Chapter 32: No Regrets – Mu Jiulu: “No regrets in this life, no regrets in all lives…”

After some renovations, the National Master’s mansion had once again become as quiet and elegant as before.

The gauze curtains hanging around the Star-Gazing Pavilion fluttered in the wind, ethereal like a fairyland.

Mu Jiulu’s scrutinizing gaze fell on Wan Qi Xingyin through the bamboo curtain in the middle, her fingertips lightly tapping the table, making a tapping sound.

Behind the curtain, Wan Qi Xingyin, who was brewing tea, inexplicably sensed a feeling of pressure, but she didn’t understand why.

Wasn’t the wedding date already set? Why was her gaze so unfriendly?

This matter started two days ago.

“I’ve heard my mother mention that Wan Qi Xingyin many times, but this is the first time I’ve seen her. So this is what she looks like.”

“I originally thought she was just someone pretending to be mystical, but I didn’t expect her to be a beautiful elder sister with dark skin and white hair, and there’s even a divine aura between her brows. She’s really my type!”

Hearing these words, Mu Jiulu glanced over, the corner of her lips curling into a cold smile.

“Beautiful? Elder sister? Your type?”

Gu Sui inexplicably felt the temperature around him drop suddenly, and he couldn’t help but shiver.

With a strong survival instinct, he reached out his hand wanting to hug her, but Mu Jiulu raised her hand to block his forehead, keeping him at arm’s length.

This was clearly the action she would make when seeing Mu Yi. Unable to hug her, Gu Sui pouted his lips pitifully.

“Baby.”

“Hmm?”

A threatening voice emanated from her lips, and Gu Sui immediately admitted his mistake.

“Baby, I was wrong. Baby is the most beautiful person in the world, unique and one of a kind.”

Mu Jiulu slightly raised her chin: “You praised another woman in front of me.”

The noble and cold Regent was enveloped in resentment, her voice icy. Gu Sui poked his index fingers together and spoke weakly.

“But I was treating you as my own…”

Mu Jiulu: “……”

“So I still need to praise you?”

Gu Sui looked up and smiled at her, the stray hair at his temples falling slightly, revealing his bright eyes beneath.

“That’s not necessary. Baby, you just need to let go of your hand and let me hug you.”

Mu Jiulu felt both angry and amused. Her right hand that was blocking his forehead exerted some force, pushing him back a few steps.

“Go hug your beautiful elder sister!”

Gu Sui’s eyes widened, and he quickly chased after Mu Jiulu who was turning to leave.

“Don’t be like that, I don’t like her, I only like you!”

Gu Sui hugged her from behind, burying his chin in the crook of her neck and nuzzling back and forth, like a large feline.

“Baby, don’t be angry. I just haven’t seen this type of person before, so I was just curious. I still like you the most.”

It took Gu Sui a long time to appease her, but when they met Wan Qi Xingyin, Mu Jiulu still couldn’t help but scrutinize her.

What’s so special about her? She still has two eyes and a mouth, hmph.

“Your Highness asked me yesterday what was in Wugui City. After I returned and observed the star chart at night, I did indeed see something.”

Wan Qi Xingyin broke the strange silence. Mu Jiulu picked up her teacup and took a sip.

“What is it?”

A city that Su Tun would spare no effort to reclaim, it’s probably not as simple as just a main city of Dongzhou.

“In Wugui City, there is the Breath of the Phoenix.”

Mu Jiulu raised her eyelids, her expression nonchalant.

“Just in such a small place?”

“Although it’s small, this fact can’t be denied. However, Your Highness need not worry. I didn’t calculate that this strand of Phoenix Breath would harm the Emperor. It’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“That’s good.”

Mu Jiulu lightly pursed her vermilion lips and spoke again.

“There’s one more thing I need to ask you. Why doesn’t he remember?”

Wan Qi Xingyin knew well who this “he” was. She lowered her eyes, muttered a Taoist incantation, and sighed lightly.

“Do you really want to know?”

Mu Jiulu gripped her teacup tightly and nodded firmly.

“Of course.”

