Mu Yunjin traveled swiftly toward Qingzhou, using her lightness skill. Beside her, Ding Xian watched Mu Yunjin’s extraordinary qinggong with admiration, realizing that Chu Li’s first impression of her had been correct.

This woman was truly a fox, and he might not even be her match.

Who could have imagined that the once-ridiculed Third Miss Mu of Diehua City concealed such exquisite martial skills?

Previously, he had worried that when Qin Muyue returned, this Third Miss Mu would certainly be no match for her. Now it seemed he had overthought things.

By the time they returned to Qingzhou, the rain had stopped. Mu Yunjin carried a basket of medicinal herbs toward the injured villagers.

“She’s back! The Princess has returned!” someone among the commoners shouted.

Mu Yunjin walked quickly forward and handed the basket of herbs to a physician, expressing slight apology, “I’m sorry I’m late.”

“It’s no trouble, thank you for your efforts, Princess.” The physician accepted the basket, examined the herbs, and walked aside.

Chu Li emerged from a room, noticed Mu Yunjin standing outside, frowned, and quickened his pace to her side. “You’re injured?”

…

…

“No, I’m not.” Mu Yunjin was startled, shaking her head.

Chu Li gave her a sidelong glance, his gaze falling on the few bloodstains at the hem of her clothes. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he looked toward Ding Xian.

Meeting this frigid gaze, Ding Xian was frightened and immediately stepped forward, “Your Highness, rest assured, the Princess isn’t injured. These bloodstains are from an encounter with some ruffians after a fight.”

Chu Li’s expression darkened as he gave a faint “Mmm” in response.

Qin Muyue watched this scene and approached from the side, smiling at Mu Yunjin, “It must have been difficult for Sister-in-law Yunjin to travel for so long. It’s almost dark now. Had I known Sister-in-law would be gone so long, Muyue should have gone in your place.”

Mu Yunjin rolled her eyes and sneered, “What good is hindsight now!”

Qin Muyue’s smile froze on her lips.

Nearby, Yang Wanshan and others noticed something amiss and, recalling past rumors, stood silently to the side, not daring to speak.

Seeing it was getting dark, Mu Yunjin looked at Chu Li and curved her lips, “It’s getting dark, shall we head back?”

Chu Li nodded.

“Brother Li, doesn’t your residence have two rooms? Can I stay there tonight too?” Qin Muyue approached, her face smiling with a hint of entreaty.

“No,” Chu Li rejected flatly, not even giving Qin Muyue a proper glance.

Qin Muyue was startled again. She looked around at the people nearby and laughed awkwardly, “Haha, I was just joking. Official Yang has already prepared accommodations for me.”

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, thinking silently that Qin Muyue was overly dramatic, so she ignored her and took Chu Li’s arm as they walked toward their residence.

On the way, Mu Yunjin, exhausted from a day of travel, leaned lazily against Chu Li’s arm, half her weight resting on him.

Chu Li glanced at Mu Yunjin and curved his lips slightly.

Upon returning to the residence, Xiao Ju greeted them, asking if they wanted to dine or bathe first. Mu Yunjin waved her hand, pulled Chu Li into the room, and closed the door.

“Look at this.” Mu Yunjin took out the talisman paper from her bosom and handed it to Chu Li.

Chu Li took the talisman paper, his gaze calmly scanning its contents. His brows moved slightly as he walked to a candlestick and burned the paper to ashes.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Yunjin didn’t understand Chu Li’s actions.

“Just an ordinary talisman paper, no need to mind it,” Chu Li said softly, looking at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin frowned slightly. She remembered the white-robed man on Qingfeng Mountain claiming it contained frontier tribal text, but Chu Li said it was just an ordinary talisman. Whom should she believe?

After thinking, Mu Yunjin patted her head and silently cursed herself. Of course, she should listen to Chu Li—she didn’t even know the background of that white-robed man!

“I’ll go bathe first then.” Mu Yunjin stretched lazily, no longer dwelling on the talisman’s contents. She adjusted her clothes and walked out.

After Mu Yunjin left, Chu Li’s eyes darkened completely as he spoke in a low voice, “Ding Xian…”

“I’m here.” Ding Xian entered from outside.

“What happened today on Qingfeng Mountain?” Chu Li turned to look at Ding Xian.

Hearing this, Ding Xian thought for a moment and said, “Today I followed the Princess to Qingfeng Mountain, but lost my way a bit and couldn’t keep up with her. When I reached Qingfeng Mountain, I saw seven or eight bodies of black-clothed men at the foot of the mountain.”

“Those black-clothed men all had a black cloud mark on them. Later, the Princess came down from the mountain and said she had killed those men.”

Chu Li narrowed his eyes, his brows furrowing, “The black cloud mark—the secret imperial guards of Eastern Lin Kingdom.”

“Eastern Lin Kingdom…” Ding Xian was stunned, after a moment exclaiming, “Yes, no wonder that mark looked familiar. They were from Eastern Lin.”

After speaking, Ding Xian looked at Chu Li, sensing something wasn’t quite right.

Why would Eastern Lin’s imperial guards appear on Qingfeng Mountain, and why were they coincidentally killed by the Princess? It seemed he had arrived a step too late.

“Have you found out about Qin Muyue’s mission?” Chu Li asked lightly.

