Chapter 5 Drunk
Xia Qingyue also considered another possibility, thinking that Chen Qing wanted to use this method to test whether she was willing to be loyal to him.
Anyway, her fate was sealed, and Xia Qingyue had convinced herself to accept it.
So, after drinking another cup of tea, she raised her hand to her forehead and, with noticeably awkward acting, said, "I, my head is so dizzy, so sleepy…"
After speaking, she collapsed directly onto the bed.
She didn't want Chen Qing to find an excuse to make trouble for the Xia clan's imperial family.
[Wifely Favor successful! Congratulations, Host, you have received a random reward: Speed attribute +1!]
Closing the System panel, Chen Qing frowned as he looked at Xia Qingyue, who had collapsed on the bed.
He had lived two lives, and he had only heard of being drunk, but never of someone being 'water-drunk.'
Then, noticing Xia Qingyue's slightly trembling eyelids, he guessed that she was faking sleep.
Chen Qing couldn't immediately figure out her reason for faking sleep.
In any case, it was absolutely impossible that she genuinely wanted to consummate their marriage with him.
Unable to understand Xia Qingyue's intention in faking sleep, Chen Qing simply stopped thinking about it, took off her shoes, and straightened her body.
'Is it… coming…?'
Feeling Chen Qing's movements, Xia Qingyue was extremely nervous, even her ten round, vermilion toes clenched tightly.
What Xia Qingyue hadn't expected was that Chen Qing not only didn't pounce on her like a hungry wolf but instead covered her with a blanket.
"..." Her delicate brows furrowed, puzzled by Chen Qing's intentions.
According to Xia Qingyue's preconceived notions of Chen Qing, he should have been unable to restrain himself after she 'fainted.'
She truly couldn't understand the reasoning behind this.
On the other hand, Chen Qing was simply gambling, betting that taking off Xia Qingyue's shoes and covering her with a blanket would count as an act of Wifely Favor and meet the System's random reward criteria.
The fact was, he gambled correctly.
[Wifely Favor successful! Congratulations, Host, you have received a random reward: Two first-grade Qi Refining Pills!]
'Qi Refining Pills! And two of them?!'
This also conveniently verified another idea in Chen Qing's mind.
Although the rewards were random, the more effort put into the act of Wifely Favor itself, the greater the quantity or quality of the System rewards would be accordingly.
After confirming this, Chen Qing immediately ordered someone to bring a basin of hot water.
Xia Qingyue, lying on the bed, secretly opened her eyes a crack, watching Chen Qing's every move, and saw him return with the water.
She couldn't help but overthink, suspecting that Chen Qing saw her faking sleep for too long, regretted that this game was boring, and since she wouldn't wake up, he wanted to splash her awake.
Or perhaps, he simply wanted to torment her for his own amusement!
'Pervert!'
Just as she cursed him silently, Chen Qing had already placed the basin by the bed, wrung out a towel, and then sat down beside Xia Qingyue, gently wiping her face, which had a few beads of cold sweat, with the towel.
"..." Moved? Xia Qingyue didn't dare to move.
The gentler Chen Qing was, the more abnormal and terrifying he seemed to her.
It felt like the calm before a storm.
Chen Qing paid no mind to her thoughts; he was busy grinding for Wifely Favor rewards, enjoying himself immensely.
[Wifely Favor successful! Congratulations, Host, you have received a random reward: Ten first-grade Qi Refining Pills!]
After wiping once, he wrung out the towel again and continued to wash Xia Qingyue's face.
[Wifely Favor successful! Congratulations, Host, you have received a random reward: One second-grade Qi Moistening Pill!]
With the reward in hand, he wrung out the towel again, repeating the process...
[Wifely Favor successful! Congratulations, Host, you have received a random reward: Free attribute +5!]
[Wifely Favor successful! Congratulations, Host, you have received a random reward: Ten first-grade Qi Refining Pills!]
...
Chen Qing discovered that although the System didn't restrict the repetition of Wifely Favor methods, there had to be a complete set of actions.
For example, after wiping her face once, he had to wash the towel clean before wiping again to trigger the next Wifely Favor reward.
When he had repeatedly wiped Xia Qingyue's face for the twelfth time.
Crack!
