Before Qing Wu could make another move, a blade was pointed at her.
Qing Wu raised an eyebrow, "Is this how the people of Prince Yan's Manor treat their own Princess Consort?"
"Stand down," a voice commanded.
The soldiers then lowered their blades, their eyes filled with extreme vigilance.
Qing Wu paid them no mind; she had been staring at Xiao Chenyan from beginning to end.
Heh, a body full of blood qi, yet permeated by chilling yin wind and life-snatching malevolent energy. An ordinary person would have died long ago, but he was still alive and well.
No wonder his enemies were plotting to use a Living Fiend, borrowing the power of ghostly beings to kill him.
However, this malevolent energy was quite beneficial to her.
"Are you... are you human or ghost?" The attendant Bai Sui asked uneasily. This woman was too strange.
And she kept staring at the Prince, perhaps wanting to drain his yang energy?!
Qing Wu's gaze lingered on Bai Sui's youthful face for a few breaths before moving away, fixing directly on Xiao Chenyan. She reached out as if to caress his face:
"Am I human or ghost, Your Highness, what do you think?"
Xiao Chenyan grasped her wrist, feeling the beat of her pulse, his scrutiny undiminished.
"It seems the Prime Minister's Manor was mistaken. The Princess Consort is alive after all."
"Yes, dying on the wedding night would be very inauspicious," Qing Wu also smiled. "A funeral turned into a celebration, are you happy, Your Highness?"
Xiao Chenyan's tone was unreadable, "Happy?"
Qing Wu laughed, seizing the opportunity, "Since you're so happy, why not continue the wedding night?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the Prince's Manor nearly choked.
The force with which Xiao Chenyan gripped her wrist increased, "This King is rather curious, how did the Princess Consort crawl out of the coffin?"
Qing Wu furrowed her brows and let out a hiss, her expression aggrieved, "It hurts~ Your Highness, at least show some tenderness."
The man remained unmoved, exuding a dangerous aura.
Qing Wu inwardly clicked her tongue, then replied, "Wasn't it my younger sister who crawled out of the coffin?"
She twisted the truth, not batting an eye, "The Minister's Manor married off a daughter. One alive, one dead. Now that I'm alive, the one who married in dead is naturally my younger sister."
Xiao Chenyan: "Talking nonsense."
"Whether it's nonsense or not, as long as it's useful," Qing Wu, with her wrist still held, leaned closer to him, the distance between them mere inches.
The surrounding guards' hands tightened on their swords, ready to strike if Qing Wu made any sudden moves to protect their Prince.
"Speaking of which, Your Highness should be thanking me. See that Demonic Daoist who fainted?"
Qing Wu pouted her red lips, "This person tried to use magic to harm people in the Prince's Manor, but ended up suffering the consequences. Your Highness should have him taken away for a thorough interrogation."
"Alas, I don't know what means she used to make my younger sister feign death and crawl out of the coffin. How terrifying, how terrifying."
She said, patting her chest.
Xiao Chenyan scrutinized her for a moment, "The Princess Consort has indeed given this King a great 'surprise'."
"I've received the surprise, shouldn't Your Highness give me a return gift?"
"What return gift does the Princess Consort desire?"
Qing Wu directly fell into Xiao Chenyan's arms, inhaling the rich malevolent energy emanating from him. A glint flashed in her eyes as she hugged his waist tightly, "An hour of spring night is worth a thousand gold. Let's use this thousand gold as a return gift."
Xiao Chenyan, with the female ghost in his embrace, remained calm. He grasped the woman's hand on his waist, a killing intent flashing in his eyes, his gaze unfathomable.
Gasps of surprise rippled through the onlookers.
Xiao Chenyan's eyes darkened, "This King shall accompany the Princess Consort's invitation." He wanted to see if she was human or ghost.
