Chapter 50: Young lady, have a cup of aphrodisiac!

Sometimes, Zi Menghan truly admired He Qiu.

This young man, whether intentionally or not, always managed to do things in a very cunning way.

The most absurd part was that when he did these things, it made others unable to tell if it was unintentional or deliberate.

Zi Menghan did not want to drink that cup of tea.

She was afraid something might have been slipped into it.

So, she made excuses and kept avoiding it.

As a result, after a round of excuses and lies to avoid it, the topic was somehow steered back to the hot tea by He Qiu.

Now, Zi Menghan was in a difficult position.

She couldn’t not drink it anymore.

If she thought about it carefully, Zi Menghan could easily guess why Young Master He was so fixated on this cup of hot tea, insisting she drink it today.

Could it be…

This tea really has some strange powder in it…

Could it be…

Young Master He is really some kind of smiling, scheming person…

If this guess was true, then Zi Menghan was truly afraid.

She, a Demon Sect Princess extremely skilled at disguise, had actually been outmaneuvered in cunning by a young man from the Orthodox Path, played from start to finish.

If she thought further back, she didn’t dare imagine at what point she had fallen into the trap, ending up unwittingly living under someone else’s roof, having to cohabit with a man.

Throughout all this, Zi Menghan hadn’t felt the slightest desire to resist, as if it was all natural.

In terms of methods, she really couldn’t play his game.

Drink!

So what if it’s an aphrodisiac?

I’ll drink it!

The corner of her lips twitched slightly.

The girl’s pure, innocent face was filled with reluctance and determination.

Under He Qiu’s very natural “smiling” gaze, she tremblingly picked up that cup of hot tea, and then—

Gulp!

Gulp!

Two big mouthfuls, downed in one go.

The hot liquid slid down her throat into her stomach, finally settling the warmth in her lower abdomen, a comforting heat spreading throughout her body.

A moment later, Zi Menghan couldn’t help but feel her head getting a bit dizzy, and her skin all over started to feel increasingly hot.

What’s going on?

She had just been guessing wildly earlier, mentally talking tough.

Could it…

Really be an aphrodisiac?

Her consciousness began to blur.

The girl looked at He Qiu with confusion, her expression between a smile and not, her voice trembling:

“Young… Young Master He, why… why does Meng’er feel her body getting hot?”

“Feeling sleepy is normal, because I put medicine in it.”

He Qiu stated frankly.

As he spoke, he casually opened the lid of the teapot on the table, taking out a strange-looking herb soaking inside to show Zi Menghan.

“This is called Dream-Containing Grass. Don’t be fooled by its thorny appearance; actually, brewing it into tea has quite a few—”

“!”

Sure enough, it’s an…

An aphrodisiac…

Before she could hear the rest, drowsiness eroded Zi Menghan’s consciousness.

She couldn’t keep her eyes open at all and immediately collapsed, fainting.

This left He Qiu dumbfounded.

He hadn’t even finished speaking?

Did the herb take effect that fast?

“Miss Meng’er?”

He patted the girl’s shoulder but got no response.

For a moment, He Qiu took a sharp breath, poured himself another cup of the hot tea, and drank it to taste.

Nothing wrong with it.

It’s just ordinary hot tea.

That day, Elder Xueyin visited He Qiu late at night, sat here drinking tea, and brewed this very Dream-Containing Grass.

At the time, He Qiu found the taste quite good and drank the entire pot until it was empty.

An Daosheng, seeing his young age yet good taste in tea, opened his storage ring and gifted He Qiu over a dozen stalks of Dream-Containing Grass for him to keep and drink, then left.

Later, He Qiu went to the All-Books Pavilion himself to look through books and learned the brief introduction and main effects of Dream-Containing Grass:

Dream-Containing Grass grows in mountainous forest areas abundant with spiritual energy.

At night, it relies on the dreams of Spirit Beasts for nourishment.

Its growth cycle is three years.

Each stalk can be used to brew tea three times or can be taken directly as medicine.

It is quite expensive.

Characteristics: Brewed as tea, it can induce a dream-like sensation, deeply favored by cultivators for the feeling of floating in ecstasy it provides.

Main Effects: Detoxification, health preservation, nourishing Spirit Veins, tonifying the kidneys, aiding sleep…

In short, it’s a good type of tea.

Drinking Dream-Containing Grass regularly has many benefits.

