This Waste Wood Burns For You - Chapter 16

Chai Qing was a walking contradiction, a large one at that, hidden in plain sight. When she was down, she was like a stray dog, dragging her tail through the streets and alleys, then curling up in a corner to lick her wounds, invisible to others. When she was sunny, she felt like all the spring sunshine in the world was shining on her alone, her eyes held starlight, twinkling, making it impossible to look away.

Calming down, Chai Qing felt she could handle it.

She was too sensitive. A princess of a country asking her servant to build a cat nest, it was a trivial matter, why was she making such a fuss?

Whether it was a calculated seduction or blatant mockery, Chai Qing, initially captivated by her beauty, was now unwilling to accept her fate.

She rubbed her reddened ears. A cold wind swept past. The sky was overcast; she exhaled a puff of white breath and smiled up at it.

She had been down long enough. The bad seed, with her hands clasped behind her back, looked indifferent as she hurried towards the inn.

The floor tiles in the room creaked. Li Nu’s ears perked up, and she saw the familiar face of ‘Yan Nu’ peeking out from underground.

Jiang Rao was facing the window. She heard the sound but didn’t turn around. The wind and snow outside, falling relentlessly, covered her beauty with a sacred, untouchable aura.

Chai Qing patted her sleeve and stood up, her dejection gone.

She had figured it out. The princess was not a simple person, she was a ruthless character who knew how to give as good as she got.

She had been rude, saying she was “lonely and pitiful,” and she dared to laugh and play with her.

The cat nest wasn’t finished yet. Chai Qing stared at the finished outline, smiling and glancing at the person—hadn’t she been played by Jiang Rao?

A bad seed, a bad seed who wanted to take someone’s body, and she hadn’t even gotten into bed before she was tricked by the other person’s words.

What was this called?

A proper ‘show of force’.

The two of them had inadvertently stabbed each other in the heart, and it had cancelled each other out. After they recovered, they thought back to their lost and dejected selves. Chai Qing found it funny. It was just a game of mutual amusement, why did I take it seriously?

It was more important to do the ‘real thing’.

No one spoke in the room. Li Nu held back, but she couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you go?”

Chai Qing shrugged innocently, “It was stuffy in the room, I went out for some fresh air.”

Fresh air? Li Nu’s eyes were suspicious: She didn’t look like she was getting fresh air, she looked more like she was sulking.

Whether she believed it or not, Chai Qing went about her own business, tinkering with the cat nest. Her movements were quick and decisive, her eyes were sharp, like a precise ruler.

The wood transformed effortlessly in her hands; she didn’t bother with pretense, working quietly and intently, her profile serious and focused.

Tired of looking at the wind and snow outside, Jiang Rao slowly turned around. Her clear and focused gaze fell on the person, as if she wanted to stare a hole through their back.

An hour later.

The cat nest was finally finished.

A two-story building, the steps of the stairs were carved with delicate patterns, layer upon layer of exquisite detail, then coated with gold powder. It could even be called a golden nest.

“See this little thing?”

She pressed her fingertip hard on the ‘cat’s ear’, and the cat’s ear collapsed instantly. Ten short arrows, flashing with cold light, shot out like lightning.

“If you encounter a strong enemy, this alone can keep the princess safe.”

Li Nu was shocked by her ingenuity, breaking out in a cold sweat: What kind of person would be insane enough to design a deadly weapon on a cat’s nest?

“Within ten steps, you can pet the cat, intimidate the enemy, and you can also turn someone into a hedgehog.” Chai Qing kicked the ‘cat’s butt’ casually, and hundreds of slender silver needles flew out of the ‘cat’s eyes’ continuously!

Li Nu had never seen the legendary ‘Rain of Pear Blossoms Needles’ in the martial arts world, but seeing this, she couldn’t help but thought: The so-called Rain of Pear Blossoms Needles probably wouldn’t be much better than this!

Her eyes suddenly changed when she looked at Chai Qing. She sincerely wanted to keep this talent for the princess.

A cat nest could be so elaborate, if she were to seriously develop hidden weapons, how powerful would she be?

She didn’t dare to think about it. When she did, her whole heart fluttered.

As soon as this kind of weapon appeared, Jiang Rao’s brow twitched. She squatted down and asked, “Where did you kick just now?”

Her little trick worked. Chai Qing took the opportunity to get closer to her, her nose caught the faint fragrance of the princess’s collar. She smiled like a flower, took Jiang Rao’s hand and placed it on a spot, “Here, on the cat’s tail.”

The cat nest, shaped like a big cat, had a hidden compartment in the cat’s belly, and the cat’s body wasn’t idle either, it had short arrows and silver needles.

Just two mechanisms, enough to withstand a full-strength attack from a first-rate martial artist. If the needles were coated with poison, could take down a whole group of first-rate martial artists.

“It’s very powerful.”

Jiang Rao praised sincerely.

Chai Qing chuckled, reluctantly releasing the princess’s soft jade hand. She hugged a soft blanket and spread it in the nest. She turned around and picked up the terrified calico cat, stroked its head, and the ‘Great Benefactor’ calico cat cowered in its ‘delivery room’.

After a while, amniotic fluid flowed out.

“It’s…”

“Giving birth.”

“Giving birth?” Chai Qing’s triumphant smile froze on her lips. She pointed at the cat, “Was it scared?”

Jiang Rao shook her head, suppressing a smile. She thoughtfully closed the door of the cat nest, giving the mother cat some privacy to give birth.

“What do you think?”

“…”

Chai Qing didn’t want to speak. She covered one side of her cheek, her teeth ached.

The walls were riddled with holes, there was no time to clean them up. The three of them left the inner room and went to the outer room to rest for a while.

