Inside Autumn Harvest room , plates of exquisite dishes were brought to the table. QingWu rolled up her sleeves and immediately began eating. As the food entered her mouth, she squinted her eyes in enjoyment, and her toes danced comfortably inside her shoes.
Sitting across from her, Xie Ziyuan briefly glanced at her as she devoured her meal before diverting his gaze.
He had planned to wait for QingWu to finish eating and put down her chopsticks before offering her a cup of tea.
However, just as QingWu took a sip of her tea, Xie Ziyuan spoke up. "Isn't My Queen the real Yun Qingwu?"
QingWu raised her eyes, a smile that wasn't quite a smile playing on her lips. "Am I not?"
Xie Ziyuan's expression remained calm. "I have met Miss Yun before. While her appearance may be similar to my Queen's,but the mannerisms are entirely different."
QingWu's interest was piqued. "Similar in appearance?"
She had indeed become familiar with the face she now wore. Although QingWu disliked carrying someone else's face, she had gradually shaped this body's features to resemble her own appearance.
But the changes were subtle, and combined with her use of magic, the transformation was almost imperceptible to others.
Yet, Xie Ziyuan had noticed.
This wasn't just about observing the details.
As an ordinary man, how had Xie Ziyuan seen through the illusion she had cast?
QingWu rested her chin in her hand, her eyes gleaming with cunning. "If I am not, does that mean Young Master Xie plans to arrest me and lock me up in prison?"
"Repaying kindness with hatred is not something people like me will do." Xie Ziyuan's voice was light and clear. "My Queen must be a trustworthy person if can stay by the Dread King's side."
"Because of Xiao Chenyuan, you think I'm trustworthy?" QingWu smiled softly. "When did the two of you become so close?"
Xie Ziyuan paused for a moment, then looked at QingWu. "It seems that My Queen is quite aware of the past between me and the Dread King."
QingWu smiled without speaking, and inwardly clicked her tongue.
The judge Brush whispered, "Your childhood crush is quite sharp! A good candidate. If he were dead, he'd be perfect for working in our underworld."
QingWu responded silently, "I'll thank you on Xie Ziyuan behalf."
QingWu had already achieved her purpose for the day. Although she was quite tempted to admire the flawless beauty of the "childhood crush," after all, she was a married woman now.
Being alone in a room with Xie Zi Yuan, a man, and sharing a meal together had already crossed a line.
What surprised QingWu was that Xie Zi Yuan actually invited her to dine together—this was unlike his usual behavior at all.
Unlike when facing Xiao Chenyuan, QingWu couldn't act so carefree and unrestrained around Xie Zi Yuan.
After finishing the meal, QingWu was about to head back to her Manor.
Xie Zi Yuan had arrived by carriage, and now that QingWu was alone, it wouldn't be proper for her to return home by walking through the bustling streets on foot.
So, Xie Zi Yuan offered her the carriage, while he walked back to the Supreme Court office.
As QingWu pondered how Xie Zi Yuan had seen through her illusion, she heard his cold voice bidding her farewell. She didn't pay attention to her steps, and instinctively looked up. However, her foot got caught on the threshold, and before she could react, she stumbled forward.
Her hands landed directly on Xie Zi Yuan's chest, feeling his strong, steady heartbeat beneath her palm. A pure, clean energy seemed to flow through her hand, and QingWu's eyes widened in surprise.
The judge's Brush screamed in her mind, "A brilliant heart! Xie Zi Yuan actually has a heart with seven apertures—no wonder he could see through your illusion!"
QingWu was just as stunned. To think that a rare, once-in-a-thousand-years heart had grown inside Xie Zi Yuan's chest!
Caught off guard by the shock, she temporarily forgot how intimate her position with Xie Zi Yuan must have seemed at that moment.
And all of this was happening in public, no less!
Xie Zi Yuan froze as he held her hand, his ears flushing a deep red.
"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..." QingWu snapped back to her senses, about to straighten up, but before she could, her waist was gripped tightly. A powerful force yanked her backward.
QingWu's back collided with a broad, solid chest, and a man's scent enveloped her from behind.
A deep, imposing voice rumbled above her head, "In the future, it would be best if my Queen pays attention to where she's walking to!"
The man wore a dark cloak, his golden crown atop a cold and handsome face, his features sharp and exquisite, like ink so thick it could not be unraveled. He cast a shadow over the woman's body, completely enveloping her within his presence.
His hand, gripping her slender waist, revealed faint blue veins under the skin, while the jade Buddha beads on his wrist gleamed like morning dew on the snow, exuding a chill.
The power and coldness of the grip were as forceful and domineering as it's owner.
