After a while, Mu Yunjin’s heart sank and her brow furrowed as she finally realized what they had been saying. Were they talking about Qin Muyue’s phoenix celestial spirit body?

Could it be that Qin Muyue’s identity as the Phoenix Maiden had been revealed in broad daylight? Had Empress Qin’s secret decree before her death been made public?

Mu Yunjin’s heart immediately grew anxious. She quickened her pace toward the residence.

But with each step, her ribs stabbed with pain. After walking just a short distance, Mu Yunjin’s steps began to falter. She felt dizzy and reached for a nearby wall to steady herself, taking several deep breaths.

As Qin Muyue finished meeting with Daoist Qiuye and prepared to return to rest, she spotted a black figure in the corner of the street, leaning against a wall.

Qin Muyue paused, quietly observing for a moment, then narrowed her eyes, a bloodthirsty gleam flashing through them.

Mu Yunjin—this woman was still alive…

Well, when she had heard from her master that Mu Yunjin’s fate was unknown, she had felt somewhat disappointed that Mu Yunjin hadn’t died by her hand. Now, with Chu Li absent from Qingzhou, this perfect opportunity tonight was one she wouldn’t miss.

Qin Muyue’s lips curled coldly as she drew her soft sword, infused it with true qi, gripped it tightly, and thrust it toward Mu Yunjin.

…

…

Leaning against the wall to rest, Mu Yunjin sensed the sword energy approaching. She dodged, but the movement was too great and pulled at her broken bones. Mu Yunjin lowered her gaze and clutched her waist, her face turning deathly pale.

Seeing her first strike evaded, Qin Muyue was about to launch a second attack when a white figure flew through the air from the side, throwing several flying daggers that blocked Qin Muyue’s advancing sword.

Simultaneously, the white figure landed beside Mu Yunjin, wrapped an arm around her waist, and carried her away.

“Damn it, she escaped again!” Qin Muyue sheathed her soft sword, frowning as she stared in the direction the white figure had disappeared.

Qin Muyue sneered, taking out a black bottle from her sleeve. She removed the stopper, releasing a strong smell of blood into the air.

The next moment, a swarm of black blood bats flew from the night sky and surrounded Qin Muyue.

“Go, northward, chase after Mu Yunjin!” Qin Muyue commanded the blood bats, replacing the stopper on the bottle.

The blood bats seemed to understand Qin Muyue’s words and rapidly flew north.

Qin Muyue played with the black bottle in her hand, her lips curling into a seductive smile. That person had truly been right—blood bats and such witchcraft were much more effective than those orthodox techniques from famous sects!

……

“Your Highness, why did you bring her back?”

In a villa in the northern suburbs, Zhang Bo looked at his master, who had just returned with the unconscious Mu Yunjin, and spoke with surprise.

“A chance encounter,” the white-robed man from that day glanced at Zhang Bo, then slowly continued, “Go call Hong Ling to examine her.”

Zhang Bo nodded and left.

Soon after, a woman in red clothing entered, bowed to the white-robed man, and began to check Mu Yunjin’s pulse.

After a moment, Hong Ling spoke, “Reporting to Your Highness, this young lady has suffered serious internal and external injuries, but it’s not life-threatening. Your servant has methods to treat her.”

Hearing this, the white-robed man frowned, recalling the scene he had witnessed earlier. He turned to look at Zhang Bo, “Last time I asked you to investigate her background, what did you find?”

“No leads at all.”

Zhang Bo glanced at the white-robed man, then lowered his head somewhat timidly.

The white-robed man smiled mockingly, then lowered his gaze to look at Mu Yunjin on the bed. He moved his lips, “Western Yuan’s Qin Muyue is trying to kill her. It seems her identity is not simple.”

“Qin Muyue?” Hong Ling, who was treating Mu Yunjin, raised her head. “Isn’t she a female general of the Western Yuan? What grudge does she have against this woman?”

“Let’s wait until she wakes up to ask,” Zhang Bo spoke. Although he was grateful to Mu Yunjin for saving his master’s life that day, his master’s interest in this woman made him uneasy.

Now, everything should prioritize the greater cause; romantic entanglements were most harmful.

Hong Ling laughed, glancing at Zhang Bo. “Guard Zhang, your courage has grown lately. You don’t even respect the master anymore.”

“Not at all,” Zhang Bo glared at Hong Ling.

“Your Highness, is this woman the one who saved you that day?” Hong Ling ignored Zhang Bo and continued to ask the white-robed man.

The white-robed man nodded, looking at the unconscious Mu Yunjin on the bed, recalling how she had suddenly appeared when he was in danger that day.

Despite her impatient demeanor, after he had fainted, she hadn’t abandoned him. She had used herbs to treat him and save his life. After he woke up, she spoke arrogantly, saying he didn’t need to thank her.

This type of personality seemed to be encountered for the first time. It was truly interesting.

“To save Your Highness from the imperial guards shows her skill is considerable. Why would she be injured like this?” Hong Ling was puzzled.

The white-robed man frowned. “Let’s wait until she wakes up to discuss.”

……

Chu Li had spent several days traveling through almost all the cities of Western Yuan but had found no trace of Mu Yunjin.

