Appreciating New Tea with an Inkstone - Chapter 13

Gu Xiyan was quite intelligent and had basically figured out what had happened from Ye Qinming’s behavior and words.

“That fox spirit… did it leave something on me?” Gu Xiyan hesitated slightly as she mentioned the fox spirit.

Ye Qinming was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. “Fox spirit? Haha, if he knew you called him that, he’d probably be furious. He is indeed a fox spirit, but far less attractive than others of his kind.”

Gu Xiyan listened, then asked hesitantly, “So, you know him?”

Ye Qinming’s eyes carried a hint of mockery, and her tone wasn’t particularly friendly. “I’ve run into him a few times. He’s a very annoying fox, notorious in the Abyssal Prison of Demons.”

Gu Xiyan’s heart tightened slightly, and she instinctively asked, “Abyssal Prison of Demons?”

Ye Qinming glanced at her, then sat down on a chair, speaking indifferently. “It’s a forbidden place where demons are imprisoned. We all escaped from there.”

Though her tone was calm, Gu Xiyan could clearly sense the suppressed coldness and gloom in her words. Escaped? So Ye Qinming had been trapped in that place, and the injuries she had that day were because of being imprisoned there?

Although she wanted to learn more, she was afraid of bringing up unpleasant memories for Ye Qinming, so she decided to drop the subject for now.

“Is he very powerful?” Gu Xiyan thought of the mark he had left on her and asked.

Ye Qinming’s eyes curved with a hint of amusement. “To be notorious among demons, he’s certainly no pushover. Are you scared?”

Gu Xiyan was silent for a moment. “I’m just a mortal. It’s natural to be afraid.”

Ye Qinming stood up and leaned closer, her eyes smiling. “But a mortal who had their spiritual energy taken by a demon in the middle of the night, yet can still chat calmly with the demon and even care if she’s injured—is that something a mortal would do?”

Gu Xiyan was slightly taken aback, then softly said, “It’s only because it’s you.”

Now it was Ye Qinming’s turn to be stunned. The person in front of her still looked pale, her eyes somewhat vacant but extremely earnest. Her delicate face carried a gentle, serene expression. Ye Qinming felt her heart suddenly jolted, an indescribable feeling rising from deep within, causing her to unconsciously press a hand to her chest.

She didn’t know what to say, and even her words came out a bit muddled. “Though he’s powerful, I can still protect you.”

Gu Xiyan smiled softly. “Alright, thank you, Qinming.” After a pause, she added, “Do you mind if I call you that?”

Ye Qinming’s ears twitched slightly, and she touched her earlobe. “You’ve already called me that, so why would I mind?” She then frowned. “It’s late. You should rest.”

Gu Xiyan was indeed tired. As she lay down, she thought of the people outside. “Why haven’t they made any noise?”

Ye Qinming raised an eyebrow. “They’re just mortals. A small spell is enough to keep them quiet.”

Gu Xiyan, lying in bed, didn’t fall asleep immediately. After a while, she touched her lips. Is this how spiritual energy is taken? What if the person was hideous? How could anyone go through with it?

Realizing what she was thinking, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself. What nonsense was she pondering?

The next day, she woke up and recalled the events of the previous night. She got up and went to the east courtyard to see Gu Ye. It was only around 5 a.m., but Gu Ye had already left. Xie Wan said there was some trouble at the shop, and he had gone there early with the manager.

Gu Xiyan didn’t hide much. Although she didn’t directly say that the Yang family was involved with demons, she did mention that Yang Xunzhi was suspicious. She instructed the head servant to send guards to protect Gu Ye and warned him not to have any contact with the Yang family. She also increased the security around Xie Wan.

Though she knew mortals were no match for demons, their target wasn’t her parents. As long as they set up some obstacles, the demons shouldn’t have the time to harm them.

Gu Xiyan felt exhausted. The feeling of being at someone else’s mercy was indeed unbearable. With a sword hanging over her head, unsure when it would fall, her mood remained low throughout the day.

When Ye Qinming appeared again, she found Gu Xiyan lost in thought, her brows slightly furrowed.

“What are you thinking about?” Ye Qinming picked up a green fruit from the table and took a crisp bite.

Gu Xiyan snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. “Are you feeling better?”

Ye Qinming glanced at her. Though her mood didn’t seem great, her complexion had improved significantly. Truly a top-grade spiritual body.

“I recovered about seventy to eighty percent last night. Still thinking about that fox spirit?”

Gu Xiyan chuckled. “That sounds so strange.”

Ye Qinming also laughed. “I’m not wrong, though. But worrying about it now is pointless. You might as well relax. After all, you can only trust me, right?”

Her tone was casual, even carrying a hint of sarcasm, which made Gu Xiyan purse her lips slightly. Her eyes remained vacant, but a faint sense of helplessness and sadness welled up in her heart.

During the time she had spent with Ye Qinming, Gu Xiyan found her to be quite contradictory. Sometimes she treated her inexplicably well, but there were moments when she clearly disliked her, even harboring killing intent.

Ye Qinming stared at her, but there was little fluctuation in her eyes. Her expression was too calm, rarely revealing her emotions. Just like last night when she suddenly appeared to absorb her spiritual energy, if it weren’t for the slight tremble of Gu Xiyan’s eyelashes, she would have thought she had no human emotions at all.

