TAISS – Chapter 24

Lin Jianheng’s gaze faltered slightly, landing on the eyes of the person before her.

A member of the royal family was also calling her Little Highness.

Lin Jianheng hadn’t expected this group to relent so quickly, to agree to tell her about her origins.

After all, she had no past memories, nor any proof to show whether she was the original Jian Heng.

If her identity was truly so valuable, these powerful figures, whose combined schemes could wrap around Capital Star hundreds of times, should have been even more cautious.

Something must have happened that forced them to tell her about her identity immediately.

Did something happen to Canglin Zhixian?

Currently, only two members of the main royal line still made public appearances: one was the 52nd generation’s current King, Canglin Jingyuan, and the other was her daughter, the current Princess Canglin Zhixian, who had caused a commotion in the shopping district yesterday and was knocked out by Li Zhaoge after a big fight with their special abilities.

If she was also a member of the royal family, could it be that they were in a hurry to find her because there was no one else to succeed the throne?

There was no use in overthinking. Lin Jianheng straightened her posture slightly and looked at the five women present, suddenly finding their roles very interesting.

Jian Lingxuan represented the aristocracy and was also her “adoptive sister.” She was an emotional card to play, as well as the second most powerful force in the Empire after the royal family.

Lu Yuanchen represented the medical field, a representative figure of the wealthy elite, related to finance and health.

Li Zhaoge represented the Imperial Guard and culture. Her identity was the most sensitive and special, related to military power and the Empire’s mouthpiece.

Needless to say, the purple-eyed woman was a member of the royal family herself, the seat of the Empire’s power.

Then this unfamiliar woman next to her…

Lin Jianheng made a bold guess: she represented science and technology, a leader in the technical field.

Any one of these people could make a whole crowd of Imperial citizens kneel in fear if let loose.

Yet today, they were all gathered before her, just to reveal her identity.

It seemed that not many people knew her true identity; perhaps only the five of them in the entire Empire.

What a headache. Lin Jianheng wanted to run.

This underground location had no electronic devices. Her phone had been taken before she entered, and her optical computer couldn’t connect to the outside world.

Lin Jianheng thought of the AI Butler, surrounded by layers of electrically insulating material, and understood.

This place was chosen specifically to guard against intelligent AIs.

“Please speak.” Before she was clear on what cards she held, Lin Jianheng chose to adopt a better attitude.

She hadn’t expected to be met with two minutes of silence.

Lin Jianheng raised an eyebrow. She had somewhat anticipated it, but she wasn’t pleased.

“I’ll start with the part I know,” Jian Lingxuan broke the silence in time.

“Xiao Heng, twenty-five years ago, you were brought back from the Tanmo Star System by a Jian family retainer. At the time, my mother, Jian Zunqiu, was there on business and ‘happened to find’ you, and escorted you back with the retainer.”

So, she and Jian Lingxuan were not related by blood.

Lin Jianheng felt a little disappointed. She had quite wanted a sister.

On second thought, besides nagging her, Jian Lingxuan wouldn’t even help her collect rent. Maybe it was better not to have this sister.

“I was five then, and I remember you vividly. Because you took a full three years of incubation before you finally broke out of your shell.”

The average citizen of the Empire only needed to be incubated for six months to be born. Jian Lingxuan herself had only been incubated by her mommy for 190 days.

“Three years was too long. We once thought you were already dead. My mother and mommy didn’t know whose child you were. The Tanmo Star System is in a state of constant war, and there are many uncared-for eggs and orphans. They just thought it was a coincidence, and since they found you, they brought you back.”

Lin Jianheng suppressed the urge to complain. She hadn’t seen her mother and mommy since she returned, but weren’t those two a bit too careless? Picking up a random egg and daring to bring it home.

As Jian Lingxuan said, the Tanmo Star was constantly at war. What if the egg belonged to the enemy?

Unless, Jian Zunqiu wasn’t there for business at all.

Jian Lingxuan’s next words confirmed Lin Jianheng’s thoughts.

“When you hatched, you already had spiritual power surpassing that of an adult. That day, when I came home from school, I felt an indescribable pressure, as if an entire planet was pressing down on my head, determined to break my bones.” Jian Lingxuan paused, avoiding adding too much personal emotion.

“According to the servants at home, the pressure lasted for a full twelve hours. Mother said you didn’t cry or fuss, unlike other babies. You just lay there quietly, unable to control your spiritual power because you were still an infant. Later, the current King, Canglin Jingyuan, came to our home and sealed most of your spiritual power.”

“It was also that day she told us that you have royal blood, that you are the posthumous child of the previous King. The previous King, Canglin Diexun, died in the flames of war for unknown reasons, leaving only you behind. Back then, my mother and a group of retainers went to the Tanmo Star precisely to search for your whereabouts, based on a message she left behind.”

Lin Jianheng closed her eyes, delving into her spiritual space to search for the memories that had surfaced the day she killed the usurper.

She had truly been brought out of the fires of war, carried step by step by mortal flesh.

The woman who held her was perhaps just a Jian family retainer, long dead, who wouldn’t even tell her her name.

Her heart grew a little cold, for the people who had sacrificed themselves to save her, who was just an egg at the time.

“Let me continue from here,” the purple-eyed member of the royal family took over from Jian Lingxuan.

“Let me introduce myself first. Xiao Heng, you may not remember me. I am the current King Jingyuan’s sister, Xilan. And I was once your mentor.”

Lin Jianheng gazed at her, trying to dig out past memories from her spiritual space, but to no avail.

She truly had no memory of the past at all.

All she had were the false memories the usurper had randomly stuffed into her head.

Canglin Xilan looked at Lin Jianheng, her glaze-like eyes filled with a tenderness, like a mother’s.

It had been a long time since Lin Jianheng had felt—or rather, in her memory, had never felt—a gaze filled with motherly love. She was seared by that light and had to look away for a moment.

