The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

Summer nights are short. Li Xiyue lay in bed, repeatedly thinking about what Bingyin had told her.

In this world, besides her sixth brother, she could hardly find anyone who was truly good to her. Although she didn't know if Bingyin felt guilty or pitied her, she always had a strange feeling when facing Bingyin. Bingyin's smiling face from their first meeting lingered in Xiyue's mind.

That smiling face, familiar and warm, was one she had seen long ago, but she would never see that person again in this life.

She slowly closed her eyes, and in the moment she was completely asleep, she vaguely saw a man dressed in pure white clothes standing in front of her with his arms crossed, shielding her from the bright moonlight and the endless darkness.

The next day, as dawn broke, Li Xiyue woke up groggily, hurriedly put on her clothes, hung up her cloth bag, and went downstairs to eat.

As Li Xiyue walked down the stairs, she saw Qingqing sitting at the table in the center, with a pile of steamed buns in front of her.

"Where's Bingyin? Didn't he come down for dinner?" Li Xiyue turned around and looked around the shop, but didn't see Bingyin.

Qingqing, who was eating a steamed bun, swallowed hard when Li Xiyue asked and said, "Sister Yue, he left last night. He must have gone to Huanjie Mountain to ask his master. Come and eat first, the steamed buns here are delicious."

Li Xiyue was taken aback. "He left last night? What time?"

"Hmm... I think it was after I met you. I saw you sitting in the courtyard, and then he left not long after. What, you didn't know?" Qingqing looked up at Li Xiyue and saw that she looked a little surprised, so she asked.

Li Xiyue shook her head. She didn't know that Bingyin had already left last night. It seemed he was afraid of her personality and feared she would insist on going with him today, so he left early.

Li Xiyue pulled up a stool and sat down. Qingqing pushed a plate of steamed buns in front of her and said, "However, even if he asks, Daoist Huanzhen might not tell him."

"Why?" Li Xiyue's heart skipped a beat. This was her last hope, and she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

Qingqing seemed oblivious to Li Xiyue's change in mood and continued, "My young master Ye Zhen has also been searching for many years, but he hasn't found it. How could Bingyin possibly find it? The Bone Ring is an extremely precious item. How could someone as insignificant as us possibly find it?"

Li Xiyue clenched her fingers tightly, her face turning red with excitement.

Qingqing looked at the steamed buns in front of her, but Li Xiyue hadn't touched a single one. Her expression changed, and she glanced at Qingqing's face before giving an awkward smile. She said, "Sister Yue, don't be disappointed. Bingyin is no ordinary person. He's a legendary figure who entered the Red Jade Palace's Soul Register after only one year of cultivation. How could he not find out about the Bone Ring? Don't worry, just stay here and wait for him to come back. Otherwise, if you lose even a single hair, I'll be in big trouble."

Looking at Qingqing's aggrieved face, and thinking of Bingyin's unpredictable temper, Li Xiyue smiled slightly and said, "I know you mean well, I'm fine. Let's eat."

Qingqing watched nervously as Li Xiyue picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of a side dish, and put it in her mouth. The other woman smiled slightly at her, but Qingqing felt a chill run down her spine.

"Sister Yue, you seem to be in a bad mood. How about we go to the city for some fun? We can tell the landlady that Bingyin can come find us when he gets back." Qingqing made a face at Li Xiyue, her face full of anticipation.

“But Bingyin said we can’t leave here. If he comes back and can’t find us, he’ll be angry,” Li Xiyue said.

Qingqing suddenly leaned close to Li Xiyue, her voice very low, but Li Xiyue could still hear what she was saying.

"Sister Yue, do you like Bingyin?"

Li Xiyue's face instantly turned red. She hurriedly picked up a steamed bun, but accidentally dropped it on the ground. Looking at the dusty bun on the ground, she said helplessly, "Why do you say that? I've grown up and I still don't know what it feels like to like someone."

