Chapter 168   Grand Courtship

Yun Shimo suddenly left the bathing pool and Hua Qiyue also stumbled backward and held on to the sides of the pool as she glared angrily at him. “I’ll get going first. I’ll come for you if anything else crops up,” he said hurriedly before he flew away, his cheeks faintly stained with a blush.

After he left the Hua’s mansion, Yun Shimo looked helplessly at the part of his body that stood proudly at attention. He had left in such a hurry because he had been afraid that he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

Although he really loved Hua Qiyue, he wanted to try to respect her wishes.

The moon shone brightly in the skies but Yun Shimo’s eyes were stormy as he muttered, “I guess our days are no longer going to be so idyllic from now on.”

—

Hua Qiyue continued to quietly cultivate in her residence for the next two days. She had obviously entered the Mysterious World and would occasionally teach Tianci runes. Tianci showed that he had some talent in this field. He would also experience pain and suffering when learning runes but it wasn’t as intense as it had been for Hua Qiyue.

Hua Qiyue felt more reassured to know that Tianci would master runes.

At least he’d be able to cast a Transmission Array to escape in the future if he ran into an opponent he wasn’t able to defeat and this would enrage his opponent.

Hua Qiyue felt that it was most important to be able to escape from such situations alive and pride and dignity were nothing in the face of death.

The morning of the third day, the crown prince Huangfu Shenglin was already waiting outside the Hua’s mansion after she had finished her breakfast. She felt a little embarrassed when she realized that the lofty crown prince had been waiting for a nobody like her and guessed that the Emperor will probably be displeased if he heard about this news.

Tianci couldn’t bear to part with his mother but he still stood at the doorway of the Hua’s mansion to bid them farewell. Huangfu Shenglin gave Tianci a Searching Cat as a present before they left. It was said that this little beast would be able to find anyone based on their scent, regardless of where that person was hiding or how highly-skilled at Qi Arts that person was.

Tianci was naturally very excited. He had liked playing with dogs and cats since childhood. In fact, anyone would be thrilled to have an evil beast to call his own.

“Qiyue, you should sit here since its more comfortable,” Huangfu Shenglin gestured with a smile for Hua Qiyue to take the lounge at very back of the carriage.

This lounge was made of jade and it was very cooling by nature. The journey to Rock Hillock Mountain will take one day and night and although she was very pleased with her surroundings, wouldn’t it be very improper for her to spend the night with the crown prince in the carriage?

“Don’t worry, I’ll head out to camp with the others when it gets dark,” Huangfu Shenglin hurriedly explained as though he had seen through her concerns.

Hua Qiyue’s brows arched and she placed the hare that she had brought along in a corner. This hare could have tagged along with Yun Shimo but she had seen the hare sprawled lazily outside her doorway at the break of dawn that day.

Clearly, Yun Shimo was worried enough to have deliberately left the hare behind as a chaperone.

“Your highness, you really live like one of your men. No wonder you’re so popular amongst them,” Hua Qiyue said frankly as she stroked the hare’s head. The hare snorted coldly, then jumped out of the carriage’s window.

“Qiyue, you flatter me. According to the popular sayings state that the Emperor reigns above all but I feel that everyone should be treated the same way with the exception of those who commit unspeakable evil,” Huangfu Shenglin said with a bright smile, then handed her some water.

“This is the spring water from the palace and it is extremely delicious,” Huangfu Shenglin said as he gazed at her tenderly. Hua Qiyue pretended that she didn’t see the look in his eyes as she thanked him for his consideration.

He sat at a corner and the carriage continued to make its way at a leisurely pace to Rock HIllock Mountain. Hua Qiyue could tell from the pace of the carriage that the situation with the evil beasts was not very serious and knew that the Emperor was just making use of this situation to create opportunities for her to spend time with Huangfu Shenglin.

Ouyang Youche’s news was probably accurate and Huangfu Shenglin was indeed interested in her. Although she embarrassed to reject his advances outright, she felt like Huangfu Shenglin had good taste. If he chose her to be his princess consort, heh, then she would be able to defend the land. Didn’t someone say that a highly-skilled Qi Artist was better than millions of elite soldiers?

She took a sip of spring water and just as Huangfu Shenglin said, the water was slightly refreshing and sweet with a faint fragrance.

The roads were not bumpy because they had taken the official roads. Hua Qiyue felt a little awkward since there was someone else in the carriage but she leaned slightly against the carriage as she asked, “Your highness, are the evil beasts at the mountain very terrifying? I’m surprised that you’re personally undertaking this mission.”

Hua Qiyue decided to take the initiative to strike a conversation.

Huangfu Shenglin helped her peel a tangerine and his slender hands moved deftly as though he was used to performing such tasks.

The Crown Prince who lived in the palace was usually carefully attended to by his servants, so did this mean that he was also very good-natured around his servants as well?

“I heard that there are two level-5 evil beasts that have been causing trouble around the mountain. This has resulted in more than a hundred people being injured or killed by them and although the prefecture had sent Qi Artists to subdue them, these evil beasts were way too strong, so the Qi Artists failed to subdue these beasts,” Huangfu Shenglin said with a smile. “As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to do something for my people.”

Hua Qiyue nodded. Huangfu Shenglin seemed to be grounded in good principles. He was not only just using this opportunity as a training exercise; he was also using it to establish his authority.

Huangfu Shenglin was extremely attentive to Hua Qiyue in the carriage and when the hare caught the look in his eyes, its skin prickled with gooseflesh.