Xia Qingyue finally couldn't sit still, raised her hand, grabbed Chen Qing's wrist, sat up, her eyes full of vigilance, "You, what exactly do you want to do?!"
"Uh, I saw sweat on your face and wanted to wipe it for you," Chen Qing replied.
But the next moment, he realized that this excuse was truly clumsy.
Who washes someone's face a dozen times?
He had been so focused on grinding rewards that he hadn't considered this at all.
So he quickly explained, "I'm a bit of a clean freak, so I wipe things a bit more than others."
'You call this a bit more?'
Of course, such a complaint could only be said in Xia Qingyue's heart.
She had to admit that when facing Chen Qing, the son of a powerful official with a vast background, Xia Qingyue felt even more than when she was with Xia Cheng what it meant to be like a tiger accompanying the emperor!
"Then you continue," Xia Qingyue released Chen Qing's hand, lay back on the bed, looking as if he could do whatever he pleased.
Chen Qing looked at her face, which he had rubbed red, and then withdrew his outstretched hand, "That's enough, it's already clean enough."
He felt that if he kept wiping, he would surely rub Xia Qingyue's face raw.
Just from this one method of Wifely Favor, he had already gained dozens of Medicinal Pills, excluding a large number of first-grade Medicinal Pills, there were even second-grade Medicinal Pills, definitely not a loss.
Chen Qing knew perfectly well that achieving the Great Emperor Cultivation was by no means easy; before that, it was certainly not impossible to use these Medicinal Pills to enhance his strength.
Chen Qing did not intend to waste his Cultivation talent in vain.
But before that, he still needed to gain more Wifely Favor rewards from Xia Qingyue.
Grumble…
Just as his mind was rapidly turning, contemplating new Wifely Favor schemes.
A faint sound suddenly came from beside his ear.
Chen Qing followed the sound, his gaze falling on Xia Qingyue's stomach, certain that the sound came from within.
Looking at Xia Qingyue's flushed face again, a flash of inspiration struck Chen Qing.
He went to the round table and brought back a plate of pastries.
Xia Qingyue desperately clutched her stomach, her face flushed with shame, so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
So much had happened today that she hadn't had time to eat, which was why she had been so undignified.
As a princess, Xia Qingyue had always been strict with herself in this regard since childhood.
She never expected to show such an embarrassing side in front of Chen Qing.
"Get up and eat something; don't let yourself starve."
Hearing Chen Qing's voice by her ear, Xia Qingyue tentatively opened her eyes and then saw him offering a plate of pastries to her.
Xia Qingyue propped herself up with her hands, sat up from the bed, looked at Chen Qing, then at the plate of pastries in his hand, feeling an indescribable sense of incongruity and strangeness.
This was too different from the Chen Qing in her preconceived notions.
If it weren't for Chen Qing's notorious reputation in the Great Wu Dynasty and the vulgar words he had said to her during their last meeting, Xia Qingyue would definitely have suspected that she had married the wrong person and that Chen Qing was being framed.
'He's faking it! He must be faking it! Xia Qingyue, you can't be deceived by his hypocrisy!'
Grumble…
Her stomach rumbled again, and Xia Qingyue couldn't care less about anything else. She shook her head, clearing her mind of extra thoughts, and decided to eat something first, not wanting Chen Qing to see her embarrassing side again.
But just as she reached out to take a pastry from the dish, Chen Qing snatched the plate of pastries away a step ahead.
Before Xia Qingyue could think further, Chen Qing had already picked up a pastry and actively brought it to her mouth, "I'll feed you."
***
Chapter 6 Ambitions
"You, don't be like this, I'm afraid…" Xia Qingyue swallowed the words that were about to come out.
Still not giving Chen Qing an excuse to pick a fight or make things difficult, she parted her lips slightly and took a small bite of the pastry.
[Successful Wife Pampering! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: 20 Qi Refining Pills, Grade One!]
'Twenty?!'
After confirming that the System deemed feeding his wife to have a higher Wife Pampering value, Chen Qing said joyfully, "Have some more."
Xia Qingyue nodded, swallowed the pastry she had just eaten, and then leaned in to take another small bite.
Having made up her mind, she absolutely could not give Chen Qing a chance to rage; she would do whatever he asked her to do.
