Appreciating New Tea with an Inkstone - Chapter 69

Ye Qinming was no fool—she knew perfectly well whether Jiuying was telling the truth or not. It wasn’t that she was completely unaware; rather, both she and Gu Xiyan had been desperately ignoring and rationalizing it. But the moment someone dragged the truth out into the open and threw it in their faces, everything suddenly made perfect sense.

Pain, avoidance, anger, helplessness—all of it piled up in her heart, suffocating her. Gu Xiyan stood motionless with her eyes shut, as if she were dead.

Looking at Gu Xiyan, Ye Qinming felt a sharp pang in her heart. Her reddened eyes twitched coldly as she forcibly suppressed all her emotions.

“I’ll say it one more time—give her to me!” Her right hand gripped Bixiao, the sword trembling as it struggled to contain the surge of her spiritual power.

Jiuying’s eyes narrowed as his aura surged. He wrapped Gu Xiyan in a band of spiritual energy while summoning his bone-chilling blade.

The air crackled with tension—one wrong move and battle would erupt. Mujin and Liuli arrived just in time. Mujin’s eyes saw nothing but Gu Xiyan. Though she was gravely injured, she rushed toward her at full speed.

Jiuying swung his blade to block Mujin, but Ye Qinming intercepted him instantly. Mujin hurriedly caught Gu Xiyan in her arms, only to turn pale with panic. “My lady, what’s wrong? Your hands are freezing! What happened? Where do you feel unwell?”

Gu Xiyan wasn’t just cold—she was stiff as a puppet. She remained utterly still, even as Mujin held her.

Mujin’s anxious voice pulled Ye Qinming’s attention. She turned her head, the confrontation with Jiuying momentarily forgotten. Worry clouded her gaze, piercing through her pain.

Liuli, who had been staring at Ye Qinming from the moment she arrived, finally shifted her gaze toward the mortal woman who had captured Ye Qinming’s attention. With just one look, her eyes widened in disbelief. She shook her head furiously.

“Impossible!”

Ye Qinming saw the horror on Liuli’s face, and in that moment, she felt completely drained. As expected, after the initial shock, Liuli’s expression twisted in fury. Her eyes burned with hatred as she stepped forward, pointing a trembling finger at Gu Xiyan.

“Your Majesty, she… she is the reincarnation of Divine Lord Zhuoqing? How can you abandon the Demon Realm’s warriors for this person again?! Your Majesty, she—she was the one who ruined you! She’s the reason the Demon Realm fell into ruin! Wasn’t it enough that she stabbed you back then? Wasn’t her cruelty enough?!”

Gu Xiyan, who had been as lifeless as a statue, finally moved. She stiffly turned her head, as if she was holding her breath, waiting for Ye Qinming’s response.

Ye Qinming clenched her hand even tighter. She had reached her breaking point. She looked at Liuli, then at Jiuying, and declared each word with chilling finality, “No matter who she is, no one is taking her from me today. Not the Immortal Realm. And you—least of all.”

With that, she let out a long battle cry and lunged forward, sword in hand. She struck down hard, clashing against Jiuying’s bone-chilling blade. Her right leg swept out, unleashing a wave of spiritual energy that slashed straight toward Jiuying’s waist.

Coldly, she said, “Jiuying, it’s been a thousand years. You think you know my power has weakened, but you forget—I am still your sovereign!”

She poured all her grief and rage into her strikes, each blow more merciless than ever before. In all their past encounters, she had never fought him this ruthlessly, forcing Jiuying to retreat step by step.

The fury of a realm’s ruler could shake the heavens. Even though her strength was not what it once was, the sky darkened in response to her wrath.

Jiuying prided himself on his power—few in the Three Realms could rival him. Only the Four Supreme Gods of the Heavenly Realm were worthy opponents. Even the Heavenly Emperor himself was someone Jiuying dared to challenge. His arrogance was not unfounded.

But today, facing Ye Qinming, he was utterly humiliated. It was a crushing blow to his pride.

With another slash, Ye Qinming cut off a strand of his hair and knocked off his crown. Disheveled and furious, Jiuying glared at the woman who was driving him to madness. With a roar, he threw himself back into the fight.

Their battle turned the Demon Realm’s clear skies into a storm of howling winds and ominous clouds. Even Liuli, who was still reeling from the shock of Zhuoqing’s sudden reincarnation, could no longer focus on Gu Xiyan. Instead, she fixed her gaze on the battle above.

