Luo Qing’er

Luo Qing’er had a dream last night.

She dreamed she was wearing a magnificent red bridal robe, preparing to marry her Shizun. Blushing furiously, she was led by the hand by Xu Jinghuai into the bridal chamber.

The thought that they were about to share a bed and become husband and wife filled her with a mix of trepidation and a tiny spark of excitement.

Standing before the wedding bed, which was draped in red gauze curtains, Luo Qing’er felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest. Finally… was she and Shizun finally taking this step?

Xu Jinghuai smiled slightly and lifted the red veil from her head, while simultaneously drawing back the bed curtains…

Luo Qing’er’s expression was originally one of shy invitation, but… the moment she saw the person already on the bed, her expression froze.

Lying on the wedding bed was a silver-haired little loli, also dressed in a red bridal robe. Luo Qing’er recognized her—it was the girl who had been sleeping on Shizun’s lap that night.

Seeing Xu Jinghuai, the girl immediately entangled herself with him, leaning against his chest and saying in a sultry voice, “Husband~ I’ve been waiting for you for so long~”

And Shizun looked at her with eyes full of tenderness, stroking her silver hair. “Apologies, wife, for making you wait.”

“Wait… wait a minute…”

Luo Qing’er couldn’t believe her eyes. She reached out a trembling hand. “No… wasn’t I supposed to be Shizun’s wife?”

Yunlai Xia, still leaning against Xu Jinghuai’s chest, seemed to hear her. She turned around and flashed a stinging, victorious smile. “You?”

“You’re just the maid who came along as part of the dowry~”

“What…”

Luo Qing’er felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She looked down at herself. Her red bridal robe had vanished, replaced by tattered, ragged cloth. The exquisitely embroidered handkerchief in her hand had turned into a dirty floor rag.

“No… no…”

“NO!”

Luo Qing’er jolted awake, her eyes snapping open to stare at an unfamiliar ceiling. She gasped for air, her chest heaving. It took her a long time to regain her senses.

“It was… just a dream…”

She let out a massive sigh of relief. Cold sweat had soaked her collar. She sat up with messy hair, rubbing her bleary eyes, feeling a dull ache in her neck. Looking back, she saw her pillow half-hanging off the side of the bed.

It was only then that she realized that while she had fallen asleep in the center of the bed, she had somehow drifted to the very edge, nearly falling off.

She knew this was because she was used to her giant bed back at the Dragon Emperor Grotto; switching to a new bed so suddenly had triggered that strange nightmare.

“But…”

Even though the ending was a nightmare, the part before that—marrying Shizun…

Luo Qing’er curled up, hugging her knees and burying her face in them. She screamed internally: ‘It’s still so embarrassing!! Waaaaah…’

The young girl threw herself back onto the bed, rolling left and right. By the time she finally calmed down and got up, her long, beautiful blue hair had turned into a complete bird’s nest.

“What time is it?”

She walked to the window and drew the curtains. To her surprise, the sun was just beginning to peek over the eastern edge of Youyun Peak, painting the sky with a magnificent morning glow. It turned out she had woken up quite early. Usually, without a nightmare to wake her, she would sleep until the sun was directly overhead at noon.

She went to the washroom, freshened up, and spent nearly half an hour meticulously grooming her hair. Her hair was so long it passed her waist and would drag on the floor if she wasn’t careful. She habitually split it into two bundles to manage it.

She used enchanted pearls—refined for her by Luo Hanhai—as hair ties near the ends, leaving just a small tuft of hair trailing out. These pearls were actually defensive artifacts capable of blocking a hit from anyone below the Heavenly Immortal realm. They could change size at her will and allowed the ends of her hair to float slightly in the air so they wouldn’t drag on the ground.

While not a traditional set of twin-tails, the style gave the girl a playful, spirited look. (PS: There’s a reference image for Luo Qing’er at the end of the chapter—it’s Ruri with beast ears!)

Once her hair was done, she patted her cheeks, satisfied that she finally looked human again. She changed out of her pajamas, selecting a deep blue dress from her storage ring. She pinched the hem and did a little spin; she felt perfect.

Glancing out the window, the morning glow had faded and the sun had fully cleared the horizon. ‘I might be the first one up,’ she thought happily as she headed downstairs.

However, as she reached the second floor, she heard faint sounds coming from below. The noise seemed to be coming from the room where her father and Shizun had been drinking yesterday.

‘Could it be Shizun?’

Luo Qing’er suddenly became nervous, wondering how she should greet him. Two little versions of herself popped up in her imagination.

The first “Little Qing’er” walked up to “Little Shizun” with energetic steps and said brightly: “Good morning, Shizun! I didn’t expect you to be up so early, too~”

Luo Qing’er: o(≧口≦)o

‘No, no, no! That’s too flippant and shameful! I can’t do it!’

The little figure reset. This time, “Little Qing’er” walked up to “Little Shizun” with a cold, expressionless face, performing a stiff martial salute. “Shizun… Morning.”

‘Who greets someone with a face like that?! I’m his disciple! That’s definitely not going to work!’

Before the imaginary figure could even finish, Luo Qing’er waved her hands wildly in the air, dispersing the thoughts. She felt that if she kept hesitating on the stairs, Shizun would be gone by the time she got down.

‘I’ll just play it by ear, like I do with Daddy…’

‘Wait, I usually don’t see Daddy until noon, and we just eat. There are no greetings!’

Her eyes turned into dizzy spirals. She was at a total loss. But her feet didn’t stop; her body instinctively led her toward the kitchen. After all, being caught standing like an idiot on the stairs would be even more embarrassing than a bad greeting.

Just before stepping into the kitchen, she took a deep breath to steady her heart and face. She finally mustered the courage to walk in.

However, no matter where she looked, Xu Jinghuai was nowhere to be found.

The only person there was a young girl in a white dress, appearing to be in her mid-teens, squatting in front of the stove.

Though she only saw her back, the color of the girl’s hair told Luo Qing’er that this was not the punchable “bratty loli” Yunlai Xia from her nightmare.

Who was she?

‘No, wait… black hair, white dress, teenage girl…’

Luo Qing’er might be a daydreamer, but she was sharp when it counted. She quickly pieced the traits together and a thought rose in her mind:

‘Is she Shizun’s first disciple… my Eldest Senior Sister, Xia Jin?’