Chapter 8: The Empress Decree – “All for the Path of Cultivation”

“He’s clearly… clearly the one my disciple loves.”

“Even though I agreed to his confession on Ruoshui’s behalf, I still couldn’t resist inviting him over. That was so impulsive of me!”

Bu Qingge sat alone in her room, talking to herself—frowning one moment, looking expectant the next.

“But that’s the Hundred Charms Disruptive Body! I really need it!”

At that thought, a glint flashed in her eyes again.

It was all for the sake of cultivation.

As long as she didn’t cross the line, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

If it really comes to that… then once she returns to her peak strength, she’ll just make it up to Ruoshui somehow.

Calling Li Huaixian over wasn’t her original intention.

But just thinking about the significance of his special physique to her made her slip up and give in.

By the time she regretted it, it was already too late.

In the end…

“Hmph! Whatever! What’s done is done, I’ll just use it a little.”

“Besides, I used Ruoshui’s name to invite him. Even if he comes, as long as I pretend to be Ruoshui and do a little something… he probably won’t notice!”

Bu Qingge finally found a reason to justify it to herself.

She glanced at the time.

Li Huaixian should be arriving soon.

She had better get everything ready—that was the proper thing to do.

It’s all for cultivation!

***

Li Huaixian followed the maid along the path toward Qingfeng Pavilion.

Bored along the way, he started counting.

This young, nervous little maid had turned her head to look at him a total of 384 times.

And more than once, she nearly ran into things on the path.

“Miss, I’m not going to disappear.”

“You’d better focus on walking. Once we arrive, if you want to stare, I’ll stand there and let you look as much as you want.”

Finally, when Cui Lian almost bumped into a pillar again from turning around too much, Li Huaixian gently pulled her back and reminded her.

“Ah… I-I-I…”

Cui Lian’s round little face turned as red as a ripe apple.

Her wide, adorable eyes darted around in panic.

She stammered for quite a while without saying a word.

Li Huaixian gave her an encouraging smile.

Her heart pounded even harder, and she quickly lowered her head and rushed forward.

Thud!

“Hissss~~~”

As expected, she still couldn’t avoid her fate of bumping into something.

It was just destined to happen!

But that really looked painful.

Li Huaixian sighed helplessly, while Cui Lian didn’t even care about the pain.

Blushing furiously, she quickened her pace.

Once they reached the guest hall, she quickly said: “Li… Li Gongzi, we’ve arrived. I’ll take my leave now.”

Before Li Huaixian could respond, she dashed off like she was running for her life!

Out of his sight, the little maid clutched her hands over her chest, hopping in place in excitement.

“Eeeek~~~ Li Huaixian Gongzi isn’t just handsome, he’s also so kind and gentle~~~ Ugh, Miss, I’m sorry! I really couldn’t help myself!”

Li Huaixian just shook his head—he was used to this by now.

Sigh, it wasn’t her fault.

His Hundred Charms Disruptive Body already had a naturally fatal allure to the opposite sex.

Now that it had evolved into the Heavenly Charm Dao Body, it was even stronger.

Although the issue of being a human furnace had been resolved, his attractiveness to women had only grown.

No point thinking more about it.

He adjusted his sleeves and confidently stepped into the guest hall.

Looking around, he didn’t see Bu Ruoshui anywhere.

His eyes drifted toward the screen on the left side of the room.

‘Was she hiding behind it?’

“Ruoshui? Are you behind there?”

He called out curiously and walked straight toward the screen.

“Mm? She’s not here?”

Just as he was feeling confused, Bu Qingge lightly cleared her throat and adjusted her voice.

Imitating Bu Ruoshui’s tone, she said, “Huai Xian…”

‘Hm? What did Ruoshui usually call him again?’

‘Forget it!’

“Huai Xian gege… Ruoshui wants to play a little game with you, is that okay?”

Li Huaixian was stunned!

That soft and timid “Huai Xian gege” nearly melted his heart.

