Daily Survival After Inheriting a Harem (GL) - Chapter 6

Very soon, Yan Wan brought the human envoy over.

“Father! Mother! This unfilial child is sorry! You’ll have to send off your black-haired child while your own hair is white! If fate allows, let us be family again in the next life! Ahhhhhhh, help! I’m afraid to die!”

The wailing came from far away and drew closer. Unfortunately, Qiu Qi’s ears were especially sharp. By the time the envoy cried his way in front of her, she felt as if her brain was about to be shaken unconscious by him.

“Stop! Be quiet!”

She held up one hand in front of her.

“Who said I was going to kill you?”

The young man, whose face was covered in tears and snot, looked at Qiu Qi through teary eyes. Then he immediately trembled and lowered his head again.

“Wuu… I was wrong. Beast God, please spare this dog life of mine.”

“Great. Another one who doesn’t understand human words.”

Qiu Qi let out a long breath and put both hands on her waist.

When the envoy saw her posture, he panicked even more. His mouth opened, and he looked like he was about to start howling again. Pei Yuqing, standing beside them, reacted quickly and stuffed the handkerchief she had just used to wipe Qiu Qi’s hands into his mouth.

“My lord told you to be quieter. Can you do that?”

“Mmph—mm, mm, mm!”

Seeing that the man had finally settled down, Qiu Qi walked over and crouched in front of the envoy, meeting his eyes while he knelt.

“Is your brain clear now? Can you understand what I’m saying?”

“Mm, mm!”

“Good.”

Qiu Qi snapped her fingers behind her. Pei Yuqing then handed over the letter Qiu Qi had written earlier. Those dog-crawled characters actually looked somewhat decent once they were placed inside an exquisite envelope. Qiu Qi accepted it and stuffed the letter into the envoy’s front lapel.

“Take this letter back and give it to your leader. Can you do that?”

“Mmph—mmph, mmph!”

“If you can, nod twice. If you can’t, shake your head.”

The envoy nodded wildly, with so much force it looked as if his neck would snap off in the next second.

“Okay, done.”

Qiu Qi clapped her hands and stood up, turning to Yan Wan.

“Steward, see the guest out.”

Yan Wan nodded in acknowledgment. She seemed not the least bit curious about the contents of the letter. With one hand, she grabbed the envoy by the neck and carried him out like a chick.

Only after they reached the doorway did the envoy remember to take out the handkerchief in his mouth, which had a bitter ink taste. Trembling, he stole a glance at the strange old woman beside him, whose steps made no sound at all.

“You’re not going to wait until I step out the door and suddenly stab me in the back, are you?”

Yan Wan stared straight ahead.

“My lord only instructed me to escort you to the doorway.”

After hearing her answer, the envoy panicked even more.

“No way… You really are going to kill me?”

Sending him to the doorway—didn’t that mean she was going to send him to the afterlife at the doorway?

Sure enough, his seniors had been right. No one who came to the beastman race as an envoy ever had a good ending. If the Saintess had not personally named him, there was no way he would have waded into this muddy water.

“Please spare me! I’ll give you anything you want!”

Hearing this, Yan Wan finally reacted. She turned around and looked directly at him.

“Money. I like money.”

“Okay! Okay, okay, okay! I’ll give you everything I have on me!”

After saying this, the envoy began pulling things out. First was a tattered money pouch, then a low-quality jade pendant. Seeing that Yan Wan still had a dark expression with no change, he panicked and began taking off his clothes.

“This outfit is an official uniform bestowed by the Saintess! The embroidery patterns on it are made with genuine gold thread, and the gem on this hat—”

“Hurry up.”

Yan Wan interrupted his nonsense.

“Once you’re done taking them off, be on your way. I still have to rush back to prepare lunch.”

“D-Done…”

The envoy rapidly stripped himself until he had only a pair of shorts left. Hugging his bare arms, he stood at the doorway, shivering.

“Mm. Remember to deliver the letter properly.”

Yan Wan unhurriedly picked out a few valuable items from the pile of “trash.”

“Goodbye. I won’t see you off.”

“Thank you, Granny! You’re my savior!”

The envoy wiped his snot and ran out without looking back.

“Come back.”

Yan Wan spoke in a deep voice.

