Chapter 299: Chapter 218: Chen’er, Aunt’s Promise…_i

At this moment, Chu Yuqin’s face was unmistakably serious, and she appeared to be genuinely angry.

She knew that Chu Qingli had always had grievances with Lu Chen, but regardless, Lu Chen was the ruler of a feudal state, a Seignior; how could he be insulted at will by others.

Seeing the darkening expression on Chu Yuqin’s face, Chu Qingli felt a pang in her heart, realizing that she had perhaps gone too far.

Although Lu Chen was indeed a scoundrel, it was fine for her to curse him in bed, but she couldn’t curse him in front of others. Even a Prince needed to save face.

Chu Qingli then had no choice but to say, “Sister, I know I was wrong.”

Chu Yuqin then said sternly, “Qingli, you must apologize to Chen’er immediately.”

Hearing this, Chu Qingli reluctantly looked at Lu Chen and said, “Prince, I’m sorry, I know I was wrong.”

Even as she mouthed an apology, Chu Qingli’s heart still harbored a strong resentment. She had been rebuffed all of last night, and now early this morning, she had to apologize to this lecher.

This guy not only had his fill of pleasure, but he was probably thrilled in his heart too; he likely wanted to see her apologizing and admitting her mistake. Despicable man, actually using her sister to make her apologize to him; if they ever had a chance to be alone again, she would definitely get her revenge on this guy.

Upon hearing Chu Qingli’s words of apology, Lu Chen immediately said, “Madam Chu, it’s fine, I don’t mind at all.”

“I was also at fault earlier; I shouldn’t have torn Qingli’s clothes and caused her embarrassment.”

Seeing Lu Chen also admitting his mistake, Chu Yuqin quickly said, “Chen’er, you are now the sovereign of a nation; you can’t just admit fault so lightly outside.”

Although a Seignior wasn’t as grand as an Emperor, he was still a symbol of power; how could he casually admit fault? Casually admitting fault would suggest that he, as a Seignior, was not up to par, always doing things wrong. This was similar to an Emperor issuing an edict admitting personal guilt; the more powerful one is, the less they can afford to apologize and admit fault lightly.

Lu Chen said with a smile, “Madam Chu, I understand your meaning, and I would only say this within the inner courtyard; I would not casually apologize to others outside.”

“And indeed, I was the one at fault earlier.”

Hearing Lu Chen’s response, Chu Yuqin sighed, then addressed Chu Qingli, “Qingli, Chen’er is treating you for your own good; don’t refuse his kindness.” As she spoke, Chu Yuqin gave Chu Qingli a thorough look and noticed many red marks on her neck.

She continued, “Sister shouldn’t have let you drink last night. I didn’t expect you to fall into deviance again. Thankfully, Chen’er found out.”

Lu Chen said with a smile, “Madam Chu, don’t worry. Although Qingli fell into deviance, it hasn’t had much of an impact on her body. The biggest problem is the scars appearing on her body.”

Chu Yuqin said, “These scars can have a considerable impact on a woman. Qingh is still a virgin and has not yet married; with such marks, it might be difficult for her to find a husband. No man would want to see so many scars on his wife’s body.”

Lu Chen said, “That’s alright; if it comes to it, Qingli can just stay in the North Prince Mansion for the rest of her life.”

Hearing this, a chill went through Chu Yuqin’s heart, and she cast Lu Chen a deep look.

This little scoundrel, he indeed had designs on Qingli.

She had suspected from the beginning that once Qingli entered the North Prince Mansion, it would be very difficult for her to ever leave.

After being looked at reproachfully by Chu Yuqin, Lu Chen gave an awkward smile and said, “Qingli, don’t move; I will continue the treatment for you.” With that, Lu Chen raised his hand and used the Rejuvenating Skill, pretending to treat the marks on her neck. Afterward, some of the scars on Chu Qingli’s neck began to fade away.

However, Lu Chen did not completely remove them; after all, these were marks he had left, which shouldn’t be erased so casually.

Chu Qingli’s expression was cold at this time, yet a faint blush still graced her indifferent face.

Seeing that Chu Qingli’s face seemed to flush with anger, Chu Yuqin sighed inwardly once again. It seemed that changing Chu Qingli’s attitude toward Lu Chen was not going to be a matter of a day or two.

As Chu Yuqin was reflecting on this, she suddenly smelled an odd scent in the air, one she had detected countless times before, but she could never quite place what it was.

Suddenly, Chu Yuqin realized that every time Chu Qingli fell into deviance, this scent would linger in her room. Could it be…

Could it be the impurities expelled from her body after falling into deviance?

Yes, that must be it; otherwise, why would there always be such a strange odor on Chu Qingli?

Chu Yuqin no longer dwelled on the thought.

Just then, Lu Chen raised his hand and said to Chu Qingli, “Qingli, I have treated you a little, but your scars need several more treatments to heal. Whenever you have the time, come to me for treatment. Last night, your deviance caused you to sweat out many impurities. You should go take a bath first.”

Hearing Lu Chen’s words, Chu Qingli glared coldly at him, then turned and walked away.

As Chu Yuqin watched Chu Qingli’s retreating figure, droplets of murky sweat fell from her body as she moved. Chu Yuqin thought to herself that it appeared Qingli’s body had indeed expelled many impurities; she wondered what the root cause of her deviance was.

Could it be due to the environment?

Qingli’s practice of martial arts shouldn’t have led to such frequent bouts of deviance, right?

If a martial artist were to suffer from deviance so often during training, they would probably have lost all their skill and become incapacitated by now. But Chu Qingli hadn’t.

Every time she fell into deviance, she would recover swiftly. This rapid recovery could be attributed to Lu Chen’s Immortal Technique, after all, his technique could easily heal even wounds on the body.

