Nan Muxue looked up at the sky. It was a rare gesture for her; in the past, even if she were forced to kneel here for a day and a night, she would not have moved an inch. Now, however, she studied her surroundings, finding a strange urge to laugh. Why was it that every time she was punished with kneeling, it had to rain? Perhaps even the heavens felt her penance was not yet enough. That face flickered in her mind again. *You... what are you doing at this very moment?*
Nan Menghua stood under the eaves, watching her daughter from a distance with an expressionless gaze. "Where is your Cinnabar Mark?"
Her tone was flat, sounding like two strangers conversing, devoid of any discernible emotion. Nan Muxue’s reply was equally quiet, nearly swallowed by the lashing rain, though both possessed hearing sharp enough to catch every word. "It is gone."
"Gone." Those three syllables were clearly not the answer Nan Menghua wanted. She let out a cold sneer, her eyes locking onto her daughter. "Gone? Is that your only explanation?" She lunged forward, her horsetail whisk snaking out to coil around Nan Muxue’s neck. The strands groaned with tension. "Speak! Who was it?!"
Nan Muxue’s face began to flush a deep crimson from the lethal constriction around her throat. Nan Menghua showed no mercy. The younger woman forced her mouth open slightly. "Mother... do you not already know the answer in your heart?"
Nan Menghua stared at her for a moment before erupting into wild laughter. "Hahahaha!" Her daughter’s defiance was unexpected. "Yes, I do. But I want to hear you speak that name with your own lips." She tightened her grip further. "Say it!"
"It was... the one I love."
Suddenly, Nan Menghua’s eyes bulged, shot through with bloodvessels until she looked like a terrifying demon. Her voice lost its calm, turning hoarse and dark. "Love is forbidden in the Baihua Palace! It has always been forbidden!"
*Crack!* The restraint around Nan Muxue’s neck vanished, replaced by the whisk—now infused with internal energy and harder than any blade—striking her body with ruthless, violent force. "Fine, fine! Let me see just how capable you have become!"
*Crack!* Nan Menghua circled behind her, the whisk lashing across her back. "You have grown quite bold, daring to speak to me in such a manner!"
*Crack!* "Since you were a child, you were a useless waste—incompetent and weak! And now, you dare to engage in illicit trysts, carrying a bastard brat in your womb!" Nan Menghua laughed behind her daughter, a sound both twisted and eerie. "Does your 'beloved' know you carry the flesh and blood of another man? Tell me, if she heard this news, how would she look at you? Would she still come back?"
Nan Muxue’s robes were shredded. Rainwater mingled with the blood seeping from her wounds, staining the ground beneath her. She looked utterly wretched, her hands clenched into tight fists.
"The men and women of this world are all fickle," the cold voice of the woman standing above her drifted down. "Do you want to know... how the Nan family continues its bloodline?"
Nan Muxue stiffened. She had assumed the worst possibility was that her mother had used some unknown drug to induce a false pregnancy. But hearing this, a realization she had been too afraid to even contemplate began to take root. She was proud; how could she allow herself to be... by anyone other than Ruo'er? She refused to accept it, refused to believe such a result. Her body and soul belonged only to her Ruo'er. It couldn't be... it must not be!
Nan Menghua smiled triumphantly, her voice sounding as if it rose from the depths of an abyss, enough to drive one to madness.
***
"Why did you do it? Why did you set out to destroy Muxue!" Nangong Yan’s sword was pressed against Nan Yunshuang’s throat, her gaze cold and murderous.
"Yan'er!" Yin Liuli pleaded anxiously. "Don't be impulsive! Put the sword down first!"
But Nangong Yan ignored her, glaring at the woman before her. "Nan Yunshuang, if you don't explain yourself today, I will take your head even if it costs me my life!"
"Yan'er—"
"Oh, Liuli, stop trying to persuade her!" Duan Ning was also glaring at Nan Yunshuang. "Yan'er is right. Make her speak! Why did she do it?"
However, the reply was even more indifferent. "I have no need to tell you."
"You!" Nangong Yan laughed in pure rage and lunged with her sword. But in the next second, her attack was effortlessly neutralized. Nan Yunshuang merely flicked the blade with two fingers, sending a vibration through the steel that forced Nangong Yan back several steps.
Nan Yunshuang stood with her hands behind her back. "You are no match for me. Sheathe your sword."
Furious, Duan Ning drew her own blade. "Such arrogance! I don't believe the two of us together can't take you!"
With two sharp clangs, both swords hit the floor. "Liuli, what are you waiting for?"
Yin Liuli helped the other two up. They wanted to charge again, but she held them back. "Forget it. We... are not her match." Among the four, Nan Yunshuang’s martial arts had always been slightly superior, but now, she was clearly on an entirely different level.
"Passion Flower Trance," Nangong Yan sneered. "Is that the reason you betrayed Muxue? The Old Palace Mistress taught you that, so you sold Muxue out for power! Nan Yunshuang, you are a—"
"If she had done nothing wrong, the wine would have revealed nothing," Nan Yunshuang interrupted. "She has only herself to blame for her indiscretion."
