Volume 6, Chapter 353 – Liu Yingyue, You Are Not Worthy to Enter This Home

“Huh?”

Qi Huang was completely overwhelmed by this sudden surprise, standing frozen in place like a wooden puppet.

“Huh what?”

Liu Yingyue asked in confusion.

Qi Huang snapped back to reality. She did have some sense of propriety, after all, so she forcefully suppressed the restless stirrings in her heart and said, “Maybe… maybe you should let Sister Weiwei wipe you down instead!”

“Her? Then who’s going to keep watch?”

Liu Yingyue countered.

“Uh…”

Qi Huang was left speechless.

“Little Yu, you wouldn’t refuse to help me with such a small favor, would you? That would really break your sister’s heart.”

Liu Yingyue sighed dramatically.

“It’s not that… Aren’t you afraid I’ll take advantage of you?”

Qi Huang blurted out without thinking.

“Pfft!”

Liu Yingyue burst into laughter, and Xia Wei beside her chuckled as well.

“You? A little brat like you? Who’s taking advantage of who here?”

Xia Wei couldn’t help but tease.

“I didn’t expect Little Yu to be so humorous. If you like, go ahead and take advantage, just stop dragging your feet. It’s freezing, and your sister’s about to turn into an icicle.”

Liu Yingyue pleaded again.

‘Flowers and trees bear witness! It’s not that I want to take advantage, she’s forcing me!’

Qi Huang muttered guiltily to herself, then “eagerly” headed toward the carriage.

When Qi Huang lifted the curtain with trembling hands, the dim glow of the oil lamp revealed Liu Yingyue, who had already shed her outer robe and skirt. All that remained was a red rose-embroidered dudou and a pair of white undergarments. The scant fabric of the dudou couldn’t contain the exaggerated curves of her chest, leaving vast expanses of snowy-white skin exposed with every slight movement, swaying like water-filled pouches. Below, her slender willow-like waist was so delicate it could be encircled with one hand, and from the side, it was smooth as polished glass. Meanwhile, her hips flared out in a breathtaking silhouette, forming the perfect hourglass figure.

Qi Huang gulped imperceptibly, utterly mesmerized.

“What are you standing around for? Hurry up and help your sister wipe her back. It’s too cold to sit here half-naked.”

Liu Yingyue handed her a warm towel, “enthusiastically” inviting her over.

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Qi Huang snapped out of her daze once more and shakily stepped forward to take the towel.

Liu Yingyue, suspecting nothing, turned around and removed the last piece of clinging fabric from her upper body.

Qi Huang’s breathing grew heavier, her body trembling even more violently.

“Aren’t you going to wipe me?”

Liu Yingyue turned back in confusion, presenting the frontlines directly.

Qi Huang’s vision was instantly flooded with a blinding expanse of white. The overwhelming sensory stimulation detonated in her little brain like a bomb, leaving her gaping stupidly, utterly unable to tear her eyes away. At this point, she didn’t just lack a sense of propriety, she lacked even the shreds of one.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Liu Yingyue waved a jade-like hand in front of Qi Huang’s eyes.

“N-Nothing!”

Qi Huang came to her senses and hurriedly averted her gaze, afraid that if she kept staring, she’d reveal something embarrassing.

“Then hurry up and wipe me. Do you want me to freeze to death?”

Liu Yingyue rolled her eyes coquettishly before turning around again.

Qi Huang took a deep breath and began her task. She pressed the damp towel against the smooth, jade-like back and gently wiped. Instantly, the snow-white skin glistened with droplets of water, shimmering temptingly under the lamplight.

‘No! I can’t keep looking! If I do, I’ll make a complete fool of myself!’

Qi Huang knew her limits. She shut her eyes tightly and continued wiping—this way, things were much better. After all, out of sight, out of mind.

“Little Yu, what kind of powder do you use?”

Just then, Liu Yingyue suddenly spoke up.

“Huh? What powder?”

Distracted, Qi Huang reflexively asked.

“Ever since I got close to you, I noticed you smell amazing. Now the whole carriage is filled with your scent. I’ve never encountered such a lovely fragrance before, it’s refreshing and unique. Could you tell your sister what it is?”

Liu Yingyue explained.

“Uh… I don’t use any powder. It’s natural.”

Qi Huang replied awkwardly.

“Natural? Really? I’ve heard that only one in ten thousand women are born with a natural fragrance. Who’d have thought a little girl like you would be so blessed? Why bother cultivating immortality? Just march into the palace and become empress!”

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Liu Yingyue exclaimed in amazement.

“……”

Qi Huang didn’t respond. The mention of being empress left her speechless.

“What’s wrong? You always wear a veil, is there some… flaw on your face?”

Liu Yingyue ventured cautiously.

“Yeah, a birthmark.”

Qi Huang decided to go along with it.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I didn’t know.”

Liu Yingyue instantly felt awkward.

“It’s fine.”

Qi Huang secretly sighed in relief. If this small sacrifice could divert the other’s attention, it was worth it. After all, she had a male mindset, appearance wasn’t that important to her.

