.¡± Sun Tzu¡¯s art of attack was extended. It means that on the surface, it means fighting against the enemy. Although it killed a thousand enemies, it also lost 800 people. The gap between the two sides is not much different. It is said that if you compete with people hard, the loss is not only the enemy, but the actual loss is both.[/note].

    Despite the constant assaults she received, Su Xin remained unfazed, unflinching and movements unimpeded. She didn¡¯t seem to feel any pain when the enemy¡¯s weapon dug into her skin and blows were rendered to her body.

    Qu Feiqing could no longer take seeing Su Xin getting butchered. She approached her and took over in fighting the people assaulting her.

    She then pulled Su Xin behind her.

    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I¡¯ll take care of this.¡±

    Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t stop until all her enemies ceased breathing.

    There was no more clamor of swords for the whole place was now a grave of the unburied corpses. A hush of silence circled around the people as their eyes were trained on their ferocious emperor who was covered in blood that weren¡¯t hers.

 CH 29

    The sound of retreating horseshoe treading came from a distance¡ªan assassin was attempting to escape. Qu Feiqing¡¯s face was unforgiving as she pointed the escaping figure and gave a solid command.

    ¡°Kill.¡± She commanded her guards with a cold voice.

    The moment they started the ambush, they should have known that the emperor would never let a single soul get away alive.

    In the aftermath, Su Xin was quick to come over to Qu Feiqing, inspecting her from head to toe.

    ¡°Her Highness is not injured at all.¡± Her voice was a mix of incredulity and praise.

    [Ten minutes is over, immune blessing mode deactivated.]

    Qu Feiqing saw the woman who had just stood in front of her wounded but sturdy, suddenly knelt down on her feet and wail miserably out of extreme pain. Su Xin¡¯s face lost its color and her sweat dripped from her forehead to the ground.

    Su Xin was on the verge of asking the heavens to end her agony all at once. Pain was her constant companion in her previous life but never had she ever felt it as severe as this. No words could better describe what she was feeling than fuck it, but she couldn¡¯t say a single word. It was also made worse by the lower pain tolerance of the original owner¡¯s body and the double infliction of pain of the system.

    Su Xin¡¯s sore lips were shaking and insides were trembling. The only thing she could see was the ground with her fist tightly clenched.

    [ Host, do you need a chrysanthemum tea to clear away heat and inner fire?]

    Fourteen couldn¡¯t stand by idly and just watch his host suffer anymore.

    Can chrysanthemum tea relieve me of pain?

    [ I¡¯m sorry It can¡¯t.]

    Do you have anything else?

    [Um ¡­ Host, do you mean free?  I also have rose tea, jasmine tea..]

    If you can¡¯t help shut up!

    [Host, please don¡¯t be mad at the system. We want to build a harmonious society.]

    Fourteen still sent Su Xin a chrysanthemum tea which was discreetly quickly poured down on her throat. Her mind became clear for a moment but the pain was stubborn and wouldn¡¯t ebb, it resurfaced a few moments later.

    Su Xin felt that she was being lifted. On the process, tensions were put on her open wounds and she uncontrollably convulsed.

    Qu Feiqing looked at the girl in her arms whose nose was scrunched up and lips were disfigured due to her biting in vain attempts to numb the pain. In spite of her pitiful status, Su Xin didn¡¯t dare cry.

    There were no signs of tears in her eyes.

    She remembered the strange behaviour of Su Xin back in the carriage and now, she was surprised to find another eccentricity of Su Xin. Nevertheless, she preferred this one than more than the other. To be afflicted with so much pain, yet manages to keep oneself from tearing up, could be considered a talent.

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s men cleared up the mess and emptied another carriage for her to settle. Shu Juan ran out of her hiding place and saw her master in the emperor¡¯s arms bathed in blood.

    As Su Xin was settled on the carriage with the emperor, Shu Juan was left outside appearing restless as she worried over her master inside.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t run.¡± Su Xin¡¯s mouth shivered and she whispered a sentence.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    Qu Feiqing carefully avoid Su Xin¡¯s wounds, her blood¡¯s smell was thick in the air.

    However, Qu Feiqing could only see a few obvious wounds. By referring to Su Xin¡¯s anguish, there might be some internal damage.

 CH 30

    ¡°In fact, you didn¡¯t have to come.¡± Qu Feiqing chuckled softly. She could have done it herself but deep inside, she was still thankful of Su Xin¡¯s bravery.

    ¡°But I worry about you.¡± Su Xin¡¯s brows were knit tightly. Delirious from the pain, her hand would reach out to hold the small table beside her every now and then.

    Master Fourteen, I¡¯m not going to die, am I?

    [Under uncertainty.. The life value of the host¡¯s body is 26%. It¡¯ll be dangerous when it drops to 10%. At the rate at which the host is losing vitality, it¡¯s possible. There is about.. fifteen minutes until shutdown of the internal organs.]

    Out of the blue, Su Xin felt a warm force flowing into her body. The burning pain of her internal organs subsided.

    [However, the next uncertainty is here. This one¡¯s out of my computational range. You may be saved.]

    Qu Feiqing was subjecting her internal energy to Su Xin¡¯s wounds in modest amounts.

    She didn¡¯t dare spend her energy any further. Qi is in harmony with the wellness of her body thus, it should not be abused. Or else, it will result in energy imbalance and disharmony. She then too would suffer impeccable pain. She couldn¡¯t be too overconfident with her abilities[note]ÅªÇÉ³É×¾ (no?ng qia?o che?ng zhuo?) to try to be clever and end up with egg on one¡¯s face (idiom)[/note].

    But she was anxious. For many years, nobody has cared for her. There wasn¡¯t a single person who has not plotted behind her back.

    Except for Su Xin.

    Su Xin opened her eyes and she found Qu Feiqing¡¯s black pupils were aligned with hers too closely.

    She found it funny, but she could not laugh.

    ¡°You are beautiful. I like you very much.¡± Su Xin said strenuously.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this beauty only skin deep?¡± Qu Feiqing was amused, she was acting like a naive, little girl who was optimistic about everything.

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s only on the surface, it¡¯s still yours. Her highness is truly beautiful..¡±

    Su Xin said slowly until she felt feeling a metallic taste of blood in her throat choking her. She ceased talking at once.

    It was Qu Feiqing¡¯s face that Su Xin liked, but her powerful soul was what captivated her the most. Even if she was in another plane, where Qu Feiqing might be merely her friend and not the key point of her task, Su Xin would still help her unconditionally.

    When they arrived at the remount station, Qu Feiqing gently held Su Xin in her arms and carried her to a spare room. Shu Juan followed suit.

    Servants had already prepared some hot water and others fetched a doctor in obedience to the emperor¡¯s orders.

    Not long after, a doctor with a goatee carefully examined Su Xin¡¯s injury. He prescribed some medicine of which Shu Juan earnestly took heed of. He then left after some time, leaving the golden skin medicine[note]The gold sore medicine is a medicine that cures skin incisions from weapons. It gives pain relief and stop pus from occurring.[/note].

    Before the medicines could be applied, Su Xin¡¯s sticky bloodstains and filth were needed to be cleaned up first. Shu Juan came in with a basin of hot water and the emperor left immediately for the sake of formalities, shutting the door on her way.

    Shu Juan helped Su Xin take off her clothes. Some of the wounds were sticking to her clothes and Su Xin shrivelled painfully. Shu Juan cut Su Xin¡¯s clothes out, it seemed to be the best option. As she did so, bruises and deep lacerations went uncovered and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from crying anymore.

    ¡°You-this little girl, I didn¡¯t even cry when I am the one who¡¯s actually hurt, but it is you who cried so hard.¡±

    ¡°When did the Young Lady ever suffer such injuries to this extent? Why did the Young Lady even rush out in the first place?¡±

    Shu Juan muttered, upset of the situation her master was in. Even if her young lady was not spoiled and pampered from childhood, she didn¡¯t never had grave wounds scar her unblemished skin and most of all, she never did any dirty work. Fighting people with knives was simply out of her meek character. If Shu Juan was told before that her master could brawl, she would have laughed her heart out. She could not imagine it, not until she witnessed the impossible with her own eyes.

 CH 31

    ¡°Because I worry about the emperor. In the case Shu Juan was the one attacked, I will still rush out.¡±

    Su Xin pointed to her painful throat and stopped talking.

    Shu Juan finished undressing Su Xin and discarded the stained clothes on the floor. She then dipped a clean linen in the basin, twisted it to remove excess water, and started cleaning Su Xin¡¯s wounds. When her hand travelled downward, her face became a bit red despite being the wrong occasion.

    Su Xin gnashed her teeth when Shu Juan applied the gold sore medicine. She resisted it even more when she drank the other concoction which had a foul odor and a pungent, revolting taste. She felt bile rise up her throat.

    Why was there a need to drink this monstrosity?!

    The taste of traditional Chinese medicine really gave people who are afraid of suffering the urge to cut their stomach and kill themselves every minute the taste stays on their mouth. Still, Suxin endured the cool liquid that was tickling down her throat and she refrained herself from vomiting.

    After while, Shu Juan wrapped the cleaned wounds in plasters. Su Xin reclined on the bed, sighing. She was glad that she could finally rest. Everything was now peaceful and quiet.

    But the relief was a short-lived. Qu Feiqing entered her room, a guard in tow. Su Xin noticed that something was not right, the man kept on giving calculating glances at the back of the emperor.

    Time seemed to slow down as he suddenly changed his protective stance and striked at the emperor.

    ¡°Dodge!¡± Su Xin¡¯s voice was hoarse and terrified.

    The emperor managed to avoid it, her body subconsciously moving out of harm¡¯s way but the assailant continued to bombard her with another attack. Serving her for years, he had became familiar with the emperor¡¯s defensive tactics and knew which way she was going to dodge.

    Finding an opening, the man ruthlessly stabbed Qu Feiqing on the shoulder.

    Qu Feiqing looked at the dagger sticking out of her shoulder then to the man who was supposed to protect her. She turned her body, the dagger digging deeper in her flesh and slapped the man hard that the sound resonated across the room.

    The man lost his balance by the intensity of the slap and dropped to the floor haphazardly. He scrambled to his feet and attempted to escape, running away from Qu Feiqing as fast as he could.

    Livid, Qu Feiqing gritted her teeth and hissed as she pulled out the dagger from her shoulder. She shot the defector right at the back of his heart. Her last kill for the day.

    She then covered her the wound with her hand to stop the bleeding while someone hurriedly went to the doctor.

    Master Fourteen, use that crocodile tear for me.

    Qui Feiqing¡¯s eyes zoned back at Su Xin. She was astonished by the girl several times in a row. Why was she crying now?

    Su Xin¡¯s tears dropped one after another. She struggled to sit up.

    ¡°Your highness, does it hurt so much?¡±

    In the near future, Su Xin would exchange views with Sun Yixiao, one of her co-workers, through Fourteen where a flustered Sun Yixiao would complain about the crocodile tears, saying how treacherous it was. She would gnash her teeth and say this ability sent by the system was a pit to death.

    When her family saw her crying, not only did they try to touch her, but they also wanted to sleep with her!

    True to its effect of the user turning irresistible, it seemed to also increase the libido of the people who sees the tears.

    But of course, this is a story that Su Xin will only know too late. The current, ignorant Su Xin was trying her best to send her good intentions to Qu Feiqing.

    The emperor was stabbed and she wanted send out her goodwill and concern. What¡¯s the best possible approach to do this? Tears was what she needed.

    God knows she couldn¡¯t cry thus, she used crocodile tears mindlessly.

    Qu Feiqing took a deep look at Su Xin with a strange smile. It made Su Xin felt a little uneasy.

    Bothered, she asked Fourteen.

    Tell me, do I look ugly when crying?

    T/N: Some bonus commentary from the author below xD

    The author has something to say:

    Su Xin: Am I ugly to you?

    Qu Feiqing: [Phantom limb is hard.]

 CH 32

    Fourteen felt helpless against his host¡¯s melodramatic tantrums. If only he could hug and hold Su Xin, he would have done it earlier to comfort her and refrain her from grumbling at him too much.

    [Don¡¯t worry about it too much host. If she finds you ugly now then you can¡¯t do anything about it. You will be uglier in the future. Cheer up! ]

    Fourteen¡¯s sense of logic always gave Su Xin the desire to strangle him, if only she could.

    With the surprise attack on the emperor, the doctor was pulled over again impatiently. Qu Feiqing only had minor injuries and it was best to deal with it simply, the doctor had remarked. It was nothing to be afraid of, but Su Xin didn¡¯t seem to grasp this, Qu Feiqing thought.

    She watched as fat tears continued to drip down the woman¡¯s face, to her neck before disappearing under the neckline of her gown. Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyebrows were crossed¡ªSu Xin was crying non stop but her countenance was anything but in grief. How odd.

    ¡°Still crying? This emperor has already said that she¡¯s alright.¡±

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s mind was trapped in unrelenting fascination about the woman she brought with her. There was nothing particularly spectacular about her, but she continually muddled Qu Feiqing¡¯s judgement. Earlier, she labeled her as a steel for not crying amidst the pain. But now, she was reduced to a crying mess all for the petty reason of a mild injury inflicted to someone she just met. Truth to say, Su Xin was a web of paradox the emperor was helplessly caught into. Utterly unpredictable, that girl was.

    Meanwhile, Su Xin wanted to scratch her eyes out and end this infuriating dilemma for good.

    She felt like those miserable, crying big dogs in cartoons.

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t help it.¡± Su Xin wiped her tears, which were futile because her eyes were like a faucet of running water at the moment. She placed a little pressure under the bags of her eyes but it still proved to be pointless. It just won¡¯t stop.

    Master Fourteen, what the hell is going on here? Why can¡¯t I stop crying by my will?

    [Ah¡­This humble system hasn¡¯t informed the host yet?] Fourteen tried to sound innocent, masking his guilt.

    What?

    [Oh¡­ I guess I haven¡¯t said it yet. Well anyway, at the very least, the host is now aware.]

    Why you! How do I stop?!

    [ Just cry enough tears. The ability varies from person to person so I can¡¯t really tell when it will exactly stop.. ] Fourteen¡¯s voice got quieter by the end when he felt his host¡¯s anger gradually increasing.

    You lying scum1! Did you just deceive me again?

    No wonder the system gifted <Crocodile Tears> easily in the first place. It was obviously faulty!

    Being not in control was one of the things she detested the most. She calmed herself and focused on resisting the tears. She knew that she looked like a complete freak to Qu Feiqing right now, thanks to Fourteen and to her stubborn nature of pushing the task to completion at any chance she got.

    Qu Feiqing handed her handkerchief to the damsel in distress; she too was bothered by the unending flow of tears on the stoic face of Su Xin.

    Su Xin carefully took it, avoiding Qu Feiqing¡¯s gaze and pressed it like a gauze against her puffy, battered eyes. Su Xin could finally breathe a little as the flow of tears was absorbed, keeping it from wetting her dress any further.

    ¡°We¡¯ll take a few more days off here. We shall continue on our travel when you can walk.¡±

    Su Xin nodded, silently thankful that Qu Feiqing was willing to lose time just for her recovery.

    In reality, Qu Feiqing actually felt pitiful to see Su Xin wrapped in bandages like a cocoon.

    Her eyes wandered to her arms wrapped in quilt. Some of the blood was seeping out the surface regardless of the thickness of the quilt. The wounds were still fresh making it prone to infection.

    She really was not in the condition to travel.

    Having other things to take care of, Qu Feiqing left the room and the ever attentive Shu Juan scurried to take her place.

 CH 33

    Of course, the minute Shu Juan saw Su Xin holding a handkerchief against her eyes, she  was spontaneously put in a state of panic.

    ¡°Young lady! Are you alright?¡± She approached the bed and put her hands on her master¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Calm down. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I was just-¡±

    Su Xin¡¯s voice fell.

    A loud, unnerving scream suddenly shattered the peace.

    It was a cry of grave anguish which chilled her to the bone. She felt her blood run cold from her scalp to her spine, making goosebumps erupt from her skin.

    The scream disturbingly rose and fell as though the man who owned it was tortured slowly.

    Qu Feiqing stood tall as she held the beaten man by the strands of his hair. The former imperial guard who had just committed treason by assaulting her could no longer be recognized.

    She was persecuting the traitor to serve as a warning to all of her attendants1.

    Not showing any signs of remorse, Qu Feiqing took back her bloody hand and wiped her fingers clean. The man on her feet was already a goner, instinctively holding on for his dear life.

    Qu Feiqing saw the man¡¯s jaw move¡ª he was trying to commit suicide. She immediately grabbed the man¡¯s chin and dislocated it with a powerful tug.

    ¡°You should know by now the fate of those who betray me. Did you think you can easily escape from me through death?¡±

    Her lips curled in a chilly smile and her ire permeated the air.

    Back in ancient china, Politics was already a nasty game of betrayal and greed. It was a matter of tactic, whether who would able to utilize the best pawns obtainable. She did expect that sooner or later, at least one of her attendants would betray her, but certainly not the man who was currently in front of her. He followed her for three years, protected her countless of times and served his loyalty sincerely. Or was it really sincere?

    She never relented in treachery, and her men knew her methods are hideous. She had to instill fear, or else she would be kicked off the throne by the people belittling her capabilities.

    An air of nonchalance surrounded her, like killing a person who had been her constant companion through the years of feuds was just a piece of cake. Yet, people around her knew that the betrayal was just as perplexing to them as it was to her.

