CHAPTER 120
The Virtuous Wife and Mother, and the Su Family Daughter-in-Law
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"I'll just call you Sister Yulan. Calling you 'Elder' is too formal."
"As you wish, young miss."
Ye Qinghan wore a look of disdain, finding this girl a bit pretentious…
"Could you tone down that 'model wife and mother' act? That's the path I'm pursuing, and honestly, it doesn't suit you at all."
Yu Lan burst out laughing at the tease: "Pfft~ Yu Lan will try her best~"
But Ye Qinghan suddenly remembered something, and her recently thawed attitude turned frosty once more.
Out of nowhere, she snapped: "Let me repeat: if you're going to sneak a bite, remember to wipe your mouth clean!"
"Miss, forgive my ignorance. Yulan would love to, but Master Su…"
"Cut the crap. If my master were truly that kind of person, would I even need to be jealous of you?"
Yu Lan chuckled, saying no more. Now that she'd gotten her way, acting coy felt a bit like bullying a child.
That Ye Qinghan accepted her so readily had already exceeded her expectations!
In her eyes, avoiding a fight was the best outcome. Not that she feared one—with the Imperial Weapon now in her possession, she truly believed no one could stand against her for even a single exchange!
"It's clear the young miss has invested considerable effort in Master Su." With that, Yu Lan began to lay the groundwork.
Listen to the words, hear the meaning; listen to the sound of the gongs and drums.
Ye Qinghan shot Yu Lan a suspicious glance. What was he trying to imply?
"Oh?"
"Master Su has been enduring quite a lot lately. Last night, he took it out on Yu Lan, but that incident revealed something to me."
Ye Qinghan narrowed her eyes slightly. "Enough boasting. Spit it out."
This morning I discovered my cultivation had advanced significantly—a breakthrough I hadn't expected to achieve for another fifty years.
Ye Qinghan was puzzled. What did this mean? Could cultivation advancement possibly be related to sleeping with the Master?
"Are you saying this is thanks to the Master?"
"Young Miss, have you ever heard of the Dual Cultivation Divine Body?"
Ye Qinghan was stunned! Was this real?! Could her master actually possess the supreme Dual Cultivation Divine Body?
"This thing exists in men? Isn't this physique exclusive to women?"
Yu Lan remained silent, simply staring at Ye Qinghan.
Truth be told, last night had been Yu Lan’s first time—her first time being attracted to a man. But now her interest was even stronger, not just because of the Dual Cultivation Divine Body, but also because Su Cheng’s performance had truly hooked her…
Her husband's techniques were masterful, and he possessed many peculiar little gadgets that had pushed her sensations to the absolute limit.
But such shameful words were difficult to utter, even for a mature dragon.
"Senior Sister, we're back! Here's your roujiamo! And this one's for Elder Yu Lan!"
Li Shiyao wasn't stingy at all—she'd learned to share with family now! It was clear she'd grown a lot these past few days!
"Thank you, Second Young Miss." Yu Lan wasn't one to stand on ceremony either. With both young ladies taken care of, she could now focus on accompanying Su Cheng.
Su Cheng walked in, seeing the two of them beaming, and felt his worries ease.
Truthfully, Su Cheng couldn't fathom why he felt like he'd survived a catastrophe—he was the sect master, after all!
In this world, having one or two companions wasn't such a big deal, was it?
After the two disciples excused themselves to return to their rooms, Su Cheng looked at Yu Lan with an expression of helplessness.
"Yu Lan, Qinghan is such a child…"
Su Cheng had handled countless conflicts before—disputes among subordinates, quarrels between brothers. Even the most intractable problems usually found a resolution.
But he was utterly inept at mediating conflicts between women. The methods he’d used before simply didn’t work here.
The art of imperial governance, at its core, could only command subjects and subordinates—it could never command those one loved.
Perhaps solutions existed, but control was never what Su Cheng desired. Alongside the troubles it brought, he simply didn't relish it.
