"Muyun Xuan's face was gloomy, and stormy winds raged within his dark eyes, with the wrath of thunder on the brink of eruption. 'Bailan, why don't you come back with me! I'll leave this matter for you to investigate. Apart from the witch clan and the high priest, who else would dare to harm me, Muyun Xuan, a person knowledgeable in sorcery?'"
"Filled with enthusiasm, Bailan appeared as if a fully inflated ball. He felt an overwhelming surge of emotions."
"Muyun Xuan's rebellious nature burst forth, a sinister smile lingering in his eyes. The thought of his beloved's lost and saddened countenance filled him with rage."
"Oh, by the way, Master, Mo'er also has a Moon Sunstone bracelet. Will Mo'er end up like Xuan'er?"
Anxiety flashed through Muyun Xuan's mind.
"Her situation is different from yours. Mo'er will be fine."
Upon hearing this, Muyun Xuan finally felt relieved. "That's good then!"
Muyun Xuan stayed with Su Xin until nightfall before leaving with Bailan.
At the city gate, Jun Shaochen had been standing there for the entire afternoon. He watched as Su Zinin's carriage departed and remained in that spot.
"Nein'er, just wait a little longer. I'll soon bring you back to my side," Jun Shaochen declared with determination. The gentle breeze caressed his face, accentuating his extraordinary handsomeness.
The two of them returned to the Mingyue Villa.
Lying on the bed where they had shared moments of intimacy, Muyun Xuan felt lonely and helpless. Mo'er must be feeling heartbroken at this moment!
He had finally found someone who cared about him, understood him, and brought warmth to his eyes. He felt incredibly happy to have someone who constantly accepted him. His heart was filled with happiness. However, now he had hurt the heart of his beloved. Thoughts of Mo'er's appearance and laughter filled Muyun Xuan's longing eyes.
Meanwhile, Su Zi Mo and her group traveled in five conspicuous carriages, drawing attention. After a day of travel, they took a rest in a small town.
Throughout the entire day, Su Zi Mo had not stepped out of the carriage. She didn't speak or eat anything. Everyone thought she was exhausted and didn't disturb her.
However, even after checking into an inn, Su Zi Mo still didn't eat. She collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
This raised concerns. Murong Shaofeng observed the situation and grew anxious. He instructed the inn staff to prepare some of Su Zi Mo's favorite dishes and sent them to her room. He felt relieved only after seeing her eat a little.
In the stillness of the night, Su Zi Mo couldn't fall asleep. Leaning against the headboard, she wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her head on them. Every time she thought of Muyun Xuan's words, her heart ached.
All she sought in life was someone who cared, understood, smiled in their eyes, and brought warmth to their heart. But now? The warm heart that had just been comforted fell into icy water again.
They say there are a thousand paths to walk, but only one is right for oneself. So she chose this path without hesitation. She had told herself that even if she went the wrong way, she wouldn't mind as long as she didn't deliberately care or obsess over it. She could retreat unscathed. However, when she truly realized that she had gone astray, she found herself trapped in a quagmire from which she couldn't escape.
"Momo, are you asleep?"
Murong Shaofeng couldn't help but worry about Su Zi Mo. He couldn't rest easy without seeing her.
"Your Highness, it's late. Sister Zimo should have already fallen asleep. Maybe she's just too tired. Your Highness, please don't disturb her," Nalan Lixin, who had been watching Murong Shaofeng's movements, advised.
Upon hearing Nalan Lixin's voice, Su Zi Mo decided against speaking up. She could tell Nalan Lixin's feelings for Shaofeng. Although Nalan Lixin had a bit of a temper, she was a kind-hearted person.
Murong Shaofeng turned his head and cast a casual glance at Nalan Lixin.
Nalan Lixin looked back at him, concealing her timidity. She sought understanding and a mutual understanding between them, allowing them to talk freely or remain silent without love, but still have this kind of connection.
After listening for a while and hearing no response from inside, Murong Shaofeng turned and left, paying no attention to Nalan Lixin nearby.
Nalan Lixin could only watch as his slightly lonely figure gradually receded into the distance.
He didn't understand the joys and sorrows in her heart, nor did he know the efforts she had made. Apart from Su Zi Mo, the one who couldn't sleep due to heartache was Su Zinin. She understood Jun Shaochen's feelings, but her departure meant their relationship was no longer possible.
