Three days later…

Letting the palace, the court, and the various factions wait anxiously, Jun Beiyue had not left Prince Yao’s estate for even a single step.

Prince Yao’s estate was more impregnable than the imperial capital itself—not even a bird could fly out, not a single word could get out.

Fortunately, Jun Beiyue and Jue Mingzi had acted quickly enough that Ziqing’s life was no longer in danger. However, she still remained unconscious, and what troubled everyone most was that dagger—no one yet dared to pull it out.

Because no one knew whether the bleeding could be stopped once the dagger was removed, and the longer they waited, the worse the situation would become.

In the room, Ziqing lay quietly, while Jun Beiyue sat beside her, his head tilted slightly back. His once smooth jaw was now shadowed with stubble, adding a rugged masculinity to his cold, handsome features.

He had kept watch for three days now, his eyes lowered, showing no anger, no sorrow—only stillness.

And yet, it was precisely this stillness that left everyone unable to read him, unable to guess what was in his heart.

Nearby, Xiong Xiaobao was curled up in Baili Weisheng’s arms, having fallen asleep from exhaustion without realizing it. Jue Mingzi and Baili Weisheng hadn’t slept much either, worried that no one would be there to care for Ziqing if she woke, and worried that Jun Beiyue might do something rash.

And yet, they had still underestimated Jun Beiyue.

In the silence, it was finally Jun Beiyue who spoke first, his tone flat: “Elder Jue, let me remove the dagger.”

This dagger, one way or another, would have to come out eventually. The longer they delayed, the more passive their position would become.

But the moment Jue Mingzi heard this decision, his whole body trembled—he was afraid.

Baili Weisheng’s brow furrowed tightly. Unlike his usual self, he said nothing, clearly hesitating as well.

She hadn’t even woken up yet—wouldn’t pulling out the dagger now be even more dangerous?

“No one knows how long she’ll remain unconscious. Once the dagger fuses with the flesh, it’ll become a real problem,” Jun Beiyue said flatly, kicking the medicine box beside him toward Jue Mingzi.

Jue Mingzi had no choice but to rise and catch it, but he still hesitated, turning to look at Baili Weisheng, hoping he might persuade Jun Beiyue to reconsider—surely this could wait a little longer!

But to his surprise, Baili Weisheng was irritated the moment he saw him hesitate. “Aren’t you supposed to be a miracle doctor? What exactly is the situation? Can’t you just give us a straight answer?”

Only then did Jue Mingzi grow anxious. “She… this… once the dagger is pulled out, there’s a very good chance the bleeding won’t stop. And if the bleeding doesn’t stop, then…”

Jue Mingzi didn’t finish the sentence, but from his tone alone, everyone understood.

Jun Beiyue said nothing. Baili Weisheng shot to his feet, nearly dropping Xiong Xiaobao in the process. “Are you certain?”

Xiong Xiaobao jolted awake in his drowsy haze, too well-behaved to dare ask anything, watching and listening timidly from the side—the poor child had been thoroughly frightened by what had happened to his mother.

Jue Mingzi wished he could say he wasn’t certain, but at this critical juncture, he knew that delaying further would do nothing but harm. It was time to face reality.

He took a deep breath and said, “I’m certain! If the bleeding doesn’t stop, she will certainly die. And I have no way to stop the bleeding.”

“Miracle doctor, my ass!” Baili Weisheng exploded with fury!

Jun Beiyue’s hand, resting on the dagger lodged in Ziqing’s abdomen, stiffened slightly. He fell silent.

With Jun Beiyue’s silence, the room grew even quieter. Baili Weisheng slumped back down, his usually smiling eyes now chillingly cold. Jue Mingzi stood rooted in place, head bowed.

Only Xiong Xiaobao pressed his lips tightly together, refusing to let himself cry, and silently crawled over to lie down at Ziqing’s right side, gently wrapping his small hands around her.

