Chapter 88

In the west room, the incense wafted gently, with a single pale pink plum branch elegantly placed in a white porcelain vase, its branches gracefully spreading.

“—Is it really not visible from behind? Lord Ghost Doctor, could you bring a copper mirror so I can take a closer look?”

While gathering her needles, Bai Pingting kindly held up a copper mirror behind him. Xiang Lihua Lian, who was writing prescriptions beside her, glanced over several times but couldn’t help but comment:

“Master Yinshan, the patch of shaved hair is only as large as a fingernail. Even if your hair is tied up, it wouldn’t show.”

Yinshan Ze ran his fingers through his long, glossy black hair, which shimmered like ebony.

Even when he gazed at himself in the mirror repeatedly, this handsome young nobleman maintained his graceful demeanor without seeming feminine or pretentious.

“But at night, when I turn over, I might be seen,” he said.

He furrowed his brows slightly, and his autumn-like eyes shimmered like rippling water, with an expression of deep sorrow, as if losing that small patch of hair was the end of the world.

Bai Pingting smiled faintly and said:

“Master Yinshan, with your noble appearance, such a small flaw doesn’t detract from your beauty. Or, aside from the blood-stopping and body-nourishing medicines, I can also prescribe some hair growth remedies for you.”

Upon hearing this, Yinshan Ze’s brows relaxed, and a smile spread across his face like a blooming orchid. His elegance quietly unfolded in the gaze of those present.

“Alright, thank you, Lord Ghost Doctor.”

Xiang Lihua Lian couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

However, Tan Ning lowered her head, showing no reaction.

Though she knew that even the famed physician Xiang Lihua Lian had been unable to help, and that other doctors had little hope, she still couldn’t help feeling a pang of disappointment when she saw Bai Pingting slowly shaking her head.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside.

Chao Ming, from the main house, whispered something into Yinshan Ze’s ear. His long lashes fluttered, and Yinshan Ze stood up, intending to go toward the main house.

Tan Ning was about to follow, but saw Yinshan Ze suddenly turn back and ask:

“Has your mother sat down to eat?”

Tan Ning replied, “Not yet. Mother said she had a lot to do tonight and was worried that Cheng Bo would be too busy alone. She plans to come after making sure everyone else is settled.”

“Cheng Bo and the others have already eaten. Your mother hasn’t. Go invite her over.”

Tan Ning hesitated and nodded, her gaze falling on Chao Ming.

Yinshan Ze patted her head, smiling lightly:

“Do you just want to see us supporting your sister?”

“Of course not!” Tan Ning quickly denied. “I’m going to find my mother!”

Watching her turn away with an air of feigned indifference, Yinshan Ze thanked Bai Pingting and Xiang Lihua Lian before stepping out. His usual composed smile was replaced by a rare seriousness, and he said to Chao Ming:

“—What puppet general? How could the puppet general be Mo Lin? Tell me everything from the beginning, carefully.”

Inside the main house, Mo Lin, hearing the footsteps of Yinshan Ze approaching, withdrew the pressure he had been exerting in the room.

However, as Yinshan Ze entered and their gazes met, his foot seemed to trip on something, almost causing him to stumble.

Liuyu blinked and asked:

“Did you really trip?”

A fan with a white ivory handle lightly tapped Liuyu’s head.

After sitting down beside Nan Gongjing, Yinshan Ze cast a particularly complex look at Mo Lin.

“…I thought that the hairband you were holding seemed familiar. It turns out it wasn’t love at first sight, but you had been scheming all along.”

Mo Lin didn’t deny it and calmly accepted Yinshan Ze’s scrutiny.

Yinshan Ze wasn’t unaware of the level of popularity his daughter, Liuyu, enjoyed.

She was praised for her talent, “a peerless genius,” and her beauty was often compared to the “immortal Wu E emerging from the gorge” and “Lady Mi walking on the waves.” Wherever the Yinshan family’s eldest daughter went, she was always surrounded by admiration and attention.

But Yinshan Ze knew all too well that people admired beauty, but they only loved its surface. The higher they raised someone, the more they were merely infatuated with an illusion.

Either they developed an obsessive need to possess it, or they grew to hate it if they couldn’t attain it.

None of this was good.

For a long time, Yinshan Ze had worried about Liuyu’s future marriage.

However, he never expected that the demon Mo Lin, whom he had once least favored and thought would turn into a resentful partner for Liuyu, would actually fulfill the vow he made in front of Nan Gongjing many years ago:

“To be born for her, to fulfill her heart’s desire, and to never regret even if I die.”

