323: Chapter 323 Hmph, that guy got off easy!

Deep within the Stargazing Palace, in the main sleeping chambers.

Moonlight filtered through the carved window lattices, draping the room in a hazy silver veil. Ling Hao reclined on the soft couch, watching the scene before him with leisurely composure.

Ye Xinglan sat on the edge of the desk, her simple white dress making her figure appear even more delicate and frail, like a fragile porcelain doll.

A faint flush stained her small face, and her deep purple eyes were filled with a watery, shy annoyance.

On her slender legs, she wore almost transparent pure white silk stockings, which gleamed with a soft, delicate luster under the moonlight.

Her toes were rounded, revealing a soft, flesh-toned hue.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, casting a dark shadow over her forehead, and her eyes were filled with disdain.

Ye Xinglan slowly extended her petite, jade-like feet toward Ling Hao.

"Small fry, small fry!"

Her voice trembled slightly, carrying a hint of deliberate reproach.

After speaking, her heart hammered like a drum, and she stared fixedly at Ling Hao's face, terrified that he might show even the slightest sign of disgust.

Recalling Ling Hao's previous "requests," she cursed inwardly at the lecher for his endless tricks, wondering if he was just teasing her or if he truly had a penchant for this.

Seeing that Ling Hao still wore a smile, she let out a quiet sigh of relief, though the tips of her ears had already turned a faint shade of red.

"Are you satisfied now?"

She summoned her courage and asked, her tone tinged with a hint of petulance.

Ling Hao chuckled softly, his long arm suddenly sweeping out to easily pull Ye Xinglan's exquisite, delicate body into his embrace.

She felt warm and soft to the touch, her cool, clean scent lingering at the tip of his nose, while his fingers slid down toward her ankles.

The delicate, flesh-toned skin beneath the white silk trembled slightly under the friction of his fingertips, as if he were touching the most tender petal on a branch in early spring. His fingers lingered, playing with her petite, silk-clad jade feet; his movements were ambiguous and brazen, with a subtle, lingering tension winding through them.

"The little Imperial Preceptor performed well today... These jade feet are even more alluring than usual."

Ye Xinglan's ears burned from his teasing, and just as she was about to retort, a sweet, metallic taste suddenly welled up in her throat.

She held back, refusing to cough, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around his lapels.

Just then, Ling Hao's Chaos Spiritual Qi quietly flowed in from the soles of her feet, traveling along her Meridians and gently enveloping the restless Spiritual Qi within her body.

"Do you feel any better?"

Ling Hao asked gently, remembering how Ye Xinglan had vomited blood after their last 'training' session, which had given him quite a fright.

At the time, he had secretly wondered, was he really that powerful? Could he actually make the little Imperial Preceptor... ahem, make her cough up blood?

Later, he learned that it was because she had forcefully divined the heavenly secrets and suffered a backlash.

"Mm... The backlash from the heavenly secrets isn't as severe anymore."

Ye Xinglan looked up, gazing at Ling Hao's profile.

The beginning of this change seemed to stem from their first deep communion.

Her doubts remained, and she couldn't help but ask again, "What exactly did you do?"

Ling Hao chuckled and glanced at the System panel:

[Name: Ye Xinglan] [Age: 1080] [Spiritual Root: Fate Spiritual Root] [Physique: Profound Mystery Exquisite Saint Physique] [Cultivation: First Layer of Undergoing Tribulation] [Affection: 100]

The Heaven-Peering Profound Veins on the panel had already changed to the Profound Mystery Exquisite Saint Physique.

Ling Hao leaned close to her ear in a teasing manner: "Didn't I tell you? It's the Chaos essence Qi."

Ye Xinglan naturally didn't believe him.

His Chaos essence Qi could indeed help her cultivation progress and nourish her body, but over time, she had noticed a deeper anomaly.

This must be her Physique quietly evolving, and the Origin damage caused by divining heavenly secrets was being slowly repaired by the power of this new Physique.

"Forget it if you won't say." She muttered, but her body unconsciously pressed even closer to the warm source.

The atmosphere became increasingly romantic, and the temperature in the hall rose.

Ling Hao grabbed Ye Xinglan's pair of white-silk-clad feet and pulled them closer toward his waist.

He lowered his head to kiss them, and Ye Xinglan's breathing quickly became rapid, no longer the low whimpers of her passive endurance in the past.

She began to respond clumsily, wrapping her slender arms around Ling Hao's neck, and broken moans spilled from her tightly bitten lips, more heart-stirring than any celestial music.

Her legs, wrapped in white silk, also tensed and relaxed, unconsciously rubbing against Ling Hao's waist.

Ling Hao felt satisfied with the transformation of the person in his arms. This was the result of his "sculpting."

The once-aloof little Imperial Preceptor was finally willing to set aside some of her arrogance and, under his guidance, take the initiative to taste the sweet pleasure of desire.

As the storm subsided, Ye Xinglan lay on Ling Hao's chest, panting slightly, the tips of her white silk stockings still curling slightly from the lingering aftershocks.

She suddenly remembered something and raised her shimmering purple eyes: "You took in that girl Hongxiu... are you planning to make a move on my Qingyao, Zhiwei, and even Qianqian next?"

She had been in the main hall during the incident in the side hall that day, so she was naturally well aware of it. Of course, this was also because Ling Hao hadn't deliberately hidden it from her.

Ling Hao raised an eyebrow and smiled, twirling a strand of her silver hair with his fingertips, his smile meaningful: "Is the Imperial Preceptor worrying about her disciples, or... are you jealous?"

He lowered his head, rubbing his nose against her cheek, "If I said yes, what would you do?"

"Hmph." Ye Xinglan raised her hand to strike him in shy annoyance, but the force was light, as if she were acting coquettishly.

Ling Hao seized the opportunity to grab her hand, flipped over to pin her down again, and his hot breath sprayed onto her face.

"Since the Imperial Preceptor is so concerned about the 'future' of her disciples, why don't... we discuss it in more depth? As long as you drain me dry, perhaps I won't have the energy left to scheme against your three precious disciples."

Ling Hao said in a low, wicked voice, "You wouldn't want your disciples to get hurt, would you? Hmm?"

"You..."

Ye Xinglan's exclamation was blocked between their lips, and broken whimpers and the sounds of more intense entanglement rose again. The spring atmosphere in the hall grew thicker, and the moonlight shyly hid behind the clouds.

Qifeng Palace.

Su Fengyi sat alone in the empty hall, her fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the cold imperial desk.

With their departure imminent, she had originally intended to invite Ling Hao for a chat tonight. But...

The Wutong Divine Tree had already revived, so the excuse of "nourishing" it now seemed pale and weak. She rubbed her brows irritably, a battle raging in her mind.

"No!" She stood up abruptly, pacing back and forth in the empty hall, whispering to herself.

"I am, after all, the Empress of a nation! To go running to him just for a moment of pleasure—what kind of decorum is that? It's too shameless!"

Su Fengyi forcibly suppressed the romantic thoughts in her heart, deciding that it would be more practical to deal with the mountain of memorials.

She sat back down and picked up her brush, but as she reviewed the documents, the force of her brush tip was heavier than usual, as if she were venting some inexplicable emotion.

Hmm? Why do I still feel so restless? It must be an illusion.

Perhaps... it's because Qingyao isn't here to help me pre-process the memorials, and I'm just feeling unaccustomed and annoyed by these chaotic documents?

Su Fengyi slammed her brush down and huffed, "Lucky for that guy!"