Qingmo nodded to the two men, "Please, Zuo Qing and You Ming, place the bathtub on the ground, pour all the old carved decorations into it, and Uncle Wu, come and help me support the Prince..."
The stone chamber was filled with the rich aroma of wine. Qingmo bathed Feng Chenmu in the tub, his head resting on a jade pillow. Under the bright light, the old scars on his fair skin became even more apparent in the clear liquid. She glanced at them casually; there were dozens of scars of varying sizes on his chest alone. A strange emotion welled up within her, a mix of bitterness and heartache.
Wu Yu was a skilled doctor, so he naturally stayed behind to help. Seeing that Zuo Qing and You Ming were already waiting outside the door, Qing Mo disregarded the ancient etiquette, took scissors, and cut off all the fabric below her knees. Her long hair was coiled on top of her head without a single strand left. When Wu Yu saw her like that, the surprise on his face turned into relief.
The stone chamber was filled with the rich aroma of wine, intoxicatingly so, but Qingmo's mind was perfectly clear. Her hands moved swiftly, her slender fingers forming hand seals as she inserted needles and flicked acupoints, all in one fluid motion. Before long, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, slowly growing larger until they slid down her fair cheeks, some landing on the floor tiles, others in the bathtub. But no one cared to wipe them away. Wu Yu assisted her, both of them exceptionally focused, the only sound the ticking of the hourglass as time passed second by second.
After only the first acupuncture treatment, Qingmo was already drenched in sweat, as if she had been pulled out of water. Her face grew increasingly pale, and she looked extremely exhausted, as if she hadn't rested for seven days and seven nights.
Wu was very worried when he saw that she didn't look well. This was the problem with the Three Times Acupuncture; once the needles were applied, they couldn't be stopped halfway through.
"Miss Yue, how are you? Can you still hold on?" He gazed at her face, full of concern.
Qingmo nodded and began to guide him in guiding blood and qi.
An hour passed quickly, and Wu Yu's face showed signs of fatigue. Qingmo began the second round of acupuncture. She took out a bottle from her bosom, poured a pill into her palm, pondered for a few seconds, and swallowed it in one gulp.
Her slender, jade-like fingers glided across Feng Chenmu's firm yet rough skin, and a strange blush rose on Qingmo's face. Her hands didn't stop, and the second acupuncture was even faster than the first.
Wu Yu glanced at Qing Mo from time to time. He heard her breathing quicken and become somewhat erratic. He was worried that her anxiety might harm Feng Chenmu, but apart from her face being flushed somewhat unnaturally, she was as quick, accurate, and steady as ever when applying acupuncture. Perhaps it was just that she was over-consuming her inner energy, and his doubts gradually dissipated.
---Aside---
This chapter has been expanded by 1000 words.
Chapter 16: To Eat or Not to Eat
Another hour passed. After the second round of acupuncture, Qingmo's face was no longer just pale, but ashen. She was already very thin, and now, with her face looking like it had been pulled from a pile of corpses, she looked as if a gust of wind could carry her away, teetering on the verge of collapse.
Wu Yu's old face, etched with deep wrinkles, creased into a deep frown. "Miss Yue, this old man knows that the Three-Time Acupuncture is a secret technique of your Yue clan, but I'm afraid you can't continue in your current condition. Anyway, this old man doesn't know the first two acupuncture techniques, so how about I do the third one for you?"
Hearing his well-intentioned advice, Qingmo shook his head with a wry smile, "No, the Three-Time Acupuncture Technique cannot be learned overnight. Right now, you need to scrape the bone and adjust the meridians for the Prince. You simply cannot learn it within an hour, so I can only perform the third time."
"Why don't you rest for an hour and let Zuo Qing and You Ming transfer some of their inner energy to you, otherwise..."
Before Wu Yu could finish speaking, Qing Mo replied without hesitation, "Okay." She understood her own body; the three-times acupuncture was too taxing on her internal energy. She had already struggled to perform the first round of acupuncture, and she had forced herself to do the second round. She absolutely could not push herself to the third round, otherwise she would not only harm herself, but also put Feng Chenmu in an extremely dangerous situation.
Fortunately, Wu Yu was a skilled physician. After Qingmo explained the bone-scraping and meridian-setting procedures, Zuo Qing and You Ming entered the room to transfer their internal energy to her. Upon seeing her smooth, jade-like legs, their faces flushed red.