Xiao Chenyuan's chin brushed against QingWu's hair, his head turning slightly as his lips, seemingly unconscious, grazed her head. His gaze, sharp as a blade, finally returned to her face as he spoke, not allowing a single moment to pass, "What does my Queen think?"
At this moment, QingWu only felt as if her waist was on the verge of snapping under the crushing grip.
No wonder she had felt someone watching her earlier—it turned out to be Xiao Chenyuan.
The breath brushing past her ear carried a dangerous undertone, but QingWu's focus had shifted entirely to Xie young master's Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart.
Her gaze, alight with undisguised fervor, was fixed on Xie Zi Yuan, even while she remained trapped in Xiao Chenyuan's unrelenting embrace. To an outsider, it might appear as if Xiao Chenyuan were the overbearing villain stepping in to separate a pair of star-crossed lovers.
Xiao Chenyuan's hand tightened subtly on her waist, his sharp gaze a silent warning.
QingWu winced, baring her teeth as she glared back at him defiantly. Their locked gazes were like flint striking steel, sparks flying in the silent confrontation. In the intimate proximity, their breaths mingled, charged with unspoken tension. To onlookers, however, the scene seemed far from hostile—more like an intimate, ambiguous moment between husband and wife.
The black-armored guards standing nearby shifted awkwardly, averting their eyes, their faces flushed with embarrassment.
The King and the Queen… openly like this, in the public … A few coughed discreetly, their thoughts scrambling to recover from the brazen display.
The silent standoff between the three was palpable, a web of unspoken tension so thick that it made onlookers feel as if they were intruding on something profoundly intricate.
It was like a play of shifting gazes: she looked at him, she avoided his gaze, and he stared intently at her.
Finally, it was Xie young master who broke the charged silence. "Since the Dread King is here, I shall take my leave."
His calm voice shattered the fragile equilibrium. Watching the intimate proximity between Xiao Chenyuan and QingWu, a fleeting shadow crossed Xie Zi Yuan's eyes—an emotion too brief to name before it was buried beneath his usual aloof and detached demeanor. He nodded slightly at the pair, then turned to board the waiting carriage.
QingWu frowned, a muffled "Ah—" escaping her throat, almost like a small yelp of protest. No, don't go!
She still wanted to get closer, to feel the rhythmic, miraculous heartbeat of that Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart just one more time!
"Still haven't had enough of looking? Perhaps I should leave and let Xie Zi Yuan back to escort you home?" Xiao Chenyuan's tone was calm, yet the chill beneath his words was unmistakable.
"Don't you dare leave!" QingWu snapped, turning her head to glare at him. "You should just run and bring him back for me—mmph!"
Before she could finish, Xiao Chenyuan clamped a hand over her mouth, locking her head firmly against his chest. He strode out of the scene with long, decisive steps, his black-armored guards already prepared with the carriage. Without a word, he tossed QingWu into it.
She hadn't even managed to sit properly when the oppressive shadow of his presence loomed over her. Looking up, she met his cold, stormy eyes, as dark and bottomless as ink on a winter's night.
QingWu instinctively shrank back, her neck stiffening in wariness. "What now?"
"My warning from yesterday—did you even listen to a single word?" Xiao Chenyuan's voice was low and brimming with suppressed intensity.
"And what if I didn't?" QingWu huffed, leaning back against the carriage wall with deliberate defiance. Gone was any pretense of civility. "Did you really think I'd take that seriously? Do you actually see me as your Queen?"
Xiao Chenyuan sat across from her, his gaze fixed on her with a sharpness that could cut steel. Her unapologetic provocation burned in his eyes, more piercing than any blade.
But what stabbed deeper was the memory of how fervently she had looked at Xie Zi Yuan—a gaze so heated, it seemed like she wanted to carve him into her soul.
His voice dropped even lower, tinged with frost. "Etiquette won't restrain you. What you do in private, I have no interest in controlling."
His tone turned cold and uncompromising. "But let me remind you once again—don't forget your identity as my Queen when in public."
QingWu's eyes sparkled mischievously, a dangerous glint appearing as she asked, "So what you're saying is, as long as it's not Xie Zi Yuan, any other men are fair game?"
Xiao Chenyuan's face remained stoic as ever, utterly unreadable. Yet the sheer weight of his gaze made her pulse race with unease. His silence stretched, deep and suffocating, until he finally spoke in a voice as cold as the night.
"You're welcome to try."
QingWu gave a quick nod, her expression bright with mock seriousness. Well, then, she wouldn't hold back. If the chance arose, she'd absolutely will test it out.
