Minglong

Chapter 448 It's just a little bit of hardship...

Empress Dowager Guo stood outside the screen, not daring to peek behind it, but she frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss.

After a long wait, the thoughtful eldest apprentice finally brought good news:

"alright……"

Empress Dowager Guo was no stranger to this before. This time, without any divine reminder, she gritted her teeth and reached her hand behind the screen, attempting to use her qi to envelop the extreme yang fire.

Unexpectedly, at this crucial moment, the closed door was suddenly pushed open!
wow-

Then, a towering figure in golden armor and white hair appeared outside the threshold, looking at the three people inside the room, and said incredulously:
"Xiaomei, what are you doing?!"

"what--"

"Fuck..."

Xie Jinhuan had just been knocked down by the ghost and Sister Bu when he suddenly saw the white-haired fairy. He was so frightened that he tried to cover himself, but it was too late.

Empress Dowager Guo also suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and let out a scream. If Mei Conggao were to see such a shameful scene, she would probably never be able to hold her head up again for the rest of her life!

In her panic, Empress Dowager Guo's first reaction was to use whatever she was holding to smash her elusive nemesis.

shuh~
Master Qixia had come prepared and was not fooled. He merely shifted his body slightly to dodge the hidden weapon. He was about to jump up and mock Guo Xiaomei when he heard a voice from behind:
"what--!"

A scream that could shatter gold and split rocks!
Looking around, the Lin family, one adult and one child, were standing at the door. They must have initially come to check the house after hearing the noise.

But at this moment, Lin Wanyi had already lost her composure, using her sleeve to cover her maid's delicate face, their skirts...

It's just that it's weathered a bit...

Lin Zisu hadn't seen clearly yet and was about to pull down the arm that was covering her:

"What happened? Hey, Auntie, what are you doing...?"

Lin Wanyi's face flushed red, and she dragged Zisu towards the bathroom:
"Don't worry about it, keep your eyes closed, and don't move..."

"why?"

……

The room was completely silent.

Bu Yuehua hid behind the screen, barely daring to breathe, her eyes filled with fear.

Xie Jinhuan quickly put on his robe, wanting to ask the ghost wife why she didn't remind him, but in the blink of an eye he saw the ghost leave after doing her job and disappear without a trace.

Empress Dowager Guo accidentally injured her disciple's followers, and her eyes blazed with fury, yet she was also filled with shame and indignation. She said in a fit of rage:

"What are you here for?"

Master Qixia stood with his hands on his hips, looking righteous and self-assured:
"I was about to go into seclusion and came to give some instructions to the younger generation. Who knew you'd be hiding here?"

He glanced left and right as he spoke:

"Ah Ye isn't here? Then I'll go look somewhere else. Sorry to bother you... Hahahaha... Oh dear... Huh~ Valkyrie..."

The laughter faded into the distance...

Empress Dowager Guo was so angry her face turned green. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to strike, but Ah Huan held her back tightly...
-
Shortly after, at the lakeside teahouse.

The spacious banquet hall was brightly lit, and maids were serving wine and delicacies to the guests.

Seven elegantly dressed women waited at the nearby tea stalls. Although it looked lively, the atmosphere was incredibly quiet, even a little eerie!

Lin Wanyi changed into a brand new dark green dress, her ears still red. She glanced at the manor lord, who was always causing trouble, and was practically ready to poke his head and say:
"What have you been doing all day? Trying to take over from Fairy Houhou, huh? If you're so capable, come up with something even more impressive..."

Bu Yuehua sat upright, her eyes looking completely innocent. After all, she couldn't disobey her master's orders, and the hidden weapon was thrown by her master. She was just doing her duty, what else could she do?
Lin Zisu sat to the side, still confused about why her aunt had covered her face and kept her from seeing, hearing, or listening to her, and then held her down in the water and almost drowned. She could only secretly look at Meiqiu, wanting to ask her why.

Empress Dowager Guo's face was ashen, and she couldn't hide the murderous glint in her eyes as she coldly glanced at the old devil with the braided hair across the tea room.

Jiang Xian had a complete blackout. When she woke up, she found herself lying in a guest room, with an extra sentence added to her diary:
Good, good, well done! From now on, you'll live in the Marquis's mansion! Don't go anywhere else...

Jiang Xian didn't know what she had done, but she knew that the Empress Dowager wanted to kill her. She was bewildered and somewhat innocent, and sipped her tea without daring to speak.

When Nangong Ye and Linghu Qingmo arrived, the others had already scattered like birds and beasts, and they didn't understand what had happened. They looked around in confusion.

After a moment of silence, Zisu, still full of questions, couldn't help but ask first:
Where is Xie Lang?

Nangong Ye responded:
"I've gone to fetch the princess, Miss Ye, and Miss Ye as well."

"Oh... Sister Ye is so shy, I always have to call her to come..."

Lin Wanyi frowned slightly upon hearing this:
"What do you mean, 'Sister Ye'? No respect for elders! From now on, call her Aunt Ye!"

"Ah? Why?"

"Never mind that, just keep calling..."

……

Meanwhile, in the guest room corridor.

Xie Jinhuan held a jade-shaped folding fan inscribed with the four characters "Chengxin Shouzheng" (meaning "pure heart and upright conduct"), his scalp tingling as he held his forehead with one hand, still feeling a chill run down his spine.

Ye Hongshang reappeared silently, arms crossed, leaning against a vermilion pillar, his eyes mocking:
"What? Can't hold on anymore?"

"How can it be."

Xie Jinhuan straightened up, turned around and launched a sneak attack, kissing the ghost wife on the cheek:
"No hiding or causing trouble at the banquet later. It's not easy to get together like this. What kind of behavior is it to hide and stir up trouble? If you're so capable, then show your face."

Ye Hongshang shrugged slightly: "I don't care, I'm just worried you won't be able to handle it."

Xie Jinhuan refused to believe that the ghost could pull off anything more ruthless, adopting a wait-and-see attitude before glancing towards the guest room and asking in a low voice:

"Speaking of the supernatural power you used last time, what exactly is the principle behind it? Why does it only take one time with other people, but a hundred times with Milk Melon?"

Ye Hongshang raised an eyebrow slightly and explained:
"You can interpret it as 'the will of Heaven is in the dark'! Heaven has made a 'prophecy' that you and Ye Yunchi will eventually become a couple, and after you have been intimate a hundred times, you will have a child named Ye Jiancheng."

"If it is destined, no matter how skilled the fortune teller you consult, the result will be the same. Any previous attempts to escape will fail due to various accidents, until the destiny comes true."

"It's possible to defy fate, such as changing one's name, a common practice in the secular world. This is a method used by fortune tellers to circumvent one's destiny, but it's almost impossible to succeed..."

Xie Jinhuan found it a bit far-fetched, and after thinking for a moment, said:
"So it's similar to casting a curse? If you predicted that Old Demon Shang would die if he encountered water, would he die if it rained?"

Ye Hongshang blinked and shook his head, saying:

"This method is different from casting a curse. When a powerful being makes a 'prophecy,' the outcome is determined by the degree to which it can interfere with the way of heaven."

"If the goal is too ambitious and impossible to achieve, and it interferes with the workings of the Heavenly Dao, the result will often be unexpected."

"For example, I made a prophecy for you, saying that when you were twenty, you would be adorned in a yellow robe and surrounded by beautiful women all day long. But when you were twenty, you became a disciple of Lü Yan, a yellow-robed Taoist of the Divination School, and were then captured and taken to the Hundred Flowers Forest..."

"Hey..."

Xie Jinhuan understood and raised his hand:

"No, no, no, don't make such prophecies lightly. What if they actually come true?"

"You're already twenty years old, what are you afraid of?"

"He's only twenty, and the New Year isn't even over yet. Saying that makes me so anxious..."

……

Xie Jinhuan chatted idly with the ghost for a few moments, then heard a noise coming from the door behind him:
squeak-

Looking back, I saw Sister Ye, who had changed into a new dress, walking out of the room.

Because the dress was custom-made for Wan Yi, her entire style changed dramatically, making her look much more stunning than her usual conservative female teacher persona.

At this moment, Ye Yunchi was wearing a dark blue, high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a semi-transparent outer garment that vaguely revealed a matching strapless bra underneath. The neckline was extremely low, which made her already impressive breasts exude an oppressive aura that could suffocate Ah Huan...

The wide cuffs were embroidered with gold patterns, the waist was cinched with a black belt, and tassels hung down on both sides. Below that was the incredibly taut hip line. With each graceful step, a subtle fragrance wafted, exuding a mature and sexy charm that was completely different from her previous conservative image!
Xie Jinhuan gently waved her folding fan, thinking that Wanyi was more professional in dressing up, and stepped forward to observe her carefully.

This was the first time Ye Yunchi had ever dressed so revealingly in her life. Even at home, she felt ashamed to be out in public completely naked. She covered her neckline with her sleeve, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"These clothes are too... Should I change back?"

Xie Jinhuan quickly shook his head, stepped forward, put his arm around her shoulder, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Why change when you're dressed so beautifully? This is the inner quarters of the house. There are no other men here besides me, and everyone else dresses like this. When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Ye Yunchi felt that this outfit was an insult to civility; only a demoness from the Hundred Flowers Forest would dress like this. But Xie Jinhuan wouldn't let go, so he could only walk out with his head down.

Perhaps because she was dressed so alluringly, the child couldn't resist, and halfway through, Ah Huan, who was next to her, couldn't help but touch her.

slap~
Ye Yunchi quickly patted the table and said earnestly:

"Xie Jinhuan, you are a gentleman, you must remember etiquette and the law. Even at home you cannot do whatever you want. Look at what is written on your fan?"

"Hehe, I know!"

Xie Jinhuan nodded with a smile, but he never changed his ways. As he walked to the vicinity of the hanging flower gate, he saw a large group of maids filing in.

Then, the fair-skinned and beautiful Da Duoduo rushed in through the hanging flower gate, carrying a large pile of rewards. Upon seeing Xie Jinhuan, she quickly ran over.
"Thank you, young master!"

"Eh?"

Xie Jinhuan stepped forward and helped Consort Duo catch the item in her hand:

"I was planning to go to the palace to pick you up, why are you back so soon?"

These past few days, Duoduo hasn't been able to reverse the possession of the Heavenly Ghost Princess. It's been such a long time since they last met, and her longing is beyond words. So, she started taking advantage of the situation right in front of her:
"At the palace banquet tonight, His Highness the Crown Prince, seeing that His Majesty was in a good mood, mentioned his recent expenses. He said he gambled at the Golden Pavilion, betting 100,000 taels for fun, betting that Young Master Xie could win five opportunities! That's one more than the last time at Dragon Bone Beach..."

"Yeah?!"

Xie Jinhuan exclaimed in astonishment: "Your Highness is truly amazing! How could you predict this so accurately?"

"Huh? Aren't there two?"

"Um... no one outside knows, and then? The Crown Prince was beaten?"

"I don't know, but Her Highness the Princess is kind-hearted and couldn't bear to watch, so she left her seat..."

Duoduo nestled in his arms, recounting her experiences, her hands touching and squeezing everywhere. Before she could fully enjoy herself, a dignified voice came from behind:
"Dodo!"

Looking back, the eldest princess, dressed in a golden palace dress, walked in gracefully. Although she was only a little older than Zisu, her demeanor as a noble consort, exuding an aura of peace and prosperity, was indeed impressive.

Seeing this, Duoduo quickly stopped, picked up the things, and ran towards the back of the house:

"This servant knows her mistake! I'll go and put the things back right away..."

Xie Jinhuan stepped forward with a smile:
"It was my oversight; I should have gone to wait outside the palace earlier."

"It's all the same, we're all taking a bus anyway."

Zhao Ling had spent the day entertaining guests at the palace and now all she wanted to do was party. She and Xie Jinhuan walked towards the lakeside banquet hall, and along the way, they spotted Ye Yunchi, who was trying to hide, and even praised him:

"Sister Ye, your outfit is so beautiful."

"You flatter me, Your Highness!"

Ye Yunchi was truly unaccustomed to this attire. He clutched his chest, nodded, and chuckled softly, then glanced back at the banquet hall.
"Is everyone here? Where are Miss Ye and Senior Qixia?"

Xie Jinhuan explained, "Master Qixia said he was going into seclusion and has already returned to Zihui Mountain. Miss Ye is still getting ready and will be there soon."

"Oh……"

Soon, the two girls entered the brightly lit banquet hall. Duoduo also ran over with her musical instruments, and as she passed by, she gave Xie Jinhuan a sneaky kiss on the cheek.

Ye Hongshang also appeared in the corner, looking belated, and entered the hall.

Xie Jinhuan stood at the entrance, looking at the eleven wings that started playing around as soon as they met. It was truly a dreamlike scene. After looking around for a moment, he revealed a venomous smile and quickly walked inside.

"Clang~ Clang clang~..."

"The painted pavilion is brightly lit, the wine is warm, the shadows of the vermilion railings sway, and the fragrance wafts. Laughter fills the hall, carefree and joyful, intoxicated by the starlight and the gentle moonlight..."

"Hahaha……"

The lake glistens outside the window, and the bright moon hangs low in the sky.

The hardships and dangers of the journey to Beiming Lake gradually dissipated in the gentle breeze and bright moonlight, leaving only the sounds of string and wind instruments and laughter echoing on the brightly lit lakeside...

……

(End of this chapter)