Qingmo, being a modern person, naturally didn't feel there was anything wrong with showing her calves, especially during this extraordinary time. She sat down without any affectation or coquetry, waiting for the two men to channel their inner energy into her. Two warm currents slowly flowed into her body, and after they finished, she felt much better. Wu Yu was also exhausted from scraping Feng Chenmu's bones and adjusting his meridians, so Qingmo told the three of them to go and rest. The third acupuncture treatment was different from the first and second, so she repeatedly instructed them not to enter the room and even locked the stone chamber door.
Of the three, only Wu Yu truly understood. He had witnessed Yue Qingyang administering acupuncture and roughly grasped what Qing Mo was worried about, hence his suggestion to wait outside. None of the three dared to rest; if anything went wrong during the third round of acupuncture, they could at least provide backup.
Seeing that the three of them had left the stone chamber, Qingmo placed the eight-panel screen in front of the window. It wasn't that she didn't want Wu Yu's help, but that the three rounds of acupuncture required them to be completely honest with each other, and having someone present would make it difficult for her to concentrate.
She removed her simple clothes one by one, her fingers lingering on the strap of her bodice. After a moment's thought, she decided to keep the garment. She helped Feng Chenmu up, sat cross-legged behind him, concentrated her attention, and drew a wisp of energy from her dantian. With one hand, she formed a hand seal and pressed it against his major acupoints, while with the other, she picked up a silver needle and swiftly inserted it into his acupoints, the white energy flowing from her fingertip. The white energy, along with the rolling of the needle, also entered Feng Chenmu's body.
Gradually, wisps of white steam rose from Qingmo's body. The wine in the basin began to absorb the heat from her body, and she felt herself getting hotter and hotter, her heart pounding rapidly. This was the crucial part of the third challenge: she had to control the flow of energy between them, guide his meridians to self-repair, and clear any blockages. Slowly, beads of sweat dripped from her face and forehead into the steaming wine. Qingmo already felt her strength waning, but she seemed to have no way out but to persevere.
Time passed like flowing water. The three people outside were anxious and impatient. Inside, Qingmo felt her dantian was completely empty and her whole body was weak. But she had a smile on her face because she had succeeded. After pulling out the last needle, she collapsed onto Feng Chenmu's back and lost consciousness.
"master?"
"Miss Yue?"
Time was ticking by, and an hour and a half had passed. Wu Yu estimated that the acupuncture had been completed inside the room. Filled with worry, he called out softly a few times, but no one answered.
"Master? Miss Yue?" He leaned against the door and called out again, raising his voice, but there was still no answer. He panicked. "Something's wrong. There might be an accident. Let's break down the door and go in to check."
"No, I'm fine, don't come in."
A hoarse male voice came from inside the room, as if he was suppressing something, "Great, Master is awake." The three of them were so overwhelmed with joy that they didn't notice anything amiss for a moment.
Feng Chenmu was wearing only a pair of close-fitting trousers. His handsome face, with its distinct features, was flushed. He narrowed his eyes and gazed at the woman lying in his arms.
She looked unusually weak, her face devoid of color, her shallow breathing indicating she was in a deep coma. She wore only a snow-white bodice, completely soaked with sweat. Beneath the thin fabric, the glimpses of her cleavage were alluring, and the pink lotus flowers embroidered on her garment seemed even more vibrant and captivating. His Adam's apple bobbed, and a burning lust ignited in his eyes, as if capable of scorching everything to ashes.
His large, calloused hand trembled as it rested on her delicate body. The smooth, snow-white skin beneath his touch exuded a subtle fragrance, and the cool temperature felt comforting, yet it made Feng Chenmu's heart pound wildly. He hooked the thin ribbon tied around her neck with his long fingers and gently pulled it...
Chapter 17: What Right Do You Have?
"They all say you're deeply in love with me, but little do they know that my feelings for you are deeper and purer than yours for me. Don't force me to hate you. If you insist on doing so, I will kill you without hesitation." The woman whispered, her tone filled with bitterness, a bitterness so profound that no amount of sweetness could soothe it. Qingmo seemed to sense her desolation and sorrow, clutching his heart with one hand, feeling waves of pain wash over him as well.
The man turned around unhurriedly. As soon as she saw his profile, the bright red beauty mark under his eye was as dazzling as a drop of blood on her heart. She suddenly cried out, "It's you! Who are you? Who are you?"
"Miss Yue, are you having a nightmare? Miss Yue, wake up."
A pair of soft hands grasped her waving palms, and a gentle voice softly called her name in her ear. Qingmo slowly woke up, a crystal tear sliding down her cheek. Her heart was still immersed in the dream she had just had, so much so that even after waking up, she was still overwhelmed with sadness.
