The Empress Is Going Crazy

The Emperor Skyship tore through the sky, leaving the city of Fengdu, a place brimming with sin and desire, far behind.

Inside the flying skyship, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Ye Xuan sat on the soft couch. He looked calm on the surface, but his hands, hidden within his sleeves, were trembling slightly.

Forcing his way out of the encirclement just now by erupting the power of his Flawless Dao Body might have looked effortless, but in reality, it placed a massive burden on someone like him who had just reached the Nascent Soul stage.

But he did not dare show any weakness.

Because crouching in front of him was a woman far more terrifying than a demonic cultivator at the Body Integration stage.

Is the water temperature to your liking, Young Master?

Wu Lingxiao knelt at Ye Xuan's feet. In front of her was a large golden thread nanmu basin, filled with the water of the Nine Heavens Jade Pool that exuded a rich spiritual energy.

Her head was bowed, her expression focused and devout. Holding a piece of snow-white shark silk in her hands, she was wiping Ye Xuan's hands bit by bit, over and over again.

These were the very hands Ye Xuan had used to hold Zi Yi just a moment ago.

Ling'er, you have already washed them twenty times.

Ye Xuan tried to pull his hands back somewhat helplessly, only to find that Wu Lingxiao's grip was astonishingly strong. He could not pull them away at all.

They are not clean.

Wu Lingxiao did not look up. Her voice was eerily soft, sounding like a sleepwalker's murmur, yet also like a curse:

That woman's scent... is still there.

The smell of her scented powder, the stench of blood on her body, and...

Wu Lingxiao's fingers suddenly tightened, her nails almost digging into Ye Xuan's flesh. She hugged you so tightly just now, Young Master, her chest pressed against yours... Here, here, and here... They are all dirty.

With every spot she named, she ruthlessly scrubbed it with the shark silk, until Ye Xuan's jade-like skin was rubbed raw and red, even seeping traces of blood.

Hiss!

Ye Xuan gasped. It hurts.

This single word finally brought back a shred of Wu Lingxiao's rationality.

Her movements abruptly stopped. Looking at the red and swollen back of Ye Xuan's hands, the madness in her eyes instantly transformed into endless panic and heartache.

I am sorry... I am so sorry, Young Master!

She held Ye Xuan's hands, bringing them to her lips and blowing on them gently, while large teardrops crashed into the water basin:

This servant deserves to die... I just... I just did not want another woman's scent to remain on you, Young Master...

Even the slightest trace makes me feel... like it is a desecration of you.

Looking at her humble yet paranoid demeanor, a deep sense of powerlessness welled up in Ye Xuan's heart.

This was a yandere.

When she loves you, she wishes she could meld you into her very flesh and blood, but once jealousy takes over, this love turns into the sharpest of blades, hurting both you and herself.

Enough.

Ye Xuan pulled his hands back, using his spiritual energy to evaporate the moisture. His tone was indifferent. I only saved her because I pitied her. Now that our debts are settled, we will not see each other again.

Really? Wu Lingxiao looked up, her teary phoenix eyes staring intently at Ye Xuan, trying to find any trace of a lie on his face.

When have I ever lied to you? Ye Xuan asked in return.

Wu Lingxiao froze for a moment before breaking into a smile through her tears, nodding heavily.

The skyship sailed slowly above the nine heavens, passing through layers of thick thunderclouds.

To Ye Xuan, this was just an ordinary journey. But to Wu Lingxiao, this skyship was a moving purgatory.

Whenever night fell, it was time for her punishment to begin.

Outside Ye Xuan's bedroom.

Wu Lingxiao clutched her chest tightly and slowly crouched down, curling up on the cold floor.

Her face had contorted into a hideous expression.

She knew that with just a flick of her finger, Ying'er inside would be reduced to ashes.

She knew that if she just revealed her true form, she could take Ye Xuan away by force.

But she did not dare.

She was afraid of seeing Ye Xuan's eyes filled with hatred and disgust. That would be more unbearable to her than death by a thousand cuts.

Why...

Wu Lingxiao rested her forehead on her knees, her nails digging so deeply into her palms that blood stained her embroidered shoes, yet she remained completely oblivious.

Why can you treat a mere servant girl so well...

Why, even after reincarnating, are you unwilling to spare me a single glance...

Consort Xuan... I am your Lingxiao... I have searched for you for eight hundred years...

Why...

Wu Lingxiao curled up in the darkness, her breathtakingly beautiful face twisted by jealousy and pain like a vengeful spirit. A whimper akin to a dying beast escaped her throat:

Why does it have to be that girl...

She is so stupid, so weak, and even clumsy when serving others...

Why can you hold her as you sleep, but refuse to even look at me?

Jealousy was like a venomous snake, gnawing away at her sanity.

She stood guard outside the door for the entire night.

That night, she felt as if she were trapped in the deepest pits of hell.

It was not until the horizon turned a fish-belly white and the noises inside gradually subsided that Wu Lingxiao unsteadily stood up and hid in the kitchen.

She needed to prepare hot porridge before Ye Xuan woke up. Even if her heart was bleeding, she still wanted him to eat comfortably.

This was her atonement, and also her love that was humbled into the dust.

For seven whole days, it was like this every single night.

Wu Lingxiao's mental state was on the verge of total collapse.

Her eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles beneath them. Her entire being exuded a death-like decadence and suppressed madness.

She could not hold on any longer.

If this continued, she would go completely mad before Ye Xuan ever changed his mind, and she might even lose control and destroy everything.

On the morning of the eighth day.

Ye Xuan pushed open the door and stretched his back, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

As soon as he looked up, he saw Wu Lingxiao standing at the door.

