My Five Bigshot Seniors: I am The Most Coddled Junior!-Chapter 87 - 39: Qingyan Lake [Second Update]

Besides her daughter Li Sisi, Noble Princess Consort Yi also had a son, Li Xiuting, two years older than Li Sisi, and the second prince of the Great Tang Dynasty. Noble Princess Consort Yi was able to become a noble consort because she gave birth to Li Xiuting.

Although everyone knew the Crown Prince was extremely important in the Emperor’s heart, who in the Royal Family wouldn’t want to sit on that throne symbolizing supreme power?

Li Xiuting had a high status, and his maternal family was powerful, so naturally, he wanted to replace the Crown Prince and become the next Emperor!

To strengthen the relationship between Li Xiuting and the Yi Family, Yi Lan Ting was cultivated by the Yi Family to be Li Xiuting’s prince consort!

With the efforts of the Yi Family and Noble Princess Consort Yi, the Emperor also agreed to the marriage and betrothed the two. However, since the Crown Prince, as the eldest son, was not yet married, and Li Xiuting, as the younger brother, could not marry either, Yi Lan Ting could not become a prince consort.

Li Sisi had liked Yi Lan Ting since childhood, considering Yi Lan Ting to be the best woman in the world, aside from her mother consort, and she was particularly satisfied with the betrothal between Li Xiuting and Yi Lan Ting.

Yesterday, Noble Princess Consort Yi said to let Yi Lan Ting come to the palace. Li Sisi even had the maids prepare Yi Lan Ting’s favorite snacks and Spiritual Dew. When Yi Lan Ting arrived, she hurriedly welcomed her and dismissed the serving maids.

"Cousin, thank goodness you came, or I would have been bored to death." Li Sisi sat on the couch with Yi Lan Ting, acting coyly while holding her hand.

"What about you? How did you get grounded by the Crown Prince?" Yi Lan Ting was curious and concerned as she did not yet know why Li Sisi was grounded.

"Yesterday, I took Qi Hui and others hunting. Upon returning, I galloped on horseback in the street, accidentally bumping into some people who were almost injured. I initially planned to have them all arrested, but it turned out that inside were the Young Master of the Zhuo Family and the most beloved granddaughter of the Family Head of the Yun Family, along with the second prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. We quarreled, and coincidentally, Crown Prince Brother arrived and grounded me." Li Sisi recounted yesterday’s events gloomily.

Li Sisi’s words surprised Yi Lan Ting. She did not expect that Li Sisi was so unlucky. Any one of these people should not be casually offended, yet she had offended them all. No wonder the Crown Prince would ground her—it was a form of protection. Otherwise, if these people pursued the matter, Li Sisi would face even more severe consequences.

"You! You’re grown up now, but still galloping on the street. This time it was the Crown Prince who caught you. If those stubborn old ministers report you to the Emperor, you’ll be in trouble." Yi Lan Ting looked at Li Sisi and said helplessly.

"Alright, I get it. I won’t do it again. Cousin, don’t talk about it anymore. It’s such a buzzkill." Li Sisi pouted, clearly unwilling to dwell on the matter, "I heard my brother gave you a particularly beautiful dress, why didn’t you wear it today to show me?"

"Who told you that?" Mentioning Li Xiuting, Yi Lan Ting’s face blushed instantly, asking bashfully.

"Don’t worry about who told me. Just tell me, is that dress really that beautiful?" Seeing Yi Lan Ting’s blushing face, Li Sisi immediately displayed a mischievous smile, holding Yi Lan Ting’s sleeve as she asked.

"Of course, it’s beautiful." Yi Lan Ting felt even more embarrassed, the flush on her face deepening.

"That’s good. In a few days, it’s Father’s birthday. You should wear that dress, and you’ll surely outshine everyone else, especially that Zuo Yiyi!" Li Sisi said with a somewhat spoiled tone.

Hearing Zuo Yiyi’s name, Yi Lan Ting’s lips tightened slightly, a flicker in her eyes, and she nodded, "Don’t worry, I will."

Zuo Yiyi, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, was about the same age as Yi Lan Ting. Her looks were only slightly inferior to Yi Lan Ting’s. Unlike Yi Lan Ting’s generosity and elegance, Zuo Yiyi was more willful. Zuo Yiyi’s affection for Li Xiuting was known throughout Shangjing City. If it weren’t for Yi Lan Ting and Li Xiuting’s long-established engagement, Zuo Yiyi might have appealed to the Emperor to let her marry Li Xiuting!

Thus, Zuo Yiyi was someone both Li Sisi and Yi Lan Ting disliked intensely. But since Zuo Yiyi was neither lacking in status nor intelligence, they could only use such methods to suppress her.

Yi Lan Ting spent the morning with Li Sisi, and by noon, was summoned by Noble Princess Consort Yi to have lunch with her. After Yi Lan Ting left, only Li Sisi was left in the bedchamber. Sitting in front of the dressing table, looking at her reflection in the mirror, her expression suddenly twisted, and a faint black aura appeared on her face, of which she seemed oblivious.

...

Gu Qingqing and the others didn’t stroll inside Shangjing City but instead headed to Qingyan Lake outside the city.