[Successful Wife Pampering! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: 1 Yellow Rank Medium Grade Cultivation Technique, Mountain Shaking Palm!]
"Eat, there's plenty more. If it's not enough, I'll have the chefs at home make more."
Seeing that a Cultivation Technique Secret Manual had actually dropped, Chen Qing became even more excited, looking forward to Xia Qingyue eating more.
One bite, one reward, it was simply too satisfying!
Xia Qingyue said nothing more and obediently complied.
Seeing her finish one pastry, Chen Qing picked up another…
[Successful Wife Pampering! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: 5 Qi Moistening Pills, Grade Two!]
[Successful Wife Pampering! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: 10 Free Attributes!]
[Successful Wife Pampering! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: 5 Comprehension Ability!]
…
Gradually, the pastries that had originally been piled up like a small mountain were mostly eaten.
Chen Qing fed faster and faster, and Xia Qingyue ate faster and faster.
When Chen Qing picked up another pastry, Xia Qingyue's open mouth closed again, and she said with difficulty, "Sorry, I, I really can't eat anymore."
"It's fine, if you can't eat it now, eat it when you're hungry," Chen Qing had no intention of forcing Xia Qingyue.
He had just put down the pastry, not forgetting to seize the opportunity to offer a cup of tea, "Did you choke? Here, drink some water."
Worried that Chen Qing would keep pouring water for her as before, Xia Qingyue took the cup while stating, "Just one cup is enough."
"Alright."
[Successful Wife Pampering! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: 1 Yellow Rank Low Grade Cultivation Technique, Flowing Cloud Steps!]
Chen Qing didn't care; this kind of thing was suitable for the long game. He didn't plan to get fat in one bite and literally stuff Xia Qingyue to death.
'After eating and drinking to my fill, what else can I do?'
Chen Qing pondered secretly.
While he was racking his brains to farm Wife Pampering rewards, thousands of miles away, deep within Da Mang Mountain, inside an unnamed Immortal Cave.
Boom!
A powerful wave of Qi erupted from the depths of the Immortal Cave, surging like a torrent, seemingly carrying the power to destroy the world, but upon reaching the Immortal Cave's entrance, it was erased by an even more powerful energy, revealing a barrier wall.
This was precisely where the protagonist Ye Feng was in seclusion, signing in.
"Excellent, I've finally refined the Medicinal Pill I signed in for today. I didn't expect such a small Grade Five Medicinal Pill to actually allow my Cultivation to Breakthrough to the Soul Emergence Realm!"
"If this continues, I'm afraid it won't be long before I can step into the Quasi-Emperor Realm and attempt to prove the Dao to become an Emperor Realm!"
"By then, no one in this world will be able to rival me!"
"Father, little sister, wait for me. Once thirty years are up, I will definitely come out of seclusion to save you!"
Ye Feng clenched his fists, his eyes filled with confidence and determination.
Besides his father and little sister, Ye Feng's mind was not only filled with thoughts of revenge, but also a stunning figure.
Xia Qingyue's beautiful face, capable of toppling nations, appeared in Ye Feng's mind, as if right before his eyes.
"Xia Qinyue, you must wait for me! Thirty years later, when I return with Emperor Realm Cultivation, I will definitely fulfill our childhood promise and marry you!"
Ye Feng believed in Xia Qingyue's feelings for him, thinking that she would surely hold on until his triumphant return.
He thought that with the dog emperor's doting on Xia Qingyue, he would surely not force her to marry someone she disliked.
After comforting himself in this way, Ye Feng chose to continue Cultivating.
Besides Cultivating and sleeping, Ye Feng had nothing else he could do. His range of activity was limited to this Immortal Cave; he was bound within it by a barrier and could not leave.
The System, at the moment of its binding, had forcibly required him to stay in this Immortal Cave and sign in for a full thirty years before he could leave seclusion.
The System's usage was simple: it refreshed one sign-in opportunity daily, and what rewards he signed in for depended entirely on luck; it would not wait if he missed it.
However, what Ye Feng could never have imagined was that Xia Qingyue was not only married, but was also lying on the same bed with Chen Qing at this moment.