He had seen enough of sycophants and opportunists; what he craved was not blind obedience.
"Husband, Qinghan is a good child."
Su Cheng let Yu Lan knead his shoulders, as if it might ease a fraction of his worries.
"Qinghan has only me as family. If Shiyu were gone, I could return to Holy Mountain. If Yulan were gone, I could return to Panlong Mountain. But if Qinghan were to lose me, he would have nothing left, nowhere to go."
"Your kin is my kin. I will help protect Qinghan too."
"Thank you."
Yu Lan grinned mischievously, reverting to her mischievous little imp expression.
"My husband is being rather polite. Didn't you say last night you wanted to kill me?"
One thing Su Cheng truly cherished about Yu Lan was that he could genuinely joke with her like a friend.
Friendship was a luxury to Su Cheng. Perhaps he had once possessed it, but even if he had, they were all dead now.
As the supreme ruler, crowned with the title of the Emperor, such friendships were now but a distant dream.
Su Cheng enjoyed teasing Yulan too, but just as he was about to retort, a knock sounded at the door.
"Master Su, the room prepared for Miss Yu Lan is ready."
Yu Lan giggled softly, glancing at Su Cheng. "Qinghan is truly adorable~"
It was obvious Qinghan was worried someone might sneak a bite and was urging Yulan back to her room. Yet, not wanting to disturb her master's mood, she'd come up with this clever idea!
Su Cheng smiled too and called out to the door, "Got it."
Next door, Ye Qinghan had barely pulled herself out of her emotional daze when Miss Yu Lan's words nearly made her grind her molars to dust.
Her master didn't understand women, nor did he understand fox spirits. But her master was right—he was Ye Qinghan's everything.
At the initiation ceremony, she made a choice no one understood.
In the name of the Celestial Prodigy, she entered the Lingxian Hall—a place where only her master resided.
Ye Qinghan had staked everything—including herself—on her master. To lose her master was to lose everything.
Su Cheng and Yu Lan's whispered conversation was faint, yet even so, when Ye Qinghan heard her master's thoughts through Su Cheng's mind, tears still welled up uncontrollably.
Could the Master truly abandon Yu Lan for her sake…
"Senior Sister? Aren't you going to eat?"
Li Shiyao had long finished her roujiamo. Now, gazing at the roujiamo left on the table, tears she couldn't control trickled down her cheeks. But this belonged to Senior Sister.
Ye Qinghan had been feeling a bit down, but this Li Shiyao!
She really couldn't read the atmosphere!
She was so amused by Li Shiyu that she couldn't even cry now!
"No, no! It's all yours!"
"Wow! Thank you, senior sister! You're the kindest person in the world!" Li Shiyao grabbed the now-cold roujiamo and ran downstairs. Though no one was trying to take it from her, she seemed to be hiding away to eat it.
Li Shiyao sat in the main hall, ordered a plate of side dishes and half a pot of wine. She dared not drink too much, so she timed herself and sipped just a couple of cups.
When the moon climbed high above the treetops, Li Shiyao felt it was time. She called over the waiter.
"Go ask Miss Yu Lan if she has any luggage and help carry it to her room."
"But Miss Yu Lan arrived empty-handed, didn't she?" The waiter was baffled. Are you mortals? You're all cultivators!
What cultivator travels with bags and bundles? Don't you have storage rings?
"Just go ask. Oh, and bring another small half-pot of wine. Charge it to the Second Elder's account. Don't let the Master find out."
"You mean Shi Mingyi, the Elder Shi?"
The waiter wore a skeptical expression. If it were charged to Lingxian Hall, he wouldn't think twice.
But this was the Second Disciple. What if she refused to pay?
"Shiyao is the Holy Maiden of the Sacred Mountain. Do you think she'd skimp on paying for wine? Just ask him for it!"
This was the first time in her life Li Shiyu had referred to herself as the Holy Maiden. She hadn't expected it to be so useful!
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