    Qu Feiqing looked at the imbecile writhing before her. He could no longer be called a person but a mutilated flesh who would cease breathing anytime by now. Reduced to the most lowly condition.

    ¡°Speak, why did you betray me?¡±

    The man sputtered blood as he tried to regain his wit, his breath erratic. With the last of his strength, he answered the emperor.

    ¡°A rightful king should not defy the heaven and disobey human natural order. Otherwise, anybody has the right to punish him.¡±

    The speech was said majestically as though it was of a saviour¡¯s last words to arouse the rebelling heart out of the people around him. Qu Feiqing sneered at his theatrics and raised her arm to give the signal to her attendants. Too weak to fight, his life would be taken by the hands of the people whom he used to work with.

    She then strutted back to her room, the shouts of desperate pleas brandishing her ear, but she heed no mind to it as though she was deaf from the wind.

    But it was not her ears that were deaf, but her cold heart, which refused to respond with sympathy and only received betrayal in every turn.

    Born as a member of society¡¯s branded weaker sex was the ridiculous reason why some people abhorred Qu Feiqing as their ruler.

    What¡¯s wrong with women being emperors?

    Aren¡¯t women people too?

    They had no ability to fight her. Everytime they rebel is just a losing battle.

    Who stipulates that women must only be virtuous and delicate? And who said that it must be a man¡¯s business to defend his country?

    Qu Feiqing believed that the ability of running a country in full gear with the ardor of promoting the best interests of people and has a clear conscience2, is what makes a person worthy of being called an emperor.

    But even so, many people are still unsatisfied, simply because god blessed her with a womb.

    She walked until the screams died down and silence permeated the air once again.

 CH 34

    During meal time, Qu Feiqing decided to venture around the place but she instead found herself standing at the doorstep of Su Xin¡¯s room.

    Shu Juan was feeding Su Xin who couldn¡¯t even lift a utensil to feed herself.

    ¡°Young lady you must not flail around, please eat properly,¡± said Shu Juan to her injured but rowdy master. She felt like she was feeding a child whom she had to pacify to be fed.

    At the moment, her master¡¯s disposition was getting more and more unexpected. This had never happened before, in fact, this was the complete opposite.

    From chanting poems, fighting with knife, to fooling around like a kid, Su Xin always left her puzzled. How could she attain new found behaviors in such a short length of time?

    ¡°This servant humbly greets Her Highness.¡±

    Su Xin let her head fall back against the stuffed pillows. With her condition, she could only greet the emperor. Shu Juan on the other hand, put the ceramic bowl on the nearby table and bowed at Qu Feiqing in respect.

    Qu Feiqing lifted her chin and motioned for her to continue. For some odd reason, she was determined to watch Su Xin nibble her meal.

    There¡¯s nothing interesting about it but looking at Su Xin alone was interesting enough.

    A few days later, Su Xin¡¯s recovery neared its completion and they were once again on their trip back to the capital of the Qu Liu country.

    How Su Xin was treated was different this time though. She went aboard on the same carriage but it was made much comfortable than before. Qu Feiqing was of course with her, aloof as ever.

    In the quiet, Su Xin dared to speak to the Qu Feiqing whose face was as beautiful as the stars but countenance was as stern and rigid as a steep hill in drought.

    ¡°Your majesty.. In what way should I be of service to the palace?¡±

    Maid? Su Xin felt that she might not be suitable to be one. She was used to Shu Juan cleaning things for her. It would take lots of patience to get used to it. She didn¡¯t even look like a maid.

    ¡°Musician.¡± Qu Feiqing simply said as she glanced lightly at Su Xin¡¯s hands. It¡¯s good that the wounds were faring well so that Su Xin could fulfill the tasks of a musician.

    Su Xin nodded and the carriage was once again filled with silence.

    Soon after, Su Xin began squirming and tossing in her seat, mentally cursing the boredom that she couldn¡¯t bear anymore. She used to endure sitting alone for a day, provided that nice, entertaining TV series, phone and stacks of books were within her reach. But now, she had nothing but the the carriage walls¡¯ intricate designs which she traced with her eyes for the hundredth time already.

    Time ticked by and she just sat there, suffocating.

    This was all Qiu Qingqing¡¯s fault, Su Xin grumbled in her mind. The wall she built around herself vanished brick by brick the moment her friend began to intrude her secluded life. Now, she was afraid of boredom. It gave her room to mull over the misfortunes in her life.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    Qu Feiqing was extremely sensitive to emotions and could sense Su Xin¡¯s uneasiness.

    ¡°Your majesty doesn¡¯t find this carriage stuffy?¡±

    Su Xin forlornly nagged with a gloomy face.

    How could Qu Feiqing not be bored?

    Her life was like a tragic movie played over and over again. She talked to the same faces, went to the same places, looked at the same sceneries with no one genuine but only those who cared for her pretentiously.

    Qu Feiqing remained withdrawn and silent.

    ¡°Your majesty is interested in telling stories? ¡°

    Finally, she snapped and looked at Su Xin with her usual air of intimidation.

    ¡°Dare to talk to this emperor that way and you¡¯ll meet your maker.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡±

    In high spirits, Su Xin was glad that she was able to start a conversation with Qu Feiqing.

    Qu Feiqing gave her a blank look and closed her eyes, extinguishing her companion¡¯s ludicrous requests from her scope of attention.

    Though irritated, she certainly wasn¡¯t enraged. She couldn¡¯t understand how the change took place but she couldn¡¯t help but be soft to this girl and she rarely showed patience, even to her advisors.

    Su Xin was then left to boredom once again.

 CH 35

    After a half-month¡¯s journey, among the oscillating weather conditions, they finally arrived at the gates of the glorious imperial palace of Qu Liu.

    Su Xin was surrounded by a crowd of servants and advisers alike welcoming their emperor.

    Once they had settled inside the palace, Qu Feiqing gave Su Xin a brief account of her role in the household and directions towards her given place of residence. After that, the emperor was then out of sight, thrown into her usual busy affairs as the emperor inside the palace. Leaving Su Xin alone by herself once more.

    Nevertheless, Su Xin was not neglected. She was given pleasant accommodation by good people.

    She spent her first days in the palace idly. There wasn¡¯t anything to do to kill time but sit and gaze.

    At this rate Su Xin thought she¡¯d be growing molds. It drove her to the brink of insanity.

    Different from an emperor¡¯s usual customs, Qu Feiqing¡¯s palace was clean of concubines in the harem. However, if one would think about it, how could a proud person be under the ministrations of a man, be intimate with him and bear him a child? It simply doesn¡¯t feel right to think about it.

    Master Fourteen, I¡¯m really going to rot here.

    Su Xin wailed at Fourteen. She hadn¡¯t seen Qu Feiqing for ten days, ten whole agonizing days!

    Qu Fei was too busy to see anyone and it¡¯s like she had forgotten that Su Xin even existed, or brought back from another country.

    Finally, in the evening, Su Xin received an important notice from the system.

    [Host, just a friendly tip. Mission target is in a corner drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Be quick and follow this leak.]

    I¡¯m not a plumber.

    [Stop fooling around. Just go.]

    The card, resembling a GPS device, was clearly makeshift from Fourteen¡¯s own innovation and Su Xin had a hard time discerning it for a little while. Luckily, Fourteen dutifully provided instructions but made sure to let his host do her part. It was her battle after all, not his.

    Su Xin didn¡¯t desire to alarm anyone so she ran out quietly.

    After series of twists and turns, Su Xin found herself getting deeper and deeper to the maze-like roads outside the imperial palace until she reached a remote area.

    It looked dark and abandoned, but Su Xin was not terrified of darkness.

    She continued to sneak through the deserted pathways, her footsteps making a rhythmic pit-pattering sound.

    The card indicated that she had finally arrived at Qu Feiqing¡¯s location and it vanished into thin air.  The place looked cold and ghostly, Su Xin turned around but didn¡¯t see Qu Feiqing but rather caught a whiff of an acrid scent, obviously wine, in the air.

    Su Xin followed the smell which led her in front of a deserted palace. It looked like a cold palace from her tv shows. Yet, what was more striking was the lone figure sitting on the ground surrounded by hip flasks.

    Qu Feiqing was mindlessly pouring wine down her throat, expressionless. She must have turned to wine to vent out her repressed frustrations.

    Aware of the sudden intrusion, Qu Feiqing raised her head with a grim expression. She didn¡¯t want anyone to see her in a state like this.

    ¡°How did you find me here?¡± She was trying to be intimidating, but it all came out in a slow slur.

    ¡°If I say I was just casually roaming around and accidentally saw you, would you believe me?¡±

    ¡°Go.¡± Commanded Qu Feiqing in a harsh tone that would make anyone shrink. Although she was quite fond of Su Xin, there was a line she didn¡¯t have to cross.

    She was a fierce lion. When aggravated, she was not a person someone should bang heads with. At any moment, she could snap and throw down her prey to gnaw on its flesh.

    Despite this, what are the odds in a million that someone was actually foolishly brave enough to meet head first with the lion? One who didn¡¯t know fear and specially, one who desired another chance at life.

    Su Xin was not leaving, instead, she was getting closer and closer.

    ¡°I want you to get lost!¡± Qu Feiqing¡¯s voice broke.

    She was filled with such heavy emotions that she couldn¡¯t even put the cool exterior she always wore in the presence of many.

    In the next moment, she was enveloped in a warm, tight hug.

 CH 36

    ¡°Your Majesty, you are drunk.¡±

    Su Xin stealthily moved her hand to caress Qu Feiqing¡¯s backside. She meant to comfort her but she just couldn¡¯t keep her hands from feeling the emperor¡¯s soft skin. Who knew someone vicious could look so endearing?

    Qu Feiqing wasn¡¯t garbed in her court clothes which, although thick and gorgeous, it still failed to conceal her curvy figure. Now, wearing regular clothes, she looked unruly with her long hair loosely tied at her nape.

    Upon feeling the invasive arms surround her, Qu Feiqing became stiff and tense. On reflex, she wriggled out of Su Xin¡¯s embrace, but Su Xin hugged her stubbornly.

    With Qu Feiqing¡¯s loose, thin clothing, her bosom sprang free from its usual bindings. Su Xin lamented in her heart that Qu Feiqing was well-endowed, her melons were more impressive than hers, softer. The mounds would indeed spill in her hands if she dared to cup them. She felt a strange constricting feeling in the pit of her stomach¡ªshe conceded defeat.

    The emperor despised this position, she hated being this close to someone. Even though Su Xin¡¯s embrace brought an unexplainable warmth inside her, she strongly asserted to herself that she didn¡¯t want any of it. She believed that no one could warm the coldness inside her, but she wasn¡¯t sure anymore.

    As her last resort, Qu Feiqing used her internal chi to pull away, exerting an ample force as she twisted her body from Su Xin¡¯s grasp.

    Su Xin took advantage of this and didn¡¯t resist the force thus, she was knocked heavily to the ground from the momentum while pulling Qu Feiqing by her belt.

    Qu Feiqing, overwhelmed by her own strength and from her drunken stupor, lost her balance and was thrown forward on top of Su Xin.

    Shadows hid the half of Su Xin¡¯s face, except for her glinting eyes.

    Startled, Qu Feiqing¡¯s lips parted, it looked so enticing that Su Xin couldn¡¯t contain herself from slamming her lips against Qu Feiqing¡¯s moist and tender flesh. Eager to have a taste a little bit of Qu Feiqing, her tongue plunged intrusively that she didn¡¯t even have the time to discern what she was doing.

    It was a moment that was instantaneous. It invoked urgency in her¡ªa hunger for passion which led herself to succumb.

    Before her mind could stop her from doing something she¡¯d probably regret, Qu Feiqing became in sync with her, harmoniously burning in the same fire, and kissed her back with the same need.

    Lips collided, biting and licking. Gone was a chaste, pure lover¡¯s first kiss. This one was rough and full of fire.

    Su Xin had never expected this.

    [I didn¡¯t expect this too.]

    Quiet down.

    They broke the kiss, leaving both of them breathless. Qu Feiqing¡¯s lips were still close to her, almost touching, as her body was pressed to Su Xin¡¯s delicate body.

    This kiss made Qu Feiqing unsatiated, she yearned to invigorate herself in the odd but pleasant feeling that came with it. She gingerly licked Su Xin¡¯s soft, inviting lips¡ªtesting the feeling.

    Under the influence of wine, Qu Feiqing groggily propped up her arms to let Su Xin breathe. She could now clearly see Su Xin¡¯s whole face¡ªthe soft ridges of her swollen lips and her cheeks the color of cherries. She only saw her, everything around them was blurred and drowned almost to oblivion.

    ¡°Do you like women?¡± Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyes squinted slightly. Su Xin could smell the intoxicating fragrance of the wine from her body.

    How could Su Xin answer that she currently was at a loss? She was purely acting out of desire just now. It was all a misunderstanding. She never truly wanted to kiss her, but Qu Feiqing looked too fine.. Would she believe that?

 CH 37

    Chapter 37 ¨C Sick (2)

    Master Fourteen. What should I do?

    [The host can rest assure that we are a very humane system. We don¡¯t enforce strict  regulations concerning the host¡¯s desires. Do it if it¡¯s what you want.]

    It¡¯s all going to be censored anyway in Fourteen¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t care less. Anyway, proper physical and mental health is conducive to the host¡¯s task.

    You! Get paralyzed! Who said it was going to happen!

    Intoxicated, Qu Feiqing was devoid of her usual poker face. Her prior hostility had vanished to be replaced by lazy, bewildered look.

    Under the thrill of the alcohol and the secretive night, she stretched out half of her tongue and licked Su Xin¡¯s lips. Unable to part with just a lick, Qu Feiqing kiss her fully again, only to break the kiss and look at Su Xin once more in confusion.

    ¡°Your Majesty likes it?¡±

    Seeing Qu Feiqing¡¯s adorable, lost expression, Su Xin couldn¡¯t help but let Qu Feiqing explore to her heart¡¯s content, parting her mouth to give her access. Qu Feiqing did not expect that she would suddenly open her mouth, which lead half the tip of her tongue to probe into Su Xin¡¯s mouth.

    Both of them became stiff, Qu Feiqing was being intimate with someone for the very first time. She was just kissing out of desire and wanted to tease Su Xin a little bit. She didn¡¯t have any plans to go further.

    Yet.. she couldn¡¯t deny the tremors that travelled up her spine, evoking excitement that she never thought she was capable of feeling.

    She continued moving her tongue, tasting and teasing Su Xin by retracting it several times.

    Su Xin squirmed, asking for more. She, too, didn¡¯t plan to go any further, but this need was blinding her reasons.

    Master Fourteen, I suddenly wanted to do it.

    [You¡¯re free. I have activated a pixelated censor effect.] Fourteen said dully.

    Censorship protects the body and promotes harmony between host and the system to avoid awkwardness.

    A decision was needed to be made. Su Xin knew that if she chose to give in, there¡¯s no coming back.

    She closed her eyes and met Qu Feiqing¡¯s tongue with hers, silently giving Qu Feiqing the permission to take her.

    The warm, feminine fragrance from Su Xin filled Qu Feiqing¡¯s nostrils despite being drunk. Her arousal heightened her senses and she looked at Su Xin hazily.

    Su Xin was truly beautiful, she had to be blind to not see this. So beautiful that when Su Xin looked at her with such a provocative face, Qu Feiqing¡¯s blood boiled, not out of the impulsive bloodthirst, but out of uncontrolled attraction.

    Qu Feiqing was the one drunk and Su Xin was not. She wanted to do it.

    Clothes disappeared piece by piece.

    Qu Feiqing gently took one hip flask, and poured some on the hollow of Su Xin¡¯s neck. A river of red wine dripped from her neck and splashed her clothes, her body glistening against the faint brush of moonlight.

    Su Xin shuddered as she was partially bare, the wine was kissing her skin and cool wind which swept through the grounds, nipped her to the bones. Before she could cover herself to ease the cold, she felt a hot breath on her neck.

    Qu Feiqing gently nibbled on her skin, licking the spilled wine starting from her collarbone down to other places that were subjects of her interest. And Su Xin didn¡¯t feel cold anymore.

    Su Xin untangled the hair pin from her head and threw it aside. Long, black hair like inky threads of satin silk spread at her back down to her buttocks. Qu Feiqing intertwined her fingers in the soft, silky masses and gripped it backwards so that her mouth was over Su Xin¡¯s again.

    The wind blew, whistling throughout the cold night. The red leaves on the branches shook in harmony with the wind dancing with it. Above, the moon shone brightly, its beam shining on the people on the ground at an oblique angle.

    The night was filled with a sultry fever.

 CH 38

    ¡­. ¡­. ¡­.

    Feelings were mutual between the two women, breaths mingled and bodies quivered in pleasure. Sounds of skin sloppily rubbing on skin and the muffled cries of pleasure chimed with the beats of their hearts. Su Xin fondled and touched Qu Feiqing at places which pushed her buttons. In response, Qu Feiqing made strangled noises at the back of her throat and bit with more force on Su Xin¡¯s already red lips.

    The wind became stronger, even the thick branches swayed restlessly, shaking helplessly.

    Su Xin¡¯s body has come of age. What should have been done at Ta Yan¡¯s brothel has been postponed, until now.