"I'm too frightened to walk, please carry me back to my room, Your Highness." Qing Wu giggled charmingly, "Your Highness doesn't look like you're on the verge of death from serious injuries, you can't possibly not be able to carry me, right?"
This statement made the atmosphere even more frigid.
Xiao Chenyan lowered his gaze to look at her, but he scooped her up. The moment he lifted her, his neck tingled as a fingernail scratched it.
Xiao Chenyan paused slightly, his gaze growing colder.
Bai Sui, standing nearby, had tried to speak several times but was held back by Situ Jing.
After Xiao Chenyan left carrying Qing Wu, Bai Sui said indignantly, "Why did you stop me! You quack doctor, you promised it was foolproof! That Yun Qingwu is definitely not human. What if she attacks the Prince!"
Situ Jing: "What are you panicking about? Your Prince doesn't seem afraid himself!"
"He even dared to offer himself, what are you worried about!"
"As for that Demonic Daoist, hurry and capture him for interrogation."
After saying this, Situ Jing followed them, his expression shifting rapidly as he muttered, "Xiao Chenyan, you daredevil, aren't you afraid of being drained dry by a female ghost..."
"Strange, with those Prayer Beads on Xiao Chenyan, if she were truly a ghost, he shouldn't be unaffected by her proximity..."
The door to the bridal chamber closed.
Xiao Chenyan placed her on the couch. Just as he was about to get up, he felt her pulling him. A dark light flickered in his eyes, and he didn't resist, allowing her to drag him onto the couch. A weight settled on him, and he frowned slightly.
He looked up coldly at the audacious woman straddling him.
Qing Wu seemed to be teasing and provoking him, completely unaware she was dancing on the edge of danger.
Her fingers traced downwards, over his collarbone, "It's July, and Your Highness is wearing a fox fur coat. Are you that afraid of the cold?"
She looked up to meet his deep phoenix eyes and smirked, "Do you want me to warm you up?"
The man's hand clamped onto her wrist, and Qing Wu was instantly pulled into his embrace. The man's other hand landed on the back of her neck.
He seemed to be caressing her skin, but in reality, he was concealing a killing intent.
With the man's strength, he could easily snap the neck of this physical body.
"The Princess Consort's current appearance truly resembles a glamorous ghost from the mountains, sucking people's essence, heartless."
Qing Wu laughed instead of getting angry, and nestled into his embrace, pressing against his neck. She inhaled the malevolent energy within him and narrowed her eyes, "Doesn't Your Highness like it? I just helped you solve a problem."
Xiao Chenyan turned his head, their eyes meeting.
"Aren't you the trouble?"
"Your Highness can try and find out?"
Xiao Chenyan's eyes darkened, "This King is injured, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint the Princess Consort."
"But I think Your Highness's body is quite good."
Qing Wu slowly leaned closer, her alluring lips about to touch the man's thin lips when the hand Xiao Chenyan had placed on the back of her neck suddenly tightened.
It didn't hurt, but it was a clear threat.
Their eyes met.
Qing Wu's smile was charming, her eyes playful.
Xiao Chenyan's gaze was cold, "This King appreciates the Princess Consort's kindness, but it would be bad if I passed my illness onto you."
"Is that so? Alright then." Qing Wu feigned disappointment and withdrew her hand decisively, "Then let's go to bed early, Your Highness."
After speaking, she glanced at the Prayer Beads on his wrist, let out a scoff, and went to the inner washroom to bathe.
Xiao Chenyan watched her retreating back, listening to the sound of water from the washroom, and looked at the Prayer Beads on his wrist.
These Prayer Beads were a gift from a high monk, capable of dispelling malevolent energy and subduing ghosts. If they encountered an evil spirit, the beads would become hot.
However, from the moment this woman had come into contact with him, the Prayer Beads had shown no reaction.
A hint of madness flickered in the man's deep phoenix eyes. He directly removed the Prayer Beads and placed them on a nearby table. Even the dagger he never left his side was put away.
