Princess Anle kicked Yang An again and again, asking casually, “You’re the son of the Governor of Yunzhou? Since you’ve come to request an audience, what is it you want?”
The princess’s voice was as crisp as a mountain spring, yet as scorching as the blazing sun.
Hearing the princess speak to him in person, Cui Wenli could barely suppress the delight in his heart. Forcing down the slight trembling of his body, he hurriedly replied, “I accepted the notice offering a reward for a seventh-grade peak ferocious beast. Today, I happened to receive news of a Red-Scaled Horned Python, so I came especially to ask whether it would be of use to Your Highness. If it is, I will capture it and present it to you as soon as possible.”
Yang An’s heart sank.
Sure enough, after the commotion at Yunling Mountain today, it seemed that plenty of people already knew about the Red-Scaled Horned Python.
That excellent foundation-building material was no longer going to be his.
Still, Yang An was curious. What did Princess Anle want the Red-Scaled Horned Python for?
While he was pondering this, he saw Princess Anle’s left foot heading straight for his face.
Yang An instinctively raised his hands to block it.
Princess Anle was already angry. When she saw him daring to defend himself, her anger grew even greater. She put more force into her kick, knocking aside Yang An’s arms as they shielded his head. The jade cup he had been holding all this time was also sent flying out through the curtain.
It tumbled to the ground.
Beside Cui Wenli, it gave a clear clinking sound.
Hearing it, Cui Wenli leaned over to take a look. He saw a ring of rouge on the jade cup, though he had no idea that it had come from Yang An’s lips.
He assumed it was a cup the princess had used.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. At once, he felt an urge to pick up the jade cup and carefully preserve it.
Princess Anle shot Yang An a glare.
Seeing that he no longer dared to block her, she placed her adorable little foot back on his stomach and said indifferently to Cui Wenli, “You’ve certainly been thoughtful. The Red-Scaled Horned Python is worth quite a bit. Name your price.”
Cui Wenli’s mind and eyes were filled with that jade cup.
He was pondering how to ask Princess Anle for it when he immediately replied, “I don’t want anything else. I only want the cup on the ground.”
Qin Guo'er and Yang An were both stunned.
Their horseplay came to a halt.
At the same time, they turned their heads and stared at Cui Wenli in confusion through the curtain.
Yang An was puzzled as well.
What does this man want my cup for?
Princess Anle was equally baffled and said bluntly, “If you want it, then I’ll grant it to you.”
Cui Wenli was overjoyed.
From beyond the curtain, he bowed repeatedly to Princess Anle. “Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness! I will treasure this cup for the rest of my life.”
Yang An’s face was covered in black lines.
Is this guy sick?
Why would he want to keep a cup used by a man?
Disgusting!
By the time Yang An returned from Yunling Mountain, it was already past noon. After fooling around with Princess Anle for a while, it was nearly time for a meal.
After Princess Anle bestowed the jade cup upon Cui Wenli, she did not exchange any more words with him. “It’s nearly mealtime. This palace cannot keep you here any longer. You may leave.”
Having obtained the jade cup, Cui Wenli was completely satisfied.
He would not dare ask for anything more.
After expressing his gratitude profusely, he took his leave and was led out of the princess’s residence by two young palace maids.
Once outside the princess’s residence, Cui Wenli hurried back into his carriage. Unable to wait any longer, he took out the jade cup and gazed at the smear of rouge on it, his eyes filled with longing.
As he stared at it, a strange thought suddenly arose in his heart. Why was the lip print on the jade cup so large? Princess Anle’s lips were not that big.
It looked somewhat like a man’s…
Cui Wenli shook his head repeatedly.
He hurriedly cast the suspicion from his mind and muttered to himself, “It’s been several years since I last saw Princess Anle. People naturally change over the years. Besides, how could there possibly be a man behind the princess’s curtain?”
Cui Wenli gave a derisive chuckle.
Looking at the rouge mark on the jade cup, he ultimately failed to resist the temptation. Slowly, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to it.
A moment later—
“Ugh!”
Cui Wenli lifted his head in agony. “Why is there not even the slightest trace of a woman’s sweet taste, but instead the robust aura of a man?”
After pondering for a moment, he muttered to himself again, “There’s nothing wrong with the jade cup. It must be me! I’ll try again!”
“Ugh!”
“It must be my problem. One more time!”
“Ugh!”
…
After Cui Wenli left, the curtains around the quiet pavilion were drawn open once more.
Yang An lay before Princess Anle and asked curiously, “Your Highness, what do you need the Red-Scaled Horned Python for?”
