No sooner had Qin Muyue finished speaking than the Black Qilin, which had been reminiscing with Mu Yunjin, had silver light erupting from its eyes. Without even turning its head, it directly swung its tail, violently striking Qin Muyue in the abdomen.

Qin Muyue, hit in the stomach by this fierce blow, actually fainted from the pain.

“Aowu…”

The Black Qilin held its head high and growled softly, with a commanding presence that demanded submission.

As an ancient sacred beast, it was majestic and awe-inspiring, striking fear in all directions. Now being called a mere “beast” by an ignorant woman, how could it maintain its dignity without a vicious counterattack?

Mu Yunjin, looking at the woman who moments ago had been so arrogant and eager for a fight to the death but now lay motionless on the ground, couldn’t help but laugh.

At the same time, the soldiers who had been holding Mu Xiarou and Luo Ningyu suddenly grabbed them, leaped into the air, and left the military camp.

Mu Yunjin was startled, then she, too, was carried away by the Black Qilin, sitting on its back as it chased after the direction the soldiers had gone.

Huaying pulled Qiqi up and quickly followed.

…

…

The military headquarters suddenly returned to silence.

Qiuye looked at the place where Mu Xiarou and Luo Ningyu had been standing, his face darkening as he turned to Chu Qing. “Your Highness Prince Chen, it seems your path to the throne may not be viable.”

Chu Qing clenched his fist, then relaxed it, as if mocking himself. “My sixth brother is no ordinary man.”

……

Mu Yunjin was brought by the Black Qilin to a secluded villa.

Upon entering the villa, Mu Yunjin saw Luo Ningyu and Mu Xiarou standing inside, the mother and daughter having been severely frightened today, tightly embracing each other.

At this moment, the soldiers who had taken them away earlier also turned around, revealing themselves to be Huang Yan, Ding Xian, and Song Chun.

Seeing them, Mu Yunjin was slightly stunned.

So they had arrived early and had already successfully approached the place where Mu Xiarou and the others were being held…

If not for her mishap earlier, they probably would have succeeded and left already…

The more she thought about it, the more regretful Mu Yunjin felt.

At the same time, a figure walked out from a room in the villa. Seeing Mu Yunjin standing at the door, his eyes narrowed, a cold light emanating from them.

Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, not daring to look at Chu Li. She had just arrived and already caused trouble; she didn’t know how Chu Li would scold her.

“Mother, so the soldiers who were guarding us were Prince Ning’s men!” Mu Xiarou exclaimed in surprise. Seeing that Luo Ningyu’s face was still bleeding, she added, “Mother, your face…”

Huaying and Qiqi arrived. As soon as they entered the villa, Huaying helped Qiqi sit down. Qiqi had taken a palm strike from Qin Muyue earlier and was now suffering from energy damage.

Huaying took out a medicine bottle, fed Qiqi a pill, and then walked over to Luo Ningyu.

After examining Luo Ningyu’s facial injuries, Huaying applied some medicine, instructing, “Don’t let it touch water.”

Luo Ningyu nodded, “Thank you, miss.”

Chu Li stood silently at the door, motionless, so still that everyone around felt the growing chill, involuntarily hugging their arms and shivering a few times.

Huang Yan and the others, sensing the mood, arranged everything and took Huaying and Qiqi into the room.

Soon, the yard that had been full of people now only had Chu Li and Mu Yunjin remaining.

Mu Yunjin hung her head, feeling extremely guilty, never daring to directly meet Chu Li’s gaze. But as the sky gradually brightened, staying in this awkward state was not a solution.

Unable to help herself, Mu Yunjin bit her lip, forced a smile, and stepped toward Chu Li.

Approaching Chu Li, Mu Yunjin reached out to grab his arm, eyes lowered. “Chu Li, I…”

The words reached her lips, but she didn’t know how to continue.

Chu Li looked down at the top of her head, sighing softly, his tone full of helplessness. “Why do you never listen to me?”

“I…” Mu Yunjin looked up at Chu Li.

The moment she saw Chu Li’s face, Mu Yunjin’s body suddenly froze. In her dream under the Mortal Life Tree, Si Qing’s blurred face seemed, in this moment, to gradually become clear.

In an instant, the image of Si Qing covered in blood from her dream flashed before Mu Yunjin’s eyes again, only this time she could see Si Qing’s features…

Si Qing’s appearance and the Chu Li before her were identical.

What was happening?

Was she overthinking, creating imaginary images, or was that dream hinting at something?

“What’s wrong?” Chu Li, noticing her evasive and panicked gaze, bent down, looking at Mu Yunjin with concern.

Mu Yunjin reached out and hugged Chu Li, her body trembling severely.

Chu Li became even more worried, picking her up by the waist, carrying her into the room, and gently laying her on the bed.

Mu Yunjin couldn’t lie down at all, tightly hugging Chu Li, an inexplicable sense of sorrow welling up in her heart. “Chu Li, hold me.”

Chu Li reached out and embraced her, gently patting her back.

Mu Yunjin nestled in Chu Li’s arms, her eyes gradually reddening. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come and cause trouble for you. I was just so restless at Phoenix Feather Pavilion, worried about your safety, that’s why I came…”

Her tone was soft and aggrieved, causing Chu Li’s anger and annoyance to instantly vanish. Holding her, he said softly, “Silly girl.”

“Now that Xiarou and the others have been rescued, should we leave here?” Mu Yunjin asked Chu Li.

Chu Li looked down at her intently. “You should rest for a while first.”

