Hua Qiyue grabbed Tianci's hand to leave. When they were in the outer corridor, they met with Third Madame and Hua Xiaoyi.
Hua Xiaoyi's entire face was veiled by a black mask, except for her sharp eyes.
Xiaoyi wasn't happy to see Hua Qiyue. She was all anyone at the mansion was talking about these days. Hua Qiyue had won a tournament match. Hua Qiyue had divine herbs in her garden. Hua Qiyue had gained the emperor's favor.
"Older sister, I didn't expect to see you here. Are you really going to marry the crown prince?"
Hua Xiaoyi was, surprisingly, much better behaved these days and no longer called Hua Qiyue a "bitch" right off the bat.
The Third Madame smiled slightly, then looked at her daughter proudly. Over the past two weeks, she had been constantly keeping a close eye on her daughter in an attempt to change her manner of speech. It appeared her teachings had finally produced some results.
Hua Qiyue smiled bashfully. "This is the first time I've heard of that! The crown prince… I saw him from the stage. He is a handsome man."
Lvxin and Youshui both felt like throwing up when they saw how their mistress could tell such an outright lie. How could someone like the First Miss take an interest in the crown prince? Lady Qiyue must have something up her sleeve.
Hua Xiaoyi's eyes lit up as she smiled coldly. "I wish you the best of luck."
Hua Qiyue lowered her eyes as though she wanted to mask her 'admiration'.
"Sister, please go on. Prince Nan is waiting for you!" she said before leading Tianci away.
Hua Xiaoyi glared at Hua Qiyue's retreating back, and her lips curved into a smile. So, Hua Qiyue liked the crown prince? Hua Xiaoyi felt that once she regained her looks, she would match Hua Qiyue in terms of beauty. She'd have to make sure that she attracted the crown prince's attention before Hua Qiyue did.
The Third Madame saw her daughter staring resentfully at Hua Qiyue, and knew she was thinking of doing something rash.
"Xiaoyi, what are you thinking? If you have any ideas you must first let me know, do you understand?"
Hua Qiyue had already played the Second Madame, such a cunning woman, like a fiddle. If Hua Xiaoyi tried to go up against Hua Qiyue single-handedly, she would lose terribly.
Hua Xiaoyi nodded obediently. "Don't worry, Mother. I will do as you say."
They quickly headed inside.
Hua Qiyue took Tianci to visit several nearby schools recommended by Butler Wang. He had spoken especially highly of Luming School. Most of the students there were sons of officials or wealthy families, and it was widely considered to be second only to the imperial school.
At Luming School, the doorman immediately recognized Hua Qiyue and hurriedly opened the gates to let her in.
Luming School was beautifully decorated and she could hear the sound of children reading aloud. Tianci's eyes lit up as he took in his surroundings.
"Tianci, when you can speak again, would you like to attend this school?"
Tianci nodded his head excitedly.
The doorman led Hua Qiyue to the classroom's backdoor, where she saw a man in green teaching the students.
She did a double-take when she realized the teacher was Master Xuanji!
What was a priest at Rongfu Temple doing here? What was Xuanji doing here? Was he deliberately waiting for her? She had sent people to check up on him, but they had been unable to learn anything. Xuanji remained a mystery.
He also spotted Hua Qiyue, nodding politely at her, then continued to teach.
Hua Qiyue's face turned grave and she left together with Tianci. She would have to think carefully before sending Tianci to this school.
A million questions were running through her mind. Xuanji, Tianpi…
Tianpi was just as mysterious as Xuanji. She didn't understand why he wanted her as his disciple, but it was irrelevant — all she wanted was to become more powerful, to the point where no one would be able to defeat her.
Hua Qiyue returned to her residence and left Tianci to play with Lvxin while she entered the world of the gourd.
By this point, the herbs she'd planted had become more mature. She could harvest them within a day, but if she waited another month, the effectiveness of the herb would increase a hundred-fold.
Unlike when she'd first arrived in this world, the skies were now blue and the clouds white, while a bright sun shined brightly from above, and the temperature was just right.
All kinds of herbs were planted in a variety of colors. There were even butterflies flitting amongst the flowers, which made it look like spring.
Hua Qiyue did not see Tianpi and assumed that he was at the hot springs but when she ran toward the hot springs, she didn't see him either.
"Master, I'm here!" Hua Qiyue couldn't be bothered to search for him. Green, leafy grass sprang from the ground, and there were even several saplings. Unlike before, there were places he could be hiding.
She called out a few more times, with no response.