Jiang Rao’s mind was clearly occupied by the cat. Li Nu kept running out to watch the cat give birth.

Chai Qing had grown up wild in the town. When she was seven or eight years old, she hated cats and dogs, and she was a wild child. So, when cats and dogs gave birth, they would avoid her, hiding so well that even ghosts couldn’t find them. This time, she had a rare opportunity to watch. She looked at Li Nu, who kept going out and coming back, and propped her chin with one hand, “Do you want to watch?”

Jiang Rao glared at her, she didn’t answer but asked instead, “Are you not angry anymore?”

This was a choking question, reminding Chai Qing again of the fact that she had been tricked.

The bad seed smiled generously, “Angry about what?”

“Angry that I’m carefree, while you’re working hard alone. Angry that I look down on you, that I treat you like a plaything.”

“Princess, your words are hurtful.”

“Then why are you still talking to me?” Jiang Rao tilted her head and looked at her seriously, “What string in your heart did I strike?”

Chai Qing didn’t say anything. The aura around her became cold, even her smile was much more indifferent. She didn’t understand why someone with a face that everyone envied could say such annoying words?

She hadn’t planned to care, but Jiang Rao was determined to trample on her heart. The old memories turned into knives, cutting her heart and lungs. In a sea of blood, she was begging humbly. She closed her eyes tightly and stood up abruptly, “Don’t go too far!”

The oppressive aura enveloped her. Jiang Rao was not afraid, “The bad seed of Spring Water Town, with a past you can’t bear to remember, I’m even more curious about you.”

“Too much curiosity is not good, it can be fatal.”

Chai Qing sat back down, playing with her fingers boredly.

Her fingers were beautiful, her knuckles were long, and her fingertips were calloused, but it didn’t affect their beauty, it added a texture that delicate women didn’t have.

Jiang Rao’s boldness was striking. She seemed intent on a frank conversation. “You don’t look happy at all,” she stated, “Why the constant smile? I find your tears far more captivating than your smiles.”

“Want to watch someone cry? You can find a mirror and cry to yourself.”

“Chai Qing.”

Chai Qing’s eyelashes fluttered, and her heart fluttered with them, “What now?!”

Jiang Rao smiled gently, “You’re so impatient, how can you coax me to sleep with you like this?”

“…”

These words hit the nail on the head. Chai Qing admired her exquisite beauty, she suddenly changed from being irritable to sitting upright, speaking softly and slowly, “Princess, what’s wrong?”

A thousand faces, seemingly fake but real.

The princess, born into royalty, lifted her eyelids slightly, her coldness turned into unspeakable charm. Her lips moved, as if she were deeply in love:

“Chai Qing, do you want to be my cat, only acknowledging me as your master? You can be gloomy, you can be angry, you can be bad, you can even give me the cold shoulder. I’ll make you happy, I’ll cook for you. But you can’t leave me. You have to live and die with me. When we die, our ashes will be put in the same box and flow into the same river.”

Her gaze locked onto Chai Qing’s eyes with an almost obsessive intensity. Leaning forward, she whispered, “This way, you can have me.”

“I can have you now.”

“Really?”

Jiang Rao muttered in a slightly disappointed tone, the light in her bright eyes gradually dimmed. She leaned back against the chair, too lazy to say another word.

Chai Qing couldn’t figure out her intentions. This person was cold one moment and warm the next. She couldn’t tell which words were true.

In her imagination, the first time should be beautiful. But Jiang Rao was like a piece of moldy wood, what was there to sleep with?

She held her ground.

But the beauty’s tongue was like a knife, the tip pointed forward, “I know, you’re not only insecure, you’re also cowardly.”

“?”

Chai Qing was so angry that her chest rose and fell, “Stop it!”

“Alright.”

Jiang Rao no longer had the mood to flirt with her. She adjusted her sleeves and was about to go see the cat give birth.

Staring at her graceful figure, Chai Qing felt something was wrong. She took a step forward.

The stunningly beautiful girl was forced into her arms. The nameless fire in Chai Qing’s heart finally subsided. A playful smile curled on her lips. She held the soft waist with one hand and lifted Jiang Rao’s pointed chin with the other, “You provoked me first.”

Jiang Rao’s eyes were clear, she tried to break free, but she was held tighter.

Chai Qing was lost in her angry eyes. A low laugh escaped her throat, she leaned in regardless.

Their lips met, and the instant sensation was one of extreme softness and sweetness.

This woman’s heart was like a stone, but her body could be so soft.

It was so damn kissable.

Finally doing what a bad seed should do, Chai Qing’s heart surged, and she became even more enthusiastic.

But Jiang Rao, who was imprisoned by her, seemed very inexperienced. She wanted to bite, but her teeth clashed together. Chai Qing stopped, leaving an inch of space between them. Her breath was laced with laughter, “You’re so clumsy.”

“….You are out of line!”

She still had the energy to be domineering. Chai Qing, annoyed, pushed her back.

“Princess—”

An untimely voice rang out. Li Nu rushed in, looking at the two intimately close people in shock. Jiang Rao’s ears burned red. She suddenly opened her eyes and pushed away the person who was pressing down on her.

Chai Qing stepped back to look at her glossy lips, her heart was filled with joy.

Li Nu ran to the princess’s side, flustered. She forgot what she was about to say. It was Jiang Rao who reminded her, and she stammered, “Princess, the cat has given birth.”

A moment of silence. Jiang Rao gathered her composure and was about to leave.

Chai Qing stretched out a leg to block her, smiling, “Who’s the cat of whom?”

“…”

Jiang Rao chuckled softly, stepping on her foot and walking straight ahead.