However, the frequent instances of deviation during practice were difficult to explain.

Could it be because she harbored deep resentment towards Lu Chen, yet was powerless against him, leading her to become agitated while cultivating and thus causing her to deviate from the correct path?

For martial artists, a disturbed mind was the most taboo; once disturbed, it was very likely to lead to deviation during cultivation.

Chu Qingli’s frequent deviations must have had their reasons, and perhaps it might really be due to this.

The thought made Chu Yuqin’s heart waver with indecision.

If that really was the reason, then the affair between her and Lu Chen must be kept from Chu Qingli at all costs. If Chu Qingli were to learn that she had been physically tending to Lu Chen, wouldn’t that make her even more susceptible to deviation during practice?

At that thought, Chu Yuqin felt a swell of worry in her heart.

But just then, something occurred to Chu Yuqin. Hadn’t she asked Lu Chen to come to her room last night? Did Lu Chen actually come?

With that in mind, Chu Yuqin looked at Lu Chen and said, “Chen’er, didn’t I ask you to come to my room last night? Did you…”

Chu Yuqin didn’t finish her sentence. As she spoke, her pretty face began to burn with heat. For some reason, she had been constantly thinking about serving Lu Chen lately. Perhaps it was because her promise had gone unfulfilled for so long and she feared Lu Chen would think she wasn’t keeping her word, or perhaps it was for some other reason.

Whatever the exact reason, she didn’t know. She simply wanted to find various ways to spend time alone with Lu Chen. Yet whenever she thought of her sister, her heart would again feel incredibly conflicted.

Lu Chen turned to look at Chu Yuqin, whose cheeks were now flushed. He had been ready to conquer Chu Yuqin last night, but who would have thought Chu Qingh would also be in the room and, moreover, awake? With no other choice, he had to deal with Chu Qingli. And watching Chu Yuqin, with her goddess-like beauty, handle Chu Qingli was indeed a different experience.

Lu Chen didn’t feel that he was at a loss. Judging by his progress with subduing Chu Qingli, it was only a matter of time before she accepted his relationship with Chu Yuqin.

Sooner or later, he would be openly cultivating a relationship with Chu Yuqin in front of Chu Qingli, and he was confident she wouldn’t have anything to say about it.

Lu Chen said with a smile, “I came last night, but seeing Madam Chu drunk and lying on the ground, I had to help Qing Li get you to bed to sleep. Then I went back.”

“I wanted to come and see how you were doing early this morning, but I didn’t expect to run into Qing Li deviating during her practice.”

Chu Yuqin sighed inwardly with a tinge of regret in her tone, “I see.”

Curious, Lu Chen asked, “Madam Chu, did you have something to tell me last night?”

“I…” Chu Yuqin hesitated.

She simply couldn’t bring herself to admit that she had sought Lu Chen last night to serve him.

After a pause, Chu Yuqin said, “I… wanted to ask you to use the Immortal Technique to check on Qing Li and see why she keeps deviating during her practice—whether there’s something wrong with her body.”

Seeing Chu Yuqin’s face flush, Lu Chen knew she wasn’t telling the truth. Drawing closer, he whispered in her ear, “Madam Chu, Qing Li is no longer in the room, you can tell the truth now, right?”

“Did you seek me out yesterday to confess our relationship to Qing Li while under the influence of alcohol?”

This…

Seeing that Lu Chen had misunderstood, Chu Yuqin breathed a sigh of relief, then said, “Aunt did have that idea at first, but as you’ve seen, Qing Li is still unable to accept you. I suspect her frequent deviations during cultivation are because she cannot accept you, leading to distracting thoughts. Why don’t you find a reason to send her somewhere else?”

Lu Chen replied, “That won’t be necessary, I’ll find a way to get her to accept me soon. You saw the scars on her body; I still need to treat those. She can’t be too far from the Prince’s Mansion. If those scars aren’t healed, they may stay forever.”

Hearing this, something stirred in Chu Yuqin’s heart.

Scars had a very significant impact on a woman, as all women valued beauty. Moreover, Chu Qingli was an unmarried maiden; she certainly couldn’t afford to have so many scars on her body.

Lu Chen assured with a smile, “Don’t worry, Madam Chu, it won’t be long before Qing Li can accept me. She’s just a tough talker with a soft heart. She may seem strong, but both her body and mind are quite tender.”

Chu Yuqin responded, “Now all we can do is hope she can accept you.”

“But…”

As she spoke, Chu Yuqin timidly looked into Lu Chen’s eyes, “Chen’er, Aunt’s promise…”

Chu Yuqin’s statement hung in the air, followed by her silence, too ashamed to continue.

Gazing into Chu Yuqin’s beautiful eyes, Lu Chen said, “Madam Chu, I will try to control myself for now.”

Flushed, Chu Yuqin suggested, “Then perhaps Zixuan can find you a concubine for now.”

Lu Chen responded, “That’s not necessary. Now that I am a Grandmaster, an ordinary woman may not last long with me.”

Chu Yuqin acknowledged, “That’s true.”

“Alright, Madam Chu, I have state affairs to attend to and must leave now,” said Lu Chen.

Chu Yuqin softly hummed in acknowledgment, and the next moment, Lu Chen turned and walked away.

As he left, Lu Chen thought how fortunate he was to be clever enough to have put on his clothes just before dawn, showing just enough to prevent Chu Yuqin from discovering what he had done earlier.

But to speak of it, that feeling was incredible, truly thrilling. And this wasn’t about any psychological thrill but rather a physical stimulation.

After this incident, he didn’t believe Chu Qingli would have the face to prevent him and Chu Yuqin from being together.