She was holding a basin of water for washing his face, her hands trembling slightly. Her eyes, which were usually submissive and lowered, now carried a desperate determination.

Young Master...

Wu Lingxiao's voice was hoarse, as if she had swallowed a handful of sand.

Ye Xuan glanced at her haggard appearance. His heart remained completely undisturbed; he even felt the urge to laugh.

You cannot take it anymore already?

What is wrong, Ling'er? Ye Xuan casually took the towel and wiped his face. Have you not been sleeping well these past few days? You look terrible.

Young Master...

Wu Lingxiao suddenly fell to her knees with a thud.

The water basin overturned, spilling warm water all over the floor and soaking her skirt. Ignoring her disheveled state, she looked up, a humble flame burning in her eyes:

Young Master... tonight, could you... not call for Ying'er?

Ye Xuan paused his movements, looking at her with a half-smile. Oh? If I do not call for Ying'er, then who should I call? Should I call the empty air filling this ship?

Call me!

Wu Lingxiao practically screamed those two words. She crawled forward on her knees, grabbing the hem of Ye Xuan's clothes as tears burst from her eyes:

Young Master... let me serve you in bed!

I will do ten thousand times better than Ying'er! I will serve you so comfortably! I will cooperate with you in whatever position you want!

I am not any less beautiful than Ying'er... No, I am prettier than her! As long as you are willing, Young Master...

Please, I beg you... Do not make me listen from the outside anymore... I will die... I really will die...

Looking at the Empress crying her heart out at his feet, the smile in Ye Xuan's eyes gradually faded, transforming into a bottomless, icy pool.

He reached out and gently lifted Wu Lingxiao's chin.

You want to sleep with me?

These words were blunt, explicit, and humiliating.

Wu Lingxiao's face flushed red, but she gritted her teeth and nodded heavily. Yes... I want to serve you, Young Master.

Heh.

Ye Xuan sneered and released his grip. Looking down at her from above, his eyes held the critical and cold gaze of someone inspecting merchandise:

Ling'er, have you forgotten what I said before?

I have an absolute obsession with purity.

Not just physical purity, but spiritual purity as well.

Ye Xuan bent down slightly, leaning close to Wu Lingxiao's ear. His voice was as soft as a devil's whisper:

You want to climb into my bed? No problem.

But...

Are you a virgin?

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly shattering Wu Lingxiao's soul.

She froze.

The blood in her veins seemed to congeal in that very instant.

Was she?

Even though she had kept herself chaste for Ye Xuan over the past eight hundred years, never allowing anyone else to lay a single finger on her.

But what was lost was lost.

That physical proof, that symbol of purity and completeness, had long been buried by her own hands.

Looking into Ye Xuan's clear eyes that seemed to see through everything, Wu Lingxiao wanted to lie.

She could use illusions, she could use secret arts to forge that physical proof, even fake the virgin's blood.

But...

In front of Ye Xuan, she didn't dare.

That would be a desecration of Ye Xuan, and an even greater desecration of her love for him.

I...

Wu Lingxiao's lips trembled, her face as pale as paper, large tears falling from her eyes. After a long time, she finally squeezed out two desperate words from her throat:

No... I am not.

The mocking smirk on Ye Xuan's lips instantly widened.

He straightened his back and took out a handkerchief to wipe the fingers that had just touched Wu Lingxiao's chin, as if he had been stained by something filthy:

Since you are not, where did you get the courage to try and replace Ying'er?

How many men have you been with?

Ye Xuan's words pierced straight through her heart.

I... Wu Lingxiao trembled violently, the shame making her wish the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

She wanted to explain, to say it was only that one time, only those few...

But what was the point?

For Ye Xuan, who pursued absolute perfection and believed in one couple for a whole lifetime, was there any difference between one time and ten thousand times?

Dirty was dirty.

The immense pain and humiliation made Wu Lingxiao lose her rationality. She suddenly looked up, a trace of resentful madness in her eyes, trying to drag the lofty Ying'er down from her pedestal:

But Young Master... is that Ying'er... is she truly clean?

I heard... she used to be a beggar. To beg for a bite of food in such filthy and chaotic slums...

A lowly maid like her, what wouldn't she do just to survive? Is her body really more precious than mine?

Smack!

A crisp slap echoed in the air.

Wu Lingxiao clutched her face, her expression filled with disbelief.

Shut up.

Ye Xuan's eyes were terrifyingly cold:

Ying'er did it to survive.

In that man-eating world, a weak woman trying to survive, trying to eat, no matter what she did, she was forced by circumstance. That is the suffering of all living beings.

Towards such suffering, I only have pity, never disgust.

Ye Xuan's tone shifted, his gaze like a blade piercing straight into Wu Lingxiao's soul:

But what about you?

Looking at how you speak and your temperament, you are definitely not from a poor background. You were a lady of a noble house, weren't you?

What did you do it for?

Was it for power? For lust? Or for some so-called thrill?

Wu Lingxiao opened her mouth but found herself speechless.

It was true.

Back then, she did it for imperial power, for the empire. She did it because she didn't want to lose the throne.

Compared to Ying'er's survival, her reasons seemed so filthy, utilitarian, and selfish.

Ye Xuan looked at her devastated appearance. He suddenly sighed, his tone carrying a deep sense of exhaustion and self-deprecation:

Ling'er, actually, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me.

I am not ready to accept you right now, nor is it possible for me to accept you.

Because...

Ye Xuan turned around, his back facing Wu Lingxiao. He looked at the drifting clouds outside the window, his voice distant and quiet:

Up until now, the only person I have ever truly been intimate with is Ying'er.

My Primal Yang was given to her long ago.