To be precise, Xia Qingyue was sitting cross-legged on the bed, while Chen Qing was behind her, rubbing her back and massaging her shoulders.
[Successful Wife Pampering! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: 1 Yellow Rank High Grade Weapon, Moon Slaying Sword!]
[Successful Wife Pampering! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: 5 Earth Escaping Talismans!]
…
He truly had a blast farming rewards!
In contrast, Xia Qingyue's body dared not relax in the slightest, remaining constantly tense, completely unable to understand what Chen Qing was trying to achieve with this series of actions.
He was taking off her shoes and covering her with a blanket, fetching water to wipe her face, personally feeding her, and now he was tirelessly massaging her back and shoulders.
So much so that a bold idea couldn't help but arise in Xia Qingyue's mind: could it be that Chen Qing was tired of being a profligate Young Master and wanted to find an honest person to marry and settle down?
She couldn't be sure, and she didn't dare to ask Chen Qing.
She could only continue to cooperate with Chen Qing's antics…
Little did she know, she had unknowingly already become Chen Qing's tool for farming System rewards.
Chen Qing had a blast farming, but it put immense pressure on Xia Qingyue; the tense string in her heart dared not loosen for a moment.
"Let's stop here for now." Chen Qing only then realized how terrible his body was before he recovered his memories, due to his predecessor's daily indulgence in wine and women.
After only farming for this short time, he was already so tired that he was breathing heavily.
He resolved that he must not neglect Cultivation in the future and must quickly make up for his depleted body.
After catching his breath and recovering slightly.
Chen Qing looked out the window; it was still early. So he asked Xia Qingyue, "Madam, would you like to go out for a walk? To clear your mind?"
Chen Qing thought about it; even if he and Xia Qingyue didn't have the reality of a husband and wife, they had the name, so calling her 'Madam' was fine.
'Madam…'
Hearing Chen Qing address her like that, Xia Qingyue only felt strange and awkward.
"What about the bridal chamber…" she asked in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"I don't like to force people. Of course, if you are willing to enter the bridal chamber with me, we can start immediately."
Hearing this, Xia Qingyue instinctively shifted her hips, moving a bit further away, "Thank you, Young Master Chen, please give Young Master a little more time!"
Chen Qing was not surprised by this and changed the topic, "It doesn't matter what you call me in private, but outside, it's best to call me husband. This can help you and me avoid a lot of trouble."
"Okay!" Xia Qingyue nodded in agreement.
Regardless of whether Chen Qing was speaking truthfully, for Xia Qingyue, every second she could drag it out was a second gained.
She hoped that changes would occur in the imperial court soon, for example, the Chen family collapsing and being overthrown.
She also hoped even more that her Brother Feng would return on auspicious colorful clouds as he had promised, to rescue her from her predicament.
***
Chapter 7: It's hard to be a good person
Even though Xia Qingyue's romantic life was a blank slate, and she had spent most of her eighteen years living within high walls, she wouldn't change her view of Chen Qing or fall for him just because of these trivial matters.
She understood one truth clearly: in this world, humans know the horror of ghosts, but ghosts know the venom of human hearts.
She had heard and seen too many treacherous villains.
They would stop at nothing for power, treating human lives as mere grass... Indeed, this referred to Chen Qing's father, Chen Xiong.
Rather than Chen Qing changing his nature, realizing his mistakes, and wanting to be a good person, Xia Qingyue was more inclined to believe he was putting on an act.
As for the purpose? Xia Qingyue hadn't figured it out yet.
She also didn't plan to spend too much energy on this matter. Since Chen Qing wanted to act, she would play along, tolerating him, humoring him, coaxing him, and going along with him... Before long, the two removed their festive, fiery red wedding attire, changed into normal clothes, and exited the Chen family mansion.
Chen Qing knew that his father had assigned a Dao Protector to secretly guard him and handle various emergencies, as he had made many enemies in the imperial court. So, he didn't let any servants follow.
He didn't want the servants to interfere with his operation.
This was akin to a date, and even if it was fake and devoid of emotion, there was no need to have an extra pair of eyes around to spoil the atmosphere.
Shortly after leaving the Chen family, Chen Qing, following his memories, led Xia Qingyue to a snack street.