Su Zi Mo couldn't sleep. She got out of bed and walked to the window, gazing at the night sky outside. With a touch of sadness, she murmured, "If hearts truly understand each other, words become unnecessary; if love is genuine, silence is enough. Yun Xuan, you still don't understand me."
Murong Shaofeng stood outside Su Zi Mo's window, watching her sorrowful figure. His heart ached, and he felt breathless. Knowing her well, he understood that her fatigue was not physical but emotional. Something must have happened between Momo and Muyun Xuan this morning.
"Momo, do you know? Before meeting Muyun Xuan, we used to confide in each other, sharing our troubles. Sometimes, keeping certain words inside leads to a breakdown, and carrying burdens alone becomes overwhelming. I thought finding a confidante would bring solace to my spirit, but now that you're sad, you don't come to me anymore. I've held onto this unwavering love, hoping that one day our souls could find solace. I have always pretended to be strong, so when you're feeling down, you can share the burden with me. But now, we can't go back to the naturalness we once had."
Murong Shaofeng watched Su Zi Mo's silhouette and poured out his feelings in a soft voice. That night, Su Zi Mo spent the entire night by the window.
Murong Shaofeng stayed by her side throughout the night, and Nalan Lixin stood behind him, accompanying him silently. Despite being different people, they shared the same pain...
After a night of contemplation, Su Zi Mo pushed aside her sadness and disguised herself as the unstoppable Su Zi Mo once again.
They were in Yueyang Town, not far from the capital city of Haoyue Kingdom. The inn they stayed in was bustling with business.
With a smile on her face, Su Zi Mo descended the stairs and immediately caught the attention of everyone having breakfast in the inn. Envious gazes from women and surprised looks from men greeted her, a stunning and extraordinary woman.
"Mother, come and have breakfast," Su Qi Yi said, causing the men present to feel a tinge of sadness. Such a young and beautiful woman was already a mother to a five or six-year-old child.
The people sitting there, noticing their extraordinary attire, didn't dare to cause trouble. After the initial astonishment, they chatted and laughed happily.
Feeling the anticipation from everyone, Su Zi Mo smiled sheepishly.
"Father, mother, brother, Shao Feng, I overslept."
Su Zi Mo took a seat at the only empty spot, feeling guilty.
Murong Shaofeng chuckled, knowing that she hadn't slept at all last night. She had applied a thin layer of foundation on her face to hide her fatigue.
Nalan Lixin forced a smile, choosing not to expose Su Zi Mo's lie.
"Momo, you're just working too hard. From your brother's perspective, after you and Yun Xuan get married, you can stay at home and take care of the family."
Mentioning Muyun Xuan touched a nerve within Su Zi Mo's heart. The smile on her face froze instantly.
Murong Shaofeng noticed this subtle detail. He was certain that something had happened between Momo and Muyun Xuan.
"Brother, if Momo enjoys doing business, she should continue. When we reach Li Xia Kingdom, if Momo finds a shop she likes, just tell Father, and he will give it to Momo as a gift!"
Nalan Wenhao admired his daughter's talent. With two daughters—one reserved and talented, the other cheerful, intelligent, and capable—and two sons who followed in his footsteps with excellent character, Nalan Wenhao felt like the luckiest man in the world.
"Thank you, Father. When the time comes, if I find something I like, I won't hesitate to ask Father for it."
They finished their meal amidst Su Zi Mo's joyful laughter.
However, Murong Shaofeng, looking at the bitter smile in her eyes, couldn't eat a bite. Did he still make her sad and upset?
His hand hidden in his sleeve unconsciously clenched together. She was the person who would cause him heartache even with a slight frown. How could Muyun Xuan hurt her like this?
After finishing their meal, everyone got back on the carriage. It was necessary to continue the journey.
After leaving Yueyang Town, the carriage soon entered the lush mountains.
Under the clear sky, the contours of the mountains were exceptionally beautiful. In the summer, the mountains were even more enchanting.
As Su Zi Mo looked at the scenery outside the window, her mood improved. Su Qi and Su Li could also sense that their mother was not in a good mood. The two brothers sat beside her, quietly meditating and cultivating.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped.
Su Qi and Su Li immediately opened their eyes.
Su Zi Mo looked puzzled and said to her two sons, "Let's go and see what happened."
"Yes!" Su Li and Su Qi nodded.
Nalan Wenhao and Situ Ruoyan's carriage was at the front. Their carriage had stopped, and the following carriages naturally came to a halt. However, this time, when Su Zi Mo went on a long journey, she did not use a horse but instead rode her Red Blaze without a carriage.
