The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

Chapter 95 The Princess Wants to Confess to Me (Second Update)

Without sheet music, the women exchanged smiles and began.

First, the zither began to play, a few clear and melodious single notes, like snowflakes falling on ice.

Then the sound of the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) joined in, low and melodious; the sound of the dizi (bamboo flute) was clear and bright, like birdsong in an empty valley;

The sheng's sound is harmonious, bringing together various timbres. The pipa is the last to play, its tremolos like rain, adding a lively touch to the entire piece.

The piece being played is "Searching for Plum Blossoms".

The melody, already fitting for the occasion, is now played amidst the fragrance of plum blossoms on a snowy night, adding even more to its artistic conception.

As the music played, six dancers gracefully entered the stage.

Their figures were already ethereal, and now, with their long sleeves fluttering and skirts swirling, they truly resembled celestial maidens descended from the moon palace.

Zuo Qingqiu watched quietly, occasionally picking up her teacup and taking a sip.

Her expression was indifferent, revealing neither like nor dislike; she was simply focused.

Xiao Bai is much more lively.

She watched without blinking, clapping loudly at every exciting moment, her tail swishing back and forth under the stool. Once, when a beautiful woman performed a difficult spin, her skirt blooming like a lotus flower, she even exclaimed "Wow!"

When the music ended, the women finished their movements and bowed.

Zuo Qingqiu clapped softly: "Very good."

Just two words, yet they brought smiles to the faces of all the beauties.

They knew that True Lord Zixu was aloof and cold, so to receive a simple "very good" was already a very high compliment.

"One more! One more!"

Xiaobai was still not satisfied.

So they changed the song again.

The melody was soothing and lingering, and the dancers also changed their style, their movements as graceful as flowing water.

During breaks in the performance, beautiful women would bring fruit platters.

The plate contained several kinds of spiritual fruits, including vermilion "Crimson Flame Dates" and translucent white "Ice Jade Pears," all of which were beneficial to cultivation.

Thirty-six Sister personally used a silver skewer to pick up a piece of pear and carefully brought it to Zuo Qingqiu's lips.

Zuo Qingqiu opened her mouth and took a bite.

The pear flesh melts in your mouth, its sweet juice carrying a cool sensation, blending with the aroma of tea for a unique flavor.

Little Bai followed suit, opening its mouth and waiting to be fed.

Another beauty also fed her a fruit.

And so, one song after another, until the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM) came before we knew it.

Snow was still falling outside the window, but the hall was warm and cozy, filled with the sounds of music, dancing, and the aroma of fruit and tea.

The last piece was "The Flower in the Mirror".

All the beauties participated this time.

Those who could play instruments played music, those who could dance danced, and the rest sang softly.

The ethereal singing echoed throughout the hall, intertwining with the music to create a web that enveloped everyone.

Zuo Qingqiu listened to the entire piece with her eyes closed.

When she opened her eyes again, her cool gaze revealed no emotion: "Thank you for your hard work."

"I'm glad Your Highness likes it."

Thirty-six Sister bowed slightly.

"It's late, everyone should go back and rest." Zuo Qingqiu waved his hand. "If you want to play again tomorrow, feel free to do so."

The beauties bowed in unison, then their figures gradually faded away, transforming into more than a dozen streaks of light that flew towards the Hundred Beauties Scroll at the array node.

The front hall suddenly became empty, with only the candlelight flickering inside the glass lampshade, casting long shadows on the wall.

Zuo Qingqiu and Xiaobai spent the night in a side room of the villa.

The room was small and simply furnished: a canopy bed with a plain gauze curtain hanging above it; a dressing table and a bronze mirror.

A round table and two embroidered stools.

There was also a small charcoal brazier under the window, burning "smokeless charcoal," which was warm and cozy but without any smoke or dust.

After washing up, the two changed into their nightgowns and went to bed.

The nightgown is made of fine linen and is lighter and thinner than a casual dress.

Zuo Qingqiu's dress is pure white, while Xiao Bai's dress is light blue.

The bed is wide enough for two people to sleep comfortably.

But Xiao Bai insisted on squeezing into Zuo Qingqiu's arms, muttering, "Sister, I'm cold—"

Zuo Qingqiu paused for a moment, then reached out and put his arm around her thin shoulder.

