Obsessively Raised by My Doll 160

Chapter 160

For the first two days after her parents had left, Lu Dieqing was very unaccustomed to it.

But she still forced herself to concentrate, to meditate and cultivate more, to let her spiritual power circulate through her meridians as much as possible, to clear the impurities in her body.

In the early stages of cultivation, it was a critical period for a mortal to transform into a cultivator.

A mortal, with the accumulation of dozens of years of the five grains in their body, had long since lost their innate pure qi. If they wanted to embark on the path of cultivation, they had to cleanse their meridians as much as possible with spiritual power.

“Ningning, is cultivation always so boring?”

Lu Dieqing couldn’t help but ask the other.

They were both cultivating, but it seemed that Ningning was more patient than her. She could often sit quietly for a whole day, undisturbed by any external matters.

Only if there was really something to deal with would she leave for a while.

And she, compared to Ningning, had more time, with no miscellaneous tasks to bother her. But she would often let her thoughts wander, and was even a little impatient.

Fortunately, every time she opened her eyes, she could see Ningning right beside her, which instantly calmed Lu Dieqing’s heart.

—She was not walking on this path alone.

If not for Ningning, what would she do?

Lu Dieqing would always have such thoughts. For the future, she harbored some indescribable hidden worries.

At this time, Zheng Xuening would always pull her over, pinch her earlobe, and coax her softly.

“Focus. Destiny is in your own hands. Right now.”

Such calm and powerful words would always make Lu Dieqing immediately gather her thoughts and calm down again.

It was just that today, in trying to break through the late-stage of the first layer of the Qi Refining stage, Lu Dieqing really could no longer concentrate.

For a moment, the scene of her parents getting on the carriage and parting with her would pop into her mind. For a moment, the harmonious picture of their family of three together in the past would flash by.

Every event she had experienced as a child flashed through her mind for no reason, making it impossible for her to calm down.

So much so that her mind was in a mess, and the spiritual power in her body was out of control, unable to move freely.

Zheng Xuening opened her eyes and saw the girl with a pair of wet and soft eyes, looking at her with dependence and helplessness.

This was the girl she held in her heart and doted on.

Zheng Xuening scooped the other up, held her in her arms, and lowered her eyes to meet her gaze.

“If cultivation were not boring, but full of flavor, how could the Great Dao be heartless?”

It seemed that due to her nature, Zheng Xuening’s feelings were few. Except for the ardent feelings for the girl in her arms, her feelings were almost bland.

And her constitution, after coming into contact with the path of cultivation, had advanced at a flying speed, with no bottlenecks or obstacles at all.

With the support of the spirit stones in her hand, she had now stepped into the middle stage of the second layer of the Qi Refining stage.

This speed was extremely astonishing, as if she had cultivated in her mother’s womb, but had just forgotten, and now that she had picked it up again, it was as if every step was taken on a past mark, and she was advancing at a flying speed.

So, the confusion and boredom that Lu Dieqing was experiencing, Zheng Xuening had not felt at all.

Lu Dieqing pressed her lips together and said in a small voice, “Ningning, am I going to be a burden to you?”

This question was asked with some caution. The girl lowered her eyes and stared at her own fingers, her heart filled with a sense of powerlessness and self-loathing.

It seemed that since they had met, no matter when, it was always Ningning who was her backbone and support, while she rarely had a chance to take care of the other in return.

Lu Dieqing, who had shrunk back and was filled with self-doubt, looked like a wounded little white rabbit, timid.

Zheng Xuening simply pulled her into her arms, wrapping her up into a warm bundle, giving her a sense of security.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Zheng Xuening wrapped the girl into a cute little silkworm cocoon, raised an eyebrow, her voice a little angry.

She raised her finger and gently tapped Lu Dieqing’s nose, word by word.

“Little fool.”

Zheng Xuening rarely spoke to her so seriously. Although her tone was still gentle, one could hear that she did not like the way Lu Dieqing had just described herself.

