Another Love Rival, Shen Ru

The days passed by without the prince visiting. I think he is waiting for me to visit him. Since he is waiting for me, I'll visit him soon, but not yet. I have been thinking about preparing some gifts for him. These gifts are to thank him. He may not understand, but when that day comes, he will definitely understand.

After thinking for a while, I decided to cook a meal for him, make a set of clothes for him, and a new weapon for him. I should make the weapon first, then I'll make the clothes. I'll cook last so that the food warm when I bring it to him. Doing all of this will take me only a few hours.

"Hao'er, how many hours do we have before we have dinner?"

"3 hours."

"Hao'er, eat dinner by yourself tonight. I'm going to the Ponder Residence."

"Yes!"

3 hours is more than enough time to make all the gifts for him. I made a sword for the prince. It was a long-sword that had spiritual energy stored in it. It would last until the owner of it died. As for the clothing, I made it so that he could wear not only in daily living, but also when he goes to war. For the food, I cooked a lot of meat and vegetable dishes that had spiritual energy of which can help speed up the cultivating process and cleanse the body.

When there was only 30 minutes left until dinner, I left to the Ponder Residence. I had entered by teleporting without anyone knowing. After teleporting to his room, I found that he wasn't there, so I teleported to his study room instead. In there, I had found him with Shu Xienghao.

"Your Highness, Scholar Shu, this concubine greets."

"Hm? I don't remember there was anybody announcing your arrival. When did you come?"

"Scholar Shu, this concubine had just arrived by teleporting."

"Oh? Is that so... Your cultivation level, what is it?"

"Unfortunately, even this concubine has no idea. Sometimes it is high, sometimes it is low, sometimes, it is nonexistent."

"I see... I wonder when your beauty had turned even more beautiful?"

"Just a fe-"

Before I could finish my sentence, Prince Wu had cut me off with another question. "Why are you here? Did you need something?"

"This concubine wants to thank You Highness for letting me stay in your room during my curing process. I've made some gifts for you." Once I said my sentence, I waved my hand and presented the two items I've made. I had made dinner for the prince, but it seems he was already satisfying himself with Shu Xienghao, so there was no need for me to show him the food. I was kind of sad that I couldn't show my cooking to him, but whatever makes him happy is more than enough.

"These are quite well-made. Who made them?"

"Me. I had also prepared dinner for Your Highness, but you are already having dinner with Scholar Shu, so I've put it off instead."

"The sword is not ordinary, nor is the dress. I could sense a strong spiritual energy from them, did you put it in there?" He said this while raising an eyebrow to show his dislike towards what I did.

"Yes. If I was normal, I would have been losing my cultivation levels, but as Your Highness knows, I'm not normal, so don't worry."

"Sigh, have you done this before?"

"All my dresses, my weapons, my food, and more."

"I see. Then, I suppose your food will also be good. Present it to me."

I waved my hand again and the room had a rich smell food. "Well then, this concubine will take her leave now since I've done what I wanted to already."

Before I teleported back to my room, I felt a passionate stare from Prince Wu. Your Highness, please don't stare at me like that when I have just gotten over a heartbreak!

Back at my room, I had immediately changed my clothes to a nightgown and laid on my bed trying to calm my nerves down. He had given me the same passionate that he always did. As a woman just having gotten over someone's death, isn't this bad? Was these feeling from Zhao Ling? I was merely an unconscious soul living in her body, yet why is it that I have inherited her feelings?

This is bad... I need to do some thinking. I need to make plans for the future. However, it is hard for me to make a plan when my first question is unanswered. Should I stay or not? This body and its emotions are telling me to do both. Perhaps, once I've lived here long enough, I think I can choose. I can immediately go back to my world, but I should try. I'll stay here for 1 year like Zhao Ling originally thought. Like how I originally thought. I'll get an answer by then.

Going into deep thinking, Zhao Ling had ignored what was happening in the real world and had not noticed that the prince had embraced her in her bed until he kissed her on the cheeks.

"Um... Um..." With a flustered face, I tried to say what I wanted, but I was greeted by smirk on his face. He was most likely happy about stealing a kiss from me.

"What was my wife thinking about?"

"I was thinking about whether I should go back to the demon realm or stay here."

"Stay here... If you leave, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

"Don't worry. Although I say go back, I am merely visiting the place."

"Why do you need to visit the place? Don't you remember what you told me?"

"I do, but there is something that I want to search for over there. A soul. He may have died, but I want to at least make sure his soul can rest in peace."

"Why are you so nice to everybody you meet?"

"Because I never had to do the job of killing in conscious mind. What are you doing here anyways?"

"The emperor is holding the Spring Hunt tomorrow. I'm invited and I can bring my wife."

