Perhaps it had been too long since they’d had such a relaxed and comfortable moment. The next day, both of them slept until the sun was high in the sky before waking.

After waking up, Mu Yunjin looked at the time. It was almost noon, and just as she was about to get up, a figure beside her stopped her first.

“Wait a moment,” Chu Li said gently.

Mu Yunjin paused, turning to look at Chu Li.

Chu Li got up first, dressed himself properly, then walked to the wardrobe and selected a brocade dress made of snow-white satin. He returned to Mu Yunjin’s bedside.

“Get up and extend your arms,” Chu Li said, holding the brocade dress and looking down at Mu Yunjin, a light smile at the corner of his lips.

Mu Yunjin curled her lips upward, sat up, and obediently extended her arms.

Chu Li bent down to help her put on the brocade dress, but as soon as she had it on, before the sash was tied, Mu Yunjin’s surprised voice rang out—

“Chu Li, we’re in Fengyu Pavilion, where it’s like spring all year round. Wearing such thick clothes is too hot.”

…

…

Mu Yunjin touched the thick winter dress and looked at Chu Li.

Chu Li’s hands paused briefly as he was fastening the sash. He glanced outside, then continued with his task. “It’s raining outside today. You’ll catch a cold.”

After speaking, he carefully tied Mu Yunjin’s sash.

After helping her dress, Chu Li instructed Mu Yunjin to sit still and not move, then left the room alone.

Mu Yunjin sat on the edge of the bed, a smile spreading across her lips.

Shortly thereafter, Chu Li returned with a steaming basin of water and a clean towel.

Seeing this, Mu Yunjin was stunned and felt the situation was almost surreal. These were tasks usually performed by servant girls, yet Chu Li had taken it upon himself to do them.

It wasn’t until Chu Li came before Mu Yunjin and personally used the towel to wipe her face that she gradually came back to her senses.

This was too much…

After washing up, at the breakfast table.

Mu Yunjin looked at the large bowl of red bean porridge in front of her and the pastries that kept coming her way, and suddenly felt that Chu Li, after recovering his memories, was even more formidable…

Even though it was already noon, he still insisted that she first have breakfast to nurture her stomach…

“Chu Li, I can’t eat this much…” Mu Yunjin had just finished eating an egg that Chu Li had peeled for her when she saw him offer her a small bowl of bird’s nest soup.

“Then just have a couple of bites,” Chu Li coaxed in a low voice.

Mu Yunjin twisted her mouth and tried to negotiate with Chu Li. “One bite, alright?”

“No.”

“…”

Just as the small courtyard was filled with a sweet atmosphere, someone gently knocked on the main gate, and Qiqi’s voice came from outside. “Master, may we come in?”

Hearing “we,” Mu Yunjin knew there were quite a few people outside. She opened her mouth and said, “Come in.”

With that, the main gate was pushed open, and Qiqi, Hua Ying, Huang Yan, and Ding Xian all entered together and sat down at their dining table.

“Wow, Master, you’re eating so much!” Qiqi exclaimed upon seeing Mu Yunjin’s large bowl of red bean porridge.

Mu Yunjin’s face inexplicably reddened, and she cast a resentful glance at Chu Li.

Chu Li gently patted her back, his gaze falling softly on Huang Yan and Ding Xian.

The two men trembled under his gaze, feeling a chill run down their spines.

“Your Highness, we didn’t mean to disturb you. We came to report some matters,” Huang Yan said with a forced smile, looking somewhat embarrassed as he faced Chu Li.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin and Chu Li turned their attention to Huang Yan again.

“Ahem… it’s like this…” Huang Yan cleared his throat and slowly began, “This morning we heard that before the battle at Linyin Capital even began, Chu Qing sent a ceasefire letter and retreated his troops to Qingfeng Mountain, outside of Qingzhou.”