“Is… is there anything else?”

“Call me Sister.”

“Okay, okay, okay! Thank you, Sister! Thank you, beautiful lady! I will definitely remember your great kindness in my heart!”

“Get lost.”

…

After finally obtaining the key to the study, Qiu Qi hurried over there.

Most of the books stored here had come from tribute sent by the human race. The oldest could be traced back several thousand years.

Following the original body’s memories, Qiu Qi walked toward the innermost layer of the bookshelves. Finally, she stopped in front of the second-to-last row. Standing on tiptoe, she struggled to pull a thick, dust-covered book from the top shelf.

“Hoo! Cough, cough… ptooey, ptooey, ptooey.”

After blowing the dust off the cover, Qiu Qi finally saw the title of the book clearly—

Five Elemental Spiritual Arts.

After first taking out the key to the Mystic Ice Rings that was hidden in the middle, Qiu Qi flipped through the book. The spiritual arts mentioned inside seemed to be the kind cultivated by elves and humans.

As the title suggested, the Five Elemental Spiritual Arts were spiritual arts cast with the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—as their foundation, and incantations as the medium.

The first human discovered to be capable of using spiritual arts was the descendant of a certain royal family and the elf race. He was also the first person who could use all five elemental spiritual arts.

After that, the descendants starting from this prince all inherited his talent. Ordinary people could generally only use one elemental spiritual art. Those with better spiritual roots might know two or three. An all-around spiritual arts user like the Saintess had not appeared in over a hundred years. No wonder the current human race worshiped her like a god.

Relying on the comprehension ability she had trained over many years of chewing through reference books, Qiu Qi quickly figured out these spiritual arts.

First, one had to possess elf blood. Second, memorize more incantations and practice diligently. However, this matter mainly depended on bloodline. Many people’s ten years of hard work after birth could not compare to the power of a pure-blooded person saying, “Balala the Fairies, transform completely!”

“Tsk, that’s it?”

Qiu Qi had thought that since it was hidden so deeply, it would at least be some martial arts secret manual comparable to the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. In the end, it was at most a collection of incantations.

Her eyes drifted to the water cup on the table. Qiu Qi thought, why not try it?

“%&%……&%”

The moment her voice fell, the water inside the cup rose into the air, turning into a column of water that flew in the direction Qiu Qi pointed.

“Whoa? It really works?”

Qiu Qi widened her eyes. Last night, when Pei Yuqing had almost frozen her to death, she had not found it that strange. But when she personally used spiritual arts, that fresh, joyful feeling finally welled up.

She flipped a few pages back, chose a slightly more difficult one, and recited another line.

“%……￥%&&%*￥&”

After she finished reading, her mind moved. She controlled the water column suspended in the air and made it rise, turning into the shape of an arrow. Then her index finger moved slightly and pointed at the floor. The water arrow suddenly accelerated and plunged headfirst into the floor. After a loud bang, water splashed everywhere, leaving only a small pit half a finger joint deep in the ground.

Although its destructive power was negligible, Qiu Qi was already very satisfied. She had not expected that casually reciting a few lines would truly have such a big effect.

Only after playing enough did Qiu Qi suddenly remember one important thing.

Why could she, a beastman, use spiritual arts?

After laboriously searching through the original body’s messy memories, Qiu Qi soon learned the reason.

The original body had always been the type to kill gods if gods blocked its way and kill Buddhas if Buddhas blocked its way. Never mind how many beastmen it had harmed. Aside from them, it had actually held the lives of many other races in its hands as well. Even powerful elves who could single-handedly fight an army—it had killed no fewer than ten of them.

Humans had to pray to gods and Buddhas that they inherited more talent, but Qiu Qi did not have to. After all, the original body’s method of obtaining spiritual energy was practically no different from swallowing it whole. The absorption effect had nearly reached one hundred percent.

As for why the original body had never thought of flipping through this book, it was simply because it looked down on it. After all, it was already an undefeated existence that could beat everyone under the heavens, so why would it waste time memorizing this stuff?

In addition, what the original body hated most was reading and writing.

That thing was too blind to recognize Mount Tai, but Qiu Qi was not.

She happily hugged the book.

“I’m definitely memorizing this book!”

