At this moment, inside the Rose Palace in the Imperial Palace.
“Bang—”
Chu Qingqiang violently threw a porcelain vase against the wall, her eyes filled with cold fury. “Mu Yunjin, that bitch is truly a witch! She escaped me again this time!”
“Princess, please calm down. There will be other days. We’ll eventually find a way to bring her down,” maidservant Wanxiu consoled from the side.
“Hmph! A way? She currently holds leverage over me. If I don’t eliminate her soon, I could be eliminated by her at any moment! When has Chu Qingqiang ever been threatened by anyone?” Chu Qingqiang spoke angrily, her eyes once again filling with murderous intent.
At this moment, a young eunuch entered from outside, walking quickly toward her. “Princess, a letter has arrived for you from outside the palace.”
After speaking, the eunuch bowed and presented the letter.
Chu Qingqiang glanced at the letter, then reached out to take it. Upon opening it and seeing the line of writing, she trembled as she clenched the letter tightly, gritting her teeth. With a swing of her hand, she shattered several more fine white porcelain vases.
Wanxiu stood to the side and glanced at the note in Chu Qingqiang’s hand. Seeing the writing, her expression changed.
…
…
“Hehe, ‘mind your own business,’ indeed! Mu Yunjin, if you dare to oppose this princess, don’t blame this princess for being ruthless!” Chu Qingqiang laughed coldly, tearing the note to pieces.
“Someone come here! Send a letter to the border for this princess. If this princess cannot deal with her, then this princess will find someone who can!”
……
Mu Yunjin was lounging lazily in a rocking chair in the back garden of the Prince’s Mansion, casually flipping through a book she had picked up, reading with great interest.
Zixiang stood nearby, fanning Mu Yunjin with a cattail fan. Seeing Mu Yunjin occasionally laugh while reading the book, she frowned in surprise. “Miss, I thought you couldn’t read?”
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin shifted her gaze from the book and raised her eyebrows slightly. “Who said I couldn’t read?”
“Miss seems to be in a good mood today?” Zixiang changed the subject, smiling as she looked at Mu Yunjin.
Mu Yunjin nodded slightly. “Of course I am. We’ve caused another person who wanted to harm us to fall. How could I not be happy?”
“Naturally,” Zixiang smiled. “It’s just a pity about that, Miss Wen. The Imperial Consort once intended to match her with either the Third Prince or the Eighth Prince, but that’s impossible now.”
“Miss, I still think Miss Wen is pitiful. Didn’t she say she was threatened by the Fifth Princess?” Zixiang added.
Mu Yunjin sighed lightly, a faint smile escaping her lips. “My brother will handle this matter.”
After speaking, Mu Yunjin shifted to a more comfortable position against the chair, closing the book in her hand. Her thoughts couldn’t help but drift to the infrared formation in the Water Cloud Temple.
After a while, Mu Yunjin felt an inexplicable pain in her chest. She frowned and instinctively blurted out, “Zixiang, let’s go to Water Cloud Temple!”
Even Mu Yunjin herself was surprised after saying this.
……
Half an hour later, outside Water Cloud Temple.
Mu Yunjin and Zixiang walked directly toward the hidden chamber. After walking for about fifteen minutes, Mu Yunjin arrived at the entrance of the hidden chamber.
“Zixiang, wait for me outside. If anyone comes, call out to me.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Mu Yunjin pushed open the door and entered the hidden chamber. After entering, she lit a wooden torch she had prepared in advance and walked step by step toward the interior.
In the past, when she came with Chu Li and Master Huaiyuan, she hadn’t felt how vast this place was.
Today, walking alone in this darkness, her heart was on guard, constantly vigilant of movements around her.
Arriving at the formation, Mu Yunjin stopped, placing the torch on the ground beside her. She then closed her eyes slightly, recalling the infrared structure from that day.
After a moment, Mu Yunjin pursed her lips, bent down to lie on the ground, and carefully moved toward the mechanism at the center of the infrared beams.
Wary of the alarm sound and Master Kongshi’s added power, Mu Yunjin moved very slowly. In this quiet darkness, only the sound of her clothes rubbing against the ground could be heard.
“Shu’er, is that you?”
A hoarse and desolate female voice suddenly echoed in the hidden chamber, startling Mu Yunjin into freezing in place, not daring to move.
“Shu’er, is that you?”
The female voice repeated, her words carrying a hint of hope and joy.
Hearing this sudden voice, Mu Yunjin frowned slightly, her eyes flashing with shock and surprise.
Shu’er was her code name in the anti-terrorism squad. No one had called her by that name for a long time.
“Who are you?” After a while, Mu Yunjin’s voice came out with a touch of coldness.
Perhaps upon hearing Mu Yunjin’s voice, the desolate woman suddenly laughed softly, her laughter filled with sorrow.
“Master Kongshi said to wait here for a woman called Shu’er, saying that only Shu’er could rescue me.”
“Are you Imperial Consort Rong?” Mu Yunjin asked in surprise.
Hearing this, the woman laughed. “Yes, it’s me.”
Upon hearing that it was indeed Imperial Consort Rong, Mu Yunjin was even more surprised and couldn’t help asking, “Then why didn’t you make any sound the previous two times when I came with Chu Li?”
“Heh, because some things can only be said to you alone.”
“Shu’er, in this world, you are the only one I can trust now.”
