Future Beast World: Becoming A Pampered Beauty-Chapter 476 - 415: Imitation Jade (3)

"This..." A strange feeling welled up inside Sang Luo, but she forced it down.

She didn’t believe Yan was that kind of person.

"It’s fine. I don’t mind. He hasn’t lied to or deceived me. If he truly has some unspoken difficulties, then I must help him."

Yun Qi was stunned. "Princess!"

"That’s enough. If there’s nothing else, you may go back and rest." Her voice was laced with displeasure.

Yun Qi rose and bowed. "...My apologies, Princess. I caught a cold yesterday and wasn’t feeling well. I said some things I shouldn’t have. I will take my leave."

"Yes, if you’re unwell, then get some proper rest. In the future, there’s no need to come running over here for no reason. I have plenty of people to serve me; I’m not short one Concubine."

Yun Qi suppressed the bitter ache in his heart, bowed deeply, and left.

Sang Luo closed her eyes for a long while, but the nameless fire in her heart refused to die down. She truly despised it when others fabricated rumors about Yan or spoke ill of him.

No matter how fond Sang Luo was of Yun Qi, she had never treated him as a Beast Husband. Yan was the one she considered her true partner.

They had their share of unpleasantries, but before Yan left, he had given her all his Cultivation and his very lifespan. Even if they couldn’t be together in the end, they had at least been companions who had cherished their time together.

Moreover, Yan had died when Sang Luo’s feelings for him were at their peak. It was no exaggeration to call him her unattainable white moonlight... Sang Luo could not accept what Yun Qi had said, regardless of whether he was genuinely looking out for her or simply trying to sow discord between the Princess and Yun Rong.

It was true that Yun Rong had asked her for money, but the original Princess Ji Wan would have been happy to throw money at him anyway. Since the two of them would eventually end up together, it wasn’t exactly a case of unrequited fawning. Sang Luo had no desire to change any of it.

...

「Plum Blossom Garden.」

After Kong saw Yun Qi return looking utterly crestfallen, his master locked himself in his room. An entire night passed, and he hadn’t eaten a single bite.

Kong was terribly anxious. He asked his master what had happened, but he couldn’t get a clear answer out of him.

’In the past, no matter how dejected his master was, he would always cheer up after seeing the Princess. But after coming back yesterday, he ended up like this. It seems Young Master Yun Rong truly got to him. What am I going to do?’

Kong thought about pleading with the Princess to come and console his master, but when he went to find her, she was nowhere to be seen. The attendants all sent him away, saying, "The Princess is busy and not seeing anyone."

No matter how slow-witted Kong was, he finally figured it out—the Princess had grown tired of his master.

’The Princess never liked him in the first place; things are just going back to how they were. But once you’ve tasted the light, who would be willing to return to the bottomless mire? Such a drastic change in just a few short days... anyone would find it unbearable.’

"Sigh!"

Kong, the little monkey, shook his head and let out a long sigh.

The next day, after much coaxing from Kong, Yun Qi finally forced himself to eat something.

’I worked so hard to nurse this body back to health. I can’t let it fall apart again.’

’The Princess put so much effort into helping me study medicine. If I can’t even take care of my own body, how can I ever treat and heal others?’

Once Yun Qi came to this realization, he stopped wallowing in misery. He continued to brew medicinal tonics and deliver them to the Princess every day, and Sang Luo, for her part, did not refuse his kindness.

But Yun Qi could feel it. Ever since he had spoken those words, the Princess’s attitude toward him had grown much colder, no different from how she treated the other servants in the rear courtyard. It was a formal respect tinged with alienation.

This indifferent disregard... was somehow even more painful.

A few more days passed. Yun Qi heard from the servants in the mansion that a Secret Realm had appeared in Qingqiu. The Princess would be leaving for a while to train within it and search for Divine Material.

Secret Realms were fraught with danger; the slightest mistake could lead to injury. Females, in particular, were easily targeted by villains, risking the loss of both their lives and their possessions.

Ever since marrying into the Princess Mansion, Yun Qi had played the part of a decorative servant, never revealing his true strength. To the outside world, rumors painted him as a useless weakling anyone could bully. In truth, he had struggled on the verge of life and death since childhood. Blessed with an ancient bloodline, he had already reached the Divine Venerable’s Realm of Transformation. Now, having also acquired considerable knowledge of pharmacology, he considered himself the most suitable candidate to accompany the Princess into the Secret Realm.

’I’m not any worse than my brother.’

’As long as I stay by the Princess’s side every day, her gaze will eventually land on me...’

But on the day of the Princess’s departure, Yun Qi hurried over early. Standing behind a distant colonnade, he saw Princess Ji Wan and Yun Rong walking side by side. The harmonious, easy atmosphere between them left no room for any outsider to intrude.

Yun Qi clutched the cloak in his hands, the color draining from his face.

’So the Princess already had someone in mind.’

’It was never me.’

Yun Qi’s chest ached with a dull, bitter pain. He didn’t understand why he felt so awful. The Princess had never belonged to him. She had admitted long ago that the one she had always liked, from start to finish, was Yun Rong.

’I should have known that all along, shouldn’t I?’

’One shouldn’t covet a treasure that doesn’t belong to them.’

Yun Qi couldn’t remember how he got back to his room that day. From then on, whether his eyes were open or closed, all he could see was the image of the two of them together. He couldn’t quell the agitation in his heart. Instead, like a sea in a tempest, it only grew more turbulent.

The next news of Princess Ji Wan came half a month later.

The Princess had returned safely.

Yun Rong was still by her side. The two were inseparable, stuck together like glue all day, and often went out strolling and enjoying themselves.

Naturally, this news reached all the servants in the rear courtyard, who spent their days jealously watching the Princess’s favored companions.

They knew they couldn’t compete with Young Master Yun Rong, but they were thoroughly scornful of Yun Qi, who had captured the Princess’s affection just a short while ago. Now that he had lost favor, someone came to kick him while he was down.

"Well, well, look who it is. Isn’t this the Princess’s most beloved Concubine, Yun Qi?" the green-robed youth said, clutching his sides as he burst into laughter. His eyes dripped with mockery. "His name really suits him—an abandoned plaything!"

Yun Qi shot a cold glance at the green-robed youth.

It was Yi Xing, a servant the Princess had once greatly favored.

Ever since Yun Qi had been rescued from the water, the Princess had never again visited Yi Xing’s chambers, doting exclusively on this "ugly" servant instead. Yi Xing was intensely jealous of Yun Qi and had always been the one to stir up trouble, both openly and behind his back.

Yi Xing glared and snapped, "What kind of look is that? You’re nothing but a plaything! Don’t tell me you still don’t understand your place?!"

"The Princess doted on you for a few days, but only because you bear a slight resemblance to the Young Master of the Nine-tailed Fox Clan! She was just using you as a stand-in!"

As he spoke, he tilted his head back in disdain. "A disfigured, ugly male like you can’t even compare to that Young Master’s little finger. Now that the real deal has arrived, who would spare a second glance for a piece of imitation jade—"

WHAM!

Before Yi Xing could finish speaking, a powerful force slammed into him, sending him flying dozens of meters. He crashed to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood, a crushing pain radiating from his internal organs!

His face contorted in agony as he glared at Yun Qi with a mixture of fury and terror. "You! You dare lay a hand on me!"

He scrambled back to his feet, clenching his fists to retaliate in a rage. But with a casual wave of his hand, Yun Qi sent him flying into a wall again. The entire stone wall collapsed with a deafening crash.

"If you don’t want to die, get lost and stop bothering me!"

The white-robed youth’s voice was colder and more dangerous than ever before.