Qingqing hummed in agreement, her little eyes blinking. "Since you don't like Bingyin, why are you afraid he'll get angry? I'm not afraid he'll hand me over to the young master, so why are you so scared?"

Li Xiyue remained silent, and Qingqing continued, "Furthermore, I find your relationship quite strange. The legendary Ice Shadow is a cold and aloof person who doesn't usually show kindness to others easily, but he seems to treat you exceptionally well. What exactly is your relationship?"

“We…” Li Xiyue paused. She had never considered what her relationship with Bingyin really was. They had only met by chance, and then, for some reason, many threads had formed between them, binding them tightly together. She had never asked herself what her relationship with Bingyin truly was.

Benefactor? Enemy? Friend?

It seems like neither of them are true...

"Alright, alright, Sister Yue, you're so dense, I knew you couldn't explain it clearly. There's a small town not far from here with lots of good food and fun things to do. We can just go there and wait for Bingyin, nothing will happen."

After Qingqing finished speaking, she grabbed Li Xiyue's arm and pulled her out before the latter could speak. The proprietress chased after them, watching their backs from afar until the woman in the light red dress disappeared from sight. Only then did she sigh, "That young master asked me to keep an eye on Miss Yue, but she's already vanished in no time."

It's unclear how long they ran before Qingqing finally let go of Li Xiyue's hand.

Li Xiyue was out of breath, clutching her chest with her right hand, gasping for air. Once she felt a little better, she began to see her surroundings more clearly.

She and Qingqing had somehow arrived in a small town. At the town gate stood two men, one fat and one thin, who looked like soldiers. Above the gate were two large characters: "Letian" (meaning "Happy and Content").

Qingqing looked delighted and patted Li Xiyue's shoulder, saying, "See? I told you so! There really is a small town. Let's go in and take a look..."

Li Xiyue felt somewhat helpless, but Qingqing was also considered her friend, so after thinking about it, she followed her.

As they approached the city gate, some passersby pointed at Li Xiyue and Qingqing and whispered among themselves. Li Xiyue was a little confused and turned to look at Qingqing beside her. Qingqing, too, seemed oblivious to the strangeness of the situation and continued walking forward.

Li Xiyue felt a tightness in her chest and hugged the bronze mirror in the cloth bag tightly.

The two soldiers at the city gate saw Li Xiyue and Qingqing walking towards them from afar. They didn't say anything, but they both covered their mouths and laughed.

Li Xiyue trembled as she saw the lewd look in their eyes.

She tugged at Qingqing's sleeve and said, "Qingqing, I think we should go back. We left in such a hurry that we didn't even tell the landlady. It wouldn't be good if Bingyin came back and didn't know where we were."

Qingqing frowned slightly and said, "But we've finally made it this far. If we go back, it will be dark, and we'll be hungry."

Waving her hand, Qingqing still took a step forward. "How about this, let's go here and have a nice meal, then go back, okay?"

Li Xiyue hesitated for a long time before speaking, but the fat soldier guarding the city gate chimed in, "Little sister, there are plenty of delicious foods in our Letian City. You'll regret it if you come and don't try them."

Qingqing swallowed hard, her eyes lighting up as she asked, "Really?"

“Of course it’s true, otherwise why do you think our city is called ‘Happy’? It’s because once people come, they don’t want to leave,” another soldier said.

Qingqing turned around and shook Li Xiyue's arm vigorously, her eyes filled with pleading, "Sister Yue, just one meal, then we'll leave, okay?"

Li Xiyue's heart softened, and she nodded, saying, "Since you want to eat, then let's have a meal together."

"That's great, Sister Yue is the best!" Qingqing hugged Li Xiyue tightly, but the latter was somewhat helpless. When she met the eyes of the two soldiers, Li Xiyue's body stiffened, and cold sweat instantly soaked her clothes on her back.

Dazzled by the jewelry and antiques on the streets of Lotte City, the two finally entered a small shop as dusk approached.