“A ceasefire? Is it because Qiuye, the Black-Robed One, and Qin Muyue are all severely injured?” Thinking of what had happened in Thorny Cliff yesterday, Mu Yunjin felt a surge of satisfaction.

“It’s most likely because of that. Even if Chu Qing has half of the Western Yuan soldiers at his disposal, when it comes to military tactics, he’s no match for Qin Munan. What kind of trouble could he stir up by himself?” When mentioning Chu Qing, Huang Yan’s face was full of contempt and disdain.

Qiqi also nodded in agreement. “Now they’ll need a long time just to recover from their injuries. We can enjoy some peaceful days for a while.”

“That’s not necessarily true. We should remain vigilant. But I’ve also heard that the Western Ming Emperor has fallen ill again, and this time it’s serious. Chu Ye will soon choose a day to ascend the throne,” said Hua Ying.

Hearing their words, Mu Yunjin felt that they were all well-informed, knowing all the news as soon as it happened.

However, knowing about Chu Qing’s ceasefire was indeed relieving.

…

Compared to the peaceful and warm atmosphere in Fengyu Pavilion, the mood in the military camp outside Qingfeng Mountain was much more desolate and solemn.

Chu Qing stood outside the camp, his expression cold and gloomy.

He had never expected that his originally perfect plan would encounter such a mishap midway.

This mishap had caused Daoist Qiuye, the Black-Robed One, and Qin Muyue to all be injured. Moreover, except for the Black-Robed One, the other two were severely wounded and difficult to treat.

At this thought, Chu Qing tightly clenched his fists, the veins on his forehead bulging.

“Your Highness, Daoist Qiuye has awakened,” a soldier approached Chu Qing and reported.

Chu Qing was slightly startled, nodded, and walked towards a tent nearby.

Inside the tent, as soon as he stepped in, he could still smell the bloody scent in the air. Chu Qing frowned and walked closer to the bed.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” the military doctor bowed to Chu Qing.

Chu Qing nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the countless ice needles in a basket on the ground, making his frown deepen.

“Your Highness, these are the ice needles extracted from Daoist Qiuye’s body, numbering approximately four to five hundred. With the Daoist’s right arm destroyed, his vitality is severely damaged. I’m afraid he will never recover to his former state…” the military doctor reported cautiously.

“I understand. You may leave,” Chu Qing waved his hand.

Hearing this, the military doctor immediately left.

On the bed, Daoist Qiuye’s entire body was wrapped in bandages. His eyes were wide open, filled with resentment and shock. “Chu… Chu Qing…” Daoist Qiuye spoke softly.

“What is it?” Chu Qing looked at Daoist Qiuye, his tone flat.

The current Daoist Qiuye was nothing but a cripple to him, no longer of any use.

“Find… find the Snow Soul Pill, it can… bring me back to life. I want revenge, revenge!” Daoist Qiuye’s speech was broken, but his eyes were extremely determined.

Chu Qing narrowed his eyes. “Snow Soul Pill, one of the three great secret medicines of Southern Court Country that can bring the dead back to life?”

“That’s right, as long… as I have the Snow Soul Pill, I can be reborn, born…” Daoist Qiuye said resentfully.

As soon as he finished speaking, the tent flap was blown by the wind, and a black figure quickly flew in, standing beside Daoist Qiuye’s bed.

“Muyue…” Daoist Qiuye looked at the newcomer in surprise.

Qin Muyue was now dressed in black brocade robes with lotus patterns and wore a bamboo hat with black gauze veiling her face, completely concealing her features.

“What were you just talking about? Snow Soul Pill, bringing the dead back to life?” Qin Muyue raised her eyes, her tone full of excitement and agitation.

Neither Chu Qing nor Daoist Qiuye answered.

“Hahaha, heaven truly hasn’t abandoned me! With the Snow Soul Pill, I can restore my beauty, while that bitch Mu Yunjin, whose face I slashed, is destined to be ugly for life! Hahaha!” Qin Muyue suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.