    The lakes in the palace were also stirred up by the callous wind. Fish swam fervently in the water¡¯s bottom, sinking to its warmth.

    The night progressed into a wild symphony between the strong winds, the leaves shaking in the branches, and the two women in pursuit for ecstasy.

    After everything was still, Su Xin sat up, put on her clothes and fixed her hair to the best of her ability.

    Sweat and alcohol were sprinkled on her body¡ªshe felt sticky and uncomfortable. Sore and tired, she yearned to go back to the confines of her cozy bedchamber.

    Just as she was about to stand up and leave, Qu Feiqing opened her eyes. This time, she looked sober.

    ¡°How did you manage to find me?¡± Qu Feiqing deeply looked into Su Xin¡¯s eyes and asked.

    ¡°I just wandered around.¡±  Su Xin answered the same question with the same answer.

    ¡°Deep in the night?¡± Su Xin nodded, uncaring of how it her reason sounded ridiculous.

    ¡°It felt good.¡±

    ¡°Many thanks for the compliment, Your Highness.¡±

    Your Highness¡ªQu Feiqing almost forgot what she was and how different they were to each other.

    Qu Feiqing looked at her up and down. She didn¡¯t how to properly react at the aftermath of their exchanged passion. Su Xin seemed to be in discomfort and she longed to soothe her but for some reason, she found herself unyielding.

    Each cold palace has its own story. Masters and concubines of many generations spent their lives within these chilly enclosures, generations after generations, alternating.

    Qu Feiqing had spent half of her youth here.

    Her mother, the only good thing in her past, had raised her here by herself.

    She was an imperial concubine, a woman of wit and dignity but was degraded to be recognized just as a mere property of the emperor, Qu Feiqing¡¯s father.

    She lost the favor of the emperor upon giving birth to a daughter. Not only that, other scheming concubines pushed her to her downfall; she was thrown to reclusion, forced to live in this cold place suffering complete ruination and neglect with Qu Feiqing still in her infancy.

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s present achievements were not hers alone, she dedicated it all to her mother. Raising her on rough conditions was the greatest achievement which Qu Feiqing desired to be given recognition of. She was the living proof of her mother¡¯s courage and through her, people would stand in amazement at how a simple, forgotten concubine raised a powerful female emperor.

    She believed that her mother didn¡¯t die of illness, but of serious neglect from the emperor. He didn¡¯t pay attention to her condition and couldn¡¯t even bother to visit her on her deathbed.

    Qu Feiqing despised him, a father who never existed, with all her being.

    She could only watch as her only family left her in this cold palace. Now that her mother wasn¡¯t around anymore, the place was reduced further to dismal emptiness and dreary coldness.

    After she became emperor, she comes here once in a while. Just a lonely girl sitting on the floor drinking and thinking about her mother.

    Only this time, someone decided to join her. Qu Feiqing initially suspected that Su Xin had followed her here deliberately. But then she thought, she came to the cold palace at an irregular time, Su Xin would never have guessed that she¡¯ll be here this late.

    What she didn¡¯t also know, that when Su Xin came, she would be aroused.

    Yet she still doesn¡¯t believe Su Xin¡¯s reason for wandering around. It¡¯s a lame excuse.

 CH 39

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    ¡°I feel awful.¡±

    Su Xin frowned and muttered, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Her muscles were sore and she could feel a pounding headache at the back of her head started to form.

    She was severely injured some time ago leaving her body weak and susceptible to rigorous activities such as the one she just engaged herself into. It also didn¡¯t help that the wind was extremely cold. She won¡¯t be surprised that anytime soon, she¡¯ll be bedridden again.

    While Qu Feiqing remained a picture of health, she still felt the cold numbing her hands as the heat of their prior activity dissipated.

    It was time for them to go or else, they would both catch a cold.

    Qu Feiqing stood up and held out her hand to Su Xin, who was still sitting on the ground. Su Xin grabbed Qu Feiqing¡¯s hand and stood up laboriously. If not for Qu Feiqing¡¯s support, her legs would have gave way beneath her, it felt like jellies. She nevertheless planted her feet firmly and retracted her hand, as if the emperor¡¯s hand were burning hers.

    The longer she held, the greater was the mental turmoil it would cause her.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Su Xin patted the dirt on her body and lowered her head to see Qu Feiqing¡¯s rather awkward expression.

    They have done it, but it looked like Qu Feiqing did not feel like taking the responsibility.

    They were on the same truck, Su Xin also didn¡¯t desire to entertain such fanciful propositions. Qu Feiqing was an emperor after all, what occured between them should be better kept to themselves. In fact, she was ready to leave and forget like it never happened.

    With all that said, Su Xin still couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of disappointment hit her.

    ¡°Tonight¡­¡± Qu Feiqing wanted to say something but held her words. She helped Su Xin straighten out her messy clothes instead.

    Su Xin saw that something was bothering her but she just couldn¡¯t elaborate it so she spoke instead, believing they were on the same page.

    ¡°Rest assure, Your Majesty. Xue Yao won¡¯t say a word of this to anyone.¡±

    ¡°Were you.. infatuated with this emperor?¡± Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyes were profound and she looked at Su Xin intensely.

    If not, why bother follow her to Qu Liu country? If not, why approach her at the banquet? if not, why did Su Xin let herself be ravished by her just a moment ago?

    ¡°Ha?¡± Su Xin was stupefied, showing a confused expression.

    ¡°Your Majesty is overthinking. Her Majesty is like the bright moon in the sky; one could only admire from a distance because it is impossible to attain it.. Xue Yao noticed this. However, what took place was done out of heated passion, even if Xue Yao does not bear certain feelings towards Her Majesty¡­¡±

    Su Xin¡¯s remaining words were silenced by Qu Feiqing¡¯s frightening eyes.

    Master Fourteen, why do I feel that something is wrong?

    [This.. host, you are really a dumb person.]

    Who in their right mind, would tell a person whom they just did that they really didn¡¯t like them? Even the system would not have made such a remark.

    This was no longer a case of a simpleton, but rather someone with low EQ, or a slag.

    I always feel you have something more to say.

    [Is that right? You just feel wrong. ] Fourteen calmly said.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ll go first. See you later.¡±

    Su Xin subconsciously felt that the situation was not heading in the direction she wanted it to. She left in a hurry while enduring the discomfort all the way.

    Qu Feiqing looked at her retreating back and smiled.

    Seeing Su Xin¡¯s evasive exit, she was just tangled with her feelings. This was not an unexpected reaction from a young and naive girl, she thought.

    Everyone¡¯s character has a lot to do with the circumstances in which they grew up.

    Su Xin was a straightforward person; she was not fond of talking in riddles. In her profession, it¡¯s better to get straight to the point instead of taking too much time beating around the bush.

    The leader of the organization valued her very much for this attribute. She never thought much about her every action and she do things right away without a bit of consideration about other petty matters. It was also for this reason that Su Xin approached Qu Feiqing untimely to ask her if she was beautiful.

 CH 40

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    Su Xin¡¯s relationship experience could be said to be a blank space. After all, to tolerate the job, she devoted her life to an assassin¡¯s training only which refrained her from being emotionally sensitive.

    After being able to work, Su Xin¡¯s career doomed to make her alone and not very intimate with others, except Qiu Qingqing, who was in the same profession as her. Qiu Qingqing understood her like no one else.

    No emotional experience was the contributor for Su Xin¡¯s current low EQ.

    Su Xin really thought that it was no big deal. She felt that this incident tonight was entirely classified as mutual consent between both parties. A one-night stand. There¡¯s no complicated story or drama.

    With that being the case, she was not overly thoughtless as one might think. She was aware that the act was sacred to most people, an enactment of their strong feelings. This explains why she hesitated to do it at first.

    Also for her, it was wrong to do it with just anyone. One must feel positive about their partner. She had felt something for Qu Feiqing and this was what prompted her to continue.

    Su Xin was a little dizzy and went back to her palace. She was cold all over and there was a steady, dull pain in her stomach.

    [Host, you are sick.]

    I know.

    Too tired to take a bath, she took off her clothes and huddled on her bed, unmindful of her obscene appearance. Besides, only she and Shu Juan could enter her room so she didn¡¯t have to worry about giving a sight to others. Thick layers of quilt covered her but she still felt cold. Quivering, she slowly fell into a deep sleep.

    Because there¡¯s nothing to do in the palace, Su Xin had made a routine of sleeping and waking up at dawn.

    Seeing her master still sleeping under the quilt even at midday, Shu Juan who came in, thought this was very unusual.

    ¡°Young lady, can¡¯t you rise?¡±

    ¡°Tired.¡± Su Xin said in a sullen voice, covering herself with the quilt even more

    Su Xin felt that her body was as heavy as a lead, she was hurting at many places and it was very hard to open her eyes.

    ¡°Then Young lady should sleep a little longer.¡± Shu Juan dismissed her suspicions. She also thought that Su Xin was just sleepy. She placed down the washing basin and closed the door.

    [Host, you have a fever. ]

    Su Xin did not respond to it and went on sleeping for a very a long time1.

    Qu Feiqing came to see Su Xin after their awkward parting in the early morning. She really didn¡¯t want to come, because Su Xin had made it clear that what transpired between them was nothing to her, but her reaction said otherwise.

    It bothered Qu Feiqing tremendously. In fact, it kept her up all night, playing the same scenario in her mind all over again. To pacify her misgivings, she followed her instincts and sought for Su Xin.

    When she arrived, she saw Su Xin¡¯s servant, Shu Juan. The girl was just about to leave her master¡¯s room and she was carefully closing the door, trying not to make a sound.

    When their eyes met, she quickly lowered herself in a respectful bow.

    ¡°This servant pays respects to Your Majesty. The Young lady is still asleep.¡± Shu Juan bowed in obeisance to Qu Feiqing.

    It was almost noon and Su Xin was still sleeping? Something must have happened to her, Qu Feiqing thought to herself.

    With hurried but graceful steps, Qu Feiqing pushed the door open and came to Su Xin¡¯s side. She could only see a mass of messy black hair peeking out from the quilt and the soft cocoon with Su Xin wrapped in it.

    Qu Feiqing gently lifted the quilt, to reveal Su Xin¡¯s red face and brows creased in discomfort.

    Qu Feiqing frowned and stretched out her hand on Su Xin¡¯s forehead to check her temperature.

    It was terrifyingly hot.

    ¡°Go get the Imperial Physician.¡± Shu Juan who stood by the door looked distracted by the scene, but she was quickly brought back to her senses by the emperor¡¯s thundering voice. She hurriedly ran outside.

    Su Xin eyes were tightly closed and her lashes kept on fluttering, signifying that she was conscious yet caught in a state of delirium. She felt a cool, soft palm touch her forehead.

    ¡°Qingqing, I feel terrible.¡±

    Her voice became unconsciously coquettish as she cried out the name of the person she trusted the most.

    Qu Feiqing stared blankly, the corners of her mouth gently lifting into a small smile.

    T/N: Battle of the Qings Qu Feiqing or Qingqing?  Sorry for late update.

 CH 41

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    Bruise-like marks were prominent on Su Xin¡¯s body, particularly on her neck¡ªa proof that what took place last night was real. When she drew her face closer, she smelled the faint scent of wine. Qu Feiqing also touched her bare skin only to find it sticky with perspiration.

    Qu Feiqing did not have a hard time figuring things out, she quickly understood what was going on with Su Xin. She once again covered her with the quilt and waited for the imperial physician to arrive.

    Shu Juan came later with the imperial physician in tow. In lieu with the tradition, he paid respect to the emperor and quickly headed to his patient. From his drawstring pouch which was fastened to in his waist, he pulled out a thread and tied it on  one of Su Xin¡¯s wrists to check her pulse. Afterwards, he withdrew the thread and looked at Qu Feiqing somberly.

    ¡°Your Majesty, the girl has caught a cold. Perhaps, her body has still not been accustomed to the weather in Qu Liu. It¡¯s best to let her rest and this doctor will just prescribe few medicinal mixtures for her to drink at a certain time.¡±

    The imperial doctor wrote down a prescription and informed them of the things they should avoid and things they should pay great attention to. His job was finished so he packed his things and left.

    ¡°Go decoct the medicine.¡± Qu Feiqing commanded with haste.

    Shu Juan accordingly took the prescription and rushed to the Imperial apothecary.

    Qu Feiqing lifted Su Xin¡¯s quilt, picked her up and headed towards the small lavatory.

    Su Xin was lethargic in her arms, she kept on murmuring incoherent words every now and then.

    Undressing her wasn¡¯t hard as she was almost bare in the first place. Qu Feiqing settled Su Xin at one elevated corner and wiped her body slowly with a cloth dipped in water. She decided to not bathe Su Xin, it might worsen her fever and she looked like she couldn¡¯t withstand to be washed.

    As she continued to wash her off of filth, Qu Feiqing mused over the unmistakable dark purple bruises and red scratches on the pale skin of Su Xin.

    How could her mouth be so cruel?

    She was so caught up in the moment last night, she must have been careless with her own strength. She didn¡¯t expect to leave ugly marks on her body.

    Yet it invoked something primal in her seeing marks on Su Xin that was created by her.

    Finally, Su Xin was clean, yet she didn¡¯t have a change of clothes¡ªQu Feiqing forgot to bring one. In desperation, she could only carry the bare Su Xin back to her bedroom.

    Regardless of her heavy clothing and the weight of Su Xin, she managed to walk briskly, wary that it might aggravate Su Xin¡¯s illness if she was exposed her stark naked to the cold for long.

    She quickly tucked Su Xin under the quilt and proceeded to rummage her wardrobe. She found pieces of decent undergarments and dressed Su Xin in them¡ªof which proved to be quite a challenge.

    Firstly, the top.

    Qu Feiqing pursed her lips as she tied the string behind Su Xin¡¯s back in attempt to cover Su Xin¡¯s trembling breasts.

    Next, Qu Feiqing put on the loose trousers which  required lifting and tossing Su Xin to her side, to make sure the trousers are worn properly.

    Afterwards, she made sure to cover her with blanket to keep her warm.

    Exhausted, the emperor sat on the edge of the bed and watched Su Xin¡¯s small, red face poking out from the quilt. She was breathing laboriously, lips an unhealthy shade of blue and purple.

    Seeing her in this state, Qu Feiqing¡¯s anxiety grew by the minute.

    She couldn¡¯t refrain herself from remembering her mother¡¯s face when illness struck her, her face was also reddened like this, with lips pale as a ghost.

    What made Su Xin and her mother different was,  on a lighter note, Su Xin¡¯s illness was not chronic and she was provided with an imperial doctor. Her mother was never attended by one.

    She was put out of her reverie by the rough scraping sound of the door being dragged against the polished wooden floor. Through it came Shu Juan who was holding a large bowl of hot medicinal concoction prepared according to the doctor¡¯s prescription.

    ¡°This emperor is here. You can leave and rest, I¡¯ll take care of her.¡±

 CH 42

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    Qu Feiqing took the bowl. Shu Juan looked up at her and glanced at her master for the last time, before bowing and withdrawing herself from the room.

    Strange. Emperor Qu was acting strange indeed, she thought.

    For ten days in a row, not once did she come to see her master nor did she bother to look over how her new companion was settling in. Only when the Young Lady fell sick did the emperor made herself present again.

    Not only did she visited her, she also became so attentive to her suddenly. Even nursing her ill master all by herself!

    Qu Feiqing stirred the concoction with a spoon to make the heat tolerable to drink. She then put it aside and woke Su Xin up.

    Cold. Su Xin felt cold but it still couldn¡¯t numb the aching muscles of her body. It was like she was hit by a truck, spasms of pain had her fidgeting and her mind was disoriented.

    She opened her eyes with difficulty, her eyelid felt like it weighed a ton. Squinting her eyes, the first thing she saw was the hazy silhouette of Qu Feiqing.

    She must be dreaming, why is the emperor here? Where is Shu Juan?

    Qu Feiqing offered her a bowl of beverage, it was perfect to quench her thirst. But what she saw inside was a slimy, greenish herbal mixture. Horrified, she put down the bowl immediately.

    ¡°Drink.¡±

    By the looks of it, she knew right away that it was one of those vile tasting medicine. So she shook her head, and looked away.

    Not a chance, she mentally said.

    At the back of her mind, she remembered that this was the emperor to whom she was interacting with, so she took the medicine and drank half of it in one breath.

    As what she learned from her past life, fever blands a person¡¯s taste buds, yet it seemed to be ineffective to her! Her mouth still twisted in grimace and the aftertaste was even more nauseating.

    She continued to gulp down the rest and returned the bowl on Qu Feiqing¡¯s hands empty. Right after wiping the residue from the corners of her mouth clumsily, she laid down again, unconcerned of how dishevelled she looked.

    She was too worn out to care.

    Qu Feiqing stuffed Su Xin¡¯s mouth with a fruit candy and Su Xin¡¯s frowning brows slowly eased.

    Faint snores could be heard as Su Xin was already deep into oblivion. Qu Feiqing then slipped away to deal with her court affairs.

    It was evening when Su Xin woke up again.

    Shu Juan kept herself still by her master¡¯s bedside as she waited for her to wake up. Seeing her master struggle to sit up, she went over her side and helped her.

    ¡°Young lady, you¡¯re finally awake! Are you hungry?¡±

    ¡°A little¡­¡± Su Xin¡¯s stomach grumbled as she didn¡¯t eat all day.