Li Xiyue regretted agreeing to Qingqing's request. If she had known Qingqing was so playful, she shouldn't have come out with her in the first place.

This shop has a rustic feel, and I imagine the food isn't too expensive.

Qingqing, suppressing her drool, ordered a few side dishes. Li Xiyue, with her hands resting on the table, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Turning slightly, she saw that almost all the other customers in the restaurant were staring at them. Upon noticing Li Xiyue's gaze, they instantly looked away and went about their business.

Li Xiyue found it strange. She rested her chin on her hand, lowered her head, and said in a deep voice, "Qingqing, don't you think this place is strange?"

Qingqing was looking around when she heard Li Xiyue speak. Her expression changed slightly, and she looked around and said, "There's nothing strange. Sister Yue, don't be afraid. I'm from the Leng family. Even if something happens, I will protect you."

“But… but you have almost no spiritual power left in your body,” Li Xiyue thought, and couldn’t help but worry about the two of them.

"Here comes the food, ladies! Please enjoy!" Li Xiyue was interrupted by the waiter's loud shout before she could finish speaking. Her left eye suddenly stung slightly. She turned to look at the waiter who was serving them. His square face was shrouded in dark energy.

"Waiter, what is this? I don't remember ordering this dish." Qingqing asked, scooping up a bowl of white soup with a spoon.

The waiter paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "You two ladies are very beautiful. This soup is complimentary. Please enjoy it. If you need anything, just let me know."

After saying that, the waiter smiled at Li Xiyue, who was in a daze, picked up the tray, and left.

Qingqing leaned on the table, took a deep breath, and filled her bowl with soup with the spoon. Before she even tasted it, her little eyes were already full of smiles.

"Mmm, delicious!" Watching Qingqing drink the whole bowl in one gulp, Li Xiyue suddenly felt a little uneasy. She picked up her chopsticks and looked at the counter. The owner suddenly turned his face away, seemingly unintentionally, but it sent a chill down Li Xiyue's spine.

"Sister Yue, why aren't you eating? It's delicious! Eat up, eat up, we'll go back after we finish eating," Qingqing mumbled, her mouth full of food, making her speech unclear.

"Oh." Li Xiyue picked up a piece of braised pork and was about to put it in her mouth when her left eye started to hurt. Looking down at the meat, she saw that even the braised pork was covered with a layer of black smoke.

Hastily tossing the meat onto the plate, Li Xiyue stood up, snatched Qingqing's chopsticks, and said urgently, "Qingqing, stop eating, let's go back!"

Qingqing, not understanding what was being said, still stuffed the steamed bun in her hand into her mouth.

Cold sweat broke out on Li Xiyue's forehead. Seeing Qingqing's confusion, she quickly walked to the counter and said, "Boss, we won't eat anymore. Please pay the bill."

The shopkeeper glanced at Li Xiyue, a strange smile playing on his lips. "Check, please? Can you afford it? Do you even know how much that girl's fish soup cost?"

Li Xiyue took a few steps back, her spine still straight, and said, "The waiter said it was a gift."

"Hmph..." The shopkeeper stepped out from behind the counter, approached Li Xiyue, and continued, "A free gift? I think the young lady has lost her mind. This shop never serves free food. That fish soup is fifty taels. If you don't have the money, don't even think about leaving this shop!"

Li Xiyue's expression changed drastically. Fifty taels of silver?! Isn't this ripping people off?! Bingyin left in a hurry, but even if he wasn't, who carries fifty taels of silver with them?!

Li Xiyue turned to look at Qingqing. If all else failed, she would have Qingqing defeat them first and then escape. But as soon as she turned around, she saw that Qingqing had fallen unconscious on the table.

"Qingqing..." Li Xiyue lunged forward, "Ugh!" With a muffled blow, Qingqing's figure in front of Li Xiyue became somewhat blurry. She didn't know how much time had passed before darkness filled her vision.