Chapter 184
Who marries a bride and still lives at the mother-in-law’s house?
Even though Zheng Xuening, as the heir of the Chaoying Kingdom, had not had an inch of land in the Shan Kingdom before, from today onwards, she would have her own residence.
It had to be big, it had to be grand, it had to be beautiful, so that after marrying her Qingqing, the bridal sedan chair could be carried around it ten times.
Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and it is with the person you love most. There can be no regrets.
When the broker left Zheng Xuening, she was both happy and worried.
She was happy because the banknote in her hand was the largest denomination she had ever seen in her life. Once this deal was completed, she would have made a fortune.
She was worried because where could she find such a good residence in such a short time?
An ordinary small courtyard would definitely not be satisfactory.
It had to be grand, it had to be large, it had to be in a good location, and it had to…
Wait?
The broker suddenly remembered something and hurried back to the brokerage, to ask her colleagues about a large garden she remembered.
That garden had been around for some years. After it was built, it had been empty for some reason, but every year, someone would go to repair it, so it looked very grand.
…
Over on the Shan Empress’s side, she had sent someone to summon Lu Ruyi, originally wanting to ask about the matter of immortal cultivation in detail.
After all, judging from the past, she was most familiar with this granddaughter, Lu Ruyi.
Among the younger generation, Lu Ruyi had almost occupied sixty to seventy percent of her affection.
In comparison, Lu Rushuang was a maternal granddaughter, and her personality was dull, not good with words, so she seemed a little gray and was not so cared for by the Empress.
And the twins, Lu Ran and Lu Yu, were too young and had not had much contact with the Empress, so they were not thought of at the first opportunity.
When the Third Princess hurried to the imperial palace, she told the Empress about Lu Ruyi’s performance.
“She was fine before. Today when she came back, she was like a different person. Perhaps she was stimulated by something and was crying at home. Your daughter thought that if she came to the palace at this time, she would lose her composure in front of the throne…”
The Third Princess peeked at the Empress’s expression and explained cautiously.
The Empress naturally would not make a big fuss over such a small matter.
Her one hand was on the armrest of the chair, and the other was stroking a delicate, gold-plated hand-warmer. She sighed.
“Today is different from the past. You don’t have to blame me for being biased today. If you were in my position, you would all understand.”
“It’s the third girl’s daughter’s wedding. In any case, she is a woman of our Shan Kingdom. You should go and help out. Don’t lose your etiquette, and make up for anything that’s lacking. I’m tired. You should be more attentive in these two days.”
The Empress had not forgotten what the focus of the matter was and specially instructed the Second Princess a few more times.
The Second Princess, hearing this, replied, “Don’t worry, Mother. This is your daughter’s duty.”
Not to mention anything else, just the fact that this niece of hers, Lu Dieqing, had now achieved something in her cultivation was enough to make her see her in a different light.
Originally, the Second Princess had had great confidence in her own little daughter, but today, seeing the other in such a crazed state, she was already a little disheartened.
A person who can achieve great things will not be so careless as to not restrain their own emotions.
In such a contrast, the Second Princess felt even more that Zheng Xuening was extraordinary.
At such a young age, yet to be so calm, to not show her emotions, and to have a method in her actions, to be neither servile nor overbearing, who would not want such a fine son-in-law?
…
Lu Dieqing did not sleep tonight.
She was busy making two spiritual bracelets specially for her parents.
It didn’t make sense to only give such a life-prolonging bracelet to A’sang and not prepare one for her closest parents.
The girl buried her head in carving the Yushan bamboo. The dagger in her hand almost flew, and her fingers were extremely nimble.
Her storage ring was filled with the Yushan bamboo that Ningning had found for her.
The texture of the Yushan bamboo was very special. It was both warm and tough. Whether you touched it or looked at it, it had a special beauty, white and gentle.
So if it were used to carve a doll’s body or a jade bracelet, it would have a natural spirituality.
But when Lu Dieqing’s fingers held the Yushan bamboo to carve, the girl’s fingertips were slender and tender. Visually, it reminded one of a masterpiece carved from tender tofu, which was even more eye-catching than the Yushan bamboo.
Zheng Xuening was not by her side today.
Lu Dieqing missed her a little, but she had no time to think!
Because the wedding was the day after tomorrow, and the residence was in an uproar for her these two days, she still had to squeeze out some time to first make the spiritual jade bracelets for her parents.
And Ningning also had to go and sort out the contents of the jade slip, and to teach some of the cultivation methods to the three people who had been chosen today.
Yes, three people, namely Lu Rushuang and the twins Lu Ran and Lu Yu.
Lu Ruyi, because her character was not up to par, had been eliminated by Zheng Xuening.
Zheng Xuening had lightly mentioned this to Lu Dieqing today, but she had not said much about how unstable the other’s character was.
Lu Dieqing had never been one to pay attention to details and ask too many questions. Now that the days she could stay with her parents in the Shan Kingdom were only these two, and there were so many things to do, which was simply overwhelming, whatever Zheng Xuening said, she would obediently listen.
This made Zheng Xuening hold her in her arms and pinch her face, saying that she was a good, gullible baby.
The two of them had been intimate for a long time before they had temporarily separated tonight.
Though they were separated, Zheng Xuening would from time to time let her divine soul land on that little wooden doll from before and chat with Lu Dieqing for a bit.
“Follow the texture inside the Yushan bamboo. Turn the dagger a little to the side and hold it tight.”
