Lin Jinyu's eyes appraised the silver-haired woman before her; this must be the disciple Su Bei had taken in front of everyone that night.
Who would have thought, in just a few short days, her cultivation has already reached Peak Foundation Establishment?
But then she remembered that precious Creation Pill, and a quiet sigh escaped her. He really did give that Creation Pill to her.
"What brings Queen Lin here to seek Master?" Xiao Ruoching inquired.
Lin Jinyu remained silent.
Xiao Ruoching looked somewhat puzzled. Logically speaking, Master shouldn't have any connection with this Empress, should he? Shouldn't she be seated among the elders right now, critiquing each performance? How could she have the time to seek out Master? What could possibly be more important than attending the opening ceremony?
She scrutinized Lin Jinyu carefully. Her jet-black hair was coiled up, revealing a fair neck, and her head was adorned with a phoenix feather headdress. Her phoenix eyes held an inscrutable meaning, and her face seemed to carry a light blush under the sun. The red gauze of her attire appeared slightly translucent in the light. The majestic contours of her chest seemed almost on the verge of spilling forth, while her tightly cinched waist only emphasized her slender, graceful figure. Her long, lustrous legs were hidden beneath her skirt, only their winding curves discernible.
Could it be?
As the possibility dawned on her, Xiao Ruoching's expression grew complicated. Nevertheless, she invited Lin Jinyu into the house and brewed a pot of tea for her.
Master always seems to attract all sorts of women.
Lin Jinyu's thoughts were in a whirl. She had initially assumed Su Bei would be in the courtyard. Truthfully, she didn't have any urgent business with him.
Claiming to retrieve the bodice was merely an excuse she'd concocted to appease her own heart; she simply wanted to see this peculiar man again.
"Well, it's nothing too important," Lin Jinyu said. "I just came to ask Elder Su for something."
Ask for something? Mo Li thought. She stepped forward with a faint smile. "Queen Lin, please have a seat for a moment. Master should be back soon."
Using her Perception Realm, Mo Li could clearly sense a thread of anxiety in the woman's heart. She noticed Lin Jinyu subconsciously rubbing the teacup's rim, her gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
"I wonder what it is you're asking for that would bring Queen Lin to seek Master personally," Mo Li said, a smile playing on her lips as she observed the woman. She mentally calculated what could possibly concern Lin Jinyu so much, given her minimal interactions with Master.
Lin Jinyu's face flushed. She seemed to recall that moonlit night, in the cold pool; even though Su Bei had insisted he hadn't seen anything, she still felt a lingering annoyance.
Under the intense gaze of Su Bei's two disciples, Lin Jinyu's dark brows furrowed slightly. She coughed lightly and said with an air of indifference, "Since Elder Su isn't here, I shall take my leave."
As she spoke, she rose, preparing to walk out the door.
I came here without the Eastern Emperor's knowledge. If he found out I visited a man's courtyard without permission, who knows what he would think.
Just as she was about to step out of the courtyard gate, two familiar voices suddenly reached her.
"Brother Ji, today, today, let's just stop here... HIC!"
"If we go any further, we'll end up in bed, hahaha!"
Then, another voice, seemingly excited yet still thoroughly drunk, as if the revelry wasn't over, chimed in, "Next time, I will definitely drink with Brother Bei under the vast sky and bright moon, composing poetry! Wouldn't that be delightful?"
"Are we there already? Did Mr. Ji drink too much? Why do I feel like I just saw the Empress?" Ji Nanjue slurred.
Before anyone could react, an arm suddenly snaked out, pulling Lin Jinyu close to Su Bei.
Lin Jinyu's body stiffened instantly. Her heart skipped a beat as her phoenix eyes, wide with shock, stared at the two figures who had just turned into the courtyard. Her lips parted slightly.
Why is the Eastern Emperor with Elder Su? I've never seen Ji Nanjue like this before. Is this the same man who claimed he had never met Elder Su?
For a moment, she completely forgot about the impropriety of her own presence.
Even Su Bei's two troublesome disciples blinked, their faces etched with disbelief.
"What Empress?" Su Bei mumbled drunkenly. "Next time, I'll have a heart-to-heart with Brother Ji, amidst flowers and moonlight, a tale of wind, flowers, snow, and moon..."
"Eh? Queen Lin, why are you here?"
Ji Nanjue finally rubbed his eyes. He removed Su Bei's large hand from his own neck and circulated his Spiritual Energy to dispel the alcohol's effects. Looking at the woman before him, he asked in confusion, "Empress? Why are you here?"
COUGH, COUGH.
Su Bei's two disciples coughed meaningfully.
Lin Jinyu's phoenix eyes narrowed suspiciously as she regarded the two men, their arms slung over each other's shoulders—an intimacy she herself had never shared with Ji Nanjue.
What did they mean, 'end up in bed'? Flowers and moonlight? He left early this morning, saying he was going to Azure Cloud View to offer incense, and this is what I find? If I hadn't come, would he have stayed out all night? I'm not a jealous wife, but... even if it were another woman, it would be better than this!
The mere thought of that scene—him with another man—was something she genuinely couldn't accept.
A mist momentarily filled Lin Jinyu's eyes. She advanced gently. Under Ji Nanjue's astonished gaze, her compassionate hand reached out and tenderly cupped his slightly flushed face. Her proud phoenix eyes brimmed with sympathy and pity, as if she wished to bear all his pain and sins.
Her husband seemed to be walking further and further down that path of the cut sleeve...
How am I to save him?
