Chapter 431: Single by Strength

It had been a day since the battle with the Jiangshi King. An exhausted Ye Wenxin had fallen asleep as soon as she returned to her bed. She never expected someone to take advantage of her vulnerability in her dreams, leading to the awkward situation she found herself in now.

Long Qingyue was still sitting in her wheelchair, smiling softly at Ye Wenxin. It was a calm smile, revealing nothing of the clear truth hidden in her eyes. Ye Wenxin slumped back down, looking as if she were at Long Qingyue’s mercy.

“Forget it. Since you want to see, go ahead, Yue’er.” Ye Wenxin sighed, feeling a sense of fatigue from this dull reality. She turned toward Long Qingyue, who was next to her, and took her hand. “But I’m afraid that if you see my memories, our relationship might change.”

Long Qingyue continued to smile and did not withdraw her hand from Ye Wenxin’s grasp. Even though Ye Wenxin’s hand felt a bit warm to her, for some reason, not only her hands but even her gaze seemed to have the power to melt Long Qingyue’s heart.

The one in front of her was undoubtedly Gu Qingcheng, but she was completely inconsistent with the script.

“Don’t mind it. I was just curious for a few days. Since you don’t want me to see, I’ll leave it be, Qingcheng.” Long Qingyue finally withdrew her hand. It seemed she had found the sense of security she had lost in those eyes.

Gu Qingcheng hadn’t changed. Even if Ye Wenxin was the only one left in this world, the Gu Qingcheng she knew remained the same.

“Really!?” Ye Wenxin’s eyes lit up when she heard this, and she sat up again, almost hugging Long Qingyue out of excitement. Long Qingyue still wore a faint smile, adjusting her bangs as she looked out the window and said, “I have to go now, Qingcheng.”

Long Qingyue always came and went in a hurry, and Ye Wenxin had long grown accustomed to her unpredictable nature. She was not surprised to hear her say this, and nodded. “Mm, take care on your way.”

Ye Wenxin lazily lay back down again. She felt exhausted from that dream and wanted to rest some more.

“You…”

This time, however, Long Qingyue looked at Ye Wenxin with some displeasure at her behavior. “Does anyone actually like you when you’re like this? You’re single purely by strength, aren’t you?”

Ye Wenxin lay there languidly and replied, “I also wish no one liked me, but for some reason, I’ve suddenly become very popular recently.”

As she recalled what had happened to her recently, Ye Wenxin’s tone carried a hint of pride. But she didn’t dare to be too complacent, lest Long Qingyue pour cold water on her enthusiasm. Long Qingyue was still smiling and, surprisingly, accepted Ye Wenxin’s words, before continuing, “Then, I’m off.”

There were no pleasantries, as if Long Qingyue had come here just to say goodbye to Ye Wenxin.

Ye Wenxin sat up again, and reverted to her younger self, drawing another smile from a watching Long Qingyue.

“You can go back to sleep.”

Ye Wenxin felt even more awkward because both Long Qingyue and Liu Churan were the type to take the initiative, while she was always very passive. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Ye Wenxin never took the initiative herself.

However, seeing that Long Qingyue was really about to leave, and thinking that she didn’t know when they would meet again, Ye Wenxin mustered a smile and said, “I suddenly feel like I can’t sleep anymore. Might as well get up and see you off.”

Long Qingyue fiddled with her sleeves, considered it for a few seconds, and then said, “Qingcheng, take me for a walk.”

Ye Wenxin immediately complied, and pushed Long Qingyue’s wheelchair out of the room.

Not long after they stepped out the door, they saw a large number of Secret Guards kneeling on the ground, along with Long Qing’er, whose face was wrought with anxiousness. Apparently, while Long Qingyue was not in a hurry, the entire Golden Age Dynasty was.

Long Qingyue was not the Emperor, but her status had long surpassed his. To put it bluntly, the Golden Age Dynasty could do without anyone, but the one person it absolutely could not lose was Long Qingyue.

Without her, the Golden Age Dynasty did not deserve its name.

“Please return to the palace, Eldest Princess!”

“Please return to the palace, Eldest Princess!”

One voice gave rise to a chorus of voices, as the hundreds of Secret Guards kneeling on the ground kowtowed to Long Qingyue. Their faces were filled with reverence, acknowledging that Long Qingyue was like another parent to them.

Long Qingyue fiddled with her sleeves and said with a smile, “I never said I wouldn’t go back. You may all disperse now.”

The crowd didn’t dare to stand up at this. Long Qingyue maintained her smile, but coercive pressure gradually began to emanate from her. Breathing became difficult, and fear began to grow in their hearts. A flash of blood-red light appeared in Long Qingyue’s eyes, and behind her, the blood-red lion let out a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth.

At last, they gave a timid half-bow and quickly dispersed. Among them, only Long Qingyue’s niece and the daughter of Golden Age Dynasty’s Emperor, Long Qing’er, did not leave.

“Aunt,” Long Qing’er respectfully called out.

It had only been a short time since they last met, but Long Qing’er had grown more spirited and determined at Fairy Fengya’s side. Long Qingyue nodded to her, but didn’t say much more. Instead, she continued speaking to Ye Wenxin, who was behind her: “Let’s go. Push me for a walk over there.”

There was a hint of indifference in her tone, suggesting that some kind of rift might have developed between the aunt and niece. Long Qingyue had always been very strict with Long Qing’er, and it was likely this kind of upbringing that sparked a rebellious streak in the girl.

Ye Wenxin sighed inwardly. She even suspected that Long Qing’er’s rebelliousness was part of a script Long Qingyue had arranged. But regardless of the truth, as a mere friend of Long Qingyue’s, Ye Wenxin wasn’t in a position to meddle in her family affairs. So, she quietly pushed Long Qingyue along for a stroll.

The Mo Clan Stronghold had a vast proper, but focused more on martial prowess, with training grounds everywhere and hardly any scenery to enjoy. It was still early morning, and they could see many Mo Clan disciples practicing martial arts, looking focused and serious.

At this moment, Long Qingyue instructed Ye Wenxin, “Stop here.”

Ye Wenxin nodded. This was a complete blind spot for the Secret Guards or any other observers. Although Long Qingyue had gained the Secret Guards’ loyalty, there seemed to be a group of people still closely monitoring her actions from the shadows.

The Jiangshi King was only interested in Mo Niancheng, and was currently sealed in a state of hibernation, so it couldn’t possibly be her. This group, however, had decent cultivation and was very skilled at hiding. It was unclear whether they were foreign spies or people Long Qing’er had secretly trained.

Regardless, this had nothing to do with the two of them having a private chat about everyday matters.

As Ye Wenxin was contemplating how to start the conversation, Long Qingyue suddenly said, “Xiao Zhang has already figured it out.”

“Well, she’s very smart, after all,” Ye Wenxin replied calmly.

Xiao Zhang had been suspicious of Ye Wenxin ever since she treated her of corpse poison. When Xiao Zhang witnessed her use Flower Burial, Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng’s exclusive cultivation method, it confirmed that suspicion.