The General's Genius Daughter

Chapter 175 – He Has Changed!

“Heart of Fire?” Yun Shimo saw those few large characters, but he could not see the remaining characters. The moment he tried to focus his eyes, his head started to ache badly!

If the scroll of a certain lethal skill or Qi skill did not belong to him, he would not be able to see its remaining contents. Yun Shimo’s face looked ghastly. He had to shift his eyes away from the scroll.

“Who gave you this?”

For some reason, Yun Shimo had a strange feeling about this scroll.

Hua Qiyue was indeed helped by a supreme master. He had been with her for so long, yet he had never heard her speak about the man.

The moment he set his eyes upon this scroll, he felt that it contained a superior lethal skill.

The battle between the Qi Artists and evil beasts 10,000 years ago left a few hundred superior Qi Artists dead. Since then, many superior lethal skills had been lost.

Hua Qiyue snatched the scroll back coldly. “My handsome Master.”

Handsome Master?

The moment he heard this, Yun Shimo’s countenance turned even more ghastly. “Qiyue, we’ve been together for so long and have pledged ourselves to each other. Couldn’t you... perhaps we ought to trust each other.”

Tianci looked at one and then the other. He bit into the slice of watermelon in his hands and immediately started to frown. “Hmmm, taste different now. It doesn’t taste good. Mom, Tianci’s going to rest!”

“Alright, go.”

Tianci looked at Yun Shimo and frowned. “Dad, you look different too. Have you changed like the melon?”

Yun Shimo did not know whether to smile or to cry. He squatted down and gripped Tianci shoulder gently. “Dad’s human. I won’t change.”

Although he said this, Tianci’s eyes were still riveted on him, disbelieving his words. “But... that headstrong princess wants to marry you. Why didn’t you resist?”

“I have my difficulties.” Yun Shimo could only answer this after thinking for a while.

Tianci released his hand unhappily and walked toward his bedroom. The little fellow’s silhoeutte was pulled long by the moonlight.

Hua Qiyue watched the boy leave quietly. Youshui was behind him. Her heart was full of melancholy.

Tianci was unhappy again. As his mother, she could not make him happy. After all, she could not replace Yun Shimo.

Yun Shimo had only appeared for a short time, but since he had expelled the poison from Tianci’s body, the two of them had developed a strong father-and-son bond.

Although they were not true father and son. If they were...

Hua Qiyue frowned. She did not know why she had started thinking about this.

“Qiyue, in the future... I will tell you all my reasons.” While she was musing in a trance, Yun Shimo’s quiet voice rang out. Caining and Caiqing were nearby, but Yun Shimo was ignoring them. He stretched out a hand and grabbed hold of her shoulder.

Hua Qiyue’s small face started to turn crimson. Her eyes were looking a little enraged. She flung his hand on her shoulder away.

“Yun Shimo, I am only nominally a princess. I won’t let you hug me.”

“You’re wrong. You had been embraced by me in the past.” Yun Shimo did not change his facial expression, looking extremely serious. The little hare by the side which still wanted to finish the watermelon finally caressed its chest. “Pssh, I gonna to throw out blood again!”

With a whizz, the little hare disappeared from their sight. The hare was single and could not stand their sweet nothings.

Hua Qiyue stood up nonchalantly. Without a word, she walked into the inner courtyard. Yun Shimo followed closely behind her. Caining and Caiqing stared at each other and then blocked his way.

“Your Highness, please stay where you are! It’s late and quiet. Please leave, sir. You’re approaching Her Highness’s bedroom. You can’t proceed any farther.”

Caining said coldly. He did not fear Yun Shimo’s status at all.

Yun Shimo raised his eyebrows, a smile lingering at the corner of his lips. “I can’t proceed any farther? I have gone far farther. Like into Her Highness’s bathing pool... ”

“Shut up, Yun Shimo!” Hua Qiyue in front of him almost stumbled. She knew what this man would do. He was sure to reveal to Caining and Caiqing everything without restraint.

If the Old Madame learned that Hua Qiyue had been “peeped at” by Yun Shimo, she would think her an easy woman. Letting a man get into her bathing pool?

“I have something to say.”

Yun Shimo stood coldly in the moonlight; his entire person seemed glazed over by a silver coating. The dusky light made him look even more debonair.

“All of you may retire.” Hua Qiyue said helplessly.

Caining and Caiqing silently retreated, their faces quite dejected.

“Say what you want.”

“I can’t reveal some things now... if I leak the secret, there might be a catastrophic disaster.”

Yun Shimo said quietly. Hua Qiyue was suddenly stunned. She watched Yun Shimo’s face turn serious. Did he have a reason for not rejecting Princess Qianyang?

He could not reveal the reason even to her. Hua Qiyue pursed her lips. “Since you can’t tell, we shall leave it as it is. Thank you for your concern, Prince.”

After saying this, she continued to stride toward the inner courtyard. Despite everything, she had always felt that Yun Shimo was blowing hot and cold at her. She could not understand him.

He had changed.

This time, Yun Shimo did not go after her. He stood silently alone under the moonlight by the flowers, allowing the light breeze to flutter his robe sleeves. A strange expression flitted across his brows.

—

In Concubine Xian’s Meixiu Palace.

Princess Qianyang walked in, panting angrily. “Mother, are you looking for me?”

When Concubine Xian saw Princess Qianyang’s expression, she had to sigh quietly. She quickly pulled her over and said to the servant girls by her side. “Leave us, all of you.”

