Mu Yunjin and her group arrived outside the gates of the imperial city of Northern Ming Country close to midnight.

At this time, the main gates of the imperial city were tightly closed. Mu Yunjin looked toward Huang Yan. “Should we wait until dawn to enter the city, or shall we sneak in tonight?”

“Let’s enter the city first,” Huang Yan said, then glanced at Hua Ying, curling his lips. “Miss Hua Ying must be tired from the journey.”

Hua Ying cast a faint glance at Huang Yan. “I’m fine.”

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin rubbed her nose and gave Huang Yan a meaningful look. Could this guy have taken a liking to her?

…

Although the main gates of the imperial city were tightly closed, it was not at all difficult for people like Mu Yunjin to enter. After easily scaling the city wall, they stood on the quiet and empty main street of the imperial city, observing their surroundings.

“This place seems eerily quiet…” After a while, Mu Yunjin spoke softly. She wasn’t sure if it was due to different local customs or something else, but she felt that the imperial city before her was so silent it seemed as if no one lived there. She couldn’t sense any vitality.

The others had also noticed this strangeness and were all on edge, their gazes carefully scanning the surroundings.

…

…

“Listen, I think I hear footsteps coming this way!” Huang Yan frowned, his eyes darkening. He gestured to the others, then flashed to a corner, looking sideways toward the center of the street.

Soon enough, they indeed saw a slender figure walking slowly on the main street.

The figure moved with light, slow steps. Through the moonlight, they could tell it was a woman. Although this woman appeared to be walking alone, her surroundings were filled with unusual auras.

“This woman is out wandering so late at night—she must be extraordinary. Let’s retreat first,” Huang Yan said softly to those behind him as he watched the woman drawing closer.

But Mu Yunjin seemed not to have heard Huang Yan’s words. She remained standing in place, her hand against the wall as she peered out to look at the woman, furrowing her brow. “Why do I feel like her figure looks somewhat familiar?”

After saying this, she scratched her head.

“Tsk, Princess Consort, don’t dawdle here. Let’s leave quickly. We don’t know who that woman is yet—don’t let her discover us,” Huang Yan tugged at Mu Yunjin. On this trip to Northern Ming Country, he was determined to ensure Mu Yunjin’s safety; otherwise, his safety would be at risk.

“Wait…” Mu Yunjin raised her hand to push away Huang Yan, who was about to pull her along. Unfortunately, she hit the back of his hand, using too much force, which produced a crisp sound.

“Slap—”

The figure walking on the street suddenly stopped. In an instant, a dark shadow using lightness skill swiftly flew toward Mu Yunjin and the others through the vast darkness, carrying a fierce aura.

“This is bad, hurry!” Huang Yan said.

Just as he spoke, the dark shadow had already approached Mu Yunjin, along with a gust of palm wind. Mu Yunjin stepped back a few paces, but seeing the person’s palm wind already sweeping out, she instinctively concentrated her true qi to resist. At the same time, she felt the hidden auras around them gradually closing in.

“You all go first!” Mu Yunjin said to those behind her. Just as she was about to draw her Phoenix Tail Whip to defend, the attacking figure suddenly withdrew her true qi and halted in place.

“Yunjin, what are you doing here?!” The person sounded both excited and surprised.

Hearing this voice, Mu Yunjin, Huang Yan, and the others all froze, looking at the figure standing before them. Earlier, they were far away and it was dark, so they could only see a vague outline.

Now, upon closer inspection, it was none other than Jiang Qingxue!

“I came to Northern Ming Country on some business. I just arrived half an hour ago,” Mu Yunjin said to Jiang Qingxue, feeling somewhat awkward and uncomfortable. She also secretly sighed at the coincidence of running into her just after arriving.

Jiang Qingxue nodded in understanding without saying much. “Follow me first.”

…

Jiang Qingxue led Mu Yunjin and the others to a residence. As they entered the main gate, Mu Yunjin paused slightly, glancing at the surroundings and realizing that the layout was identical to the Qing Mansion in Xinyao City.

Inside the hall, Jiang Qingxue ordered someone to prepare some hot tea and snacks, then looked at Mu Yunjin, her eyes filled with concern. “You’ve come to Northern Ming Country so suddenly. Do you have urgent business to attend to?”

Mu Yunjin took a sip of hot tea and ate a few snacks, looking at Jiang Qingxue. “It’s so late. What were you doing walking alone on the street earlier?”

Hearing this, Jiang Qingxue smiled faintly and poured another cup of hot tea for Mu Yunjin. “When you entered the city earlier, you used the lightness skill to fly over the city wall, right?”

“Yes,” Mu Yunjin nodded, taking another piece of cake. After traveling so far, she was both cold and hungry now.

“That explains it,” Jiang Qingxue glanced at the others as well. “There’s a formation around the city walls. Though you seemed to enter without hindrance, I had already received a signal that someone had intruded into the imperial city.”

“But I didn’t expect it would be you all. I didn’t hurt you earlier, did I?” Bringing this up, Jiang Qingxue looked at Mu Yunjin carefully.

Mu Yunjin shook her head. After eating and drinking her fill, drowsiness washed over her. Having traveled for so long, and now in the late hours of the night, Mu Yunjin was already exhausted.

She had been worried about having to sleep on the streets for the rest of the night, but meeting Jiang Qingxue was indeed fortunate.