"You want me to go?"

"En."

"Why don't you choose the other concubines?"

"Sigh, Ling'er, soon I will make sure you won't have the excuse of the other concubines."

"E-eh?"

"I don't want to. They will only be troublesome for me. I need someone who can calm me down like you. Besides, I don't see your face a lot anymore. I missed you."

"Um!"

"Let me sleep with you tonight."

Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to say no, so I could only shake my head implying my agreement to let him stay. However, somehow he took that yes to greater lengths.

He thrown me under him and kissed me on my lips before going to his side of the bed and sleeping as if nothing happened. How can he just sleep and pretend nothing happened? Who cares, you need to sleep and prepare for tomorrow.

Prince Wu who pretended to be asleep was not. His heart was pounding and he was sweating excessively, but the clothing that Zhao Ling had made for him hid the sweat. Prince Wu was happy that this set of clothing had such ability. When he first kissed her lips it was so supple and soft that he wanted to do more, but when he thought about how she might hate him for forcing himself on her, he stopped.

He wanted to wait for her to be ready for him. When she could accept him. On that day that she woke up, he felt that something was off. Only when she spoke out did he notice that she felt distant. All the feelings she had before seems to have to disappeared. It was as if she got a reset in life. At first he was happy. After all, that meant that she can forget about that man Lu Ming, but then he also remember that he was also considered to be on the losing side too.

Remembering that feeling of being scared to lose her, he embraced her tightly and fell asleep with her in his embrace.

The next morning, I woke up and started preparing food to put in my storage. I made lots of food. More than enough to last a year for my pets. I left all of the food for them, but of course, some of them were for me. Before I got Shen Ru, they would always eat all the food and leave me none. I was mad, but I said nothing because they were like my children. However, those children finally started to mature once Shen Ru came and I was happy about.

I could finally trust putting food in my storage realm with Shen Ru guarding it.

The prince had asked that I ride in his carriage, but I gave him a no as I am just a concubine. He had wanted to argue with me, but nobody can beat me in an argument. He could only agree and was about to give me a carriage, but I shot down all his ideas. I have always been an independent person.

The reason of my rejection towards what he wanted to give me was, I had my own carriage and guard. The carriage was the most beautiful and comfortable in all the realms, so I would never ride another carriage. As for my guard, I told Shen Ru transform into his human form and stay by my side to guard me. I was sure that when we go, he would get lots of stares. Shen Ru was a man that has both talents and looks. But what I loved about him was his personality.

When Shen Ru heard my order, he was very happy and left with me. He was sitting in the front controlling the horse for my carriage. Everything was owned by me. The horse was a white horse. It has no classification because I never knew the breed of it. The man who gave it to me never told me. However, the horse had looks and talents. It was a horse with also a loyal personality.

Being surrounded by these, made me happy and nostalgic reminding me of the past. Back then, he held my hands and gave me the warmth. We would be sitting inside the carriage with the horse dragging us along the snow. We would sit in there doing nothing other than sitting and enjoying out time together. Back then, it felt like time could go on forever and he would still be with me, but looking in this carriage now, it felt lonely. Really lonely.

After traveling for a time, we finally stopped at our destination. I looked around the place and found that the emperor had brought at least 10 concubines and consorts. These royal people are such horrible players. How does these women even deal with fighting each other all day long? I would be dead tired from not having a single rest day.

The person helping me get down, Shen Ru, was smiling at me and with that I ignored the people here and instead thought about how I could make a huge catch. Shen Ru who saw that I finally smiled, also smiled back to me. And to him, I whispered, "Although I don't like the view of the people, I must that I like the the view of the spring."

"Master has always loved the winter and spring."

"Xiao Ru, you really know me best. Every time I see your smile and your face, it really calms me down. Especially your voice... What would I do without you?"

"Is that so? Then, I would like to make a request for Master to use me more."

"Hehe... I already rely on you more than enough. If I did that, the others would get jealous about you stealing their jobs."

"Master, sometimes, I wished you would be more greedier and not so nice."

"Eh? Why do say so?"

"Master, since the day I've joined you I've always loved being by your side..." Shen Ru had finished his sentence, but Prince Wu had stolen Zhao Ling's attention at just the right moment to not hear his words. It was almost as if Prince Wu had done it on purpose.

"Ling'er, let's go."

"Alright, wait." I then called over my horse, Xue, to follow me and we left with the prince.

Shen Ru who had his spotlight stolen by Prince Wu was mad. He knew that the prince already knew of his feelings for his master. They were both men that had fallen in love with the same woman, but he came first. He knew her personality, what she loved, what she hated, and more about her. He thought that as long as he tried, she would be his. He lost the opportunity to be her beloved last time, but not this time, he thought.