Chapter 1399 - 760: Aunt and Nephew in Asura (Combined Chapters)_2

Now with the child here, it's not appropriate to be angry again. Qin Qingluo could only glance coldly at Chen Yi, as if telling him to "take care of yourself." She picked up Qin Yue and left the flower garden without another word.

Watching the silhouettes of Qin Qingluo and her daughter gradually disappear, Zhu E slightly lowered her gaze, feeling guilty in her heart, and whispered:

"Sir, it seems I shouldn't have argued with the Prince like that."

This statement was both easy and difficult to answer. Chen Yi pondered for a moment and said, "It's not Aunt Zhu's fault; it's mine."

"Sir!"

"Aunt Zhu, don't think about this. I'll worry about it myself. You've been up all night, go and rest for a while."

With Chen Yi saying this, Zhu E found it hard to refuse, so she left on her own.

Chen Yi was in no rush to leave; he lingered in the flower garden for a while, wandering idly as if waiting for someone to appear.

The morning light gradually brightened, dispersing the last remnants of mist and tracing a layer of pale gold over the plants in the garden.

He stood with his hands behind his back under an old banyan tree, his gaze seemingly fixed on the rockery and water flow, yet his mind was attentive to the surroundings.

Sure enough, before long, a breeze quietly swept through, devoid of any scent of fireworks, spinning a few fallen leaves on the ground in a swirl. Along with this breeze, a figure in plain white Daoist robe emerged like dawn itself, ethereal and present, with the flowing garment lightly lifted by the wind on the nearby stone path, resembling a goddess descending to the world.

It was Yin Weiyin.

A hint of a smile hung on her face, her bright eyes directly falling on Chen Yi, as if she had long anticipated his waiting here.

Chen Yi raised his eyes to look at her. Before he could speak, Yin Weiyin gently approached, her steps light and unstained by dust.

Stopping three steps in front of him, she didn't wait for Chen Yi to speak and suddenly said:

"I did foresee you would face this ordeal."

Her voice was clear like jade striking, carrying a faint teasing tone.

At that time, when Chen Yi hurriedly rushed out, Yin Weiyin had an immediate premonition he was bound for an adventure.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi was first taken aback, then suddenly understood.

He chuckled lightly, "You truly have divine strategy."

When Qin Yue appeared, he vaguely guessed who had summoned her there. It could not have been the mansion's nanny acting on impulse, Lin Wanxiao was unfamiliar with the place, and Miss Donggong need not be mentioned, so naturally, it was Yin Weiyin.

Moreover, the timing was very deft, and only someone versed in immortal calculations like his household's Great Yin could achieve this.

Seeing his expression, Yin Weiyin's smile deepened, but she did not dwell on the topic and instead said:

"After the new year, you are going to the Western Jin. The affairs of the Prince Mansion must be resolved well, so you don't leave with lingering concerns. Besides, you do care about them, leaving happily would be better."

Chen Yi raised his eyebrows slightly, exclaiming in surprise, "My Immortal Lady doesn't get jealous?"

Yin Weiyin sneered lightly, initially wanting to brush off the remark, yet not wanting to provoke him, and said:

"On our side, you can accompany all the way, isn't that so?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi couldn't help but softly call her name:

"Luan Huang…"

The female crown smiled pleasantly and said nothing further, merely turned her sleeve and walked away, leaving only a solidified back view in his sight,

The technique Yin Tingxue uses is not difficult to master,

It never is.

Little Chen Yi, fully in control indeed.

...............

In the previous days with Lin Wanxiao and Yin Weiyin, it counted as having an early celebratory dinner with them. After all, in the Annan Royal Mansion, the New Year's dinner should be enjoyed with Qin Qingluo and Zhu E.

The atmosphere in the Prince Mansion grew increasingly festive; servants inside and outside the mansion bustled about, carrying various New Year's products, faces glowing with holiday cheer. Even the entirety of Dragon Tail City awakened from the cold, damp winter of the Southern Border, with crowded streets filled with the calls of vendors, and the air saturated with the unique scent of sulfur from firecracker gunpowder mingling with the aroma of dishes prepared by every household, an atmosphere of warm vitality rising.

Yet, this warmth seemed not to permeate every corner of the Prince Mansion completely.

Since the incident in the flower garden, Qin Qingluo has noticeably become colder towards Chen Yi and Zhu E, not quite with harsh words, but rather a kind of invisible estrangement, which is more disarming than direct reproach.

Chen Yi took all this in quietly.