But she didn’t want to hurt the aunt who had raised her for many years, so after a breath, she looked back at her.

If she was the posthumous child of the previous King, and Canglin Xilan was the current King Jingyuan’s sister, then wouldn’t that make her her older sister?

When Lin Jianheng felt awkward, she liked to let her mind wander, forcing herself out of the uncomfortable feeling, so she started sorting out their royal family relationships.

Xilan had anticipated her coldness. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t hurt, but at least Lin Jianheng’s body and soul were still safe and sound.

“The previous King, Diexun, was very capable and ambitious. She always wanted to reclaim Tanmo and other star systems, to restore the Empire’s territory to its most prosperous state.”

“First, let’s talk about our Xuanxing Empire’s current situation. The internal threat comes from the major noble families and factions within the Empire, as well as the intelligent lifeforms you saw earlier. They call themselves New Lifeforms; our official designation is Mechanical Lifeforms. This is the biggest internal trouble, because—”

Xilan paused, signaling for Lin Jianheng to observe her surroundings.

She really was like a teacher. Lin Jianheng had already guessed this, but she still played along and looked around.

“Their invasion is everywhere, and it’s very difficult for us to identify them, let alone completely eradicate them. Newly produced machines can also be corrupted by them. For now, they haven’t launched a large-scale attack, and we’ve maintained a delicate balance, but it won’t last long.”

Not necessarily balanced, Lin Jianheng thought to herself. She had seen how capable those Mechanical Lifeforms were. There was one among them that could possess others’ bodies, first hers, then Princess Zhixian’s. It seemed they specialized in targeting the royal family.

And they could even coordinate with other machines. Imagine waking up one day to find the people around you acting strangely, and when you try to call for help, your phone and optical computer are all their eyes and ears, and you’re effectively imprisoned in your own home…

A chill ran down Lin Jianheng’s spine. No wonder Xilan had told her about this threat first.

Faced with this kind of almost dimension-lowering lifeform, even the internal factions might temporarily band together, making them a lesser trouble.

“The external threats are the Third Empire, which has been eyeing us covetously from several star systems away, and the Lingyuan Alliance, which is closer to us and has been relatively peaceful in recent years.”

Oh great, two whole ones. Lin Jianheng nearly rolled her eyes out of her head. She didn’t want to inherit the throne and go to war—

“The Third Empire is not large. Five thousand years ago, it was part of our Xuanxing Empire before it seceded. The Lingyuan Alliance is very different from our race, as are their living environments, so there is relatively little friction.”

No wonder it was called the Third. Lin Jianheng counted the powers; it really was third in rank.

Xilan finished explaining the internal and external threats, and Lin Jianheng noticed that none of them had anything to do with the Demon Clan.

She refrained from asking for the time being. Some things weren’t meant to be told to these people yet. Lin Jianheng wasn’t sure if they were trustworthy, or how much of the plot she had heard was true.

And for selfish reasons…

She didn’t want anyone to disturb Yan Su.

“The previous King, Diexun, spent years leading troops on expeditions. We didn’t have much contact with her. We only know that when she died, the entire unit following her was wiped out. She only had time to leave a single sentence in her spiritual space, telling us to take her child.”

“This task was given to the Jian family, which is closest to the royal family. And that’s what led to what happened later.”

At this point, Lin Jianheng’s origins were clear.

But she still had many questions. “First of all. How can you be sure that I am the child left by the previous King, and not by a soldier in her unit? Or even by some ordinary local resident?”

“Spiritual power.” Lu Yuanchen exchanged a look with Xilan and took over.

“The royal family’s spiritual power is special and powerful. We have always used spiritual power to determine your identity. Aunt Zunqiu brought back more than one egg, but only you exhibited the characteristics of the royal family after hatching.”

Lin Jianheng looked up.

“My current spiritual power is only S-rank.” It wasn’t at the level Jian Lingxuan described as being enough to crush her.

“Because King Jingyuan didn’t want you to run into trouble. We also had our own selfish reasons, so we suppressed your spiritual power. It was supposed to be unsealed when you came of age, but then we ran into more trouble… Your current second development is actually a recovery. What we test is the wave of your spiritual power, which is like a fingerprint. Everyone’s is different, and the royal family’s has its own pattern,” Lu Yuanchen explained in detail.

Lin Jianheng reluctantly accepted this answer.

“But I don’t have the royal family’s purple eyes.” She didn’t look like Canglin Xilan either. In some ways, she actually resembled Jian Lingxuan more.

“The purple eyes of our royal family are not a stable genetic trait, and we don’t know who the previous King, Diexun, had you with,” Lu Yuanchen said, even struggling a bit with her wording.

Lin Jianheng understood.

There was only one gender in this world, but they still practiced sexual reproduction. Her mother needed a partner to conceive her, and after the egg was produced, it was usually given to the partner to incubate.

“Because you were incubated by our Jian family, and everyone was worried that someone might target the royal family and hunt you down, you were temporarily fostered with the Jian family as my younger sister,” Jian Lingxuan shrugged.

She had treated Lin Jianheng like her own sister for three years, and had even secretly fed her spiritual power. The day Canglin Jingyuan came, she felt like her world had collapsed.

Her mothers had said that two was enough and had no plans for more. She could only deceive herself into thinking that Lin Jianheng was her real sister.

“You don’t need to worry about that. In our world, it’s common for sisters, friends, and partners to raise children for each other. After so many years, if you want to consider the Jian family as your maternal home, there’s no problem,” Xilan even comforted Lin Jianheng.

“So, are you, the current King, and I sisters?” Lin Jianheng was more interested in this.

“Not exactly,” Xilan sighed.

“The previous King, Diexun, passed away too early, leaving you as her only descendant. Jingyuan and I are the daughters of the previous King’s older sister, but you can call us ‘sister’ if you want.”

