Imperial Tutor An glanced at Mu Yunjin and sighed deeply with profound meaning. “To summon the Red Phoenix, you must rely on your abilities. I cannot help you with this.”

“You mean through the Xuanling True Scripture?” Mu Yunjin asked.

“Yes, that’s inherently the Phoenix Maiden’s possession. If you could control it freely, you could summon the Red Phoenix at will.” Imperial Tutor An looked sideways at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin nodded, biting her lip. “But at this critical moment, it’s too late for me to practice this.”

Thinking of this, Mu Yunjin felt increasingly anxious and muttered, “Could Chu Li have returned to Xi Yuan country? But if he goes back now, the Xi Ming Emperor will surely not spare him.”

“Master, I believe Prince Ning must have already left the Southern Court. Why don’t we wait for him at Fengyu Pavilion? He promised to meet you on the thirtieth, and I’m sure he will come to find you.” Qiqi gently held Mu Yunjin’s arm, comforting her.

Mu Yunjin’s eyes flickered as she frowned.

This time, would he truly keep his promise?

With a glimmer of hope, Mu Yunjin pressed her lips tightly together and nodded gently. “Then let’s go back first.”

…

…

“Remember, don’t wander around these days. Since they’ve exposed Chu Li’s background, they might have other cards in hand. Wait until they can’t hold back anymore and throw out everything at once. Then you can think of ways to deal with it. For the next few days, eat and drink as usual, and don’t dwell on these matters.” Imperial Tutor An cautioned Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin nodded, her face somewhat pale. “I understand.”

After Imperial Tutor An left, Mu Yunjin stood at the door of the courtyard house for a while longer, lowering her eyes to think carefully about various matters.

Flower Ying and Qiqi remained silent, standing beside Mu Yunjin, quietly keeping her company.

After a long while, Mu Yunjin sighed and prepared to leave when another set of footsteps approached.

Hearing the footsteps, Mu Yunjin immediately turned to look, excited. However, upon seeing who it was, the light that had just risen in her face immediately dimmed.

“Tsk, what kind of expression is that? So unwelcoming to this Crown Prince?” Yun Lianqing walked up to Mu Yunjin and, seeing her expression, pouted.

Mu Yunjin glared at Yun Lianqing. “What are you doing here?”

“This Crown Prince heard you tore up the imperial decree, so I came especially to see you.” Yun Lianqing spoke languidly.

Mu Yunjin ignored him.

“What’s going on with your Prince Ning’s mansion? If you didn’t want to cooperate with this Crown Prince, you didn’t have to pull this stunt. It makes this Crown Prince lose face.” Yun Lianqing sighed and shook his head, his tone full of resignation.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince is quite the actor.” Mu Yunjin laughed coldly, glancing coolly at Yun Lianqing.

Hearing this, Yun Lianqing held his forehead in a headache. “Ah, you’re wronging this Crown Prince in this matter. This Crown Prince was still waiting for your Prince Ning’s reply. How could I be so impulsive as to reveal this?”

“Keep acting!” Mu Yunjin stared at Yun Lianqing, trying to extract something from his expression.

“Hey, Mu Yunjin, don’t force this Crown Prince to get angry. This Crown Prince has said, This matter was not done by me!” Yun Lianqing’s usually jovial face now carried a hint of seriousness as he looked at Mu Yunjin with a solemn expression.

Mu Yunjin paused slightly, pursing her lips. “I don’t care to deal with you. I’m leaving now.”

“Leaving? You’re going back just like that? Not looking for Chu Li anymore?” Yun Lianqing raised an eyebrow.

“It’s none of your business.” At the mention of Chu Li, Mu Yunjin clenched her fists and spoke coldly.

Beside her, Qiqi and Flower Ying had already activated the formless space when Mu Yunjin said she was leaving, waiting for her.

“This Crown Prince still has words to say to you. Don’t be in such a hurry to leave.” Seeing that Mu Yunjin was about to leave, Yun Lianqing immediately approached her, blocking her path.

Mu Yunjin stopped, frowning and raising her eyes to look at Yun Lianqing. “What do you have to say? Don’t tell me you have some scheme and are deliberately delaying me?”

“Why do you always think the worst of people? Mu Yunjin, haven’t you considered that the reason this Crown Prince is willing to ally with you is because I admire you?”

“Although you may not need to rely on this Crown Prince’s connection, this Crown Prince is, after all, the Crown Prince of a nation, the future ruler. Allying with this Crown Prince surely won’t do you any harm.”

As Yun Lianqing finished speaking, he chuckled lightly and winked at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Then I’ll thank Your Highness the Crown Prince for your appreciation first, but I’m really busy and don’t have time to chat with you here.”

With those words, taking advantage of Yun Lianqing’s momentary distraction, Mu Yunjin had already darted to Qiqi and Flower Ying’s side. The three figures instantly vanished into thin air in front of the courtyard house.

Seeing this, Yun Lianqing raised an eyebrow, his face showing surprise. “What technique is this? Invisibility?”

…

An hour later, Mu Yunjin returned to Xi Yuan country once more.

Instead of returning to Fengyu Pavilion to wait for news, Mu Yunjin secretly slipped back into Prince Ning’s mansion. At this moment, she was hiding in the secret passage of the hot spring pool, listening to the sounds outside.

After a while, hearing no sounds, Mu Yunjin quietly opened the mechanism of the exit and walked out of the secret passage.

There was no one around.