“We’ve only just started cultivating. It’s only natural to get sidetracked for a moment.”

“If you were to doubt yourself like this and stop moving forward, that would be the real trouble. Although you think a lot, you can always readjust yourself and devote yourself to cultivation. This is already a valuable quality.”

It was rare for her to speak so many principles to her little rabbit in one go.

Zheng Xuening’s mouth was a little dry, but she was full of patience, afraid that Lu Dieqing would feel wronged. She specially bent down to kiss the girl’s eyes, and then her forehead.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You understand all these principles. You are just worried and miss your family, which is why you are upset.”

Lu Dieqing was coaxed, and her mood improved a lot, but she was still a little dejected.

“My cultivation has a bottleneck…” Ningning was already at the second layer of the Qi Refining stage.

But she was still stuck at the end of the first layer, with no progress.

They had originally agreed that once she broke through to the second layer of the Qi Refining stage, they would go to the forbidden land.

Now was a time of great urgency and tension. How could she afford to delay like this?

Whatever she was thinking was written all over her fair and delicate little face.

Zheng Xuening took her palm and intertwined their ten fingers.

“Then let’s try and calm down. A breakthrough in cultivation sometimes depends on a flash of inspiration, not just hard work.”

“Besides…” she said again.

“Think about it. Isn’t your progress in cultivating techniques extremely fast?”

Being guided to think about her strengths for a moment, Lu Dieqing was stunned for a while.

“Your Spring Rain Technique is almost at the third layer, while I’m still at the first. This is also a difference in our talents. So should I be discouraged because of this?” Zheng Xuening guided her patiently.

Lu Dieqing shook her little head like a rattle drum.

“Of course not!”

Ningning was so powerful. Most of her cultivation energy was focused on her own cultivation. How could she have so much time to cultivate techniques?

She had only fiddled with the Spring Rain Technique to relieve her boredom and had cultivated it along the way.

Now, hearing Zheng Xuening use this as an example to praise her, a clear blush appeared on the girl’s face, and she was quite embarrassed.

“You can’t compare it like this…” the girl murmured in a small voice.

Zheng Xuening pressed on, “Why not?”

She caressed the thin butterfly bones on Lu Dieqing’s back, her voice softening a few degrees.

“How can you only allow the magistrates to set fires, but not allow the common people to light their lamps?”

“You only compare your cultivation with mine, but not your techniques. Clearly, that is your strength, yet you don’t admit it.”

“Tell me, aren’t you a little bad egg?” Zheng Xuening’s tone was helpless. She pinched the girl’s cheek and sighed softly.

Being spoken to by Zheng Xuening like this, Lu Dieqing nuzzled her head into the other’s embrace.

“I’m sorry, Ningning. I understand your good intentions. I won’t be like this in the future.”

Yes, she should look at her strengths more. She couldn’t get stuck in a rut and keep thinking of other things.

This would only make her lack fighting spirit and would not be conducive to her cultivation.

Seeing that she had finally coaxed this girl, Zheng Xuening smiled and pressed her lips together.

“Good girl.”

Lu Dieqing’s heart calmed down again. In Zheng Xuening’s embrace, she closed her eyes and sat cross-legged, once again letting the spiritual power flow through her meridians.

The next morning, the girl opened her eyes, which were full of excitement, her smile so bright it was as if the stars and moon were rising.

“I succeeded!”

Sob, sob, it wasn’t easy. It took a lot of effort to step into the second layer of the Qi Refining stage.

The world suddenly felt open and clear.

“Congratulations,” Zheng Xuening said, stroking her cheek.

Lu Dieqing took the opportunity to lean into her embrace, nuzzling her neck, and rubbing her skin against hers.

“Let’s set off!”

To have power in her hands, that feeling was so good. She couldn’t wait to become stronger.

Seeing her full of fighting spirit, Zheng Xuening couldn’t help but smile, and the pearl of her lips became even more full and alluring.

“Alright.”