Yinshan Ze slowly mulled over those words.

Many people would say such things, but very few could truly carry them out to this extent.

No wonder Liuyu had been moved.

And today, she had openly revealed everything, just to include the plan to retrieve the puppet general in their strategy.

Yinshan Ze’s eyes flickered as he looked at the elders beside him who had remained silent.

“I remember, one of my uncles once said, ‘Even if the demon Mo Lin aligns with us, he may not be a suitable husband for Liuyu.’ He also said that once everything is settled, Liuyu should see more of the world and choose someone better. I wonder, which young man does my uncle think would be a better match?”

The fifth uncle silently shifted his gaze, the jade bead in his hand spinning rapidly.

Liuyu tilted her head and winked at Mo Lin.

The husband she personally chose, of course, was the best in the world.

The fourth uncle cleared his throat, pretending to hide his discomfort:

“It was just a few words in jest, no need to take them seriously. Now, let’s focus on the important matters… According to what Liu Yu said earlier, I believe neither the Jiufang nor the Zhongli families are the most terrifying enemies. This foreign evil demon, who has the power to reverse time, if it truly possesses such power, wouldn’t everything we’ve done today be in vain?”

This remark was met with agreement from the other clan elders, their expressions heavy and filled with concern.

However, Yin Shanze, leaning lazily by the desk, said nonchalantly:

“The sky could fall at any time, should we hang ourselves in advance? We are like ants. Living one day in this world, we fight for one day’s survival. Don’t worry about whether the foreign demon can activate the time-reversing formation again. We will just follow our course and deal with the enemies before us.”

Mo Lin pondered for a moment and then asked Nan Gongjing:

“Last night, when the army of refugees was ambushed outside the city, if it weren’t for the forces sent by the lady and the troops from the Shentu clan who joined us outside the city, we might have suffered severe casualties. How did Lady Nan Gong know this in advance?”

“I have my informants, just as you have your ‘ghost butterflies’ in Xiandu Yujing,” replied Nan Gongjing, calmly adding food to his bowl.

Liu Yu furrowed her brows: “Are you implying that the refugee army is connected to the young emperor?”

Nan Gongjing said, “Isn’t that what you told me? In the past life, in order to help you, who was being hunted by the great families, the emperor revealed the existence of the refugee army, the Xuanwu cicadas. Otherwise, even I wouldn’t have known that the emperor would go so far as to recruit these refugees into his personal army.”

“Meaning someone has taken control of the young emperor and seized his direct forces?”

Nan Gongjing nodded:

“Possibly. I have removed many of the forces that once guarded the imperial capital to protect the Yinshan clan. A’yao is in hiding for the time being. Now, Zhongli Lingzhao is about to marry the emperor. Once they are married, she will be the legitimate empress of the Dazhao Empire, and the emperor will be completely under her control.”

Thinking of the fourth young lady of the Zhongli clan who had come today to mock Liu Yu, Mo Lin smirked.

“She’s ambitious, but I wonder if her strength matches her ambition.”

Liu Yu fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

By the time the banquet was over, her heart was still clouded with doubt.

Since the Jiufang clan could mobilize the Heavenly Seal of Shenzhou, it wasn’t surprising that the Zhongli clan could control the refugee army in the young emperor’s hands.

However… there was another possibility.

A possibility that didn’t make much sense, but was still not entirely impossible.

Liu Yu glanced back at Nan Gongjing in the inner room.

She had summoned Shentu Xiang, who had come back with Liu Yu’s party, and seemed to be talking to him about something.

“Liu Yu,”

A soft, obedient voice called her attention back.

The woman in green robes, with simple adornments and a jade hairpin, possessed a natural, otherworldly beauty. Her modest appearance only made her seem more striking, like a lotus emerging from the water.

Unfortunately, the beauty’s expression was stiff, her temperament timid, and the lively grace was diminished. This woman was Liu Ning’s birth mother, Liu Niang.

The woman, with her delicate features, briefly glanced at Mo Lin, then lowered her eyes and said:

“The matter of the Jimo clan, the madam didn’t keep it from me. But rest assured, Miss Liu Yu, I won’t tell Ning Ning if there’s no need, so as not to interfere with your and the madam’s plans.”

Liu Ning had long admired Jiufang Zhanghua, and the whole household knew of it.

Liu Niang was aware of this, which was why her first reaction upon meeting Liu Yu was to swear an oath, afraid that Liu Yu might suspect Liu Ning.

Liu Yu stared at her for a long time without speaking.