Qiu Qi wiped Five Elemental Spiritual Arts clean from beginning to end, then placed it together with the World Weapons Illustrated Guide she had brought with her in the most conspicuous spot on the desk.

…

She had to practice spiritual arts, but the most urgent matter at present was handling the Mystic Ice Rings.

Qiu Qi took out paper and a brush and began drafting.

First, the process of removing the rings would inevitably involve suffering of the flesh, so she had to search for herbs in this world that could replace anesthetics.

Second was the problem of severe bleeding. But Pei Yuqing had already obtained mermaid blood, so for the time being, there was no need to consider hemostatic medicine.

“Mm… and also…”

Qiu Qi wrote and revised on the paper. After working the entire morning, she actually fell asleep while lying on the desk.

Before lunch, Pei Yuqing came to the study to look for her.

She first raised her hand and knocked on the door. After no one answered for a long while, she gently pushed the door open and entered.

The desk in the study faced the doorway and was positioned where the light was best. As soon as the door opened, the fierce noon sunlight from outside rushed in and spilled across the face of the person lying on the desk opposite Pei Yuqing.

Qiu Qi’s right cheek was pressed against the table. Her long lashes hung down against her face, making her look well-behaved. The sunlight passing through her hair gave it a soft, warm brown glow. She seemed to be sleeping very sweetly. She was still gripping a brush in her hand, and the fingers that had finally been cleaned were once again stained with dirty ink. Her rosy cherry lips opened and closed a few times, as if she were muttering something.

“Anesthesia… stop bleeding… Madam, it won’t hurt…”

Pei Yuqing turned around and closed the door, blocking out the somewhat glaring light. Then she lightened her footsteps and walked to Qiu Qi’s side, bending down to look at the paper pressed beneath her body.

When writing the letter to the Saintess, Qiu Qi had deliberately used traditional characters. But when drafting privately, she let herself go completely and used simplified characters, writing them in an especially sloppy manner.

Fortunately, simplified and traditional characters still had some similarities. Pei Yuqing narrowed her eyes and distinguished them for a while, and she could roughly guess what Qiu Qi meant.

Connecting it with the few key words Qiu Qi had just spoken, Pei Yuqing arrived at a guess that even she herself found extremely unrealistic.

—Qiu Qi was concerned about her.

Pei Yuqing focused her mind and used this rare opportunity to carefully examine the person in front of her. The face was still the same face. Standing beside this person, she could still feel the astonishing power of the Beast Core Pearl inside her body.

Only…

Pei Yuqing lowered her eyes. Her gaze swept over Qiu Qi’s disheveled collar, then to her cheek, which looked chubby from being pressed against the desk, and finally followed the pale pink corner of her lips down to the suspicious liquid stain on the paper.

Where exactly had this naturally silly and foolish aura come from?

After this thought popped up, Pei Yuqing could not help tugging the corner of her mouth into a half-true, half-false faint smile. If outsiders knew that she had mentally labeled this murderous demon with the words “silly and foolish,” she would probably be questioned about whether she had an eye disease.

“Mm…”

Perhaps because the gaze above her head had too much presence, Qiu Qi showed signs of waking up. She opened her eyes. When she saw Pei Yuqing standing in front of her, her first reaction was to think she was still dreaming. She immediately opened her arms toward her.

“Beauty? Why did you come into my dream too? Come, hug!”

Pei Yuqing smiled.

“The sun is already high in the sky, my lord. You should wake up properly.”

Qiu Qi did not miss the cool threat in Pei Yuqing’s tone. If she had really hugged her just now, the other party would probably have directly broken her hands.

Qiu Qi slapped herself and made a gesture toward Pei Yuqing.

“Okay, Madam. I’m awake now.”

“What does ‘okay’ mean?”

“Uh… it means ‘all right.’”

Pei Yuqing nodded.

“That is good.”

From the corner of her eye, Qiu Qi saw the puddle of drool she had left on the desk while sleeping. Awkwardly, she pulled over the paper, folded it messily, and stuffed it into her clothes to hide it. Then she gave a dry laugh and looked at Pei Yuqing.

“Madam, what did you come looking for me for?”

“It is time for lunch.”

“Food?”

