Chapter 172: Hold On, Imperial Advisor! I, the Emperor, Have Recovered 9

Chapter 172: Wait, National Preceptor! I've Recovered 9

Since Qin Hanyue put it that way, Lin Huaiqing had nothing left to say.

That said, Qin Hanyue sure knew how to put on a show! He played the saint in front of women.

And now he suddenly decides to be considerate!

Where was all that kindness when he killed his wife for the Dao?

"Thank you for your consideration, National Preceptor! Your Majesty, this concubine knows you haven't rested well these days, so she specially brewed this calming soup with her own hands." The Virtuous Consort's words shifted through several tones in just a few sentences, and just listening made Lin Huaiqing's whole body tingle.

Too bad he wasn't meant to enjoy such feminine charms.

With a smile on his face, Lin Huaiqing took the bowl of soup from the Virtuous Consort's hands. He could already see right through the soup, straight to the potent aphrodisiac hidden inside.

"Since it's my beloved consort's kind gesture, I..." Lin Huaiqing turned and offered the bowl to Qin Hanyue, "I'll bestow this calming soup on the National Preceptor!"

His move caught everyone in the room off guard, especially the Virtuous Consort who had brought the soup. She knew better than anyone exactly how much she'd slipped into it.

The Virtuous Consort's face went pale instantly, and she hurriedly tried to stop him:

"Your Majesty! This was brewed for you! How can you just give it away?"

"Ah! That's where you're wrong, my consort! The National Preceptor is the one I respect most—how could he be 'someone else'? I've just drunk my fill of tea here with the National Preceptor, and I can't drink another drop right now. I see this calming soup you've brought, my consort—it'd be a shame to waste it. Let the National Preceptor drink it instead!"

If there'd been a mirror right then, Lin Huaiqing would've seen just how gleefully smug his smile was.

This drug was no joke—even if Qin Hanyue could use spiritual power to dissolve its effects, it wouldn't be cleansed that fast.

Just thinking about Qin Hanyue possibly making a fool of himself in front of him made Lin Huaiqing gleeful and satisfied!

"This..."

"Since it's a gift from Your Majesty, I'll gratefully accept it." Qin Hanyue took the calming soup with barely a pause and drank it down in one go.

"Not bad!" He even gave a brief review after finishing.

Seeing how things were going, the Virtuous Consort quickly took her leave. Now only Lin Huaiqing and Qin Hanyue, who'd just downed the "calming soup," remained in the room.

"Does Your Majesty need anything else?"

"There is..." Of course—to watch you make a fool of yourself.

Lin Huaiqing deliberately dawdled, wandering around Qin Hanyue's Penglai Pavilion, looking here and there, occasionally commenting on the decor.

During this time, Qin Hanyue increasingly felt something wrong with his body—a fire burning hotter and hotter inside him.

His normally flawless cheeks were now tinged with two patches of red, making him look even more vibrant and striking.

Qin Hanyue clutched his chest, then thought better of it, swallowed hard, but still felt unsatisfied. He could only tug at his collar, pulling his robes aside.

Lin Huaiqing noticed every subtle change in his body, secretly rejoicing while keeping up a facade of complete ignorance.

"Oh dear! National Preceptor, what's wrong? Why's your face so red and hot? Are you sick?" Lin Huaiqing pretended to be concerned as he reached out to touch Qin Hanyue's cheek.

It was startlingly hot.

At this moment, the drugged Qin Hanyue's eyes were hazy, his steps unsteady, and every breath he exhaled was scorching hot, as if searing his skin.

"How can this be... Cultivators don't get sick!"

Qin Hanyue always had that aloof, untouchable air about him, and Lin Huaiqing had long grown tired of it. Who would've thought that the National Preceptor, once drugged, would not only drop his cold demeanor but also exude a certain charm all his own?

"Can you still stand? Want me to help you to bed?" This Qin Hanyue wasn't so tough after all—one bowl of soup and he's this weak? That's all he's got?

"Then I'll have to impose on Your Majesty."

Qin Hanyue tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, looking frail as if he could barely stand.

This not only satisfied Lin Huaiqing's masculine sense of triumph but also stirred a hint of pity in him.

Lin Huaiqing grabbed Qin Hanyue's arm, supporting him to stay upright as they walked out of the outer hall together. Though the two were only a centimeter apart in height, Qin Hanyue's muscles were solid and dense, making him weigh far more than Lin Huaiqing.

So much so that when Qin Hanyue leaned his full weight on him, Lin Huaiqing nearly couldn't handle it.

In cultivation, you must first cultivate the body—if two cultivators of equal skill fought, the one with the weaker physique would surely lose first. In his past life, he'd suffered precisely because of his poor physical condition. Otherwise, he could've...

After great effort, Lin Huaiqing finally helped Qin Hanyue to his bedchamber. Qin Hanyue made it inside, but Lin Huaiqing slammed headfirst into that barrier, getting a large bump on his forehead.

Qin Hanyue was mortified and quickly dispelled the barrier. "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

"What do you mean, alright? Why would you install something like this in your own bedchamber for no reason? My imperial head..."

"...It was careless of me. I never imagined Your Majesty would one day personally escort me back to my chambers."

A gentleman doesn't hold grudges against petty men—Lin Huaiqing decided to help Qin Hanyue back to bed and take the opportunity to look around his room.

Going deeper in, Lin Huaiqing got a full view of Qin Hanyue's treasured collection. This was practically a match for his own imperial treasury.

Spiritual pills and miraculous medicines of every kind, immortal sect artifacts in dazzling array, talisman papers and spiritual tools piled up like mountains.

Even the top-grade Marrow-Washing Pill, which had been a rare sight even in his past life, was piled aside in Qin Hanyue's chambers like surplus provisions.

Fine. Just fine. Qin Hanyue's life as National Preceptor was more cushy than his own as emperor.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Lin Huaiqing spoke up: "National Preceptor, all these treasures of yours—did you bring them down from your mountain? Is your sect still recruiting?"

Qin Hanyue turned his head and saw Lin Huaiqing's eyes sparkling with wonder as he gazed at the room full of treasures. He found it both endearing and funny.

"They're just some worthless trinkets. If Your Majesty likes anything, feel free to take it."

Lin Huaiqing stared at the top-grade Nine-Turn Great Restoration Pill placed prominently in view—a single one could buy an entire spiritual mountain in the cultivation world—and twitched the corner of his mouth: "The National Preceptor sure is modest..."

Finally, Qin Hanyue's bed was right before them. Lin Huaiqing used every ounce of strength he had to help him onto it.

But as he set him down, his strength gave out, and Qin Hanyue grabbed him tightly, sending them both tumbling onto the bed together.

Lin Huaiqing landed on top of Qin Hanyue, the hair crown on his head jabbing into Qin Hanyue's chin, while his cheek pressed through a thin layer of fabric against Qin Hanyue's firm chest.

It felt as though his face was burned by the heat radiating off him. Lin Huaiqing scrambled up immediately, sat on the edge of the bed, and took a deep breath.

Then he made to leave, acting like nothing had happened.

How could he be tempted by mere male beauty? That last move was definitely Qin Hanyue's doing!

"National Preceptor, you're unwell—get some rest!"

"Your Majesty!" Qin Hanyue called out just in time. "Your Majesty surely knows what was in the Virtuous Consort's soup. Are you really going to just leave me here alone like this?"