He thought that as a princess, Xia Qingyue had grown up in the palace, learning various etiquette and upbringing, and likely hadn't had many opportunities to experience the mundane side of the world.
He turned his head and, sure enough, after arriving at the snack street, Xia Qingyue's face was filled with excitement and curiosity.
"Candied hawthorns, candied hawthorns for sale, sweet and crispy candied hawthorns!"
Hearing the peddler's shouts, Xia Qingyue's gaze immediately snapped towards him.
She couldn't help but recall three years ago when Ye Feng secretly snuck over the wall and brought her the candied hawthorns she had always longed for.
That was the first time in her life she had eaten candied hawthorns; the thin, crispy sugar coating combined with the sourness of the hawthorn was truly wonderful.
Vaguely, Xia Qingyue seemed to see Ye Feng, who had brought her the candied hawthorns that day, before her eyes.
'Brother Feng?!'
But after she came to her senses, she realized that the person in front of her was not Ye Feng, but Chen Qing.
The candied hawthorns in his hand, however, were identical.
"Here, try it." Chen Qing handed the freshly bought candied hawthorns to Xia Qingyue.
Xia Qingyue said "thank you" with her mouth and took the candied hawthorns Chen Qing offered, but her heart was a mix of emotions.
She took a small bite of the candied hawthorn; the taste was still the same as before, but unfortunately, the person was not the same, and Xia Qingyue couldn't smile.
[Successfully pampered wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Yellow Rank High Grade Cultivation Technique, Flowing Cloud Palm +1!]
After receiving the desired reward and seeing that Xia Qingyue had finished the skewer of candied hawthorns, Chen Qing turned back to the peddler and offered to buy all of his remaining candied hawthorns.
Faced with Chen Qing, the Devil King, making such an abnormal request to pay, the peddler was so anxious he almost knelt down, fearing that if he really took the money, his entire family's lives would be in danger the next moment.
After saying he would give the stick with over a dozen skewers of candied hawthorns to Chen Qing, he took off running, his feet like they were greased, disappearing in a flash.
Chen Qing turned around and awkwardly glanced at Xia Qingyue, wanting to say: "You saw it, it's not that I didn't want to pay, it's that he didn't want it..." Fearing that this incident would undo his previous efforts, he called out the Dao Protector.
"Greetings, Young Lord." The Dao Protector immediately appeared out of thin air.
"Catch him and give him the money." Chen Qing ordered.
In front of the Empress of Destiny, he still had to keep up the act where necessary.
"Yes." The Dao Protector agreed and vanished on the spot.
Perfectly illustrating what it means to appear and disappear without a trace.
Afterward, Chen Qing, carrying an entire stick of candied hawthorns, walked up to Xia Qingyue.
He placed the stick of candied hawthorns in her arms and said domineeringly, "Take as many as you want to eat."
He had originally intended to get rewards one skewer at a time.
But then, Chen Qing had another thought and wanted to see if quantity could lead to a qualitative change.
Ignoring Xia Qingyue, who was holding a stick of candied hawthorns almost as tall as herself with a bewildered expression, Chen Qing's attention was currently entirely on the popping-up System panel, his expression expectant.
[Successfully pampered wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Profound Rank Low Grade Spirit Treasure, yanwang needle +5!]
Spirit Treasure! yanwang needle?
Chen Qing immediately chose to view the detailed description.
[yanwang needle: Whoever is struck by this needle will receive a summons from the Yanwang!]
Just a few words, yet they were concise and to the point.
With a summons personally issued by the Yanwang, how many people in this world would have the strength and courage to refuse?
In Chen Qing's opinion, it was a good Magic Treasure for self-preservation.
Only after closing the System panel did Chen Qing realize that Xia Qingyue was gone.
Running away?
That couldn't be it.
Chen Qing quickly found Xia Qingyue; it turned out she had gone to distribute the candied hawthorns to the little beggars hiding in the alleys, dressed in rags and with disheveled hair.
'Truly worthy of being the Empress of Destiny, her heart is indeed kind.' Chen Qing sighed with emotion.
After distributing all the candied hawthorns, Xia Qingyue, meeting Chen Qing's gaze, quickly returned to him and explained, "I couldn't eat that many by myself. Please don't blame them."