Qiu Qi’s eyes lit up. She had left in such a hurry this morning that she had only drunk a cup of tea. Her stomach had long been growling from hunger.

“Madam really does care about me. I just happened to be hungry!”

Pei Yuqing did not reply and only nodded.

She had come to invite Qiu Qi to eat not because she was worried whether Qiu Qi was hungry, but because there was a rule in the courtyard: if Qiu Qi, as the head of the household, had not eaten, no one else was allowed to start eating. It was already past mealtime, and the people outside were nearly collapsing from hunger. But no one dared to come urge her, afraid they would not get to eat and would instead lose their life.

“Let’s go.”

Qiu Qi hopped down from the chair and took Pei Yuqing’s hand. However, when she pulled, she did not move the other woman.

Pei Yuqing stood still and reminded her, “My lord, there is ink on your hand.”

“Oh.”

Qiu Qi wiped her palm.

“Then I’ll go wash it.”

Pei Yuqing reminded her again, “There is also some on your face.”

“My face? Where?”

“Do you need me to help you, my lord?”

“Wait!”

Qiu Qi covered her face in fear.

“I still want to keep this face. I’ll wipe it myself! No need to trouble Madam.”

Pei Yuqing seemed amused by her panicked tone, and the corner of her mouth lifted imperceptibly.

“If my lord is afraid of pain, I can be gentler. The dirty spots on your face are places you cannot see easily.”

That made sense. There were no mirrors nearby, so Qiu Qi would not be able to wipe it clean by herself.

“Then fine. Be gentle. I really am pretty afraid of pain.”

Qiu Qi muttered softly.

“All right, my lord.”

Pei Yuqing agreed in a gentle voice.

She bent down and lifted Qiu Qi’s chin, holding a handkerchief in her right hand as she gently wiped Qiu Qi’s cheek.

This was the first time the two of them had been in such close contact. They were close enough that Qiu Qi could count each of Pei Yuqing’s distinct eyelashes. She unconsciously lightened her breathing, cautious as if she were afraid of startling something.

Pei Yuqing lowered her eyes and focused on wiping Qiu Qi’s face very seriously. In contrast, Qiu Qi’s heart was beating wildly because of the warm breath that seemed to brush against her skin every now and then. She closed her eyes, only to feel that the cool, faint fragrance had drawn even closer. Just as she was about to move, a gentle force pressed against her forehead and held her still.

“Keep your eyes closed like this. There is some near the outer corner too. I will wipe it away.”

“Mm.”

Qiu Qi obediently replied softly, while silently roasting herself in her heart. She really was impressive. She had only taken a nap, yet she had managed to get ink near her eyes too.

Qiu Qi pressed her lips tightly together, trying hard to act calm. But her curled fingers and trembling lashes exposed the nervousness in her heart.

“All done.”

The breath spilled across the tip of her nose. It was Pei Yuqing’s voice.

Qiu Qi nodded and opened her eyes. Pei Yuqing had not yet withdrawn. In Qiu Qi’s vision, she could see the other woman’s perfectly lined jaw and long, snow-white neck. Although her plain collar was fastened tightly and properly, it carried a restrained, ascetic quality that made it difficult to suppress the heat stirring inside her.

Qiu Qi forcibly stopped her gaze from peeking down into the other woman’s collar and nervously swallowed.

“Wait, I’ll wet it with some more water.”

The damp handkerchief felt a little cool against her cheek. Although Pei Yuqing wore gloves, Qiu Qi could still feel through the thin fabric that her fingertips were even colder than water. Being touched made Qiu Qi instinctively shrink back. She lifted her eyes to look at Pei Yuqing and asked with slight unease,

“Madam, yesterday I accidentally hurt you and caused cold poison to enter your body. Are you feeling better now?”

Pei Yuqing’s expression did not change, but her eyes darkened by a shade. She continued wiping the stain on Qiu Qi’s right cheek, her tone as relaxed as if the two were merely discussing the dishes for lunch.

“I am all right.”

“You don’t have to force yourself. I’ve calculated it. We can go to the human race and buy Guluo Mountain’s sacred water. Don’t you elves all soak in that to nourish your bodies? When the time comes, I’ll buy more of it back. Your body will recover very quickly.”

After comforting her, Qiu Qi lifted her face and gave Pei Yuqing a big smile.