But Mu Yunjin couldn’t be sure if there were Imperial Guards stationed within the mansion, so she remained cautious, taking each step with extreme care.

When she reached the door of the hot spring pool, she bent down again, placing her ear against the door.

After confirming there was no one, Mu Yunjin gently pushed open the door of the hot spring pool.

As soon as she stepped into the room and saw the scene before her, Mu Yunjin clenched her fists, bit her lower lip, and her eyes unwillingly reddened.

Her and Chu Li’s room was now in complete disarray.

All the clothes from the wardrobe had been pulled out and thrown on the floor. The dressing table had been overturned, the bronze mirror shattered into several pieces, and some exquisite jewelry had been smashed out of shape. The bedding and pillows on the soft couch had also been torn to shreds, leaving only an empty bed frame.

Mu Yunjin stood amidst the chaos, a few tears falling from her eyes.

Afterward, she silently bent down, picking up the clothes that had been trampled into a mess on the floor, and hung them back in the wardrobe one by one.

After tidying up the wardrobe, Mu Yunjin walked to the dressing table, lifted it upright, and picked up the scattered jewelry, placing them back in their original positions.

Having organized the dressing table and wardrobe, Mu Yunjin’s heart felt heavy, and she felt the energy within her body gradually disappearing. She walked to the bed, and lying down on the torn bedding and pillows, she slowly reclined.

Lying on the familiar bed, Mu Yunjin inexplicably felt a sense of security.

The spiritual energy concentrated in her lower abdomen was now dissipating bit by bit. Sensing this, Mu Yunjin pulled the tattered blanket to cover her lower abdomen.

Gradually, a feeling of fatigue arose, and Mu Yunjin gently fell asleep.

She didn’t know how long she had slept, but in her haziness, Mu Yunjin felt a pair of hands gently caressing her cheeks, accompanied by a familiar aura from all around.

Sensing this, Mu Yunjin “whoosh” opened her eyes. When she saw the person sitting on the edge of the bed, she was immediately startled, her eyes widening. Just as she was about to scream, her mouth was covered.

“Quiet.”

Hearing these two brief and cold words, Mu Yunjin’s restrained tears suddenly poured out fiercely, falling one by one onto Chu Li’s hand.

Chu Li released her, his gaze deeply looking at Mu Yunjin before him. He reached out to gently wipe the tears from her face. “Why are you crying?”

Mu Yunjin immediately threw herself into Chu Li’s arms, hugging him tightly. Her tightly strung nerves finally relaxed at the moment of seeing Chu Li.

Chu Li also embraced her, burying his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling the fresh fragrance emanating from her body.

After a long while, Mu Yunjin, still holding Chu Li, was reluctant to let go, fearing that if she blinked, Chu Li would disappear again.

Tightly hugging Chu Li’s waist, Mu Yunjin spoke softly, “Chu Li, it’s okay. No matter what, I will stand by your side.”

After speaking, Mu Yunjin, seemingly afraid that Chu Li wouldn’t listen to her words, broke free from his embrace, took his hand, and placed it on her lower abdomen.

“Also, I’ve never told you, but I’m pregnant. It’s been two months already. From now on, the three of us can live well together…”

“Chu Li, I’m pregnant. Are you happy?”

Mu Yunjin curled her lips into a serene smile, her eyes revealing expectation as she looked at Chu Li.

Chu Li’s thin lips were pressed tightly together, his eyes flickering. At this moment, he felt incredibly light, the joy deep in his heart far surpassing the heaviness and oppression of the previous moment.

“Silly girl, of course I’m happy about our child.” Chu Li raised his hand to lightly touch Mu Yunjin’s cheek, his lips revealing a faint, shallow smile.

Hearing Chu Li’s words, the smile on Mu Yunjin’s face deepened. She nestled back into Chu Li’s embrace, her heart full of bittersweet emotions as she tried hard to resist the urge to shed tears.

In the room, the two figures clung tightly together.

…

The sky gradually darkened, and the light in the room grew dimmer and dimmer, until it became so dark that one couldn’t see their hand before their face.

“Chu Li, are we staying here tonight?” Mu Yunjin lowered her voice, leaning against Chu Li’s chest.

Before Chu Li could speak, several eerie wind sounds suddenly came from all around. Then, firelight shot toward the direction of Liquan Pavilion from all sides.

“Bang—”

“Bang bang—”

Countless flaming arrows suddenly penetrated the room, bringing billowing smoke and sparks. The entire room began to burn extensively.

“Quickly, go!” Chu Li grabbed Mu Yunjin’s wrist, swiftly leading her toward the hot spring pool.

Mu Yunjin’s heart trembled. She looked back at the flames in the room, tightly biting her lip as she followed Chu Li into the hot spring pool.

Just as they were about to open the mechanism of the secret passage, the door of the small room was kicked open, and several black-clothed men rushed out.

“There are people here!”

Immediately, another wave of black-clothed men surged out, surrounding Chu Li and Mu Yunjin. Each held a bow with flaming arrows, aimed at Chu Li and Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin’s eyes widened as she looked at these black-clothed men. They were the same ones who had tried to assassinate her at the City Lord’s mansion that day.

Looking beyond these black-clothed men, she saw that the entire Prince Ning’s mansion was now extensively burning, flames shooting into the sky. Only a small area of the hot spring pool had not yet been affected by the fire.

Mu Yunjin suddenly couldn’t control her trembling. These people had set fire to the prince’s mansion…