Xiao Yueying repeatedly shook her head and knelt on the ground with a thud, "This commoner, Xiao Yueying, pays respects to the Regent and the Regent's Consort! This commoner was ignorant and offended His Highness and Her Highness. I beg for your forgiveness!"
"Get up."
Now that her identity as the Regent's Consort was revealed, Lu Qingwan couldn't act too carelessly. When out and about, she still had to consider Feng Xiwu's reputation.
"The reason I asked you to see the Regent is not for you to kowtow, but to thank you for risking discovery by Lin Qingquan to warn me. If you return now, Lin Qingquan will definitely not let you off. Stay here with peace of mind. It would be best if Lin Qingquan doesn't come looking for you; I will arrange for someone to send you to Shangjing to be with Wu Ying. If he comes, then he's just out of luck."
Xiao Yueying was tempted at the thought of seeing Wu Ying, but she gritted her teeth and refused. "Your Highness's kindness is appreciated, but this commoner has unavoidable reasons to return. I beg Your Highness to grant my request."
Lu Qingwan tilted her head to look at Feng Xiwu, whose expression was inscrutable. After a moment of thought, she said, "Very well. Since you insist on returning, I will not stop you. However, the Regent is traveling incognito in Yeyu City, so please keep it a secret, Miss Xiao."
Lu Qingwan could roughly guess the reason Xiao Yueying had to return was to save her brother, but that was all. Saving Wu Ying was an accident for Lu Qingwan back then, and now, simply because Xiao Yueying had warned her, she wouldn't go and save her brother. Not to mention that she didn't have the strength now, and even if she did, Lu Qingwan wouldn't have such excessive compassion.
After seeing Xiao Yueying off, Lu Qingwan followed Feng Xiwu back to their room. She lay on the bed, waiting for sleep to come, but found herself becoming more awake. After tossing and turning like a pancake for the umpteenth time, Feng Xiwu helplessly held her in his arms. "You're not sleeping, what are you thinking about, tossing and turning like this?"
"I can't sleep once the most drowsy period has passed." Lu Qingwan found a comfortable position and nestled into Feng Xiwu's embrace. "What's going on with that Lin Qingquan? Tell me about it."
"Lin Qingquan is the adopted son of the former Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Xiao Hanyun. He grew up with the three Xiao siblings and was later engaged to Xiao Hanyun's youngest daughter, Wu Ying. However, in the final year before their wedding, during the Martial Arts Heroes' Assembly to compete for the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader, Xiao Hanyun was exposed for taking the Youming Flower to weaken pain and enhance aggression. Lin Qingquan became the most powerful witness accusing Xiao Hanyun. Later, Xiao Hanyun's rival, Ming Wuya, became the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, and Lin Qingquan married Ming Wuya's daughter, Ming Ruoxue, becoming the new leader's son-in-law. As for the former Martial Arts Alliance Leader Xiao Hanyun, his family was destroyed. Within half a year, Xiao Hanyun was repeatedly sought for revenge. In the most severe incident, Xiao Hanyun and his wife were killed on the spot, and the entire Xiao family was reduced to ashes, with only Xiao Yueying surviving and being kept by Lin Qingquan in his manor. For this, he even earned a reputation for being loyal and righteous..."
Feng Xiwu's voice grew softer as he spoke. Noticing the stillness in his arms, he lowered his head to see if Lu Qingwan had fallen asleep. To his surprise, as soon as he stopped speaking, Lu Qingwan let out a laugh. Feng Xiwu was baffled. "What are you laughing at?"
Lu Qingwan's body shook with laughter. "Such a convoluted story, enough to be told by a teacher for three to five times. You've made it sound like you're reciting a textbook."
"You dare to criticize me when I'm telling you a story? You're quite audacious today!" Feng Xiwu playfully pretended to be fierce to scare Lu Qingwan. The latter closed her eyes and resolutely played dead. "What did you say? I'm asleep and didn't hear you."