Among these, the main effect of Dream-Containing Grass is detoxification.

Aiding sleep is only one of its most minor effects.

But who could have thought that this girl Meng’er, after just one cup, would look pained, distressed, her skin all over turning red as if with a high fever, and directly collapse on the table unconscious?

This isn’t scientific.

This can’t be…

Did drinking tea cause someone to have an accident…

The more He Qiu thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

He still got up, carefully carried Zi Menghan back to her room, tucked her in properly, then hurried out the door, heading towards the All-Books Pavilion.

He heard that the All-Books Pavilion’s Fairy Nan was widely read in celestial texts, knowledgeable about hundreds of herbs, and skilled in medicine.

He Qiu planned to go ask that female Elder for advice.

…

All-Books Pavilion, Basement Level One, Underground Library

In the center of the spiraling, circular floor structure, a high seat carved from rosewood floated in the air.

On the wooden seat, a tall and curvaceous woman leaned lazily against the backrest.

She crossed her legs, one hand casually holding an ancient scroll to read, the other propping up her chin.

Her smooth, black long hair cascaded down from the throne, at least two meters in length.

Today, Nangong Qiongxiao wore a thin, gauzy black dress with a wide-open collar, but there was no cleavage—she was flat-chested.

The dress had a high slit, revealing two snow-white long legs crossed together, like two entwined white snakes.

The black dress and white legs created an extremely strong visual contrast, wantonly exuding an alluring aura.

Her figure was enchanting and bewitching, her appearance stunning, possessing both youthful beauty and the dignity of one in a high position, her eyes ethereal and captivating.

“Hmm?”

She seemed to notice something, lightly tapping a ripple of spiritual energy, her voice cold.

“Did you find out anything?”

From the shadows, a dark figure emerged from the darkness, kneeling on one knee.

“Reporting to Your Majesty the Empress!”

“He Qiu, detailed origins unknown. Once participated in the Eastern City’s civil service examination, achieving top scholar. Originally scheduled to take a ninth-rank civil service position in our dynasty, but was later spotted by the Longyin Sect’s Elder Xueyin, taken back to the Longyin Sect, and directly accepted as a Progeny Disciple. After that…”

“That’s… all?”

After listening, Nangong Qiongxiao raised an eyebrow, somewhat displeased.

Immediately, the dark figure trembled all over, lowering its head in silence.

“So, that fellow An Daosheng really hit the jackpot, picking up a treasure? A once-in-a-thousand-years divine talent like He Qiu, how did he spot him at a glance? Is his judgment that accurate?”

Thinking of the young man’s performance at the Martial Arts Arena a few days ago, Nangong Qiongxiao felt extremely envious and deeply moved.

Such an outstanding seedling with divine veins.

As the ruler of a dynasty, she truly wanted to poach He Qiu, take him back, nurture him carefully, and in the future enlist him to serve the Kyushu Heavenly Dynasty, to serve her.

But unfortunately, this time An Daosheng got there first.

However, Nangong Qiongxiao was a woman of great suspicion.

She felt He Qiu’s background was far too dubious.

And as an empress, accustomed to holding power over the world—talents, even if she couldn’t obtain them, she at least needed to know their roots thoroughly.

She had to figure out exactly what relationship He Qiu and An Daosheng had, and also what was going on with the marriage engagement between the Primordial Saintess and He Qiu this morning.

It was all too absurd.

“Your Majesty the Empress, perhaps this subordinate should go directly tonight and take that He Qiu—”

“No!”

Before the suggestion from the covert department was finished, Nangong Qiongxiao sharply rebuked the former, then sighed.

“This is the Longyin Sect, not under the jurisdiction of our dynasty. You do not have permission to act against disciples of another sect without authorization.”

“My deepest apologies!”

The subordinate repeatedly bowed their head.

Nangong Qiongxiao waved her hand, feeling a bit mentally fatigued.

“Forget it, this matter isn’t urgent. Go back and investigate slowly. I will also try to make contact with that child in the coming days…”

“Yes!”

The subordinate acknowledged, then vanished into the darkness once more.

Nangong Qiongxiao closed the book scroll in her hand, closed her eyes to rest, contemplating her future infiltration plans within the Longyin Sect.

Suddenly, she opened her beautiful eyes, a faint smile curling her lips.

“Think of He Qiu, and He Qiu arrives. How timely~”