The carriage traveled to Lin Yin before stopping. As soon as they got off the carriage, Mu Yunjin pulled Daoist Feng Xuan to a corner, staring at him intently.

Daoist Feng Xuan coughed once, looking everywhere except at Mu Yunjin.

“Old man, why did you tell Chu Li about Qiuye?” Seeing him deliberately avoiding her gaze, Mu Yunjin decided to ask directly.

“This master simply told the truth. How was I to know you hadn’t briefed me beforehand?” Daoist Feng Xuan looked skyward, unconcerned.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin was so angry her teeth itched. Earlier, she had casually made up an excuse to Chu Li, but now she had been exposed. She didn’t know what Chu Li was thinking.

Daoist Feng Xuan, seeing the doubt in her eyes, shook his head helplessly. “Ungrateful girl, haven’t you always believed in repaying grievances? Isn’t it good that your master is finding someone to avenge you?”

“Hmph, let’s go to the inn first and talk later.” After a day’s journey in the carriage, Mu Yunjin was also tired.

Entering the inn, Mu Yunjin was led to a room on the third floor. She had assumed there would be many rooms in the inn and she would have one to herself, but when she opened the door, Chu Li was sitting inside, seemingly having waited for her for a long time.

Seeing Chu Li, Mu Yunjin inexplicably felt guilty. She put on a smile and walked in.

…

…

After closing the door, Mu Yunjin smiled faintly and looked at Chu Li. “Are you hungry? Should we order something to eat first?”

Chu Li gave Mu Yunjin a cold glance.

Upon encountering his intimidating gaze, Mu Yunjin immediately changed tactics. She pouted, her face drooping, blinking her eyes a few times. She walked over to sit beside Chu Li, wrapping her arms around his arm and leaning on his shoulder.

“After you left that day, I was still curious about the talisman paper, so I went back to Qingfeng Mountain. Then I saw Daoist Qiuye performing a rain ritual at the top of the mountain. Later, I felt something was wrong and tried to escape, but he discovered me…”

Mu Yunjin honestly told Chu Li about what had happened that day. She knew she couldn’t hide the truth from him.

As for why she cared so much about Chu Li’s feelings now, even she couldn’t say.

Chu Li’s brows furrowed. Upon hearing Mu Yunjin’s words, coldness spread throughout his body. His mind suddenly flashed back to the night he left, when the phoenix first appeared at the top of Qingfeng Mountain.

Could it be…

Chu Li was startled and grabbed Mu Yunjin’s shoulders, applying a bit of force, his expression grave. “What else?”

“Nothing else…” Mu Yunjin didn’t understand why Chu Li would have such a strong reaction. She gently patted his hand, indicating that he was hurting her shoulders.

Chu Li released her, got up, and stormed out.

Mu Yunjin rubbed her shoulders, watching Chu Li leave in anger. She pouted and muttered, “Why is he throwing a tantrum?”

……

In another room at the inn.

“Elder, did you see everything that happened on top of Qingfeng Mountain that night?” Chu Li stood in Daoist Feng Xuan’s room, coldly eyeing the old man who was drinking wine on the couch.

Daoist Feng Xuan took a few sips of wine and grabbed some peanuts, eating them casually. Hearing Chu Li’s question, he lazily spoke, “You want to ask about the phoenix?”

“Yes.” Chu Li sat down, eyes downcast, his gaze thoughtful.

Daoist Feng Xuan raised an eyebrow, smiled, and gave Chu Li an affirmative answer. “That’s right, it was her.”

“Her blood once resolved my black lotus soul issue. I had suspicions about her then. That night on Qingfeng Mountain, I saw with my own eyes the red phoenix emerge from her back.”

Chu Li recalled the night when Qingfeng Mountain was bathed in red light. A clear light flashed in the depths of his eyes, and he couldn’t identify the feeling in his heart. He only knew he didn’t want this answer.

Daoist Feng Xuan poured another cup of wine, took a few sips, and laughed a bit. “Qin Muyue, that impostor, deceived you with the Phoenix Lady identity for so long, likely with Qiuye’s guidance from behind the scenes.”

“Now Qiuye also knows about Mu Yunjin’s Phoenix Lady identity. In the coming days, things won’t be peaceful around Mu Yunjin.”

Chu Li nodded slightly. “Does she know about this?”

“Not at all. When the phoenix appeared, she was already at her last breath.” Daoist Feng Xuan spoke.

Chu Li made a sound of acknowledgment, stood up, and looked at Daoist Feng Xuan. “Then please forget this matter, Elder. Mu Yunjin is just an ordinary woman, not the Phoenix Lady.”

“I’m too lazy to care about this, but the phoenix star’s arrival, though an auspicious sign, could bring her considerable trouble if exploited by those with ulterior motives, just like your Imperial Consort mother.” Daoist Feng Xuan reminded him.

“This prince will handle this matter.” Chu Li said, then left after dropping this statement.

Behind him, Daoist Feng Xuan sat in place, sighing, “The phoenix star has arrived. Something significant is about to happen in the world.”

The Heavenly Decree would soon appear…

……

When Chu Li returned to the room, Mu Yunjin was sleeping on her side. Chu Li stared at her back for a while, then slowly approached and gently pulled at the back of her collar.

Not seeing the expected phoenix mark, Chu Li sighed slightly in relief, tucked her blanket in, and walked out again.