Qingyan Lake is a very famous lake near Shangjing City, about thirty li away. At the speed of a Heavenly Qilin Horse, it takes about a quarter of an hour to reach it.

It is vast, with a Peach Blossom Forest nearby. Many people love to visit because of this forest. The peach blossoms here bloom beautifully throughout all seasons, though the species is unknown.

It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, Qingyan Lake was just a small lake. Later, an Immortal, wounded, fell from the Upper Realm to Qingyan Lake and lived there in seclusion. He met his Dao Companion there, who loved peach blossoms, so he planted a Peach Blossom Forest. After the Dao Companion passed away, he placed her coffin at the bottom of Qingyan Lake. Displeased with the lake’s small size, he used an unknown method to draw in water, expanding Qingyan Lake to its current size.

[Has anyone ever gone to the bottom of the lake? Is there really a coffin there?] After listening to Zhuo Tingqiu’s account, Gu Qingqing blinked her large eyes and asked curiously.

"Of course there is. Over these millennia, countless people have tried to reach the lakebed to find that coffin. Legend has it that the Immortal placed many burial items inside his partner’s coffin, and people want those treasures. But unfortunately, no one has truly reached the lake’s bottom, for there’s an array there. No matter how hard they try, they are transported back to the surface." Zhuo Tingqiu shrugged, speaking a bit regretfully.

Hearing this, Gu Qingqing also shook her head regretfully.

"If Geng Geng wants to see it, I can go check it out." Seeing Gu Qingqing’s disappointed look, Nan Hua put away his fan and said quickly.

"No need, Senior Brother. I don’t want those treasures. Better not to disturb others’ rest." Gu Qingqing shook her head. Her disappointment stemmed from mere curiosity about the contents. If really asked to go down, she wouldn’t. If there indeed was the coffin of the Immortal’s partner at the lake’s bottom, wouldn’t they be disturbing their rest if they barged in?

"Alright, if you ever want to go, just let me know." Nan Hua patted Gu Qingqing’s head tenderly.

Gu Qingqing nodded.

The carriage had reached the destination, and they got off, letting the Heavenly Qilin Horse go to rest on its own.

As they turned, they found themselves amidst sturdy peach blossom trees. It wasn’t the season for peach blossoms to bloom, yet the trees were in full bloom, appearing extraordinarily beautiful!

Beautiful scenery always cheers people up, and Gu Qingqing and her companions were no exception. Together, they headed under the peach blossom trees, ready to admire the beautiful scenery, when they heard a quarrel nearby.

Turning towards the sound in surprise, they saw Zhou Qing arguing with a woman.

...

Zhou Qing had heard others praise the beauty of Qingyan Lake’s scenery, so she came with her close junior sister to enjoy it. Unexpectedly, they barely stayed a moment before encountering her arch-enemy, Jiang Yingshi.

Jiang Yingshi was the granddaughter of Wanqing Sect’s Great Elder Jiang Shichang, who had a good relationship with her master. Every year, either Jiang Shichang visited Shangyang Sect, or her master went to Wanqing Sect, so they knew each other since childhood.

Being of the same age and growing up together, they were expected to become good friends. However, due to clashing personalities, they became arch-enemies instead of friends.

Every meeting ended in an argument, escalating into a fight, and their poor relationship was well-known among members of both sects.

Today was no different. Zhou Qing stood admiring the peach blossoms with her junior sister when Jiang Yingshi approached, claiming the spot as hers and asking them to move. Zhou Qing couldn’t tolerate it and started arguing with Jiang Yingshi.

"Zhou Qing, I’m telling you, I’ve claimed this spot; it’s mine. You better move!" Jiang Yingshi looked at Zhou Qing, raising her head and speaking dominantly.

"What do you mean you claimed it? Is this your home? Just because you say so, I have to move? Are you out of your mind?" Zhou Qing was unimpressed by Jiang Yingshi’s attitude and retorted bluntly.

"It’s not your home either. What if I tell you to move? Will you move or not?" Being provoked by Zhou Qing, Jiang Yingshi’s face darkened. She crossed her arms and coldly questioned Zhou Qing.

"I won’t move. What can you do about it?" Zhou Qing also crossed her arms, raised her head, and glared at Jiang Yingshi.

"Alright, then let’s fight. Whoever loses leaves!" Jiang Yingshi unsheathed her sword, pointing it at Zhou Qing, and said.

"Fine, let’s do it. Who’s afraid?" Zhou Qing also drew her sword, refusing to back down.

The two locked eyes, sparks flying between them, and then moved simultaneously.

Jiang Yingshi and Zhou Qing were both talented disciples in their respective sects, with comparable cultivation, both at the Fifth Rank Peak. As they clashed, the surrounding peach blossoms shook and fell, scattered by their Sword Qi.

Over the years, they’ve fought countless times, becoming so familiar with each other’s moves that they fought to a standstill, the battle intensely fierce.

Having grown accustomed to their frequent brawls, onlookers from both Wanqing Sect with Jiang Yingshi and Shangyang Sect with Zhou Qing simply cleared space to watch, even commenting and munching on seeds during the fight.

"Senior Sister Zhou’s move is quite effective. I’ve always felt mine was off, but now I finally understand." Zhou Qing’s junior sister watched Zhou Qing’s moves with sparkling eyes and remarked.