    ¡°Wait, Young lady. I¡¯ll bring you some plain rice congee.¡±

    Su Xin looked at her clean clothes and rubbed her head tiredly. A dollop of wistful regret hit her deep in her heart, how could she be so unmindful!

    Master Fourteen, I regret it.

    [What do you regret? That you made a scene?]

    No. I didn¡¯t ask her if I was beautiful at such a opportune time yesterday.

    Su Xin¡¯s heart wailed, task, task! All these for nothing!

    Last night was a confusing disclosure to both of them. If ever she had asked Qu Feiqing while in the moment if she thought she was beautiful, the emperor would have definitely answered yes.

    [Oh.. that¡¯s right. I also forgot to remind you. Tsk.]

    Fourteen, somewhat annoyed with himself, could only stay mute. His host was strongly concerned about her privacy that when she needed it, he totally gave it to he and left her undisturbed behind the pixelated censor.

    He failed to remind her of her task and now, they missed such rare opportunity!

    The porridge given by Shu Juan replenished her strength as she ate with unashamed gusto and she no longer felt weak. She longed to vacate her bed and sit on a nearby table but her tired body wouldn¡¯t listen to her demands.

    After finishing another bowl of concoction, she went to sleep in a drowsy state until morning came.

 CH 43

    The next day, Su Xin was glad that the sun was finally shining in its brightest over the cold Qu Liu country. The open blue sky was a welcome sight and Su Xin felt rejuvenated.

    She wanted to catch some rays and disperse the coldness she was feeling from her illness for good, so she decided to take a walk in the courtyard.

    With her was Shu Juan who followed her step by step in fear that something might happen to her. It looked like her master was recuperating well, but she couldn¡¯t be so confident about leaving Su Xin all by herself, with the Young lady becoming headstrong and impetuous with her actions recently.

    Boredom toiled at her so she persuaded Shu Juan to play bingo with her.

    On a sheet of paper, Su Xin draw the diagram for a bingo match and explained to Shu Juan the mechanics of the game.

    A battle between crosses and circles, whoever creates three in a row wins.

    At first, Shu Juan didn¡¯t understand this bizzare game so Su Xin won consecutively.

    Fortunately, the game was very simple, and Shu Juan learned at once. The two sides were in a stalemate but then Su Xin was winning all over again.

    ¡°Shu Juan, your moves are too predictable.¡±

    Su Xin put her pen on the table and leaned on her palm, looking at a flustered Shu Juan.

    ¡°No, Young lady is too smart and Shu Juan is too dumb.¡± Shu Juan smiled, not feeling like her intelligence was discredited in any way.

    ¡°What are you playing with?¡±

    Two heads looked at the direction of the small, yet sharp voice, to see a handsome boy of probably eight or nine years old standing by the door with a haughty look.

    Both master and servant stood up and saluted the little man.

    ¡°Greetings to Your Highness!¡±

    This child was Qu Feiqing¡¯s younger brother¡¯s son.  She imprisoned her younger brother, then brought his child to her side to raise him by herself.

    Although Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t say a word about this, everyone already acquiesced that this child was the crown prince of the country.

    People too had long believed that their emperor was too prideful to bear a child, thus the kingdom would be handed to no one else but her nephew.

    ¡°Excuse me, are you the woman my aunt brought back on her return?¡±

    Qu Xingchen held his chin high while scrutinizing the woman before him.

    His aunt never loved to be close to other people. It was strange for her bring a person to the palace.

    He had been completing the task assigned to him given by his aunt for days, so he could not come early to see what this person looked like when she first came.

    Su Xin nodded and tidied up the table next to her. Qu Xingchen¡¯s steps were full of confidence of young emperor, as he walked near the woman. At the table were random things which he presumed was all tools for a game.

    Qu Xingchen¡¯s slightly peeked at the surface to see scrawls he couldn¡¯t understand. With his childish curiosity getting the best of him, he brought his defences down and looked at Su Xin, while still maintaining his haughty stature.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me what you¡¯re playing in this palace hall yet.¡±

    Su Xin¡¯s mouth twitched at the corners seeing the little boy pretending to be an adult so decisively.

    ¡°Oh just a little game, roughly like this¡­¡±

    She told his Highness the rules of the game and soon enough, his eyes shone in excitement and he was eager to try.

    Su Xin blew up several rounds of Qu Xingchen but it was not long before the lad gradually mastered the rules.

    Truly a natural tactician just like his blood relative, Qu Feiqing.

    Su Xin stepped up her game but the child won¡¯t accept such a situation¡ªhe was taught to not take defeat lightly. He won several rounds leaving Su Xin astounded that a child a decade younger than her could outwit her, an adult.

    This game is quite relaxing to play and the two of them were quite hooked to it, but their play didn¡¯t last long.

    Qu Xingchen beamed from ear to ear as he blocked Su Xin¡¯s tricky move when suddenly, his smile disappeared and his body visibly shook. He hurriedly put down his pen and looked at the courtyard door.

    He was looking intently that Su Xin thought he might be seeing a ghost. But there was not a single soul she saw until the door slowly slid open to reveal the ever imposing Emperor, Qu Feiqing.

    The boy had incredible senses, Su Xin realized incredulously.

    Qu Xingchen stood up and squared his shoulders before making a ritual greeting in a childish tone.

 CH 44

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    ¡°Come join us, aunt.¡±

    Su Xin and Shu Juan also saluted in chorus.

    Su Xin watched the movements of Qu Xingchen became limited and stiff.

    The child was so sensitive to Qu Feiqing¡¯s presence.

    ¡°Chen-er, it¡¯s getting late, you should return to your quarters at once.¡±

    Clearly, it was still early, the sun was still shining so brightly giving a warm, tawny glow to the sky. If Su Xin was to give her opinion and intervene, she would say that children of his age should enjoy weather such as this.

    ¡°Yes, aunt.¡±

    The boy didn¡¯t think twice in leaving the game. He looked straight and hurried out right away, not a single turn of the head to glance at Su Xin¡¯s way.

    ¡°He seems very afraid of you, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Qu Feiqing answered while looking at the retreating boy who followed all her commands by heart.

    She was probably the shade in her nephew¡¯s heart, a very terrible existence. Well, she couldn¡¯t blame the poor child, his father was rotting in prison all because of her doing.

    She waved back her hand for the servants to depart the courtyard so that she and Su Xin could talk in private.

    ¡°Are you already well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m nearly healed, thank you for your concern.¡±

    ¡°Of course I am concerned. After all, you are sick and this emperor is responsible.¡±

    It felt like it just happened yesterday. It all happened like a dream to Qu Feiqing¡ªshe had been half-dead and half-awake, unable to control her strength. The alcohol raced through her body, lulling her into a dazed stupor.

    Though she was half-conscious of her actions, she was unable to forget the details of that night.

    The moon was bright. Su Xin¡¯s long, silky black hair under the moonlight. Her enticing, half-opened eyes in pleasure. Her crimson cheeks.

    This ethereal appearance of Su Xin was an unforgettable sight for Qu Feiqing.

    She was pulled out of her trance by Su Xin¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Then.. do you think I¡¯m beautiful?¡±

    Although Su Xin must have already been labelled as a narcissist in Qu Feiqing¡¯s mind, it was still necessary for her to ask repeatedly until her task was done.

    If Qu Feiqing finally admits she was beautiful, then her ass could finally walk away.

    Qu Feiqing only smiled at the eager appearance of Su Xin. She couldn¡¯t fathom why she was so persistent on gaining her appreciation for her beauty.

    She truly was beautiful, but Qu Feiqing felt like teasing such a hopeful Su Xin. Thus, like every time, she pursed her lips and refused to talk, acting like a living block of wood.

    Master Fourteen she¡¯s playing with me! How devious!

    [Uh.. this..]

    Su Xin felt that Qu Feiqing was truly callous. When they were rolling in the ground at midnight, Qu Feiqing never even bothered to say anything sweet to her, even under the pleasure. And now this.

    [Host, let me remind you that you made the first move and then did the deed with her. While you were tossing all night with each other, you too forgot the task.]

    I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re defending her! You don¡¯t love me anymore!

    [Love, what? Host, why are you so dramatic.. All right, I won¡¯t do it again.]

    The system was at loss. Su Xin was a person who had a cold personality, who often liked to swear at him, had zero EQ and was sometimes dumb, but she acted like an adult despite all these.

    Yet in front of him, she always seemed to regress back into a spoiled, pampered child. Her moods would fluctuate every now and then, that he couldn¡¯t closely follow any pattern to her behavior at all.

    He really didn¡¯t know what to say but to agree to her desires, just to stop her from nagging.

    With Qu Feiqing always snobbing Su Xin and nothing to do inside the imperial palace, the next few days passed in mundane fashion.

    Su Xin could only stay in this palace since there are no other places to wander around. She watched as the hours agonizingly slipped from her fingers without any developments in her mission.

    Guess the only shot she had was the infrequent leak of information the system provided.

 CH 45

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    Qu Feiqing was in a sour mood on one particular day.

    A group of influential people in the top of the imperial court protested that she must at least accept a male concubine to continue the royal bloodline1.

    Curdled anger pounded on her head and the desire to hit these people right on their spots was a very inviting thought at the moment.

    Imbecile fools, she thought. They didn¡¯t understand the gravity of what they were asking for.

    If it was those male concubine who would become pregnant, then she might have given it a second thought. But expecting her to be touched by a male then later on suffer being crippled for months by the protruding womb of his offspring?

    Utterly inconceivable.

    Putting aside her hatred of men touching her, it couldn¡¯t be denied that she would be physically weak if she ever really carried a child, leaving her vulnerable to threat and danger for the next months.

    With her one foot already deep in mud from all the frequent assassinations, it would be too easy for her enemies to kill her by then.

    Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t need a child to rule the Qu Liu country, contrary to what these fools would believe. These people were also just one of the inconveniences in her way while ruling the throne.

    Taking the title of the emperor was for the sole reason of giving a profound lesson to those who berated and oppressed her and her imperial concubine mother. And to achieve her own ambition of dominating the future, nothing more.

    However, as an emperor, she was expected to produce an heir one way or another. This world still wanted that the person who would sit on the dragon throne to bear the surname Qu.

    Those who are loyal to her hoped that she would produce heirs for the reason of having someone who will inherit the country in legacy of her, and those who wished her demise also hoped that she beget a child so that they could bring her down.

    However, she found a remedy to this by bringing up her younger brother¡¯s child, Qu Xingchen, as the next in line for succession.

    Still, those people really didn¡¯t know shame. They have been promoting their own sons to Qu Feiqing as if it was a competition on whoever sells first. They would persuade her at every chance they got, flaunting their son¡¯s achievements.

    What made it even more ridiculous was the internal strife between both parties. They were blindly ignorant to the fact that Qu Feiqing would never give them the chance to sit on the throne. Dream on.

    They liked to act as if Qu Feiqing was naive in this subject and that what they were doing were acts of counsel.

    But Qu Feiqing knew better¡ªpeople will always have something to say on the matter regardless if she agrees or not.

    People would say concubines bring romance, yet for Qu Feiqing who doesn¡¯t easily fall prey to feelings such as love, it was just like buying a prostitute and dressing it up in a noble status to hide the filth.

    These male concubines don¡¯t produce money for her, instead she has to be the one to spend for them. Thinking about that made her face scrunch up.

    When she imagines how entitled these people could be, all she could feel was to be thoroughly disgusted.

    Hundreds of years has passed and there is still an ongoing oppression of feminist ideas. Even as emperor, Qu Feiqing is powerless to change it.

    Her being emperor is already considered an eccentricity, the subject of much debate.

    Yet they could not deny that she is the most dazzling existence among the four kingdoms.

    The squabble has finally ended and Qu Feiqing retreated from the royal court in a bad mood.

    She changed into her less extravagant clothes to spend the rest of her day inside the royal study and lose herself in numbers and parchments, as what her schedule dictates. But when she looked at the mountain of court memos in her study, she felt even worse.

    For a change of heart, she decided to leave for a breath of fresh air, and so, she sauntered her way out to the royal garden.

    As she reached the royal garden, she heard a burst of laughter.

    In the pavilion surrounded by flowers, two people sat close to each other, almost snuggling. As if they were best friends.

    One person¡¯s face was masked with sheer silk and laughing her heart out, whereas the other one was very familiar person.

    Su Xin was sitting with a wooden face.

    In her heart, she doubted the sanity of the princess at her side who would literally laugh at everything she said.

    She was just taking a stroll when she came upon another person of the royal family. They got along fine until Su Xin soon discovered that this princess was actually a bit off in the head.

    Quite an outrageous situation.

    Su Xin¡¯s cheeks were already hurting from the effort of keeping a forced smile, when she heard an unexpected voice.

    ¡°My younger sister must be so happy that I could even hear your laughter from outside the imperial garden.¡±

    Qu Feiyun heard Qu Feiqing¡¯s soft, distinct voice. Like a mouse seeing a cat, she immediately stood up and saluted.

    ¡°Greetings emperor sister! The emperorlives ten thousand years!¡±

 CH 46

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    Shortly after, Su Xin followed suit and she greeted the emperor with less enthusiasm than the perky lady by her side.

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyes crossed Qu Feiyun¡¯s with a hint of annoyance. Her arresting gaze then moved to Su Xin¡¯s face which was rather calm. She felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight of them huddled up this close. She gritted her teeth as she thought how lovely her day was unfolding.

    She recalled Su Xin¡¯s words the night they were  intimate with each other. She blatantly told her that she didn¡¯t like her romantically and that she was overthinking things.

    It pricked her heart every time she remembered it, making her fidget.

    Qu Feiyun sat quietly in the presence of her emperor sister, her expression now wary. Qu Feiqing wasn¡¯t very fond of her carefree temperament. Even if she was a royal princess, she didn¡¯t have the heart for imperial matters at all.

    Unlike her sister, she didn¡¯t have certain plans for the future and chose to live her days in indulgence. Life was no competition for her thus, she seldom paid attention to her royal instructors.

    She was only just like a rabbit full of energy that couldn¡¯t stop jumping.

    Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t always meddle in her everyday affairs as she didn¡¯t have the luxury of time to constantly keep her under her watch. As long as she doesn¡¯t do anything out of line, she let Qu Feiyun be.

    Qu Feiyun was 16 years old, about the same age as Su Xin. Thus, she was a grown woman by society¡¯s standards and could already be held accountable for her actions.

    Qu Feiqing was seven years older than Su Xin amd if there¡¯s one thing about herself that Qu Feiqing knew, it was that her beauty was second to no one, even from childhood.

    Yet given the present circumstances, with Su Xin suddenly cozying up with her younger sister, she couldn¡¯t help but feel insecure.

    Alhough she was undeniably more beautiful than Qu Feiyun, the latter has a more youthful skin. Therefore, it was not impossible for Su Xin to be attracted to Qu Feiyun, right?

    Su Xin gloomily looked at the female emperor who looked like she could swallow her whole at any moment now. Meanwhile, Qu Feiqing was looking at Su Xin with the same gloomy eyes out from the doubts in her heart.

    Qu Feiqing later switched her attention on the third wheeler, Qu Feiyun to berate her.

    ¡°You are a princess. This appearance is really beneath the demeanor suitable for loyalty. Go back inside and copy the scriptures ¡®Female Principles¡¯ and ¡®Commandments for Women¡¯ twice, then show them to me.¡± Qu Feiqing wanted to punish Qu Feiyun for spending her study time at leisure even though it wasn¡¯t really the reason for her displeasure.

    Doe eyes looked up to Qu Feiqing, pleading her to show some pity. Qu Feiyun wanted to shrink herself to a size invisible to her sister¡¯s sight.

    ¡°Emperor sister.. I know I did wrong. Can adults have an exception from copying a lot of times??¡±

    Qu Feiyun said, feeling extremely wronged at the treatment she was receiving.

    She wasn¡¯t a child anymore and she thought that Qu Feiqing was making a fuss out of a small matter. She mainly used her usual free time in the imperial garden to indulge herself in happiness and laughter. Her sister was making it seem like happiness was a crime.

    She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who would have imagined that of the countless times she had sneaked inside the garden, she would run out of luck just this time?

    Her emperor sister saw her, and from the looks of it, she wasn¡¯t in a good mood from the start. Now she can¡¯t even spend the day in peace.

    This time she couldn¡¯t even laugh, ah!

    ¡°Do you want to copy three times?¡± Qu Feiqing loomed over her sister, promising a fight if Qu Feiyun uttered one more word of disobedience. She didn¡¯t like others to bargain their way with her, even if it was her sister.

    ¡°This humble servant understands, and will go concentrate on copying the scriptures right away.¡±

 CH 47

    ¡­ ¡­ ¡­

    Qu Feiyun lowered her head and weakly followed Qu Feiqing¡¯s orders. Her shoulders slumped as she imagined the impending doom prepared for her.

    Two books, two times, she felt her hands¡¯ joints would be badly dislocated just by the mere thought of it. There really was no escaping this fate.

    ¡°Honored musician, I will go ahead now. Till we meet again.¡± Qu Feiyun smiled faintly and walked out of the garden without saying her ritual farewell to Qu Feiqing.

    Looks like she¡¯s walking out of here in a dignified manner, Su Xin thought amusingly to herself.

    From the day she first met Qu Feiqing to this very moment, Su Xin has witnessed how the emperor¡¯s intimidating attitude made people around her hover in fear.

