Appreciating New Tea with an Inkstone - Chapter 65

After channeling spiritual energy for a while, Gu Xiyan leaned in and reached out to feel around Ye Qinming’s waist and abdomen. “Did you get hurt anywhere?”

Ye Qinming initially dodged but then pursed her lips and smiled. “No, but that brat Jiuying got a big hole poked in him by me. He’s the one who’ll suffer.” Her tone was full of pride, clearly seeking praise.

Gu Xiyan carefully examined her from head to toe. Ye Qinming blushed at her touch but couldn’t bring herself to stop her, so she endured it.

Confirming there were no external injuries, Gu Xiyan let out a breath of relief and chuckled softly. “So impressive—should I reward you?”

Her brows arched slightly, head tilted, her gaze gentle. Her lips curved in a way that exuded pure warmth, yet it still made Ye Qinming’s heart race. Staring at her lips, Ye Qinming instinctively responded, “How will you reward me?”

Gu Xiyan lowered her gaze and chuckled. Noticing Ye Qinming leaning in, she tilted her head up and kissed Ye Qinming’s lips with pinpoint accuracy.

The moment their lips met, Ye Qinming hadn’t even had a chance to react before Gu Xiyan took the lead, prying her lips open and deepening the kiss. Any lingering wariness in Ye Qinming’s heart vanished instantly. At that moment, all she could think about was the person kissing her. Her breath turned uneven.

Only when a surge of warmth spread from her core and the dull pain in her chest faded did she realize—Gu Xiyan was transferring spiritual energy to her.

She pushed Gu Xiyan away, her face flushed, yet anger flickered in her eyes. However, seeing Gu Xiyan’s pale expression, she couldn’t help but feel distressed. Huffing to herself, she sulked for a moment before finally scolding, “Gu Xiyan, are you trying to ruin your own body?”

Gu Xiyan casually brushed her fingers against her lips, unbothered. “As long as you’re not hurt.”

Ye Qinming stared at her, then at the sheen on Gu Xiyan’s fingertips. Her face burned hotter as she muttered, “Since when did you learn this trick? I can never hide anything from you… Have you turned into a spirit or something?”

Gu Xiyan replied matter-of-factly, “You moved first. Otherwise, how would I know where to kiss? And I’m human—I can’t turn into a spirit.”

“What do you mean you can’t? You’re already a cunning little fox.”

Gu Xiyan chuckled at that. Seeing her laugh, Ye Qinming couldn’t help but smile too. Any lingering anger melted away.

Since her injuries were already exposed, and she had received the spiritual energy, Ye Qinming decided to let it go. She snuggled up to Gu Xiyan, pouting. “I need to rest. Let me use your lap as a pillow.”

Hearing this, Gu Xiyan sat down on the soft couch, bent her legs slightly, and patted them. “Come here.”

Ye Qinming practically rolled into her embrace, resting her head on Gu Xiyan’s lap. Gu Xiyan cradled her head with one hand and used the other to gently cover her eyes.

Nestled against Gu Xiyan, Ye Qinming felt so comfortable that she sighed contentedly. She grabbed Gu Xiyan’s hand and chuckled. “Why are you covering my eyes?”

“Aren’t you resting? Go to sleep,” Gu Xiyan said softly. Her gentle voice made Ye Qinming’s heart itch. Obediently, she placed her hands over her abdomen and lay still. Suddenly, she smirked.

Gu Xiyan noticed the change in her expression and brushed her fingers against Ye Qinming’s face, sensing something mischievous. Sure enough, the person in her lap playfully teased, “Xiyan, transferring spiritual energy like that is quite taxing on your body. But you know… there’s another way that benefits both parties. Do you know what it is?”

Gu Xiyan’s fingers paused briefly before she returned to her usual composed self. She answered lightly, “Are you talking about dual cultivation?”

Ye Qinming clearly hadn’t expected the dignified and proper Gu Xiyan to say those words so bluntly. She stiffened, stumbling over her words.

Before she could clarify, Gu Xiyan leaned in and murmured, “So, do you want to cultivate with me?”

Ye Qinming’s face turned bright red.

After a long moment, she stammered, “Gu Xiyan, do you… do you even know what… what dual cultivation really means?”

Gu Xiyan straightened up, appearing to ponder the question before slowly replying, “I vaguely remember you mentioning something about absorbing yin to replenish yang. But tell me, would absorbing from me even work?”

