Cultivation Simulator: Starting From The Empress' Palace

Chapter 100: 100 Saltpeter

My first kiss was taken by him.

Before taking it, he certainly did not obtain my consent.

Not forcing a damn...

But even so, I still closed my eyes.

Then I felt the hairpin on my hair being taken off, and then put back on.

Was the hairpin his gift to me?

The dressing table was not far from where I was sitting, Chen Mo turned Ye Wanqiu’s face towards the dressing table and said, ”Wanqiu, you can open your eyes now.”

As expected.

When Ye Wanqiu opened her eyes, she found that a white jade hairpin had been inserted into her hair, with red spots at the top, resembling blood stains.

This added a touch of color to the plain hairpin.

Judging by the material of the hairpin, it was obviously not cheap.

Of course, this ’not cheap’ is only relative to the people; in the palace, it seems inexpensive.

The hairpins from the common folk could not compare with those in the palace.

But Ye Wanqiu instantly liked it.

Though when a man gives a woman a hairpin, it implies a commitment of love.

And with her status, she is destined not to be with him.

Ye Wanqiu feared causing harm to him.

Just when she wanted to take it down and return it to him.

Chen Mo embraced her waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and said, ”Do you like it? This is a relic my mother left me before she passed away, meant for my future daughter-in-law.”

Upon hearing this.

Ye Wanqiu’s body suddenly shook, her heart struck by Cupid’s arrow, causing ripples like waves on a calm lake.

Wearing this jade hairpin made Ye Wanqiu feel as if she was already the Chen family’s daughter-in-law.

After hesitating for a long while, she finally said, ”Chen Hong, I really like this jade hairpin, but with our identities, we are destined not to be together. The Emperor would not tolerate such a thing happening. Even if he hasn’t touched me, once these things spread, you and I will both be ruined beyond redemption.”

Sorrow welled up in Ye Wanqiu’s eyes.

She finally confronted her feelings for Chen Mo.

She liked Chen Mo too.

But the harsh reality wouldn’t allow her to say yes to him.

”If only I had met you before entering the palace.”

Ye Wanqiu lay in Chen Mo’s arms, took off the jade hairpin from her hair, and held it up to admire it closely.

The tied-up black hair, freed from the hairpin’s constraint, suddenly cascaded down.

She turned around, handed the jade hairpin back to Chen Mo, and said, ”If there’s a next life, I will surely be your wife, but in this life...”

Before ”sorry” could even escape her lips, her red lips were captured by Chen Mo.

Ye Wanqiu’s eyes widened slightly, knowing she couldn’t let this continue, for it would only draw her deeper.

But her resistance was wholly subdued; her slender hands tapped weakly against his chest, powerless and without strength.

She even found excuses for her actions.

”Forget it, just this once, let me indulge him...” she sighed in her heart, slowly closing her eyes, her tight jaw relaxing.

Yet he was utterly excessive.

Later, it wasn’t just about kissing anymore.

He even pushed her onto the ground, pulled down her dress collar, burying his head on her body...

...

Long afterwards.

”You... you...” Ye Wanqiu pushed Chen Mo away, pulled her summer dress back up to her fragrant shoulders, bit her lip, and gave Chen Mo a chiding look: ”You... naughty.”

Chen Mo smiled softly, reaching out a hand.

Ye Wanqiu thought he wanted something more.

Doubling back against him, she slapped his hand away, trying to evade.

But Chen Mo just straightened her clothes and said, ”Qing Shuang will soon return from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I’ll help you tidy up so she doesn’t find out.”

Ye Wanqiu gave him a glare, suppressing the shame in her heart, and said, ”If you dare to sneak a bite, don’t be afraid of being caught.”

”Well, you’ve learned to say that kind of thing too.” Chen Mo pinched Ye Wanqiu’s cheek and said, ”Wanqiu, I won’t give up, one day...”

While speaking, Chen Mo suddenly stopped, then turned Ye Wanqiu around to face away from him, gently lifting her hair to tidy it.

As for the jade hairpin, he placed it back into Ye Wanqiu’s hand, saying, ”If you truly want to end this affection, then you may as well break this jade hairpin; in this life I acknowledge only you, and none else.”

Boom!

Upon hearing this, it was a fatal blow to Ye Wanqiu, who had only known love from novels, making her grip the jade hairpin tightly, afraid it would fall and shatter.

”Why must you do this?” Ye Wanqiu’s resolve was thoroughly shaken.

Taking advantage of the moment, Chen Mo turned Ye Wanqiu back to face him, stroking her face and looking into her eyes, he said passionately, ”Wanqiu, do you know? Actually, from the first time I saw you, I fell for you.”

”Wanqiu, do you believe in love at first sight?”

”...”

For Ye Wanqiu, lost in the fantasy she held in her hand, she naturally believed in love at first sight.

So Chen Mo’s words struck yet another crushing blow.

So lethal that she was defenseless.

Just as she attempted to speak, Chen Mo released her, stood up.

A moment later, Qing Shuang came in carrying a wooden basin, and said, ”What a hot day, this ice is quite in demand, the ice stored by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in winter is almost gone.

By tomorrow, except for Weiyang Palace, Yonghe Palace, and those with Princes or Princesses, no other palaces will be supplied with ice.”

In Qing Shuang’s wooden basin, there was only a small block of ice, about the size of two adult fists.

After emptying the ice into the wooden basin before Ye Wanqiu, Qing Shuang continued, ”If it weren’t for Chen Hong’s waist plaque, we wouldn’t even dream of having this small piece of ice.”

Thinking of earlier events, Ye Wanqiu hardly registered Qing Shuang’s words.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo’s eyes lit up: ”Ice, in demand?”

There was no ice in the palace either.

And outside the palace, there would be even less.

But if I could make ice.

Then wouldn’t money follow?

With money, I could pursue more experiments.

Ice-making, ice-making...

Being a science student, Chen Mo soon thought of a method for making ice.

The method of making ice with saltpeter.

Because dissolving saltpeter in water would absorb a lot of heat, lowering the water temperature, and even freezing it.

As for saltpeter, it could certainly be found in privies, but there’s surely not enough quantity.

It was necessary to find a saltpeter mine.

So Chen Mo asked Ye Wanqiu.

Ye Wanqiu shook her head.

Chen Mo decided to investigate himself.

Perhaps in this world saltpeter had a different name.

No, that’s not right.

Saltpeter, saltpeter...

If memory serves, making gunpowder also requires saltpeter, right?

If I could further advance to make gunpowder, Innate Martial Artists aside.

The Postnatal Martial Artists with their mortal bodies would definitely be killed by a single explosion.

Chen Mo couldn’t sit still any longer.

After telling Ye Wanqiu a few things, he hurriedly left Jingru Palace.

He needed to find Zhao Fujin.

And then take a look at the Imperial College.

Watching Chen Mo hurriedly leave, both Ye Wanqiu and Qing Shuang were stunned.