Zheng Xuening had not used the identity of the little wooden doll to talk to her little rabbit for a long time.
But after becoming a doll, one thing was better. There was no need to move her mouth.
Everything she thought in her heart, her little rabbit could hear.
Lu Dieqing specially placed her on her right shoulder, so that the little doll could sit and watch her carve the bracelet.
She had already carved four or five before, but these were for her parents. Lu Dieqing was particularly dedicated. She always felt that she was not satisfied, so she had discarded them all.
“Where is the bride who is sleepless for two days before her wedding?”
Zheng Xuening was still a little heartbroken.
“Why don’t you sleep for a while?” she coaxed the little rabbit to rest.
Lu Dieqing, with a soft voice, acted cute and explained to her.
“This is a special situation. You and I are both cultivators now. If we don’t sleep for a day or two, we can recover with meditation. It’s okay.”
“If I’m really tired, I won’t force myself. Ningning, don’t worry about me.”
Lu Dieqing always had a way to soften Zheng Xuening’s heart.
She spoke softly, her voice sweet and glutinous, often giving Zheng Xuening the illusion that every word the other said was a love confession.
“You’re not allowed to talk to others like this.”
A certain someone’s possessiveness and domineering nature faintly reared its head.
It seemed that because the wedding was approaching, the previous civilized, gentle, and generous appearances were slowly beginning to fade, revealing her original personality.
Lu Dieqing, however, liked her like this very much, so like she was teasing a child, she said gently, “Alright, my lady. I’ll listen to you.”
The two words “my lady” had easily struck a certain someone’s soft spot.
The little doll on her shoulder closed its mouth and no longer spoke.
Oh no, it had stopped speaking in her heart.
Lu Dieqing finished carving the Yushan bamboo in her hand, gently placed it at the side, picked up the little doll on her shoulder, and studied it in her hand.
“What’s wrong, Ningning? Why have you suddenly stopped talking?”
She clearly knew that the doll was connected to Zheng Xuening’s soul. No matter what kind of touch she made to the doll, it would be truthfully transmitted to the other, yet her movements were deliberately slowed down, gently stroking the doll’s nose, mouth, face, neck…
It was as if Zheng Xuening herself was in front of her, being caressed from head to toe by her with a loving and soft little hand.
Zheng Xuening’s soul was even stirred to a shiver by the girl’s movements.
“…Stop.” The little doll was finally forced to speak.
Lu Dieqing blinked her eyes innocently, her watery pupils bright, her fingertips lightly tapping the back of the doll.
“Sister, aren’t you my little doll? Why won’t you let me touch you?”
Lu Dieqing, who had spoken in a soft and thin voice, was just like a little pixie that charmed one’s soul.
Stroking the bone and heart that had been drawn from your chest, her red lips enchanting, her watery eyes clear and pure, as if she were saying, “I really want to eat you. Are you willing?”
Zheng Xuening felt that she was about to go a little crazy.
How had she not known before that the little rabbit was so good at flirting?
And she even liked this kind of style.
No, it should be said that she liked everything about Lu Dieqing, whether it was the naive, the charming, or the flustered and helpless reactions.
Love is to like all of her aspects.
Zheng Xuening had a greedy possessiveness for every detail of her little rabbit, without end or limit.
She was silent for a moment. “Forget it. As you wish.”
Even if it was a doll, she was still her little rabbit’s.
The little doll, who had been a little shy just now, suddenly gave up resisting. This made Lu Dieqing freeze for a moment, and then she giggled triumphantly.
“Alright, Ningning. You can go and attend to your own business. I’ll finish these two jade bracelets first.”
Lu Dieqing’s fingertips gently stroked the doll’s cheek, as if through the doll itself, she were touching her beloved.
The little doll had no expression, nor could it have any physical movements like a human, or even an expression to convey.
But at this moment, Lu Dieqing just felt that her little doll was different from ordinary people. Every piece of wood was emitting a feeling of love, which made her feel very peaceful and at ease in her heart.
Having had the experience of making a spiritual jade bracelet for A’sang before, Lu Dieqing was much more skilled this time, and she had a process in her mind.
She was thinking of adding a few more formations on top, so that it could not only invisibly nourish her parents’ bodies and meridians, but could also be automatically triggered at a critical moment and serve as a protection.
Hmm, and the most important point was that the jade bracelet had to recognize her parents and could not be used by others.
Forced by the limited time, Lu Dieqing’s spiritual power was used to the extreme. The jade slip left by her master in her mind was quickly flipped through.
Perhaps it was that her spiritual power and cultivation were both much more advanced than before.
The various cultivation methods Lu Dieqing could explore were also more than before. The information contained in the jade slip in her mind was just like a small library, as vast as the sea.
It took her almost two hours before she finally found a suitable formation.
The girl seemed to have an unusual talent for formations and techniques like the Spring Rain Technique. With just a little thought, she could learn them without a teacher.
At dawn, Lu Dieqing had successfully completed the inscription of the formations on the two jade bracelets, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
“My lady, I want one too,” a gentle voice suddenly came from her heart, with a hint of grievance.
Lu Dieqing was stunned for a moment, picked up the doll she had placed at the side, and coaxed her, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.
“Alright, alright, I’ll make one for you right away. What others have, my Ningning can’t be without.”
The little doll, being coaxed like this, was satisfied. Its body tilted, and it fell into Lu Dieqing’s palm.
So looking forward to the wedding.
