The morning light was faint, spilling onto the bluestone slabs of this warm little courtyard.
Chihuang stood outside the courtyard gate, her posture as straight as a pine tree, but her hands were tightly gripping the hem of her skirt.
She occasionally gave a light stomp, her red embroidered shoes tapping out a soft, fragmented sound on the stone. She sighed inwardly.
Her Honored Master had advised her not to come.
But after thinking it over, she came anyway.
Who could have imagined that the last time she came, the body inside would have been Qin Qingyue?!
Her Honored Master had clearly seen it at the time but didn’t warn her! Causing her to be rude in front of the other party and making a complete fool of herself.
The pain from those slaps on her bottom, she still remembered it vividly.
Chihuang gave a light cough, her slender hands once again gently smoothing the folds of her long skirt, making sure every part was neat and proper.
What she wore today was the most formal Saintess attire of the Crimson Dragon Clan.
It needed to have the bright, beautiful allure befitting the Crimson Dragon Saintess, but also the dignity and propriety required by etiquette.
This time, she would definitely make Qin Qingyue understand that she, Chihuang, was not that kind of frivolous woman! Not the kind of woman who runs around in sheer gauze!
The door inside the courtyard suddenly opened slowly.
Chihuang immediately adjusted her posture, straightened her chest, slightly raised her chin, her expression becoming calm and elegant, a perfectly appropriate faint smile playing on her lips.
When she saw it was Jiang Huai who came out, that smile deepened a bit. She gave a slight nod.
“Long time no see, Jiang Huai.”
Jiang Huai halted his steps.
He looked at Chihuang with a blank expression, a question mark practically materializing above his head.
How did he remember just meeting her yesterday? How was it a ‘long time no see’?
“Come on in.” He quickly set aside that bit of confusion, walked over to Chihuang with light steps, and said with a smile, “You don’t need to just stand outside from now on, just come straight into the house.”
He planned to leave this little courtyard soon and move to the Longyin Hall in the Nine Heavens Palace.
At that time, Chihuang would naturally be able to come and go as she pleased and would have her own quarters.
The spatial treasures held by many Great Ascension Stage cultivators might not even be as large as a single room in the Longyin Hall.
Chihuang habitually hummed twice, the sound carrying a hint of tsundere pride and a hint of intimacy.
She leaned close to Jiang Huai and whispered,
“Speaking of which, has she left?”
She paused, then added,
“Is she still inside?”
Out of politeness, she hadn’t released her divine sense to check if anyone was inside the house.
After all, this time, she wanted to leave a good impression on Qin Qingyue.
“What ‘still inside’?” Jiang Huai was taken aback and asked, puzzled, “Qin Xuange?”
Chihuang’s bright dragon eyes gave him a look, the gaze carrying a ‘are you stupid’ meaning.
“Who else? Who else could it be?”
“She’s here, she’s here.” Jiang Huai nodded.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked,
“Then… are you still coming in?”
After all, the temperaments of these two dragons were quite incompatible, and there had just been a conflict yesterday.
They wouldn’t start fighting here, would they?
“Go in?” Chihuang looked at him with surprise, her gaze as if looking at a fool, “Why else would I be here?”
She playfully patted Jiang Huai’s shoulder, the force neither light nor heavy, carrying the unique intimacy of a young woman.
“Put in a good word for me, she is a senior, after all.”
With that, she stepped into the courtyard.
Jiang Huai opened his mouth, watching her retreating figure, thinking,
‘Could it be the sun really rose from the west today? Is Chihuang planning to make up with Qin Xuange?’
‘However, given Qin Xuange’s personality, even if Chihuang really tried to reconcile, she probably wouldn’t agree, would she?’
But there was no time to think more about it now.
Jiang Huai quickened his pace, caught up with Chihuang, and they arrived at the doorway together.
Everything inside the room came into view.
Qin Xuange sat by the tea table, one leg crossed over the other, her posture lazy.
She held that white porcelain gaiwan in her hand, taking small, delicate sips of the liquid within, her expression indifferent.
Yet inside the room, the lingering, thick, ambiguous atmosphere hung like an invisible mist, permeating every corner.
And the messy, unevenly colored sheets on the bed silently spoke of the thunder and fire from the previous night.
Chihuang gave a light sniff, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
This smell…
She felt a strange emotion in her heart.
Come to think of it, when the two of them were intimate, was it Qin Xuange’s body they were using?
Then what did Qin Xuange count as? Could this proud woman really be played as a substitute?
Thinking of this, Chihuang’s mood couldn’t help but improve greatly.
Her brows and eyes relaxed, and the corners of her mouth even lifted slightly.
No matter what happened to her, at least she used her own body and wouldn’t be controlled by another dragon.
Not like Qin Xuange here, whose body was used as a substitute.
She stepped forward, bowed respectfully towards the person by the tea table.
“I pay my respects to Senior Qin.”
The corner of Qin Xuange’s tightly pressed mouth twitched slightly. She struggled to suppress the urge to let her lips curl up, took another small sip from her cup, and then gave an indifferent “Hmm.”
“Yesterday, I truly did not know the senior had returned in such a manner, so my manners were lacking. I hope the senior can be magnanimous.” Chihuang bowed again, carefully observing Qin Xuange’s expression, trying to glean some clues from that face.
Only then did Qin Xuange look up, giving Chihuang’s attire a once-over.
Her gaze slid from Chihuang’s hair bun down to her skirt hem, then back up to her face. Finally, she inwardly ‘tsk’ed.
‘This getup is to curry favor with Qin Qingyue. How pretentious.’