    Her nephew was so sensitive to her presence that he couldn¡¯t help but shiver when she was near. On the other hand, Qu Feiyun¡¯s cheeky countenance went fast downhill as soon as soon as she heard Qu Feiqing¡¯s voice. In a split second, her expression changed to a sullen mask.

    If Qu Feiqing wanted to be a tyrant in the eyes of others, Su Xin had no say to this¡ªit wasn¡¯t in her place to do so, in the first place. The thing she could only focus on is her mission and the matters concerning her.

    ¡°This emperor has underestimated you. Contrary to my initial judgement of you, you¡¯ve already managed to meet this emperor¡¯s nephew and younger sister in just a short time. And have  spoken to both with such familiarity.¡±

    Qu Feiqing went into the pavilion and occupied the place where Qu Feiyun had just sat, close to Su Xin. She leaned her head against the rail of the bench with her eyes closed, trying to unknot her tensed muscles.

    ¡°It¡¯s still nothing compared to your majesty¡¯s good fortune. How could they have been interested in me if it hadn¡¯t been for your Majesty¡¯s bringing me?¡± Su Xin¡¯s voice was quite cheerful.

    Her praises were to console Qu Feiqing¡¯s doubts about her, yet the emperor looked like she wasn¡¯t convinced at all. She didn¡¯t budge an inch from her seat nor looked at Su Xin. She remained silent as though she didn¡¯t heard a thing, a striking disparity from her sister¡¯s boisterous demeanor.

    ¡°As I said, I¡¯m only here for your Majesty, and no one else is my object of concern.¡± Su Xin felt the need to add some flavor to her small speech. She looked at Qu Feiqing with her sincerest expression.

    Still, Qu Feiqing did not open her eyes. She was afraid that she might not be able to conceal her emotions once she had a look at Su Xin¡¯s face.

    She could feel needles pricking her heart. It was so ironic how she, whose heart couldn¡¯t be swayed even by her own sister, was hurting so bad over a girl irrelevant to the eyes of many.

    Why did she bring this girl into her territory anyway?

    It was because of that sinister smile.

    A smile that was a reflection of her own. God knows how she desired to see it once more, so she teased Su Xin at every turn. Disappointingly, she didn¡¯t see it again¡ªnot in imperial palace.

    Her brows creased as a horrible idea entered her mind. Could it be because of the first night they unexpectedly had gotten intimate with each other, Su Xin became more guarded with her feelings and refused to acknowledge the complicated relationship brewing between the two of them?

    She cared about Su Xin, this was the only fact she could think of clearly beyond the jam of emotions.

    Qu Feiqing doesn¡¯t neglect who she cares about, as it was a big deal for her to be emotionally invested in someone other than her deceased mother.

    Sadly, the other person didn¡¯t take this seriously.

 CH 48

    ¡­ ¡­. ¡­

    WARNING: Depictions of rape.

    ¡°How did Your Majesty become interested in taking a stroll around today?¡± Su Xin looked at Qu Feiqing with her head propped up by her elbow on her knees. Her voice was chipper than usual.

    The emperor was hard to see these past few days so she was pleased that she was finally here to talk to.

    Like on many days, the beauty of the imperial garden today was no different.

    It was a garden that was truly for royalty, a magnificent place that was excellently managed to give the highest delight to visitors.

    If Qu Feiqing was talking to some other woman, the garden would surely be their medium of discussion, as there was not much to talk about.

    Especially to a taciturn person like Qu Feiqing who did not initiate conversations willingly.

    But Su Xin was different. When she was with Qu Feiqing, she didn¡¯t feel like she was with the emperor whom everyone feared and despised. She rather liked to skip through the formalities and talk to her like how normal people would.

    Seeing her eye to eye.

    With not a soul in sight, Qu Feiqing suddenly had the urge to talk to Su Xin.

    ¡°Those officials want to force this emperor to take an imperial concubine.¡±

    Su Xin imagined a group of graceful, enchanting men waving their handkerchiefs coquettishly at Qu Feiqing whose face was annoyed. She couldn¡¯t keep a straight face at the thought of it and burst into an unsuppressed laughter.

    With her laughter, the emperor opened her eyes. She looked at Su Xin whose eyes were crinkling and hands were on her stomach from laughing too much.

    ¡°Feeling happy?¡± Qu Feiqing¡¯s voice was a bit chilly.

    Hearing the icy voice, Su Xin quickly choked back her laughter. She dropped her hands from her stomach and placed it on her lap gracefully. She felt a bit embarrassed on how she could easily lose her composure.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine.¡± Su Xin shrugged her shoulders.

    Qu Feiqing taking a concubine for herself was beyond the bounds of possibility. She couldn¡¯t let a man touch her.

    It was a nightmare she would never live through again.

    Qu Feiqing being hailed as the first beauty among the four countries was not just a name made out of thin air.

    Since childhood, she was already extraordinarily beautiful. So beautiful that even concubines envied her mother. She was popular and very cute, resembling a small dumpling.

    Her beauty was already from birth, yet her cold personality wasn¡¯t. She used to see the world in a different light, more naive and innocent.

    Although she stuck in the cold palace, she had no qualms about living an old-fashioned, solitary life with just her mother.

    However, the time when the cold palace could no longer be enough to sustain the princess¡¯ delight came, and Qu Feiqing wished to explore the world outside.

    One day, a six-year old Qu Feiqing ran out of the cold palace to play, her face pink out of unadulterated happiness.

    Evil lurks around every corner and one guard saw the lone child whose big eyes surveyed the place.

    Her innocence aroused one imperial bodyguard that had an impure fetish with children. Seeing such a beautiful girl, and one that was alone, he thought of perverted ways to corrupt the defenseless child.

    He asked her what palace she served, and Qu Feiqing  answered ignorantly, unaware of the man¡¯s diabolical thoughts.

    Dressed in a simple attire, he thought she was one of those palace maids serving the cold palace and was just here to flaunt her superiority, like all those wenches who thought highly of themselves and made sure to make him feel like dirt.

    For a child to be so arrogant, he thought that there should be a price to pay.

    With silent but heavy strides, he approached the girl, seizing her by her tiny body and muffling her screams with his rough palms.

    Her imperial concubine mother had been looking for Qu Feiqing for awhile. And she finally found her child to her horror, vigorously struggling underneath a man, unable to fight back from the difference in strength.

    It was the first time that Qu Feiqing saw blood.

    Her mother didn¡¯t want to stretch out the matter. Afterall, Qu Feiqing had a reputation to maintain. Even though she was still a child, this incident would forever put her into disgrace. She was afraid that her daughter would never leave the cold palace, the place where consorts who fell out of favor such as her were condemned to live in a life of desolation.

    The man must be silenced, so Qu Feiqing¡¯s mother killed the man without batting an eyelid.

    T/N: Tragic. I feel bad for Qu Feiqing.

 CH 49

    Walking away from the gruesome scene, Qu Feiqing¡¯s mother held the trembling child in her embrace as tight as she could. Afraid that she would slip away from her arms a second time.

    No mother wanted to see her child go through something so abhorring.

    Wrapped around her mother¡¯s protective arms, she would always remember what her mother said to her at that time.

    ¡®Men, are very, very filthy.¡¯

    Since then, Qu Feiqing grew to be indifferent and she began to see men as an abominable existence. Her childish outlook on the world lost its vibrance, replaced by a pitch-black contempt for reality.

    She grew to be the vicious emperor she was now.

    Before Qu Feiqing could plunge herself into an abyss of reminiscing her tragic past, and make her mood more miserable than it was at the moment, Su Xin opened her mouth to voice out her opinion on the matter of Qu Feiqing being pressured to take a concubine.

    For a moment, Qu Feiqing was grateful inside. Those were unwanted memories she would rather keep at the back of her head.

    It should never resurface its ugly head.

    ¡°If you are unwilling, then don¡¯t marry. Simple.¡± Su Xin smiled lightly and said to Qu Feiqing.

    ¡°You are the emperor. You are the most powerful. If you don¡¯t want to, why on earth would you listen to them?¡± Su Xin poured a cup of tea and handed it to her.

    Su Xin¡¯s thinking was straightforward and rational. From what she knew, emperors were revered as the children of heaven; almost akin to gods.

    To be the emperor is to be the one who kills and takes.

    She didn¡¯t understand why Qu Feiqing was still fussing over a simple matter.

    She was a mere daughter of an unfavored, abandoned concubine, yet she rose from that pit and conquered Qu Liu, taking the world by a storm.

    That was enough to say Qu Feiqing was a person to be admired. She beat the odds of being a woman and came out on top.

    Of the women in this dynasty, who else was a female emperor?

    Qu Feiqing smiled at Su Xin and sipped from her teacup.

    When she smiled, the flowers in the imperial garden became pale compared to her beauty. Su Xin tilted her head and looked fascinated.

    ¡°Your Majesty, you are truly good-looking.¡±

    At the sudden outburst, Qu Feiqing put down her teacup in surprise, looking at Su Xin before nodding slightly to indicate she accepted the sudden praise.

    She was about to reach for her teacup again when suddenly, the bold Su Xin slid towards her side closely. She could smell Su Xin¡¯s feminine fragrance and some hints of light herbs from medicines.

    Qu Feiqing held her breath as Su Xin inched closer, their thighs touching. Slowly, the girl reached her ear and purred like a feline.

    ¡°Your Majesty, I want to sleep with you again.¡±

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s heart skipped a beat at this atrocious request. And at daylight, nonetheless! For the first time, the emperor was flustered.

    ¡°You make me feel so much to the point I want to make the first move on you. I.. just want to hold you and be held back in return.¡±

    [.. Being lewd early in the day makes the world go downhill.]

    Fourteen was flabbergasted by his host¡¯s shamelessness. How can someone say something about sleeping so naturally?

    Heart beating like a drum and ears on fire, Qu Feiqing was overwhelmed by the effect this girl had on her. Her hands unconsciously grabbed at her clothes, creasing them.

    To her relief, Su Xin¡¯s seductive mouth finally left her ear. She came in front of her again and winked at her.

    Her astonishment simmered down and the emperor finally took ahold of her self.

    Provocative requests, such as this, was a game Qu Feiqing couldn¡¯t take for granted, unlike a whimsical Su Xin.

    She felt as if she was gnashing her teeth in her heart. She thought, this time it was Su Xin who delivered herself to her door. If Su Xin would say the same thing as last time, then she mustn¡¯t blame Qu Feiqing if she would react violently.

    The present Qu Feiqing was actually just as narrow-minded as Su Xin who wanted to play ignorant.

 CH 50

    There¡¯s a saying which goes, ¡®The second time is just like the first time.¡¯

    Intimacy for the second time around is just the same nerve-wracking experience during the first time, just a little less clumsy, that is.

    It was a reenactment of their previous passion where nothing was holding them back from exploring the depths of pleasure and from widening their horizons with each other¡¯s innate beauty.

    At broad daylight, Su Xin surprisingly requested for some loving. She stepped out of her carefully maintained character to maneuver the cards of fate in her palms.

    The emperor was quiet for a moment as she thought carefully on how she would handle such a daring proposition. The request came from the mouth of Su Xin herself, so she realized that Su Xin¡¯s impression on her wouldn¡¯t be placed in jeopardy no matter how the consequences would come out-all of this was Su Xin¡¯s own doing.

    When did she care about other people¡¯s opinion of her? She must have hit her head hard on a rock, Qu Feiqing thought incredulously.

    She never uttered words of affirmation for few seconds, just stared at Su Xin in great contemplation.

    Seeing this, Su Xin was worried that her request would be turned down.

    But she was proven wrong when the emperor suddenly sprung into action!

    Qu Feiqing grabbed her by the hand and tugged her small frame from the royal garden.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± She asked, but Qu Feiqing seemed to not hear anything. They were walking on a brisk pace when she noticed that they were heading inside the imperial palace-towards Qu Feiqing¡¯s bedroom.

    A rush of embarrassment sent color to her cheeks.

    It¡¯s really not a good idea to go wild in the busy palace. Being the place where the emperor resigned, it was packed with shadow guards who hid at every corner and hundreds of maids and servants who see to it that the emperor lived in conditions fit for a god.

    [Too wild.. tsk tsk.]

    Fourteen refrained from his impulse to lecture his host. He thought of positivity and chanted a mantra for patience, thinking of calming things. Sometimes, the host was too much.

    Master Fourteen, you can stare at the pixels. Behave.

    [Host, be sure to remember your task.]

    I am aware of it.

    Qu Feiqing pulled Su Xin inside her sleeping quarters and waved off all the servants, including the shadow guards who were standing still in the dark.

    Underneath the dyed red silk canopies sewn with deep ruby hibiscuses were two women drunk in the joy of a blossoming spring. Both silently took pleasure in feeling the warmth dissipating from their feverish bodies pressed tightly together.

    Unlike the first time, they moved not in haste, but in an emotional way, making them a picture of long time lovers reunited after years of separation.

    It was a temptation for Qu Feiqing to jump into her desire and give a barbaric splurge of kisses to Su Xin. But she chose to be patient and drew back her selfish urges, which was not easy. They made the most of their time, unable to take their hands off from each other¡¯s skin, relishing the wonderful moment.

    Normally, when things are not heated such as this,taking off the clothes seem like a mundane, unappealing task. But in the case of this special occasion, undressing became a lot more erotic.

    Every piece of clothing dropped haphazardly on the floor was a step closer to the awaiting rhapsody their souls would cave in.

    Su Xin spread her legs, offering a small, budding flower underneath as a gift to Qu Feiqing.

    Qu Feiqing, in pure admiration, kissed the flower between Su Xin¡¯s warm thighs.

    The pink flower was breathtakingly beautiful. Underneath Qu Feiqing¡¯s touch, the petals felt tender and looked lovely within close proximity. With a small smile, Qu Feiqing lovingly stroked the soft petals.

    Her fingers brushed softly against the quivering petals to explore deeper, lightly touching the stamen inside, trying to rouse a reaction from her partner.

    Her eyes glazed over Su Xin who was sprawled in bed with a look of unadulterated bliss.

    Su Xin saw that Qu Feiqing liked her gift and she too liked how her magic worked.

    Her face was flushed and her body was overwhelmed with joy, faintly trembling out of ecstasy as she looked endearingly at Qu Feiqing.

 CH 51

    Qu Feiqing took the initiative to unknot Su Xin¡¯s bun today, leaving her hair spread on the bright, yellow bed. She took her time in removing every single pin which hindered her fingers from interlacing with the soft strands. Resembling a placid flow of running waters, she loved the feel of it against her palms.

    Afterwards, she took care of herself, untying her updo and undressing in precise movements. She stepped out of her gown, then walked towards Su Xin naked as the day she was born.

    Despite the flared up desire, she was sober with this kiss compared to the last time they did it.

    Qu Feiqing felt every second of it.

    Pummeling her lips towards Su Xin¡¯s, she relinquished in the slow dance their mouths were currently engaged to.

    In a matter of seconds, the heights of desire became too difficult to pacify. The calm kiss quickly escalated to a torrid one as feral as the first time their mouths touched.

    All this fiery interaction but Su Xin¡¯s eyes remained wide open. She watched Qu Feiqing ravage her mouth and thought how carnal it was. Their tongues were entangled in a mighty duel, each unrelenting to the invasion of another. Nonetheless, it was clear that the emperor was the dominating figure.

    Out of her control, Qu Feiqing couldn¡¯t help but be lost in Su Xin¡¯s enticing appearance. The longer she looked, the more those tantalizing eyes seared deep in her being. This woman would be her downfall, she thought. How Su Xin could easily undo her was a sure sign of a threatening liability.

    She broke the kiss to have a glimpse of the woman underneath her. Her eyelids were half shut but she could very well see the dewy eyes and swollen lips of Su Xin. A picture of a woman who was just thoroughly ravished by her lover.

    Everyone has their own gentleness.

    The cold-hearted emperor whose hands killed the lives of many, swept away the strands of hair that obstructed her view of Su Xin¡¯s face. Her fingers, elegant and fine, felt like a cool wind that lulled her troubled mind.

    Time seemed to have frozen as Qu Feiqing lowered herself towards the serene face of Su Xin and brushed an airy kiss on her forehead. She also paid attention to the teary corners of Su Xin¡¯s eyes and kissed her tears away.

    If possible, it felt even more sentimental than the fiery kiss they had just shared.

    Words couldn¡¯t describe how happy Qu Feiqing was now that Su Xin was with her. But at the same time, she was kind of at loss, overwhelmed by this unbearable surge of elation. It had been long since she¡¯d felt this euphoric, that she had even first mistaken it for a dream. She speculated that in no time, she would wake up and find that everything was just fragments of fraud reality.

    But it didn¡¯t came, Su Xin was really with her-and on her bed.

    There wasn¡¯t a trick in the eyes here, just a crazy but truly real situation.

    Qu Feiqing couldn¡¯t think straight, an inevitable repercussion of their arduous activity. She felt restless as the hype of sensations still refuse to leave her body. Everything around her was hazy and indistinct and she felt her body float in an unknown, strange space of inhibition where only a rising moon was the guide to her consciousness. For sure, that moon was Su Xin.

    On her side was the spent Su Xin, who was trapped in the obvious state of bewilderment. There were strange feelings that reached the deepest abyss of her heart, and confusing her soul.

    Fortunately, although she definitely felt over the moon, she still kept her cool. It also helped that Fourteen was there to keep her on her track. Subconsciousness still intact, she finally seized the moment to ask about her task.