Even with her eyes closed, he could see her eyeballs rolling beneath her eyelids. Feng Xiwu was amused to the point of anger. However, he couldn't bear to tease her any further, so he pretended not to see and ceased his efforts, continuing to wait for sleep to descend with her. Fortunately, this time Lu Qingwan was lucky. After closing her eyes for a while, she fell asleep and began to snore softly. Feng Xiwu playfully pinched her cheek. Seeing that she was truly asleep, he also drifted off.
After a good night's sleep, Lu Qingwan woke up before Feng Xiwu for a rare change. As she turned, she met Feng Xiwu's breathtakingly handsome face. Being hit by such a visual onslaught first thing in the morning, Lu Qingwan's 'blood tank' was clearly insufficient. Taking advantage of Feng Xiwu's slumber, she openly admired him with a gaze full of infatuation. "Oh my, look at these eyes, these brows... If I were to sell myself, I'd be rich! A handshake, a million; touching abs, another million..."
"Then you've slept with this king twice already. How much silver do you owe this king?"
"Hey, what's our relationship? How can you still ask me for money..."
Midway through her flirtatious remark, Lu Qingwan suddenly sprang backward, her body left dangling in the air. She almost fell to the ground but was pulled back by Feng Xiwu. Her nose bumped hard against his firm chest, and Lu Qingwan instantly felt tears welling up.
"Damn it, when did you wake up?" Being caught being infatuated by the very person she was infatuated with was utterly embarrassing! Was there a crack in the ground she could crawl into?
Feng Xiwu looked at her leisurely. "Perhaps... when you wanted this king to sell himself?"
Lu Qingwan stubbornly countered, "Do you even know what 'selling oneself' means?" She asked the question genuinely, but her heart was pounding. *No, no, how could an old-fashioned person like him know such new slang from the Great Dynasty?* To her surprise, Feng Xiwu calmly told her what it meant to be intellectually crushed.
"I didn't know originally, but when you were pricing the various parts of this king's body, I think I understood."
Lu Qingwan felt like burying her head in his chest, or rather, his chest. Acknowledging her foolishness and being caught red-handed, Lu Qingwan looked up and fiercely pinched Feng Xiwu's neck. "If you say you're still asleep and heard and saw nothing, I'll let you off. Otherwise..." She raised her hand and made a throat-slitting gesture at her neck, raising her eyebrows menacingly. The person being threatened, Feng Xiwu, couldn't help but let a smile creep into the corners of his eyes, implying, "Does the Consort know that provoking this king in the morning is very dangerous?"
Lu Qingwan: ...
Lu Qingwan was taught a lesson early in the morning, thoroughly understanding the capriciousness of life and the unpredictability of events! Outside the window, heroes from all walks of life were arriving below the arena, sharpening their blades, eager to display their prowess in the grand arena on the Double Ninth Festival. Inside the room, Lu Qingwan had brought her own misfortune upon herself, successfully making herself half-dead. By the time she managed to see the performances in the arena, the most exciting parts were already over. Lu Qingwan lay by the window with a dark expression, her entire demeanor exuding "stay away." Li Yang and the others wisely kept their distance, and even Feng Xiwu cautiously served her tea and water, not daring to provoke her. Just then, the room door was violently pounded from the outside, followed by harsh words. "There was an assassin who broke into Qingquan Villa last night and kidnapped the elder sister of the Villa Master. We are here under orders to search. Open the door quickly!"
Everyone in the room was startled by the sudden commotion. Li Yang snapped back to his senses and went to open the door. Just as he stood up, Lu Qingwan's voice came, "Wait." Li Yang looked at her in surprise, only to see Lu Qingwan calmly say, "Let me." Her expression looked very calm, but for some reason, Li Yang suddenly felt a chill down his spine. When he looked at Lu Qingwan again, she was already at the door. *Is she that hospitable?*