Yang Qinglan emerged from her room, her pure and stunning face complemented by an off-shoulder blue long-sleeve with beautiful pleats at the neckline, and a beige short skirt that showed off her long, fair legs.
Her waist-length black hair was casually tied at the back of her head, lending her a slender figure that didn't lack in charm.
She was still as youthfully beautiful as ever, but compared to her previous aloofness, she now exuded a touch of gentle ease.
Seeing her approach, Li Changzhou couldn't help but show a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Yang Qinglan was fine until she made eye contact with him, then she too couldn't help but smile a little.
It wasn't as though there was anything particularly amusing, and they hadn't been apart for that long. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Qing Lan, your hair looks especially beautiful today!" Li Qianxia's lips were made of honey.
"Really? I did it the same way as always." Yang Qinglan's right hand, delicate like a lily, lightly touched her hair.
"Well... It used to just have form, but now it has spirit, like a newlywed beauty!"
"Beauty? Are you suggesting I'm old?"
"Of course not! Why do you and my brother always like to wrong me!"
Yang Qinglan chuckled, her gaze turning towards Li Changzhou: "Don't just sit there, go hunt two rabbits and get a leg of lamb from the Frost Queen, Qian Xia, you go catch some fish, and I'll pick some vegetables, Turquoise Pool will pick some fruits."
"Understood!" The Li siblings began to move like eager underlings.
As Li Qianxia walked, her clothing transformed into a white T-shirt and black shorts, revealing her astonishingly long legs.
Yang Qinglan and Turquoise Pool headed towards the vegetable garden and orchard.
Suddenly, Turquoise Pool pinched Yang Qinglan's waist.
"What are you doing?" Yang Qinglan was caught off guard and a bit confused.
Turquoise Pool leaned in close, whispering: "You vixen!"
"What vixen?" Yang Qinglan knew she'd been caught out, feeling shy inwardly but maintaining her composure on the outside.
"We are legally married." Yang Qinglan decided to face the matter head-on, knowing that the more shy she was, the more others would tease her.
Turquoise Pool glanced at Li Changzhou, who, bereft of mana, could not catch up with the rabbits, and asked Yang Qinglan in an even lower voice, "Confess honestly... how does it feel?"
"How does what feel?"
"Doing..." Turquoise Pool found herself too shy to continue.
Yang Qinglan gave her a knowing smile and headed for the trunk leading to the vegetable garden, leaving a possibly, probably, perhaps mocked Turquoise Pool behind.
So, after they ate, during the reflection meeting, while munching on blueberries, Turquoise Pool suggested, "This time Changzhou narrowly escaped death, but next time might not be the same. I suggest he becomes a king."
"Become a king?" Legs curled up in the rocking chair, and hugging half a watermelon, Li Qianxia took a moment to respond.
The orchard's fruit, both in variety and quantity, was frighteningly abundant.
Even if they shared with Bi, Beia, Yafeiluna, Zheng Qing, and the Central King (mainly it was Li Qianxia giving, filling her Storage Bag to give away), and provided some to the Moon Base, there was still more than they could eat.
This was on top of all the animals in the world of Honey Jars helping with fruit and vegetable consumption, indicating the enormity of the produce yield.
Regarding Turquoise Pool's suggestion, Li Changzhou was definitely opposed, with a firm attitude.
He hadn't accepted it when nothing had happened between him and Yang Qinglan, so why would he accept now, after something had?
He may have the vigor of a beast, but he was not an actual beast.
"You all saw the power of an S-grade Instinct this time. Once Changzhou becomes a king, he'll gain an S-grade Instinct, and my Instinct can be perfected too," Turquoise Pool continued.
She wasn't just speaking for her own interests but truly considering the team; only such motives could move people's hearts.
Li Qianxia, snapping back to reality, continued to spoon watermelon while watching the excitement with her grape-like sparkling eyes.
"No way," Li Changzhou said, "as for safety, with S-grade 'Teleportation' and S- 'Candle', we can handle most situations. Those we can't, 'King' and 'Favored Concubine' wouldn't be able to either."
"That's not necessarily true," Turquoise Pool said with a smile.
Li Changzhou couldn't be bothered to continue the conversation and took a firm peach, crunching into it with a juicy, rosy flesh and a fragrant taste.
To his surprise, Yang Qinglan spoke up.
"What are the conditions for becoming a king?" She looked serious, truly contemplating the matter, "if it's similar to Yafeiluna's 'Mafia Mistress', I might agree."
"Qing Lan?" Li Changzhou looked at her, puzzled.
Even if the conditions were similar to 'Mafia Mistress', would Turquoise Pool and Yafeiluna be the same?
Li Changzhou accepted Yafeiluna as a mistress because he could never have feelings for her, but Turquoise Pool, not to mention her Instinct, her natural Charm itself was dangerous.
Li Changzhou was no saint. He couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be tempted, so the best strategy was to avoid entanglement and stick to his boundaries.
As a somewhat outsider, Turquoise Pool was very aware of Yang Qinglan's thoughts.
Now that the two of them had been intimate, just as Li Changzhou would never do anything to hurt Yang Qinglan, Yang Qinglan had also begun to consider everything for Li Changzhou's sake.
"It's roughly similar," she cast a glance at Li Changzhou eating the peach, "but let's let him decide for himself."
She thought it through clearly; sooner or later, she would join forces with Yang Qinglan, presenting a united front against outsiders. There was no need to manipulate Yang Qinglan's feelings; it was more appropriate to tease Li Changzhou.
Plus, teasing Li Changzhou was so much fun.
"I don't need it," Li Changzhou affirmed.
"Then we'll talk about it another time," Turquoise Pool said, chuckling as she continued to eat blueberries.
Such matters couldn't be settled in one go, but by bringing it up from time to time, the idea would imprint on Li Changzhou and Yang Qinglan's minds. The next time they considered enhancing their combat power, they would think of 'Favored Concubine - King' first.