“Ugh, fine…Good night…” She wasn’t sure if it was because she felt safe, sleeping next to somebody, or her body was exhausted. But in a short while, she had no trouble falling into a deep slumber. Mo Linyuan paused, then softly asked, “What do you mean by ‘good night’?” Ye Mu vaguely remembered a common phrase back in her old life and in her drowsiness, she unconsciously blurted out,
“Good night…good night. I love you.”
“I… love you?” Mo Linyuan did not hear her words clearly, but the bizarre phrase ‘I love you’ rang across his ears, making him more extremely confused.
Although he did not understand the meaning behind her words, he still felt that it uttered in affection, so he repeated it under his breath a few times. When he had wanted to ask her again about it, he had found out that she had already fallen asleep.
All right, another time then… Mo Linyuan looked at her sleeping profile, staring at it for a long time. Finally, after hesitating for a moment, he leaned over and kissed her on her forehead.
After his lips touched her forehead, it was as if he was seized by clarity and rendered stunned. He did not understand why he wanted to kiss her!
But…this feeling wasn’t bad at all. On the contrary–
He touched the spot on his chest, right above his heart. Is it beating slightly faster than before? He wondered in amazement.
When the inky darkness came, he finally laid down beside Ye Mu, secretly grasping her hand. The faint smell of milk emanating from her body comforted him to an easy sleep.
After a while, he closed his eyes and said with a smile poised on his lips, “Good night to you too.”
In a sweet, comfortable slumber throughout the night, he never would have thought this birthday would make him feel extremely at peace. Because of this, he held fresh hopes in his heart—that Ye Mu would spend time with him once more on his next birthdays.
However, their peaceful days didn’t last long. After Ye Mu’s training in internal martial arts had just reached the first stage of the Supreme Heart Sutra, the emperor suddenly fell into a coma.
And all along while the emperor was in bed, it was his six highly respected cabinet ministers who had managed the government together in his absence. Now, with the emperor unconscious, and this fact displayed to many of them, the court officials now certainly know that he was in a terrible condition.
How could anyone with ulterior motives sit still?
The first person to make their move was the first prince. He had gathered his private army to launch an attack from the east side of the city, but before he could even reach the palace gates, he was annihilated by the Prince Zhao**.
**T/N: I had made a translation error in this part. It’s actually Prince Zhao, not Emperor. Ahh my apologies, in Chinese, the literal translation is Zhao Wang. And ‘Wang’ is usually a suffix for royalty. Huhuhu no wonder I was so confused why the Zhao country wasn’t part of the story xD
The empress’ son seized the opportunity to attack Prince Zhao under the appellation of ‘Qing Jun’. Although his attack was mighty, it was still defeated by Prince Zhao in the end.
As the younger brother of the emperor, Prince Zhao also had the right to inherit the throne. In addition, he had great military power, and his methods of attacks were extremely ruthless.
In short, with Prince Zhao’s absolute military strength and cunning strategies, he had become the perfect candidate to ascend the throne in just over a month! Although the other princes still had some remaining forces obstructing their way, most of them were out of sorts. The only one who had a headache seeing all this chaos was the second prince, he didn’t show too much enthusiasm to fight for the throne.
Although this abrupt storm seemed dangerous, the undeniable outcome is already decided.
However, there was a saying: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
***
Inside the palace, Ye Mu was dutifully practicing her martial arts.
Meanwhile, Mo Linyuan had already disappeared. After the emperor fell ill, no one came to find him anymore. It was as if they had forgotten all about him. Mo Linyuan had also been very busy, often sneaking out of the palace.
Ye Mu knew that he was helping Ye Li rebel. When the Prime Minister fell, Prince Zhao had lost a lot of support. Furthermore, he had gotten wind that ‘Official Liu had reached an agreement with Ye Li for a covert operation’.
If anyone had a grand scheme and immense wealth under their sleeve, that would only be Ye Li who had the ancestor’s treasure in addition to the forbidden map of the Imperial army. Even if she didn’t make a move for his benefit, Prince Zhao would definitely still be beaten.
Thus, there was no suspense in this one-sided battle, and Ye Mu opted to leave it to him.
Immediately after her musings, a rock was thrown at her. She caught it reflexively and turned around to see Yan Xu sitting casually on the wall. Right now, he was the only one who was oblivious toward any unforeseen circumstances that might rise out of the blue. Ye Mu held the stone in her hand and chuckled humoredly, she then raised her eyebrows and teasingly said, “How low do you feel about your existence? Right now, all your brothers are on the verge of overturnin
g the lands under the sky, fighting for a measly seat. Yet you still have the leisure to come and play with me?”
Yan Xu’s expression was still as serious as before. No, it should be said that he was even graver than before. He was clearly only seventeen years old, but he had always held the mature character of a thirty-year-old man filled with troubles.
He jumped down from the wall and said in a deep voice, “Perhaps it is because I am not a threat. The three people who have the most troops in this battle is: My uncle, Prince Zhao, second brother and General Ye Li. Pitted against one, it’s already difficult, lest alone three—I’m not asking for a death sentence. Besides, who would be in the mood to care about someone as insignificant as me?”