Having removed all defenses and weapons, he waited to see what his Princess Consort, who was neither human nor ghost, would do next.
Hot water had been prepared in the washroom. Qing Wu soaked in the bathtub, the vermilion brush on her right hand twirling between her fingers.
Suddenly, the vermilion brush stopped moving.
A voice echoed in Qing Wu's mind, filled with exasperation, "You promised you'd just visit the Human Realm during the Ghost Festival, but you stayed behind and borrowed a corpse to revive!"
"Lord Fu Jun will definitely break my brush bones if he finds out, sob sob sob, Qing Wu, you bad ghost, you bully me for being young and weak!"
"Noisy." Qing Wu threw the Judge's Brush into the water, hearing a bubbling sound. When she fished the Judge's Brush out, its bristles had already split.
The Judge's Brush's voice became even sharper, "You're abusing me! You big bad ghost, you've gone too far. I'm going to report you! I'll definitely break up with you when we get back to the Underworld!"
Qing Wu scoffed, "Really want to break up? Then I won't let you eat the evil ghosts I catch anymore."
Judge's Brush: "..."
"Didn't you smell the scent of the man outside? Bone-chilling yin wind, life-snatching malevolent energy. Eating it would not only be greatly beneficial but also increase your cultivation level. Aren't you tempted?"
Judge's Brush: "This brush is upright and righteous, only judging karma and morality, and will never be bribed... *slurp*..."
Qing Wu: If I hadn't heard you swallowing, I would have believed you.
Judge's Brush: "Don't think that just because I'm a brush I don't have a brain. Didn't you return to the Human Realm just to find the souls of your parents and elder brother from your previous life?"
"After death, all past lives vanish. You are a destined Yin Official, fated to belong to the Underworld forever. This mortal tribulation is just a trial, why are you so persistent?"
The Judge's Brush chattered on, "You're giving up your position as second-in-command down below to obsess over your mortal 'daddy,' 'mommy,' and 'brother' from a mere decade or so in the Human Realm. You're just asking for trouble!"
A fierce malevolent energy flashed in Qing Wu's eyes, and she tightened her grip on the Judge's Brush.
The Judge's Brush immediately cried for mercy, "I was wrong, I was wrong! I misspoke, I was wrong!"
"However, my words may be crude, but they are not unreasonable. Matters of the Human Realm are managed by the Emperor. Your parents and elder brother from your past life did not have their souls return to the Underworld after death; there is karma for that. If you insist on interfering with this karma, you will eventually face retribution."
"Retribution?" Qing Wu scoffed, closing her eyes, her voice lazily playful, "Since I am a destined Yin Official, holding the Judge's Brush, I judge karma. If there is retribution, let it come. Am I afraid of it?"
The Judge's Brush fell silent. After a moment, it said, "Then why are you helping that killing god outside? Don't tell me it's for the malevolent energy. His malevolent energy might make you crave it, but you don't lack that much cultivation."
Qing Wu tilted her head to look outside, twirling a wet strand of hair between her fingers, "Returning a favor."
"So it's an old acquaintance!" The Judge's Brush's tone changed, "You must make a pact with me, you cannot reveal your identity voluntarily. There are orders between Yin and Yang, and a clear distinction between humans and ghosts. They should not be entangled!"
"You must promise me this."
"Fine, fine, I promise, I promise."
Qing Wu's reply was extremely perfunctory. She wouldn't reveal herself proactively, but if Xiao Chenyan recognized her, it wouldn't be her responsibility~
However, did Xiao Chenyan still remember her?
After all, she had died too early in her previous life, at only twelve years old. Xiao Chenyan was only seventeen then.
If the roles were reversed, even if she hadn't died back then, after ten years, they might meet face-to-face and not recognize each other.
Who would have thought that the once dashing young man, the most brilliant Imperial Grandson of Great Yong, would, in just over a decade, transform into the cold and imperious figure he was now?
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