“Ali, I’ve come to take you home.”

“Xiuyao…” Inside the carriage, Ye Li gazed somewhat dazedly at the cyan-robed man who stood outside with an extended hand and a gentle smile. The slanting afternoon sun filtered through the grove’s shade, falling upon him, and through the soft halo, Ye Li saw his face, paler and thinner than before. Somehow, a surge of emotion welled up in her heart, and before she could stop them, crystalline tears slid from her eyes. Seeing the elegant woman in the carriage and noticing the tears falling from her eyes, Mo Xiuyao’s gaze suddenly became slightly panicked, yet he stubbornly kept his hand extended toward Ye Li, “Ali… is Ali upset that I came too late?”

Ye Li’s eyelids fluttered as she realized she was crying, and she quickly wiped away her tears before reaching out to the man outside the carriage.

Mo Xiuyao carefully lifted her from the carriage but refused to let go afterward, as if afraid she would vanish the moment he released her. He raised his hand to gently touch Ye Li’s disguised face, still graceful and beautiful but somewhat different from her usual clear features. Mo Xiuyao took out a handkerchief from his robe and carefully wiped away the makeup concealing her true appearance, revealing her familiar, beautiful countenance.

“Ali…” Gazing devotedly at the woman in his arms, Mo Xiuyao’s eyes were full of tenderness and love, “Ali… I’ll never let you leave me again.”

Ye Li looked up and immediately fell into those eyes full of gentleness and affection. At that moment, all the careful wariness of these past days instantly vanished, and she only wanted to rest quietly in this man’s embrace. She nodded gently and said, “Mm, we’ll never be apart again.” Ye Li sighed softly, and Mo Xiuyao’s eyes brightened as he carefully held her in his arms, his noble chin nuzzling against her delicate shoulder as he smiled, “Good, it’s a promise. Never apart again…”

Ignored to the side, Tan Jizhi watched the couple who seemed oblivious to all else with an ugly expression, but when his gaze fell on the guards lying not far away, the anger in his eyes was quickly suppressed. The fact that his hidden escorts still hadn’t responded meant they had been subdued or eliminated before they even noticed. And just now, Mo Xiuyao had arrived after him yet reached the carriage first, even effortlessly dealing with several interfering guards along the way. This level of skill alone was enough to justify his arrogance. Tan Jizhi had never underestimated Mo Xiuyao and Prince Ding’s household. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent so many years carefully hiding behind Mo Jingqi while manipulating everything from the shadows, because he knew that once he was exposed, Mo Xiuyao’s lethal strike would surely await him.

Su Zuidie… that whore?!

Having reached this point, he became calmer. Whether he liked it or not, he had to admit that Su Zuidie had betrayed him. Behind his back, Tan Jizhi clenched his fists tightly, his mind racing to figure out how to escape.

“Your servants greet Your Highness and Her Highness.” Qin Feng and the others, having dealt with Tan Jizhi’s hidden guards and waited in hiding for quite some time without being summoned by the prince and princess, finally couldn’t resist revealing themselves, earning a sharp glare from Mo Xiuyao.

“Your servants greet Your Highness and Her Highness!” Many people scattered throughout the grove all bowed to the couple. Their seemingly casual positions had completely cut off Tan Jizhi’s escape routes. Seeing this, Tan Jizhi’s expression changed several times before finally settling into calmness. Stepping forward, he smiled and said, “This humble one greets Prince Ding.” Mo Xiuyao acted as if he had just noticed there were others present, sparing him the slightest attention. Glancing at the bowing Tan Jizhi, Mo Xiuyao asked coldly, “Master Tan, where… were you planning to take my princess consort?”