Everyone got off the carriage, and as Su Zi Mo got off, she happened to run into Murong Shaofeng and Zhu Yan.
"Shaofeng, something seems to have happened up ahead."
"It should be. Let's go forward and take a look."
Murong Shaofeng said softly. When facing Su Zi Mo, his face always wore a gentle and refined expression.
"Here!" Su Zi Mo handed a box to Murong Shaofeng.
"What is it?" Actually, Murong Shaofeng already guessed what it was.
"I know you can't eat the food outside, and since you didn't have breakfast today, I'm afraid you'll get hungry. This is a snack I prepared for myself. Enjoy it and satisfy your cravings."
Su Zi Mo said teasingly.
Su Qi stood behind Su Zi Mo, his face filled with reluctance. That was his snack too! How could Mother give all of it to Uncle Murong?
Murong Shaofeng gestured for Zhu Yan behind him to take the box from Su Zi Mo's hand. It was cookies baked by Mo Mo herself, and he couldn't bear to eat them.
"You also, don't hesitate to eat them. Don't turn your warm concern for me into a cold heart, okay?"
"If you see if I eat it or not, how could I bear not to eat something you made?"
They walked and talked.
Zhu Yan watched their retreating figures, shaking his head with a pained expression. The prince's smiles were only for Su Zi Mo, and his tenderness and reconciliation were also only for Su Zi Mo.
Looking at Nalan Lixin, who was looking at them from a distance, Zhu Yan felt a sense of regret. It was a pity for this Nalan Princess's affection. The prince's heart had already belonged to Su Zi Mo, and he would never fall in love with another woman in his lifetime.
Su Zi Mo arrived at the front, where a crowd had already gathered.
Su Zi Mo and Murong Shaofeng squeezed their way forward, only to see three burly men lying on the ground, covered in fat. Judging from their clothing, they didn't look like honest people but more like bandits from the mountains.
The three men were only wearing animal skin jackets, revealing their round bellies.
There were deep wounds on their bodies, and their lips were black! It sent shivers down people's spines just looking at them.
Nalan Wenhao waved his hand to the guards behind him, instructing them to remove the bodies.
"Wait!"
Su Qi, standing in the crowd, immediately spoke up to stop the two guards from touching the bodies.
"Qi'er, is there something wrong?" Nalan Wenhao turned around and asked.
The others also looked at Su Qi with confusion.
"Grandfather, look, these three people have black lips, and their wounds on the stomach are so deep, yet there's no blood. Don't you find it strange?"
After Su Qi's remark, everyone noticed it too.
"Yes! How can such deep wounds not bleed?"
"Even a child could see it, but we overlooked it."
In the crowd, many people admired Su Qi.
Su Qi wasn't basking in the praise this time but wore a serious expression as he looked at the bodies on the ground.
Seeing her son's expression, Su Zi Mo knew that something was amiss. If it were a normal situation, her son would have been unable to stop smiling from the surrounding praises.
"Qi'er, have you figured something out?"
Su Li also asked.
"Brother, we must not touch these three people. They have been poisoned by Gu, and the Gu worms are still alive. Once we touch their bodies, the Gu worms will immediately transfer. Don't be fooled by the wounds on their bodies, which appear to be caused by sharp weapons. In fact, they are caused by the Gu worms biting. Have you ever seen wounds that are so neat and tidy, as if made by a sharp weapon?"
Su Qi asked seriously, and the people around him shook their heads. They had never seen such wounds before.
"Their internal organs have probably been sucked dry by the Gu worms. These worms are called female Gu, and they reproduce very quickly. In just one day, they can devour the internal organs of hundreds of people. And what's even more unimaginable is that a single Gu worm can reproduce tens of thousands of offspring in just two hours by feeding on human viscera."
Su Qi's words frightened everyone, and they quickly retreated, afraid to look at the three dead men.
"Qi'er, what should we do then?"
Nalan Wenhao was also shocked. He didn't expect the Gu worms to be so sinister.
"Burn their bodies," Su Qi said solemnly.
"Everyone, step back."
Su Qi carefully shielded Su Zi Mo behind him.
"Brother, you have to be careful and not let those Gu worms escape. If even one of them escapes, many people will suffer."
"Do you think I'm capable of everything? Didn't you say that their stomachs are filled with tens of thousands of Gu worms? They are so small, how can I see them clearly?"