Pei Yuqing’s movements paused.

“Are you serious?”

Qiu Qi nodded, and the silly tuft of hair on her head trembled along with it.

“Of course. I’ve already calculated the money. In a while, I’ll ask Steward Yan to buy it for me.”

“Why?”

Pei Yuqing withdrew her hand and took a step back to keep some distance from Qiu Qi. Guardedness appeared in her eyes.

“What is your purpose?”

“My purpose… is of course to help Madam recover quickly.”

Qiu Qi’s tone was still relaxed. Her expression was so innocent that it seemed she had not noticed at all the tense fighting intent in the air, ready to explode at any moment.

“If I remember correctly, you told me you had amnesia, didn’t you?”

Pei Yuqing’s voice sounded as if she had become a different person. It was as though the brief warmth and ambiguity from earlier had merely been a daydream Qiu Qi had.

“Then before this, I only mentioned gloves. How did you know I could read minds? How did you remember that the key to the Mystic Ice Rings was in the study? How did you know my body is cold? And… when did you learn how to read and write?”

Qiu Qi met her eyes. That sharp, icy gaze filled the original body’s daily memories, but she could not force herself to get used to it.

It was actually rather funny. She had only been with Pei Yuqing for less than twenty-four hours, yet she felt that the warm and attentive version from just now was Pei Yuqing’s true self.

“I didn’t lie to you.”

Qiu Qi gathered her expression and became serious, taking on an attitude of complete honesty.

“Because you tampered with the Beast Core Pearl, something went wrong during my fusion with it. Indirectly, it caused my memories to become extremely scattered and disordered.”

“So you really were lying to me.”

Pei Yuqing’s expression changed. She raised her right hand, and a pale blue ball of light slowly condensed in her palm.

Qiu Qi glanced at her right hand.

“Madam, your cold poison has not been fully cleared yet, and your body is still in a weak stage. It would be better not to misuse spiritual power.”

“Stop saying that nonsense.”

Pei Yuqing raised her hand higher, taking on an offensive stance.

“Since you know, why are you still acting with me? What else are you hoping to get from me?”

“I already told you my purpose.”

Qiu Qi lifted her eyes and looked at her. Those clear eyes were still full of calm.

“To compensate you. To protect you.”

“Heh…”

Pei Yuqing laughed softly, her eyes filled with mockery.

“Are you telling me now that you would show mercy to a threat that once had the intent to kill you and even put it into action?”

“Yes. Just treat the current me as a fool. If you hate me, then why not take advantage of this period while my memories are in chaos and properly torment me?”

Qiu Qi took a large step forward, exposing herself within Pei Yuqing’s close-range attack range.

“Whatever you want to do to me is fine. I am willing to accept the punishment.”

“You… have truly gone mad?”

Pei Yuqing was stunned.

She carefully examined Qiu Qi’s eyes, which were openly and directly facing her without the slightest concealment. Under such direct, burning attention, it was as if all iron-walled defenses were futile.

It had been a long time since Pei Yuqing had felt her rhythm disrupted like this.

Even when she had been imprisoned in this deep courtyard, she had not panicked for a single day and had carried out her revenge plan in an orderly manner. But today, with just this one look, she hesitated.

“Do you want to take a look?”

Qiu Qi did not stop walking toward Pei Yuqing. She stopped in front of her, took Pei Yuqing’s left hand hanging at her side, and raised it to her lips. Then she lowered her head, lifted the corners of her eyes to gaze at Pei Yuqing, parted her lips, and bit the edge of Pei Yuqing’s glove. With a gentle tug, she removed the obstructive thing.

The sensation of her left hand instantly being freed from restraint made Pei Yuqing’s eyes flicker.

Qiu Qi reached out, slid her fingers into the gaps between Pei Yuqing’s fingers, then bent her fingers and interlocked them with hers.

Skin pressed against skin. It was an unfamiliar sensation—one ice, one fire, an extreme collision. As blood rushed through her veins with a heart-shaking surge, Pei Yuqing’s heart suddenly beat several times faster, throwing off its originally steady rhythm.

Then the smiling girl rose onto her tiptoes, leaned close, and whispered beside her ear.

“Madam, did you read it? I like you.”