Even after ten years of enduring the torment of dark, sinister energy, Xiao Chenyuan had never once made a sound. But this time was different. The pain he was experiencing was something no man could bear. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he was inadvertently hurt by QingWu's reckless actions. His first instinct was to be angry, but he still managed to hold onto his composure. Yet, her teasing words continued to pour into his mind, like boiling oil splashing over his heart, intent on not just killing him but driving him mad with frustration.
"Yun… Qing… Wu…" The spasms of pain made every word feel like it was being forced through clenched teeth. "Shut… up."
"You can't just ignore it…" QingWu began, genuinely trying to offer advice, but was promptly silenced by the man's hand over her mouth.
Xiao Chenyuan's eyes were bloodshot as he met her innocent, blinking gaze, which felt like a hammer to his chest. It didn't kill him, but it left a deep, aching injury. It was as if he had a knot of frustration in his throat, unable to spit it out.
Innocent? Xiao Chenyuan couldn't believe it. For the first time in his life, he questioned his decision to partner with this… this ghost. To use poison to fight poison? The backlash was swift, and it hurt worse than he ever imagined.
"Your Highness, is everything alright?" Bai Sui, the Elderly Attendant's voice came from outside, clearly having heard QingWu's strange cries.
"No harm done." Xiao Chenyuan took a deep breath. "What's going on outside?"
"Someone suddenly ran out and startled the horses."
"Did the person who startled the horses get hurt?"
"They're fine, but…" Bai Sui the Elderly Attendant didn't finish before a woman's desperate cries rang out.
"Let go! I need to find my child… My child is missing… Have you seen my Yulang? Wuwuwu… Yulang… my Yulang…"
Although QingWu's mouth was covered, her hands were still free. Curious, she parted the curtains of the carriage to look outside. When she saw the woman's face, her body froze.
Xiao Chenyuan could naturally sense her stiffened form and felt slightly confused. The one who startled the horses was a woman—her hair was disheveled, and she looked unusually thin, her eyes glazed. Her clothes were old-fashioned and faded from too many washes.
QingWu stared hard at her face. Despite the woman's emaciated, almost unrecognizable appearance, QingWu recognized her. It was… Mu Ying!
QingWu's mother was surnamed Mu, and she had been the first female general of the Great Yong Dynasty. The Mu family had been a family of military officers, with all the male members dying in battle, leaving only her mother. Mu Ying was the daughter of QingWu's uncle. After her father's death, QingWu's mother took her in and raised her in the Marquis' mansion. When QingWu was young, she spent the most time with this cousin, and they had a very good relationship.
The Mu Ying she remembered was a vibrant, energetic, and kind-hearted older sister. But the woman before her now, reduced to a skeletal figure, seemed like a completely different person—almost unrecognizable.
Xiao Chenyuan hadn't noticed Mu Ying. The earlier excruciating pain, like a mountain crashing down, had thrown his internal energy into chaos. Now that the spasms had eased slightly, he was about to ask QingWu about her odd reaction when she suddenly pried his hand away.
QingWu called out, "This woman looks unwell. Help her into the carriage to rest and check if she's injured."
Then, she turned to Xiao Chenyuan. "Your Highness, it's not appropriate for you, a man, to stay here."
Without waiting for a response, she tilted her chin upward and shoved him with both hands. "Off you go! Make some room for the lady. Hurry up—what are you standing there for?"
Thus, the Dread King, a warrior who had slain countless enemies on the battlefield and earned the title of Feng Lang Ju Xu, found himself unceremoniously expelled from the carriage by his Queen. Still reeling from the earlier "iron head" incident that had nearly rendered him incapable of fatherhood, he was now shoved out with brute force.
Under the watchful eyes of the Black Armored Guards, their usually composed King staggered out of the carriage, his face dark as iron. The final push even sent him stumbling awkwardly as he disembarked.
It was… utterly humiliating.
Xiao Chenyuan: "..."
He hadn't married a ghost into his household—he'd married an ancestor!
Inside the carriage, QingWu carefully guided Mu Ying to sit down. Mu Ying clung to her desperately, her hollow, sunken eyes filled with despair. "Have you seen my Yulang? My little Yulang?"
QingWu swallowed hard, her mind racing. "Sister Mu Ying, I… It's me, QingWu. Do you recognize me?"
Mu Ying's glassy eyes flickered, but there was no recognition. Instead, she grasped QingWu's wrist tightly. "QingWu? My QingWu… You're… dead… I buried you myself…"
Her words sent a cold chill down QingWu's spine. She forced herself to smile gently, suppressing the storm in her heart. "Sister, you're mistaken. I'm right here. I'll help you find Yulang, but you need to rest first. You look unwell."
The woman burst into tears, her cries heart-wrenching. QingWu's fingers trembled as she wiped away the tears, vowing silently to uncover the truth. What had happened to the Mu family while she was gone?
Outside, Xiao Chenyuan leaned against a tree, his dark eyes fixed on the carriage. He rubbed his temples, his patience wearing thin. But beneath his frustration, curiosity gnawed at him.
What kind of storm has this ghost brought into my life now?