Xiao Chenyuan felt a deep, suffocating sense of frustration, like playing a flute to a cow. But this "cow" didn't just fail to understand—she pretended not to understand! Worse, she thrived on dancing at the edge of danger, provoking him repeatedly without any sign of repentance.
She would actually dare to try!
Xiao Chenyuan shut his eyes and said nothing, his lips pressed into a thin line as a dull throbbing filled his head.
It had been a while since the ominous Yin energy had settled down, and he'd almost forgotten what a headache felt like. Thanks to her, now not only did it hurt, but it also came with an infuriating annoyance.
QingWu, for her part, was equally vexed, silently cursing Xiao Chenyuan for showing up at the worst possible moment.
The Judge's Brush interjected, its tone brimming with awe: "Someone with a Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart can discern truth from falsehood, break through illusions, and see past all deceptions. Such a heart is like a gift from the heavens—a natural-born judge of the mortal realm! I've only read about such people in the records of the Underworld. I never thought one could truly exist in this world!"
QingWu added, "The Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart's power doesn't stop there. If one could obtain just a single drop of its heart's blood, it could be used to refine the Threads of Causality, forcibly binding fates together."
The Judge's Brush let out a sharp hiss, its voice rising in alarm. "You weren't planning to lunge at him just now like some ghostly fiend to rip out his heart, were you?! That's insane! You're ruthless—how could you even think of doing that to your so-called 'childhood crush'? If it weren't for Xiao Chenyuan stopping you, who knows what might've happened!"
QingWu fought back the urge to roll her eyes. "Have you lost your mind, or have I? Why would I need to rip out Xie Zi Yuan's heart just to get his heart's blood? Besides, refining the Threads of Causality requires the heart's blood to be given willingly. Using force wouldn't achieve anything!"
The Judge's Brush snapped, "Then what were you so eager for just now?"
QingWu responded with a cold laugh but didn't bother explaining.
So what if she had been thrilled by curiosity and wanted to take a closer look? Was that a crime?
The Judge's Brush suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "QingWu, you wicked ghost! Sure, as a ghosts, we can bend moral rules, but there's gotta be a bottom line! This time, I'm siding with Xiao Chenyuan. You stay away from Xie young master!"
"I'm genuinely worried that you'll end up tricking him into willingly giving you his heart's blood!"
Just as QingWu had explained earlier, the Threads of Causality could indeed forcibly bind the fates.
Her reason for returning to the mortal world was to locate the lost souls of her parents and brother.
As a Judge official of the Underworld with authority over karma, tracking down souls should have been a simple task. However, due to the tribulations of her past life, all karmic ties to her previous incarnation were severed when she returned to the Underworld.
But if she could obtain the Threads of Causality, she would be able to reconnect to earthly bonds, making her search much more easier.
While the Judge's Brush was still fretting over this, QingWu sneered and said, "Relax! Even though I was born heartless and my very soul was blackened, I wouldn't stoop so low as to harm an innocent person for something as trivial as Threads of Causality."
"Instead of hovering around with me in constant fear, why don't we just split up now? I'll grant you your freedom. You can return to the Underworld and find yourself a new master."
The Judge's Brush was drenched in metaphorical sweat. Oh no, this was bad. QingWu was truly enrage this time!
The Judge's Brush realized it had misspoken but didn't have the chance to make amends. QingWu, unwilling to listen to its mourning wails, simply sealed its mouth to enjoy some peace and quiet.
QingWu finally found some serenity, but Xiao Chenyuan was not so lucky.
From the moment they entered the carriage, an ear-piercingly sharp voice had been incessantly chattering.
The source of this grating noise was undoubtedly from QingWu.
Xiao Chenyuan couldn't discern the exact words, but the sound was akin to hundreds of ducks quacking by his ears—loud and relentless.
He opened his eyes and silently observed QingWu, who sat across from him with her eyes closed. She seemed to be annoyed as well. Her brows furrowed deeper by the moment, and her enchanting, beautiful face carried traces of cold fury and hostility.
It was as if whatever that noise was saying had provoked her.
QingWu felt the weight of his gaze, sharp and probing, like an invasive force—detached yet domineering, much like his overall aura.
Her irritation flared. With a sudden motion, she snapped her eyes open and shot him a fierce glare.
Surprisingly, Xiao Chenyuan remained entirely unruffled. Instead, he calmly set a food box on her lap.
QingWu blinked in confusion. Her hand moved faster than her mind, and she quickly opened it.
Inside was a neatly packed portion of lion's head meatballs.
The aroma wafted into her nose.
Earlier, she had eaten heartily and contentedly, but she hadn't managed to try the lion's head meatballs. The shopkeeper had mentioned that the last portion had already been purchased by someone else, which had left her feeling a bit disappointed at the time.
But now…