The bandits’ eyes lit up when they saw Mu Yunjin, thinking to themselves that this girl was as beautiful as a fairy. If only…

The more they thought, the more excited they became. The bandit leader suddenly laughed loudly and pointed at Mu Yunjin. “Today we’ve struck gold! Quick, take this young lady back with us.”

“Boss, what about this one?” One of them pointed at Mu Lingzhu, who was leaning against the carriage.

By now, the fear had vanished from Mu Lingzhu’s face. Taking advantage of Mu Yunjin’s back being turned to her, she exchanged a meaningful glance with the bandit leader.

The bandit leader nodded at her, and they instantly reached an understanding.

“With such a beautiful young lady, why would we need that one?” The bandit leader suddenly dismounted from his horse, grinning lecherously as he walked toward Mu Yunjin.

“What should I do? I can hardly control myself—I want to have you right now!” The bandit leader stood before Mu Yunjin and began undoing his clothes.

Nearby, several bandits burst into laughter. “Boss, isn’t the carriage conveniently there for that purpose?”

“Hahaha, you’re right!”

…

…

Hearing these vulgar comments and noticing the gleeful expressions on Mu Lingzhu and Hong Xia’s faces, Mu Yunjin let out a cold snort.

The dagger concealed in her sleeve was ready to be drawn at any moment. Mu Yunjin stretched her neck, her eyes revealing a trace of bloodthirsty intent.

It had been a long time since she’d fought. Her hands were truly itching for action.

“Come, little beauty, let this master show you what heaven feels like! Hahaha.” The bandit leader reached out, about to grab Mu Yunjin’s shoulder, when she caught his wrist. Immediately, a sharp pain shot through his wrist.

The bandit leader quickly withdrew his hand and examined his wrist. Finding no visible abnormality, he assumed the pain was just a coincidence.

So he reached out again…

Seeing that the moment was right, Mu Yunjin grew tired of dealing with these bandits. With half of her dagger already exposed, she was about to begin her slaughter when suddenly, a masked figure in black appeared from the shadows, soaring through the air with flying daggers between his fingers.

Screams of agony erupted as the previously swaggering bandits fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

As Mu Yunjin was wondering where this black-clad figure had come from, he grabbed her arm and flew away from the scene of chaos.

Left behind, Mu Lingzhu watched Mu Yunjin’s disappearing figure and then looked at the bandits rolling on the ground in agony. Everything had happened so quickly that she could hardly process it.

“Miss, what should we do now?” Hong Xia hadn’t anticipated this turn of events either. She stood beside Mu Lingzhu, asking for instructions.

Mu Lingzhu pressed her lips together, glanced at the bandit leader on the ground, and said discontentedly, “Cao Pan, take them away first. Leave no trace.”

“Yes, Fourth Miss.”

……

Mu Yunjin was brought to a small stream by the black-clad man. Just as she was about to inquire about his identity, she caught sight of a jade-white figure standing by the stream.

The figure showed only a profile, but it was enough for Mu Yunjin to sense the coldness and aloofness emanating from him.

She stopped about a meter away from the figure and rubbed her nose. “Sixth Prince Chu, what a coincidence meeting you here.”

Chu Li turned his eyes slightly, his thin lips pressed together, his gaze profound. He rarely responded, but he gave Mu Yunjin a simple “Hmm.”

Mu Yunjin immediately found this tedious and shifted her attention to the black-clad man behind her. The man had removed his face covering—it was Ding Xian.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin smiled and said, “I never imagined your martial skills would be so impressive. I admire that!”

Perhaps because she had grown up in an anti-terrorism organization, Mu Yunjin always held a certain admiration for those with agile and formidable skills.

Ding Xian was caught off guard, somewhat embarrassed. He coughed and said, “Third Miss is too kind. My martial skills are nothing compared to His Highness.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin looked back at Chu Li, then turned to Ding Xian and said somewhat sheepishly, “By the way, why did you only save me? My sister is still there!”

“Ah? His Highness instructed me to save only you…” Ding Xian scratched his head, but under a sudden glance from Chu Li, he closed his mouth.

“Well done!” Mu Yunjin gave Ding Xian a thumbs up.

Those bandits were hired by Mu Lingzhu anyway. Leaving her there wouldn’t put her in any danger; rescuing her would have been a waste of resources.

Watching this scene, Ding Xian silently marveled at how intense the internal conflicts of the Minister’s household truly were.

After chatting with Ding Xian for a while, Mu Yunjin realized that Chu Li hadn’t spoken a single word. Not wishing to linger any longer, she looked around and found herself completely disoriented in this unfamiliar environment.

“Third Miss, it’s quite a distance from here to the city. Walking back would probably take until nightfall,” Ding Xian, sensing Mu Yunjin’s thoughts, spoke coolly, glancing at his master.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin frowned, silently cursing Mu Lingzhu for choosing such a remote location.

“Someone will come to pick up His Highness later. Third Miss, please rest here for a while, and then return to the city with His Highness,” Ding Xian said.

Mu Yunjin pouted slightly, nodded, then walked to a large tree nearby. She sat down on the ground, leaned against the trunk, and closed her eyes for a short rest.

The moment she closed her eyes, Chu Li’s gaze followed her. His eyes narrowed slightly as he quietly observed Mu Yunjin.

She truly lived without a care in the world.