Ye Qinming internally wailed, then rolled over and buried her face in Gu Xiyan’s waist, clutching her robes. “Gu Xiyan! Where did you hide my soft and innocent little blind girl? You weren’t like this before!”

Truthfully, Gu Xiyan’s ears were also red, but facing this kind of lover, the only way to handle her was to be even more shameless. Still, seeing Ye Qinming pouting and clinging to her, Gu Xiyan softened, stroking her hair gently. In a quiet voice, she murmured, “It’s my fault. I won’t tease you anymore. You must be exhausted from today’s fight. Sleep for a while, alright?”

Ye Qinming took in the pleasant scent of Gu Xiyan and lay back, gazing up at her as she leaned over. Hmm, she really was beautiful. Even at this angle, there wasn’t a single flaw to be found. Her brows and eyes carried a gentle warmth, as soft as jade. Though her eyes couldn’t see, when she lowered her head like this, Ye Qinming could still feel an indescribable tenderness and an intoxicating sense of affection.

Thinking back to when they first met, Gu Xiyan had been only eighteen. Even then, she had been gentle, but always maintained a certain distance—kind to everyone, yet letting no one truly into her heart. But now, Ye Qinming was certain she had made it inside.

As she admired her wife, she suddenly saw a fair hand move, and in the next moment, her vision went dark—Gu Xiyan had covered her eyes.

“Stop staring at me. Close your eyes.”

Ye Qinming didn’t move her hand away. Instead, she smiled. “You can’t even see. How do you know I’m looking at you? Gu Xiyan, are you faking it?”

Gu Xiyan’s fingers gently brushed the side of her face. “I can tell by heart.” Then, her fingertips pressed lightly against Ye Qinming’s lips as she hushed her with a soft “shh.”

Ye Qinming resisted the urge to speak, obediently closing her eyes to rest. She truly was tired, and lying in her little blind one’s warm, fragrant embrace was too comfortable. Before long, she had fallen into a peaceful sleep.

She slept for quite some time. Throughout, Gu Xiyan let her rest on her lap, silently circulating her spiritual energy. The spiritual energy in the Demon Realm was indeed dozens of times stronger than in the human world. The energy she had transferred to Ye Qinming earlier had already replenished itself within an hour.

At one point, Zhijin had come by, worried. When she cautiously announced herself at the door, the only response she heard was Gu Xiyan’s hushed voice. Upon stepping inside, she was met with the sight of her sovereign, nestled in Miss Gu’s embrace, fast asleep.

Zhijin’s eyes widened in shock, but Gu Xiyan simply raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, and then gestured toward the sleeping Ye Qinming in her arms.

Zhijin quickly nodded, then, realizing Gu Xiyan couldn’t see, carefully set down the tea before slipping out of the side hall. Even after stepping outside, she couldn’t shake the image from her mind—her sovereign, who was usually so sharp and commanding, now nestled in someone’s arms, exuding nothing but pure softness. They truly… looked just like a married couple.

Inside, Ye Qinming had actually woken up when Zhijin entered but had been too comfortable to move. Plus, she had her own little reasons for pretending to still be asleep. When Zhijin finally left, she nuzzled against Gu Xiyan’s waist, rubbing her cheek against her stomach before stretching lazily and sitting up.

Gu Xiyan remained in the same posture as before, only subtly retracting her arm. “Awake now? Did the noise wake you?”

Ye Qinming tilted her head and looked at her before leaning in to give her a quick kiss. Then, she reached down to grasp Gu Xiyan’s right ankle, preventing her from pulling away, and began massaging her leg, which had gone numb.

“Why didn’t you move a little or wake me up?”

Gu Xiyan pressed her lips together and lowered her head. “You were sleeping soundly. I’m fine. It’ll pass in a moment.”

Ye Qinming stared at her, then flicked her lightly between the brows. “Stop acting like you don’t care about yourself.”

This was what frustrated her most about Gu Xiyan—she always put herself last, as if as long as the people she cared about were fine, her own suffering didn’t matter. She was like this with the Gu family, and with Ye Qinming, she was even more so. But Ye Qinming didn’t want that. She wanted to be the one to protect her.

Gu Xiyan rubbed her forehead and turned her head away with a soft smile.

“What are you laughing at? I hit you, and you’re still smiling?” Ye Qinming, of course, knew why she was smiling, but she deliberately teased her, leaning in closer to try and get a look at her expression.

Gu Xiyan tilted her head away, refusing to let her see, and the two of them ended up playfully tangling together.