"Bullshit!" Duan Ning, slightly injured by the internal energy shock, coughed before catching her breath. "Don't act so high and mighty. No wonder Muxue was never taught this technique, yet you have mastered it. It seems your day to sit as the Young Palace Mistress isn't far off. I spit on you!"
"Yunshuang," Yin Liuli looked at her with profound regret. "Though the Passion Flower Trance is immensely powerful, once you reach the third level, you must discard your previous cultivation and endure the severing of your meridians. There is a high chance of backlash. The risk is too great. Why go to such lengths..."
"Don't waste your breath on her. Her heart has been blinded by greed," Duan Ning spat again. "Disgusting!"
"Leave. Do not force my hand again," Nan Yunshuang said, her back still turned. "If you strike again, my Blood Sword will leave its scabbard." The Blood Sword—once drawn, it never returned without tasting blood.
Yin Liuli shook her head and pulled the indignant pair away. "Let's go back and think of a way to help Muxue."
***
"Ruo'er, come, take your medicine."
"Hmm? Oh—*Achoo! Achoo!*" Chu Ruo forced herself to sit up, coughing fitfully.
Bai Zhier quickly and gently rubbed her back. "Slowly now."
"This medicine is so bitter," Chu Ruo said, sticking out her tongue. "Zhier, I've caused you trouble again."
Bai Zhier smiled but said nothing, continuing to feed her the medicine.
"Ugh! It's deathly bitter. Why am I so unlucky? I get sick the moment we leave and have been stuck in bed for days. If this keeps up, I'm going to grow mold."
"Alright, listen to your voice. You're so hoarse you can barely speak. Say less and get some rest."
"I can't just lie in bed forever. We've been out for nearly a month. How about we head back to Baihua Palace first?"
"There you go again. You—"
"Zhier," Chu Ruo interrupted. "I really want to go back. If it were any other time, I could stay with you for three months or even a year. But you know Muxue... Nan Menghua is forcing her to marry those men. I can't just stand by and watch the woman I love marry someone else. Besides, we've been out so long, and none of the places we've visited have a Baihua Palace contact point. I have no idea what's happening on the mountain. I'm truly worried. Let's go back, please?"
Bai Zhier turned her head away. "You promised me."
"Zhier, I beg you. You know I can't leave you here to find your enemy alone. We must go back together. Promise me, let's go back first, okay?"
"No."
"Why?" Chu Ruo grew anxious. "Zhier, are you... hiding something from me?"
"No."
"Then why... wait." Chu Ruo’s expression shifted. She grabbed the other woman’s arms and shook them frantically. "You and Muxue—the two of you are hiding something from me, aren't you?"
"Ruo'er, calm down..."
But Chu Ruo was lost in her own frantic realization. "It was wrong from the very beginning. How could Muxue let me go so easily without a single word of protest? She gave me so much money and the antidote to the Hundred Flowers Poison. I've been gone a month; it's impossible for her not to worry. Even if she couldn't come herself, she would have sent disciples to find me. Every place you've taken me has conveniently avoided Baihua Palace disciples. Every time I wanted to contact someone, you stopped me. And why would I suddenly fall ill? Every time I drink your medicine, I feel worse than before, constantly groggy... It's you. You've been drugging me, haven't you?!"
"Ruo'er, listen to me—"
"Zhier! Why would you do this? What happened to Muxue? I have to find her! I'm going back!"
She scrambled to get up, but the moment she stood, a wave of dizziness hit her. She collapsed back onto the bed, looking at Bai Zhier with fading strength. "You... you..."
Bai Zhier gave a bitter smile as she tucked the woman back into the blankets. "I knew I couldn't hide it from you for long. Sleep."
***
Baihua Palace.
"Palace Mistress Nan."
"Do Villa Lord Shen and Fortress Lord Liu have further business?"
"Not particularly. We have come with our sons to take our leave."
Every disciple of the Baihua Palace possessed a Cinnabar Mark; this was no secret. When Nan Muxue’s arm was seen bare that day, certain things became self-evident. But somehow, the news of her pregnancy had also become common knowledge.
"This matter," Nan Menghua sighed with feigned sorrow, "has made me a laughingstock. It is a misfortune of my house; I failed to discipline her properly!"
Shen Wanxiong gave a hollow laugh. "Think nothing of it. We thought to become kin with the Baihua Palace to foster our relations, but perhaps it was simply not meant to be."
"The ten divine weapons you presented earlier, I shall have my disciples return them immediately. Please wait a moment." Sword Casting Villa had brought ten divine weapons, each comparable to the signature arms of a sect leader, yet they were merely a small betrothal gift.
"Our ascent to the mountain was for the marriage, but also for our alliance. Keep five of them as a gift for our visit."
"As for Fortress Lord Liu," Nan Menghua cupped her hands, "I feel truly apologetic for making you travel all this way for nothing. If your son does not mind, I am willing to betroth my First Protector to your fortress. What say you?"
