Jingliu naturally knew where Lucian was, since before she fell asleep, she had seen him heading to the study.
Now that she had tricked Baiheng into going elsewhere, by the time Baiheng realized it, it would already be too late.
"My master's main wife can only be me."
Even though these words sounded a little strange, that was simply how it was.
Jingliu just didn't know whether Lucian would accept her, so even though she had said that, she now unexpectedly felt conflicted—nervous, even afraid—afraid of being rejected.
In the end, however, she steeled herself, and when she arrived at the study, she pushed the door open, but—
It was empty.
===
Elsewhere, in the backyard, Lucian was crouching on the ground, watering flower buds while lost in thought.
Feeling stifled after staying too long in the study, he had stepped out for a walk and ended up here.
'Killing Shuhu to prevent the Shuhu Upheaval and the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae is most likely one of the conditions for completing the script... Perhaps this script is already nearing its end...'
While Lucian was pondering this problem, a pair of soft, jade-like hands suddenly covered his eyes.
He didn't even need to guess who it was, for he had already sensed someone sneaking up behind him like a thief long ago.
"Guess who I am~?"
Behind Lucian, the person asked in a slightly distorted, playful voice.
*Pa!*
Lucian smacked the person's butt with his hand, causing a crisp sound to echo in the silent backyard.
From the feel of the butt, the person was clearly well-suited for bearing a child—soft and pleasing to the touch.
"Oww!"
Being suddenly smacked on the butt, the person groaned in pain, letting out a cute, familiar voice.
Who else but Baiheng?
"You hit my butt again!" Baiheng let go of Lucian's eyes, then cupped his cheeks, pouting playfully. "Other than you, no one's ever done that, y'know!"
"Well, what should I do then?" Lucian chuckled lightly. "Should I apologize?"
"I don't accept apologies!" Baiheng pressed her palms against his face and rubbed gently, speaking with uncharacteristic seriousness. "You have to take responsibility for me!"
"Well, duh, hitting your butt won't make you pregnant." Lucian rolled his eyes. "What responsibility are you talking about?"
"You have to take responsibility first, then you can make me pregnant..." Baiheng muttered softly.
"What?" Lucian blinked his eyes in bewilderment.
"N-Nothing!" Baiheng flustered, flailing her hands wildly. "I mean, there's something I wanted to discuss with you."
Hearing this, Lucian rolled his eyes, then stood up and faced her calmly.
"Discussing what?"
Even though the foxian before him was no longer that young, she always remained lively and endearing.
Truthfully, to say he did not like her would clearly be a lie.
"Well... this is for you..."
Baiheng pulled out a slip of paper from her chest and handed it to Lucian.
Lucian took it and unfolded it.
As soon as he unfolded it, to his surprise, he saw a marriage lot that read best fortune—the petitioner and destined partner were written clearly: Baiheng and Lucian.
"Uhh... this is—"
Lucian had just begun to speak when Baiheng suddenly cut him off.
"I love you! I want to be with you! Not as friends but as husband and wife!"
Baiheng, her face flushed red, shouted at Lucian as if mustering every ounce of courage in her body—her fox tail stood straight, and her fox ears perked up, looking unbearably cute.
Seeing her like this, Lucian could not help but chuckle, resting his hand gently on her head.
"You know, after all these years, I have never once rejected you, and this time is no different."
In fact, after being together for decades, he had already noticed Baiheng's feelings toward him from all her behaviors. He was, after all, not a dense protagonist from those Japanese novels who was always clueless in romance.
Upon hearing Lucian's response, Baiheng, her eyes widening, knew at once that he had accepted her feelings.
"Yay!"
Baiheng quickly threw herself joyfully into Lucian's arms, her large, fluffy tail swishing back and forth.
After hugging for a while, Baiheng lifted her head from Lucian's chest—her bright eyes locking with his, her cheeks rosy.
"My great-grandmother said only kissing mouth-to-mouth makes two people husband and wife... Do you want to..."
Baiheng's voice was soft, trembling ever so slightly, and her warm breath brushed against Lucian's jaw.
Lucian felt the world around him blur and fade away until only her moist, slightly parted lips remained before him—like a silent invitation brimming with fatal temptation, slowly drawing closer.
In the next moment, the distance between them drew closer and closer—their breaths mingled, saturating the air with a sweet, fiery tension that threatened to ignite reason itself.
