Recently, memories of Fuhuan and Si Qing flashed through her mind more and more frequently. She couldn’t convince herself that these two people had nothing to do with her.

But if they were connected, what kind of connection would it be?

As she pondered, Mu Yunjin felt she had entered a dead end.

After hanging the red silk, Chu Li turned to see Mu Yunjin stroking the tree trunk. He paused briefly, then looked up at the ancient tree.

Today, nothing strange seemed to have happened…

As they prepared to leave Water Cloud Temple, the two saw Imperial Preceptor An hurrying out with a tense expression. When he ran out the door, he didn’t even seem to notice Chu Li and Mu Yunjin.

Seeing this hurried figure, Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, guessing that Imperial Preceptor An was going to find medicine for Consort Rong.

“Why are you still here? Are you leaving or not?” Feng Xuandaoren and Yun Lianqing walked over.

Mu Yunjin snapped back to reality and nodded.

…

…

……

On the returning carriage, Feng Xuandaoren didn’t look well. Though he said nothing, he was constantly thinking about Murong Rusu and Shen Wanning.

Throughout the journey, the carriage was completely silent, with no one speaking.

By the time they returned to Zhangzhou City, darkness had fallen.

Feng Xuandaoren and Yun Lianqing bid farewell to Mu Yunjin and Chu Li in Zhangzhou City, while Mu Yunjin and Chu Li returned to Phoenix Feather Pavilion.

……

After a day of traveling, Mu Yunjin was tired. After bathing and lying down on the bed, she fell into a deep sleep.

Chu Li wasn’t sleepy. After quietly gazing at Mu Yunjin’s sleeping face for a while, he rose and walked toward the door.

The moment he stepped out, the Ink Qilin, which had been hiding in the shadows, appeared and nuzzled Chu Li’s hem affectionately.

Chu Li reached out to stroke its head, speaking softly, “This prince met you by chance on Tianshan Mountain, which must be some kind of fate.”

“Awoo.” The Ink Qilin let out a low growl, with crystalline tears seeping from its ice-blue pupils.

Seeing this, Chu Li smiled gently, “Like her, you’re becoming more and more endearing to this prince.”

Hearing this, the Ink Qilin contentedly bit Chu Li’s clothes, then sat down beside him, together quietly admiring the boundless night.

Not far away, Fish Granny watched this scene, then looked up at the celestial phenomena and curled her lips slightly.

Not much longer…

……

The day before Xu Heyu and Qu Xinyao’s wedding, Mu Yunjin and Chu Li traveled to River Moon City.

The entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion was already decorated with red silk. The doors were pasted with double happiness characters. Stepping inside, the entire mansion was adorned in red, filled with the atmosphere of celebration.

“Huang Yan, once you hang those two lanterns, it should be about right.” In front of the hall, Qiqi was directing Huang Yan.

Huang Yan was holding two large lanterns, climbing on a ladder to hang them at the front of the hall.

“Master, you’re finally here!” After handing the second lantern to Huang Yan, Qiqi ran toward Mu Yunjin.

Seeing Qiqi’s joyful face, Mu Yunjin reached out and gently pinched her cheek.

“Where are City Lord Xu and Sister Xinyao? On the day before the wedding, they shouldn’t see each other, right?” Mu Yunjin looked around.

“That’s right, so Sister Xinyao bought a house here a few days ago and is staying there now, waiting for City Lord Xu to come with the grand bridal sedan chair tomorrow,” Qiqi said excitedly, holding Mu Yunjin’s arm.

After a pause, Qiqi pulled Mu Yunjin to one side, “Let me show you the grand bridal sedan chair City Lord Xu prepared. It’s so beautiful!”

Having said that, the two ignored Chu Li, who had come with them, and walked away.

After hanging the two lanterns, Huang Yan climbed down the ladder and looked at Chu Li, “Tsk, women always like to see these spectacles, making a fuss over nothing.”

Chu Li glanced at Huang Yan, then looked around at the decorations. “Where’s Heyu?”

“He’s busy inside.” Huang Yan pointed to the east.

Chu Li walked in that direction.

……

“Master, look, isn’t this bridal sedan chair big and beautiful? I’ve seen many weddings before, but I’ve never seen a sedan chair as large and as pretty as this one.” Qiqi spoke with longing in her face.

Mu Yunjin sighed, recalling her wedding to Chu Li. Although there was also a grand sedan chair, at that time, there was no affection between them, so something was missing.

Moreover, they never performed the wedding ceremony!

In ancient times, they could be considered an unofficial husband and wife relationship.

“Shall we go outside to find Sister Xinyao? Huaying is also there keeping her company!” Qiqi suggested.

Mu Yunjin nodded, “Sure.”

With that, Qiqi linked arms with Mu Yunjin and strolled out of the City Lord’s Mansion.

Walking on the street, Mu Yunjin noticed that red silk was hung in front of every shop or stall along the entire street, creating a jubilant atmosphere throughout.

“City Lord Xu specifically asked each shop owner and vendor to hang red silk. Since City Lord Xu took office here, the lives of the common people have improved a lot. When they heard that City Lord Xu was getting married, everyone happily took on the task, and now red silk is hung everywhere,” Qiqi explained.

“That’s truly special.” Mu Yunjin smiled, feeling a strong sense of happiness as they walked along.

After walking through two streets, they finally reached the residence where Qu Xinyao was staying.

The entrance to the residence was also covered in red.

When Mu Yunjin and Qiqi entered through the main gate, Qu Xinyao was standing in the courtyard, checking the surrounding decorations. She smiled when she caught a glimpse of Mu Yunjin.

