Cultivation: Starting from a Mortal Bone

”Little Yan Yu, are your injuries still not healed?”

The Empress Dowager was puzzled, for Yan Yu had never been so hesitant before.

Oh no.

Could the injuries have worsened?

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager took Yan Yu’s hand and examined it carefully.

”Oh?”

The Empress Dowager felt that after just one night apart, Yan Yu’s aura was more stable, nothing like the appearance of someone who had just recovered from serious injuries.

Qin Yu is truly remarkable!

How exactly did he heal it?

The Empress Dowager was full of curiosity, eager to get to the bottom of it.

She pulled Yan Yu aside and started whispering.

Yan Yu’s ears turned red, but she stuttered, mainly fearing to offend the Empress Dowager.

After all, Sister Yan Zhi had told her that such details should not be mentioned to the Empress or the Empress Dowager.

”It’s so warm beside Brother Qin Yu.”

Little Ling’Er’s eyes squinted comfortably, a faint satisfaction flowing in her gaze. Perhaps because she didn’t sleep well last night, the feeling of relaxation all over her body brought a tide of sleepiness quietly creeping up on her.

Qin Yu held her slender and tender hand, his gaze landing on her still slightly pale face, his heart aching, so he asked, ”Did Princess have a hard time last night?”

”Just a little discomfort, Ling’Er is used to it.”

Little Ling’Er’s voice was sweet and pleasant, soft and tender, and her sensible tone made others feel pity.

Qin Yu, for a moment, didn’t know how to comfort her, so he just held her little hand tightly, trying to give her as much warmth as possible.

Little Ling’Er seemed to feel Qin Yu’s concern, gathered her courage, and sat a bit closer.

As the distance closed, the peculiar fragrance grew stronger, and Qin Yu couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

”Brother Qin Yu, what are you smelling?”

Little Ling’Er raised her sleeve, mimicking Qin Yu’s sniff, but didn’t detect any strange odor.

Being addressed like this by the Princess, even though it wasn’t the first time, Qin Yu still felt apprehensive.

Especially since his little action had been noticed.

So embarrassing...

However, clearly, this fragrance didn’t belong to the young girl in front of him.

If it wasn’t the Princess’s, then naturally it was... the Empress Dowager’s?!

Sss!

No wonder.

”Princess should just call me Qin Yu.”

Qin Yu lowered his gaze, changing the subject.

Although the Empress Dowager didn’t stop her, he was still self-aware.

This Princess was, after all, the Empress’s own sister, addressing himself as brother, wouldn’t that be...

He didn’t dare think further!

That was the highest existence in the world!

”But... Brother Qin Yu is indeed older than Ling’Er.”

Little Ling’Er blinked her beautiful big eyes.

Perhaps because Qin Yu alleviated her pain, she couldn’t help but want to get closer to Qin Yu.

Qin Yu sighed softly.

He could see that this doll-like girl had been well protected, hence her innocence.

Over there.

The Empress Dowager didn’t get any answers and noticed Yan Yu’s gaze frequently drifting towards Qin Yu, immediately complaining, ”Little Yan Yu, you’ve changed.”

Wow!

He has only protected him for a short time, and now his eyes are all on Qin Yu, as if she, the Empress Dowager, doesn’t exist?!

”Huh?”

Yan Yu snapped back to reality, her face instantly turning red.

She didn’t know why she had changed like this.

So unintentionally.

It seemed everything had changed, and Qin Yu’s place in her heart was becoming more important.

”Little Yan Yu, what are you thinking?”

The Empress Dowager noticed Yan Yu’s distraction, feeling instantly neglected.

In the past, Little Ling’Er stayed by her side always, but now she had run off to Qin Yu, leaving only Little Yan Yu, and yet she wouldn’t even sit down, seeming absent-minded.

”Empress Dowager, Yan Yu... was thinking about the tales Qin Yu shared with me last night.”

Yan Yu wasn’t good at lying, and she kept in mind Sister Yan Zhi’s warning not to disclose certain details to the Empress or the Empress Dowager.

”Tales?”

The Empress Dowager was somewhat indifferent, thinking it was nothing more than tales.

In the palace, when bored, she had long tired of them.

The main point was, as the exalted Empress Dowager, possessing immense cultivation, those tales seemed dull to her.

Nonetheless.

Heading back to the Imperial Capital, with nothing to do, she might as well listen to pass the time.

”Tell me about it.”

The Empress Dowager stretched lazily, lying down on the soft couch, showing no regal demeanor.

She was naturally casual.

Even under the Empress’s authority, that hadn’t changed.

”I... I don’t remember very clearly...”

Yan Yu was indeed attracted by Qin Yu’s tales, but at the time, she hadn’t entirely focused on them, so she couldn’t remember everything.

”Qin Yu, I want to hear your tales!”

The Empress Dowager’s gaze fell on Qin Yu, her words laced with undeniable authority. But accompanied by her stunning beauty capable of captivating worlds, and the inadvertent lazy charm, it seemed more like she was...

Qin Yu understood and asked, ”Does the Empress Dowager want to hear the ’Journey to the West’ tales?”

”Journey to the West?”

Yan Yu was a bit taken aback, wasn’t it called ’Stabilizing Needle’?!

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, her eyes lightly closed.

Having worried about Little Ling’Er’s health last night, she hardly slept, so now she could listen to some tales and take a light nap.

Qin Yu organized his thoughts and began to narrate slowly.

This was the Empress Dowager of the Great Yan Immortal Country, so he naturally couldn’t tell passages only suitable for pretty wives to hear.

”Oh?”

Soon, the Empress Dowager noticed that the tales Qin Yu recounted were vastly different from those she had previously read.

Not only did she not fall asleep, but her interest piqued, clearly drawn to the story of Journey to the West.

After a while.

In the interval while Qin Yu drank water, the Empress Dowager sat up, taking out a large pile of spirit fruits from her storage ring, generously spreading them across the table in front of Qin Yu, taking a seat across from him.

Today, the Empress Dowager was draped in immaculate white garments, perhaps to highlight her noble status, with a Great Phoenix embroidered in gold thread amid her robes.

Under the Empress Dowager’s proud bearing, that phoenix seemed to break free from its garment, its wings fluttering lightly.

Recalling the indescribable fragrance on Little Ling’Er, Qin Yu couldn’t help but feel a sincere respect for this Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was truly magnificent!

The Empress Dowager, initially indifferent, was now enthralled, making exclamations along with the story’s twists.

This made Qin Yu somewhat puzzled.

Was this... really the Empress Dowager of Great Yan?

He kept feeling something was off.

Also, Ling’Er and the Empress Dowager didn’t seem like... mother and princess either.