In short, if Chen Qing wanted to blame someone, he should blame himself, not target those children.
Hearing this, Chen Qing felt bitter, 'It's really hard to change a stereotype...'
It was a good thing he had Awakened early, otherwise, the title of Devil King would truly be solidified.
Change? By then, where would he have the chance to change? He would only be able to follow the script, be killed by the protagonist's sword, and fulfill the villain's mission.
"Since my wife says so, your husband will agree." Chen Qing said with a doting expression.
Hearing him call her 'wife,' Xia Qingyue reluctantly agreed, "Thank you, hus... husband."
[Successfully pampered wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Mid-Grade Spirit Stone +100!]
Chen Qing strongly suspected that this System, like himself, was a virgin with a blank slate in its romantic life.
Fortunately, this was the case, allowing him to obtain a massive amount of rewards without much effort or sweat.
He hoped the System would keep up the good work!
[Successfully pampered wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Fireball Talisman +5!]
[Successfully pampered wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Charm Attribute +10!]
...Afterward, Chen Qing took Xia Qingyue to try various folk snacks, such as Dragon's Beard candy, sesame cakes, water chestnut cakes, and so on.
For Xia Qingyue, everything was delicious, but deep down, she still wished she could do these things with her Brother Feng.
Chen Qing saw through this but didn't point it out. He could only blame Xia Qingyue, as the future Empress of Destiny, for being still very naive and not yet Awakened, unable to hide her thoughts on her face.
Anxious?
Why should Chen Qing be anxious? The guy hiding in the mountains cultivating in seclusion isn't anxious, so why should he, who is cuckolding someone, be anxious?
Compared to that, there was something more important for Chen Qing to pay attention to at the moment.
He sensed someone secretly observing him, and this gaze was completely different from that of the Dao Protector!
***
Chapter 8 You are hiding your abilities!
More than one gaze, and clearly hostile towards him, made Chen Qing unconsciously feel a chill down his spine, as if a cold wind had seeped into his clothes.
Immediately after, more than a dozen masked men in black emerged from all directions, attacking.
Seeing them wielding blades and dressed in such a manner, the passersby screamed in fright, scattering and fleeing.
Chen Qing reacted quickly, knowing these people were coming for him. He reached out, grabbed Xia Qingyue's wrist, and naturally pulled her behind him, protecting her.
Then, he didn't forget to give Xia Qingyue a reassuring look, saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm here for everything."
[Successful spoiling of wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Comprehension Ability +20!]
Comprehension Ability!
Chen Qing was very satisfied with this reward. For Cultivators in a Xuanhuan world, how high one's Comprehension Ability is often determines the future ceiling of a person.
Comprehension Ability is part of one's innate talent, which should be determined at birth. However, Chen Qing, who possesses a System, can continuously increase his Comprehension Ability by spoiling his wife.
As long as his Comprehension Ability is high enough, let alone mastering a Cultivation Technique Secret Manual just by looking at it, it's not impossible to even have an Epiphany and create his own unique Cultivation Technique.
Therefore, the value of this reward, in Chen Qing's opinion, was immense and the more the better.
'Don't be afraid, I'm here for everything.'
On the other hand, for Xia Qingyue, who was behind Chen Qing, these short words brought no small impact to her heart.
She couldn't understand why this rumored good-for-nothing Young Master, who relied on his power to bully others, would prioritize protecting her in such a life-and-death crisis.
In Xia Qingyue's view, at the very first sign of such an event, the selfish him should have directly abandoned her and left.
After all, the Dao Protector Chen Xiong had arranged by Chen Qing's side had already been sent out by him to chase after the candied haw vendor to pay for the candy.
Complicated, Xia Qingyue's mood was very complicated at the moment.
Her preconceived notions about Chen Qing couldn't help but waver.
'Could it be that this guy has always been hiding his true abilities? Deliberately feigning to be a Young Master, making people ignore his existence, just to astound everyone one day!'
Not to mention the present, looking back at history, many such events and people were recorded in historical texts.
The more she thought, the more terrified Xia Qingyue felt.
Chen Xiong, a powerful minister, was already difficult to contend with for the Great Wu Dynasty; even the Martial Emperor had to consider his feelings and show him seven parts of respect.