“Yunjin, you’re here.”

Mu Yunjin smiled, “Sister Xinyao, tomorrow you’ll be getting married. Are you nervous?”

Qu Xinyao nodded and frowned slightly, “Nervous…”

“Sister Xinyao, take us to see the bridal chamber you’ve prepared,” Qiqi said with a smile.

“Sure.” Qu Xinyao readily agreed and led them into the room.

……

“Look, this is my wedding dress for tomorrow.” Qu Xinyao held her wedding dress in her hands, her eyes unable to conceal her happiness as she spoke.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful! I heard that City Lord Xu personally designed the pattern, right?” Qiqi tilted her head, looking at Qu Xinyao.

Qu Xinyao nodded with a smile, “Yes, that fool is quite thoughtful after all.”

“Did City Lord Xu also design the pattern for the embroidered shoes?” Qiqi looked at a pair of exquisite red embroidered shoes placed nearby.

Qu Xinyao smiled and nodded again.

“Having such a husband is truly enviable…” Qiqi sighed.

Unfortunately, she could never marry in this lifetime. If she were to marry, it could only be to someone with a cat spirit form, but looking around, she was the only cat spirit in Phoenix Feather Pavilion.

In this life, she was destined to be alone.

Noticing the dejection in Qiqi’s eyes, Mu Yunjin gently patted her shoulder.

Qiqi’s face regained its smile, “When we return to Phoenix Feather Pavilion, I’ll ask Brother Lei Yan to try and design one for me too!”

“Aren’t you afraid that Lei Yan will draw you looking like a lioness?” Huaying teased from the side.

“Hmph, female cats and lionesses look pretty much the same anyway…” Qiqi retorted.

“Are you sure about that?” Huaying questioned.

“Hahaha!” The others burst into laughter.

……

In the evening, Mu Yunjin stayed at Qu Xinyao’s place for dinner. The four women gathered together, chatting about everything under the sun.

“Yes, I used to respect Qiuye. I learned many skills from him, but who would have thought he was such a heartless person!” Qu Xinyao mentioned Qiuye, feeling quite irritated.

Qiqi rested her chin on her hands, “In the past, Huaying and I stayed in Phoenix Feather Pavilion every day. At that time, there was no pavilion master, and all of us subordinates in the pavilion were eagerly waiting for our master to appear…”

“Yes, I remember that day when the spirit signal of Phoenix Feather Pavilion lit up, everyone in the pavilion went crazy!” Huaying recalled.

Listening to them talk about the past, Mu Yunjin couldn’t help but remember her days as a special agent. Back then, she was always alone, never experiencing such lively laughter and joy around her.

This journey through time had allowed her to meet so many friends, which was fulfilling in its way.

“Master, what about you? I heard that in the past, Minister Mu kept you confined in the mansion and wouldn’t let you go out. How did all those messy rumors start?” Qiqi remembered this and was puzzled.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin winked at Qiqi, “Playing dumb to catch the tiger.”

“But you’re amazing to have endured that…”

Qiqi had only spoken half her sentence when a sudden gust of wind blew open the gates of the residence, and a swarm of blood bats flew in.

Along with the blood bats, a black figure flew in as well.

“The blood bats have caught Mu Yunjin’s scent. This sovereign wants to see if that ugly monster Mu Yunjin is here…”

Hearing this voice, Mu Yunjin froze, her pupils dilating.

How could Qin Muyue be here?

Wasn’t she trapped in an array in the Southern Court Kingdom?

“Hahaha, thinking a mere array could confine this sovereign is simply delusional! Where is that ugly monster? Let this sovereign see!” Qin Muyue, wearing a black veil, laughed arrogantly.

Just as Qiqi and Huaying were about to rush forward, Mu Yunjin held them back with her hand, then stood up and walked slowly to stand in front of Qin Muyue, smiling gently.

“Who exactly is the ugly monster?”

As Mu Yunjin spoke, her sleeve whipped out, knocking off the black veil on Qin Muyue’s head.

Qin Muyue’s face, riddled with wounds and grotesquely terrifying, was suddenly revealed to everyone.

Nearby, Qiqi, who had just finished eating, couldn’t help but retch at the sight.

When Qin Muyue’s gaze fell upon Mu Yunjin’s smooth, fair face, her pupils contracted, her expression showing shock and disbelief as she stared wide-eyed.

“No, this is impossible…”

“Mu Yunjin was supposed to have become an ugly monster, how could it be, how could it be…”

“Aaaahhh!!!”

Qin Muyue suddenly clutched her head and screamed shrilly.

“You must not be Mu Yunjin. Tell me, who are you? Why do you look exactly like that bitch Mu Yunjin?” Qin Muyue suddenly pointed at Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin didn’t want to look at Qin Muyue’s disgusting face for a moment, but seeing her deranged state, she smiled and beckoned to her, “Want to know where Mu Yunjin is? Come closer, I’ll tell you secretly…”

Hearing this, Qin Muyue moved closer to Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin went to Ghost Valley Cave. They say there are magical elixirs inside Ghost Valley Cave that can heal the wounds on her face,” Mu Yunjin deliberately whispered.

Upon hearing this, Qin Muyue muttered, “Ghost Valley Cave, Ghost Valley Cave, I’ll go there and kill her right now!”

With that, she flicked her sleeve and flew away.

After Qin Muyue left, Mu Yunjin bit her lip and frowned, “How did she manage to break free from Imperial Preceptor An’s array?”