……
When Mu Yunjin walked out of the hidden chamber, her face was pale, clearly still absorbing the shock from what had just happened.
Upon reflection, Mu Yunjin slightly raised her hand and saw the golden phoenix feather mark that had appeared on her wrist, confirming that everything that had just happened was real.
Imperial Consort Rong had given her a secret pavilion.
On the way back, whether due to psychological factors or the sudden appearance of this phoenix feather mark, Mu Yunjin felt a mysterious energy constantly flowing into her dantian and gradually coursing into her heart and lungs.
By the time she returned to the mansion, the sky had already darkened.
Mu Yunjin alighted from the carriage and instinctively looked at her wrist, only to see that the phoenix feather mark had disappeared.
Seeing this, Mu Yunjin pursed her lips and walked inside.
After entering the mansion, Mu Yunjin walked directly to Liquan Pavilion. Upon entering, Mu Yunjin glanced at the room diagonally opposite, and seeing that the light was off, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Returning to her room, Mu Yunjin had just closed the door when a golden light flashed from her wrist, and the phoenix feather mark reappeared.
Simultaneously, two voices sounded from behind her—
“Greetings to Master Shu’er.”
Startled by these sudden voices, Mu Yunjin turned around to see a man and a woman standing in her bedroom, both with strange appearances.
The woman wore a charming pink garment, with light purple hair falling on her shoulders. Her face featured a pair of peach blossom eyes that carried a naturally alluring demeanor. She smiled at Mu Yunjin, revealing a pair of sharp teeth. More peculiarly, she had a pair of cat ears.
The man wore golden armor and had silver hair. On his back was a pair of faintly visible silver wings.
“You are…”
Human, ghost, or demon…
Hearing this, the woman stepped closer to Mu Yunjin, revealing a captivating smile. “Meow~”
“Meow, Master Shu’er, I’m Qiqi.” Qiqi’s voice carried a hint of a cat’s charming coyness.
“Greetings to the Master, I am Xiumei.”
After hearing their self-introductions, Mu Yunjin still felt somewhat mystified. At this moment, a warmth emanated from her wrist.
Sensing the discomfort in her wrist, Mu Yunjin lowered her gaze to look, and saw that the phoenix feather mark on her wrist was continuously flashing golden light, alternating between bright and dim.
“We are the left and right guardians of the Phoenix Feather Pavilion. For years, we have been searching for our master’s whereabouts, but had no clues. Today, the phoenix feather mark suddenly appeared in the pavilion, causing great joy among everyone. Xiumei and I followed the guidance and came here,” Qiqi explained.
Hearing Qiqi’s explanation, Mu Yunjin understood somewhat, but Qiqi’s appearance left her confused. “Are you human or a cat?”
“Meow, I am both human and cat. I have a cat spirit form,” Qiqi said, also showing her sharp claws.
After speaking, she pointed to Xiumei beside her. “He is half-crane. He is both human and crane.”
“Are all the people in your Phoenix Feather Pavilion like this?” Mu Yunjin frowned, not knowing what to say.
Qiqi nodded. “Yes, our Phoenix Feather Pavilion, also known as the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Beasts, is mostly inhabited by half-human, half-beast beings.”
“Then Imperial Consort Rong…” Mu Yunjin didn’t continue.
How could an imperial consort from the harem be connected to this Phoenix Feather Pavilion?
“Huh? Who is Imperial Consort Rong?” Qiqi’s eyes showed surprise as she scratched the ears on top of her head, tilting her head to think for a moment.
“Nothing,” Mu Yunjin shook her head.
Qiqi nodded, then stepped closer to Mu Yunjin and pointed at her. “Then what about you, Master? What type of beast form do you have?”
“I am human,” Mu Yunjin replied somewhat helplessly.
“Human?” Qiqi was somewhat shocked. She glanced at Xiumei beside her, seemingly surprised that the Phoenix Feather Pavilion would be taken over by a human.
Xiumei glanced at Qiqi and shook his head at her. “Do not be disrespectful.”
“Yes.” Qiqi nodded, then bowed to Mu Yunjin again. “From now on, Qiqi will do her utmost to assist the Master well.”
“Xiumei will do the same.”
Seeing this scene, although somewhat helpless, Mu Yunjin had no choice but to accept it. She nodded slightly. “There’s no need for such formality.”
“Meow~ Well, it’s late now. Master should rest well.” After speaking, Qiqi glanced at Mu Yunjin’s wrist, then showed her wrist, which also had a phoenix feather mark.
“This is our Phoenix Feather Pavilion’s spirit mark. It normally doesn’t light up, but if one day the Master is in danger, we will be alerted by the spirit mark and appear by the Master’s side immediately.” Qiqi grinned.
Hearing this, Mu Yunjin looked at her wrist and indeed, the mark that had been glowing earlier had now disappeared without a trace.
“Since we have now met the Master, we will take our leave and not disturb you further,” the usually silent Xiumei spoke.
Mu Yunjin nodded.
After speaking, Qiqi channeled her internal energy, her body emanating a pink light, while Xiumei’s body emitted a silver light. Then, the two took a few steps forward, activated their spiritual power, and with a flash, silently disappeared from Mu Yunjin’s bedroom.
Mu Yunjin leaned against the wall, watching this scene. In her heart, apart from silently exclaiming how amazing it was, she could think of no other words to describe it.