Chapter 248: Chapter 186: The Flow of Time, A Night in the Land of Tenderness, Sharing a Bed

“My lady, your death was so wretched!”

“My disciple, this is all my fault! I failed to protect you!”

“My lord! How am I supposed to live without you!”

Back at Changle Palace, the delegations from the various Dynasties were taking stock of their casualties from the trip. Wails and cries rose and fell as they mourned personal disciples and important figures from their Kingdoms who had met a tragic end in the Grotto Heaven.

The delegations from many smaller Kingdoms were completely wiped out; only the strongest managed to survive.

“Elder Sui, how long were we in the Grotto Heaven?”

Lu Mingyuan asked Sui Yuqing.

Sui Yuqing made a quick calculation and said, “The flow of time in the Grotto Heaven is different from the outside world. You must have noticed that it was always daytime inside, so it was impossible to tell how many days had passed.”

“In reality, we were only in the Grotto Heaven for seven days, but in the outside world, two months have already gone by.”

“Two months…”

Lu Mingyuan was incredibly surprised.

Sui Yuqing said seriously, “Your Highness, your plan was a great success. The bulk of the Demon Race’s army went to the Pearl White Sand Islands and was held back until the Three Religions’ Saints intervened. Meanwhile, the remaining army in the Great Wilderness Tomb Canyon was too small to be a threat. It was, one might say, a perfect execution.”

In truth, she had deliberated for quite some time before deciding to adopt Lu Mingyuan’s plan.

Her final decision was prompted by what Xu Changqing had told her.

When the three National Preceptors self-destructed, it was Lu Mingyuan who had warned Xu Changqing, allowing him to escape the danger.

This Prince Huai’an seemed to see through many things; disaster was always one step behind him.

“Aren’t you curious about what happened with Prince Jin, Elder Sui?”

Lu Mingyuan brought it up proactively.

But Sui Yuqing shook her head, her gaze sharp. “It’s not too late to talk about these things tomorrow. It’s getting late now, and I still have many matters to attend to at the Thunder Pool Daoist Academy.”

“I trust that when the time comes, Your Highness will give me a suitable explanation.”

Suitable.

Explanation.

That would be enough.

Lu Mingyuan was very smart; he instantly understood the meaning behind Sui Yuqing’s words.

’As expected of a mature woman. She knows what to ask and what not to ask.’

’She has a great sense of propriety.’

“This is bad! The Third Prince and the Second Prince aren’t among those who returned!”

“What?!”

The Three Academy Cultivator in charge of the headcount had done a quick scan of the important figures and was shocked to find that Lu Guangyao and Lu Guangjing were not among the returnees.

This most likely meant they had already perished.

For two princes to die at once was undoubtedly a monumental event.

“Don’t forget, Prince Chu was a top-tier Grandmaster with astonishing talent in the Martial Dao. Even he died in the Grotto Heaven.”

“And Prince Jin was on the verge of condensing a Nine Revolutions Golden Core, something seen only once in a thousand years. A heaven-blessed prodigy like him just died like that?”

“But I thought Prince Jin left through a Teleportation Array?”

An older-generation Qi Cultivator lamented, “It just goes to show how unpredictable life is! The Grotto Heaven is far too dangerous. Demon Kings are everywhere, Demon Venerables are aggressive, and Demon Monarchs have the Human Race’s experts so suppressed they can’t even lift their heads. You can only chalk it up to bad luck.”

News of the two princes’ deaths quickly spread throughout Changle Palace.

From the shadows, a few imperceptible figures departed the Great Yan Imperial Palace.

’Those must be Lu Guangjing’s men,’ Lu Mingyuan secretly surmised.

’He brought quite a few experts with him on this trip.’

’With the Endless Pavilion now leaderless, it looks like another storm of blood is about to break out.’

’I have to get word of Prince Jin’s death to Luo Ying. She needs to prepare for the coming power shift within the Endless Pavilion.’

Lu Mingyuan secretly dispatched the Blood Shadow Legion.

Meanwhile, he quietly left Changle Palace.

’A lot can happen in two months. I wonder what’s transpired in Great Yan and the other kingdoms recently.’

「…」

「Qingzhu Hall.」

The moment Lu Mingyuan pushed open the doors, he saw several beauties in palace attire who had clearly been waiting for a long time, pacing back and forth with anxious expressions.

The instant the doors opened, a fragrant figure threw herself into his arms.

He looked at Qi Muxue in his arms and smiled comfortingly. “It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m back now, aren’t I?”

Qi Muxue’s eyes were red-rimmed, her delicate face filled with worry. She wrapped her arms around Lu Mingyuan’s shoulders and said, “Husband, you’re finally back… I’ve waited for so long.”

“Seeing you safe and sound, I can finally rest easy.” Noble Consort Wang Zhaoyan was also among them. She was incredibly relieved to see Lu Mingyuan return unscathed.

