After entering the cave, Mu Yunjin immediately felt a cool breeze and became much more comfortable, though cold sweat continued to break out on her back.

After resting for a while, Mu Yunjin observed the black lotuses in the pond. They had now opened their buds, emanating an air of mystery and enchantment.

“What’s so magical about these black lotuses that they can break through Kongshi’s formation?” Mu Yunjin examined the black lotuses from all angles but found nothing particularly special apart from their unusual color.

After contemplating for a long time, she still felt that Chu Li must have been deceived by that old Taoist.

Chu Li had originally planned to test Mu Yunjin’s blood immediately after she entered, but seeing her obvious physical discomfort, he hesitated.

“Let’s begin,” Mu Yunjin said, walking to Chu Li’s side after resting sufficiently. She lowered her eyes to look at the black lotuses. “How do we test this? Which part needs the blood?”

“Are you able?” Chu Li raised an eyebrow, his gaze scanning Mu Yunjin up and down.

Mu Yunjin nodded, her face indifferent. “I’m fine after resting. Let’s not delay—shall we start? How do we draw the blood?”

“Piercing your finger with a silver needle will suffice,” Chu Li said, narrowing his eyes.

…

“Mm.” Mu Yunjin took out a silver needle she carried with her and, without hesitation, pricked her finger without even flinching.

Then, crimson blood began to emerge drop by drop from her finger. Mu Yunjin walked to the edge of the pond, raised her hand, and let the bright red blood flow down her finger, dripping onto the black lotus blossoms…

…

After a while, the black lotuses showed no change.

Mu Yunjin wasn’t surprised by this result. It had been said that only a phoenix woman’s blood could activate these black lotuses. She wasn’t a phoenix woman, so how could her ordinary blood summon such a mystical object?

“Don’t be discouraged. There will always be a way,” Mu Yunjin comforted Chu Li as she bandaged her finger with a silk handkerchief.

Chu Li remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the black lotuses in the pond.

“Boom—” A thunderclap suddenly sounded from outside the mountain, causing the entire cave to shake slightly.

“Boom—” With successive thunderclaps, rain began to fall outside the cave, adding to the already pervasive coolness in the cave.

Mu Yunjin hugged her arms and involuntarily shivered.

Chu Li glanced at Mu Yunjin, then at the torrential rain outside, and spoke softly, “Bear with it for now. We can’t leave for a while.”

“Mm.” Mu Yunjin nodded.

“Look, the black lotuses are changing!” Ding Xian’s excited voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Chu Li and Mu Yunjin both looked toward the pond.

Indeed, the previously scattered black lotuses in the pond, either due to the wind or some other reason, had all gathered together, forming a dense black mass.

Then, above those black lotuses, a black mist gradually formed, tightly enveloping them.

Mu Yunjin watched this scene in astonishment, observing how the black lotuses were slowly devoured by this mist, and how the black mist gradually rose into the air, hovering above the pond, continuously rolling and rotating.

The pond was now empty, with no black lotuses in sight.

“Boom—” Another thunderclap resounded through the sky, causing small stones to fall from the cave ceiling.

“Chu Li, what is this?” Mu Yunjin asked in amazement, her eyes fixed on the black mist that was suddenly becoming smaller and smaller.

Chu Li clenched his fists, pressed his lips together, his eyes cold as he watched the black lotuses finally transforming, almost unable to maintain his usual composure.

As the black mist grew smaller and smaller, Mu Yunjin bit her lip and pointed at the black mist, “Why is it getting smaller? What if it disappears completely?”

As she spoke, a strong wind blew in from outside the cave, sweeping the silk handkerchief from Mu Yunjin’s finger onto the ground. Her finger, which had stopped bleeding, began to ooze blood droplets again.

The black mist suddenly stopped condensing and surged toward Mu Yunjin with a space-breaking momentum. Mu Yunjin stepped back at the sight, but the black mist moved extremely fast. As it approached Mu Yunjin, it transformed into a beam of black light and entered her forehead…

Mu Yunjin instantly felt as if hundreds of ants were gnawing inside her head. Her mind spun, and as her body fell backward, she was caught by a warm embrace…

…

Mu Yunjin didn’t know how long she had slept. In her dreams, she was always in a dark, bloodthirsty environment, unable to escape no matter how hard she tried.

“Mu Yunjin, wake up…”

“Ah!” Mu Yunjin screamed, sitting up on the bed, gasping for breath, her forehead covered in sweat.

Chu Li stood beside Mu Yunjin’s bed, his gaze fixed on her. Seeing her awake, he asked, “Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

“Did I faint again?” Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li exasperatedly, rubbing her temples and carefully recalling what happened before she lost consciousness.

Chu Li nodded, “You fainted in the cave.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin felt that she had become incredibly weak lately. If this continued, she would turn into Lin Daiyu, delicately confined to bed every day!

“By the way, that black mist…” Mu Yunjin hesitated, uncertain whether what she experienced was real or a dream.

That black mist had entered her body. Would it bring negative effects? If so, it would be all pain and no gain.

“The soul of the black lotus is now within you. Tomorrow, this prince will take you to Xinyao City to see that Taoist,” Chu Li said, reaching out to rub Mu Yunjin’s head as if to comfort her.