Liu Niang, with her downcast eyes, grew more anxious when Liu Yu remained silent, misinterpreting it as mistrust. She was upset that Nan Gongjing had revealed such important matters to an outsider, and hurriedly added:

“If Miss Liu Yu doesn’t feel at ease, you can use a spell or some poison to wipe my memory…”

“There’s no such poison.”

When Liu Niang heard the girl’s soft laugh, the next moment, Liu Yu gently embraced her.

“It’s fine, Liu Aunty, you know everything, and it’s fine to tell Ning Ning. We are family, there’s no need to worry.”

Liu Niang, who had been stiff as if made of wood, slowly realized what Liu Yu had just said. Her eyes widened slowly, and she froze, standing there for a long time.

By the time Mo Lin and Liu Yu walked far away, Liu Niang moved, quickly wiping her eyes.

She had always known that Madam Jing’s daughter wasn’t a bad person.

But for this kindness to suddenly be directed at her… it was truly… overwhelming.

“Is this the tree?”

Mo Lin had thought Liu Yu was taking him back to her courtyard to settle in, but instead, she took a winding path that led them to the mountain cherry tree near Yin Shanze’s study.

It was here that Liu Yu had left him a note with medicine back then.

“It’s a pity it’s not the blooming season yet. It’s bare and looks nothing like what I saw.”

Seeing the girl reminiscing under the mountain cherry tree, Mo Lin felt a strange sense of awkwardness rising within him.

“…Since there’s nothing to see, we should go back soon and settle down.”

Liu Yu turned to look at him.

“What’s wrong? Can’t wait to see my room?”

Mo Lin was about to deny it when he suddenly realized she was referring to the him she saw in her past memories, not the present him.

And the thoughts he had at the time.

Mo Lin closed his eyes and patiently said:

“…How much did you see?”

Liu Yu curved her lips, neither affirming nor denying.

Although she couldn’t clearly see all of his thoughts back then, their emotions were connected, and it was easy for her to guess his feelings.

“Guess?”

In her vague tone, Mo Lin felt a rare sense of unease.

But the next moment, the girl reached out her hand, gently locking her fingers with his, openly holding his hand as they walked along the road where he had once traveled alone, with a face that wasn’t his own, carrying a heavy responsibility.

This time, she said nothing.

Mo Lin allowed her to lead, feeling a strange force seeping into his heart through her soft and warm fingertips. Their palms were slightly damp, but Mo Lin simply held her delicate hand tighter, unwilling to let go.

Passing through the first layer of the begonia gate, they entered the back courtyard, a place Mo Lin had never set foot in before.

As the future head of the Yinshan clan, Liu Yu’s residence was second only to the main hall.

She loved admiring flowers and practicing swordsmanship, and as they entered the courtyard, the plum blossoms were in full bloom, the mountain cherries were budding, and there were many winter-blooming flowers in the flower beds. No matter the season, flowers always adorned the courtyard.

There was also a martial arts platform, and nearby, there was said to be a begonia tree. In the spring, with the petals of the begonia fluttering down, she would practice swordplay under its shade. He could imagine the beautiful scene.

Inside, a maid was already waiting, having prepared everything needed for a wash and bath.

Mo Lin glanced around the inner room.

From the beaded curtains to the crane paintings on the screens, and even the flower patterns on the mosquito nets, every detail reflected Liu Yu’s preferences and traces of her past life.

She had grown up here.

From the little bundle he had first met to the current noble and precious young woman, little by little, she had grown into her current form.

After a long journey, Liu Yu’s first act upon returning to her boudoir was to bathe. She soaked for half an hour, using fragrant oil that made her smell sweet from head to toe, and only then, with the maid’s help, did she change into her sleepwear and emerge.

Mo Lin had finished tidying up in half the time she took.

On the table lay a pile of letters he had not noticed before. As Liu Yu emerged from behind the screen, he was reading one of them.

“… The list for the Lingyong Academy entrance trials this year? Your ghost butterflies have infiltrated even Lingyong,” he remarked.

Standing behind him, Liu Yu bent slightly and rested her chin on his shoulder, closely reading the contents. “Yan Wushu? Isn’t he already one of Lingyong’s people?”

Mo Lin snorted coldly. “He angered Zhongli Lingzhao and was kicked out of Lingyong, but this man is ambitious. He climbed onto the Ji family’s daughter and, through their marriage ties, managed to meet the standards to enter Lingyong.”

Liu Yu was briefly surprised, mostly because she found it surprising that a scholarly family like the Ji clan would accept someone like Yan Wushu from a humble background. Even entering through marriage might not have been enough.