“I ordered someone to investigate. Indeed, it’s because the frontier tribes are growing restless that the Emperor sent Miss Qin here,” Ding Xian replied.

“Hmph…” Hearing this, Chu Li snorted lightly, “What a coincidence. Mu Yunjin just retrieved a talisman from the frontier tribes at Qingfeng Mountain, and Qin Muyue happens to be here to deal with these tribes.”

Ding Xian’s heart jolted in disbelief, “Your Highness, are you suggesting there’s something suspicious between Miss Qin and these tribes?”

“Chu Li, I’m done bathing.” Mu Yunjin entered the room at that moment.

Seeing Ding Xian was also there, Mu Yunjin glanced at the two men and sat at her dressing table, leisurely combing her hair.

Chu Li looked at Ding Xian, signaling him to leave.

Ding Xian immediately understood.

After Ding Xian left, Chu Li approached Mu Yunjin and placed his hands on her shoulders, “Are you not injured today?”

Mu Yunjin shook her head, putting down her comb, “No, I’m not.”

“Mmm,” Chu Li responded.

……

The next day, as dawn broke, Chu Li slowly opened his eyes, looked at the sleeping figure beside him, and released a stream of true qi from his palm into Mu Yunjin’s brow, sealing her sleep acupoint.

Chu Li rose and left the residence.

When he arrived at the western dam for inspection, Qin Muyue was already waiting. Seeing Chu Li arrive alone, she excitedly greeted him.

Chu Li nodded faintly.

Seeing that Chu Li finally acknowledged her today, Qin Muyue was excited and stepped forward, her face radiant with a brilliant smile.

Nearby, Ding Xian observed and addressed Chu Li, “Your Highness, yesterday I discovered some frontier tribesmen near Qingfeng Mountain. These tribes don’t belong to the Western Yuan Kingdom. I don’t know if they might harm the surrounding commoners.”

“Frontier people?” Chu Li’s eyes revealed surprise as he glanced at Ding Xian.

“Yes, they were speaking the tribal language of the frontier. I couldn’t understand what they were saying,” Ding Xian said.

Hearing this, Qin Muyue’s lips curved into a slight arc, “Brother Li, when Muyue fought at the border, I crossed swords with the leaders of these frontier tribes. These people are insatiably greedy, often coveting some of our Western Yuan cities. They’ve been repelled by our army several times, but now that my brother and I have returned to court, they’re growing restless again.”

“Mmm.” Chu Li nodded slightly, “You understand the frontier tribal language?”

Hearing Chu Li ask her a question, Qin Muyue grew more excited and smiled, “Yes, I’ve studied it somewhat.”

After speaking, Qin Muyue added, “Brother Li, I was sent here to deal with these tribes. Why don’t you come with me this time? If those leaders see you, they’ll certainly be intimidated. Resolving the issue with these tribes early will be a safeguard for the commoners.”

“What do you say, Brother Li…?”

Ding Xian stood to the side, listening to these soft, coquettish words, and rubbed the goosebumps on his arm.

“Alright.” Chu Li agreed to Qin Muyue’s request.

“Really? Brother Li, you’re willing to go?” Qin Muyue could hardly believe it.

Chu Li nodded, giving Qin Muyue a faint glance, “When do we depart?”

“The sooner the better, so let’s go now!” Qin Muyue could barely contain her excitement. Once Chu Li accompanied her to the border, she would find a way to become his true woman.

By then, if she conceived Chu Li’s child, Mu Yunjin would have no chance against her!

Before leaving, Chu Li specifically left Song Chun, the head of the Purple Armor Guards, instructing him not to tell Mu Yunjin about his journey to the border.

……

Mu Yunjin slept for a long time, not waking until dusk. Hearing the rain outside, she pulled the blankets around herself, feeling exhausted all over.

When her peripheral vision caught the time on the water clock, Mu Yunjin frowned, “Xiao Ju…”

Xiao Ju pushed open the door, “Princess, you’re awake.”

“Where is the Prince?” Mu Yunjin frowned, looking at the space beside her, wondering why she had slept so deeply today.

“The Prince…” Xiao Ju scratched her head, “The Prince left early with Guard Ding and hasn’t returned yet.”

Mu Yunjin nodded faintly, assuming Chu Li was still out and hadn’t returned, so she lay back down and sent Xiao Ju away.

Mu Yunjin lay from afternoon until complete darkness fell, but still didn’t see Chu Li return. Now she could no longer stay in bed. She got up, dressed, and prepared to go out.

Donning a straw rain cape, Mu Yunjin said a word to Xiao Ju and left the residence.

Just as she walked out, Song Chun appeared and bowed to Mu Yunjin, “Greetings, Princess.”

“Why are you here?” Seeing Song Chun, who usually remained hidden, Mu Yunjin sensed something amiss.

Song Chun smiled, “The Prince and Guard Ding left early, instructing me to stay and protect the Princess’s safety.”

“It’s dark now and raining. Where does the Princess wish to go?”

“Just for a walk.” Mu Yunjin spoke, took a lantern from the side, and walked past Song Chun, heading out.

Behind her, Song Chun scratched his head, filled with difficulty. What a mess the Prince and Guard Ding had left him with! This Princess was no ordinary person to be easily fooled!