From Zhangzhou City to Lin Yin City, even using the invisible space, would take about an hour and a half. Plus, when she faced off with Qiuye earlier, constantly dodging consumed much of her energy.

Now, how could he bear to let her travel again?

Mu Yunjin hadn’t slept all night and was indeed tired. Nestled in Chu Li’s arms, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Not long after Mu Yunjin fell asleep, the entire villa was surrounded by soldiers.

Chu Li heard the commotion outside, his eyes flickering slightly. He placed a formation in Mu Yunjin’s room, then slowly walked out.

……

The visitors were Chu Qing and Daoist Qiuye.

By the time Chu Li walked out of the doorway, Chu Qing and Daoist Qiuye had already entered the courtyard.

Huang Yan, Ding Xian, and Song Chun, sensing something was amiss outside, also emerged from their rooms, standing beside Chu Li.

The Black Qilin, smelling the dangerous atmosphere, also revealed itself from nearby.

These four people, plus one sacred beast on this side, had a more formidable presence than the thousands of elite soldiers outside.

“Sixth Brother, long time no see. So you’ve been here all along,” Chu Qing curved his lips into a smile, being the first to greet Chu Li.

Chu Li looked at Chu Qing and spoke flatly, “What brings Prince Chen here with such grand presence?”

“Do you know that during those days when you weren’t by Mu Yunjin’s side, she was poisoned with Grass Ghost Woman’s gu?” Chu Qing cut straight to the point, smiling brightly.

Chu Li’s eyes flashed slightly, but he remained silent.

Seeing Chu Li’s silence, Chu Qing took out the Divine Decree and placed it in his palm. “You should know about this, right?”

“Mu Yunjin exchanged the Divine Decree for an antidote to remove the gu poison in her body.”

“Unfortunately…” Chu Qing dragged out the last syllable.

Playing with the Divine Decree in his hand, his smile deepened. “Unfortunately, she held something back, and we also held something back.”

“The antidote given to her by the Grass Ghost Woman can only alleviate the poison for one month. After a month, the gu poison will still act up. Ask Mu Yunjin how it feels when the gu poison attacks. Is it bearable?” Chu Qing smiled.

Chu Li’s eyes narrowed slightly; this matter was indeed something he knew nothing about.

“Now there’s about half a month left before the gu poison in her body will activate. If within this half month, she can’t give us what we want, then she will suffer from the gu poison’s torment, a fate worse than death…”

“Along with the child in her belly…”

“Chu Li, you love her so much. Surely you wouldn’t want to see her and the child in her belly suffer, would you?”

Chu Li fixed a deep gaze on Chu Qing, reaching out to gently stroke the Black Qilin’s head. “Chu Qing, if you don’t want the Black Qilin to trample your military headquarters flat, get as far away as possible right now!”

“Hahaha!” Chu Qing laughed heartily into the sky.

“What I told you today is the absolute truth. If you don’t believe me, you can test it in half a month.” After speaking, Chu Qing glanced at Daoist Qiuye beside him.

Daoist Qiuye, since entering, had kept his gaze fixed on the Black Qilin. Now, sensing Chu Qing’s gaze, he nodded to him.

Then, the two of them left the villa.

After the surroundings returned to silence, Ding Xian frowned, looking at Chu Li. “Your Highness, I feel there’s something suspicious. How could someone as intelligent as the Princess Consort carelessly get poisoned by gu?”

“But if what Chu Qing said is false, the Divine Decree is the Princess Consort’s item. How did it end up in Chu Qing’s hands?” Huang Yan spoke up.

“Can’t we just ask the Princess Consort about this matter?” Song Chun said.

Chu Li clenched his fist, speaking coldly, “No one is to mention this matter to Mu Yunjin!”

Her emotions were extremely sensitive after becoming pregnant. If she knew the gu poison in her body hadn’t been completely removed, who knew how long her mood would be depressed.

With these thoughts, Chu Li’s mind sank into a state of worry.

……

Not far from the villa, Daoist Qiuye stood with his hands behind his back, letting out a long sigh. “That Black Qilin is indeed an ancient sacred beast, of the same lineage as the Phoenix Lady’s Red Phoenix.”

After a pause, Daoist Qiuye spoke again. “The Black Qilin, I only heard about it from storytellers in my childhood. According to legend, a thousand years ago, it was the mount of the Netherworld Death God.”

“Netherworld Death God?” Chu Qing was surprised.

Daoist Qiuye nodded. “Indeed. I originally thought it was just mythology, something to listen to for entertainment. But seeing a living Black Qilin today, I realized that things are already beyond our control.”

“When the Phoenix sings and the Qilin roars, with these two ancient sacred beasts present, along with the dead spirits and soldiers in the Divine Decree, it’s enough to overthrow the entire world!” Qiuye said.

Hearing this, Chu Qing was extremely shocked, finding it difficult to connect the sacred beast from earlier with the Netherworld Death God.

“Elder, where can one find records about the Death God?” Chu Qing was immensely curious.

Qiuye sighed. “Perhaps in that witch’s Phoenix Feather Pavilion, but Phoenix Feather Pavilion is not a place one can easily spy into.”

“Hmm, I wonder if, after all we said to Chu Li just now, he’ll believe that Mu Yunjin is still poisoned with gu?” Chu Qing thought of Chu Li’s tense expression earlier and chuckled lightly.

“Chu Li never takes anything related to Mu Yunjin lightly. Whether he believes it or not, he won’t dare take the risk.”

“He will come to find us…”

“That’s good. It seems we can proceed with our plan!”