I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

What had begun as a proper act of support had now transformed into a beautiful woman falling into his embrace.

Gazing at the expressionless face of Empress Qin standing at the door, Ye Yong felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

—

Ye Yong was puzzled as to why Qin Shiming had entered at this moment, and the eunuchs outside had not even announced her arrival. Yet, what had happened had happened; rather than dwell on how it came to be, it was better to find a way to resolve it.

“Poem Dream, this is a misunderstanding.” Ye Yongwei raised both hands, a gesture of innocence.

Zhou Yunqi hurriedly distanced herself from his embrace, stumbling as she sat on the chair behind her. “Yes, yes, it’s a misunderstanding.”

Qin Shidream remained silent, simply standing there, her gaze fixed on Ye Yong.

Though she usually wore a mask of indifference, exuding an air of aloofness, the imperial presence she commanded now was terrifyingly potent.

Yet, the fact that her favor had not waned indicated there was hope. Ye Yong invited Qin Shidream in, explaining the situation thoroughly, with Zhou Yunqi nodding in agreement beside him. As a princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she had no need to flaunt her beauty like those from smaller kingdoms to entice anyone. As a scholar, she valued her reputation, hoping to clear the misunderstanding.

“I understand.” Qin Shidream’s expression remained unchanged after hearing this, her tone flat, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.

“Since that is the case, it is getting late. Please excuse Yunqi for taking her leave first.” Zhou Yunqi felt awkward lingering any longer and bowed slightly to Ye Yong before departing. “I truly apologize for what happened.”

“The one who should apologize is me. If it weren’t for Sister Yunqi’s tireless efforts to help me familiarize myself with the palace today, she wouldn’t be so exhausted.”

At the mention of a certain term, Qin Shidream’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

“That is only right. We shall meet again at the national banquet tomorrow. Also, I kindly ask you both not to talk too late, lest rumors arise.” Zhou Yunqi cast a glance at the two, her curiosity piqued about why Qin Shidream had come to find Ye Yong so late. Logically, they should have been broken off from their engagement, yet there was no rule stating that a broken engagement meant they could not rekindle their bond…

After Zhou Yunqi left, a heavy silence enveloped the room.

“So, you were both outside during the day, correct?” Who would have thought that the first to break the silence would be the Empress Qin herself.

Ye Yong was pondering how to convince her that what he had just said was true and nodded. “Indeed, we took a stroll around the outskirts of the treasury’s forbidden area, then went to the East Palace, where we spent some time with Prince Feifan.”

There were plenty of witnesses outside who could attest that they had not spent the entire day indoors; they had just returned.

However, Qin Shidream’s focus was not on this. She looked at Ye Yong. “You call her, Sister Yunqi?”

“…” Ye Yong had been prepared to list everyone he had seen today in detail, but he hadn’t expected to step on a landmine with his choice of address. “She is quite amiable, and she is older than me in both age and cultivation. Calling her sister is nothing inappropriate. But how long have you been here, Shidream?”

“Not long, just since ten this morning.”

Sitting in the pavilion, from morning until night, although practicing her heart method could hasten the passage of time, as darkness deepened, she found it increasingly difficult to remain calm and wait. Ignoring the eunuchs and palace maids, she directly activated her movement technique to enter, only to find Ye Yong intimately supporting Zhou Yunqi.

It was now eight in the evening; she had waited nearly twelve hours.

If it had been Liang Xiaorou, waiting so long only to witness such a scene, it would have been no surprise if she had transformed into a raging loli. One could say Qin Shidream had remained remarkably composed.

Hearing this, Ye Yong felt an overwhelming sense of apology: “Actually, I wanted to come find you, but I was afraid of disturbing your rest, so…”

“Mm…” Qin Shidream had been gazing at Ye Yong for a while now, making him feel quite embarrassed under her scrutiny.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No.” Qin Shidream averted her gaze.

“Shall we eat?” Though Qin Shidream’s behavior was a bit strange, with the misunderstanding cleared, Ye Yong decided to take the initiative. This was a rare moment for just the two of them.

“Alright.”

With a cooking system at his disposal, Ye Yong had prepared some spirit vegetables and spirit rice beforehand. With a simple activation, the system heated everything up, and soon a feast was laid out before them.

They sat side by side, Ye Yong eating while recounting the day’s events. Qin Shidream listened quietly, occasionally picking up food for him.

After the meal, Ye Yong brewed a pot of spirit tea, and the atmosphere returned to their usual camaraderie, though Qin Shidream would occasionally steal glances at his face.

This left Ye Yong feeling quite perplexed.

—More than ten kilometers outside of Buliu Village;

“You’re dead meat!” Over a hundred magical beasts had been tricked into slaughter by the little ghost before him, driving the crystallized magic cultivator into a frenzy. The young foundation builders were equally furious, their eyes bloodshot, wishing they could tear him apart.

Long Tian found himself in a valley, with steep cliffs behind him—a dead end. His clothes were tattered, blood dripping from his body, looking as if he had reached the end of his rope.

“Bring him here! Don’t kill him at once; I want him to watch as his limbs are eaten piece by piece by the beasts.” Young Master Xu, covered in dirt and grime, had fallen into Long Tian’s traps several times, meeting his demise, which only fueled his rage.

“Understood, Young Master!” The crystallized magic cultivator knew that returning to the sect would surely bring punishment, but as long as Young Master Xu was unharmed, it was a good thing. Perhaps, if he pleased Young Master Xu, he might even speak a few good words on his behalf, claiming credit for protecting his master, thus reducing his punishment.

“Come and take your life, you filthy little ghost!” The crystallized magic cultivator shouted, launching himself forward, claws at the ready, aiming for Long Tian.

He admitted that he had suffered quite a bit at the hands of this “foundation-building” brat, but now that the opponent was injured and cornered, he was like a cooked duck—impossible to escape.

When Long Tian suddenly produced an old shovel, the crystallized magic cultivator couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

In this day and age, who would use a shovel as a weapon? Better to save it for digging their own grave!

However, the laughter quickly faded. His advanced eagle claw technique, capable of shattering yellow-grade weapons with a single strike, was unexpectedly blocked by what appeared to be a mere mortal-quality shovel.

Dragon Tian’s lips curled slightly, fully revealing the power of his crystalline second layer. With a strike, a slap, a scoop, he turned the eagle claws of the crystalline demon cultivator into boneless chicken feet.

The old man of the fallen immortals could conceal Dragon Tian’s cultivation, and naturally, he could also obscure the quality of weapons through special means.

This was Dragon Tian’s suggestion; he said that a profound-grade shovel was too conspicuous and not very convenient against foes. Yet, precisely because it was a shovel, it could easily lull the enemy into complacency. Thus, he sought the old man’s counsel on how to hide the weapon’s rank.