Qin Guo'er replied irritably, “Why do you care so much?”
As she spoke, she withdrew the little foot that had been planted on Yang An’s stomach and continued, “Come dine with me.”
Before coming to the princess’s residence, Yang An had promised his brother-in-law that he would return home for dinner. Thinking of his sister and brother-in-law waiting for him at home, he declined, “This subordinate has something to attend to tonight. I won’t trouble Your Highness any longer.”
“What could you possibly have to do?”
Yang An did not hide anything. He explained honestly that his sister and brother-in-law were waiting for him.
“Is that so?”
Princess Anle was startled for a moment, but she did not insist on keeping him.
With a listless wave of her hand, she let him go.
Afraid that Qin Guo'er might still be angry and that leaving for real would only earn him another beating, Yang An climbed to his feet and asked tentatively, “Your Highness, may I really leave?”
Princess Anle said impatiently, “Get lost. Hurry up and leave!”
That certainly meant there was no problem.
Yang An bade Princess Anle farewell once more, then turned and left.
At her side, Lan glanced at the dejected expression on the princess’s face, then looked at Yang An, who was quickly walking out of the pavilion without the slightest intention of stopping. She sighed and said to Princess Anle, “Your Highness, I’ll go see the young master out.”
After receiving Princess Anle’s permission, Lan hurried after Yang An.
She accompanied him all the way toward the exit. Just as they were about to leave the residence, Lan suddenly stopped and called out, “Young master, do you know about Perfect Foundation Establishment?”
Yang An had not expected Lan to bring this up.
He had initially intended to say that he knew, but then changed his mind. He was merely an ordinary scholar; knowing about such a thing would hardly be normal. Thus, he changed his reply and asked, “What is Perfect Foundation Establishment?”
Lan gave him a simple explanation. “Perfect Foundation Establishment means that after achieving First-Grade Foundation Establishment, one gathers the blood of five seventh-grade peak ferocious beasts, one for each of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—and uses it together with a Foundation-Building Pill to undergo another transformation. In doing so, one condenses the strongest possible foundation.”
Yang An pretended to be hearing it for the first time, his face filled with shock. “It’s that powerful? But, Miss Lan, why are you telling me this?”
Lan did not know whether Yang An was truly foolish or merely pretending.
She sighed and stated the matter plainly. “The princess began preparing the materials for Perfect Foundation Establishment several days ago. At present, she has already gathered the blood of four types of seventh-grade peak ferocious beasts. All that remains is a fire-attributed beast. She is only waiting for Cui Wenli to deliver the Red-Scaled Horned Python.”
Yang An’s pupils contracted sharply, as though he had been struck by lightning.
Qin Guo’er’s martial cultivation was unfathomably deep, and the eight female officials around her were no ordinary people either. None of them had any need for Foundation Establishment.
So whom was Perfect Foundation Establishment being prepared for?
The answer was already obvious.
Unable to believe that Qin Guo'er would treat him so well, Yang An was just about to ask when Lan interrupted him.
“You already understand in your heart. There’s no need to say it aloud.”
She continued, “I took the liberty of telling you all this. That already constitutes disloyalty toward the princess. That is all I have to say. I only hope that, from now on, you will treat the princess a little better.”
With that, Lan bowed to Yang An.
He turned around and tottered back to his residence.
He had been racking his brains over how to gather the perfect materials for Foundation Establishment, yet Princess Anle had already nearly prepared everything for him. Upon learning this, Yang An walked out of the princess’s residence in a daze.
He had even forgotten to wipe off the awful makeup covering his face.
To be honest, Yang An’s impression of Princess Anle was terrible.
At their first meeting, he had nearly died at her hands. Although he had felt grateful to Qin Guo’er for saving him after he slaughtered everyone at the Wang Clan Money House, that bit of goodwill had long since vanished beneath the countless ways she had toyed with him, over and over again.
Yang An asked himself honestly.
When it came to Qin Guo’er, all he wanted was to take revenge on her…
And he still lusted after her body.
But now…
The human heart was made of flesh, after all. Only he knew what he was feeling.
After hearing all this from Lan and learning how well Qin Guo’er had treated him, Yang An’s heart was inevitably filled with conflicting emotions.
It took him a long while to come back to himself.
In a deep voice, he said, “Next time I come to the princess’s residence, I’ll bring a gift for that dog… I mean, for the princess.”
…
…
…
Bonus chapter!
Thanks to Boss Bilan for the gift!
I’m completely burned out.
T_T
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