Qi Huang kept her eyes shut the whole time, not daring to use her divine sense to scan the area. While this reduced the sensory overload, it also meant her aim was off, her little hands kept turning into “mischievous paws”, occasionally brushing against places they shouldn’t. Whether this was intentional or not, only the heavens knew.

“No need to wipe the front! I’ll handle that myself!”

When Qi Huang “crossed the line” yet again, Liu Yingyue swiftly grabbed her wrist.

“Okay!”

Qi Huang seized the chance to escape, fleeing the carriage as if pardoned from execution.

“Want me to return the favor and wipe you down too?”

Liu Yingyue offered warmly.

“N-No need!”

Qi Huang stammered. She liked taking advantage of others, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed being taken advantage of, even if the other party was a girl.

“Hehe, why are you so shy, little girl? Your face is red as a monkey’s butt.”

Liu Yingyue couldn’t resist teasing.

Qi Huang sat outside for a long time before her heart finally calmed down.

‘Why am I so useless? From the inside out, I’m a girl now, what’s stopping me from looking my fill? Why the guilt? Why the blushing?’

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She almost wanted to slap herself. With skin this thin, it was a good thing she’d turned into a girl, if she were still a man, she’d probably never find a wife.

‘No, I need to toughen up.’

Qi Huang gritted her teeth slightly. She glanced around and finally settled her gaze on the slender, heroic figure not far away.

Taking a deep breath, she trotted over and asked, “Sister Weiwei, it’s been a long day, want me to wipe your back for you?”

“Wipe my back? Then who’ll keep watch? The young lady?”

Xia Wei asked skeptically.

“You keep watch, I’ll wipe. We can multitask, no interference!”

Qi Huang suggested helpfully.

Xia Wei froze for a moment before narrowing her beautiful eyes. “Keep watch while getting my back wiped? Might as well water the fields while fertilizing them! Do you think I’m a block of wood? Devoid of shame? Why don’t you demonstrate first?”

“Never mind! I’m too shy!”

Qi Huang immediately backed down.

“So my face looks thick-skinned to you? Brat!”

Xia Wei shook her head helplessly.

The night passed without incident. The next day, the three women continued their journey. Thanks to Qi Huang’s diligence, no dangers approached the carriage.

Of course, Liu Yingyue and Xia Wei remained unaware, assuming it was just good luck.

Later, while using the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube to contact her mother, Liu Yingyue learned that her second uncle had officially become the Liu family’s patriarch, and was now trying to marry her off.

“Let’s just hope the Ancestress can intervene fairly.”

Fang Yun clung to a sliver of hope.

“Mother, if they want to marry me off, so be it. I’ve already made one mistake, I can’t keep making more.”

Liu Yingyue resigned herself to fate.

“You’ve completed your task. Your father wouldn’t blame you, don’t overthink it.”

Fang Yun comforted her.

“But I still can’t forgive myself. Besides, the Ancestress has only lived this long thanks to Second Uncle’s medicine. I can’t make things harder for her.”

Liu Yingyue remained unmoved.

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Fang Yun didn’t know what else to say and eventually ended the call.

Qi Huang also stayed silent. She knew words were useless now, better to wait until they reached the Liu family and then shock everyone.

On the eleventh day of their journey, the trio finally arrived at the imperial capital.

Liu Yingyue’s mood darkened again. Though she had completed her task, her father was already dead, rendering it meaningless. She couldn’t face her family now.

Qi Huang, too, felt rooted to the spot—not out of hesitation, but simply because she didn’t want to witness a tearful, dramatic scene.

But what was coming would come. Soon, the three women arrived at Liu Yingyue’s home.

Liu Yingyue had imagined countless worst-case scenarios, but the reality still shattered her. Her eight older brothers and sisters stood like gatekeepers at the entrance, refusing to let her in to see her father’s remains.

Fang Yun tried to mediate, but it was futile. As a stepmother, she held little sway in the household.

The commotion quickly drew a crowd of onlookers.

“Isn’t that the Liu family’s Ninth Miss?”

“Who else in the capital is that stunning?”

“Why is she being barred from her own home?”

“Don’t you know? Three years ago, the family elders wanted her to marry into the Hai family, but she refused to be a concubine, causing a huge scandal.”

“What happened after?”

“After? Patriarch Liu doted on her, so he offered the clan leadership as collateral. If she could double the profits of one branch within three years, she’d have the freedom to marry whomever she wished.”

“I heard about that. Who’d have thought she’d run a branch into the ground within six months? Still, she refused to give up, so the elders exiled her to Yongning Province, a backwater, to manage a branch there.”

“Yongning Province? How could an auction house survive there? Wasn’t failure guaranteed?”

“Exactly. Now Patriarch Liu is dead, the clan leadership remains lost, and he died with regrets, all because of her. Can you blame her siblings?”

“Serves her right. The Hai family has power and influence, what’s wrong with being a concubine? She didn’t know how good she had it.”

The crowd buzzed with gossip, pointing fingers.

“Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister… please, just let me see Father!”

Liu Yingyue, crushed by their accusations, choked back tears as she begged.

“Liu Yingyue, you unfilial wretch! You cost Father the clan leadership, leaving him to die in anguish. You are not worthy of stepping into this home!”

The eldest brother spat mercilessly.