Chaotic World Book-Chapter 250 - 245 Spring Fading Away

Outside the window, rain patter gently.

Large droplets struck the lake’s surface, splashing up in a crackling symphony. The autumn wind brought a hint of moisture; water splashed onto the windowsill, and onto one’s face, adding a smoky, ethereal mistiness and a refreshing clarity to the atmosphere inside the room.

A few stray strands of hair fluttered in the wind and stuck to her face. Vermilion Bird brushed them aside, and Zhao Changhe’s heart skipped a beat.

Such a simple action carried a charm of its own.

What kind of person was Vermilion Bird? The pounding of his accelerated heartbeat sounded as clear as a drum right before her, and she couldn’t help but burst into laughter, "You little tease."

Her laughter shattered the tranquility, as if a still frame suddenly came to life. The rain continued, the wind howled, and the little man in his heart finally averted his gaze, muttering, "How am I a tease? I haven’t even touched your hand during our journey..."

"Really didn’t touch?"

Zhao Changhe then remembered that he had accidentally grabbed her hand once in Sword Lake City, only to be beaten for it, and never allowed to touch her again since.

"I didn’t touch." Zhao Changhe insisted with a stiff neck, "Unless you let me touch again to prove it."

"Hey." Vermilion Bird once again crossed her arms, "Since you know who I am, you should realize that you were mistaken before. A Venerable would not send a concubine for your amusement. It was all your imagination. I only put up with your brazen, flirty face for the sake of the sect’s bigger plans. And now you dare flirt with me?"

Zhao Changhe really didn’t dare, but not for that reason.

It didn’t matter why Vermilion Bird Venerable sent you; I could still flirt.

The problem was that he dared not flirt with someone of a concubine’s stature, and the title "this palace" intimidated him even more. Setting aside all moral perspectives, she was also a "married woman"; it really wasn’t proper.

Seeing his demeanor, Vermilion Bird smiled slightly and said slowly, "Our first meeting... my name is Huangfu Qing."

Zhao Changhe didn’t respond to this, his shoulders drooped as he murmured dispiritedly, "I’d rather you had kept wearing ’The Pig.’ You say you were holding back then, but I felt you were happiest in those days. Now, it seems you have put on a mask."

Huangfu Qing slightly narrowed her eyes, then suddenly smiled, stepping forward.

A fragrant breeze brushed across his face, her red lips inches away. Zhao Changhe instinctively stepped back; in that moment, his mind inexplicably felt that her lips and the pressure were quite similar to Vermilion Bird’s—should he be impressed that it came directly from her...

His thoughts flashed by in an instant, and Huangfu Qing took another step forward.

Soon, his back was against a pillar with nowhere to retreat.

Huangfu Qing leaned in close, her finger lightly trailed over his cheek, then settled on his chin, lifting it slightly. Then, her fragrant lips neared his ear, barely half an inch away, she softly whispered, "If this palace does not wear a mask, then seek a proper face, do you dare to accept?"

"Eh, no, it’s not..." Zhao Changhe held his face stiff, "Your Highness, please be self..."

"Look, earlier you flirted and nearly pinned me against the wall to ravish me, and now with the rain outside and warmth inside, setting such a mood, you speak of self-respect." Huangfu Qing spoke seductively, "So... who is the one wearing the mask now?"

Zhao Changhe was stunned.

After a long while, he managed to say with some difficulty, "It’s different, this is someone else’s wife..."

"But I’m not."

Zhao Changhe was stunned again.

Huangfu Qing cooed, "Do you know why the Wang Family dares to show rebellion? Such things cannot be known unless seen in the palace; even Tang Wanju, with all her favor, wouldn’t know."

Zhao Changhe almost forgot his current posture, asking subconsciously, "What’s going on?"

"It’s because the Xia Longyuan everyone sees now is a fake; he can barely manage the Mystical Gate’s Fourth Layer. Any trouble from Xia Longyuan is simply because he isn’t the real person."

Zhao Changhe stared in disbelief, "Is that even possible?"

"Of course, Xia Longyuan never wanted to govern; his heart was never in the worldly society, how could he emerge every so often to court? It’s a waste of time and energy, it couldn’t possibly be him."

"Where exactly is the real Xia Longyuan?"

"The real Xia Longyuan was injured... or perhaps not injured, but trapped in some covert struggle, unable to extricate himself. I haven’t confirmed this yet. But what I can confirm is that he is definitely fighting someone, completely unable to attend to anything else."