A hush fell as everyone stared at the scene before them. Su Bei, in particular, was utterly bewildered.
Why is such a drama unfolding before me? It feels like I've been unwittingly cast as the homewrecker.
Lin Jinyu took a deep breath and withdrew her hand. Her phoenix eyes snapped towards Su Bei, and she rebuked sharply, "You are not to approach the Eastern Emperor again!"
Su Bei was left speechless. At that moment, Lin Jinyu placed all the blame for Ji Nanjue's refusal to share her bed on this man!
Ji Nanjue, however, gave Su Bei an apologetic smile. He then turned back to Lin Jinyu, who still wore that inexplicably strange expression. Arching an eyebrow subtly, he said indifferently, "Brother Bei and I have become the closest of friends. Empress, what nonsense are you spouting here?"
Su Bei shifted uncomfortably; I think I understand now why Queen Lin suddenly appeared here. I didn't expect to have offended her so thoroughly last time; it was only a bodice, after all.
"How could the Empress be here?" Finally, as if the thought had just struck him, Ji Nanjue looked at the woman before him, his face a mask of confusion.
Lin Jinyu was at a loss for words. How could she have known that looking for Su Bei would lead to an encounter with the Eastern Emperor? And she certainly couldn't mention the bodice, could she?
Her gaze flickered. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Su Bei and said, "Elder Su, I've come today hoping to ask you for something!"
Su Bei's heart tightened. He swallowed nervously, glancing at Ji Nanjue before his eyes landed on Lin Jinyu in her red gauze attire. For some reason, he felt as if there were no barrier between them. In a daze, he faintly recalled the sight of large, white, steamed-bun-like mounds he had glimpsed under the moonlight. Her skin, glowing like polished jade in the dim light, was dazzling. Her 'phoenix eyes,' narrowed to slits, flickered with an unspoken invitation.
So white... so flawless...
"White Queen, um... what is it you require?"
Lin Jinyu didn't catch Su Bei's slip of the tongue, but Ji Nanjue corrected him with a smile, "Brother Bei, my wife's surname is Lin."
COUGH.
Lin Jinyu took a step forward, looking at Su Bei with a trace of dissatisfaction. Although I'm somewhat curious about this man, in a way, we're now rivals in love! The hatred of having one's husband stolen—irreconcilable!
"Elder Su, could I perhaps borrow your Cold Pool Linglong Pearl?"
After much thought, she realized she had to borrow something from him, and the only thing she could think of was that pearl he seemed to have used that night when...
The moment the words "Linglong Pearl" reached the ears of Su Bei's two troublesome disciples, a crimson hue instantly suffused Xiao Ruoching's face. She seemed to vividly recall the absurd scene atop No-Sword Peak a few days prior—those strangely small, tight, dark cyan clothes...
Su Bei, however, breathed a massive sigh of relief. Composing himself, he retrieved the glass-like sphere from his storage ring and placed it in her jade-like hand. "Queen Lin," he said with a magnanimous smile, "please take this Cold Pool Linglong Pearl and use it as you wish."
Ji Nanjue looked curiously at the translucent pearl in Lin Jinyu's hand. After inquiring about its effects from Su Bei, he was visibly moved.
"Brother Bei, would you part with something so important without any hesitation?" he asked. Then, turning to his wife, "Empress, how could you so brazenly ask Brother Bei for something so valuable?"
Lin Jinyu's gaze towards Su Bei softened, her eyes twinkling, and her delicate hand gently clenched around the pearl.
I'm becoming more and more touched. Such conduct is no different from that of a sage!
Lin Jinyu herself felt a little sheepish, her cheeks growing warm. This whole situation had started because of the Cold Pool Linglong Pearl in her hand.
Su Bei met Ji Nanjue's sparkling eyes with a slightly unnatural smile. Why does this feel like watching a movie from a past life with a very specific plot? The aggrieved husband doesn't know what the other man has done and is still gratefully thanking me for helping his wife with her studies!? Brother Ji, I've wronged you!
He hastily waved his hands, saying repeatedly, "It's no trouble, no trouble at all! Queen Lin can simply return it to me after using it... It's not a big deal."
Hearing Su Bei speak, Ji Nanjue pondered for a moment. He then took out a pill encased in ice jade from his storage ring and placed it in Su Bei's hand. "Courtesy demands reciprocity," he said. "How could Mr. Ji simply accept Brother Bei's kindness without offering something in return? This is a First Grade Heaven and Earth Yellow Pill. It has the potential to break through physical cultivation bottlenecks, though its actual effectiveness is uncertain. Please accept it, Brother Bei!"
Su Bei looked thoughtfully at the ancient-looking pill. "Brother Ji," he asked with some doubt, "what is the potency of this pill?"
Ji Nanjue shook his head. "I found this in a secret realm. Its exact effects are unclear..."
Ji Nanjue admitted. After some more polite back-and-forth, Su Bei placed the pill into his storage ring. Then, with a smile, he watched the apparently harmonious couple depart.
At this moment, Su Bei felt as if he had narrowly escaped a disaster. Turning around, he looked at his two troublesome disciples, who were clearly enjoying the spectacle. He raised an eyebrow, coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, and said, "What are you two thinking about? Shouldn't you be cultivating diligently? Be sharper next time you encounter such situations!"
After a brief pause, Mo Li's lips curled into a strange smile, her cheeks tinged with pink. She said leisurely, "Disciple has a vague feeling that Queen Lin and Master share some... unspeakable connection."
"Could it be that Master also has a penchant for stealing others'...?"
Su Bei found himself speechless.