    ¡°Your Majesty, do you find me beautiful?¡±

    Skin on skin, Su Xin was lying on Qu Feiqing¡¯s body. Their bodies faced each other while Qu Feiqing craned her neck in such a way that she could get a better view of Su Xin and to listen to what she has to say attentively. Strands of silky black hair of Su Xin was splayed beautifully on her nakedness.

    It couldn¡¯t be denied that Su Xin was a beautiful woman, but at this specific moment, Qu Feiqing thought that she looked a hundred times more beautiful. Laying beside her bare, she somewhat looked like a fallen goddess.

 CH 52

    What bothered her since she first met Su Xin was that even though she was obviously beautiful, she still tried to garner affirmation from others such as Qu Feiqing herself. As she asked the same question this time, Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t feel amused anymore. She felt quite afraid instead. Afraid that if she answered her-she would lose her.

    She had this feeling that the girl was just sticking to her all this time for that sole reason. Whether it was Su Xin¡¯s way of feeding her ego or just her childish conquest for praise, Qu Feiqing still found it untasteful.

    But still, Qu Feiqing felt that no one could ever replace Su Xin, no one would ever fit to be at her side.

    But Qu Feiqing knew that if she really desired Su Xin to stay, she could well do it in just a flick of her hand. They had an agreement willfully signed by the both of them back in the imperial palace of Yu country where she met Su Xin.

    She got the upper hand here and so, she could dictate how long she would like Su Xin to stay under her roof.

    Nothing would happen, she was assured of it. Yet, Qu Feiqing was still unwilling to utter the words.

    ¡°Answer me, am I beautiful?¡± Su Xin spoke in a raspy tone, getting a little impatient by the emperor¡¯s unresponsiveness. Gone was the soft-spoken Su Xin, replaced was a determined, seductive woman whose eyes glowed with ghastly perseverance.

    Qu Feiqing looked at her quietly, appearing stoic and unaffected by Su Xin¡¯s sudden change of tone.

    But her stoic expression didn¡¯t stay long. Su Xin began to rub her body in circles causing her knees to tingle. Su Xin¡¯s hot breath mingled with her own, their faces dangerously close but not kissing.

    Instead, Su Xin slowly licked Qu Feiqing¡¯s face like a cat, leaving a trail of wet saliva. Surely, she was forcing Qu Feiqing to submit to temptation using her sexual prowess.

    Qu Feiqing resolved to looking at the bright eyes staring at her. If she badly wanted to be praised, she would sing her her deserved compliment.

    She held Su Xin¡¯s face dearly.

    ¡°You are indeed beautiful.¡± Qu Feiqing said before placing a gentle kiss on Su Xin¡¯s temples.

    Now Su Xin was more than satisfied, a big thorn was lifted from her heart and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Without another moment of hesitation, she lost herself again in the emperor¡¯s arms and they had another exquisite time together.

    ¡ª

    Qu Feiqing put on her clothes and decided to deal with the affairs in the imperial court she left earlier. She was noticeably high-spirited on her way to her study; her current frame of mind much clearer than before.

    She handled the court memos well. Afterwards, she finally retreated for the day with a satisfied smile on her face, extremely glad of her productivity for today

    Meanwhile, Su Xin was gleefully rolling around in the emperor¡¯s bed. Sheets were crumpled and pillows were being scattered as she kicked and tossed, unable to contain the happiness she felt over her triumph.

    She called Fourteen and asked him the status of her mission.

    Master Fourteen, I have accomplished it, haven¡¯t I?

    [Well done host. In the process of finalizing the last part of the bargain with the client.]

    The first time Fourteen reached for Su Xin in the realm of souls, he was already sure that he had chosen the right host. There was even an extra credit for Su Xin¡¯s performance.

    Su Xin¡¯s eyes twinkled in excitement.

    In front of her, the room slowly faded from her vision as if she was waking up from a long slumber. Su Xin closed her eyes tightly while reality was being distorted.

    When she sensed that light could no longer be felt, she slowly opened her eyes.

    She was not in the emperor¡¯s chamber anymore. Instead, she found herself back in the room where the exchange had first happened. It was still the same eerie room of emptiness to which Fourteen brought her in.

    From her back, she heard nimble footsteps coming her way. She already knew who it was, but the moment she turned her body to face the person, she froze completely. It was the beautiful woman in ancient clothes-the real Xue Yao.

    It felt strange to see again the person whose appearance was the exact replica of hers. For more than a year, she looked at the same face in the mirror and had become accustomed to it. Seeing it on another person was somehow disturbing to Su Xin.

    It¡¯s funny how she felt this way knowing that it wasn¡¯t hers to begin with.

 CH 53

    ¡°Honored Young lady has truly done this servant¡¯s wish.. Although in a very unexpected way.¡±

    Xue Yao lowered her gaze to the floor to hide her burning face. She was rather embarrassed at the means Su Xin used to grant her wish.

    From threatening the brothel owner¡¯s life to sleeping with the female emperor, Xue Yao didn¡¯t expect any of it. In fact, she herself was clueless on how she would accomplish the task if she was inside Su Xin¡¯s shoe.

    Xue Yao was happy, that was one thing that didn¡¯t need to be asked. She was satisfied how her fate took a significant turn for the better.

    She had finally escaped from the brothel, one dream that came true through the host Su Xin.

    Her participation in the banquet was another far-fetched dream granted. She shook head in disbelief thinking how Su Xin¡¯s success must have slapped Ta Yan hard in the face.

    Although this promising life would never be hers, contentment was eminent in her heart. She broke away from the life she didn¡¯t want to leave-it was more than what she could ever ask for.

    For all of that, she was thankful.

    Before her, Su Xin¡¯s stood paralyzed in her place.

    She was surprised just as well.

    Who knew that she¡¯d hit two birds with one stone? She was unaware of the client¡¯s true motives after all.

    For the last time, Xue Yao smiled at Su Xin, her image becoming distorted.

    Fourteen¡¯s voice stating the progress of sucking up the client¡¯s soul force was muffled in Su Xin¡¯s mind. No, she couldn¡¯t understand anything with the vanishing image of Xue Yao having caught her complete attention.

    After a while, the handover was successful.

    Su Xin was left standing alone in the empty room once again.

    Su Xin knew that Xue Yao¡¯s soul force would be absorbed by the creator, fading her into nothingness.

    But a deal is a deal. Both should comply to the agreement.

    Master Fourteen, What if a client goes against their words after the mission succeeds?

    [If someone attempts such a stupid thing, we¡¯ll let him know what it¡¯s like to live in hell.]

    Fourteen¡¯s voice was cruel for the first time, it sliced through Su Xin¡¯s mind like blade.

    Upon hearing that, she swallowed a lump in her throat-nervousness apparent in her face. It looked like the system wasn¡¯t joking. He could be brutal if crossed.

    But to think about it in depth, the system still held a deep regard for socialism. Everything must be fair.

    Their clients wanted to have their fates changed. The hosts do the arduous process for them while they stay behind and just watch their wishes being fulfilled without suffering the difficulty the hosts come across with. Such a convenient arrangement is enough to justify the bargain for the client¡¯s soul as fair.

    It¡¯s just a matter of honor.

    If they sticked to the agreement, peaceful transaction was guaranteed and they would disappear smooth as the wind. If not, they would be subjected to torment until they couldn¡¯t take it anymore before vanishing deep into the abyss of phantasm.

    Within the blink of her eye, Su Xin was back again Qu Feiqing¡¯s luxurious bed as if nothing had occurred.

    Wasting no time, she quickly got up and dressed.

    She must plan her own future quick, but first, she must leave this room.

    Freedom was now in her hands. She could decide whether to stay in this world or live her previous life. This body was now entirely hers to live the way she wants it.

    Still, she felt skeptical at how she would manage to live in this world. As a person who had a taste of what technology has to offer, she found the ancient world rather tedious. Social isolation caused her to use technology not as a meer tool, but an escape mechanism from the harsh reality.

    [Host, I would encourage committing seppuku1  to the client¡¯s body. That way, you can return to the original world. Debt from using abilities during this mission will be deducted from the rewarded life span. With that said, the host now has ten months to live in her original world.] Fourteen laid out the facs to Su Xin.

    Only ten months..

    What could she possibly do in that short span of time? It would pass by quickly then she would find herself again in the realm of the souls waiting for her final verdict.

    Wearing a hard resolve, she made the hardest decision in her life.

    Master Fourteen, there¡¯s no need for seppuku. I choose to stay.

 CH 54

    Su Xin shook her head and decided not to die. People who died once know how precious life is. And how pleasant it is just to be breathing.

    This body can live to 40 more years giving Su Xin an ample 26 years of a lifetime.

    Such a long time. How could she waste it in vain?

    Su Xin diligently tidied up Qu Feiqing¡¯s bed.

    The big bed which could accommodate a dozen of people was thoroughly unmade, caused primarily by their wild activity.

    Right after she finished fixing it, she slowly made her way out of the room, rubbing her arms as cold started to creep in.

    ¡°Young lady.¡± Shu Juan saw Su Xin coming back and welcomed her.

    ¡°Shu Juan, bring me a change of clothes. I¡¯ll take a bath, and then retire.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ So early? Won¡¯t the Young lady have lunch?¡±

    It¡¯s was just almost time for lunch. It was only two hours since Shu Juan had last seen the Young lady.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little tired.¡± Su Xin went to her bathing place, feeling exhausted after doing it. Whereas, Qu Feiqing was refreshed and was even able to attend to her duties in a clear state of mind.

    The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

    Obviously, the body handed to Su Xin was brittle as a glass. It couldn¡¯t even avoid feeling fatigued after being laid. If she was her previous body, she would still be kicking at the moment since it was trained vigorously under severe conditions that were life threatening.

    Su Xin was currently taking a bath, letting her spent muscles ease up in the warm water. Outside the screened compartment, Shu Juan dutifully picked up discarded items of clothing from the floor and placed it in a wash basin.

    ¡°Young lady..¡± Shu Juan sighed a little, holding in her hand the chest band1of which Su Xin took off.

    She gently rubbed it with her fingertips and gingerly placed them under her nose to sniff.

    Flustered, she felt like she¡¯s being too bold. Her desire for her master was becoming difficult to tame.

    Her eyes darted at every corner, making sure that no one had seen her atrocious deed.

    After seeing to see it that she was indeed alone, she dropped the underwear towards the basin and continued tucking in the remaining pieces of heavy clothing scattered on the floor.

    A weed and a flower grew together. But how odd it was, that as time passed by, the weed started to become attached to the blooming flower, intertwining its stems around it.

    ¡ª

    Qu Feiqing was currently fitting herself in her extravagant imperial robes, utterly frustrated. It has been almost an hour since she¡¯d been mindlessly fumbling over the strings of her gown, yet she couldn¡¯t tie a string properly. Her mind was occupied by the thoughts of Su Xin.

    She¡¯d been up many nights thinking about her and Su Xin. Now, she had something really crucial in her mind and she wondered what Su Xin¡¯s reaction would be once she told her of this.

    People could throw the vilest of names to Qu Feiqing yet, they couldn¡¯t deny that that emperor was as responsible as she was ambitious.

    Her striving country was one proof that she took responsibility to the gravest consideration. After she owned the dragon seat by her bloody methods, this sense of responsibility strengthened, influenced by her love for her deceased concubine mother and her hatred for her irresponsible emperor father from an early age.

    Qu Feiqing naturally hated the customs that dictated the imperial palace, yet this was how things are. She couldn¡¯t change it even as emperor.

    It was difficult to move her hand because she was alone in the throne, without anyone to watch her back or be at her side.

    Among this bitterness, there were still some things that Qu Feiqing felt right about.

    Being intimate with someone didn¡¯t make her shudder in disgust. Instead, her heart swelled out of the pleasurable feeling of being secured in another¡¯s arms. It makes one feel less lonely.

    She was no longer alone.

    This certainly is the best feeling there was, Qu Feiqing thought.

 CH 55

    In all odds, she wanted to live like this first, before jumping to serious matters. At least, she would have someone that makes her comfortable with herself and someone who would stay by her side regardless of the tides being high or low.

    Maybe that person really likes her. If she doesn¡¯t love her, why lure her to bed twice?

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s judgement is the same as that of many women. Even though she became this country¡¯s Emperor, she still had the fickle heart of a woman.

    She, in all perspective, is not like a man. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t separate lust from love like how men do it.

    But as wise men said, one cannot truly have the best of both worlds.

    Qu Feiqing being the mightiest figure fell hard for a woman who couldn¡¯t give a piece of herself.

    Su Xin thinks merely that it¡¯s mutual consent between both parties, nothing more. Qu Feiqing however, did not think like this. She even thought of her and Su Xin¡¯s futures in detail not knowing that Su Xin had other plans on her own-plans that would never involve her.

    As agreed, Su Xin stayed in the ancient China plane. It has been a month since she had accomplished her task and a month of unyielding boredom poking at her sanity. The palace was gorgeous, yes, but she would rather explore the world outside of it.

    She would occasionally visit the little crown prince, who was always busy with his imperial studies, to motivate him. Sometimes, they would play together when both were idle.

    Qu Feiyun had become her usual companion during these dull days. The girl didn¡¯t change one bit and was still cracking up at the smallest things.

    On other time, she¡¯d fool around with Qu Feiqing at any change she get. Together they would sneak at places hidden from the eyes of others and do things that would give an instant heart attack to unlucky onlookers.

    But there must always be a time for some decency and seriousness. While Qu Feiqing worked on her memos, Su Xin could be seen deeply invested in embroidery not far from the emperor. Sometimes, Su Xin would join her in reading books. Qu Feiqing was glad that Su Xin was not shallow like most women these days.

    ¡°Xue Yao, aren¡¯t you a musician? Why don¡¯t you play the guqin for me?¡± One day, Qu Feiyun came to see Su Xin to pester her again, shaking her arm back and forth and acting like a spoiled child.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t there other musicians in the palace?¡±

    Su Xin was held her chin by the hand, while her left free one, traced the carved patterns on the stone table.

    ¡°But I want to hear you play it.¡± Persistent, Qu Feiyun tugged at Su Xin¡¯s sleeve harder that Su Xin finally nodded in defeat. Shu juan was pleased to get the guqin for her master.

    ¡°Xue Yao, why aren¡¯t you afraid of my emperor sister? You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve ever seen who dared to be so close to her.¡±

    God knows that Qui Feiyun saw them invested in a very comfortable position which left her vexed and afraid for Su Xin.

    ¡°Is she terrible to you?¡±

    Su Xin thought Qu Feiqing was very good. From the beginning, she was allowed to approach her. She could still remember how Qu Feiqing treated her like a mentally retarded person before-staring at her deliberately then ignoring her until they parted.

    Her treatment changed right after their first intimate night.

    Now that they have done it five, six, seven or eight times already. With the long hours spent together, Su Xin began to know Qu Feiqing more and could genuinely say that Qu Feiqing was a caring and passionate person inside.

    She told Qu Feiyun of her opinion and the latter nodded without truly understanding.

    ¡°Emperor sister is the most terrible person I¡¯ve ever met, but I feel like she¡¯s softened after meeting you. I guess, good things really do happen.¡±

    Qu Feiyun saw with her own eyes how her emperor sister killed her brother. In her heart, no one could be more ruthless than Qu Feiqing.

    ¡°But I¡¯m leaving.¡± Su Xin smiled.

    [Host..] Fourteen words stopped.

    Yeah?

    [Nothing.]

    The system doesn¡¯t interfere with the host¡¯s feelings. Fourteen now confirmed that Su Xin was not only low in emotional intelligence, but she was also dumb, intimidating and a bit of a slag.

    [Host, have you really never thought about why the emperor still kept hitting on you even after she has done it with you the first time?] Fourteen tried to raise some points to make Su Xin understand.

    Because I¡¯m beautiful?

 CH 56

    On one fine day, the idle Su Xin and Qu Feiyun were together in their natural spot in the imperial garden.

    ¡°What do you mean leave?¡± Qu Feiyun was caught offguard with Su Xin¡¯s declaration and her eyes bulged out in shock.

    She was frightened. For Su Xin to think about leaving the palace¡ªno, rather Qu Feiqing¡ªit was quite unfathomable.

    ¡°No.¡± Qu Feiyun shook her head quickly, looking at Su Xin with a determined gaze. She wanted to shake off this preposterous thought from her head.

    Or else, hell would break loose.

    ¡°You must not leave.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Su Xin was surprised at Qu Feiyun¡¯s intense reaction. Most of all, her words preventing her from leaving.

    Qu Feiyun and Qu Feiqing never had any familial relationship to begin with. They even had no feud with other. Basically, Qu Feiyun was invisible to Qu Feiqing¡¯s eyes and Qu Feiyun refused to engage with Qu Feiqing.

    She couldn¡¯t discern if this was done out of care or courtesy from being related by blood. It was such a strange reaction.

    When Qu Feiqing set off with her bloody conquest for the throne, Qu Feiyun was still a child then.

    Like Qu Feiqing, her mother had been a concubine under the late emperor.

    The harem was a battlefield, and naturally some women developed self-preservation skills just to survive.

    Qu Feiyun¡¯s mother was one of these concubines. She was smart enough to play as a wallflower, blending into the background so that she would not be under the scrutinizing eyes of the other concubines competing for the emperor¡¯s favor.