Helian, seeing that they were about to leave the palace, was a little worried, but she didn’t dare to say too much and just kept looking at them.

“In the days when Your Highness is not here, if anything happens, where should I go to contact Your Highness?”

Helian finally asked.

Zheng Xuening calmly looked up. “Go find the Third Princess.”

Huh?

Helian and Lu Dieqing both looked at her, a little in disbelief.

Now that the old emperor was ill, it had always been Zheng Xuening who had been in charge of all the state affairs. And now she was going to hand it over to the Third Princess, Zheng Sixin?

This was an operation that no one had thought of.

Let alone Lu Dieqing and Helian being surprised, everyone at court was also surprised, and even the Third Princess, Zheng Sixin herself, was a little apprehensive and suspicious, as if she had been hit in the face by a pie that had fallen from the sky.

This, this, this…

In the past, she had indeed coveted the throne, but that was just a thought.

Faced with that position, a person’s greed was a natural occurrence. But with a little thought, she knew that as long as the Crown Princess was there for a day, she would never be able to touch that position.

Didn’t you see the fate of her second brother? For the rest of his life, he didn’t even have the right to be a carefree prince and have his own children. He could only be a crippled royal dandy, and his injuries could not be mentioned in public anymore.

With her second brother’s experience before her, Zheng Sixin did not dare to be careless.

She was afraid that this was the Crown Princess specially testing her, so when Helian came over and said that she would be in charge of all the matters in the palace, Zheng Sixin instinctively waved her hands and refused.

“This Princess is not capable of such a great responsibility.”

In any case, she did not even hesitate and did not dare to agree.

Who knew if this was her elder sister’s scheme?

If she really had other thoughts, and saw an opportunity, she would probably have pounced on it with excitement, eager to take charge of everything.

But Zheng Sixin was afraid of death. She also thought a lot, afraid that this was a trap, and she did not dare to touch power at all.

Zheng Xuening had to specially summon her and have a talk with her.

“You don’t have to be so reserved. If you have the ability to manage all the matters in the palace well and can be a qualified emperor, it makes no difference whether you or I sit in this position.”

“As long as it can bring peace to the people and is beneficial to the country and society.”

Hearing Zheng Xuening say these words, Zheng Sixin still couldn’t believe it. She stood there, her expression complex, and even a little timid, not daring to believe her easily.

It was not as if in the past, an emperor, in order to test people’s hearts, had pretended to be seriously ill, and then pretended to entrust the country and society to a close person, just to find out the other’s true face.

The result was usually that those who had accidentally shown their true colors and revealed their ambition were exposed, and on the contrary, had a bad result.

Zheng Sixin was really afraid.

It was Lu Dieqing who was present and said, “Ningning never tells lies. If she wanted to deal with you, why would she take such a big detour?”

After a pause, Lu Dieqing continued, “You probably don’t know yet, but our current situation is precarious. That black dragon came from outside the domain. It can turn its hand over and make clouds and rain, and can sink the entire Chaoying Kingdom, and we are powerless to fight back.”

“Now we are using the excuse of building a palace for it to temporarily trap it in a valley, but this is not a long-term solution. There are some rules and formations set by the great powers of the past in this place, which will soon become invalid. At that time, there will be many disasters, and even more existences like the black dragon, who will come to disturb us.”

“Do you think that when that time comes, being an emperor will have any meaning? The common people and the emperor are all mortals, and it is difficult to escape disaster and death. So Ningning wants you to take charge of all the affairs of the Chaoying Kingdom, which is also in consideration for everyone, to find a partner.”

“Only if you take over this matter, and someone is in charge of the rear, and the hearts of the people of the vast dynasty are united, can we truly achieve what we are seeking.”

Without realizing it, Lu Dieqing and Zheng Xuening had formed a wonderful complementarity.

Zheng Xuening was not good at speaking softly, her aura was sharp, and she was often a superior who gave orders. But Lu Dieqing was willing to play a gentle role in it, explaining at the right time, and giving the people involved in the communication a way to step down.