Lucian was already anticipating the soft, cool touch of Baiheng's lips in the very next second, when suddenly—
*BOOM!*
A muffled explosion filled with biting cold suddenly erupted behind the two without warning!
*Whoosh!*
A frigid gust of frost wind slammed into them, stripping every trace of warmth from their lungs as a freezing mist instantly clouded the surroundings.
Soon enough, Jingliu's figure slowly emerged from the lingering veil of frost.
She had not even fully withdrawn her stance—her slender ice sword still angled toward the ground, its tip swirling with strands of white frost visible to the naked eye, like a snake flicking its tongue.
Her face remained emotionless, yet the curve of her lips carried a razor-sharp coldness.
"Master, why weren't you in the study?" Jingliu asked coldly.
Upon hearing this, Lucian looked confused.
What did she mean by that?
What problem could there be if he were not in the study?
"Why...? I got stifled, so I came out for a walk, watering the flowers..." Lucian answered truthfully, raising his eyebrows in wonder. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
At this, Jingliu's emotionless expression slowly turned helpless, as though she had just suffered a great disappointment.
What else could she say?
Fate was cruel.
She had already sent Baiheng away, yet Baiheng somehow ended up confessing first.
Jingliu took a deep breath and then let it out before regaining her composure.
'No matter, I still have a chance... at least the position of main wife is not yet taken...'
At this thought, Jingliu's gaze sharpened before she firmly strode forward and yanked Lucian to stand before her.
Jingliu's frost-touched, stubborn face instantly filled Lucian's vision—so close he couldn't look away—while her icy aura overwhelmed his senses, snuffing out all the warmth Baiheng had left behind.
"My dear disciple, what are you doing?" Lucian asked softly, feeling slightly tense.
However, just as these words fell, cold lips—carrying a faint, crisp chill—suddenly pressed hard against his without warning.
It was none other than a deep French kiss, though rather than a kiss, it felt more like a mark.
About a minute later, Jingliu finally pulled back from Lucian's lips, a thin string of saliva connecting them—her breathing uneven, her cheeks faintly flushed, her light-red eyes glimmering with an almost obsessive, dangerous light.
Lucian, who had always been composed in any situation, couldn't help but feel a little stunned by this sudden development.
What kind of turn of events was this?
Was Jingliu actually a yandere?
Regardless, he had to admit—the frosty kiss just now truly felt good and refreshing.
"I was first... I was the one who fell for you first, Master."
Jingliu stared straight into Lucian's eyes, her voice husky from the kiss as she spoke each word with weight before snapping her head toward Baiheng.
"You remember that as well."
Baiheng stood there, dumbfounded, frozen in place as she watched Jingliu share that intimacy with Lucian.
What did that even mean?
Why was Jingliu so overbearing?
She had finally gathered her courage for the first time to be so intimate with her crush, only for it to end so abruptly, thanks to her best friend.
Baiheng immediately felt a pang of sorrow—her fox ears drooped, and her fox tail hung limply.
Seeing Baiheng's pitiful state, Jingliu immediately felt a twinge of guilt.
Honestly, she herself had to admit that what she had just done was unfair and somewhat cruel.
"It's your turn now." Jingliu said calmly, stepping aside smoothly.
Seeing this, both Lucian and Baiheng were stunned.
'What the hell is this situation?' Lucian thought with amazement while wiping his swollen lips with the back of his hand.
He had never seen such a thing—one person ambushed halfway through, and then, after stealing the prize, graciously handed it back to the victim.
It was exhilarating, yet absurd.
At Jingliu's words, Baiheng looked up like a startled fawn.
"I..."
Baiheng's lips trembled before a tiny voice escaped, faint as a mosquito's hum.
Thanks to Jingliu, the atmosphere she had worked so hard to build was completely shattered.
Given that, how could she possibly kiss Lucian, acting as if nothing had happened?
"If you keep hesitating, then just give him up." Jingliu stated expressionlessly, her tone oddly relieved and amused.
Right after saying this, she suddenly pushed Baiheng toward Lucian, making him catch her in his arms while Jingliu stood right in front of them.
Looking at the two women, a blazing fire gradually stirred up in Lucian's chest.
One had rudely wrecked the mood and barged in forcefully, while the other was dithering and pulling at his nerves.
"You played me first, so don't blame me for playing you back."
Lucian declared calmly, and then, without another word, brought the two women to his bedroom.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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