Tan Jizhi’s heart sank as he struggled to decide whether to take this gamble. If he won… perhaps he still had a chance to leave this place safely, but if he lost… no, if he didn’t take this gamble, he had no chance of leaving here alive today anyway. Moreover, judging by the prince’s expression when looking at him, he didn’t seem to know about that matter. Quickly, Tan Jizhi made his decision and bowed with an apologetic smile, “Indeed, this humble one was momentarily overcome by greed. Now that Your Highness is here, I congratulate Your Highness and Her Highness on your reunion. Regarding today’s events… I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”

“Forgiveness?” Mo Xiuyao’s smile was extremely faint, yet it sent chills through those who saw it. He nodded slightly and said, “Thinking about how Master Tan nearly took away my beloved consort puts me in a poor mood. If I accidentally cause Master Tan any harm, I hope Master Tan will forgive me.” Having said this, he seemed to lose all interest in Tan Jizhi and waved his hand, saying, “Take him away and kill him.” Tan Jizhi’s heart tightened, not expecting Mo Xiuyao to be so decisive about killing him. His mind turned quickly, and he said, “Doesn’t Prince Ding want to know His Majesty’s thoughts?”

Mo Xiuyao gave a cold laugh and quietly uttered a few words, “Qin Feng, kill him.” Then he bent down to carefully lift Ye Li and turned to leave. Being carried like this in front of so many people made Ye Li somewhat uncomfortable, and she shifted slightly. Mo Xiuyao smiled faintly and said, “Ali, don’t move…” Ye Li frowned slightly, vaguely feeling something was off about Mo Xiuyao, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. But when she met his tender gaze that seemed to overflow with love, somehow she couldn’t voice any of her thoughts and could only let him carry her as he wished.

Seeing them about to leave, Tan Jizhi understood that once Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were gone, he would have only death awaiting him. Looking at Ye Li in Mo Xiuyao’s arms, Tan Jizhi suddenly spoke up, “Your Highness, don’t you want to know how to cure the poison in Prince Ding’s body?”

Ye Li froze, but Mo Xiuyao seemed completely uninterested and continued walking toward the edge of the grove. Tan Jizhi called out loudly, “Your Highness, don’t you want to know where the Falling Sky Flower is? Or do you think the Ice Fire Lotus alone can cure the prince’s poison?” Not many people knew that the princess consort had been secretly searching for the Falling Sky Flower and had made an enemy of the Third Master of the King of Hell Pavilion because of it. Ye Li paused for a moment, then said, “Qin Feng, bring him back with us.” Mo Xiuyao gave a light snort but didn’t contradict Ye Li’s words, carrying her away without looking back.

The remaining Qin Feng and others watched Prince Ding’s departing figure with difficult expressions. They hadn’t even gotten to say a single word to Her Highness before the prince took her away, but having spent these days in an extremely delicate and dangerous atmosphere, none of them dared to stop Mo Xiuyao now to discuss anything important or unimportant. Waving his hand for people to take Tan Jizhi and Shu Manlin away, Qin Feng looked at Mo Hua, who stood to the side with a hesitant expression, and asked, “What’s wrong?” Mo Hua said gravely, “His Highness’s condition…” Today was the full moon, and in recent months, the prince’s episodes had been getting increasingly severe. Last month, it had started at noon on the full moon day, and according to Shen Yang’s predictions, the prince should not be feeling well now. But now… Qin Feng looked in the direction Mo Xiuyao had gone and hesitated before saying, “It should be… fine, right?” When an episode hit, it was just pain, and with the prince’s willpower, there shouldn’t be any danger to his life. Moreover, since no medicine helped anyway, it didn’t matter where the prince was or what he was doing now. Most importantly, none of them dared to disturb him at this moment, “I’ll have people protect the prince and princess’s safety.”

Mo Hua nodded. Although this was originally the Shadow Guards’ responsibility, in recent days, Mo Hua had to admit that Qilin was more capable than the Shadow Guards.

Leaning in Mo Xiuyao’s arms, Ye Li suddenly felt a peace she had never known before. Though she had appeared calm and composed these past days, being several months pregnant had made movement very difficult, and how could she have truly been relaxed? Especially when dealing with Tan Jizhi, every seemingly casual joke had been carefully calculated and considered. Now, suddenly able to completely relax, drowsiness washed over her. She nuzzled against Mo Xiuyao’s chest, already half-asleep, and asked, “Xiuyao… where are we going?”

Mo Xiuyao looked down at her half-closed eyes and said softly with a smile, “If you’re tired, just sleep.”

