From Cold Palace Princess to Heavenly Empress

Although her situation was similar to Lin Wanqiu's, and she could empathize, when it came to Xiao Minghuang, she had to take it seriously.

Having grown up in the palace, she understood the concubine selection process, knowing that one step involved checking if the selected women were virgins.

In the past, this task was always performed by experienced governesses, but since there were no older palace maids here, she had to do it herself.

Thinking of this.

Ye Ruoshui's expression turned serious as she scrutinized Lin Wanqiu and said solemnly:

"Lin Wanqiu, I am willing to believe your words, but confirmation can only come after the examination."

"Besides, you wouldn't want Your Highness to know about the agreement between us, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqiu's delicate body trembled, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart. She asked hesitantly:

"The agreement between us will certainly not be told to Your Highness, but what is this examination you speak of?"

"That would naturally be..."

The words were on the tip of her tongue but couldn't be spoken.

Ye Ruoshui was still a maiden, and it was difficult for her to speak such matters aloud.

But at this moment, she had to be a good gatekeeper for her Highness, to prevent unsuitable women from getting close to her Highness and deceiving her emotions.

Therefore, she leaned forward, whispered in Lin Wanqiu's ear, and said a few words.

"It's..."

As the shameful words were spoken, Lin Wanqiu's small face turned visibly flushed, burning hot.

Lin Wanqiu lowered her head slightly, twisting her small hands together, looking at her own fair white thighs, their soft and smooth curves, her mind racing through a thousand thoughts.

She could certainly refuse Ye Ruoshui's unreasonable request outright, but if she did, it would undoubtedly plunge their relationship to rock bottom.

All her previous efforts would be in vain, wasted.

From the moment she had rallied her spirits and decided to follow Xiao Minghuang, she had no intention of excluding Ye Ruoshui. Instead, she planned to maintain a good relationship with Ye Ruoshui while staying by Xiao Minghuang's side and deepening their bond.

She was here to join this family, not to break it apart.

Therefore, she could not refuse Ye Ruoshui like this.

After much deliberation.

Lin Wanqiu slightly parted her legs, her voice barely a whisper.

"You can do it."

Hearing this, Ye Ruoshui's small face became extremely serious. She had truly sacrificed too much to ensure that no unsuitable women appeared around her Highness.

She bent down, knelt on the soft bed, crawled forward, and reached out to part Lin Wanqiu's legs.

Ye Ruoshui possessed Body Tempering Peak Realm cultivation and could see in the dark. Even under the dim pearlescent light, she could still see everything clearly.

This thin undergarment naturally could not block her sight.

Soon, she pushed aside the silky fabric on both sides, extended her small hand to gently spread it open, took a brief glance, and immediately withdrew her hands.

Lin Wanqiu covered her face with both hands the entire time, too shy to look up or make a sound.

Fortunately, Ye Ruoshui did not look at her for too long. After withdrawing her hands, she pulled the quilt over herself, wrapping herself completely in the bedding, and snuggled up next to Xiao Minghuang, clearly not intending to leave.

At this moment, whoever left lost!

Lin Wanqiu let out a deep sigh. The awkward situation just now had extinguished all the heat in her heart. Now, she didn't have much energy to think about romantic matters and just wanted to rest quietly for a while.

57. Extremely Delicious! Extremely Fresh!

On the bed.

Lin Wanqiu, like Ye Ruoshui, pulled a portion of the quilt over herself and moved to Xiao Minghuang's side, extending an arm to embrace her waist.

She also knew the principle that this was not a time to rest easy. She could not leave. If she left, only the unconscious Xiao Minghuang and the eager Ye Ruoshui would remain, and she dared not imagine what would happen next!

And so.

The two women, Ye and Lin, lay on their sides, one on the left and one on the right, each holding half of Xiao Minghuang's body. Their gazes occasionally met in the air, and a hint of gunpowder seemed to reappear on the bed.