She gave a faint smile, her tone carrying a meaningful hint.
“You know how to dress properly today?”
Having previously shared tactile sensations with Qin Qingyue, imitating her gestures, demeanor, and tone naturally came easily to her.
Within a small range of motion, she could almost achieve a perfect replica.
Chihuang gave an awkward smile.
She leaned close to Qin Xuange, her tone carrying a hint of a pleading, cautious note.
“The main wife isn’t like that. I knew there was no one else outside, I was just joking around with Qin Xuange.”
She paused, then hurriedly added,
“The main wife has seen me before, haven’t you? I’ve always been dignified and proper. How could I possibly do something like that?”
She thought for a moment, feeling it wasn’t enough, and quickly said,
“The main wife mustn’t listen to whatever nonsense Qin Xuange whispers in your ear.”
Jiang Huai listened clearly from the side.
When he heard Chihuang call out “main wife,” he completely understood. Chihuang had mistaken the Qin Xuange before her for Qin Qingyue.
He was just about to speak up and clarify when he saw Qin Xuange look up at him.
That look seemed to say,
‘If you dare speak, I won’t let Qin Qingyue possess my body anymore.’
‘You’d better weigh the consequences.’
After Qin Qingyue left, Qin Xuange’s confidence had clearly rebounded.
She had regained her previous state. Those eyes had become sharp and proud, staring straight at Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai paused.
He blinked at her, a soul transmission quietly sent out.
“Don’t go too far. Under my roof, our own people are not allowed to bully each other.”
‘Don’t use Qin Qingyue’s reputation to do bad things.’
He was truly afraid Qin Xuange, in a fit of anger, would physically bully Chihuang under Qin Qingyue’s name.
Qin Xuange was not to be outdone. Her tone was cool, her soul transmission carrying a scoff.
‘Who’s ‘our own people’ with her? I’m not.’
‘Keep talking like that, and I’ll arrange your quarters and hers right across from each other, so you see each other every day,’ Jiang Huai transmitted back, displeased.
What he disliked most was hearing talk of internal conflict.
Qin Xuange raised her hand, pretending to drink tea, using the motion to secretly glare at him.
But in the end, she said no more.
The soft tip of her tongue brushed against the white turbidity in the cup. The warm, smooth, slick sensation improved her mood considerably.
She set down the gaiwan, looked at Chihuang with a slightly surprised expression, and smiled.
“What’s wrong? Are you afraid Qin Xuange will speak ill of you?”
Her gaze carried a scrutinizing air.
“Done something to feel guilty about?”
Chihuang straightened her chest, the full curve swaying slightly with the movement, and gave a light hum.
“I haven’t done anything to feel guilty about. But whether she’s spoken ill of me or not, I don’t know.”
She slightly raised her chin, her tone full of pride.
“I, Chihuang, conduct myself openly and aboveboard in all matters. What could I possibly have to feel guilty about?”
Qin Xuange glanced at her.
That gaze held a bit of scrutiny, a bit of amusement, and a bit of…
The corner of her mouth curved into a faint smile. She slowly extended a slender hand, her index finger gently hooking under Chihuang’s chin, forcing her to look up slightly and meet her eyes.
The action carried a hint of condescension.
She narrowed her eyes and smiled.
“You call me ‘main wife,’ is that right?”
Chihuang was stunned by this move.
The warmth from the fingertip, the close-up, half-smiling gaze, made her nod submissively, allowing her chin to be lifted, completely compliant.
Qin Xuange’s smile deepened.
She withdrew her hand, lazily leaned back into the chair, her gaze falling on the white porcelain gaiwan on the tea table, then slowly shifting back to Chihuang’s face.
“Since I am the Mistress…” she began slowly, her tone carrying a natural sense of command, “shouldn’t you serve your Mistress a cup of tea?”
She paused, gesturing toward the teapot. “Pour a cup and bring it over.”
Chi Huang froze for a second. But only for a second before she hurriedly responded:
“Yes!”
In front of a grand senior like Qin Qingyue, she didn’t have much of a temper. If she was told to pour tea, she would pour tea. She stepped quickly to the table, gently picking up the teapot and carefully filling another clean lidded cup with tea.
Though, she wondered, why was the bottom of this cup milky white? Had they been drinking milk earlier?
Chi Huang didn’t dare ask. Holding the cup with both hands, she walked respectfully to Qin Xuange and bowed as she presented it:
“Mistress, please have some tea.”
Her posture was dignified, her tone respectful, and she even wore a flattering smile.
Qin Xuange reached out and took it. She looked down at the cup in her hand, then looked up at the respectfully standing Chi Huang, and suddenly burst into a wild laugh:
“Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!”
The laughter was unrestrained and arrogant, echoing through the small room, even causing the plants to tremble slightly. She laughed so hard she rocked back and forth, the tea in the cup nearly spilling as drops splashed onto the table.
Chi Huang was stunned. She stared blankly at the person laughing hysterically before her, her mind a total void. What is happening?
The laughter continued—full of triumph, mockery, and a certain sense of gratification.
Chi Huang’s face turned from confusion to bewilderment, then to disbelief, and finally flushed a deep, burning red. She suddenly snapped to her senses and roared:
“YOU!!!”
She snatched at her waist. With a flash of red light, her personal longsword was already held before her. Her beautiful dragon eyes went wide as she glared at the still-laughing Qin Xuange, gritting her teeth:
“Qin Xuange! It’s you! You wretched dragon!”
“I’LL KILL YOU!!!”
With a flick of her wrist, the longsword carried a sharp, piercing light as it slashed violently toward Qin Xuange!