After a long silence, Gu Xiyan remembered what Ye Qinming had said last night about Yang Xunzhi leaving something on her. She asked, “Actually, I’m a bit confused. If he’s a demon and wanted to kill me, he could have done so directly. Why go through all the trouble of proposing marriage? And after meeting yesterday, he could have acted then. Why bother leaving a mark on me? What does the mark do?”

Ye Qinming’s eyes showed a hint of appreciation, but when she caught the word “proposal,” she frowned, immediately thinking of the spell’s purpose. A flash of crimson light passed through her eyes.

But the aura disappeared as quickly as it came, so fast that Gu Xiyan didn’t catch it. She only heard Ye Qinming’s lazy, slightly mischievous tone. “It seems that fox spirit didn’t seduce you, but you seduced him. Truly a fox spirit—lustful and seductive.”

Hearing this, Gu Xiyan was momentarily stunned, then her expression turned grim. “What do you mean?”

Ye Qinming couldn’t resist teasing her. “Have you heard of the stories where ghosts and demons love to absorb yin energy to supplement their yang? You’re a top-grade spiritual body. Your flesh and blood are a great supplement for demons, and for that lecherous fox, you’re a perfect cauldron—a prime candidate for dual cultivation.”

Her tone was light and playful, but the coldness at the corner of her mouth carried a hint of cruelty. An indescribable mix of rage and violence surged within her. A waste who couldn’t even fully transform into his true form dared to covet the person she had her eye on? He truly had a death wish.

Gu Xiyan’s lips pressed together until they turned pale, but she only frowned slightly. “So, that mark?”

“A common trick of the fox clan. Besides using it to track you, its main purpose is to bewitch the mind. After all, even when forcing someone, foxes prefer willing participants.” She glanced at Gu Xiyan. “I destroyed it last night, so you don’t need to worry about it. But without the mark’s connection, he’ll soon realize something’s amiss around you.”

Gu Xiyan nodded. She wanted to ask Ye Qinming for a favor but felt she had no right to make such a request. She hesitated for a moment.

“Just say it,” Ye Qinming could tell she had something on her mind and spoke casually.

“I have an unreasonable request. There are many demons in Danyang City, and they’ll eventually come for me. You can protect me once or twice, but you can’t protect me forever. So, what you said the other day makes sense. But I hope, within your capabilities, you can ensure my family isn’t harmed by them. Is that possible?”

Ye Qinming’s narrow eyes narrowed further, her expression cooling. She felt a faint discomfort in her heart. She attributed this displeasure to Gu Xiyan’s audacity in making such a request.

But she looked at the woman in white sitting in the pavilion. Her demeanor was elegant and radiant like the moon, her dark eyes reflecting her own image with little emotion, yet somehow conveying a sincerity that was hard to refuse.

This woman, even when asking for a favor, did so with a calm and gentle voice, unhurried, full of sincerity but without the subservience of pleading, as if she were simply making a soft, helpless inquiry between friends.

Given Ye Qinming’s current temperament, a mere “medicine” she was keeping alive for the time being, naively asking her to protect her family—a group of useless mortals—should have been met with mockery and a harsh rebuke.

That’s what she thought, but the word “fine” that slipped out made her wish she could seal her own mouth.

The Demon Emperor, imprisoned in the Abyssal Prison for a thousand years, had long since lost any compassion for humans or gods. In the time she had struggled to survive, she had come to understand that this world was one where the strong preyed on the weak, and survival of the fittest was the natural order. Thus, out of necessity, she could ruthlessly take Gu Xiyan’s life.

But even though she had fallen from grace, she was still the ruler of a realm. She could be cunning and ruthless, but she could not break her promises. Protecting Gu Xiyan for no reason was already enough to unsettle her, and now she was being asked to protect her family as well.

Ye Qinming felt a bit stifled, while Gu Xiyan brushed away the faint worry on her face, a relaxed smile appearing on her lips, revealing the shallow dimples on her cheeks.

At that moment, the sunlight slid along the edge of the pavilion, sneaking inside and falling on Gu Xiyan’s face. The sun cast a soft glow on her, making her already gentle and serene demeanor even more tender. Her dark eyes no longer seemed empty; a ray of sunlight seemed to have fallen into them, shining with a bright light.

Though this light didn’t focus on Ye Qinming, Gu Xiyan was facing her, and the smile in her eyes seemed to land directly in Ye Qinming’s heart. The faint regret and frustration she had felt suddenly faded.

No one witnessed the scene of her sitting across from Gu Xiyan, and thus no one saw the unconscious smile on her face, pure and clear, unlike the weathered Demon Emperor she was.

Whether human, demon, mortal, or immortal, once entangled in worldly emotions, there was no difference. Those blinded by their hearts couldn’t see what they cared about most and easily forgot what they should remember most.

In these peaceful days, Ye Qinming, who prided herself on being wise, overlooked her own abnormality, which later became her greatest regret.

Author’s Note:

Green Tea: You’re not allowed to think about that fox demon.

White Lotus (Divine Lord): … Fine, I won’t think about it. Now let’s have a proper talk about the past, about how you used to drain people’s spiritual power?

Green Tea: Am I really that indiscriminate? Aside from you, I can’t bring myself to do that with anyone else.

White Lotus (Divine Lord) is quite satisfied.

Gu Xiyan: Qinming, who am I to you?

Ye Qinming: You’re my power bank.

Gu Xiyan: What? So I’m just a power bank?!

Ye Qinming: This way, I can hold you in my hand and kiss you hard.

Gu Xiyan: …