"Master, where are you?" It had only been two days since she last visited, and to her knowledge, he was stuck in this world. She even guessed she might be the key to him escaping, but couldn't yet confirm it.
"Humph!"
A scoff rang out from behind a grass patch as high as her knee. She quickly pushed the grass aside to see Tianpi lying idly in the grass patch with a grass stalk protruding from his mouth. He shot her a sidelong look of displeasure.
Hua Qiyue sat down beside him and looked at his devilishly handsome face. He was probably the most beautiful man in the universe.
"Master, this place has changed so much since I last visited two days ago!" Hua Qiyue laughed softly.
"Master, are you ignoring me?"
Hua Qiyue studied Tianpi and when she saw the displeasure in his eyes, she smiled prettily and said, "Look, Master! See what I've brought for you?"
Then, she took out a bottle of Nv'er Hong wine and uncorked it. As its fragrant scent wafted through the air, Tianpi suddenly sat up and stared it.
"Give it to me!" He snatched the bottle from her hands and gulped it down in huge mouthfuls.
Hua Qiyue sat beside him and smiled as she usually did, and Tianpi finished the entire bottle of wine moments later. He wiped at his mouth and licked his lips. "That was refreshing! Absolutely refreshing!"
He hadn't drunk wine in a few hundred years, relying on spiritual energy to sustain his life. Although he did not feel hunger, food and drink were exceptional pleasures.
The smell of food would always be more appealing than spiritual energy.
"Next time, I'll bring you two grilled chickens and two more bottles of wine," Hua Qiyue said, full of smiles.
Tianpi scoffed and said, "Humph, at least you've got some sense!"
Hua Qiyue paused for a beat, then said evenly, "Master, I need to cultivate in earnest. I ran into Xuanji when I was at the school earlier on and I really can't figure out what his motive is."
Tianpi laughed. "Why would you be afraid of Xuanji? He is just a monk!"
"No, he seems to be deliberately trying to stay close to me!" Hua Qiyue said in earnest. After being so deeply betrayed, trust would not come easily.
"Alright, off you go to cultivate. But remember to bring that grilled chicken later!"
Hua Qiyue went to the hot springs to cultivate. Now that she had attained Soaring Cloud Completion Stage, she absorbed spiritual energy as though she was in the river and no longer had to get herself wet each time.
By the time Hua Qiyue emerged into the real world, it was already noon.
Lvxin was fretting in the yard anxiously and her eyes lit up when she saw Hua Qiyue.
"Miss, you're finally awake."
"Is something the matter?"
"Prince Nan has invited you to Wang Yue Restaurant for a meal!" Lvxin said, full of smiles as she looked at Hua Qiyue. There was a teasing glint in her eyes.
Hua Qiyue was stunned. Prince Nan? Yun Shimo was asking her out?
What was going on? Hua Qiyue would never forget the livid expression on his face when she threatened him.
"Prince Nan's servant said that he has something to discuss with you at the Wang Yue Restaurant at noon regarding the little master!"
"Alright, let's go," Hua Qiyue said flatly. "At least I'm hungry."
Hua Qiyue and the rest arrived at Wang Yue Restaurant as agreed.
When the other patrons saw Hua Qiyue leading Tianci into Yun Shimo's private room, they were stunned.
"Oh my god, Prince Nan is dating the scarlet woman of Changjing! This doesn't make sense at all. It's like a fresh flower being stuck on a pile of cow dung!"
Hua Qiyue rolled her eyes at them. Humph. If Yun Shimo is a pile of cow dung, then she would naturally be the fresh flower!
Tianci was excited at another chance to eat such good food. When he saw Yun Shimo, he ran over happily and grabbed his arm.
Yun Shimo tenderly patted his head.
Hua Qiyue quickly ordered a few famous dishes, not standing on ceremony at all.
In the corner of the room, Bingyi's mouth twitched. Hua Qiyue did not behave like a First Miss at all! He didn't know what his master saw in her. This was terrible! Yun Shimo had never been like this around a woman before.
Yun Shimo focused on serving a bow of chicken soup for Tianci and completely ignored Hua Qiyue. "Tianci, drink up. I promise, it's very good!"
The corners of Bingyi's lips twitched yet again. His master had boiled this Seven Ultimate Ginseng Chicken Soup at home. The original plan was to ask them to lunch at his manor, but he'd suddenly changed his mind. His master was clearly attracted to this woman!
Tianci quickly drank a mouthful of soup and found it delicious. This was like the soup that his mother asked the servants to cook. He soon finished a small bowl and patted his stomach contentedly.