Lin Wanqiu asked in a low voice:

"Little Ruoshui, aren't you sleeping?"

Ye Ruoshui sneered:

"So you can secretly plot against Your Highness after I fall asleep?"

This verbal sparring seemed to return their relationship to its beginning.

But this was merely an outward appearance. In reality, they had reached a reconciliation and were in a cooperative relationship.

They had no actual conflict; this was just habitual bickering.

After this exchange, perhaps due to the thrilling and heart-pounding experience they had just gone through, their eyelids began to droop, their minds grew weary, and they gradually fell asleep without realizing it.

The next morning.

As the first rays of sunlight touched the earth.

Xiao Minghuang slowly opened her eyes and felt as if every joint and every inch of her skin was being held in place by something. A soft, delicate sensation swept over her body, as if she were floating on clouds, dreamlike and ethereal.

"Still not awake, huh..."

She closed her eyes again.

The next moment.

Xiao Minghuang's eyes snapped open. Glancing to her sides, she saw two fair, beautiful young faces, their lips curved into sweet, serene smiles, as if they were having an unspeakable beautiful dream.

Furthermore, she realized her hands and legs were each pinned by one of the girls, leaving her completely unable to move.

Even more astonishing was that her slight movements seemed to have caused Ye and Lin to react.

The sleeping Ye and Lin shifted their delicate bodies, pressing even closer to her.

The legs of Ye and Lin hooked around her legs from both above and below. Their arms, one from top to bottom and the other from bottom to top, locked her around her collarbone and abdomen, preventing her from moving even an inch.

The skin of the three was almost completely pressed together, leaving no gap, a complete zero-distance contact.

Under this tight embrace, every inch of Xiao Minghuang's skin could feel the warm body heat and soft touch emanating from Ye and Lin's delicate bodies. This was a feeling she had never experienced in her past or present life, intoxicating and irresistible.

She lay quietly on the bed, making no move, nor making a sound to wake Ye and Lin.

Xiao Minghuang not only enjoyed the soft, warm bodies of Ye and Lin but also felt a sense of joy from the warmth and peace of the moment.

In her past life, she was an orphan, having never experienced any human warmth, nor having any relatives or friends. She traveled thousands of miles, all alone.

Although being able to eat enough for herself and not having to worry about others was easy and carefree, there was always a sense of detachment, as if the world had nothing to do with her, as if she was dispensable.

But ever since she met Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu, her heart had become increasingly peaceful, as if she had returned to a safe harbor, no longer buffeted by raging storms, no longer beaten by wind and rain, having found the most genuine peace and tranquility from within.

This feeling was something she couldn't refuse, lost in it.

Xiao Minghuang knew that she could never leave these two girls in this life.

Time passed, and the bright sunlight gradually turned warm. Sweet dreams would eventually end.

But when Ye and Lin opened their eyes, the first thing they saw was Xiao Minghuang's gentle smile. Their minds spun, their little faces instantly flushed, and their delicate bodies grew even warmer.

The warmth in the covers gradually increased. Xiao Minghuang felt the changes in their bodies and gently extended her arms, embracing the two girls and pulling their little heads to rest on her chest.

"Ruoshui, Wanqiu, did you sleep well last night?"

"Very well!"

Ye and Lin replied in unison.

"That's good… By the way, the spring water you gave me last night was truly delicious and very fresh. Do you have any more? I really want to taste it again."

Hearing this, Ye and Lin, whose hearts were already pounding like a deer's, became even more flustered.

"Did Your Highness discover what we did to her last night?!"

Lin Wanqiu and Ye Ruoshui's eyes met quickly, exchanging opinions in a flash.

"Quick, think of an excuse!"

"How can I possibly make up something in a situation like this!"

As Xiao Minghuang's gaze gradually turned questioning, Lin Wanqiu finally made up her mind.

"Your Highness, the spring water from last night was extremely rare, a thousand-year-old stalactite spring. It was all drunk, and if you want to drink it again, you'll probably have to wait another thousand years."