Now, adding a Prime Minister's Young Master who was hiding his abilities and whose ambitions were unknown…
Xia Qingyue had only one thought in her mind: 'Great Wu is in danger!'
But then Chen Qing's next words made Xia Qingyue's heart waver again, "You want to deal with me, that's fine, but can you not involve innocent people? Let her go."
Hearing this, the group of black-clad men exchanged glances, and then their leader spoke, "We won't harm her, but we also won't let her go to report us. As long as you obediently accept your fate, she will naturally be fine."
Whether they agreed or not was not important to Chen Qing.
What was important was how the System viewed it.
[Successful spoiling of wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Profound Rank High Grade Magic Treasure Shadow Puppet +1! Note: The strength of one Shadow Puppet is equivalent to Peak Soul Emergence Realm strength!]
Peak Soul Emergence Realm?
This was much stronger than the Dao Protector his father Chen Xiong had left by Chen Qing's side.
He profited, he profited greatly!
Another trump card added.
"Under the Emperor's feet, killing people in the street, do you still have any law in your eyes!"
Immediately after, Xia Qingyue's voice, which came from beside him, caught Chen Qing's attention. He waved his hand, hiding the System panel, feeling somewhat surprised.
He had thought that in such a situation, Xia Qingyue would remain silent, wishing these killers would chop him down.
He never expected Xia Qingyue to bring up the Emperor and the Great Xia Law, trying to deter these killers.
"Great Xia Law?" Hearing this, the killer chuckled, "His very existence is a disregard for the law. Our killing him is acting on behalf of Heaven!"
"Killing is killing, no matter how many reasons there are, it's still killing. His evil should be judged and punished by the law!"
Looking at Xia Qingyue's serious expression as she argued forcefully, Chen Qing found it hard to imagine what she would experience on her path to becoming the Empress of Destiny.
So pure, she wouldn't be able to sit firmly on the Empress's throne.
"Stop talking nonsense, brothers, let's move, swift and decisive!" The killer gave the order.
Someone immediately held a knife, instantly approaching Chen Qing, and swung the blade at him.
Chen Qing, meanwhile, circulated spiritual power in his palm, using the reward he had previously obtained, a Yellow Rank Medium Grade Cultivation Technique: Mountain Shaking Palm.
With his current Comprehension Ability, he only needed to cram and look at it a few more times to easily master it.
As he struck out with his palm, spiritual power transformed into a human-height phantom of a hand in mid-air, hitting the killer squarely and sending him flying seven or eight meters away.
He fell to the ground, and before he could even struggle twice, he fainted.
"…" The other killers looked back at their companion, their expressions turning ugly.
They clearly hadn't expected that this legendary Devil King, who was supposedly only interested in debauchery, was actually a Cultivator!
Although these people had some martial arts skills, without exception, they were all Mortals, lacking Spiritual Roots, and thus unable to Cultivate.
They knew that even if a Mortal honed their martial arts to the extreme, they couldn't compare to a Qi Refining Realm entry-level Cultivator.
For a moment, they cowered and were afraid.
They had originally thought that with the Dao Protector sent away by Chen Qing, only Chen Qing remained, and their dozen or so people would be more than enough to kill him, a heaven-sent opportunity.
They never expected Chen Qing to have secretly Cultivated!
Xia Qingyue, who also witnessed this scene, further solidified her earlier thought that Chen Qing was hiding his abilities.
'This guy is indeed not a simple Young Master!'
Immediately after, as the group of killers were at a loss, a powerful and domineering voice, like thunder, boomed from afar, "Bold madmen, do not harm my Young Lord!"
That's right, the Dao Protector had rushed back.
Chen Qing then turned and took Xia Qingyue's hand, saying to her, "Let's go."
Xia Qingyue turned with Chen Qing, her back to the group of killers, and subconsciously wanted to turn her head to look.
But Chen Qing stopped her, "I advise you not to do that, lest you can't sleep at night."
Meeting Xia Qingyue's gaze, Chen Qing saw through her thoughts and said, "This world is just like this, the strong prey on the weak. In other words, if they had the chance to kill me, they wouldn't let me go either."
"…" Xia Qingyue didn't refute this. She really wanted to refute Chen Qing's words, but she also felt that what he said made a lot of sense.
