When Qiqi ran back to Phoenix Feather Pavilion, she saw Mu Yunjin sitting on the grass, with no sign of Qin Munan around.

“Hey, where’s Qin Munan?” Qiqi asked, looking around.

“My master took him away,” Mu Yunjin looked at Qiqi.

Qiqi scratched her head, squatted down, and moved closer to Mu Yunjin. “Master, do you know that there are now several times more Imperial Guards coming to catch you than before?”

“More is just more. They can’t catch me anyway,” Mu Yunjin replied lazily, supporting her head with her hand.

Qiqi was startled, then burst into laughter. “That’s right! They can’t catch you anyway.”

“I’ll just stay here for the next few days and wait for Chu Li,” Mu Yunjin said, then simply lay down on the grass.

The most comfortable thing about Phoenix Feather Pavilion for her was that the temperature here was different from the outside, like spring, making her whole body feel refreshed.

Hua Ying returned to Phoenix Feather Pavilion two hours later. When she returned, Mu Yunjin and Qiqi were napping on the grass.

Hearing footsteps, Mu Yunjin opened her eyes and looked at Hua Ying. “Has he been delivered?”

“Yes,” Hua Ying said, sitting down. “But Master Murong doesn’t seem willing to save General Qin.”

“Why?” Mu Yunjin sat up, gazing intently at Hua Ying.

Hua Ying shook her head. “I don’t know either. We arrived at Green Peak Island below Pingfeng Cliff, but Master Murong didn’t open the array outside the island to let us in. Master Wind Xuan is now waiting there with General Qin, so I came back first.”

“With my master there, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Mu Yunjin managed a smile.

“Master, we bought a lot of Spring Festival couplets and lanterns last time. Since we’re free now, why don’t we decorate this place to enhance the festive atmosphere?” Qiqi, who had just woken up, smiled at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin nodded in agreement.

Mu Yunjin had been living comfortably in Phoenix Feather Pavilion recently. Before she knew it, it was the twenty-ninth day of the year.

Tomorrow would be the day she would see Chu Li…

Mu Yunjin was both eager and excited.

All day, Mu Yunjin stayed in her room, occasionally glancing at the time. She had never felt a day pass so slowly.

By dinner time, Mu Yunjin left her courtyard and walked down the mountain.

The disciples of Phoenix Feather Pavilion were still the same as before, sitting together in groups, eating and chatting happily.

“Master, come over…” Qiqi, gnawing on a grilled fish, waved at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin walked over and sat down next to her.

“Master, Xiuwei just came back from outside and said that the Imperial Guards who had been stationed in the suburbs for several days suddenly all withdrew. Not just those in the suburbs, but all the Imperial Guards in Zhangzhou City have withdrawn. They say they’ve returned to the palace,” Qiqi told Mu Yunjin while eating.

Mu Yunjin paused with her chopsticks. “They all withdrew? Did they say why?”

“I don’t know, maybe they went back to celebrate the New Year,” Qiqi replied without much thought.

“New Year…” Mu Yunjin twitched the corner of her mouth. “Aren’t you thinking too optimistically?”

Qiqi pouted.

Mu Yunjin felt that her curiosity was being piqued day by day.

Not knowing was fine, but now that she knew, she wanted to understand clearly why the Imperial Guards had suddenly withdrawn, especially during such a sensitive period when no movement could be overlooked.

With this in mind, Mu Yunjin quickly started eating.

After finishing her meal, she said to Qiqi and Hua Ying, “Shall we go out for a walk?”

“Sure!”

Indeed, the Imperial Guards were gone from the main street of Zhangzhou City.

As Mu Yunjin walked, she looked around and suddenly felt that without those Imperial Guards, the entire street seemed extremely spacious.

“It feels so good, so comfortable…” Qiqi strutted down the street, unable to help but exclaim.

Before Qiqi could say another word, another piercing cry drowned out her voice—

“Terrible news! Prince Chen attempted to assassinate the Emperor in the palace and commit treason. He’s now been thrown into the imperial prison!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the nearby civilians who were strolling around all stopped in their tracks, gathering together and starting to talk excitedly.

“Auntie Li, what did you just say? Prince Chen tried to assassinate the Emperor and commit treason?”

“Yes, I just returned from visiting relatives in Butterfly City. It’s said that today in the Emperor’s bedchamber, while the Emperor was sleeping, Prince Chen was holding a dagger, ready to kill his father and seize the throne. But the Emperor suddenly woke up, confronted Prince Chen for a while, and then thankfully, Crown Prince Ye arrived in time.”

“I never thought Prince Chen would have such wild ambitions!”

“The matter of Prince Chen trying to kill the Emperor was witnessed by the Emperor himself. There’s no way to deny it. Now, Prince Chen has been thrown into the imperial prison and will be tried soon! Also, both the Chen Prince’s mansion and the Qin family have been sealed off.”

“Sigh, with the New Year approaching, the Imperial City is truly unstable. First, it was the Ning Prince’s mansion, and now it’s the Chen Prince’s mansion and the General’s mansion. Come to think of it, wasn’t Old General Qin found dead not long ago…?”

The civilians discussed fervently, one after another.

Mu Yunjin stood outside the crowd, feeling somewhat short-circuited, unable to digest the information she had just heard.

How could Chu Qing be so impatient as to suddenly attempt patricide?

And it just happened to be detected by the Western Ming Emperor, and Crown Prince Ye happened to arrive in time…

Could it be that Chu Li had set a trap for Chu Qing?