"So, the so-called foolish actions are also the impostor’s doing, because he truly has no idea how to govern?"

"No, from what I observed, the impostor dared not issue any orders independently. All the chaotic governance must be directives from the real Xia Longyuan. The impostor’s ’retreat’ is merely him receiving orders from Xia Longyuan himself. I also don’t understand why Xia Longyuan would issue such bizarre commands, seemingly leading the kingdom to gradually crumble on its own."

"Could it be that he simply doesn’t care anymore, seeking the doom of his own nation?"

"I don’t know," Huangfu Qing said with a faint smile, "That’s why it’s crucial to enter the palace. The more we interact, the more detailed information we can gather."

Huangfu Qing continued, "The Venerable used the identity of the impostor to threaten him, forcing him to grant me the position of Imperial Concubine. It was intentional, this identity makes it easier to move about and investigate within the palace, and also to manage the influence of external relatives. This was probably the only imperial decree issued personally by the impostor... Not to mention, the Wang Family was absolutely furious. An agreement with the Wang Family to forever secure the empress position for them had been a cornerstone of their support for Xia Longyuan before his rise to power. This appointment as Imperial Concubine was like tearing at edges, almost pulling their faces apart."

Zhao Changhe winced.

Long ago, rumors in Worldly Society suggested that Xia Longyuan didn’t bring the illegitimate child of the Luo Family back to Capital City because the Empress’s family held significant sway. Seeing this situation, perhaps the rumors weren’t entirely baseless, although it might not be for this specific reason, there was some basis to it...

Speaking of which, the impostor is truly daring. Not only offending the Wang Family but isn’t the real Xia Longyuan likely unwilling too?

Huangfu Qing noticed Zhao Changhe’s thoughts and chuckled, "Of course, he has his own schemes... Having nothing, aligning with our Four Symbols Sect actually gave him some leverage, perhaps even a chance to escape the real Xia Longyuan’s control. To truly become the emperor? Who would willingly be a puppet all their life?"

Zhao Changhe was stunned for a long while before finally saying, "If he were younger, he’d be a main character with a proper outline."

Huangfu Qing didn’t understand this remark and didn’t care, instead she leisurely asked, "Tell me... do I count as Xia Longyuan’s concubine? Do I count as a married woman, your stepmother?"

Zhao Changhe swallowed, mumbling, "If you put it that way, it seems not."

Everything suddenly made sense, why such an arrogant lady would become someone’s concubine, why Xia Longyuan would trouble himself to accept this concubine—it was incomprehensible when they were considering what both sides were thinking. But if it’s just an impostor playing his role with ulterior motives, then everything fell into place.

And such matters Tang Wanju and the others would truly not know, as they wouldn’t dare to probe the impostor like Vermilion Bird unscrupulously does. Thus, they could never get a real answer, just agonizingly guessing there’s something going on, without figuring out what exactly it was.

But there was only one question, "According to what you said, Xia Longyuan hasn’t actually lost control. How could he tolerate the impostor causing trouble... what if he tries to kill you?"

Huangfu Qing giggled, her fingers continuing to trace his face, "Are you worried about me?"

Zhao Changhe scowled, "Stop messing around, we’re discussing serious matters."

"I don’t know his thoughts either, I had initially prepared to flee, but then there was no move..." As the actual Vermilion Bird, since she dared to test the impostor, she was naturally confident in escaping from a possibly severely injured real Xia Longyuan, but she wouldn’t tell Zhao Changhe that, instead cheekily asked, "Hey, what if the real one suddenly comes demanding the Imperial Concubine’s duties in bed, should I fulfill the role."

Zhao Changhe blurted out, "You wouldn’t dare!"

"Giggle..." Huangfu Qing’s lips drew even closer, almost touching the sweat on Zhao Changhe’s face, "So... between you and me right now, who is really wearing a mask?"

Damn it...

After all this talk, this was your theme!

He finally clenched his teeth, reached out to pull her waist, and fiercely nipped her, "Let’s have a head-to-head!"

Yet as he was about to embrace her, he grasped nothing but air.

Huangfu Qing deftly slipped away, then with a light push on the back of his head, watched as he staggered forward, pouting his lips, she smiled sweetly, "Keep dreaming, little rascal."

Zhao Changhe nearly cried.

If Chichi was just a newly-entered little demoness, then she was a fully accomplished grand demoness.

Playing like this could really be lethal!

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