Nan Yunshuang stood nearby. Liu Songhe glanced at her, calculated for a moment, and made his decision. "I have long heard that the First Protector of Baihua Palace is highly skilled and exceptionally intelligent. To have her as a daughter-in-law would be a blessing for my son and me. I only wonder what the First Protector herself thinks..."
Her face remained a mask of indifference. "The Young Fortress Lord is elegant and talented. It is my honor. I shall follow the Palace Mistress’s command in all things."
"Hahaha!" Liu Songhe stroked his long beard, pointedly glancing at Shen Wanxiong. "Palace Mistress, it seems we are destined to be kin after all."
"Indeed. If you do not find it beneath you, Yunshuang is like a daughter to me. Let the Baihua Palace handle the wedding arrangements."
"Then I shall not be polite. It saves us the trouble of traveling back and forth. Once the children are wed, I will take them back to the fortress for a grand banquet."
Seeing this, Shen Wanxiong suddenly changed his mind. "Palace Mistress Nan—"
"Villa Lord," Nan Menghua cut him off. "I just had a thought. This entire affair is the fault of my Baihua Palace for raising such a shameless creature. I cannot let you return empty-handed. I was so focused on Fortress Lord Liu that I nearly neglected you. I wonder what Young Master Shen thinks of my Fourth Protector?"
The hand Nan Yunshuang held her sword with trembled. She looked up at the others before lowering her head again.
Shen Ruoxuan, dragging his "sickly" body, bowed his head. "Matters of marriage are for my elders to decide."
"And the Villa Lord’s opinion?"
"It seems Sword Casting Villa and Baihua Palace shall also be kin."
"Hahaha!"
***
At the edge of a cliff.
"Palace Mistress."
"Go back. I know what you want to say."
Yin Liuli’s clenched hands had turned white from the lack of circulation. She turned to leave but stopped and knelt. "Palace Mistress."
The older woman was suddenly standing before her. "I told you to go back. Do you not understand?"
"Palace Mistress, you promised me before..."
Nan Menghua seized her by the throat. "Who do you think you are, trying to negotiate with me? Every one of you wants to rebel. Love is forbidden in the Baihua Palace! Not a single one of you is allowed!"
"You said... if I married into Feipeng Fort, you would..." She was nearly suffocating, but she forced the words out. "You would not touch the Fourth Protector."
Nan Menghua’s eyes were full of a mirth that chilled the bone. "I haven't touched her. I am marrying her to the Eleventh Young Master of Sword Casting Villa to enjoy a life of luxury. What is wrong with that?"
"I beg the Palace Mistress..."
*Slap!* Five clear red marks appeared on Yin Liuli’s face. "What right do you have to beg me? Sparing your lives is already an act of mercy."
"Whatever punishment there is, I am willing to bear it all alone."
"You really want her to be safe, don't you? Fine." Nan Menghua leaned down and whispered into her ear, "You... go and seduce Liu Songhe. Let him climb into your bed, and I will release Nangong Yan."
***
Yin Liuli and Duan Ning had gone to find Nan Muxue. She was currently under house arrest in her room, forbidden from stepping outside. However, upon hearing what had happened, she merely offered a faint, "I see."
"Everyone is so calm! The house is on fire! You need to think of something! I don't care about *her*, but what about Yan'er? What is she going to do?"
Nan Muxue poured herself a cup of tea. "From the beginning, my mother never intended to marry me to either of them. But she didn't intend to let them leave empty-handed, either. More accurately, she didn't want them to have come for nothing."
"What is she trying to do?"
Yin Liuli pondered for a moment. "You mean... she wants to use this opportunity to bind their two families to us?"
"Mhm."
"But there's no reason to sell Yan'er off!"
"Does she need a reason for anything she does? Moreover, Yunshuang..."
"Don't mention her! It makes me sick just thinking about her. Look at her—she betrayed us all, and in the end, she's just being married off with a single word."
Yin Liuli shook her head. "You're thinking too superficially. I fear Yunshuang’s role over there won't be as simple as just being a bride."
"Her path will be no easier than ours. And Yan'er?"
"That girl... she locked herself in her room the moment she heard the news. What are we going to do?"
"Go and look after her. There are still a few days before the wedding. I am tired. Do as you wish."
"That's it? That's all?"
Yin Liuli pulled Duan Ning away, offering a quick goodbye before leaving. "You... you're only thinking of Yan'er. Muxue isn't having it easy either. She can barely protect herself right now. We're the only ones they can count on. We must be careful."
That night, Nan Muxue woke with a start from a nightmare. A terrifying thunderstorm raged outside. She rose and walked to the door, watching the lightning and listening to the thunder. Despite the room being tightly sealed, a series of cold drafts seemed to swirl around her. She instinctively hugged her arms, whispering a name.
"Ruo'er..."
A pair of hands silently reached out from behind, pulling her into a warm embrace. "I'm here."
***