The wind whipped at Gu Xiyan’s robes, the cold seeping into her bones. The deafening clashes of swords and surging energy made her heart race. She forced herself to stay focused, despite her turmoil.

Ye Qinming’s unstable breath and emotional turbulence made her direct clash with Jiuying a reckless move.

Even though Gu Xiyan’s own despair outweighed Ye Qinming’s, she was still tense with worry.

Ye Qinming kept glancing at her. Just moments ago, she had been motionless, like a lifeless puppet. But now, watching her anxiously fixated on the fight, Ye Qinming’s chest tightened. Her nose stung.

How could she be that wretched Divine Lord?

No matter how confused she was right now, she could not take her anger out on Gu Xiyan. Gu Xiyan knew nothing. It wasn’t fair.

Hundreds of blows later, Ye Qinming’s demonic and spiritual energy were both nearly drained. The damaged demon core in her body flared with pain. Her eyes turned blood-red. She leaped into the air and brought her sword down in a devastating arc.

Jiuying was slammed into the ground. His knees crashed into the dirt, sinking a full foot deep. Blood gushed from his mouth as he collapsed. Ye Qinming raised her right hand. Bixiao pressed against Jiuying’s throat, drawing a thin line of blood.

Liuli gasped in horror. “Your Majesty, think carefully!”

Jiuying had not openly declared himself Ye Qinming’s enemy—he had only taken a mortal hostage. If she killed him now, the demons of the Abyssal Sea would surely rebel, and the Demon Realm could not afford a civil war.

Ye Qinming stared coldly at him. “Get out. If you dare touch her again, next time, I will take your head.”

Jiuying clutched his chest and staggered to his feet. As he left, he rasped, “Ye Qinming, even if I don’t act, the Immortal Realm has already set their sights on her. You fell because of her once. Soon, it will happen again. Ha…”

Ye Qinming’s fingers tightened around her sword until her knuckles cracked. Her eyes burned with killing intent.

In the end, she let him go.

Ye Qinming stood in place for a long time. Mujin supported Gu Xiyan but noticed that she didn’t spare her mistress even a single glance, causing her to furrow her brows. However, sensing the strange atmosphere and the cold indifference from this inexplicable woman toward Gu Xiyan, she could roughly guess that something serious had happened, so she held back her words for the time being.

It was Gu Xiyan who struggled to her feet, hesitated for a moment, and then cautiously made her way toward Ye Qinming. Seeing this, Liuli stepped in front of her, speaking in a low voice, “Whether you remember or not, do not approach Her Majesty. You are unworthy.”

Gu Xiyan’s hand, hidden within her sleeve, clenched suddenly, and her face paled slightly. Mujin was still wary of Ye Qinming, but she would never tolerate anyone speaking so harshly to Gu Xiyan. She immediately retorted coldly, “My lady hasn’t spoken, so I kept my mouth shut like a mute. Your master hasn’t said anything either, so who are you putting on this show for?”

Liuli hadn’t expected such a sharp response and was so enraged that she couldn’t get a word out. Pointing at Mujin in anger, she stammered, “You… you…” Her face flushed red.

Gu Xiyan reached out, tugged Mujin’s sleeve, and shook her head. “Ah Jin, don’t.”

But she herself did not stop. She bypassed Liuli entirely, and when Ye Qinming’s body swayed slightly, she took a quick step forward and caught her, pressing her right hand against Ye Qinming’s pulse and quickly channeling spiritual energy into her.

Ye Qinming closed her eyes briefly and glanced at her. Because of the fight with Jiuying, bloodstains marred her robes, her hair was disheveled, and several strands of black hair and the white ribbon tied at the back of her head had fallen over her chest, making her look rather pitiful. However, despite the paleness of her face, her expression no longer carried the despair and defeat from before. She still held that familiar grace and composure, even revealing a hint of resilience.

Seeing Ye Qinming nearly collapse, Liuli felt a surge of worry but was even more frustrated. She had been standing closer, yet a blind woman had been the first to notice Ye Qinming’s injury.

“Your Majesty, how are you feeling? Your spiritual energy is weak. She won’t help you much, let me do it.” As she spoke, she reached out to push Gu Xiyan aside, but Mujin blocked her.

“If it’s useless, your master will say so herself. She’s still conscious—there’s no need for you to decide for her.”