Lin Jianheng sorted it out.

In this world, there was no distinction between paternal and maternal cousins; the daughters of a mother’s sisters were all called maternal cousins.

However, the families were usually very close, so it was normal to address each other as sisters.

Lin Jianheng was satisfied. At least she still had sisters.

She glanced at Jian Lingxuan, then sweetly called Xilan “Sister.”

It made Xilan’s smile even more genuine than before.

Jian Lingxuan’s face darkened, but she couldn’t show it, receiving several warning pinches from Lu Yuanchen.

“Last… two questions.” Knowing her origins, Lin Jianheng felt somewhat more at ease.

Li Zhaoge was already prepared.

She was, of course, not Lin Jianheng’s fiancée, and Lin Jianheng currently didn’t know her true identity.

But Lin Jianheng just looked at the fifth person, the one who hadn’t spoken at all.

“She is?”

“My wife,” Xilan cleared her throat.

“She’s in charge of your optical computer and watch. You used to be very close.”

As expected, she was in charge of technology.

Lin Jianheng looked at the casually dressed, streak-haired, cold-faced beauty, who suddenly hid behind Xilan.

“She’s a bit shy with strangers.” Translated, it meant: Lin Jianheng doesn’t know her now, so she’s scared.

Lin Jianheng’s face was a string of ellipses.

“Good sister, good sister-in-law, don’t be afraid of me. We can get to know each other again,” she said, suddenly feeling a bit interested.

Xilan pulled her wife a little closer. “Don’t you go flirting around. I’m married.”

That sentence pinned Lin Jianheng to her chair.

Wait, how was she flirting? She was just trying to be friendly and suck up a little!

Xilan’s reaction made it seem like Lin Jianheng used to do this kind of thing all the time.

Jian Lingxuan was watching from the side, enjoying the drama. “Impressive. You came back this time without bringing me a few good sisters-in-law and another dozen or so sister-lovers. I guess that’s progress.”

Lin Jianheng’s pupils quaked.

Wha— she used to be a scum girl?!

No way, she was straight—oh wait, no, she was a non-romantic, asexual, platonic person! How could she flirt!

Speaking of which, how much did this group of people know about her transmigration?

Countless questions swirled in Lin Jianheng’s mind at that moment, including who her “fiancée” really was.

In the end, she didn’t ask. She was too thunderstruck by the fact that she used to be a queen of flirting with ladies, utterly scorched inside and out.

She couldn’t believe she was capable of that.

Her sister must be lying.

“Will you have me return to the royal family, or even succeed the throne?” In the end, Lin Jianheng only asked what she was most concerned about.

Her salted-fish life—

Her words bordered on “treason,” but considering Lin Jianheng’s true identity, no one would say much.

In fact, several of them sighed internally. This feels right.

This is the Lin Jianheng we know.

“Everything depends on your wishes. You’re also a bit young. The royal family usually passes the throne to the princess when she is between thirty and forty years old.”

The average lifespan of a being in the Empire was two hundred years, and the royal family’s was even longer.

Thirty years old was only considered young adulthood, but the Empire’s law still stipulated that eighteen was the age of majority, and the duration of education was not much different from the original world Lin Jianheng remembered.

“We won’t force you to succeed. There have been cases in history where a few kings passed away early without leaving descendants, and the throne was passed to their sister’s child. Similarly, from the perspective of stability and other factors, you can imagine the pros and cons of succession.”

Xilan found that since Lin Jianheng’s return, her intelligence hadn’t declined. There were many things she no longer needed to explain.

Lin Jianheng understood these principles, she just shook her head and flopped onto the chair.

“No, I’m just lazy. I’m a salted fish sunbathing on the beach. None of you should ask me to succeed the throne.”

A silence fell over the five people present after she said that.

Jian Lingxuan covered her face. How had her sister turned into this after being away for a few years?

Xilan coughed again, wanting to move past the topic.

She had rejoiced too soon. It seemed some things had to be taught from scratch.

Besides making decisions, members of the royal family had many other duties. One of them was to use their powerful spiritual power to soothe the battle-worn soldiers on the battlefield.

This was something that couldn’t be handed over to anyone else; only the royal family’s spiritual power could achieve it.

This was their responsibility as members of the royal family.

What Xilan didn’t know was that Lin Jianheng had already figured it out on her own and had long since begun using her spiritual power to comfort her dear Succubus Sister.

“Is there anything else you want to ask? It’s best not to use the Star Net, and absolutely do not use the optical computer.” Xilan’s meaning was clear.

The problem with optical computers was the Mechanical Lifeforms.

And the Star Net indeed had problems as well.

Then, why were they still using it, and even so eager for her to connect to it?

After learning her identity, Lin Jianheng’s perspective on things changed.

She even thought that perhaps they needed her to purify the abnormalities in the Star Net, or to take over the Star Net, command it completely, to eliminate those threats.

“My body was possessed before…” Lin Jianheng still brought this up.

She saw Xilan’s wife shake her head slightly at her.

Li Zhaoge stepped forward at this moment. “Xiao Heng, let’s talk about this next time. I’ll take you home first.”

Were they kicking her out already?

Lin Jianheng stared at each of them in turn, feeling that they were hiding quite a lot from her.

“Stop.” Lin Jianheng didn’t want to let it go just like that.

“…Don’t you want to know why I’m your fiancée? We can talk about that in the car.”

This indicated that the topic was safe, or at least, known by many people.

Lin Jianheng glanced at Li Zhaoge and sat back down in her seat.

Only now did she feel that this wasn’t an interrogation seat, but rather more like a throne.

The five people facing her were her subjects; she was the king they were loyal to.

Lin Jianheng crossed her arms. She only said “stop” and didn’t speak again.