"Miss Yue, what's wrong? What's wrong...?"
The woman by the bed looked at her with concern and asked. Qingmo raised her head and saw a pretty face with a gentle smile. It was Fenhe, who had brought her clothes that day but had been very rude. Why was she being so polite to her today?
"It's nothing, just a nightmare," Qingmo said faintly, still thinking about the dream. It seemed like she hadn't dreamt of the man with the beauty mark under his eye for a while. In her previous dreams, he was always standing sideways, but today, the scene was different; there was another woman in the dream. The woman seemed like her, yet not quite. She couldn't quite place her, yet she felt a clear, piercing pain in her heart. What was going on?
"Now that Miss is awake, I will go and call the master." Seeing that she was lost in thought, Fenhe said slowly and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute," Qingmo raised her wrist to pull her arm, but found that she couldn't exert any strength at all. She was so weak that she couldn't even lift her arm. With a thud, her wrist hit the edge of the bed and was immediately in great pain.
Hearing the noise, Fenhe quickly turned around, took her arm, gently rubbed it, and said softly, "Miss Yue, you are weak right now, and you probably won't be able to get out of bed for the next few days. It's best not to move around too much."
Upon hearing this, Qingmo quietly circulated her qi and found that her dantian was empty, her limbs were sore and weak, and she felt extremely tired. She immediately gave a bitter smile, realizing that she probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed for the past few days, but rather for more than ten days.
Normally, given her skill level, completing the entire three-hour acupuncture treatment would have been extremely difficult. Therefore, she took a Fiery Pill during the second round of acupuncture. The Fiery Pill could instantly boost her skill, but once the effects wore off, the pain her body would endure would be unbearable for most. She was currently experiencing soreness and swelling throughout her body, her limbs felt weak and limp, and her dantian felt empty—symptoms of taking the Fiery Pill. It was likely that she wouldn't be able to use her internal energy for at least a month.
"Miss Yue, don't worry. This morning, the master petitioned the court to allow Miss Yue to live in the Prince's mansion before the wedding, and His Majesty agreed. So during this time, Miss Yue just needs to rest and recover. The master will help you with everything you need."
Thinking her bitter smile was due to anxiety, Fenhe began to explain, but Qingmo was shocked. Her bright eyes widened suddenly, filled with disbelief. "Why did Feng Chenmu do this?" How could he take it upon himself to request such an imperial decree in court? Before the wedding, she was already living in her husband's family mansion. How would those with ulterior motives spread rumors? She might be fine, but how much ridicule and disdain would those around her suffer?
Qingmo struggled to get up, but her body didn't feel like her own; she couldn't muster any strength at all. In just a short while, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Seeing this, Fenhe quickly bent down to help her. Qingmo looked up and was immediately stunned. Because of Fenhe's bent-over posture, a section of her neckline was exposed, and Qingmo's sharp eyes spotted numerous bluish-purple hickeys covering the area below her neck. The marks were very dark, likely freshly made.
Seeing her stunned, Fenhe followed her gaze and her delicate cheeks flushed crimson. Qingmo understood this expression. She smiled coldly. No wonder Fenhe had been so rude that day, but was unusually polite today. It turned out she was Feng Chenmu's concubine.
Seeing the enigmatic smile on her face, Fenhe felt a chill run down her spine. She stammered awkwardly, trying to explain, "I...I..."
Before she could utter a complete sentence, the door was pushed open forcefully. "Just because you are my woman, Prince Ping," Feng Chenmu said, standing in the doorway with a livid face. "Fenhe, you go out first. My future queen consort is someone I will personally take care of."
Hearing Feng Chenmu deliberately emphasizing the words "Princess Consort," Qingmo inexplicably sensed that he was angry. A moment later, she subtly retorted, "What does his anger have to do with me? They are just business partners. I haven't offended him. Let him do whatever he wants."
Fenhe glanced at Qingmo without changing her expression. Seeing that Qingmo's face was turned inward, she pretended not to hear. A flash of resentment crossed her face, but she quietly lowered her head and said, "Yes, Master." She leisurely stepped out of the room and gently closed the wide-open door behind her.
"My beloved concubine, what's wrong with you? It seems you're not welcoming my arrival. Don't you know it's very impolite to turn your back to your husband?"
