As soon as Mu Yunjin spoke, Ding Xian and Qiqi fell silent.

Indeed, at this critical moment, three people walking together would be too conspicuous, and with hidden guards densely deployed throughout Marquis Han’s residence, they could easily be exposed and discovered.

“You two wait here for me. I’ll go out and search first,” Mu Yunjin volunteered to take on this task.

“Princess Consort, that won’t do. If His Highness were to find out…” Ding Xian stepped forward, attempting to stop her.

Mu Yunjin smiled lightly. “How can I always let you take the risky tasks? This is decided. If I’m not back in half an hour, then you can come look for me.”

After speaking, without waiting for Ding Xian and Qiqi to respond, Mu Yunjin carefully slipped out of the kitchen door.

There were no hidden guards deployed near the kitchen, and since Mu Yunjin had already visited Rong Min’s courtyard once, she was now quite familiar with the route.

Along the way, Mu Yunjin kept moving through blind spots, her steps light and nimble. Her figure was like an agile cat, swiftly avoiding the watchful eyes of the hidden guards.

Before long, Mu Yunjin had appeared in Rong Min’s courtyard.

…

…

After pausing for a moment, Mu Yunjin narrowed her eyes, her gaze falling on a room to the left where candles were lit. Staring at that room for a while, Mu Yunjin seemed to hear the sound of water.

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin’s lips curled into a smile as she flashed over.

At the main entrance to Rong Min’s room, there happened to be a rockery. After concealing herself behind it, Mu Yunjin quietly listened to the movements within the room.

It seemed there was nothing but the sound of water.

After a while, Mu Yunjin, hiding behind the rockery, suddenly sensed signs of true qi emanating from the surroundings. She tightly pressed her lips together and looked in the direction of the leaking true qi.

After looking around, her gaze fixed on a corner at the front of the courtyard.

Mu Yunjin’s eyes darkened. Her body made an aerial flip, quickly retreating from behind the rockery and moving forward.

…

Around the corner was a stone door.

Seeing this stone door, Mu Yunjin scanned the surroundings, not understanding why Rong Min would have such a place in the courtyard where he resided.

At this moment, the stone door was tightly closed.

Moreover, there was no trace of any hidden guards’ energy near the stone door.

Sensing this, Mu Yunjin relaxed slightly, suppressing her inner breath as she approached the stone door.

From within the stone door, conversation gradually became audible—

“Brother Lan, you were right. This Huang fellow truly has Dark Spirit Energy within him,” Shen Wanning’s gentle voice came through.

At the door, hearing the words “Dark Spirit Energy,” Mu Yunjin frowned, vaguely sensing trouble.

“I discovered it long ago, but never had the chance to make a move on him. Now he’s delivered himself to our doorstep,” Black Robe spoke mockingly.

Hearing this, Shen Wanning raised the corner of her lips. “People with Dark Spirit Energy are most compatible with our practice of shamanic evil arts.”

“Correct. After you and I transmit the Evil Spirit Energy into his body, as long as the Dark Spirit Energy in his body merges with the Evil Spirit Energy, this young man’s soul will be under our control, and our camp will gain another powerful helper.” After Black Robe said this, his tone could not hide his excitement.

At the door, Mu Yunjin listened with mounting fear. Leaving aside what this Dark Spirit Energy in Huang Yan’s body was, just hearing that Black Robe and Shen Wanning planned to control Huang Yan’s soul was enough to make Mu Yunjin unable to remain calm.

“We should not delay. Let us transmit the Evil Spirit Energy to him tonight,” Shen Wanning’s voice came through.

“Mm,” Black Robe agreed.

After they finished speaking, Mu Yunjin sensed the true qi emanating from within the stone door.

Sensing danger, Mu Yunjin looked around, her gaze falling on lanterns hanging in the courtyard nearby. She immediately flew over and kicked down two lanterns.

The lanterns were kicked and broken as they fell to the ground. The flames inside burst out, quickly spreading along the grass on the ground and creating a large fire…

Afterward, Mu Yunjin found a corner and concealed herself.

As Rong Min’s courtyard caught fire, people quickly discovered it. At the same time, the hidden guards distributed throughout the area emerged one by one, running toward the fire.

“Quickly! There’s a fire, find people to put it out!” one hidden guard called.

With these words, the entire courtyard became chaotic.

After hearing the commotion outside, Black Robe and Shen Wanning were momentarily stunned. They then looked at each other, and Black Robe spoke first, “I’ll go out to check the situation.”

Shen Wanning nodded.

After speaking, Black Robe raised his hand to open the stone door and walked out.

Just a few steps later, a sky full of flames and smoke hit him in the face. Even Rong Min, who had just finished bathing and was preparing for bed, had run out, watching people hurrying back and forth with water buckets.

At the same time, a figure swiftly flew into the stone door, grabbed the unconscious Huang Yan lying inside, and flew out.

Shen Wanning was momentarily caught off guard. By the time she reacted, she immediately gave chase.

“Guards! There’s an assassin!” Shen Wanning shouted.

With this shout, the attention of the surrounding hidden guards and Black Robe focused on her. Seeing the figure that had already flown out of the courtyard, a wave of hidden guards and Black Robe flew in pursuit.

…

Mu Yunjin swiftly flew toward the direction leading out of the Marquis’s residence, her Phoenix Tail Whip still wrapped around the unconscious Huang Yan.