Thinking of this possibility, Mu Yunjin’s eyes brightened. No wonder all the Imperial Guards had withdrawn; it turned out that something big had happened in Butterfly City.

After being caught by the Western Ming Emperor attempting patricide, Chu Qing would probably have no place to stay in the Western Yuan Kingdom.

At this moment, another loud voice came from among the crowd—

“Oh my, I just got the news that Prince Chen has escaped from the imperial prison, and Princess Chen escaped with him!”

With these words, the civilians were in an uproar.

Mu Yunjin wasn’t surprised by this. She was somewhat relieved that with this incident, Chu Qing would no longer be able to pull any more tricks.

To seize the Western Yuan Kingdom’s throne, he would have to do it openly now.

From now on, he would also bear the title of a traitor!

With these thoughts, Mu Yunjin curled her lips, unable to hide the satisfaction in her heart. After being oppressed for so many days, she could finally hold her head high.

“I wonder what method Prince Ning used to make Chu Qing expose himself so quickly,” Qiqi marveled in a low voice.

“Indeed, now we have a good show to watch,” Hua Ying raised an eyebrow.

“Ladies, what a coincidence,” a smiling voice came from behind the three of them.

Hearing this voice, Mu Yunjin turned back and, seeing the person, said, “Oh, Miss Shen, what a coincidence indeed.”

Shen Wanning approached Mu Yunjin and, meeting her gaze, gracefully smiled at her. “I’ve been out a few times in the past few days, but didn’t see Princess Ning. Didn’t expect to meet you today.”

“Today, there’s a joyous event in the Imperial City, so naturally I would appear to see the excitement,” Mu Yunjin smirked.

“Does Princess Ning think it’s a joyous event?” Shen Wanning raised her eyebrows, her words carrying a deeper meaning.

Mu Yunjin crossed her arms and simply responded with an “Mm,” without elaborating.

“Prince Chen has coveted the throne for so many years. Do you think he would be unprepared? And the Qin family, wielding significant power, is just about to confront the royal family head-on. They might not lose,” Shen Wanning said.

“So?” Mu Yunjin didn’t understand why Shen Wanning was telling her these things.

Shen Wanning smiled. “Nothing. I just happened to meet Princess Ning and thought to give you a friendly reminder.”

“Well, thank you!” Mu Yunjin looked at Shen Wanning with a forced smile.

“By the way…” Shen Wanning was about to leave but suddenly remembered something. “Qin Munan is afflicted with the lovesickness poison. You sought Murong, but she can only cure one type of gu poison. My unique dark magic can only be cured by me.”

With these words, Shen Wanning walked away with a smile.

“This woman is so strange. No wonder no one wants her!” Qiqi rolled her eyes at Shen Wanning’s back after she left.

Mu Yunjin pouted. “Ignore her. She’s just rambling.”

Qiqi and Hua Ying nodded.

Before going to bed, after bathing, Mu Yunjin had just lain down when she felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She instinctively clutched her abdomen.

After a while, the pain in her lower abdomen stopped, but Mu Yunjin felt the veins in her forehead begin to throb, pulsing one after another, causing her head to ache.

Moments later, the pain in her forehead disappeared, only to be replaced by pain in other parts of her body — her wrists, arms, calves…

Mu Yunjin was frightened and sat up. As soon as she did, she felt a dizziness come over her, accompanied by a piercing pain in her head.

Biting her lip, Mu Yunjin was about to stand up and go find someone when the overwhelming pain suddenly vanished.

What was happening?

With this thought, Mu Yunjin quickly walked to the dressing table, picked up the bronze mirror, and looked at her reflection.

Suddenly, upon seeing herself in the bronze mirror, Mu Yunjin was so frightened that her hand trembled, almost dropping the mirror. At that moment, there were many irregular black dots on her neck, covering her fair skin.

There were also black, whip-like marks on her arms.

Staring at the bronze mirror for a long time, Mu Yunjin suddenly became nervous and uneasy. It must be Shen Wanning, it must be Shen Wanning’s doing…

Could this be the legendary dark magic?

No wonder Shen Wanning had left those profound words before departing.

Her unique dark magic could only be cured by her.

Mu Yunjin felt like she was going crazy. Tomorrow was the day she was supposed to meet Chu Li, and now she looked like this. How could she face him?

She had been careless, giving Shen Wanning an opportunity!

As she thought about it, that widespread pain throughout her body returned, this time more severe than before, causing Mu Yunjin to bend over, instinctively clutching her lower abdomen.

She was pregnant now. Would Shen Wanning’s dark magic affect the child?

Thinking of this possibility, Mu Yunjin couldn’t sit still any longer. She supported herself, put on an outer garment, and quietly left Phoenix Feather Pavilion.

A moment later, Mu Yunjin stood in front of the City Lord’s mansion of Qiu Tianhuai.

“Creak—” The main gate of the City Lord’s mansion opened automatically, and a figure walked out from inside. It was Shen Wanning.

Mu Yunjin glared at Shen Wanning, her eyes grim. “Shen Wanning, you’re courting death!”

“With Princess Ning to take the fall, it’s worth dying!” Shen Wanning covered her mouth and laughed lightly.

“Then I’ll grant your wish!” Mu Yunjin pulled out her Phoenix Tail Whip and lashed it toward Shen Wanning.

Shen Wanning took a step back. At that moment, a black figure flew out from the main gate, directly facing Mu Yunjin’s attack.

Seeing Black Robe had arrived, Mu Yunjin suddenly increased the force in her hand…