“Every year, the competition for the top spot in the entrance trials is fierce. Every great family wants to use it to make a name for themselves. Originally, with Yue Niang’s strength, the top spot should have been almost guaranteed. But with Yan Wushu cutting in…”

Liu Yu smiled. “The Zhongli family will either have Yue Niang delay a year or give her something solid to secure the first place.”

Since Yue Niang was still on the list—

This meant that Yue Niang was very likely to have received the inheritance of Xian Gong Kai Wu.

“I also have a letter to show you.”

Liu Yu used her hand to retrieve a bag of mustard seeds and took out a letter from Longduo City.

Mo Lin casually pulled her onto his lap and took the letter from her hand. After scanning it quickly, he slowly raised his eyes.

“This is news from five days ago. The Zhongli family and the Jiufang family invited Ji Mo Gui to Xian Du Yu Jing to discuss grain and supplies for the upcoming year?”

“Not just for the coming year, probably for several years of grain supplies,” Liu Yu said, gently wrapping her arms around his neck and gazing down at him.

“It seems our Demon Lord has captured three cities on the border and kept them well-ordered. This has certainly frightened these two families.”

Mo Lin stared into her eyes.

“Without you, they wouldn’t be afraid.”

He shifted her legs apart and lifted her, letting her sit steadily on his lap.

“So, Miss Ji Mo plans to appear in Xian Du Yu Jing?”

“When I received this letter, I had already arranged for a substitute to depart from Longduo City…”

Her long lashes brushed over her collarbone, and as Mo Lin gently kissed her, Liu Yu tightened her grip around his neck.

“…They should arrive in Yu Jing tomorrow. After all, ‘Yinshan Liu Yu’ has every reason not to appear before the public these days. But Ji Mo Gui, whether she appears in Lingyong or by the Demon Lord’s side, both are perfectly logical.”

Mo Lin recalled the information the ghost butterflies had gathered.

No matter the scale of the city, just the fact that Ji Mo Gui’s family held Xian Nong Quan Shu and controlled half of the world’s grain was enough to make Ji Mo Gui’s family a second-tier clan.

Also, many families had already started to speculate that the reason Demon Lord Mo Lin could peacefully capture three cities on the border was likely due to strong grain support behind him—something undoubtedly linked to Ji Mo Gui’s family.

The name Ji Mo Gui had likely been whispered many times among the clan’s advisors.

“Perfectly logical?” Mo Lin’s kiss slowly moved up her neck, lingering there.

“Do you know what kind of look Shen Tu Xiang gives me?”

Liu Yu pretended not to know. “What kind of look?”

“He doesn’t know that you and Ji Mo Gui are the same person. He thinks Ji Mo Gui and I are working together because she’s my lover.”

“My lover…” Liu Yu said innocently, her soft, slender fingers tracing his clothing as she looked at him with wide eyes.

“Then more people will think that very soon.”

Mo Lin’s breath grew heavier as he whispered in her ear.

“My wife is jealous. If she finds out, I wonder how many swords Miss Ji Mo can endure?”

His rough fingertips tightened on her leg, pressing down slowly.

“One sword… or two?”

Liu Yu bit her lip, her breath quick and uneven, mixed with a barely audible sobbing sound.

“One sword wouldn’t work. You go…” she said.

“Don’t.”

His cool lips touched the corner of her eye, his tongue gently licking the dampness from her tear. He held her close, pressing against the window, watching the moonlight through the blossoming plum tree outside.

A plum branch nearly stretched inside the room, and Liu Yu’s trembling hair caught the branch, causing soft snow-like petals to fall.

At this moment, several barks of a dog could be heard from the courtyard.

Liuyu was momentarily distracted and glanced outside. Without hesitation, Mo Lin reached out to close the window, lifted the gauze curtain, and carried Liuyu back to the bed, pressing her down with a dark warning:

“Don’t go look at it.”

Liuyu couldn’t help but smile.

She casually grabbed a dangling bell from the gauze curtain and tied it around Mo Lin’s waist, where the intricate demon tattoos curled.

“Alright,” Liuyu kissed his chin, her eyes bright, “I’ll just look at this little dog.”

Liuyu originally just wanted to tease him.

But she didn’t expect that he would press his lips together and remain silent for a moment, as though taking a deep breath, his chest expanding silently with her words.

—Until the next morning when Liuyu woke up, she still felt as though the sound of the bell that seemed like it would never stop was echoing in her ears.