Soul of the black lotus…

Mu Yunjin swallowed. Just hearing the name made her fearful…

So, pursing her lips and looking dissatisfied at Chu Li, she said, “I’ve made another big sacrifice. You should give me some compensation.”

Chu Li smiled faintly and nodded, “You may choose whatever you wish.”

“It’s a deal. I’ll tell you once I’ve decided,” Mu Yunjin said with a curved lip, instinctively extending her pinky finger to make a pinky promise with Chu Li.

But halfway through, she weakly retracted it, silently slapping her forehead for getting too excited and forgetting that she was dealing with Chu Li…

Chu Li’s gaze had never left Mu Yunjin since earlier. Seeing her exceptionally expressive face, he suddenly couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her cheek.

“Hey, that hurts…” Mu Yunjin hadn’t expected Chu Li to suddenly pinch her face. As she complained of pain, a slight blush crept onto her cheeks.

“How adorable,” Chu Li chuckled softly. After saying this, he turned and left Mu Yunjin’s room.

Mu Yunjin sat there, her mouth twitching, rubbing her pinched cheek. Did Chu Li just call her adorable?

…

After resting for a while, Mu Yunjin left her room to stretch her limbs. Looking around, she discovered she was in a residence in Heyue City.

It was noon, and due to the recent rain, the sun was hidden, making it somewhat cool outside.

“Princess Consort, you’re awake?” Ding Xian, who had been guarding the door, immediately approached when he saw Mu Yunjin come out.

Mu Yunjin nodded, leaning against the doorframe, “Where’s Chu Li?”

“His Highness went out,” Ding Xian said with an awkward smile.

“Mm.” Mu Yunjin curved her lips slightly. Just as she was about to return to her room, the main gate of the residence opened, and Chu Li walked in from outside.

Seeing Mu Yunjin leaning against the door, Chu Li slightly frowned, then approached a few steps and tossed a paper-wrapped package into her arms.

Mu Yunjin caught it steadily and curiously opened the package. When the sweet aroma wafted from inside, she was delighted, “So it’s sweet cakes!”

Standing nearby, Ding Xian realized that Chu Li had gone out specifically to buy sweet cakes for Mu Yunjin, and his worldview collapsed once again.

Oh no, something was strange about these two.

After eating a sweet cake, Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li, “We’re going to Xinyao City tomorrow. Is it far from here?”

“Not far,” Chu Li replied.

Mu Yunjin pressed her lips together and nodded, recalling the remarkable woman Qu Xinyao that Qiqi had mentioned. She wondered if they might encounter such an extraordinary woman during this trip to Xinyao City.

However, her most immediate concern was the black lotus soul within her body. Having such a mysterious entity inside made her feel uneasy.

Thinking of this, Mu Yunjin suddenly remembered something and looked at Chu Li with a frown, “Were these black lotuses activated by me?”

“Yes,” Chu Li responded.

Mu Yunjin bit her lip, her eyes full of surprise and contemplation. Wasn’t it said that only a phoenix woman’s blood could summon these black lotuses?

Why did her blood work as well?

After some thought, Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, inwardly reasoning that the phoenix woman’s blood theory must be incorrect. A phoenix woman belongs to the Phoenix Star, and these black lotuses seemed quite unorthodox. How could these two elements possibly merge…

“Knock, knock, knock…” There was a knocking sound at the main gate of the residence.

Ding Xian ran to open the door. Seeing the visitor, he bowed respectfully, “City Lord Xu…”

Hearing it was the City Lord, Mu Yunjin, curiously glanced over. At the entrance of the residence walked in a graceful young man, dressed simply and elegantly, with dark hair falling onto his shoulders and a gentle expression on his face.

City Lord Xu approached Chu Li and Mu Yunjin, then bowed to them, “Heyu pays respects to His Highness the Sixth Prince and the Sixth Prince’s Princess Consort.”

“No need for formalities,” Chu Li said calmly.

Xu Heyu nodded, expressed his thanks, then turned his gaze to Mu Yunjin with a smile in his eyes, “Heyu’s current position as City Lord is entirely due to the Sixth Prince’s Princess Consort’s recent righteous intervention. Heyu will certainly treat the citizens of Heyue City well.”

“I heard you have some feelings for Qu Xinyao?” Mu Yunjin didn’t respond to Xu Heyu’s words. Her eyes burned with gossip-hungry fire. As soon as he had introduced himself as Xu Heyu, she remembered the gossip Qiqi had shared with her about Qu Xinyao and Xu Heyu.

“Ahem…” Chu Li coughed lightly beside her, reaching out to pat the back of Mu Yunjin’s head. “You should go inside and rest.”

Although Mu Yunjin was a hundred times unwilling, it was obvious that Chu Li had something to discuss with Xu Heyu. Understanding the situation, she pursed her lips and walked toward the room.

Outside the door, Xu Heyu looked gratefully at Chu Li and took out an exquisite box from his sleeve. “I heard the Sixth Prince is going to Xinyao City tomorrow. Would it be convenient for you to pass this on to her for me?”