The Empress's Palace was beautifully built, perfect in every way, like a paradise on earth. If there was one thing to criticize, it was its desolation.
The desolation was somewhat unsettling, something a normal person wouldn't be used to.
However, a woman
in this situation should be used to it, but whether she was still used to it, Wang Xu didn't know. "Baby, where's our bedroom?" Qin Chuan asked after looking around.
Qing Xianzi blushed, gave him a reproachful look, and then pointed to a separate pavilion.
Qin Chuan pulled her there directly. The woman became even more uneasy, but couldn't say anything.
The pavilion wasn't large, but it was very cozy. The room was snow-white, spotless, and had a faint, fresh fragrance.
Qin Chuan lay down directly on the soft, beautiful couch, still holding the woman's hand, so he pulled her onto the couch as well.
He lay there, and the woman sat beside him, smiling at him. Suddenly, she felt a warmth in the Empress's Palace.
She hadn't felt this way before. Now, the two of them still felt a little lonely. If Qin Chuan weren't here, she wondered how she would feel.
She was used to loneliness, but that was in the past. Now that shattered that habit, she was afraid to return to that old life.
Her life had changed, and she was now somewhat lost, unsure of which path to take. A world of solitude is bleak.
There was no one to share her burdens, no one to share her joys.
"Qin Chuan, are you lonely?" Qing Xianzi asked curiously.
"No, I have a woman, parents, children, friends..." Qin Chuan smiled.
The woman fell silent. What did she have? No parents, no husband, no children, no friends...
For a moment, she felt like a failure. Had her previous life been wrong?
"You are my woman, my wife!" Qin Chuan sat up and said with a smile.
People's confusion is always temporary. Without something to rely on, without spiritual support, they quickly find something, even if it's only temporary.
Spiritual support differs at each stage, and may even vary—it could be someone, a career, ability, and so on.
It is these spiritual supports that allow people to live well, and even losing one won't completely break them.
Before they knew it, darkness had fallen. Qin Chuan looked at the woman, who gave him a disgruntled glare. "There's a room next door, where are you going?"
"Sleeping in separate rooms can affect a couple's relationship," Qin Chuan said hesitantly.
Qing Xianzi tapped Qin Chuan on the head, but didn't insist on him going to another room. Qin Chuan quickly lay down next to her.
The woman's heart was pounding. She didn't look at Qin Chuan, but his masculine presence made her uneasy. Looking at him sideways, it still felt unreal.
Sharing a bed with a man was something she could never have imagined before. She didn't know when she had severed that thought.
She had even completely sealed it off, never intending to reopen it. But now it had, unexpectedly.
It was all because she had unintentionally grabbed Qin Chuan's hand. Of course, that wasn't the main reason. Even if she hadn't grabbed the wrong hand, or even if it had been his sleeve, it would still have led to this point, just sooner or later.
Qin Chuan turned his head, and their eyes met. The woman hurriedly looked away, trying to turn her head away.
"Don't move!" Qin Chuan said softly.
Qingxianzi remained still, but her eyes were slightly lowered, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing her inner turmoil.
"I like you!" Qin Chuan said softly.
Qingxianzi didn't speak.
"I love you!"
Still no response.
"Baby, I love you!" Qin Chuan said again.
This time the woman reacted slightly, softly saying, "Disgusting!"
Qin Chuan smiled, "Why don't you disgust me for a while too?"
"No!" Qingxianzi laughed, and the atmosphere eased. She covered herself with a thin blanket, as if it gave her a sense of security, or rather, a sense of reassurance in front of Qin Chuan.
"Can I cover myself too? It's a little cold." Qin Chuan pointed to the thin blanket covering the woman.
Qingxianzi: "..."
When she woke up the next day, the woman was curled up in Qin Chuan's arms.
Qin Chuan smiled, looking at the sleeping woman, quiet and serene, languid, like a painting; only when asleep could one have such an expression.
The woman woke up, opened her eyes, and saw herself in Qin Chuan's arms. She didn't struggle, but simply lowered her head slightly.
"Shy!"
"No!"
"Baby!"
"Disgusting!"
Get up and make some breakfast. Outside, the sun is shining brightly, the scenery is beautiful, the mountaintop view is stunning, clouds drift lazily in the sky, flocks of birds fly, flowers bloom, and wild animals gallop.
A gentle breeze caresses your face, a beautiful woman is by your side, the two stroll among the mountains, far from the hustle and bustle, far from trouble.
But such days are nice for a while, but few can endure them for long.
Humans are social animals; only one in ten thousand can escape the group, like the strong. Many strong people don't die in battle, but in solitude.
Qin Chuan's previous worry was that this woman would go down this path. If this state of being isn't broken, then it's fine.
But once it's broken and she can't rebuild a new foundation, then she'll wither like a flower.
Even if no one breaks her, she'll eventually break herself. With time, with the continuation of this state, there are many possibilities for sudden breakdown.
If it's a good break, that's fine, but the opposite is no different from going into a state of demonic possession.
As time goes by, feelings develop. Intimacy between people is essentially a matter of distance; the closer the distance, the closer the intimacy. Although the two people haven't had physical contact, sharing a bed and eating from the same bowl is already one of the most intimate acts.
In just one week, they've made a significant breakthrough: a kiss.
This is what just happened.
The woman's face is flushed; although she knew this day would come, she's still flustered.
The woman's name is Yu Qing. She's
the Empress of this world, and she can travel to the Nine Heavens Land, a place of even higher status, though different from others.
However, there are restrictions: only the Empress can use it, and she can only bring one person—it's practically tailor-made for her.
She just wants the woman to come with her, but she doesn't know when she can get her to leave with her.
This is her home. She's been here for so many years, and leaving is truly difficult. Everything here is so familiar and so important to her.
Qin Chuan was also thinking about how to take all of this with him. Even if he went to the Nine Heavens Land, he couldn't stay in one place for long.
"Qin Chuan, I'm ready. When are you going to the Nine Heavens Land?" Yu Qing asked Qin Chuan when she woke up that morning.
Qin Chuan was taken aback, then looked at her with surprise and delight: "You're coming with me?"
"Yes!"