After a while, Gu Xiyan stroked her hair, then lightly brushed her fingers down to her face. “Would you like some tea?” she asked softly.

Ye Qinming, who was currently half-pressing down on Gu Xiyan, swallowed instinctively as she stared at the woman beneath her. “I do.”

Finally managing to restrain herself from kissing her again, Ye Qinming pulled Gu Xiyan up to sit properly and watched as she poured tea for her. As Gu Xiyan sipped at her tea, she seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking. “Qinming, now that Jiuying has dealings with the Immortal Realm, do you think breaking ties with him like this will push him to fully side with them?”

Ye Qinming took a sip of her own tea and let out a soft chuckle. “Don’t worry. He may be ambitious and defiant, but he isn’t stupid. If he fights me, he has no chance of becoming the Demon Emperor. But if he fights the Immortal Realm, the entire Demon Realm could be destroyed. He might play tricks and think he can pit me against the Immortal Realm while reaping the benefits from the sidelines, but he won’t align with them against the Demon Realm. So…” As she spoke, she took Gu Xiyan’s hand and gently kneaded it. “So I can’t let him take notice of you.”

Hearing the slight guilt in her tone, Gu Xiyan smiled. “Mm, I know. I just don’t want to cause you trouble. Staying here, I get to see you every day, and with Ah Jin and Zhijin keeping me company, I’m not lonely.”

When she mentioned Mujin, Ye Qinming thought for a moment, then leaned in to whisper a few words in Gu Xiyan’s ear.

Gu Xiyan froze in place upon hearing them. A moment later, her expression shifted several times, caught between excitement and sorrow. Her eyes gradually turned red, and her voice trembled slightly. “What you said… is it true?”

Ye Qinming’s heart ached for her. She gently brushed a hand over Gu Xiyan’s eyes. “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have told you. From the first time I saw her, I felt she was familiar—she looked so much like Ah Qi. So I paid close attention and secretly examined her soul when she wasn’t aware. Her body is indeed that of a devil, but her soul… is human.”

Gu Xiyan struggled to suppress the overwhelming pain and disbelief in her heart. She immediately asked, “Then… how did she become like this?”

Ye Qinming looked at her and sighed with sympathy. “Mujin’s soul was damaged. She should have perished, but by some twist of fate, another soul entered her body. Because her obsession was too deep, she refused to enter the cycle of reincarnation and remained behind. But, by another twist of fate, she forgot her past life… and found you again.”

“No wonder… No wonder.” Gu Xiyan murmured. There had always been similarities between them—their temperament, their disposition—but the most striking resemblance was the way Mujin had protected her.

Ye Qinming knew that Ah Qi’s death was the deepest wound in Gu Xiyan’s heart. Perhaps, in a way, fate had shown them mercy.

“B-but Ah Qi has become like this, won’t it be a problem?” Gu Xiyan was a little worried.

Ye Qinming shook her head. “Remember what I told you? Saving you was a great merit for them. Now, she has escaped the suffering of reincarnation and remains by your side. This is undoubtedly the best outcome for her.”

Gu Xiyan’s expression was complicated, but she didn’t know what to say.

Ye Qinming patted her hand. “Since she’s here, let things be. What’s done is done. Everything will work out for the best, hmm?”

Gu Xiyan was silent for a moment before finally nodding. When she saw Mujin again, she couldn’t quite describe what she was feeling. But just as Ye Qinming had said, this must be the best arrangement.

Ye Qinming stayed with Gu Xiyan at Thousand Leaf Palace for a day, but the next morning, she had to leave. Her departure was hurried, and she only left a message with Zhijin, telling her to wait for her in the palace. Though Gu Xiyan felt uneasy, she knew Ye Qinming had matters to handle. The only thing she could do was ease her worries.

Staying in Thousand Leaf Palace, Gu Xiyan did not idle. She continued to train in the techniques Ye Qinming had left for her. She had already fully absorbed the demon core within her, and though she still lagged behind the great demons in strength, she was far beyond the reach of ordinary mortal cultivators.

Her growth was only a matter of time. But ever since she met Ye Qinming, it seemed fate had decided that peace would never last long for her.

Ye Qinming had been gone for three days when Zhijin brought her news—three of the Four Supreme Gods of the Immortal Realm had arrived, bringing an additional thirty thousand divine soldiers. They were pressing toward the Underworld Water border, and the situation in the Netherworld was critical. Jiuying had claimed illness and refused to appear, leaving Ye Qinming no choice but to personally lead the battle.