After flying out of Marquis Han’s residence, it wasn’t long before Mu Yunjin began to feel strained. Dragging along the nearly six-foot-tall Huang Yan while flying was exhausting enough to make her drop to the ground at any moment.

“Over there, chase quickly!” At this time, considerable commotion came from behind.

Mu Yunjin looked back and saw more than a dozen hidden guards chasing after her, with Rong Min and Black Robe following alongside them.

Seeing them getting closer and closer, Mu Yunjin drew a breath of true qi, gritted her teeth, and accelerated her flight.

Since this was her first visit to Eastern Lin Country, Mu Yunjin was unfamiliar with its terrain. At this point, she could only run aimlessly through the streets, not knowing where to hide.

“Witch, die!” From a distance, Rong Min recognized Mu Yunjin and, with eyes full of malice, unhesitatingly raised his palm to strike in her direction.

Seeing Rong Min make the first move, the dozen or so hidden guards understood the situation and immediately struck in unison, aiming their palm strikes at Mu Yunjin’s back…

Sensing the extremely powerful palm wind behind her, Mu Yunjin’s body flashed as she flew into a small alley.

The palm strikes missed, hitting some shops in the market street instead and creating a huge explosive sound.

In the deep night, household candles lit up one by one.

After flying into the small alley, Mu Yunjin was more like a cat fleeing in all directions, running wildly at full speed while carrying Huang Yan with all her might.

From behind came the sound of footsteps once more.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Mu Yunjin’s lips curled into a contemptuous smile. Her figure flipped as she took to the air again with her lightness skill, swiftly departing.

The hidden guards who had been following Mu Yunjin on foot suddenly realized they had lost her.

Standing there confused for a good while, someone finally shouted, “She used lightness skill and left! Quick, after her!”

…

As Mu Yunjin ran through the streets, sweating profusely, a building appeared before her eyes. Upon seeing it, she felt like crying tears of joy as if she’d found a long-lost relative.

The Imperial Palace!

“I see her, chase quickly!” The voices of hidden guards rose from behind.

Mu Yunjin, with her petite frame, had been carrying Huang Yan while being chased for a long distance. By now, she was already nearly exhausted. Seeing those hidden guards pursuing again, without thinking, she flew directly over the high palace walls.

“Ouch…”

Once inside the palace walls, Mu Yunjin sat down heavily on the ground, utterly exhausted, her Phoenix Tail Whip still wrapped around the unconscious Huang Yan.

“Who goes there?!”

Before Mu Yunjin could catch her breath, she felt herself surrounded by a group of people, with cold glints of swords and sabers pointing at her from all directions.

“I need to see your sovereign!” Mu Yunjin took out the Eastern Lin Country Military Command Token she carried and held it high in her palm.

…

Rong Jiu was awakened in the middle of the night. Initially displeased, when he heard it was a woman with a Military Command Token, his sleepiness instantly dissipated. He hurriedly dressed and left his chambers.

Mu Yunjin now stood in the great hall, surrounded by imperial guards who had escorted her there. Looking at Huang Yan still lying limply unconscious on the ground, Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, not knowing what to say.

At this moment, hurried footsteps came from the inner hall.

Soon after, a figure dressed in a white light robe emerged. His black hair was simply tied up, and he seemed to have left in haste, with several drops of sweat on his forehead.

“Mu Yunjin, it is you!” Upon seeing who stood in the hall, Rong Jiu’s eyes brightened, his tone unable to hide his delight.

He truly had not imagined that one day he would see her in Eastern Lin Country.

To the side, Chief Eunuch Sui Yang, who had followed Rong Jiu out, gestured to the imperial guards in the hall, indicating they should leave.

The imperial guards understood, bowed slightly, and left the great hall.

Although Rong Jiu was happy to see Mu Yunjin, he was slightly startled when he glimpsed the unconscious person on the ground. “Who is this?”

“He’s unconscious. Please help find a place for him to rest first,” Mu Yunjin looked at Huang Yan lying on the ground.

Rong Jiu understood and tilted his chin toward Sui Yang.

Sui Yang nodded, calling over several junior eunuchs from the hall, and together they carried Huang Yan to a side hall.

After they left with Huang Yan, Mu Yunjin finally breathed a sigh of relief. She found a chair to sit down and exhaled deeply.

Seeing her dressed in coarse cloth, her hair disheveled, Rong Jiu knew she had just experienced significant trouble. He approached Mu Yunjin, poured a cup of water, and handed it to her.

The palace maids standing nearby were all inwardly astonished. The sovereign had been enthroned for over a month, and ordinarily kept away from all female company. The imperial harem remained without a single consort, yet here he was pouring water for a woman dressed in rags.

Who exactly was this woman?

Mu Yunjin accepted the water cup, thanked him, and then drank the water in one gulp.

Having carried Huang Yan for so long, now that she could rest, Mu Yunjin felt her arms aching severely, accompanied by trembling.

Rong Jiu noticed her discomfort, frowned slightly, and looked toward a young palace maid nearby. “Summon Hong Ling.”

“Yes, Sovereign.”

Just as the young palace maid was leaving, another imperial guard approached from outside the door. He bowed slightly to Rong Jiu and said, “Reporting to the Sovereign, Marquis Han requests an audience.”