“It’s late, and you must be tired from your journey. I’ll take you to your rooms first. We can talk about anything else after you wake up tomorrow,” Jiang Qingxue said, seeing everyone’s weary spirits. She stood up, smiled at them, and then led them to the rooms in the back garden.

After arranging rooms for Huang Yan, Qiqi, and the others, Jiang Qingxue finally led Mu Yunjin to her room. The two walked side by side along the long corridor.

“Do you live here alone?” Mu Yunjin asked casually, looking down as she walked.

“Yes, after following your father back to Northern Ming Country, I’ve been living here ever since,” Jiang Qingxue said, looking sideways at Mu Yunjin, her eyes full of smiles. But when her sidelong glance fell on Mu Yunjin’s clothes, she pressed her lips together, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Qingxue couldn’t help but say, “Did you bring any thick clothes in your bundle? The weather is cold now, and you’re dressed so thinly. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin looked down at her clothes. “I left in a hurry this time and didn’t bring many clothes.”

At Pingfeng Cliff, she had been wearing a thick coat, but it had been torn to shreds by the eagles. The rest were simple clothes suitable for easy movement.

“You and I are about the same build. I have several newly made clothes. I’ll get them for you tomorrow. It wouldn’t be good if you caught a cold,” Jiang Qingxue said, stopping with Mu Yunjin at a room door. She smiled at Mu Yunjin, her eyes full of love and concern for her daughter.

“Hmm,” Mu Yunjin nodded in agreement, and then added, “Those two pieces of clothing you made for me, I like them very much.”

When Jiang Qingxue heard these words from Mu Yunjin, she was slightly stunned, with what seemed like crystalline light flashing in her eyes. Then she smiled at Mu Yunjin. “I’m glad you like them.”

“Alright, go in and rest now. If there’s anything you need to adjust to, just call for me,” Jiang Qingxue instructed, her expression friendly.

Mu Yunjin nodded, pushed open the door, and walked in.

…

The next day at noon.

“Qingxue, you’re not fooling me, are you? Yunjin came to Northern Ming Country?” Upon hearing the news from Jiang Qingxue, Bei Tang Wen Feng came to Jiang Qingxue’s residence right after the morning court. He had been waiting in the back garden for nearly an hour and a half but hadn’t seen any sign of Mu Yunjin.

“What would I gain by lying to you? The child traveled for several days and only arrived at my place in the late hours of the night. She’s probably still asleep. Why did you rush over here?” Jiang Qingxue chided Bei Tang Wen Feng.

Hearing Jiang Qingxue’s words, Bei Tang Wen Feng nodded with a smile. “Yunjin is my precious daughter, and this is her first time returning to Northern Ming Country. How could I, as her father, neglect her?”

As they were chatting, a door facing the garden opened, and Mu Yunjin, wearing a long robe, walked out. She squinted her eyes and lazily stretched.

“I’ll go give her the clothes,” Jiang Qingxue said, picking up clothes she had prepared earlier and walking toward Mu Yunjin.

“Yunjin, did you rest well? Is there anything you’re not accustomed to?” Jiang Qingxue approached Mu Yunjin, giving her a concerned smile.

Mu Yunjin shook her head. “It’s quite nice. I’d like to bathe first…”

“Alright, I’ll have someone prepare hot water for you. Try these clothes first to see if they fit,” Jiang Qingxue said, handing the clothes she was carrying to Mu Yunjin.

When Mu Yunjin finished bathing and changed into the new clothes, she walked out of the room and met the gazes of Bei Tang Wen Feng and Jiang Qingxue. The two were sitting in the garden, and when they caught sight of Mu Yunjin, Bei Tang Wen Feng immediately stood up and walked toward her.

“Yunjin, why didn’t you inform Father before coming to Northern Ming Country? If your mother hadn’t told me this morning, I wouldn’t have known,” Bei Tang Wen Feng said, his eyes smiling as he looked at her.

Mu Yunjin tugged at the corner of her mouth and pressed her lips. “I decided to come here at the last minute.”

“You must be hungry? Your mother has already prepared lunch. Let’s go eat something first,” Bei Tang Wen Feng said in a gentle tone, afraid that something might upset Mu Yunjin.

Compared to his other children, it was only Yunjin who, each time he saw her, filled his heart with uncontrollable joy and love.

“By the way, what about my friends? Are they still sleeping?” Mu Yunjin remembered Huang Yan and the others, glancing in the direction of their rooms.

“They’ve already had lunch. I don’t know where they’ve gone now,” Jiang Qingxue replied.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin nodded.

“Let’s go have our meal,” Jiang Qingxue said, approaching and gently taking Mu Yunjin’s arm. Her expression and movements were slightly stiff.

Mu Yunjin lowered her gaze to look at her arm being held, her vision pausing for a moment, then smiled at Jiang Qingxue. “Yes, I’m very hungry now. I wonder if the food here in Northern Ming Country is more delicious compared to Western Ming Country?”

Bei Tang Wen Feng and Jiang Qingxue had both been on edge, fearing that Mu Yunjin might be displeased and pull away from Jiang Qingxue. Now, seeing her smiling face and relaxed tone, they also relaxed.

Bei Tang Wen Feng then looked at Mu Yunjin with pride. “After you’ve tried it, I guarantee you won’t forget our food!”