Daoist Qiuye’s heart tightened. He struggled to get up but found he couldn’t move at all. He could only open his mouth, trying to speak to Qin Muyue. “Mu… Muyue, you can’t…”

Before he could finish, Qin Muyue had already flown away.

Seeing this, Chu Qing turned to look at Daoist Qiuye. “Her beauty was destroyed by Chu Li. She has now gone mad with deviated energy. I’m afraid Southern Court Country will be thrown into chaos by her.”

Daoist Qiuye lowered his eyelids. The last lifeline seemed to have been cut off…

Not long after Qin Muyue left, the Black-Robed One entered. Compared to Qiuye’s severe injuries, he had only been struck by a few ice needles and had recovered significantly after a night’s rest.

“There is perhaps one person who could treat Qiuye’s injuries,” the Black-Robed One said as he approached, looking at the immobile Qiuye.

Chu Qing cast a questioning glance.

“Murong Rusu,” the Black-Robed One slowly pronounced these four characters.

Chu Qing was startled. “She’s Chu Li’s master. Why would she save him?”

“Precisely because she is Chu Li’s master, she understands the martial arts that Chu Li practices and can counter and resolve them!” The Black-Robed One’s lips revealed a sinister smile.

“But she probably wouldn’t agree, would she?” Chu Qing looked at the Black-Robed One.

The Black-Robed One clasped his hands behind his back and turned to look at Qiuye on the bed. “Do you remember, decades ago, the daughter of Feng Cang and Murong Rusu who was rumored to have been killed by a tiger?”

Qiuye blinked, indicating he remembered.

“That girl was Shen Wanning!”

…

That night, Fengyu Pavilion was bustling with activity.

Catching the tail end of the Lantern Festival, Fisherman’s Wife had specially prepared many tangyuan (sweet rice balls) to distribute to everyone.

After hearing about Qiuye and the others, Daoist Feng Xuan had immediately come to Fengyu Pavilion to celebrate the Lantern Festival with Mu Yunjin and the others.

“Hey, let’s call her Chu Mu. It has both of you in it, how nice!”

“I think Chu Xiaohua would be better. How cute…”

“Just Chuchu is good. Like ‘charmingly beautiful’!”

“Chu…”

Halfway through the meal, the group gathered together and idly began discussing names for the child in Mu Yunjin’s belly.

Both Mu Yunjin and Chu Li showed great interest in this topic, listening with particular attentiveness.

“After suggesting so many, do you two have any favorites?” Daoist Feng Xuan, who had suggested the name Chu Mu, was particularly satisfied with his choice and winked at Chu Li and Mu Yunjin.

“They’re all very good. It’s difficult to choose,” Mu Yunjin tilted her head and thought, genuinely conflicted.

Hearing this, Daoist Feng Xuan slapped his thigh. “What’s so difficult about it? We’ve come up with five names in total. You can have five children and use them all in turn.”

Mu Yunjin’s mouth twitched.

Beside her, Chu Li gently curled his lips and nodded in agreement. “The elder’s words make sense.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his chest received a light punch from Mu Yunjin.

Chu Li chuckled softly.

“Well, let’s set aside the names for now. Today, while everyone is here, let’s place bets on whether it will be a boy or a girl! Left side for the boy, right side for a girl. Come on!”

After speaking, Daoist Feng Xuan took out a money pouch, extracted two silver ingots, and placed them on the left side. “I bet it’s a boy!”

“I bet it’s a girl.” Qiqi also took out several silver ingots and placed them on the right side.

“Boy!”

“Boy!”

“…”

…

“Thump…”

Just as everyone was engaged in a heated discussion, a thick stack of banknotes was thrown onto the right side, betting on a girl…

Everyone was astonished at the sight of these banknotes, worth at least a hundred thousand taels of gold.

Then, they heard Chu Li’s cold and proud voice: “A girl!”