Ye Mu threw away the stone and wiped the sweat off her forehead. “But those things don’t really matter, do they? It shouldn’t be that important, right?”
She raised her head and half-jokingly said with knowing eyes, “Who knows, maybe your second brother will listen to you?”
Yan Xu’s expression instantly changed, “Don’t speak nonsense.”
Ye Mu made a face, “What nonsense had I spoken of? The heavens know this, and the earth knows this!”
She walked closer and whispered, “Speaking of which, I’m very curious. Why would your second brother listen to you if he wants someone with an identity chock full of power and influence?”
Yan Xu looked at her face. He initially wanted to deny it, but seeing that she was confident, he frowned and asked after a long time, “How do you know all this?”
“I guessed it!” Ye Mu laughed mirthlessly. “Don’t you remember the last time when you asked your second brother to marry me? From the looks of it, he obediently agreed to your request. Isn’t it obvious? However, I suggest that you stop. Because this time, Ye Li has a higher chance of winning.”
She had said such outrageous words, so lightly and insensibly. As if the change of dynasty from an old to a new reign was just a normal occurrence.
After being silent for a long time, Yan Xu let out a cold snort.
“Do you really believe in Ye Li’s? Nevertheless, our Qi family’s mountains and rivers are not so easy to get!”
Ye Mu shrugged her shoulders, “In any case, I’ve already said what I wanted to say so whether you listen or not is up to you. I’m not even afraid of telling you secrets now; Ye Li has more people and money than you and Prince Zhao combined.”
Strangely, he didn’t seem surprised at all when she said this. He stared at Ye Mu for a while and suddenly laughed.
“Perhaps there is another way. That is to capture you as a hostage and threaten Ye Li. Perhaps Ye Li will stop in order to save your life?” “Don’t joke with me.” Ye Mu hastily waved her hand and thought of something as she self-deprecatingly said, “He wouldn’t give up an ounce of his wealth for me! After all, I’m just his little girl born from an insignificant concubine.”
“It seems like you know your own limits.” Yan Xu could not help but mock her, “You clearly know that he is a selfish person, yet why are you still adamant on helping him?”
He paused and added thoughtfully, “Why didn’t you choose to help me from the beginning? You knew my intentions.”
Help him?
After he had risen to become the new emperor, it was not many years after when Mo Linyuan had seized back the Mo Country under his hold and began to attack the other seven neighboring countries. The first was the Yue Country—and Yan Xu had become the first emperor to be beheaded by Mo Linyuan’s hands.
At the time of his death, he was only twenty-eight years old.
She was astonished for a moment before she smiled and said, “How do you know I’m not helping you by doing this?”
After a moment of silence, Yan Xu suddenly said, “Your moves just now were very strange; I’ve read a lot of book on martial arts, but I’ve never seen those kinds of techniques before.”
It didn’t look beautiful at all, yet it was fast and precise with an unyielding fierceness. The way they Ye Mu executed the moves in succession gave off a wild charm.
Ye Mu touched her fist. “Oh, so you’re saying I looked silly? I was just casually practicing—just playing around.”
Yan Xu shook his head when he heard this, “You moved very well, but…”
“But?” Ye Mu tilted her head curiously.
“But there was a move that didn’t look quite right,” Yan Xu said as he walked behind Ye Mu. “Your technique in kicking earlier, you turned, spinning your body to perform a high kick. But that kind of position has a very big flaw–”
As he spoke, he bent down to support Ye Mu from behind. Ye Mu was short, therefore, even if he bent down, he was still taller than her. He had a stern expression on his face as he guided her.
Ye Mu’s mind stirred at this close proximity and she vigorously shook her head to rid herself of the strange thoughts.
“Okay, okay! I know what you mean! Get out of the way, I’ll repeat it again for you!”
Yan Xu nodded his head and stood to the side, watching Ye Mu practice her moves a second time.
Despite being so young, her punches were already powerful, and her chubby little face almost looked too mature for her age. However, her short stature was adorable, causing the corners of his lips to unconsciously curve upwards on his usually stern face.
Seeing Yan Xu becoming amused by the minute, Ye Mu’s mood immediately turned sour!
“Hey, that smile of yours—are you provocation me?!”
She admitted that with her current body, she was very puny, but just now, she had practiced so seriously.
Yan Xu glanced at her, ignoring her outburst and suddenly drew his sword, “Watch carefully, this sword art I’m about to show you is very rare. I will only teach it once.”
After he finished speaking, he thoroughly demonstrated everything he learned in front of Ye Mu. Although he didn’t bring forth any internal energy with this move, the sword art was still particularly powerful and breathtaking.
Ye Mu initially thought, ‘Did I ask you to teach me!?’
The wind from the sword caused the surrounding plum blossoms to fall from their branches, and a bit of snow fell after some time, shook from their positions; the seventeen-year-old youth was practicing his sword art with all his might, to the point that each move seemed to be capable of fusing heaven and earth together.