“Young Master, the information about the Heavenly Decree that the hidden guards collected recently was mostly false. The guards searched throughout the various countries but came up empty-handed.” In another guest room, Huang Yan reported to Chu Li about the Heavenly Decree.

Chu Li held a cup of tea, his fingertips gently rubbing the rim, his expression not looking good. He spoke in a low voice, “Someone else is looking for the Heavenly Decree.”

“That must be the case, otherwise we wouldn’t suddenly receive so many false leads.” Huang Yan frowned. Seeing Chu Li’s somber face, he added, “Next month, people from various countries will come to West Yuan. There might be some clues then.”

Chu Li’s expression was indifferent. “Send a group to keep an eye on Rong Jiu.”

“Rong Jiu?” Huang Yan heard this name with surprise, though it wasn’t unfamiliar. “Why did you think of watching him?”

After asking, Huang Yan felt his question was redundant. He patted his mouth and nodded. “This subordinate understands.”

After Huang Yan left, Chu Li slightly furrowed his brows and took out Mu Yunjin’s moonlight-white jade pendant from his sleeve. The white light immediately illuminated the room, clearly showing the characters “Yunjin” carved inside the pendant.

……

The next day, the carriage set off again, heading toward Xinyao City.

Seeing that Chu Li’s expression had softened considerably in the morning, Mu Yunjin felt more at ease. She sat in the carriage, bantering with Daoist Feng Xuan and enjoying the scenery.

Looking at the scenery outside the window, Mu Yunjin felt that the atmosphere inside the carriage was strange. Several times when she looked back, she saw Chu Li staring at her back.

For a moment, it made Mu Yunjin feel uneasy. She could only wrap herself in a blanket, lean against the window, and pretend to doze off.

The return journey took almost three days. When Mu Yunjin saw the carriage stop at the gates of Xinyao City, she felt so excited she wanted to cry.

Although she hadn’t stayed here many times, it was at least a place she knew. Just looking at the plaque at the city gate filled her with familiarity.

Daoist Feng Xuan bid them farewell as soon as they entered the city. Mu Yunjin sat in the carriage, excitedly saying, “Let’s go to Qing Estate.”

In Xinyao City, she was a person who owned property!

“You go to Qing Estate first. This prince will visit the City Lord’s manor.” Chu Li glanced at the excited Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin nodded. “Then come find me at Qing Estate later. This time, I won’t stay at Green Shade.”

“Mm.”

The carriage stopped at the gate of Qing Estate. After Mu Yunjin got off, she saw the carriage turn around and head toward the City Lord’s manor.

Mu Yunjin took out the key she carried with her, preparing to open the main door of the estate when she caught sight of a figure from the corner of her eye.

“Granny Ye, it’s you.”

Granny Ye was walking slowly with a basket at that moment. Hearing someone calling her from the gate of Qing Estate, she looked toward Mu Yunjin.

Seeing it was the young lady who had bought the estate, she walked over with a smile. “Hello, young lady. I haven’t seen you for a long time.”

“Yes, I don’t live here permanently, just visit occasionally.” Mu Yunjin smiled.

Hearing this, Granny Ye nodded understandingly and added, “Miss Qing has also been in Xinyao City these past few days. This old woman happened to meet her once. She said she came back for a visit.”

“If she occasionally returns, why did she sell this estate?” Mu Yunjin was curious.

“That, this old woman doesn’t know. These days, Miss Qing has been staying at an inn in the western suburbs.” Granny Ye smiled.

After chatting with Granny Ye for a while, Mu Yunjin opened the main gate of Qing Estate and walked inside.

Entering Qing Estate, Mu Yunjin saw that the flowers and plants around were still growing beautifully. Although it was autumn now and things were beginning to wither, there was no sign of withering or decline among the plants here.

Mu Yunjin entered the front hall of Qing Estate. She had expected to do a thorough cleaning since no one had lived there for a long time, but when she entered, the tables and chairs were spotlessly clean, with clear signs that someone had cleaned them.

Mu Yunjin raised an eyebrow and walked toward the bedroom. After entering, she found it equally clean, without a speck of dust.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin inexplicably wrapped her arms around herself, looking around. Seeing how the surroundings lacked any human presence, she pouted and shivered.

After boiling a pot of hot tea in the kitchen, Chu Li arrived with Qu Xinyao.

Qu Xinyao was still dressed in bright red, her makeup and appearance extremely seductive, yet she still wore that plain white jade plum blossom hairpin in her hair.

After entering the front hall, Qu Xinyao looked at Mu Yunjin with a smile. “Princess Consort Ning, it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while.” Mu Yunjin greeted her lightly.

Qu Xinyao smiled and looked Mu Yunjin up and down. “Qingzhou is truly a poor place. After just a few days, you’ve gotten so thin. Couldn’t you eat enough?”

“City Lord Qu, have some tea.” Mu Yunjin smiled and poured a cup of tea for Qu Xinyao.

Chu Li stood nearby, looking around Qing Estate. His fingers lightly brushed over the chair, and after not detecting any dust, he was also somewhat surprised.

“Mu Yunjin, did you clean this?”

Mu Yunjin shook her head and pouted. “When would I have had time to clean here? It’s strange, every part of this place has been cleaned thoroughly, even the teaware has been polished clean.”

Hearing this, Qu Xinyao paused with the hot teacup in her hand, raising an eyebrow with interest. “Oh? So you’re saying my jurisdiction is haunted?”