Most of the miscellaneous tasks had already been dealt with, and having some free time now, he often saw Qin Qingluo accompanied by Qin Yue. Sometimes it was a tall woman holding her young daughter strolling in the courtyard, pointing out the newly hung colorful lanterns; or sitting in the warm pavilion, watching Qin Yue clumsily fiddling with holiday toys... Every time at these moments, Qin Qingluo's sharp profile somehow softened a little, and the sharpness in her serpent-like pupils momentarily hid away.

Chen Yi often just watched from afar.

He knew that if he approached rashly, that rare touch of warmth would instantly freeze over. The little one, Qin Yue, seemed to sense the subtle tension between her parents too—sometimes blinking her big eyes, looking at the cold-faced Prince and then glancing at her father standing not far away, with a look of confusion on her small face.

Today is New Year's Eve.

Coincidentally, Qin Qingluo had some prince's mansion affairs to arrange in the morning. Chen Yi found himself free and decided to head to the greenhouse to find Qin Yue. Before he even got close, he heard a burst of bell-like laughter from inside.

He went to the door to take a look.

In the lush garden of the greenhouse courtyard, a small figure darted swiftly among the thick green leaves and jagged rockery landscapes like a nimble little sparrow—it was Qin Yue.

And trailing behind her, lifting a somewhat elaborate skirt with a bit of clumsiness and urgency, was actually Miss Donggong.

Her face had a rare flush from running, her jet-black long hair somewhat tousled and clinging to her cheeks, yet she was extremely excited.

"Come catch me, catch up!"

Qin Yue looked back, giggling, and ran even faster. She ducked down and got through a giant South Bamboo, and tauntingly in her baby voice, said: "Ghost Sister can't catch Yue'er! Can't catch me!"

Donggong Ruoshu hastily bypassed to chase, but her skirt was snagged by a flower branch nearby. She yelped and scrambled to untangle it, giving Qin Yue the chance to run further away and hide behind a half-height purple clay flowerpot, peeking out with half her little head, her big black eyes filled with mischief.

Right then, Donggong Ruoshu finally managed to free her skirt and rushed to chase again, failing to notice the slightly raised edge of a brick underfoot. With an "Aiyo," she stumbled forward and fell down.

Though the fall wasn't heavy, she was clearly startled and lay there without moving for a moment.

The previously giggling Qin Yue's smile immediately froze upon seeing this, her little mind processing what had happened. After a moment of hesitation, she ran out from behind the flowerpot, trotting her short legs quickly to Donggong Ruoshu's side, squatted down, and gently patted Donggong Ruoshu's back with her tiny hand.

"I hurt myself," said Miss Donggong, looking up.

Qin Yue startled, then comforted her:

"Ghost Sister, it doesn't hurt, doesn't hurt, okay!"

Donggong Ruoshu's shoulders slightly shook, and she slowly raised her head, looking at Qin Yue with watery eyes that actually glimmered with tears. She sniffed lightly, her voice slightly choked, "Mm," looking even more pitiful.

Seeing that she was about to cry, Qin Yue felt a bit like she was in trouble.

"It hurts! I want some candy."

Hearing this, Qin Yue quickly rummaged through her little pouch and fished out a piece of candy wrapped in pretty sugar paper.

"Yue'er helps me unwrap it."

Qin Yue then worked hard to peel the sugar paper off, revealing the crystalline sugar cube inside, then handed it to Donggong Ruoshu's mouth, full of coaxing in her voice:

"Ghost Sister eat candy, eat, don't hurt!"

Donggong Ruoshu swallowed the sugar in one gulp and immediately got up.

Just as she turned around, she saw Chen Yi, and the silly girl waved, saying: "Chen Yi."

Chen Yi slowly approached, puzzled: "Miss Donggong?"

Miss Donggong quickly said: "She's not afraid of me anymore, not only not afraid, but she even came to me to play when I passed by this morning."

Chen Yi blinked. Children are playful; just the other day, she was terrified of the Ghost Sister, and now they're playing together. What he didn't expect was that this silly girl also had a great sense of playfulness.

After eating one piece of candy, Donggong Ruoshu still felt it wasn't enough and turned to say:

"It still hurts, give me one more... no, three more."

Qin Yue quickly peeled three more candies and placed them one by one into Donggong Ruoshu's hand.

Chen Yi couldn't help but chuckle quietly and said: "To think you have the nerve to trick a child, Miss Donggong, so adorable and you trick her."

"Yes, your daughter is really adorable."

While eating candy, Donggong Ruoshu searched her vocabulary for adjectives and praised:

"So empathetic."

Chen Yi: "......"