Upon hearing this, a look of disappointment appeared on Xiao Minghuang's face, and she said with a hint of annoyance:

"Such delicious spring water, and I can't taste it again. What a shame."

Hearing this, Ye Ruoshui muttered softly:

"Your Highness will definitely be able to taste it again…"

The moment she spoke, she was glared at by Lin Wanqiu.

Ye Ruoshui realized she had spoken out of turn and immediately shut her mouth.

Seeing the small movements of Ye and Lin, Xiao Minghuang's eyes showed curiosity, and she teased:

"Ruoshui, Wanqiu, when did you two become so close?"

As the words fell, Ye Ruoshui immediately tensed up, her delicate body seeming to freeze. She lowered her little head, not daring to look at her.

Lin Wanqiu raised her small face, displaying a flower-like smile, and said charmingly:

"Your Highness, Xiao Ruoshui and I hit it off immediately, and we've become like sisters!"

"Great, great!"

Xiao Minghuang raised her hand and gently stroked the soft hair on the girls' heads.

As the two most important people by her side now, she would naturally be happy to see Ye Ruoshui and Lin Wanqiu maintain a good relationship.

Especially since Lin Wanqiu had always been very magnanimous, never minding Ye Ruoshui's jealousy, acting more like an older sister.

Xiao Minghuang nodded and said with a gentle smile:

"Wanqiu is your older sister, so you need to take good care of Ruoshui from now on. If she doesn't understand something, teach her properly. Don't bully her!"

"Of course, Your Highness. Rest assured!"

Among the three, Xiao Minghuang was the oldest, Lin Wanqiu was a month younger than her, and Ye Ruoshui was two years younger than both of them. So, it wasn't wrong to say Ye Ruoshui was their little sister.

58. You are all my good girls!

As time passed, the sun gradually rose higher, and its warmth intensified.

Xiao Minghuang and the other two were not children, so they naturally didn't have the habit of oversleeping. They each got dressed and got out of bed.

It's worth noting that this time Ye Ruoshui brought out that bright yellow dress, and together with Lin Wanqiu, they helped Xiao Minghuang put it on.

The three of them, hand in hand, went out together.

In the following days, Xiao Minghuang and the other two wandered around Beiyang City and its surroundings, enjoying the scenery and traveling. They walked through mountains and forests during the day and stayed by streams at night. Sometimes they practiced, sometimes they played, living a leisurely and contented life.

During this period, Xiao Minghuang gave most of the valuable items she had to the Ye and Lin sisters.

The valuable items she had were Mysterious Tier Top-grade Pills, Spirit Solidifying Pills, obtained from Qingwei's remains; and a Mysterious Tier Mid-grade Magic Treasure, the Azure Shadow Sword.

Finally, there was the Dragon Tiger Sect's secret Mysterious Tier Mid-grade Pill, the Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Pill, obtained from the Old Man in Yellow.

She gave the Azure Shadow Sword to Lin Wanqiu, compensating her with a Mysterious Tier High-grade Magic Treasure. Because the sword was engraved with dragon-shaped patterns, she named it the Dragon Pattern Sword.

As for the Spirit Solidifying Pills and Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Pills, they were given to Ye Ruoshui.

The former was compensated with an Earth-grade low-rank Pill, the Spirit Returning Solidifying Pill. Since it only had the effect of strengthening spiritual sense and was of little use to her, but extremely useful to alchemists, she gave it to Ye Ruoshui.

Unfortunately, the Tiger Bone Body Strengthening Pill did not trigger a qualitative change compensation. It only crit ten times, returning ten identical pills.

However, these pills were enough for Ye Ruoshui to dismantle and study. If she could figure out the formula for this pill, it might be a greater compensation than the pills themselves.

As for other less valuable pills, Spirit Stones, heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and some low-grade Cultivation Methods and martial arts, they were given to the Ye and Lin sisters in batches. The compensation multipliers were not high, mostly between two and five times.