Xiao Bai's body temperature is indeed lower than that of an average person, and it feels slightly cool to the touch, but it is not icy cold.

She suddenly recalled some basic biological knowledge from her previous life: snakes are cold-blooded animals, and their body temperature changes with the environment—but what about dragons? Are dragons thermoregulatory or athermoregulatory? It seems that there is no clear record in the ancient books.

Little did she know that Xiaobai's so-called "it's so cold" was just a common excuse for her to act cute and get close.

How could a true dragon's body truly fear the mere chill of a winter night?

After a moment of silence, Xiaobai suddenly spoke up: "Sister, have you ever been pursued by anyone before?"

Zuo Qingqiu was taken aback: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"I'm just curious."

Little White looked up, her eyes sparkling in the darkness. "Sister is so beautiful and so amazing, there must be a lot of people who like her, right?"

Zuo Qingqiu remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, "There was one during the Qi Refining stage."

"Really?!" Xiaobai exclaimed excitedly, "Male or female?"

"A girl." Zuo Qingqiu's voice was very soft, as if recalling something from a long time ago, "a little girl with a scorpion braid."

"And then what happened?" Xiaobai pressed. "Did you agree to be with her, sister?"

"No, I rejected her feelings and told her that a practitioner should prioritize spiritual practice and not be attached to romantic love."

"And then what? Where is that little girl now?"

"Later on—when she broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, her inner demons backfired, and she perished."

The room fell silent immediately.

The only sounds were the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and the howling of the wind and snow outside the window.

After a long while, Xiao Bai whispered, "Failed to break through to Foundation Establishment—died? But isn't Foundation Establishment just about having claws?"

Her tone was full of disbelief.

It's no wonder she acted that way.

Dragons are blessed with unique advantages. Normally, dragons are born as fifth-tier demonic beasts, which corresponds to the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection stage in the human immortal cultivation system.

Although Xiaobai was born with congenital deficiencies, it was still at the level of a second-tier demon beast (early stage of Foundation Establishment) at birth.

For them, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was as natural as a human baby learning to roll over; they simply couldn't imagine how anyone could fail to even get past this hurdle.

"Hmm." Zuo Qingqiu's voice was calm. "Her talent wasn't top-tier, and she was also a bit impatient. During her Foundation Establishment stage, she was taken advantage of by her inner demons, and then—"

She didn't continue.

But its fate is already self-evident.

Xiao Bai hugged Zuo Qingqiu tightly around the waist, pressed his face against her chest, and listened to her steady heartbeat.

One beat after another, like a gentle drumbeat.

"Sister," she said again.

"Um?"

"I'll always be with you." Xiaobai's voice was muffled by the blanket, but unusually firm. "I won't die. Dragons have long lifespans. As long as I'm not killed, I can live for a very, very long time. As long as I'm alive, I will always, always, always be with my sister."

"From now on, no matter where you go, sister, even to the ends of the earth or to the deepest hell, I will stay with you. I will never leave you like those people you met in the past."

Zuo Qingqiu ruffled Xiaobai's hair: "You really are a silly girl."

"I'm not stupid!" Little White protested. "I'm telling the truth! And I'm going to work hard to cultivate and break through to the Purple Mansion realm as soon as possible, so that Sister can take me to other realms to play!"

Speaking of cultivation, she recalled her earlier words and couldn't help but complain again: "But the cultivation speed of the Dragon Clan is really slow—it's been over a hundred years since I was born, and my sister has already attained the Golden Core stage, while I'm still hovering around the Foundation Establishment stage. I don't know when I'll catch up with her—"

This is true.

Although dragons have a high starting point and long lifespan, their cultivation speed is far slower than that of humans.

If a human cultivator possesses a Grade A Void Aperture and sufficient resources for cultivation, achieving the Purple Mansion stage within a century is difficult, but not impossible.

Zuo Qingqiu herself is the best example.

However, it often takes hundreds of years for dragons to advance from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Purple Mansion stage.

Xiao Bai is currently at the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, seemingly only one small realm away from the Purple Mansion realm: Great Perfection.

But it may take decades or even centuries to reach this small level.