She didn’t even release her spiritual power, relying entirely on her gaze.

One by one, she pressed down on them.

“What am I to you? A sister? A loyal member of the royal family? Or the posthumous child of the previous King, the rightful heir to the throne?”

Then she spoke slowly, word by word.

She was the king; she didn’t need so many formalities.

She didn’t need to do anything; her very existence was an aura in itself.

“In such a hurry to send me away… You were the ones who hid things from me, and you’re the ones who stopped halfway. What, do I look like a good-tempered person?” Lin Jianheng let out a sneer, full of mockery.

The smile didn’t reach her heart; her pair of amber eyes were like frost and moonlight.

“…I’m sorry, Little Highness.” It was Lu Yuanchen who spoke first, taking on the full force of Lin Jianheng’s pressure.

Sometimes Lin Jianheng marveled at how good Jian Lingxuan was at picking a wife.

Without Lu Yuanchen, who could control Jian Lingxuan’s explosive temper and love for nagging?

“It’s not that we don’t want to tell you, it’s just that there are many things we haven’t sorted out either.” Originally, they had already planned how to explain things to Lin Jianheng.

They just hadn’t expected the incident with Zhixian to happen.

The fact that Canglin Zhixian, the current princess, had her body possessed, had caught them completely off guard.

It even made them hastily summon Lin Jianheng, actually hoping she could make some decisions for them.

But Lin Jianheng was set on a leisurely life. Although she had noticed something was wrong with Zhixian, she didn’t show much concern today.

“I’m sorry, Xiao Heng. I didn’t mean anything else.” Li Zhaoge took a step back and knelt on one knee before Lin Jianheng.

It was the posture of a knight.

Lin Jianheng slanted her eyes at her, her lips curling.

Was there any need to ask who Li Zhaoge was to her?

Nothing more than her personal guard or something of the sort.

And she, as it happened, still had a bit of a wicked sense of humor left, which hadn’t been dissipated by this group’s concealment.

“Let’s go, Sister Zhaoge.” Lin Jianheng hopped off her throne, walked over to Li Zhaoge, and offered her hand.

With the capriciousness of a monarch, she took the hand of her fi(knight)ancée.

“Sorry for being harsh with you all. Take me back.” Now, even when apologizing, Lin Jianheng carried an unavoidable sense of superiority.

She thought she was a born king, and she did have the blood of the Canglin clan.

No wonder she used to want to be a domineering villainess so badly.

She was glad her surname was Canglin or Jian, and not Lin.

Her relatives would die to leave a message, to lift her up, to send her away from the chaos of war, instead of kicking her out of the house and stealing her scholarship, snatching her interview, taking her name and her dignity.

“…Xiao Heng!” Jian Lingxuan called out to her just before Lin Jianheng walked out the door.

Lin Jianheng was still holding Li Zhaoge’s sweaty hand. Her knight was so frightened by her that she had almost lost her composure.

“Your original name is Jianheng. This was the name the previous King prepared for you in advance. She hoped you could break all shackles, just as we all break the cocoon that holds us at birth, to build a career, and live a long and healthy life.”

As Jian Lingxuan spoke, the others didn’t stop her.

Lin Jianheng turned back to look at her. She didn’t ask how she knew she was used to using the characters “Jianheng,” nor did she ask which two characters “Jianheng” was.

“So I was supposed to be called Canglin Jianheng?” Something in her chest had been struck heavily.

“Yes, Jian Heng was a pseudonym my mother and mommy chose for you.” After saying this, Jian Lingxuan’s expression softened as she looked at Lin Jianheng.

Lin Jianheng’s expression was tight for a moment before it relaxed.

So… her name was originally Jianheng.

It wasn’t a name casually given to her by that bad family, nor did it have a bad meaning, hoping she would die young. Instead, it meant longevity and accomplishment.

Her name was also born from a mother’s love.

It was just a pity that she was born at the wrong time and never got to meet her mother.

“That’s great.” Lin Jianheng felt a joy in her heart. She took Li Zhaoge’s arm and walked out briskly.

It was only after she left the underground facility that Lin Jianheng received the message Yan Su had sent her in their spiritual space.

This underground facility could even block long-range spiritual connections?

The frown on Lin Jianheng’s brow was fleeting. She wouldn’t show any abnormality in front of Li Zhaoge.

But, Lin Jianheng thought of what Xilan had just said.

Perhaps it was to prevent a vulnerability in the Star Net. And her spiritual connection with Yan Su was similar in principle to the Star Net, which was why it was also restricted.

In any case, Lin Jianheng quickly entered her spiritual space to check Yan Su’s message.

…Her hand was still resting in Li Zhaoge’s palm.

Li Zhaoge’s eyelashes were lowered, her gaze obscure, staring intently at her palm.

She seemed to be considering whether to let go.

She could tell that Lin Jianheng had entered a place similar to the Star Net.

She didn’t disturb her, just silently endured the extra warmth in her palm.

Lin Jianheng saw the image Yan Su had left.

It was a video that could be projected. She opened the projection in her spiritual space and saw Yan Su “sitting” in front of her.

The recording was sent half an hour ago. Yan Su wasn’t actually in front of her, but Lin Jianheng still felt a wave of joy and couldn’t help but move closer.

“Master.” Yan Su was eating the dessert Lin Jianheng had ordered for her to take home.

Lin Jianheng had a sweet tooth and loved buying sweets for the house, so much that she couldn’t finish them and often had Yan Su help her eat them.

Before they parted, Lin Jianheng had also said that Yan Su could make herself at home.

“I ate a piece of chocolate, but…” Yan Su said, opening her mouth.

She had already rinsed it once; there was no residue in her mouth. It was impeccably clean.

Lin Jianheng was slightly surprised. Even a succubus’s teeth were so perfectly aligned. Yan Su was like a goddess of beauty brought to life from a sculpture, perfect in every way.