“Zheng Sixin, Ningning and I both need you to work with us.”

The girl opened her clear almond eyes, sincere and powerful, as if she had completely forgotten that she had almost been threatened by Zheng Sixin by the lake.

But Zheng Sixin remembered.

She… her head was a bit muddled at the moment, and she did not understand the meaning.

“Even if you can’t stay in the imperial palace, why are you looking for me? You could have clearly found someone else.”

Yes, besides her father, the Emperor, there were also many descendants in the Chaoying royal family.

There were so many brothers and sisters. Why was it that she, who had almost had a falling out with them, was the one?

Faced with this sentence, Lu Dieqing looked back at Zheng Xuening. As the two of them met each other’s gaze, the girl turned her head back and looked at Zheng Sixin, smiling, “That’s naturally because we trust you and know that you have this ability.”

Such a simple sentence, but when Zheng Sixin heard it, she had the urge to burst into tears in an instant.

Trust?

She has this ability?

From the moment she was born, because she and her second brother were fraternal twins, she had always been compared by her mother, the Imperial Consort, to set off her second brother. No matter what she did, she had to support the other and help him to succeed.

She had almost forgotten, or rather, had never stood in the position where she could shine with her own light, what it felt like.

However, today, she had received trust from Lu Dieqing and Zheng Xuening.

“…Why?” Zheng Sixin choked a little and asked.

If in the past, she had admired, been jealous of, and had other fears of her elder sister Zheng Xuening, as well as the sadness of knowing that she would never be able to match the other, now, it was the first time she dared to ask her elder sister such a question directly.

This time, Lu Dieqing did not answer again, but stood by Zheng Xuening’s side, and even prepared to quietly withdraw to let the two sisters have a heart-to-heart talk.

However, just as she had taken a step away, her arm was caught by a certain someone and pulled back.

Zheng Xuening did not allow her to go far, using her actions to express that the two of them were one, and there was no distinction between you and I, and there was no need to avoid suspicion.

Zheng Sixin saw this and was not at all surprised.

After all, a person who had always been cold-hearted, if they had really fallen in love, it would not be strange for them to act like this.

Lu Dieqing was clearly the elder sister’s reverse scale, which others could not touch.

The girl who had not been able to walk away stood obediently by Zheng Xuening’s side, her red lips pressed together, quietly accompanying her.

Zheng Xuening looked at her third imperial sister and said in a low voice, “Just try to do it. Whether you can handle the matter well, be a qualified heir, or a future emperor, is your own business. I’m just putting this path in front of you and asking if you want to choose it.”

Zheng Sixin had never been looked at by her imperial sister like this before.

She felt as if a new hope was born in her heart, along with her own life, and she became excited.

“I choose. I can do it well. I am willing to do it.”

When she said the last word, Zheng Sixin’s two fists were clenched, as if all the cowardice and injustice of these years had surged out.

—The opportunity she had been looking forward to most was right in front of her. No matter what, she would not want to miss it.

She had really not expected that the one who had finally given her a chance and trusted her was her elder sister, who in the past she had always seen as an insurmountable peak.

…

After Zheng Sixin had left, Lu Dieqing opened her watery almond eyes and looked at Zheng Xuening with a charming air.

“Why didn’t you let me go just now?”

She had thought that Ningning would have something more to say to Zheng Sixin.

After all… in the royal family, this was also a rare moment to have a heart-to-heart talk.

Zheng Xuening said without thinking, “There is nothing about me that you need to avoid.”

The person who was usually extremely calm, even bland, when she thought of the girl about to walk away to avoid suspicion just now, frowned.

“You’re not allowed to next time.”

She pinched the girl’s cheek and warned her softly.

Lu Dieqing, on the other hand, stuck out her little tongue and burrowed into her embrace.

“I know, I know. I won’t do it again.”

What a clingy Ningning.

But she likes it so much.