Su Li said irritably.
Upon hearing this, the crowd finally realized that they were twins, identical in appearance. Not to mention their exquisite features, just Su Qi's skills alone left everyone speechless.
"Brother, stop wasting time. These people are disgusting to look at. Don't you trust Qi'er? Hurry up, I'll protect her. You don't need to worry," Su Qi said with an air of arrogance, causing Murong Shaofeng to shake his head and chuckle.
Su Zimo's lips twitched. Did she look like someone who needed protection now? People who didn't know her would think she was mentally challenged.
Reluctantly, Su Li walked up to the three corpses, and the crowd kept stepping back. The already narrow path became completely blocked.
With a serious expression, Su Li crossed his arms in front of his chest, and suddenly, his small hand struck the bodies. The three corpses immediately burst into raging flames.
Worried that, as Qi'er had mentioned, one of the worms might escape, Su Li quickly circled around the bodies, igniting a circle of flames.
After a while, a swarm of black worms, scorched by the burning bodies, wriggled out from the sizzling bellies. However, they had nowhere to escape in the fierce flames and quickly turned to ashes. The scene was disgusting and horrifying, making Su Zimo's stomach churn incessantly.
Su Nianzhi ran to the side and vomited. Situ Ruoyan, feeling sorry for her daughter, followed behind and patted her back. Situ Ruoyan was not afraid of such scenes. Living on the border for years, she had witnessed scenes far more disgusting than this and had become numb to it.
The combination of the burnt flesh smell and the foul odor of the worms made it unbearable for the crowd.
"I can't take it anymore. I'm going to vomit," Su Zimo coughed uncontrollably. Her frail figure made Murong Shaofeng feel heartbroken.
Murong Shaofeng raised his hand and set up a green barrier around them, isolating the nauseating smell.
Without the foul odor, Su Zimo turned around and gave Murong Shaofeng a grateful smile. It felt much better this way.
The three bodies burned for half an hour. This delay meant that Su Zimo and the others would not be able to reach the next town. They would have to spend the night in the wild.
Su Qingjue led the guards to find a spacious and safe place for everyone to rest.
To keep her mind from wandering, despite the objections of others, Su Zimo personally cooked. In this wilderness, making a few delicious dishes was not a challenge for her at all. Su Zimo sent the guards to gather firewood, her brother to hunt a few wild rabbits, and she took the palace maids to find wild vegetables in the mountains. With the revival of spring, the mountains were filled with treasures. Su Zimo loved this season the most. Her two sons and Yier were chatting under a nearby tree, which put her at ease. She then instructed Qinglian to prepare some things.
Murong Shaofeng watched her busying herself with a tinge of sadness. Perhaps, only in this way would her heartache be alleviated.
As Su Zimo and the others moved farther away, Nalan Lixing approached Murong Shaofeng.
Glancing at Murong Shaofeng, who was still infatuated with Su Zimo's figure, Nalan Lixing quietly said, "Sister Zimo is really capable. Nothing can defeat her."
Murong Shaofeng didn't turn back or answer Nalan Lixing's words.
Nalan Lixing wasn't upset either. What's the point of exposing someone when you can see through them? It was better this way. At least, Murong Shaofeng didn't dislike her.
Despite working tirelessly, Su Zimo still couldn't help but remember the words Mu Yunxuan had said. She understood one thing well: in life, there would always be people who didn't like you, just as she didn't like others. Some grievances were not worth mentioning, not because she didn't feel them, but because speaking up wouldn't make a difference. Those hidden wounds were not ignored, but she had learned to heal them slowly. There were no difficulties in life that couldn't be overcome, and no one in life that was indispensable. With this in mind, Su Zimo felt a bit more at ease.
Su Zimo forcefully pried the shepherd's purse from the ground with a wooden stick, thinking to herself: If I'm no longer cherished, then I'm no longer important. Su Zimo, learn to make a graceful turn! You can cry and feel heartbroken, but you must never despair. Today's tears will be tomorrow's growth, and today's scars will be tomorrow's strength. Su Zimo, don't let a few words easily defeat you. In her heart, Su Zimo encouraged herself constantly.
There were about twenty people in their group, mostly men who were cultivators and had a huge appetite. Su Zimo reluctantly called four palace maids to accompany her in picking wild vegetables.
Among them was a palace maid named Ge'er Yan, who was very agile. Sometimes, with just a glance from Su Zimo, she knew what to do.