Unlike Lin Jianheng. She quietly reflected on herself. This life was fine, but in her previous life, her family was a disaster. They didn’t care for her, and she had to save up money herself as an adult to get braces, which hurt so much she couldn’t sleep at night.

But this set of perfect teeth was clearly missing a piece.

“I think I chipped a tooth…” The image left in the spiritual space was controlled by its master.

Now Lin Jianheng could see Yan Su’s mouth magnified in front of her.

Her attention was first drawn to the full philtrum, she really wanted to rub it.

Then she saw a tiny heart on her throat.

Only then did she finally see the missing tooth, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Heavens, how could the succubus she was raising chip a tooth eating chocolate?

“It hurts a little, I don’t know what to do.” After Yan Su closed her mouth, her eyes still held the trace of tears, the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose slightly red.

“I miss Master. Why isn’t Master here?” she said, with her coolly profound features, in a tone that was almost coquettish.

Paired with her constantly wagging heart-tipped tail. Lin Jianheng felt like she was looking at a Maine Coon that absolutely adored her.

In front of others, it was a majestic, handsome, and aloof cub, but in front of her, it would roll on the ground and show its belly.

It would even ask for pets. Lin Jianheng walked up to the projected Yan Su and couldn’t help but reach out into the void.

She really wanted to rub Yan Su’s face, to help stop the bleeding, to take good care of her, and take her to a doctor.

In the interstellar age, a lost tooth should be easy to replace, right?

After Lin Jianheng “touched” her face, the projected image of Yan Su leaned back on the sofa, hugging a pillow, her expression utterly forlorn. “I’ll just wait for Master here.”

The recording ended.

Lin Jianheng still stood there, Yan Su’s projection still imprinted in her eyes.

To be precise, it was that distant gaze.

Across space and time, Lin Jianheng saw Yan Su’s longing.

The perception of spiritual power surpassed the other five senses; it was the clearest and most acute.

Lin Jianheng could sense Yan Su’s low spirits, could feel from her pursed lips and trembling eyelashes that she had only expressed a fraction of her longing.

If Yan Su was a floating iceberg.

Today, she had proven to Lin Jianheng that Lin Jianheng was the shore she could rely on, the harbor that embraced her.

However much affection and longing the tip she showed had, the larger hidden part had even more.

The unspoken parts turned into a hint of sorrow between her brows, transforming into the beauty’s unique temperament.

It was the last expression before the recording ended, firmly welded onto Lin Jianheng’s heart.

Rarely, Lin Jianheng didn’t rush to connect with Yan Su.

She sensed a strange emotion, gushing from the bottom of her heart.

It was very warm, but a lick of it was sour and astringent.

It was also a bit spicy, forcing Lin Jianheng to quickly flee.

She opened her eyes, briefly exiting the spiritual space that was causing her pain.

Noticing the residual warmth in her palm, Lin Jianheng thought it was a hallucination born of longing and wanted to pull away to regain her familiar peace, only then did she see the fingers resting on her palm.

Long and slender.

There was also a plain ring.

Faintly, a name seemed to be engraved on the ring.

Before Lin Jianheng could see clearly, the hand let go.

“Are you okay? Xiao Heng, you’re sweating a lot,” Li Zhaoge said, taking out a handkerchief.

Before she could touch Lin Jianheng, Lin Jianheng dodged and took the handkerchief from her. “I am? Maybe it’s a bit hot in the car.”

A blatant lie.

But who was she to argue with the Little Highness? If she said it was hot, it was hot.

“I’ll turn it down a bit then,” Li Zhaoge said calmly, tapping the projection to turn off the non-existent heater.

“Thank you, Sister Zhaoge.” Lin Jianheng let out a sigh of relief.

The discomfort in her heart faded.

Lin Jianheng still couldn’t put a name to it. She prepared to return to the spiritual space to connect with Yan Su.

Hearing the words “Sister Zhaoge,” Li Zhaoge’s expression darkened.

But she couldn’t say anything, only watch quietly as Lin Jianheng once again disconnected from reality.

The person on the other end must be… that succubus she values so much.

How enviable.

When Lin Jianheng entered the spiritual space, Yan Su’s kitten paw happened to reach out again.

Lin Jianheng was pleasantly surprised and quickly grabbed that tentative, timid spiritual power, pulling Yan Su over without question.

“Ma-Master?” Yan Su’s spiritual power was yanked so suddenly that her tail trembled.

“It’s your good master~” Lin Jianheng said, then wrapped her spiritual power around Yan Su’s.

It was equivalent to a hug, without warmth, only some fragmented and extreme sensations.

It felt as if their spiritual powers were pressed together, yet very entangled, you in me and I in you.

Lin Jianheng didn’t understand what her previous action meant, but she was still pulled into that inseparable vortex, entwined with Yan Su.

Yan Su was startled by this overly bold move, but still fell into the intimate trap without any defense.

In one second, they exchanged countless thoughts, swapped places, experienced a thousand lifetimes, and shared sunsets and tides.

A second later, their spiritual powers finally separated, both dizzy, falling into Lin Jianheng’s spiritual space.

Back home, Yan Su slowly heated up like boiling water, a crab cooked by herself.

How could Lin Jianheng use spiritual power with her…

in such an intimate fusion?

Did Lin Jianheng sense her unspoken feelings?

She was anxious, yet she didn’t dare to ask. The wisp of spiritual power that landed in the spiritual space exuded a flustered emotion.

And Lin Jianheng was stunned by the joy that hit her from Yan Su’s side in that one second.

It seemed her sister had never been this enthusiastic with her before.

Or was it that it had always been there, she just hadn’t noticed?

Lin Jianheng thought of the countless times Yan Su had “begged for a marking” and became more certain.