Feng Chenmu's tone was very soft and gentle, so gentle it seemed to drip with tenderness, but when Qingmo heard it, it instantly gave her goosebumps. She was certain, absolutely certain, that this guy was doing it on purpose, but she pretended not to hear, remaining completely still as if she were truly asleep.
Before long, Feng Chenmu arrived at the bedside. Feeling the bed move, he sat down on the headboard and saw Qingmo pretending to be asleep. He didn't expose her, but just sighed endlessly and said with a hint of resentment, "My beloved concubine, are you shy? That's right. You were so honest with your husband in the stone chamber, and you were exhausted in the end. It was your husband who wiped your body and dressed you. You should be shy."
"Feng Chenmu, could you be any more shameless?"
Qingmo's pale face flushed crimson with rage. She turned her head and glared at him, only to find that Feng Chenmu's face was devoid of any of the gentleness in his tone. His expression was gloomy, and he was staring at her with wide, starry eyes, as if he wanted to bore a hole through her before he would stop.
Perhaps his gaze was too frightening, Qingmo unconsciously withdrew her eyes and became serious. "Your Highness, what is the purpose of requesting the decree today? Yue Qingmo is of humble status and power, and there will be many things in the future that I will need to rely on Your Highness for. Since Your Highness has chosen to cooperate with Qingmo, it is only right that I do some small things for Your Highness. There is really no need to make a big fuss. As for today's matter..." She did not finish the last sentence. Feng Chenmu was a smart man, and he naturally knew what she wanted to ask and what she wanted to express. There was no need to say it explicitly.
"You risked your life to save me, just because of cooperation?" Feng Chenmu asked coldly.
---Aside---
Adding the chapter from July 6th, there will be another chapter later!
The romance is about to begin! This story has planted many foreshadowing elements, so please read it carefully!
Don't judge the man in this story by ordinary standards, especially his feelings for the female protagonist!
Chapter 018: It's Just Acting
"What does Your Highness think it is?" Qingmo asked, somewhat puzzled.
Feng Chenmu's eyes darkened, and an elegant smile curved his lips. He suddenly smiled slightly. The smile didn't reach his eyes, but Qingmo noticed it and realized that he seemed angry again, even more so than when he entered the room. She thought to herself, "I didn't expect Feng Chenmu to be such a two-faced person with such a strange temper."
Feng Chenmu stared at her, smiling gently for a long time, so long that Qingmo was already half asleep when she heard Feng Chenmu suddenly shout, "Go and fetch some hot water. I want to give the princess a bath."
To be precise, Qingmo was startled awake by those words. The moment she opened her eyes, Feng Chenmu had already silently walked to the door and was gently instructing the maids outside. His tender and affectionate demeanor made all the maids blush and their hearts race. Qingmo pouted, knowing that he was acting; otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately raised his voice to wake her.
After the maids outside the door left, she shouted, "Feng Chenmu, what do you mean by this? If you want to take a bath, just go back to your room. Why do you have to drag me down with you? It doesn't seem to do you any good at all."
"I was happy, so I did it." Feng Chenmu glanced at her sideways, a half-smile on his face. "Besides, it's not that I want to take a bath, but that I want to help the princess take a bath."
"Wh...what do you mean?" Qingmo didn't react for a moment. When she understood what he meant, her face turned red and she hurriedly said, "Who said I wanted to take a bath? I'm not taking a bath now. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't bother Your Highness."
Feng Chenmu's smile vanished, his cool voice remaining neither warm nor cold, "Didn't Miss Yue want to cooperate with me? The first thing she has to do is act out a scene of deep affection between husband and wife with me. What, you're unwilling?"
Qingmo froze, realizing it was all an act. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked at him and asked softly, "Did Your Highness already know that the Emperor would betroth me to you?"
"yes."
"Why?"
You'll find out later.
Feng Chenmu didn't hide it, but he also refused to say it outright. Qing Mo frowned slightly; so he already knew. No wonder…
"Master, the water is here," a woman's voice said softly.
"Bring it in."
The maids filed in one after another. Qingmo looked over and saw that some were carrying water, some were carrying exquisite clothes, some were carrying expensive jewelry, and some were carrying bathing utensils. She suddenly smiled. This performance was really well done.
Soon, only the two of them remained in the room. Feng Chenmu approached step by step, and Qing Mo's eyes followed his steps, but she couldn't even turn over. So she looked at him with a playful expression and asked, "Your Highness, you're not really going to give me a bath, are you?" Heaven knows what turbulent emotions were churning inside her as she said those words, but her face remained perfectly normal, showing no sign of panic.