“You insignificant little devil, where do you get the audacity to provoke me again and again?”

Ye Qinming could feel Gu Xiyan’s slight movement when Liuli spoke, but she said nothing. So, in a low voice, Ye Qinming ordered, “Liuli, go back.”

Liuli immediately understood Ye Qinming’s intent—despite knowing that this woman was the very person who had harmed her, she still refused to let go.

Gu Xiyan remained silent, but an indescribable feeling swelled in her heart. She kept telling herself that Ye Qinming had already treated her more than fairly. If anyone else discovered that the person they loved was the very one who had once struck them down, imprisoned them for a thousand years, and plunged the Demon Realm into crisis, they would never be able to remain indifferent.

She should be content. No matter what happened in the future, at this moment, Ye Qinming’s feelings for her were undeniably real. As the one responsible for it all, she had already received more than she deserved.

Suppressing her emotions, she took a deep breath and said softly, “Can you still walk on your own? Do you need…” She trailed off, simply raising her wrist slightly. Ye Qinming’s first reaction was to glance at her lips.

Realizing she had misunderstood again, Ye Qinming turned her head away, replying in a muffled voice, “No need. You take me.”

The first two words sent a chill through Gu Xiyan’s heart, but the last three brought her joy.

As Gu Xiyan led Ye Qinming and Liuli back to the Thousand Leaf Palace, the surviving guards knelt in unison. “It was our failure. We ask for Your Majesty’s punishment.”

Ye Qinming’s expression was grim. But after glancing at Gu Xiyan’s worried face, she merely let out a cold snort and said, “Losing to Jiuying is understandable. Step back.”

Liuli had been following behind them the whole time, watching Gu Xiyan hesitate as if she wanted to speak but ultimately remained silent. 

After a brief pause, Gu Xiyan said quietly, “I’ll be going now.”

Ye Qinming said nothing. She stood in the hall, watching as Gu Xiyan and Mujin left together. Gu Xiyan’s figure was slender, her posture straight, yet an indescribable loneliness clung to her as she walked away.

Ye Qinming closed her eyes briefly and tilted her head slightly upward. Seeing her like this, Liuli frowned deeply and spoke with difficulty, “Your Majesty, she has already deceived you once. No matter the reason, she was ruthless toward you. Why do you still hold on to this? In her heart, we are just evil demons—only the Immortal Realm is worth protecting to her. No matter how well you treated her back then, she still treated you the same way. These so-called noble immortals, and even mortals, are all the same. You should kill her! Otherwise, if the Immortal Realm gains the advantage—”

“Liuli, shut up.” Ye Qinming was already feeling tormented, but she could not stand hearing Liuli speak about Gu Xiyan in this way.

If there was anyone she should hate, it would be Zhuoqing, because she had very few memories of her. However, she could recall that the hostility she had once felt toward Gu Xiyan likely stemmed from Zhuoqing.

If there had been no entanglement between her and Zhuoqing, then even if Gu Xiyan was Zhuoqing’s reincarnation, given their current relationship, she would not blame her.

But… from the way Liuli and Jiuying spoke, it seemed she and Divine Lord Zhuoqing had once shared some form of emotional entanglement. Even if she had forgotten, resentment still lingered deep within her bones.

So, while she knew she shouldn’t blame Gu Xiyan—since the current Gu Xiyan had nothing to do with what happened before—she still couldn’t fully accept it.

“Your Majesty, if you can’t bring yourself to do it, I can—”

Ye Qinming was suddenly jolted awake, turning sharply to look at Liuli, her gaze like a blade, causing the other woman to instinctively take a step back in shock.

Her expression darkened, her voice stern and commanding, “Liuli, I have said before—no one is allowed to lay a single finger on her. Do you understand?”

A trace of hurt flickered in Liuli’s eyes, but she had no choice but to accept it. She lowered her head and murmured, “Yes.” However, an unreadable glint flashed in her gaze. Had Her Majesty… forgotten something?

“Your Majesty, do you still remember what she did back then?”

Ye Qinming was momentarily stunned, her brows furrowing unconsciously. She waved her hand and said, “There’s no need to say any more. Leave.”

Liuli acknowledged the order, but as she lowered her head, she pressed her lips together tightly before quickly turning and leaving.

Ye Qinming watched her retreating figure, her expression darkening. But as her thoughts drifted back to Gu Xiyan, she slowly lowered her head again.