    With such a skill, she had raised Qu Feiyun safely, away from the terror and evil of devious concubines and political schemes.

    When Qu Feiqing set off a reign of terror and killed family left and right, Qu Feiyun¡¯s mother laid low to avoid confrontation, saving her hide whilst shielding the young Qu Feiyun from the bloodshed and things that could traumatize a child.

    Qu Feiyun grew up being protected by her mother; one of the Qu who came out unscathed after Qu Feiqing overturned the Qu Liu country.

    She did not experience danger as a child, however, when she grew up and began to understand the ugly side of reality, Qu Feiyun became terrified at the fact that she was the sister of the same person her mother had been protecting her from.

    Being naive to the horrors of the world, she couldn¡¯t help but fear her sister. Yet at the same time, she had an unwavering respect for Qu Feiqing¡¯s courage.

    After all, they were of the same status¡ªboth women, both concubine-born and had no future. Qu Feiqing shaped her own future and became the emperor and this was a feat no ordinary woman could do.

    No matter what she thought of Qu Feiqing¡¯s atrocious ways of dealing with people, there was no denying that Qu Feiqing was her imperial sister.

    Regardless of her past or attitude, as a fellow woman and sister, Qu Feiyun hoped that Qu Feiqing would find her happiness.

    Moreover, she had came to discover, with a happy Qu Feiqing, their lives are so much better.

    From the moment Su Xin came, Qu Feiyun saw the gradual change with her emperor sister¡¯s demeanor.

    Far off from the moody, lifeless Qu Feiqing she had come to associate with, the current Qu Feiqing has shed off her frightening and domineering aura.

    It was like ice being exposed to the sun and slowly melting from the heat. Although it was a subtle change, it was much better than before.

    Qu Feiyun thought that if Su Xin left abruptly like this, her sister would turn into a more fearful person. Far more than how she used to be. Just thinking about this made Qu Feiyun¡¯s stomach turn into knots from dread.

    She did not want to see the day where Qu Feiqing becomes a living, emotionally detached corpse who only kills without mercy or thought.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the imperial palace majestic? Why are you leaving?¡± Qu Feiyun asked Su Xin, unable to understand her reasons for such an extreme thought.

    There are many people who lack the chance to step foot in the imperial palace and would trade anything just to have a glimpse, yet this girl was simply leaving. As if it was nothing grand to be ruffled about.

 CH 57

    Perhaps there was a more grave reason.

    ¡°What is it? Are you being treated badly? If someone else had spoken like how you speak to my emperor sister, they would have already been killed. But my emperor is lenient with you¡ªand you are the only person to be granted this rare privilege.¡±

    Qu Feiyun had seen Su Xin and Qu Feiqing together countless of times. Yet every time, she would still pinch a sweat for Su Xin, afraid that her sister would suddenly take out her blade and end Su Xin¡¯s life.

    But her worries were all for nothing. Qu Feiyun saw instead a different scenario.

    Even if Su Xin was bordering towards being offensive and invading Qu Feiqing¡¯s personal space, Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t become angry, but was rather happy. This was such a stark contrast from her usual cruel way of dealing with those who dared who to get too close to her.

    It was like a miracle had unfolded in front of her days.

    From this, Qu Feiyun naturally understood that Su Xin did not just occupy a small part in her sister¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Although the palace is beautiful, it¡¯s too lifeless inside. I want to go out and see something else. Have a taste of adventure, but enough about that. I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you this for a long time¡ªPrincess, why do you laugh at the smallest things?¡±

    Su Xin couldn¡¯t help but add the question at the last bit of her sentence. She had always wondered why Qu Feiyun would laugh at everything, even if it was something so boring. She wanted to say she looked like a deranged woman doing this, but refrained her tongue from speaking.

    ¡°You don¡¯t like laughing so are you telling me you just want to cry?¡± Qu Feiyun shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and rolled her eyes, her mannerisms as a princess all blown to dust in front of Su Xin.

    Qu Feiyun agrees that she might seem a little crazy to others, even Su Xin fearlessly pointed this out.

    But so what, she thought.

    People will always judge you for anything no matter who you are, what your accomplishments are or status.

    She was already even confined to this palace, brought down by her duties as a monarch and pressured from the responsibilities she has to uphold as a princess.

    Qu Feiyun had wanted some semblance of control in her life. If being able to laugh to her heart¡¯s content was one of it, then she was going to cling to it even she looked like a lunatic in front of others.

    This life was hers and no one else could could interfere with it.

    ¡°The palace can feel lonely sometimes.. but it¡¯s tolerable.¡±

    Qu Feiyun was used to living in such a luxurious, yet melancholic place. She had been brought up here since she was young and was naturally accustomed to the constricting walls, thus, she really didn¡¯t know what to say to Su Xin.

    With the prior topic about leaving silently swept under the rug, the conversation slowly dulled until both parties agreed to retire to their respective rooms.

    Qu Feiyun saw Su Xin take the other path and she turned the other way, her steps taking her closer to her destination: Qu Feiqing¡¯s royal study.

    Qu Feiqing was already inside, and she wasted no time to tell a summary of the conversation between her and Su Xin.

    She tried to depict the scene on the spot but instantly turned still once she accidentally caught sight of Qu Feiqing¡¯s face.

    Qu Feiqing stood on the other side of the room with an indecipherable mask.

    Qu Feiyun couldn¡¯t make out the anger from her face, but she could feel it in the air. The silence was thick and her fury was palpable in the air. It scared Qu Feiyun to her bones and she reflexively moved her body to the side, cowering, as if to hide away from Qu Feiqing¡¯s sight.

    ¡°You may withdraw.¡±

    Releasing a shaky breath, Qu Feiyun forced her rigid muscles to move out of the room hastily.

    She did not turn back to see Qu Feiqing whose hands were slightly brushing against the cool wooden table in front of her in eerie calmness.

 CH 58

    Qu Feiqing knew this was no betrayal or deception from Su Xin. After all, nothing was ever promised between the both of them. There was even the unspoken agreement of not talking about the status of their relationship.

    Su Xin did not say the same scarring words as last time, but what she said now was just the lesser evil of both¡ªit didn¡¯t make Qu Feiqing any happier hearing it.

    Qu Feiqing let out a sneer, a murderous aura threatening to leak out from her. The hand that was brushing against the surface suddenly gripped the edge of the table and broke it under one terrifying crush enforced with chi.

    Did she want to just leave this all behind? It¡¯s won¡¯t be that easy, she thought.

    When did her palace become a place where one could venture in and out freely as if it was some kind of tourist spot?

    What did she take her for? She treated Su Xin differently and was kind with her, but this was what she got in return.

    Impossible. She would not permit it.

    From the moment she had begun her plans on seizing the throne, despite the young age she had matured enough to learn that what she wanted, she had to hold tightly in her hands. Otherwise, it would escape or be taken away from her.

    ¡ª

    As per usual habit, Qu Feiqing later went to Su Xin¡¯s quarter for an evening dinner together.

    The dinner was uncannily silent, a heavy atmosphere bearing on the two of them. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of utensils brushing and clanking against porcelains and the audible sound of Su Xin¡¯s chewing.

    Su Xin knew something was up with Qu Feiqing, but she smartly stayed silently and waited for her to speak first.

    After the tense dinner, they still went on their daily routine of a languid stroll around the palace grounds together. They had devised this small exercise of walking a few laps around the palace to aid the digestion of their full stomachs.

    Usually, they would chat, but not on this particular night.

    Qu Feiqing still refused to speak and Su Xin finally had enough of the agonizing silence. She didn¡¯t like the way Qu Feiqing was dragging things out as if she had made a big mistake and Qu Feiqing wanted her to reflect on her actions.

    ¡°I presume you must have known about it. She must have told you.¡± Su Xin stopped walking and stood on the path looking heatedly at Qu Feiqing.

    It was now dusk, the sun steadily disappearing bit by bit from the horizon to replace the once clear, blue sky with the blazing colors of reds and oranges.

    The stars were beginning to appear one by one in the sky signifying that night was slowly coming.

    Under the warm glow of the sunset, Qu Feiqing took two steps closer until she was in close proximity to Su Xin.

    Her former anger had ebbed away to be replaced with the desperate need to keep Su Xin close to her.

    ¡°You wanted to go?¡± Qu Feiqing looked Su Xin in the eye with such a vulnerable look that Su Xin couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback.

    ¡°Well.. not really. It¡¯s just that there¡¯s nothing to do here. It feels like a prison¡­ But If I have you, I will stay.¡±

    Su Xin thought hard for a moment, organizing her jumbled feelings between Qu Feiqing and her desire to see outside of the palace walls.

    She wasn¡¯t tired of life here yet.

    But to spend her time adventuring and seeing new horizons was also a good option. It would even be better if Qu Feiqing came with her, but she knew this was a futile wish. Too far-fetched.

    Qu Feiqing had blood on her hands for the very sole reason for taking the throne. She made sacrifices and had already progressed this far.

 CH 59

    Qu Feiqing has already been deeply rooted in her title as an emperor. She sat in this position knowing it had danger lurking at every corner. Assassinations would wait at every turn and Su Xin would just be putting Qu Feiqing¡¯s life in jeopardy for her selfish desires.

    Besides, Su Xin thought she wasn¡¯t anyone important for Qu Feiqing go through such lengths.

    In the impossible event that Qu Feiqing would leave the dragon throne to traverse lands with her, trouble would be constantly following them. Ultimately, Qu Feiqing would have already gathered enemies with a deep hatred for her from her time as emperor¡ªit won¡¯t be a surprise for her when they come after Qu Feiqing wanting to exact revenge.

    [Host¡­ I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re being logical or just plain stupid.]

    If Fourteen was corporeal, he would have facepalmed himself a long time ago. His host speaking from her low emotional intelligence seemed to sabotage the situation again.

    Fourteen is an AI programmed to be a system, he doesn¡¯t have the heart of a human or empathically thinks like one. However, he has been around hosts long enough to learn how their emotional patterns work, so it wasn¡¯t as ignorant as one would think.

    He wasn¡¯t stupid at all, like some sweet, naive young woman inexperienced to the ways of the world.**

    **T/N: Internet Chinese slang: stupid white sweet ¨C someone that is sweet, cute and harmless

    Bottom line is, it felt Su Xin¡¯s EQ was lower than its own.

    Qu Feiqing looked at Su Xin at a loss.

    Just a little bit over two months have passed, and she is already bored with the place?

    She sighed slightly in her heart while looking at Su Xin¡¯s earnest look like that of a child asking for candy. For the first time, an imposing and dignified person like her was at a loss on what to say.

    For a moment, she was unsure whether to say Su Xin was truly ruthless or just dense.

    ¡°Then.. are you willing to follow me wherever I go?¡±

    Qu Feiqing has dropped her usual title of referring to herself as ¡®this emperor¡¯ in front of Su Xin. The title she once sought now felt empty when uttered in front of a person who made her see things in a different light.

    Simply, it did not reflect who Qu Feiqing truly was inside.

    ¡°Oh, well.. not really. How do I say this? There¡¯s nothing between us in any way after all.¡±

    ¡°Nothing between us?¡±

    Qu Feiqing spat out these words feeling exceptionally incredulous, the words intonated heavily through gritted teeth. Her face was menacingly dark and she held Su Xin by the wrist, infuriated.

    ¡°Are you saying you have nothing to do with me?¡±

    Simmering rage was prevalent in her question as she looked at Su Xin with a small, arctic smile. Illuminated by the blood red hue from the sky, her expression was horrific as she stared at Su Xin with her black, beady eyes.

    ¡°We are not family, but friends.¡±

    More like friends with benefits**

    **T/N: Internet Chinese slang: gunner ¨C f*ck buddy lol

    Su Xin wanted to clarify, but seeing Qu Feiqing currently riled up, she decided against it.

    She felt very bewildered. Why does she make Qu Feiqing mad every time?

    Qu Feiqing was looking at her with such a sinister eye. Su Xin felt like she wanted to peel her skin and eat her alive.

    Master Fourteen, I really don¡¯t understand what I said wrong.

    Su Xin who was starting to feel upset with the perplexing situation and didn¡¯t know how to properly deal with it decided to ask for advice from the System.

    If she couldn¡¯t work it out, maybe Fourteen could. Right?

    [Are you really that dense not to see the emperor is smitten with you?!]

    Huh!? What are you playing at?!

    Su Xin faced Qu Feiqing with a shocked expression and asked with some surprise.

    ¡°You like me?¡±

 CH 60

    Seeing Su Xin¡¯s astonished reaction, Qu Feiqing¡¯s fury dissipated in an instant and she wore a stoic expression on her face once again.

    She let go of her iron grip on Su Xin¡¯s wrist and quickly took a step back.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a joke. How could this dignified emperor like you?¡± Qu Feiqing straightened up and stood with a regal pose looking down at Su Xin with a cordial smile.

    Unfortunately, it looks like Q Feiqing was the only one emotionally invested in this non-existent relationship between the two of them. While the other was like a dumb fool, who couldn¡¯t understand what was happening and doesn¡¯t care at all.

    Laughably absurd.

    Clearly, Qu Feiqing wanted Su Xin and was dead-set to hold her in the palm of her hand so that she wouldn¡¯t leave. But in the face of such a straightforward inquiry, Qu Feiqing couldn¡¯t help but stiffen, her stubborn persona resurfacing.

    To be the one who confesses first and becomes the loser? Her proud nature couldn¡¯t bear to lose her pride.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief..¡± Su Xin finally exhaled the breath she had been holding.

    Qu Feiqing didn¡¯t like her. This was better.

    Su Xin who had zero experience in relationships found this setting more preferable. To add, she and Qu Feiqing were from a different world, with unique customs and clashing beliefs, as evident from their confrontations.

    There wasn¡¯t the concept of one-night stands, f*ck buddies and girlfriends in this world which Su Xin was familiar with. Ancient China was an era where women were pledged to one person for the rest of their life; they take relationships seriously with betrothals at an early age, even if both parties were strangers. In most occurrences, they don¡¯t have a choice in their partners.

    No courting, no stages in the relationship. You cannot fall in love twice after a fallout unless you wanted to be called a shameful person of society.

    It was quite an ordeal Su Xin didn¡¯t want to deal with. She had feelings for Qu Feiqing, but she didn¡¯t want to be tied down by the constricting customs of this world.

    ¡®That¡¯s a relief..¡¯

    These three words painfully pounded like a hammer repeatedly in Qu Feiqing¡¯s heart.

    ¡°Am I free to venture out of the palace then?¡± Su Xin then asked when Qu Feiqing remind silent.

    Where was the mute button?! Fourteen wanted to cover his face and ears, he couldn¡¯t stomach seeing  Qu Feiqing¡¯s face.

    He felt that the host hadn¡¯t simply sprinkled salt on the wounds, but had stepped on it with her feet¡ªstabbing it with the pointy tip of a stiletto after the salt has just been sprinkled.

    Tsk tsk! Vicious! Too vicious! But Su Xin was truly an ignorant person and was easily confused regarding matters of the heart.

    It makes third-wheelers watching, a bystander like him, pull out their hair in frustration while at the same time feeling mournful.

    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Qu Feiqing replied with a cool expression. It seems like she still was standing despite Su Xin¡¯s knockout move.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°You are going to die.¡±

    ¡°If you leave me, you will die.¡± Veiled like an ambiguous threat, Qu Feiqing looked at Su Xin, the gears in her mind slowly turning.

    ¡°Ha?¡± A stupified Su Xin was looking back at Qu Feiqing, eyebrows raised.

    ¡°You are already bound to this emperor. You have been here long enough for the people in the imperial palace to recognize you as my person. This emperor is unknowledgeable of the number of ambitious individuals who covet the dragon¡¯s throne or enemies who simply want to see this emperor dead for sitting on it.

    If you went out by yourself, perhaps just bringing  a measly servant with you, without any bodyguard, away from the scope of my territory¡ªmy protection, this emperor won¡¯t be able to guarantee your safety from the people who will target you because of me.¡±

    Qu Feiqing said these words urgently, her heart restless and her stance on Su Xin leaving still unchanged.

    Qu Feiqing was a vicious person and this time it looked like she was threatening Su Xin to stay, but she was just stating facts.

    This was going to be Su Xin¡¯s future, where stone-cold repercussions awaited her from associating with a dangerous person like Qu Feiqing.

 CH 61

    In the end, it was all up to Su Xin whether she would listen to her words or not¡ªto stay or leave.

    This made Qu Feiqing feel a pang of depression.

    Meanwhile, Su Xin wanted to say that she wasn¡¯t afraid to explore the world even it meant to have to lurk at every corner when she received a reminder from Fourteen.

    [Host, let me remind you that the body you are currently occupying is drastically different from your original body in physical prowess and might. If I went and calculated the numerical differences in percentages, you could even see it¡¯s much, much worse. Furthermore, an ancient plane, such as this, doesn¡¯t contain the cold weapons and technology you are used to in the modern age. The human beings in this plane are even well-versed in terrifying ancient martial arts, of which you are not trained in and know the lethality  Although you have the system, I can only help so much. How are you going to survive?]

    Despite being an assassin, Su Xin was inside Xue Yao¡¯s body, an ordinary person who only knew how to act like a courtesan.

    It was better for weak and unarmed people without any ability in martial arts to remain quiet in the corner like clucking chickens.

    Under the overwhelming power of her enemies, Su Xin wouldn¡¯t be given a chance to brandish her blade at close combat.