It could be seen that he was extremely solemn in practicing, but Ye Mu could also feel that he was venting pent up feelings through this method…
Ye Mu didn’t hold special feelings for Yan Xu. Owing to the fact that she did not want to cause another ripple from her actions. So she only cared about her own goals and Mo Linyuan’s future. As for other people in this world, she had deliberately ignored them all.
But now, she deeply felt that all these characters—were very real people in the flesh. They also had their own dreams, happiness and anger. They were truly no different from her.
Seeing them in the flesh and feeling everything in this world was the most terrifying thing, if anything. This meant that the more she sank into this world, the more she couldn’t act as a bystander. Doesn’t her position as a special forces soldier still apply to this foreign realm?
The more Ye Mu thought about it, the heavier her heart became. She turned around even before Yan Xu had completed demonstrating his sword art technique, feeling the undeniable urge to escape.
When Ye Mu heard the wind whistle as the sword came for her, she immediately bent down to avoid it. The sword instantly pierced through the clothes on her back, the blade narrowly missing her neck as it tore in and out of her collar. As she was strung onto the blade of the sword, Yan Xu to lifted her little body up with one hand!
What the h*ll! She wasn’t some barbecue!
“Where do you think you are going?”
Yan Xu felt a bit annoyed. He finally had decided to become this puny girl’s master, but this kid still didn’t want to learn? Does she know that in this era, many people would selfishly conceal their skills? With this lifetime opportunity of learning something rare, she still dared to be uninterested and run away?
Ye Mu used both her hands and feet to randomly flop at the air. She had never thought that one day she would be carried into the air by a sword! Like a stick through meat!
“What the f*ck! You bastard, you really don’t have good motives everywhere you want to speak! Aren’t you afraid of getting involved with me? Is there anyone who uses their sword this way?!”
Yan Xu found it both infuriating and funny to see her waving her claws in the air, but he merely asked, “Why did you run?”
Ye Mu glared at him from midair. “I’m young, and I easily get hungry. And don’t bother coming with me, you won’t be allowed to eat!”
“My student ran away when I wasn’t even halfway through my lesson. This is disrespecting a professor.”
Ye Mu’s face only displayed an indignant look and she glared at him with resentment, “Big Brother, can’t you be more reasonable? You only wanted to teach yourself, I didn’t say that I want to learn from you.”
Yan Xu frowned as he stared at her discontentedly. He didn’t know why, but his originally irritable mood dissipated after some while—because of her.
Does she have a kind of magic that relaxes people?
Refusing to show his inner thought, he merely narrowed his eyes. “Since you don’t want to learn, then…”
Then let me go? Ye Mu looked at him expectantly.
“Then come with me.”
F*ck!
After Yan Xu finished speaking, he pulled out his sword and carried Ye Mu in one arm towards a specific direction. What was even stranger was that the person protecting Ye Mu did not come out to stop him. Could it be that they were all on vacation today?
Ye Mu’s body floated helplessly in the air. She was in utter despair as Yan Xu’s carried her like his little dog!
“Uncle, I say, can you change this position?! Have you never held a child in your arms your entire life?” Seeing that he was ignoring her, she switched her honorific, “Hey prince! Do you want to hug me for a bit to get a better understanding of this simple thing?”
But no matter what Ye Mu said, Yan Xu still insisted on carrying her shamelessly like a puppy, which enraged Ye Mu greatly! When they finally reached their destination and he placed Ye Mu down on the ground, she had already went from a white bun to a red tomato!
“It’s so cold! Did you bring me to a freezer?” Ye Mu grudgingly complained under her breath. After she was put down, she immediately rubbed her arms for warmth.
Yan Xu to the side immediately took off his shirt and threw it at her trembling frame, as if he was unaffected by the biting cold. “Put it on.”
She resisted the urge to grumble any longer and just resigned herself to her fate. However, after putting on his shirt, she looked like a small girl part of a church choir about to sing a song. A large part of the sleeves were too long for her arm and the hem of his shirt dragged out from underneath her as she walked. It was just like a child was secretly wearing an adult’s shirt.
It was quite a comical scene.
When Yan Xu saw this, his eyes revealed traces of mirth. Ye Mu snorted in reply and dragged his clothes on the ground deliberately as she walked in front.
It was really a cellar in ancient times, where rich familied stored ice cubes—equivalent to a freezer in the modern world.
“What the f*ck…it’s so cold, why did you even bring me here? Don’t tell me you stored a corpse here for me–” Before she could finish, she saw a coffin. “I see one…”
There really was one!
Yan Xu walked towards the coffin without another word.
Red medicinal liquid could be visibly seen in the coffin, and a woman was lying submerged in it. It was obvious that she had been dead for a long time, but her corpse was still well preserved.
The people in ancient times conscientiously believed in the soul and reincarnation, and that if a corpse is left behind, its soul could only stay in the mortal world, able to hear the words of its loved ones.
However, this kind of setting was quite strange…
Remembering the scar on Yan Xu’s body, Ye Mu asked, “She…your mother? She’s, uhm… pretty good-looking!”
Yan Xu pursed his lips. When his cold eyes landed on the corpse, they were filled with deep yearning.
“Yes, she’s my mother.”