Ye Li shook her head, forcing her eyes open to look at the increasingly remote path ahead. Anyone paying attention would notice that even Mo Xiuyao himself had no fixed destination; he was simply choosing secluded paths and continuing forward. Ye Li didn’t know where Mo Xiuyao wanted to take her, but she could sense the rare stubbornness and determination in his eyes. She sighed lightly and said, “Xiuyao, I’m a bit tired. Can we rest for a while before continuing?”

“Tired?” Mo Xiuyao looked down at her and indeed saw unmistakable weariness on her thin face, with faint shadows under her eyes. Looking around, Mo Xiuyao leaped into the air with Ye Li, stepping across the treetops by the road toward a path on the opposite mountainside.

Behind them, Qin Feng quietly reached out to stop Mo Hua as he prepared to use his lightness skill to follow. Mo Hua turned back and glared at him disapprovingly. Qin Feng shrugged and said, “Can’t you see that His Highness has been walking ahead precisely to avoid us? If we follow, he’ll just keep going forward.”

Mo Hua fell silent and stopped, frowning as he said, “Their Highnesses’ safety…”

Qin Feng rolled his eyes skyward and sat down on a flat rock by the mountain path, “The Mo family troops are below, with Shadow Guards and Qilin in between. If any assassin could slip through, we might as well all jump off this cliff together.”

Mo Hua remained silent for a moment before quietly sitting down on a nearby rock. Qin Feng leaned back on the stone and gazed at the azure sky, sighing contentedly, “The sky is so blue…”

Mo Xiuyao looked back once before carrying Ye Li around the mountain foot onto an even more secluded path. Soon he found a quiet, level spot and sat down with her in his arms, then gave her a proud smile, saying, “Finally got rid of them.” Ye Li remained silent, finally understanding what had felt off earlier. She had never seen Mo Xiuyao like this before – though he would occasionally tease her deliberately in the past and smile proudly when successful, that smile had always been gentle and confident, powerful and reassuring even in its elegance. But now, his proud smile carried a hint of willfulness and recklessness.

“Xiuyao… what’s wrong?” Ye Li frowned, raising her hand to gently touch his pale face, “I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Mo Xiuyao buried his face in her hair and said in a muffled voice, “Ali, I want to kill them.”

Ye Li froze, “Them? Who?”

“Everyone!” Mo Xiuyao’s voice revealed his murderous intent as he held Ye Li tightly in his arms and said, “Kill everyone… those who hurt Ali… they all deserve to die! And those annoying people, I only want Ali… everyone else can die!” Ye Li’s heart trembled as she gently pushed Mo Xiuyao back slightly, lifting his face from where it was buried in her hair to see the murderous intent and ruthlessness not yet concealed on his face. Mo Xiuyao likewise saw himself reflected in her eyes – his previously affected refined elegance was completely gone. In truth… Mo Xiuyao had never truly been gentle and refined; he had never felt there was anything wrong with that. But seeing himself through Ye Li’s eyes was undoubtedly unsightly. As she gently removed the mask from his face, the somewhat fierce scar on the left side combined with the remaining ruthless killing intent made him look not like the elegant and aloof Prince Ding that people knew, but more like a life-taking asura emerged from hell.

“Does Ali fear me…” Mo Xiuyao stared intently at the woman in his arms, his tone carrying a hint of vulnerability and hurt, though his fierce expression only intensified. Gentle and calm, composed and wise – those had always been masks. The real him had always been passionate in both love and hate, willful and unrestrained. The young Mo Xiuyao of the past had ridden through the capital in his glory, his whip striking down both ruffians and noble sons alike. His sword had cut down both gods and Buddhas that stood in his way. And now, with that layer of pretense stripped away, he was left scarred and full of hatred and bloodlust, no longer that brilliantly radiant youth of the past. He didn’t know whether to be grateful that Ali had never seen his past glory or to resent that he could only give her this imperfect version of himself now, “Ali…”

“What foolish things are you saying?” Ye Li sighed lightly, sitting up to place a gentle kiss on his lips. She didn’t know how the man before her had spent these past months, but she clearly understood that his current worry, pain, and hatred were all because of her. Holding his neck, she looked at him earnestly and said softly, “Xiuyao, no matter what happens, I will never leave you. Here…” She took his hand and gently placed it on her round belly, saying tenderly, “Here is our baby. Xiuyao… soon, we’ll have a complete family.”