He didn’t dare cry out loud, and even more, he didn’t dare look into his father’s eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, silently repeating in his heart, “Mommy, don’t leave me. Don’t leave Daddy…”

The silence was so complete it felt as though all sound had vanished from heaven and earth—a soundless world.

It had to be admitted: Jue Mingzi’s certainty had shaken Jun Beiyue’s resolve.

One hand still on the dagger, the other resting on Xiong Xiaobao, he slowly turned his head away and, just like his son, closed his eyes.

Why did such an agonizing decision have to fall to him?

For the first time—the very first time—he found himself thinking this woman was being so selfish?

But just then, a cold sensation touched his hand—so familiar!

Not only did Jun Beiyue notice it, but Xiong Xiaobao did too—that same cool touch, right against his cheek.

“Mommy!”

“Ziqing!”

Father and son cried out at the same instant, opening their eyes to find that Ziqing had somehow woken. One hand gripped Jun Beiyue’s, the other cupped Xiong Xiaobao’s small face, and she was smiling faintly at the two of them.

Even though her smile was pale and wan, to this father and son, it was still the most beautiful smile in the world.

“Mommy! Waaah…”

Xiong Xiaobao finally broke down completely, clinging to Ziqing’s hand and sobbing without end.

As for Jun Beiyue, he watched her silently for a long moment before his voice finally cracked out, “Look, the blood zither is right beside you. I told you—if you didn’t wake up, I’d really destroy that instrument!”

Ziqing glanced at the blood zither and laughed helplessly. “Me? I took a stroll to the gates of the underworld, and the King of Hell told me I have such extraordinary talent that he specially sent me across worlds to Longyuan to find the isolated island. Now that I’ve given up on finding it, he wants to call me back.”

Jun Beiyue didn’t understand a word of this, and simply looked at her, torn between wanting to strangle the woman and wanting to hold her tightly.

“I told him, no! I didn’t cross over for the island. I must have owed a debt in my past life, and this life I crossed back to pay it off to Beiyue.” As she spoke, Ziqing laughed to herself.

Jun Beiyue truly didn’t understand this business about “crossing over,” but hearing the word “debt,” he said helplessly, “Are you sure you came to repay a debt, and not to collect one?”

This made Ziqing burst out laughing—weak, but clearly in much better spirits now.

“No, this life I’ve come to keep owing you. So next life, I’ll have to come find you again, or else I’ll never really pay it off.”

“Must you keep score with me like that?” Jun Beiyue suddenly turned serious.

Ziqing blinked, startled. “It’s not about keeping score. It’s just… Beiyue… I’m sorry.”

She truly felt guilty—she always felt she owed him too much, had burdened him too much.

Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed, and then he laughed bitterly. “If we’re talking about owing and burdening, this prince would never have chosen you in the first place—I would have chosen Chu Feiyan. That woman could have saved this prince a great deal of trouble!”

Hearing that name, even though she knew it was only a hypothetical, Ziqing’s heart still ached.

Seeing her expression, Jun Beiyue found he couldn’t be angry at all—only bitter, and helpless.

Seeing him look so pained, Ziqing’s heart ached in turn, and she said timidly, “Did I say something wrong?”

“Silly.” Jun Beiyue placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and murmured, “Silly fool. My heart belongs to you alone; you may do as you please. That’s all that matters. Forget about who owes whom—I only ask that you stay well.”

As he spoke, his gaze drifted down to the dagger still lodged in her abdomen.

My heart belongs to you alone; you may do as you please…

Ziqing murmured these words of love silently in her heart, and suddenly realized just how happy she truly was—realized that she truly didn’t need to tangle herself up over who owed whom.

My heart belongs to you alone, and you may do as you please—as long as it’s what you truly want, that’s enough.

She smiled faintly, gripped the dagger, and said, “I promise you—I’ll stay well.”

And with that, without warning, she yanked the dagger out with all her strength!