She came to her senses, and a wave of resonance swept over, soothing Yan Su’s panic.

“Sister Yan, Sister Yan~” Lin Jianheng moved closer, regretting that they couldn’t hug with their spiritual power.

“I miss you so much too! I came to find you as soon as I got out. I didn’t expect us to be so in sync.” Even the best Lin Jianheng could lie.

She hid the daze she had been in after watching the projection.

Perhaps she felt it was unnecessary, or perhaps she felt… that feeling was related to Yan Su.

“Is that so? What were you doing? I couldn’t find you just now…” Yan Su had inadvertently dropped the habit of using honorifics.

“Master” was shifting from a title to a term of endearment.

And neither of them noticed.

“Something came up. They took me to tell me about my origins.” Lin Jianheng had no intention of elaborating, just nuzzling and rubbing against Yan Su’s spiritual power.

She kept a slight distance, afraid that if they touched, they would experience that dizzying exchange again.

Yan Su found it a pity.

Even at the risk of Lin Jianheng discovering her feelings, she wanted to understand Lin Jianheng a little more, to be a little closer to her.

“Is your tooth okay?” Having satisfied her desire to nuzzle, Lin Jianheng finally pulled back a bit and began to show concern for Yan Su.

“Master saw it…” Yan Su felt a little ashamed.

She had indeed accidentally knocked her tooth out.

The pain made her think of her master, and she urgently wanted her master to know.

She understood her affection, but she still didn’t know what kind of feeling this was.

Liking her didn’t allow her to do much more. The gap between her and Lin Jianheng was there. Saying she liked her might as well be saying she wanted to be Lin Jianheng’s dog.

So, Yan Su still hadn’t figured out what kind of mood she was in when she used her spiritual power to record the video and send it to Lin Jianheng’s spiritual space.

When Lin Jianheng asked about it, she felt ashamed.

“It’s a message you left for me, of course I have to watch it,” Lin Jianheng chuckled.

If she were face to face with Yan Su now, she would definitely take Yan Su’s hand, then wrap her arms around her waist for a tickle and a hug.

Unfortunately, they were only in the spiritual space. If Lin Jianheng wanted to be close to Yan Su, she could only stay close to her, and couldn’t even touch a large area of her spiritual power.

At least, holding Yan Su’s kitten paw was possible. Lin Jianheng extended a thread of spiritual power and tapped Yan Su’s.

Yan Su didn’t understand, but she extended a thread of her own.

Really like a cautious cat. Lin Jianheng grabbed that thread of spiritual power, her desire for contact finally satisfied.

Yan Su’s spiritual power resonated with hers, and she became happy.

Her heart tickled, wanting to do something.

“When Master saw it… did your heart ache?” Yan Su maintained the “hand-holding” posture and suddenly moved closer.

Their spiritual powers in the spiritual space had their own appearances.

Lin Jianheng “watched” as Yan Su’s face suddenly magnified, her flawless features, and…

The lips that had been so prominent in the projection earlier.

She hadn’t realized it before.

Lin Jianheng’s eyelashes trembled, and she kept magnifying Yan Su’s lips in her mind.

Sister Yan’s philtrum is also very full and beautiful.

It’s the perfect mouth for trying on lipstick. Lin Jianheng really wanted to pile beautiful colors on this natural, water-kissed lotus.

“Of course my heart ached.” Lin Jianheng decided to act on it later.

“My dear sister, really, like a little kitten, you can even chip a tooth eating candy.”

Lin Jianheng playfully went to “rub” Yan Su’s head, eliciting a wave of shyness.

“I didn’t do it on purpose…” Yan Su still wanted to argue.

This time, she really hadn’t done it to make Lin Jianheng do something to her.

That made her even more embarrassed. How could a grown person chip a tooth eating candy?

Lin Jianheng’s spiritual power shifted. Her cunning Sister Yan, her cover is blown.

It wasn’t on purpose this time, so what about last time?

She deliberately said she couldn’t get dressed, just to call me over, right?

Lin Jianheng didn’t realize how much she was enjoying this, even finding Yan Su cute.

Asking her for help changing clothes was a sign of intimacy.

Besides, Yan Su was her succubus. What was wrong with wanting her marking?

She could afford to give it, and she was happy to.

She would just treat it as a little game between her and Yan Su.

“It’s okay, I’ll always feel bad for you. When I get back, I’ll comfort you properly and help you check the wound.”

Lin Jianheng pretended not to believe her, which made Yan Su want to explain again.

Before she could say a word, Yan Su suddenly fell silent, and Lin Jianheng’s side also short-circuited for a second.

“Ma-Master?” Yan Su hurriedly grabbed Lin Jianheng’s spiritual power.

Lin Jianheng returned to Yan Su’s side. “Ah, sorry, what’s wrong?”

Li Zhaoge had just spoken to her.

“Is… someone with Master?” Is it that Li Zhaoge?

Yan Su tensed up in an instant, to a degree she couldn’t even handle, nearly breaking the connection.

She had never thought that after admitting her affection, she would feel such strong hostility towards anyone who touched Lin Jianheng.

It was completely uncontrollable, like the pain of water dripping on a stone, long and sharp.

“Yeah, Sister Zhaoge is taking me home, we’ll be home in ten minutes. The car just jolted a bit, and she steadied me,” Lin Jianheng explained in great detail.

But Yan Su still felt displeased, her chest heavy.

How did she steady her?

Did she grab her shoulder, or pull her arm?

Or did she hug her, just like Lin Jianheng usually steadied her?

Or even hold her hand, just like Lin Jianheng usually held hers?

Why wasn’t she there, why wasn’t she the one steadying Lin Jianheng?

That’s right, they were the fiancées.

Regardless of the reality, at least Li Zhaoge had that title.

No matter how much she liked her, she was just Lin Jianheng’s pet.

Not presentable.