Especially since Ruoshui had always been so shy before—she only ever called him “Young Master Li.” And now, her tone sounded completely different.

‘Could it be… that awakening the Empress’s memories changed her personality?’

Though he was a little suspicious, he couldn’t help feeling a bit delighted.

Suppressing the flutter in his heart, he maintained a calm expression.

He said seriously, “Oh? What kind of game do you want to play?”

“What kind of game?”

“Since you can’t see me right now, why don’t you guess where I’m hiding?”

As soon as she said that, Bu Qingge flicked her fingertip through her hair in frustration.

‘To think that I, once the Empress standing above all others, now have to deceive a little boy just to cultivate…’

She couldn’t help feeling a bit embarrassed.

But after a moment of thought, she convinced herself, ‘This is already the best method I could come up with.’

‘It satisfies my cultivation needs, and he won’t suspect my true identity.’

‘Who else in the world could come up with such a brilliant plan?’

‘Yes. Only I, the unmatched Empress of Solitude, could do this!’

***

Upon hearing her words, Li Huaixian’s ears perked up.

‘A sweet little game between lovers?’

“Alright then. You better hide well.”

As soon as he spoke, a faint hum echoed through the living room.

Suddenly, all of his senses were cut off—he couldn’t perceive anything.

He blinked in confusion.

‘Wow… Ruoshui really knows how to play.’

Once she was sure that her spell had successfully blocked all of Li Huaixian’s senses, Bu Qingge boldly stepped closer to him.

She quietly observed his flawless, jade-like face, resting her chin on one hand with a thoughtful nod.

‘No wonder that girl Ruoshui fell for him. This boy is ridiculously handsome at such a young age. Heaven really does show favoritism.’

***

After studying him in silence for a moment, she formed a series of hand seals.

A stream of energy swirled from her palm and quickly flowed into Li Huaixian’s body.

The Hundred Charms Disruptive Body was exactly the constitution she needed.

And now that it had evolved into the Nirvana-Stage Heavenly Charm Physique, it was an even more perfect match for her own.

Though she had no idea how he’d achieved such transformation in just a few days, the moment she felt the true qi flowing rapidly through her body, she didn’t have time to question it.

She quickly entered a state of cultivation.

Sure enough, her cultivation speed at this moment was dozens of times faster than usual!

The frenzied circulation of true qi in her body made her unconsciously lean closer to Li Huaixian.

When she was just a breath away, staring at his face from this close distance, even someone who had once ruled as an Empress found herself swayed.

Bu Qingge’s clear eyes locked on his neck, and her crimson lips inched forward.

Overwhelmed by her desire to absorb more of his power and accelerate her recovery, her reason finally lost to craving.

She opened her mouth and bit down on Li Huaixian’s neck!

The taste of sweet blood slid down her throat, accompanied by an even more intense surge of true qi.

“Yes! This is the feeling! If I could cultivate like this every day, I’d be back at the peak in no time—and I’d make that damn woman pay!”

She closed her eyes and immersed herself in the euphoric sensation, as if riding a rocket.

***

However—

Li Huaixian finally noticed the sharp pain at his neck.

It felt like a mosquito bite, and he instinctively reached up to slap it away.

But as his hand swung upward, it suddenly collided with something soft.

He froze, confused.

He squeezed it.

Not only was it soft… it was also incredibly springy?

It felt just like—

In the next moment, his mind exploded with a loud boom, and he blacked out on the spot!

***

Meanwhile—

Bu Qingge stood frozen, her hand raised high, mind completely blank.

Her lips were still parted mid-bite.

The instant she was touched, she snapped out of her trance.

Almost reflexively, she struck the back of Li Huaixian’s head with a palm strike!

Her face flushed red, and her emotions were in complete turmoil.

She wanted to kill him on the spot, but memories from her other self urged her to restrain the impulse.

In the end, Bu Qingge vanished from the hall like a gust of wind.