Seeing his master’s gaze, Ding Xian couldn’t help but click his tongue. Lowering his voice, he said, “Your Highness, we still have the Third Miss’s jade pendant. Should we find an opportunity to inform her?”

At the mention of the jade pendant, Chu Li frowned slightly, his brow showing a trace of discomfort. His thin lips pressed together as he silently sighed.

Never before had he felt the desire to keep someone else’s possession for himself.

But that jade pendant…

Seeing this, Ding Xian felt somewhat regretful as he glanced at Mu Yunjin resting under the tree.

……

Mu Yunjin didn’t know how long she had slept until someone woke her. Looking at the sky, she saw that noon had passed.

“Are we returning to the city?” Mu Yunjin sat up, looking at Ding Xian, who had awakened her, and then at a carriage that had appeared at some point.

Ding Xian nodded. “Yes, Third Miss, please get in the carriage.”

Mu Yunjin stood up and walked toward the carriage. Ding Xian followed behind, intending to help her up, but saw that Mu Yunjin easily jumped into the carriage compartment.

Ding Xian stood there, momentarily bewildered.

As soon as Mu Yunjin entered the carriage, she sensed a somber atmosphere. Glancing at Chu Li, who was already seated inside, Mu Yunjin pouted, suddenly feeling that sharing the ride back to the city with him would be a form of torture.

So she forced a smile, nodded slightly to Chu Li, then leaned against the carriage wall and closed her eyes again, pretending to doze.

“The masked woman sitting beside this prince at Shangwen Tower was you, wasn’t it?”

Chu Li’s voice suddenly rang out in the carriage. His thin lips curved slightly, his eyes showing a rare hint of interest.

Leaning against the carriage, Mu Yunjin was momentarily startled. She then opened her eyes and readily admitted it with a smile. “The Sixth Prince is indeed formidable. I couldn’t hide it from your eyes.”

So, when she entered the palace as the Third Miss Mu that day, Chu Li already knew she was the woman from Shangwen Tower.

With this thought, Mu Yunjin stroked her neck and pouted, silently cursing. Why had he pretended to choke her then?

“It’s not that this prince is formidable, but rather that this prince found something of yours.” As Chu Li spoke, he took out the moon-white jade pendant from his sleeve and displayed it in his palm.

Seeing the jade pendant, Mu Yunjin’s eyes immediately brightened, and she exclaimed, “I’ve been looking for this for so long. So you were the one who found it.”

Just as she was reaching out to take the jade pendant, Chu Li closed his palm, keeping the pendant in his grasp.

“Hmm?” Mu Yunjin didn’t understand Chu Li’s intention.

“Name your price. This prince wants this jade pendant.” Chu Li’s eyes flashed with a cold light as he looked at Mu Yunjin, his voice calm.

Mu Yunjin couldn’t comprehend Chu Li’s purpose. Although Zixiang had said the jade pendant was worth tens of thousands of gold, Chu Li was the Sixth Prince—what rare and valuable things hadn’t he seen? Why would he specifically want her jade pendant?

Moreover, her name was carved on that pendant.

“What if I say I won’t sell it?” Mu Yunjin smiled, raising an eyebrow.

Hearing this, Chu Li’s face, which had somewhat softened, immediately darkened. His expression now was inscrutable, and the atmosphere in the carriage instantly dropped to freezing point.

“Ahem, I was just joking. Why are you like a child, getting angry so easily?” Mu Yunjin spoke up at the right moment, giving Chu Li a mischievous smile.

Then she held up three fingers, gesturing to Chu Li. “Thirty thousand taels of gold, not a tael less.”

After speaking, Mu Yunjin smiled faintly.

Zixiang had said the pendant was worth tens of thousands of gold. She was merely raising the price a bit—not too excessive, right?

Besides, the jade pendant had no real use to her. Why not sell it for a good price and secure her livelihood for the rest of her life?

Thinking this way, Mu Yunjin felt she was truly brilliant!

“Good, it’s a deal.” Chu Li agreed readily, then smiled coldly. “In three days, this prince will deliver thirty thousand taels of gold punctually.”

Chu Li’s promptness made Mu Yunjin somewhat hesitant, and she became even more curious about the jade pendant. “Why are you so fixated on that jade pendant?”

“You don’t need to know.” Chu Li’s expression became somewhat unnatural as he turned his face away, hiding his current emotions.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin had a half-smile. She couldn’t be bothered to dwell further on the matter of the jade pendant and began to contemplate how to teach Mu Lingzhu a lesson upon returning to the household.

She had always believed in not attacking unless attacked first. Now that Mu Lingzhu had schemed against her once more, she would settle this score!

After thinking for a long while, when Mu Yunjin’s gaze fell on Chu Li beside her, she raised an eyebrow, formulating a plan in her mind.

To strike a snake, hit its vital point. And Mu Lingzhu’s vital point was none other than Chu Li, wasn’t it?

“Sixth Prince, you saved Yunjin today, and Yunjin is extremely grateful. To express my gratitude, why not come to the Minister’s household for a meal later?”

Hearing Mu Yunjin’s voice, Chu Li’s profound gaze fell upon her. After a moment, a trace of thought crossed his eyes.

After a pause, Chu Li slowly said, “Ding Xian, to the Minister’s household.”

Seeing Chu Li agree, Mu Yunjin became even more curious about him and the jade pendant. Could it be that Chu Li feared she might renege on their deal, so he even accepted her invitation?

This seemed quite different from the Sixth Prince’s reputation.