This morning, Yan Su was desperately trying to be a pet again, but this afternoon, she was already dissatisfied with such a shallow relationship.

She wanted to laugh at her own capriciousness.

But Lin Jianheng was still keeping her in the spiritual space, so she could only suppress it again and again, compressing her emotions to the extreme, like stuffing one more piece of clothing into an already bursting suitcase.

She had to do it. She didn’t want Lin Jianheng to notice her abnormality.

In the spiritual space, emotional changes were more detailed and easier to expose.

Yan Su folded herself into that piece of clothing, and also reshaped herself into the suitcase that was stretched to its breaking point.

In the end, she didn’t let Lin Jianheng see anything unusual.

“If Master will be here in ten minutes, I’ll go freshen up first.” Yan Su was in a daze, lowering her head, reining in her hard-won spiritual control.

“You don’t have to, right? I want you to keep me company,” Lin Jianheng said, not letting her go.

This sentence made it hard for Yan Su to refuse, her heart thumping wildly.

“But, but…” An untamable sorrow was about to emerge, exposing her emotions.

Yet, she was also joyful because of Lin Jianheng’s words, wanting so much to satisfy all of her master’s requests.

“I want to serve Master well…” Yan Su’s voice trailed off, cat-like, like a soft moan, a low whimper.

Such a cute reaction. Lin Jianheng stared at her reddened eyes and was silent for three seconds.

With a hint of a desire to tease her, she stared at her without blinking.

Using her spiritual power.

The last time they had “communicated” like this with their spiritual power, it was when Lin Jianheng was using it to look at Yan Su’s body.

Yan Su always felt like she was completely exposed, stark naked, having to face her master’s scrutiny.

She clenched her teeth and tilted her head back, exposing her neck.

——There was nothing there anymore. The collar, Lin Jianheng’s name, not even Yan Su’s subtle Adam’s apple.

Only a tempting apricot color. With a hint of inexplicable ambiguity, a delicate pink.

A burst of laughter came from Lin Jianheng’s side, bustling and tapping on Yan Su’s scalp.

“Oh my, I’m just teasing you, my cute sister.” Lin Jianheng rubbed her spiritual power, turning it into a kitten paw to scratch Yan Su’s face.

“Go on, remember to come greet me~” Lin Jianheng gave Yan Su a way out.

Yan Su avoided her gaze and ran away as if fleeing, breaking the spiritual connection.

Lin Jianheng returned to reality, letting out a comfortable sigh.

After chatting with Yan Su for a while, the worries from her newly learned identity and being kept in the dark by people who should have been close to her all vanished.

Maybe some people just had that kind of magic, which was why she felt so fond of them.

Li Zhaoge was still sitting next to her, with the same gentle appearance, like a graceful lady.

Only her palm, open on the seat, twitched slightly, hinting at something.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Lin Jianheng went to pat her palm.

“We’ve never held hands?” Was that possible? They were fiancées in name, after all.

“…Never. Xiao Heng is a Highness, how would I dare to overstep?” Li Zhaoge smiled coolly, as crystalline as a snowflake.

Only then did Lin Jianheng notice the blue beauty mark at the corner of her eye. It really looked like a tear, or a crystal, or a brilliant jewel.

“But aren’t you my knight?” Lin Jianheng used this title instead of “fiancée,” raising an eyebrow and smiling at her.

Li Zhaoge was momentarily stunned, not having expected Lin Jianheng’s reaction.

“Then why have we never held hands? Shouldn’t a knight lead her little highness onto the dance floor at every ball?”

Her words were as ambiguous as ever. Li Zhaoge, on the other hand, let out a chuckle. “But a certain someone… is always surrounded by a flock of beauties. How would it ever be my turn?”

If you listened closely, there was even a hint of sourness.

Lin Jianheng’s mouth hung open, frozen in place.

Oh my god, she had forgotten that her persona in this world was a scum girl who flirted with ladies everywhere.

Lin Jianheng stopped talking to Li Zhaoge. As soon as they got home, she jumped out of the car.

“When you’ve figured out what to say, call me. If you’re late…” Lin Jianheng was referring to her transmigration.

She winked at Li Zhaoge, looking very approachable.

“You’ll bear the consequences.” The words she spoke were a little scary.

…This was the monarch she was willing to serve.

Li Zhaoge watched Lin Jianheng go upstairs, thinking of the succubus that was always clinging to her. She closed her eyes again, turned, and left.

Lin Jianheng entered her home without a care in the world and was immediately met by a soft, strawberry pudding.

Yan Su’s hair was the red of strawberries, and she smelled of sweet pear and light peach blossom.

Soft and warm, a freshly baked caramel strawberry pudding.

Lin Jianheng hugged her tightly, making up for the regret of not being able to have physical contact in the spiritual space.

“Sister Yan, Sister Yan…” she mumbled, burying her face in Yan Su’s hair and taking a deep sniff.

She had sniffed Yan Su’s tattoo this morning, so sniffing her hair now should be fine, right?

Lin Jianheng thought she often buried her head in Yan Su’s hair. But most of the time it was on her back, or the nape of her neck.

This was the first time she had held the pouncing sister-dumpling and sniffed the top of her head.

Brushing past her forehead.

“Ma-Ma.ster…” After realizing her feelings, even a simple hug could make Yan Su’s knees buckle.

The side of her stomach that had been sniffed this morning trembled lightly, as if being desecrated at the same time.

Lin Jianheng’s movements were too much like a puppy, an enthusiastic golden retriever that would nuzzle and sniff.

…It would be nice if she would lick sometimes.

Yan Su still had the strength to distract herself and resist her body’s abnormality.

She couldn’t go any deeper; she was afraid she really wouldn’t be able to hold back.

It was uncontrollable. It had happened many times, but not once had she truly received her master’s caress.

Yes, Yan Su belonged to Lin Jianheng. Yan Su’s… of course, should also be offered to her master.

“Have you washed?” Lin Jianheng was, of course, asking based on what Yan Su had said before leaving the spiritual space.

She had no other meaning. She was just curious about how Yan Su had “freshened up.”

Although she was a royal descendant, a little emperor, Yan Su didn’t know that. There was no need to burn incense, bathe, and kowtow nine times before seeing her.

If Yan Su had heard that, she would have very much wanted to do those things.

Lin Jianheng didn’t say it in the end, just held her, her nose still gently nuzzling the ends of her hair.

Yan Su was flustered, not understanding if Lin Jianheng had a deeper meaning.

Wash what? How to wash? Why wash?

The “freshening up” she mentioned was just about calming her mood and cleaning up the mess from her chipped tooth. Lin Jianheng couldn’t be asking about that.

Every moment of every day, Yan Su was thinking… about that.

She didn’t know if Lin Jianheng had smelled it, or seen it.

Or if in their one-second spiritual interweaving, she had felt her mood, the intense affection that had awakened today.

So she wanted to satisfy her, to help her, because her master also held the same feelings.

Yan Su’s heart suddenly accelerated at this guess, to the point of turning her into a pink peach blossom.

And Lin Jianheng simply held Yan Su’s head with one hand, cradling it, but her fingertips deftly slid into her hair.

Her other hand was on Yan Su’s waist, holding it tightly to prevent her from falling.

Her head was pressed against Yan Su’s, her lips almost touching her scalp.

The sniffing action was abnormally obvious, but Yan Su thought Lin Jianheng was kissing her and couldn’t help but tremble.

She, she was going to…

No, she had to, had to catch her breath.

Lin Jianheng was still holding her very tightly, the hand on her waist unconsciously moving up and down, searching for the best position to catch the escaping Yan Su.

The other hand was pressed against Yan Su’s scalp, burning hot through and through. It made Yan Su’s eyes well up with hot tears, already gathered at the bottom.

“You really do smell so good…” Lin Jianheng delivered the final blow, her lips unconsciously touching Yan Su’s hair.

The softness instantly penetrated Yan Su’s fluffy hair, through her scalp, and straight to her brain.

It was as if Lin Jianheng was actually kissing Yan Su’s brain, giving her little shivers, testing which part of the brain corresponded to her arousal.

“Sister has washed so well,” Lin Jianheng was still adding fuel to the fire.

The poor succubus had completely lost her senses, only letting out some nasal whimpers, a kitten that had been played with until it broke.

“So good, you’re my good sister.” The kiss was fleeting; Lin Jianheng didn’t even realize it counted as a kiss.

Or rather, the concept of kissing someone of the same sex hadn’t occurred to her yet. Even when she kissed Yan Su last time, or sniffed her succubus kitten this morning, she only thought of it as affection.

Yan Su finally gave up on herself under the assault of that one sentence.

She became a fish on the chopping block, slickly slipping out of Lin Jianheng’s grasp.

She sat on the floor, staring blankly at Lin Jianheng.

Her usually cool features, paired with this bewildered expression, were actually somewhat dorkily adorable.

Lin Jianheng thought of a kitten that had been kissed and still hadn’t reacted, and a wave of joy washed over her. She reached out to pull her up.

“Don’t fall and hurt yourself. My dear sister went to the trouble of washing up and waiting for me.” That one sentence almost made Yan Su fall over again.

She didn’t understand what was wrong with Lin Jianheng today, why her words were so strange.

But she hoped that Lin Jianheng had really made up her mind, planning to, tonight—no, right now.

Right here, right now would be fine. She had indeed washed up after coming home, and she was indeed waiting for Lin Jianheng.

How could what Master said not be correct?

Yan Su’s eyes filled with longing, an endless fire of desire burning through her.

Add more heat to it. I will welcome you in my best state, so as not to chill Master’s hands.

Yan Su was full of anticipation.

But Lin Jianheng made no move, only pinching Yan Su’s ear—seeing that it had turned red, she couldn’t resist pinching it every time.

Is this the legendary foreplay? Yan Su tensed her body.

But Lin Jianheng let her go.

Before her heart could drop back to the ground, Yan Su was pulled onto the sofa by Lin Jianheng.

Yan Su sat, and Lin Jianheng was also on the sofa, finding a space to kneel in front of her.

Now she was a whole head taller than Yan Su, looking down at her, as if looking down at her heartbeat.

“I need to check your mouth,” Lin Jianheng still remembered Yan Su’s chipped tooth.

Poor little kitten, how did she accidentally chip her tooth.

Lin Jianheng found a pair of clean medical gloves and touched Yan Su’s lips.

Consciously, yet with restrained movements, she stroked that full cupid’s bow.

The rubber insulated the touch, bringing a slight unfamiliarity.

Yan Su’s heart began to race again as she slowly realized that Lin Jianheng was going to check on her chipped tooth.

Originally, it was a perfectly normal thing. She was Lin Jianheng’s succubus; if she was injured, even if it was just a lost tooth, she should naturally let Lin Jianheng check it.

But this caress.

And that light kiss just now.

Both brought Yan Su a wordless ambiguity, a fiery heat that burned her mind.

…

Her entire oral cavity was displayed unreservedly before Lin Jianheng.

The image she had viewed in the spiritual space flashed in Lin Jianheng’s mind.

She looked down. In that instant, they overlapped. The tender lips were within reach.

The gloss was beautiful, like a natural layer of lip balm.

Lin Jianheng couldn’t resist and reached out her hand again.

She touched the sensitive philtrum.

Her fingertip went inside, hooking onto Yan Su’s gums.

Perhaps you know, in the human body, the oral cavity and the vulva share the same developmental logic.

So the lips Lin Jianheng caressed were not so simple.

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