Qiqi had also been summoned by Chu Li from Phoenix Pavilion and had activated tracking techniques, but she couldn’t locate Mu Yunjin’s position.

“It’s strange. How could the mistress just vanish?” Qiqi stood beside Chu Li. “It seems someone is interfering with my tracking techniques.”

Chu Li gazed at Qiqi with deep eyes, remaining silent.

“Prince Ning, I can’t find any trace of the mistress leaving Qingzhou. She should still be in Qingzhou, but she might be confined by someone with profound skills who has sealed her aura, which is why I can’t track her,” Qiqi said.

Chu Li lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He had considered the implications of Qiqi’s words but dared not dwell on them.

At this moment, Song Chun emerged from the shadows and approached Chu Li. “Your Highness, there’s a villa in the northern suburbs of Qingzhou where people from Eastern Lin reside.”

Eastern Lin…

Chu Li stiffened, suddenly recalling what Ding Xian had mentioned about Mu Yunjin encountering Eastern Lin’s imperial guards on Qingfeng Mountain. Could it be…

“Back to Qingzhou!”

“Wait, I’m coming too.” Qiqi hurriedly followed Chu Li.

……

When Mu Yunjin awoke, an unfamiliar woman was sitting beside the bed. Seeing her awake, the woman looked at her with a smile.

“Who are you?” Mu Yunjin narrowed her eyes, her expression somewhat wary.

In recent days, it seemed she had offended the stars—strange people and events kept appearing around her. It appeared that in the future, she should avoid getting involved in such matters and peacefully live her own life.

“Young lady, you can call me Hong Ling.” Hong Ling smiled at Mu Yunjin and brought over a bowl of medicine. “You’re injured. Drink some medicine to recover quickly.”

Mu Yunjin glanced at the medicine and turned her face away, showing no intention of drinking it.

At this moment, the door opened, and the white-robed man entered. Seeing Mu Yunjin turning away from the medicine, he smiled. “Young lady, do you remember me?”

Mu Yunjin turned to look at the white-robed man beside the bed, her brows furrowing further. Wasn’t this the person she had rescued on Qingfeng Mountain?

“Why did you bring me here?” Mu Yunjin asked, displeased.

“You…” Zhang Bo, seeing Mu Yunjin’s unfriendly tone, stepped forward, ready to scold her. However, before his master could intervene, Mu Yunjin shot him a dagger-like glare that stopped him in his tracks, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

“Passing through Qingzhou, I happened to encounter you in danger. You saved me last time; how could I stand by this time?” The white-robed man smiled, taking the medicine bowl with elegant movements.

Mu Yunjin bit her lip, struggling to sit up. She lowered her eyes, recalling what had happened before she lost consciousness.

Someone had tried to kill her, but she hadn’t seen who it was.

“What’s your name?” Mu Yunjin looked at the medicine bowl presented to her, then at the white-robed man.

“Rong Jiu.” The white-robed man smiled faintly.

Mu Yunjin twitched the corner of her mouth, pondering this name in her mind while looking around. Finally, she took the medicine bowl and drank it in one go.

“Aren’t you afraid I might have poisoned it?” Seeing Mu Yunjin drink the medicine, Rong Jiu seemed pleased, his eyes filled with a gentle smile.

“I doubt you would dare.” Mu Yunjin snorted with a laugh, lazily lying back down.

Behind Rong Jiu, Zhang Bo and Hong Ling exchanged a glance, tacitly shrugging their shoulders. Though they didn’t know where this bold woman had come from, they were somewhat curious about how she would react if she knew their master’s true identity.

Would she still be so arrogant? Imagining that scene would be quite interesting.

“And you, what’s your name?” Rong Jiu asked patiently, looking at Mu Yunjin with interest.

Mu Yunjin paused, glancing sideways at Rong Jiu. She pressed her lips together, then softly uttered two words: “Mu’er.”

This was her name in the modern world. For someone unfamiliar whose identity was unclear, it was better to maintain some caution.

“Mu’er…” Rong Jiu silently repeated this name, his smile deepening. “It’s a well-behaved name.”

Hearing the implications in Rong Jiu’s words, Mu Yunjin no longer engaged. After drinking the bowl of medicine, her body indeed felt much better. She estimated they had used high-quality herbs.

The last time Rong Jiu had been seriously injured, and now after such a short time, he stood before her so strongly. It seemed that the woman in red had good medical skills.

With this thought, Mu Yunjin examined Rong Jiu again. Like that day, he wore all white, with garments made of precious brocade. Today his hair was bound with a jade crown, and his clean, refreshing appearance complemented his appearance, gentle as snow. Standing quietly here, one could feel the noble aura emanating from him.

This person was no minor character.

“What are you looking at?” Rong Jiu noticed Mu Yunjin observing him from the corner of her eye and asked with some amusement.

Mu Yunjin averted her gaze, turned over, and with her back to Rong Jiu, yawned. “You look good, so I took a few more glances.”

Rong Jiu laughed, recalling that she had used the same excuse when she rescued him. He was about to speak when he heard Mu Yunjin add—

“But compared to my husband, you still fall a bit short…”