“Hey, girl. The Crown Prince’s gaze is far too terrifying and he looks as though he wants to devour you right there and then. Tsk, I’ve lived for so many years and never would I have expected the world 10,000 years later to be such a flighty world. The Crown Prince is too direct and I can’t help but shiver in disgust from the way he looks at you!” the hare finally said and raised its leg to put it against its forehead after Huangfu Shenglin left the carriage to camp with the rest of his men.

The hare’s needless actions were rather comical but Hua Qiyue had no urge to laugh.

Her dark eyes looked past the ancient trees in the distance to rest on Huangfu Shenglin’s figure.

This man was truly extraordinary. Despite the fact that he was born in the palace, he had not adopted the terrible habits that sons of noblemen tended to adopt and only married two concubines.

She thought that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to marry such a man but unfortunately, she already had Yun Shimo and besides, she didn’t think that what Huangfu Shenglin felt toward her was true love.

Her status as a Qi Artist, the fact that she was both intelligent and virtuous and had possession of the Drunken Flower Fan were probably more important to him.

Hua Qiyue couldn’t help but let out a sigh. There were always strings attached in such relationships.

The hare hopped over to her side and asked, “Hua Qiyue, what do you think of Huangfu Shenglin?”

Hua Qiyue pursed her lips and took another sip of the spring water that Huangfu Shenglin had handed her. “He’s not bad and is a much better man compared to Huangfu Changyu. He would definitely make a much better Emperor compared to the previous Crown Prince.”

“What if I ask you to make a choice between Yun Shimo and Huangfu Shenglin?”

“Senior, I might not be extremely powerful, but I should be able to have control over who I end up marrying, right? Why am I forced to choose between them?”

The hare smiled mysteriously and said meaningfully, “He he, it’s hard to predict the future. Perhaps you might be faced with a difficult choice one day.”

Hua Qiyue didn’t take his words seriously.

She had already chosen Yun Shimo and felt as though nothing could separate them.

After he set up camp with the rest of his men, Huangfu Shenglin returned to the carriage, took out his bamboo flute and played love songs for her and the titles were all along the lines of ‘lovers never to be separated’, ”entanglement under the willow trees’.

The hare couldn’t bear this any longer and after he vomited a mouthful of blood, it jumped out of the window.

Hua Qiyue couldn’t help but praise Huangfu Shenglin’s skills and after he kept his flute, he looked tenderly at Hua Qiyue and said, “Qiyue, I don’t care whether or not you’re carrying Prince Nan’s child. I’ll wait till you’re willing to be with me.”

Hua Qiyue almost wanted to vomit blood as well. Didn’t the Crown Prince sound a little too resentful?

“Qiyue, I... I’m a little slow when it comes to relationships but I’d rather not marry than to end up marrying the wrong woman. Prince Nan is no ordinary man and he might have already fallen for Qianyang but don’t be too upset. Most men would end up marrying multiple women... but Qianyang is not someone who would be willing to accept the title of a lower concubine. However, if you’re willing... to be with me, Qiyue, the title of the Princess Consort will be yours and I won’t marry anyone else after you!”

Huangfu Shenglin could no longer hold it in and blatantly professed his love for Hua Qiyue.

Hua Qiyue looked calmly at Huangfu Shenglin and she heard another ‘puff’ sound and guessed that the hare must have vomited blood once more at the back of the carriage.

Huangfu Shenglin looked nervously at Hua Qiyue, his heart full of hope.

She sighed softly and said, “Your Highness, you’re a great person but I don’t think we’re suitable for each other. Nonetheless, thank you for liking me.” She deliberately kept her voice low so that no one else could overhear them.

After all, Huangfu Shenglin was the Crown Prince, so she had to keep his dignity intact.

Huangfu Shenglin paled and he stared dumbly at her. However, when he thought of how Yun Shimo and Hua Qiyue had already consummated their relationship, he decided that it was natural that they couldn’t be separated this easily.

“Don’t worry. I’ll continue waiting for you. Qiyue, feel free to find me whenever you’re in times of need... and could you stop calling me Your Highness and standing on such ceremony with me?” he said tenderly.

His request was so sincere that she couldn’t get angry at him, so Hua Qiyue could only nod and say, “Sure, I’ll look for you if I ever need anything.”

Huangfu Shenglin left silently and although it was obvious that he felt disappointed, there was no resentment in his eyes and his reaction was a lot better than Huangfu Changyu’s had been.

The hare climbed carefully back up the window and said feebly, “After 10,000 years, I’ve realized that the young men nowadays come on so strongly to women. Back in the days... we would send matchmakers. Oh, how times have changed, puff...”

Huangfu Shenglin’s confession seemed to have affected him emotionally and he vomited another mouthful of blood...

Hua Qiyue laughed. As the dusk fell, Huangfu Shenglin instructed his men to cook rice and meticulously made arrangements for all other tasks.

This man was indeed an outstanding man. He might have been born in the imperial family but he wasn’t as spoilt and pampered as the other noblemen.

Changjing Kingdom should have a bright future ahead under his leadership but of course, they would first need to get rid of all the Dark Sects.

After they were done cooking, the soldiers brought some food and wine over and amongst the dishes they prepared was also a hare that they had hunted down. The barbequed hare smelled extremely fragrant and even the Sun Moon Deity who was a hare itself stared longingly at the hare dish in a daze.

Hua Qiyue threw a hare leg over since she knew that despite its current appearance, its original form was not a hare.

The SUn Moon Deity was very cunning and would not reveal his original form so soon after emerging from a forbidden land.

“Are you kidding me? Does the hare eat hare meat?” Huangfu Shenglin couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise. 666