She left only a granny who was her confidante.

“Qianyang, your Father feels that he has let you down after you returned. After all... you were a princess, but were neglected and left to roam outside. That’s why he dotes on you. But right now, we need Hua Qiyue and Prince Nan. You can’t be so wilful.”

Concubine Xian spoke softly and gently.

Princess Qianyang gave a cold snort. “Even if my Father offers marriage, Prince Nan will not go against it. Didn’t you see him keep quiet in the hall?”

“He did not object because he didn’t want to disrespect your father. But his beloved is Hua Qiyue. If you force them apart, you will only give him a bad impression. Therefore... ”

Concubine Xian pushed her down and made her sit, her eyes full of tender love. “Let the matter drag. They are getting married half a month later. You ought to know that anything unexpected can happen. They won’t get married so easily.” Concubine Xian was indeed a smart woman. She could unfathom the Emperor’s thoughts even with a simple guess.

No matter what, they must first let Hua Qiyue and Prince Nan get rid of the Gnawing Devils Sect. Given the situation the state was in now, how could they offend them?

Princess Qianyang lowered her head angrily. “Mother, you mean there’s no other way?”

“Haven’t I said? Anything can happen,” Concubine Xian said quietly.

Princess Qianyang stopped speaking and started to ponder deeper. She started to laugh lightly. So, her mother had a way out. She would not have said this otherwise.

“Very well, then I shall first wait and bear with it! But that Hua Qiyue... I really can’t stand her!”

Princess Qianyang gritted her teeth.

The granny by her side, Granny Zhou, immediately whispered, “Your Highness, don’t act recklessly. Hua Qiyue is a highly skilled Qi Artist. Wait first. You will find your chance.”

Princess Qianyang gave a light chuckle. “Very well. I shall listen to the two of you.”

When she saw Princess Qianyang enlightened, Concubine Xian heaved a sigh of relief. She got someone to take her back. After all, she would be confined soon.

Princess Qianyang returned to her palace. She saw Hongyi and Fifth Venerable Master sitting in a daze in the hall, at the Moon Admiring Pavilion. Hongyi’s face was covered in a white gauze, but one could just make out her gruesome scars.

After applying the poison replaced by Tianci, Hongyi had been thoroughly disfigured. She did not dare to go out and meet people. If she had to, she would put on a white gauze.

“Your Highness, you are back?” Fifth Venerable Master saw Princess Qianyang and her eyes brightened. The two of them came forward immediately.

“Yes, Senior Sister and Venerable Master. Why aren’t the two of you in bed?”

Princess Qianyang felt rather awkward. She was too embarrassed to mention the earlier matter.

“Well, I’m so ugly now. How can I still think of sleeping?” Hongyi pretended to be pitiful, and made Princess Qianyang even more mad.

“It’s all that Hua Qiyue’s fault! If it weren’t for her, how would your face get disfigured? Tomorrow, I shall get someone to bring medicine over from Prince Nan’s mansion. Prince Nan is a medicine saint. Don’t worry. I’m sure your face will recover!”

Princess Qianyang gently held Hongyi’s hand.

Hongyi’s eyes began to light up. She said gratefully, “Thank you for being so considerate, Junior Sister, boo hoo... otherwise, I can’t face people any longer.”

“You take it too hard. If my alchemist hadn’t sold me out, your face would be still as pretty.” Princess Qianyang felt a chill engulfing her heart.

“Your Highness, you mean... that alchemist has been bought over by someone to harm our Sect Leader-to-be?”

“It’s just my guess. Otherwise he wouldn’t have dared to harm my precious guests. If he hasn’t been bought over, he must have been framed.” Princess Qianyang was not stupid. She could tell the crux of the problem with one guess.

Fifth Venerable Master started to nod. “You’re right, Your Highness. We must be more careful then.”

“Don’t worry, Father’s got a few dozen Qi Artists to patrol our palace. Nothing will happen,” Princess Qianyang said, pulling Hongyi to sit by the side.

When the maidservants Jinpen and Jinshui brought in the fruits and titbits, the three women started to gossip.

“Your Highness, our plot... oh, since it has failed, we’ll have to settle accounts the next time. We didn’t expect Hua Qiyue to be so powerful. She knew that our Hallucination Artist... ”

Fifth Venerable Master remembered Zhou Zheng, captured by Hua Qiyue. She felt the whole affair was a pity.

Princess Qianyang and Hongyi’s countenances did not look too good. “That bitch, I will personally scratch her face and cut away her flesh, slice by slice.”

Hongyi said coldly.

“Don’t worry, all of you. When the matter of the Gnawing Devils Sect is over... ” Princess Qianyang started to snicker. Then Concubine Xian would act. How could Hua Qiyue survive?

However, since her Qi Art was so powerful and she had a divine weapon, she would be hard to deal with.

However, she firmly believed that Concubine Xian would have her ways.

“Well, Hua Qiyue has a divine weapon and she’s a powerful Qi Artist. It’ll be truly hard to overthrow her.”

Fifth Venerable Master was a little worried. If she had guessed this, she would have let her Sect Leader come along with her.

“Master, Junior Sister’s right. We’ll find a way to deal with her someday. Let them deal with the Gnawing Devils Sect first.”

Hongyi did not feel much anxiety. She had matured quite a lot from the past. She even knew that the Gnawing Devils Sect was hard to deal with. If Hua Qiyue got herself injured by the sect, it would be much easier to deal with her.