For the past two months, she and her father had been unable to sleep at night.

Wang He’fu even regretted leaving Changle Palace early; he felt he should have left with his grandson.

Besides them, Zi Yun, Hong Wan, and Huo Hongling were all watching Lu Mingyuan from the side. However, with the main wife, Princess Consort Qi, present, they held back, only able to express their longing for him with pitiful glances.

Although Huo Hongling’s gaze was a bit shy, her eagerness was clear. Seeing that Lu Mingyuan was fine, the heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled.

’Lu Mingyuan is my husband. Nothing can be allowed to happen to him.’

’If something happened to Lu Mingyuan, I’d be finished, too.’

Wang Zhaoyan saw all the wives and concubines gazing lovingly at Lu Mingyuan and knew it would be inappropriate for her to stay any longer. She prepared to leave, stepping forward to pat the dust from his collar.

“You should spend some time with them. It’s getting late. I’ll come back tomorrow to talk with you about a few things.”

“Seeing you return safely has put my worried heart at ease.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow.”

Lu Mingyuan watched his mother’s retreating back and thought to himself:

’Love you, Mom. See you tomorrow.’

“You’re holding on so tight, you’re going to strangle me. I never realized you were such a clinger,” Lu Mingyuan joked, his tone teasing.

Qi Muxue’s face flushed, and she let go of him. Her gaze was reproachful as she said, “You have no idea how worried I was about you. I asked my father to beg the people at the Confucian Temple to intervene. He went so many times, and every time the answer was ’no success.’”

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan was deeply moved.

He stepped forward and pulled her delicate, graceful body into his embrace.

“Thank you, Muxue.”

Only after watching Wang Zhaoyan leave did Zi Yun and Hong Wan relax a little.

“Your Highness…”

Zi Yun was incomparably enchanting with her almond eyes and willow-leaf brows. A peachy blush bloomed on her pure, exquisite face as her clear, beautiful eyes gazed at Lu Mingyuan with deep affection. She exuded a charm that would leave any man intoxicated.

“While you were away, it wasn’t just the madam who missed you. We missed you very much too.”

“Yes, yes! We stayed in the palace all day, every day, just trying to get news about Your Highness,” Hong Wan added, nodding her beautiful head emphatically.

“Me too…” Huo Hongling responded, biting her lip, her face bright red.

Gazing at the beauties before him, Lu Mingyuan broke into a contented smile, feeling incredibly fortunate.

“I feel all of your affection. But as for whose is the deepest, allow me to test it for myself.”

With a push of his hand, Lu Mingyuan threw open the doors to the bedchamber. The meaning of his words was self-evident.

All the women’s faces flushed red.

Qi Muxue and Huo Hongling were still a bit reserved and hesitated to move.

“I’ll go first.”

Zi Yun, whose voice had a delicate, sweet tone, volunteered and stepped into the bedchamber.

With a rustle of fabric, her purple dress came off.

Her full, voluptuous figure was revealed, graceful and charming, with a melon-seed face that inspired tenderness.

As the first woman Lu Mingyuan had taken for his own, Zi Yun knew best how to please the Sixth Prince. She wrapped her arms around his neck and took the initiative to press her lips to his.

Her lips were incredibly soft, smooth, and tender, carrying an intoxicating feminine fragrance.

“Mmm…”

A moment later, with a soul-stirring moan, the two finally parted.

“My turn.”

Hong Wan wasn’t wearing much to begin with. Her figure was exquisite, and her pair of long, straight, beautiful legs seemed like something not of the Mortal World. Her tender, jade-like feet were like ice lotuses, each toe translucent and as if carved from jade.

She planted a kiss on Lu Mingyuan’s neck, a very earnest one.

Qi Muxue and Huo Hongling exchanged a glance, feeling they shouldn’t be outdone.

Qi Muxue removed the hairpin holding up her high bun. Her black hair cascaded down, reaching her waist. She slipped off her peach-pink embroidered shoes.

Her skin was snow-white, her eyelashes long, her vermilion lips glistening, faintly glowing in the moonlight. She exuded a scholarly air, her entire demeanor like that of a noble white swan.

Her teal ruqun could not hide her graceful, stunning curves.

After being apart for so long, and being used to her cool and dignified demeanor, Lu Mingyuan was a little dazed to see Qi Muxue being so bold and proactive. He felt his proper wife was simply stunning.

Huo Hongling was even more outrageous. She shoved Lu Mingyuan directly onto the bed, utterly domineering, and ripped her clothes to shreds. This was a side of her he had never seen before.

’It seems two months was indeed too long.’

As the flawless, jade-like bodies shimmered with a moon-like, pearlescent glow, the bedchamber became a dreamlike, beautiful scene, filling all of Qingzhu Hall with the air of spring.

「…」

This Chapter was owed to the Alliance Leader and has now been delivered.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep