Transmigration: The Fate of the Villainess

75 Throne of Da Yang will no longer be the crown prince’s! Part II

“The weather today’s cool and comfortable. Not too cold. Bring me my guqin.”

There was still some time for her to play guqin and get dressed before going to the meetup place. Bai Yu wanted to practice guqin while being in refreshing weather like this. Lately, she would play guqin after training in martial arts. Bai Yu felt that when she pressed her fingers onto the strings, her body felt lighter than every other time she played. It was as if her magic could fluidly circulate throughout her body.

While she was practicing, Bai Yu did not notice that those feelings would cause serious damage to other magic users who came into the range of her guqin magic. The sweet sound of the strings had beckoned a guest who possessed powerful magic to the training ground. The slender figure behind the guqin did not notice the person’s arrival, she was still absorbed in her music and circulation of dark red magic.

“So a fool is going to become a little thief now?”

Thunk!

The note went askew the moment she heard ‘fool’.

Bai Yu lifted her face to look at the person who both called her a fool and a thief. “I’m just playing guqin. I’m not stealing anything from anyone.” She did not even stand up to curtsy to the Wangye who was outside the gazebo enveloped in Bai Yu’s red magic.

Xiao Xi was outside of the gazebo as well. Lately, she felt strangely tired when Bai Yu played guqin, so she did not come close. When she noticed the commander-general, he gestured to her to keep quiet, so she did not call out to notify her miss that she had an audience.

“Benwang’s magic is being absorbed for no reason. If this isn’t stealing, then what is?”

.....

“What does Your Highness mean?”

“Disperse your magic first.”

She waved her hand once, and the dark red magic around her immediately dissipated. Bai Yu frowned. She was absorbing others’ magic?

Ouyang Feilong stepped into the gazebo where moments before, coming close it would cause his magic to be sucked away. His golden eyes gazed at the bright red mark on the white forehead, then the corner of his mouth uncontrollably lifted. The number one beauty of the capital was still a foolish woman in his eyes no matter when.

“How did Wangye come here?” Bai Yu stood up to greet him with a quick curtsy since formality between the two of them had been largely lax.

“Which question should benwang answer first?”

“Don’t you have your job to do? Do you have so much free time that you come here to spy on a beauty like this?” Bai Yu could not stop herself from teasing him, even though she still wanted to know more about her magic.

“Is this beautiful?”

“More beautiful than Wangye, at least.”

“Benwang is a man. It’s not possible to be beautiful.”

“Have you never looked in the mirror?” You’re more beautiful than any woman!

“Why would a man fuss over his own reflection?”

“If you don’t use mirrors, then what will you do when you comb your hair?”

“Sometimes my wet nurse does it. Sometimes the consorts in the palace.”

Bai Yu twisted her mouth. “Is that so.” She felt instantly disinterested when Ouyang Feilong expressionlessly mentioned numerous consorts in his palace. No, it could not be ‘expressionless’ when he’s wearing a mask. But still, his tone was as blank as the word expressionless.

She had forgotten that his palace was full of consorts and concubines, like any other men in this era. Especially as royalty, it was normal for him to be surrounded by women fighting for a turn to take care of him in his daily life.

“Give me your hand.”

“Are you courting me again, Your Highness?” Bai Yu tried to sweep away her unreasonable frustration by teasing the man with the same trick.

“Benwang is going to make you less ugly.”

Her hand was seized before she could give him a reply, Ouyang Feilong was quick to act as usual. Suddenly, a warmth spread from their joined hands and enveloped Bai Yu’s whole body. Golden light from his magic could heal not only the red mark and bruises but also muscle aches. The light faded as soon as Ouyang Feilong let go.

“If you still want to pick up weapons, then you should learn how to use healing magic too.”

“That’s beyond my ability.” Not everyone could wield healing magic.

“But you can absorb other’s magic. That was much harder than healing.”

“I cannot do that.”

Ouyang Feilong raised his brow. “Don’t you realize it? When you’re playing guqin, the magic that you unleashed is absorbing magic from everyone in its proximity. But if there’s a person without magic, their energy will be absorbed instead, making them feel fatigued.”

“But something like this hadn’t happened when I played at the banquet.”

“This might be a result of your training in martial arts.”

Bai Yu fell silent. Training martial arts did have effects on her body since she both trained her physical strength and magic circulation at the same time. Lately, when she played guqin she could feel that her magic was flowing smoothly, but she had never expected that this was the truth behind it.

Then...was her being able to absorb magic a good or bad thing?

“This might be your latent ability. It’s extremely dangerous, so you must learn how to control it and only use it when necessary.” The tone of his voice changed from aloof to serious.

“But I didn’t even realize myself when I’m absorbing other people’s magic. How could I know how to control it?”

“Benwang knows someone who has the same latent ability.”

“Who is it?” Maybe she could ask that person to teach her how to control and utilize this power.

“Benwang’s older brother.”

Ouyang Feilong’s older brother? Ouyang Hongxian!

“The...the Emperor?”

“That’s correct.”

Her hope crumbled before it could even start to form shape.

“This kind of latent ability is dangerous and hard to control. The Emperor has had it since he was young. This is a secret that benwang shares with you, do you understand what you should do with it?”

“I’ll keep the secret.”

A soft, low voice was uttered from the shorter figure next to him. Ouyang Feilong watched Bai Yu, bowing her head and squeezing her hands, and instantly knew that she also understood the impossibility of having the Emperor teach her magic.

A light breeze blew. The familiar sweet fragrant mixed with sweat was clear to him that she had just finished training martial arts. For the sake of her hard work, he mentioned the Emperor, even though the knowledge of his power should have been kept a secret between the two brothers.

“Benwang will ask the Emperor for some guidance. Will the little fool smile now?”

That’s right...this secret was revealed because of her hard work. Not because of her smile, not at all.

Bai Yu lifted her eyes to look at the person who had always been foul-mouthed but sometimes kind toward her. She smiled as an answer to him. Even some guidance would be better than getting nothing and having to fumble around on her own.

“Blessings to Wangye.” The gentle voice familiar to Bai Yu now took an unusually hard tone. The respectful greeting he gave did not reflect in his action of inserting himself to stand between her and Ouyang Feilong.

She had forgotten to restrain herself and smiled wide. Others who saw them might get the wrong idea.

Further away from them was Xiao Xi who kept her head down but could not conceal her bright red ears. She could not hear their conversation from where she sat, so she was probably peeking at her mistress and her revered Wangye.

“I have come to invite Wangye to a meeting.”

“Benwang has just finished a meeting.”

Bai He could not reply for a moment. “I still have some questions I would like to discuss.”

Bai Yu could sense the strange atmosphere between them, so she stepped back and gave the two a delicate curtsy. “Then I’ll excuse myself.”

“You should hurry.” It was her brother who told her she should quickly leave.

Bai Yu hid a burst of laughter, then turned away to walk back toward her building, oblivious of the topic between the two men she left behind.

“You’re being too paranoid.” Ouyang Feilong patted the overprotective brothers two times before sitting down, still maintaining his usual grace.

“You too, are playing around too much.” His voice was softer when he saw his general act normally. Bai He sat down across from the prince who did not take offense to his careless behavior. He poured tea for Ouyang Feilong before pouring for himself according to the appropriate manner.

“Benwang was not playing with anything.”

“Wangye doesn’t like being close to women, then why approach Yu-er so often?”

“Because she’s your sister.”

“And because she’s my sister, I’d like to ask what is Wangye thinking?”

Ouyang Feilong looked at the younger brother who was acting like an older brother in front of him.

“I’m thinking that she’s your sister.”

“If Wangye thinks that, then I have nothing to worry about.”

“Benwang knows what you want to say.”

“Then please, carefully consider it.”

Ouyang Feilong drew his finger along the teacup’s edge, as if unable to sense his subordinate’s anxiousness. In truth, he knew what Bai He was thinking. It was not because he was overprotective of Bai Yu, but because he knew. If one day the commander-general, Ouyang Feilong, saw Bai family’s first miss as someone more than a sister of his comrade...

Should there comes a day that Bai Yu married into Rui Wang’s palace

The throne of Da Yang would no longer be the crown prince’s.