    She¡¯d already be dead before that would even happen.

    As if a light bulb has been finally switched on, the reckless Su Xin was silent in thought. Seemingly mulling over similar thoughts.

    Back in the real world, she did tasks making use of the weapons present there.

    She fights alone relying on her quickness and precise, but ruthless, technique to dispose of her enemies¡ªwhether using a gun or a knife.

    There are no firearm here and especially no technology that can make her resist the internal force from her enemies. The daggers here were also underdeveloped, far too underwhelming from the cold weapons of the modern age which were fashioned for the purpose of stealthy killing.

    If those people knew ancient martial arts, she wouldn¡¯t even get close to a foot near them.

    ¡°All right¡­ I¡¯ll stay. When will you be completely in the safe?¡±

    Qu Feiqing was hopeful when she saw Su Xin turn quiet, she thought she would be able to rationalize it. Yet, she was proven wrong.

    She shook her head, crestfallen.

    If she knew despite what was said Su Xin would still want to leave, then she wouldn¡¯t even have bothered to speak anymore.

    Qu Feiqing cut the conversation abruptly by continuing towards Su Xin¡¯s room¡ªthe end of their walk.

    The stars could now be seen in full visibility, twinkling amidst the black backdrop of the night sky.

    All the way back, there was only silence and the sound of uneven footsteps of two people.

    Upon reaching the door, Qu Feiqing directly turned the other way to leave without any parting words.

    Su Xin¡¯s eyes burned through the back of Qu Feiqing¡¯s head, but she did not pay attention to this and carried on.

    ¡°I guess we are not doing it tonight..¡± Su Xin muttered to herself looking forlornly at Qu Feiqing¡¯s retreating back.

    Fourteen was praying silently for positivity, patience and for the heavens to shine a light on this dumb host.

    He felt immense sympathy for the emperor.

    The host was too dumb in these affairs, it was actually scary. Her ability to mend knives is truly first-class, worthy of being called an assassin.

    It was already clear the other person has already suffered a lot of damage, yet it seems like they still have to suffer a little bit more under her knife.

    Qu Feiqing returned to her bedroom and stood spiritless in front of her desk.

    She was very upset.

    Su Xin had asked her if she liked her.

    How could Qu Feiqing possibly feel just a small infatuation after everything they¡¯ve been through?

    After being the first person to have thawed her heart after her mother died, and bypassed the strong walls she had built around her?

    After being the first person to have seen the real Qu Feiqing under all exquisite gowns, the crown, and the icy guise?

    It has already become much, much more than that.

    For the first time, Qu Feiqing unexpectedly wished she hadn¡¯t become the emperor.

    From the moment Su Xin had stepped into her life, it was then that Qu Feiqing realized:

    Not power, not riches, not killing or revenge¡ªit was Su Xin who made her happy.

 CH 62

    Qu Feiqing lightly sighed, frustration evident on her face as she pressed her brush on the fine writing paper.

    She thought the affection she displayed was already obvious, enough even for an ignorant Su Xin to notice. But why does Su Xin act as if she doesn¡¯t see it?

    Does she truly not notice this¡­or merely pretend to ignore it?

    Qu Feiqing¡¯s mouth stretched to a thin line. Either way, if one messes with her, that person won¡¯t be able to run away, she thought grudgingly.

    Su Xin had willingly delivered herself to her door. To be blunt, she wasn¡¯t even of importance to her. Only now¡­

    Trying to find clarity for her confused mind, Qu Feiqing painted until late at night, until the candles beneath the lampshades burned up to one third. When she was finally done, Qu Feiqing blinked her tired eyes, scrutinizing the painting before her.

    It was painting of a beautiful woman laughing among the flowers.

    Mesmerizing, heart-wrenching.

    Qu Feiqing hid away her brushes, allowing the ink on the paper to dry. She hesitated to inscribe her initials on the corner. Only after a moment¡¯s hesitation did she eventually drop the thought.

    Qu Feiqing laid in the dragon bed after taking a calming bath. For many nights, by this time, she had been used to sleeping with Su Xin in her arms. Now she felt sleeplessness catch her while laying alone in her wide bed.

    Qu Feiqing was a very selfish person; she doesn¡¯t like to give more than the other person. In matters of love, she wants to be the sober one. The person with the cool-headed demeanor forever. But now she finds that it is so difficult to reduce her fancy, even just by one point.

    Feelings are far from being light as scholars, poets and singers have said them to be¡ªit takes immense will to be able to let it dwindle.

    On the other side, Su Xin was still gloomy, sitting in bed her eyes wide open and also sleepless.

    ¡°Young lady, is there anything on your mind?¡±  Shu Juan with drooping eyes, asked softly, situated at a corner.

    Shu Juan had grown more respectful and humble, far from the jittery girl she was from before. She stood there in an aloof manner; even the smile on her face was less. As time slowly passed, she also no longer shed tears in front of Su Xin.

    ¡°Nothing much. Shu Juan, don¡¯t you feel flustered to be in the palace, locked for a long time?¡±

    ¡°The Young lady feels bored in the palace?¡± Instead of answering Su Xin¡¯s question, Shu Juan replied with a question of her own.

    ¡°A little.¡± Su Xin admitted, fiddling with the jade beads on her wrist. A bracelet which was given by Qu Feiqing herself. She looked at it as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

    After a moment¡¯s silence, ¡°Can the Young lady bear to leave her majesty?¡± Shu Juan tried to inquire tentatively.

    Su Xin paused and looked up towards Shu Juan, eyes sharp as needles. At this sight, Shu Juan¡¯s heart pricked painfully.

    ¡°You knew my plans?¡±

    ¡°The Young lady never wanted to hide anything from Shu Juan before, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Shu Juan could only smile bitterly. She was Su Xin¡¯s personal servant girl; she vowed to follow Su Xin wherever she wants to go. Besides, she¡¯s not blind or ignorant as Su Xin to see that¡­Su Xin doesn¡¯t want her to follow her but rather wants to run towards the opposite direction, to her majesty.

    These things she could clearly see plain as day.

    ¡°Why do you ask me if I¡¯m willing to leave her?¡± Su Xin was curious about this. What did she show that gave the illusion to Shu Juan to think she can¡¯t leave Qu Feiqing?

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Young lady like her majesty?¡± Shu Juan clenched her fists, heart overflowing with sadness.

    ¡°Ah? What? I don¡¯t like her¡­¡±  Su Xin said at a loss. Well, she did say that she liked Qu Feiqing, but it was only affection for intimate pleasures in bed. It seems that Qu Feiqing was the opposite, genuinely holding serious affection for her.

    Shu Juan merely stared at Su Xin, her face devoid of any expression. The room was once more submerged in silence.

    ¡°Young lady, you are truly ruthless.¡± Shu Juan finally declared.

 CH 63

    During the whole day, Lin Shun felt a bit ill at ease.

    Pale face, plus the thick dark circles around the eyes, he looked rather peak and pine.

    He had mown for a whole day, which made him even more upset because of the enormous noise.

    Not until dusk did he finish his job, mowing the lawn.

    He finally caught a breath and put the lawnmower into the shed. After he grabbed a few bites and cleared himself up, he went back to his room.

    Sitting on bed for a while, he jumped off the bed suddenly. He lied down by the bed, stretched out a hand for a wooden box under the bed.

    He put it on the table, opened it and took out a beautiful stone. He wondered he could have enough money for a lifetime if he sold it.

    He comforted himself, thinking, ¡°I will quit a few days later. No one would find out what I did.¡±

    Knock! Knock!

    Someone was knocking on the door.

    ¡°Who is it?¡±

    He was startled. As he was asking, he closed the box anxiously and put it back under the bed quickly.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Ji Yue.¡±

    Li Shun got more nervous on hearing it was him. He quickly swept off the sweats on his forehead and then took a few deep breath trying to make himself look normal as usual.

    ¡°Coming. Wait a sec!¡±

    He opened the door and saw Ji Yue with a black cat in his arms. He then asked with a smile, ¡°Mr. Ji, what can I do for you?¡±

    Ji Yue scanned all over him and sensed something different. But he still wore a smile on the surface and asked directly to the point,

    ¡°Today I am here to ask a few questions about Xiaomei.¡±

    ¡°Xiao¡­Xiaomei?¡± Li Shun¡¯s fingers holding the door trembled. He tried to explain,

    ¡°She and I were not very close. I was mowing the lawn the day she died. So I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know a lot about her death. And I already told you everything I know that day.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Ji Yue nodded and continued, ¡°Someone told me yesterday that Xiaomei was pushed off the roof by a man in black. I remembered that you wore a black outfit that day.¡±

    ¡°Mr. Ji, you must be mistaken. I wore a gray coat, not a black one.¡± Li Shun raised his voice and argued.

    Obviously he was kind of emotionally out of control.

    Ji Yue cast a glance at him and got right to the point, ¡°Stop pretending. You killed Xiaomei and I have evidence.¡±

    Speaking of which, he took a bottle out of his pocket.

    When Li Shun saw the bottle, he was mortified with his eyes wide open. He shoveled Ji Yue away and ran away instantly.

    ¡°Meow!¡± He wants to escape!

    Xia Liang hopped off Ji Yue¡¯s arm and dashed forward onto Li Shun¡¯s shoulder, scratched his face with her sharp paw right away.

    ¡°Ah!¡± Li Shun didn¡¯t expect that this black cat could be so tough. His face bled due to the scratch. He was outraged because of the pain. He grabbed the little black cat and tried to throw her on the ground.

    ¡°Liang!¡±

    Ji Yue shouted with worries. He ran toward quickly and directly threw himself at Li Shun.

 CH 64

    Li Shun¡¯s hands were tied up and put aside.

    Ji Yue also looked a little messed up because he had a bruise at the corner of his mouth. That was left by Li Shun when they fought.

    His usual gentle face now looked very terrible. Anyone could tell how upset he felt now.

    ¡°Mr. Ji, are you alright? Do you need to apply some ointment? We will watch Li Shun.¡± Asked a servant carefully.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Ji Yue shook his head and carried Xia Liang into his arm gently. He felt huge pain in his heart when he saw the pinch of cat hair on the floor.

    He lowered his head and touched her forehead with his gently, asking in his heart, ¡°does it hurt?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Xia Liang shook her head.

    How could it not hurt?

    She was firmly grasped in Li Shun¡¯s hand. If he didn¡¯t knock him down in time, she might have been choked to death or got smashed on the floor. How could it not hurt?

    Jie Yue thought there must be some bruises left in other parts of her body, but got covered by the fur.

    ¡°I¡®m gonna find a doctor for you later.¡± Ji Yue still insisted.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Xia Liang refused, ¡°it just hurts a little bit.¡±

    The pain was nothing. She would recover after a few days¡¯ rest.

    ¡°You should apply ointment on your lips.¡± Xia Liang pointed her claws at his lips.

    Ji Yue felt bitter on his lips but sweet in his heawrt. He wished he could spank her so that she could learn her lesson.

    In such a situation just now, she directly jumped on Li Shun without even thinking. Li Shun could never escape! It was not her job to fight a man!

    Thinking back of that moment, Ji Yue felt that his heart nearly popped out of his chest. He was so dead worried that she might get hurt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that again. You got me?¡± Ji Yue didn¡¯t talk much because it was not appropriate to snuggle with a cat in public.

    ¡°Yeah. I know..¡± Xia Liang nodded obediently.

    She also realized that she did a wrong thing now.

    She might have been killed by that man. She was indeed not his match.

    Luckily Ji Yue saved her.

    She approached him and licked him on the face and sucked up, ¡°thank you for saving my life.¡±

    Ji Yue¡¯s heart missed a beat because of her sudden lick. He smiled and felt so much better.

    He didn¡¯t interrogate Li Shun right away. He carried Xia Liang back to Li Shun¡¯s room, put Xia Liang down and started to search any useful proof.

    ¡°Meow.¡± I found something under the bed.

    Xia Liang saw a box under the bed very soon after she looked around.

    Ji Yue squatted down, followed the direction where her little paw was pointing at and pulled a wooden box out.

    He opened the box and saw the thing in it. He frowned because he felt the thing was not simple.

    It gave him some kind of creepy feeling.

 CH 65

    The inside of the box was carved with intertwined patterns. Such patterns were not ordinary flower pattern. They were lines and curves intertwining weirdly altogether, delivering a spooky and intimating chill.

    There were two layers inside the box, with a few exceptionally beautiful stones on upper layer. Some were crystal clear like glass, and some were warm and flawless. Apparently they were priceless.

    At the bottom layer, there were small things such as hair pins, combs, and bells. And there was a bundle of dark hair.

    Those were common things and one could tell they were aged. It could be told they belong to a woman.

    But the bundle of dark hair was strange.

    ¡°Meow.¡± Look at this.

    Xia Liang was also checking the things in the box. Seeing Ji Yue was staring at other stuff, she stretched out her little paw and scratched the partition in the middle to tip him.

    In an instant, a few shallow scratches were left on the thin board.

    Hearing Xia Liang¡¯s meowing and seeing her action, Ji Yue instantly understood what she meat. He then tried whether the partition was removable and then took it off easily.

    ¡°Liang, you are so smart. There is really something in it.¡± Ji Yue petted her little head.

    ¡°Meow.¡± It¡¯s a random guess. What¡¯s in it?

    Xia Liang was a little shy but still very happy. She looked up at Ji Yue with her beautiful bright eyes, wagging her little tail.

    Ji Yue was so amused by her cuteness. He took out a piece of yellowing paper from the interlayer, and said to her,

    ¡°It is a piece of parchment. There are some characters on it, but I don¡¯t know them.¡±

    Speaking of which, he passed it in front of Xia Liang so that she could take a closer look.

    Xia Liang shook her head at the strange characters. She didn¡¯t know them either.

    ¡°We can ask Li Shun about this box. It might be a breakthrough.¡± said Ji Yue while putting away the parchment back into the box.

    Ji Yue was thinking of finding someone tomorrow to see whether he could interpret these words.

    A man and a cat kept searching the room and found nothing valuable except for the box. So it was quite possible that Xiaomei¡¯s death was related to it.

    The moment Li Shun was caught, he knew he was screwed. He made a big mistake just because of his greediness of money. He would end up in jail eventually because he killed Xiaomei.

    On thinking of that, all thoughts were blasted. The only thing left in his heart was regret.

    When Ji Yue asked him, he told everything he knew.

    ¡°When I was gardening in the backyard, I dug out the box by accident. Xiaomei was there. I didn¡¯t mean to give the box to the master because the box look fancy and it had a treasure in it. But Xiaomei didn¡¯t agree with my doing. Until I half threatened and half tempted her, she agreed to keep the secret for me. When I tried to find a way to sell the box, a few evil things happened in the house. And the police kept coming in and out. I didn¡¯t have the nuts to make any move. After Mr. Ji came here, you started to ask around. Xiaomei tried to tell you the truth because she likes you. I didn¡¯t agree so we had a fight. I didn¡¯t mean to kill her. I pushed her off the roof by accident. I¡­I was terrified. I didn¡¯t mean to kill her! But, she made me! I didn¡¯t mean to, I swear.¡±

    Li Shun had a breakdown as he was speaking. He choked with sobs, burying his face in his palms.

    Ji Yue frowned at his confession, he ignored his breakdown and kept asking, ¡°when did you find this box?¡±

    ¡°A month ago.¡± said Li Shun.

    A month ago, the healthy master and her lady started to get heavily sick, then their second daughter went crazy, later the lady died, and the eldest son too.

    Ji Yue had a feeling that the box may be one of the reasons why there were so many creepy and unexplainable things having happened in the family.

    The box was like a Pandora¡¯s box. Once it was opened, it had caused so many misfortunes and disasters to Nangong family.

    The more he thought, the more he wanted to figure out what the parchment said because he had a feeling that it had a big secret on it.

    ¡°What about this bottle?¡±Ji Yue took out the bottle he had just shown to Li Shun.

    It was the bottle Xia Liang found in the garden.

    Li Shun looked sluggish, but he then came to his sense as he heard Ji Yue¡¯s question, ¡°This bottle was also in the box. I tossed it in the garden because it looked unworthy. When you showed it to me earlier, I thought you already knew about the wooden box. So I got panicked and tried to run away Now I know you knew nothing of it at all.¡±

    Li Shun felt regretted after he knew the truth. If he could have stayed calm at the time, he wouldn¡¯t have been exposed.

    ¡°Hm¡± Nodded Ji Yue slightly, ¡°I was bluffing. Actually I didn¡¯t know anything about the bottle. Luckily I busted you with such a little bottle. You don¡¯t need to blame the bottle. I still can prove that you are the murderer without the bottle through other proof. Since you already arose my suspicion, I will find a way to expose you no matter what. There is no way you can get away.¡±

    On hearing his words, Li Shun¡®s mere fluke mind to roam at large was totally gone.

    After interrogating Li Shun, Ji Yue told everything to Nangong Ze and shared his own guessing with him so that he could protect himself.

    After everything, Ji Yue then took Xia Liang and the box back to his room.

    He cleaned Xia Liang and checked carefully to make sure that she was fine. A person and a cat finally got a chance to lie down on the bed. Finally, they had some bonding time together, thought Ji Yue.

    Unfortunately, someone was knocking on the door at this time.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± Ji Yue moved Xia Liang away from his chest and got up.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Wang Yao.¡±