Mo Xiuyao froze – in truth, he hadn’t paid any attention to the child from the beginning. It was fortunate that he had been so careful in carrying Ye Li that all this movement hadn’t harmed the child. He stared blankly at the now-large belly, feeling the occasional gentle movement beneath his hand. Mo Xiuyao frowned and pulled Ye Li back into his embrace, saying sulkily, “I hate children! Ali, I only want you…” Ye Li blinked, looking at the man before her acting like a child himself, yet unable to speak a word of reproach. Mo Xiuyao had never hated children; in their past intimate moments, he had even looked forward to having them. Soon, Ye Li understood why he was reacting this way. It was precisely because her pregnancy had made movement difficult, leading to their slow retreat. Mo Xiuyao was blaming the child for her fall from the cliff. She comforted the rarely emotional man, saying, “I love him… he’s our child…”

Mo Xiuyao’s body stiffened slightly as he raised his head to stare at her intently. Ye Li looked at him in confusion and asked softly, “What’s wrong?” Mo Xiuyao pressed his lips together without speaking, just staring at her unwaveringly.

Ye Li sighed helplessly – it was difficult to guess the thoughts of a man in a mood. Mo Xiuyao looked at her for a long while before moving his gaze to her round belly, his eyes full of anger and jealousy. Ye Li froze, then recalled exactly what she had said earlier and couldn’t help but smile. She raised her hand to lift Mo Xiuyao’s face to meet hers and said with a soft laugh near his ear, “Xiuyao, I love the baby because… I love his father even more… do you understand?”

In an instant, it was as if spring had returned to the earth. His previously gloomy eyes filled with points of gentle starlight. Mo Xiuyao lowered his head and fiercely kissed those sweet lips. Never had he felt there were such moving words in the world. It made him want to drown in them forever, never wanting to wake up, “Ali… Ali, I love you… Mo Xiuyao will only love Ali in this life…”

Ye Li raised her arms to embrace his shoulders, returning this long-separated kiss, “I know… me too…”

In the sunset’s glow on the quiet hillside, the long-separated couple tenderly exchanged their love and longing for each other. Their intertwined breath became one as Mo Xiuyao tightly held the elegant woman before him in his embrace, “Ali… Ali, no one can take you away from me…”

“Xiuyao…”

The evening breeze gently brought a touch of coolness to the hot summer day. Ye Li opened her eyes and couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the man holding her, sleeping against the hillside. They were both too exhausted – two adults had fallen asleep here completely unguarded. If their enemies knew, they would surely sigh in regret. As soon as she moved, Mo Xiuyao immediately opened his eyes, “Ali?” Ye Li smiled soothingly and said, “It’s nothing, rest a bit longer if you’re tired. We can go back a little later.” Since they were already this late, a little longer wouldn’t matter. The sight of Mo Xiuyao’s brows still furrowed even in sleep made Ye Li’s heart ache slightly.

Mo Xiuyao closed his eyes again, burying his face in Ye Li’s embrace to breathe in her familiar fragrance. His tightly knitted brows gradually relaxed, even as the familiar pain slowly spread from his legs throughout his body, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it. After these past months, he had realized that the monthly pain meant nothing. Sometimes he even longed for that pain to come, because only during such intense pain could he ignore the bottomless darkness and cold in his heart, could he suppress those nearly world-destroying mad thoughts. Now, like this… was good…

Ye Li lowered her head to gently brush away a leaf that had fallen on his shoulder. The setting sun’s last rays fell on his black hair, and Ye Li’s hand paused, her fingertips trembling slightly. She carefully touched his hair, discovering a strand of grey among the black locks. She raised her hand to gently stroke the strands, her fingers gradually stained with a faint ink-like color. Instantly, her beautiful eyes filled with tears that fell like broken pearls down her cheeks.

“Ali…” Mo Xiuyao called softly.

“It’s nothing, sleep. The breeze feels nice,” Ye Li said with a gentle smile, as crystalline tears silently fell, soaking the back of her hand.

“Mm.”