And behind them, the arriving Dao Protector merely waved his hand, and those few people, flesh, blood, and bones, vanished into thin air!
Mortals facing Cultivators, especially high Realm Cultivators, simply had no chance to resist.
On the other side.
Chen Qing took Xia Qingyue to a stall selling sugar figurines.
Watching Chen Qing concentrate on dripping syrup with a spoon to draw a sugar figurine, Xia Qingyue mustered her courage and asked, "You've always been acting, wanting others to think you're a Young Master, but you're actually hiding your true abilities and secretly Cultivating?"
"Is that how you see me?"
Chen Qing said this, but in his heart, he thought this was a very good sign.
To make Xia Qingyue willingly consummate their marriage and obtain the Great Emperor cultivation, getting rid of the stereotypical image was the first step.
"Your performance today is completely different from your past self," Xia Qingyue stated clearly.
Chen Qing remained silent, focusing on drawing the sugar figurine.
No matter how much he said, it was better to let Xia Qingyue think for herself and fill in the blanks.
Just as Chen Qing expected, seeing his silence, Xia Qingyue concluded that she had hit the nail on the head, and he was even too lazy to argue.
"You and Chen Xiong are plotting to seize the entire Great Wu Dynasty, right! Marrying me is also just so that after the rebellion, you can use me, under the name of husband and wife, to appease the people's hearts." Xia Qingyue continued her analysis.
The sugar figurine vendor had already made a run for it, not daring to listen further, fearing he would be silenced.
Chen Qing didn't rush to answer. He made the final stroke, completing the drawing.
Immediately, he carefully picked up the finished sugar figurine from the paper.
It was a Q-version of Xia Qingyue.
"How is it? Does it look like you?" Chen Qing asked.
"Answer me! Is your Chen family planning a rebellion!" The answer to this question was crucial to Xia Qingyue.
Seeing Xia Qingyue's determined look, wanting an accurate answer, Chen Qing sighed, "Don't worry, at least for now, we don't have that idea."
"Besides, the changing of Dynasties, with the capable residing in power, isn't that a normal thing? This land wasn't named Xia from the beginning, was it?"
"…" Faced with Chen Qing's words, Xia Qingyue couldn't refute.
She certainly knew that the Great Wu Dynasty was also built upon hundreds of thousands of corpses.
"But at least, the Great Wu has been established for a hundred years without continuous warfare, the people suffering, and the populace displaced!" Xia Qingyue recounted Great Wu's achievements.
Seeing her getting more and more agitated, Chen Qing said, "Relax, you are now my Chen Qing's wife, and the Emperor is my father-in-law. Why would I rebel against my own family?"
"Come, my wife, have some candy." Chen Qing offered the sugar figurine again.
Xia Qingyue took the sugar figurine, her brows still slightly furrowed with suspicion as she asked, "Do you really think so? Are you really not planning to rebel?"
"Really, really. As long as you are my Chen Qing's wife for one day, I promise, the Chen family will never rebel." To dispel Xia Qingyue's doubts, Chen Qing raised his hand and swore.
Xia Qingyue hummed in acknowledgment.
How could she know that Chen Qing's ambition would not be limited to a mere Great Wu Dynasty.
After calming down, she looked at the sugar figurine in her hand again.
'So beautiful!'
Having been preoccupied with other matters earlier, Xia Qingyue only now realized that the sugar figurine in her hand, personally drawn by Chen Qing, was actually herself.
While not exactly lifelike, it did look very playful.
Xia Qingyue truly hadn't expected Chen Qing to possess such artistic skill.
[Successful spoiling of wife! Congratulations to the Host for receiving a random reward: Foundation Establishment Cultivation Grand Gift Pack +1! Note: After use, you can instantly raise your current strength to the Peak Foundation Establishment Realm!]
Cultivation Grand Gift Pack? One-click strength boost!
Chen Qing calculated. His current cultivation was Qi Refining Realm second layer. If it reached Peak Foundation Establishment, that would be equivalent to… an instant increase of sixteen minor Realms!
'Awesome, truly awesome! It wasn't in vain that I drew so seriously!'
Chen Qing was very satisfied with this reward and eagerly confirmed its use.