“What you originally told me didn’t include these things. And Gu Tingsong, what exactly did you say to her? What exactly happened to him? I need to know everything.”

Wan Qi Xingyin: “You’ll have to see for yourself.”

Mu Jiulu frowned slightly: “How can I see?”

Wan Qi Xingyin’s gaze fell on the bone thumb ring on her left hand.

“Does Your Highness remember where this ring came from?”

Mu Jiulu pondered for a moment, but as she tried to recall, her thoughts were completely blank.

It seemed that since she had memories, this ring had always been with her.

As for where it came from… she didn’t know.

Wan Qi Xingyin placed the iron ruyi scepter in her arms on the curved-leg table, stood up and went to fetch a small box from the cabinet behind, then sat down cross-legged again.

Mu Jiulu: “What is this?”

“Memory Incense.”

Wan Qi Xingyin took out an incense ball from it and placed it in a small incense burner to light it.

After a few breaths, a delicate, thread-like fragrant smoke floated over.

In an instant, Mu Jiulu seemed to enter a trance. Hundreds of familiar yet strange scenes unfolded before her eyes, causing her brows to furrow tightly.

In the Star-Gazing Pavilion, Wan Qi Xingyin behind the bamboo curtain slowly stood up and walked out, lifting the curtain.

Mu Jiulu, who had been sitting upright here, now had her eyes tightly closed, falling into a deep sleep. However, a thick and heavy pressure spread out from her.

Wan Qi Xingyin retreated from the Star-Gazing Pavilion and murmured softly.

“After a sleep, everything you should have known, you will know.”

This dream lasted from dawn to dusk.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and thousands of starry lights interwove to form a magnificent and profound painting.

Wan Qi Xingyin stood in front of the Star-Gazing Pavilion, looking up. A faint golden color flashed in her pupils.

After an unknown amount of time, there was suddenly some movement behind her. Wan Qi Xingyin withdrew her gaze, lifted the gauze curtain beside the pavilion, and walked in.

Mu Jiulu opened her eyes. As she looked over, her gaze was deep and dark, filled with the profundity of ancient times. Wan Qi Xingyin bowed.

“You remembered.”

Mu Jiulu exhaled a turbid breath and raised her hand to pinch her tightly furrowed brows.

“Mm.”

“Do you still want to continue doing this?”

Wan Qi Xingyin asked, her ethereal voice filled with gravity. Mu Jiulu let go of her hand and nodded again.

“Yes.”

“Still no regrets?”

Mu Jiulu lowered her eyes to look at the bone thumb ring, cherishing it as she gently caressed it. The darkness in her eyes had completely dissipated, replaced by indescribable tenderness.

“No regrets in this life, no regrets in all lives.”

Wan Qi Xingyin sighed and shook her head, saying,

“If it’s truly so, I shouldn’t have thought you could give up.”

Mu Jiulu clenched her fingers, looking at her with curiosity in her expression.

“I’d like to know, when did you remember?”

Wan Qi Xingyin met her gaze but didn’t speak.

Mu Jiulu raised an eyebrow: “What’s wrong? Is there something that can’t be said?”

Wan Qi Xingyin: “A year ago, when you first demolished the National Master’s mansion, a beam fell down and hit me.”

Mu Jiulu: “……”

“It’s late. I won’t disturb you any further.”

Wan Qi Xingyin: “……”

*

At the beginning of March, the Dongzhou delegation that had signed the peace treaty left the capital. At the city gate, Su Tun was saying goodbye to Jin Ying.

“They’ve kept you in the palace, probably with ill intentions. You need to seize opportunities yourself, understand?”

Jin Ying was still wearing a veil, the scorpion stinger at the end of his braid gleaming with sharpness.

“I understand, Sister Su Tun. We part today, not knowing when we’ll meet again. I hope you can return home safely. Remember to think of me.”

Su Tun rubbed his head, smiling as she said,

“Don’t worry, all the people of Dongzhou will miss their bright pearl.”

“Remember to tell my royal mother that Jin Ying won’t disappoint her expectations.”

“Alright.”

“Young Mistress Su, it’s getting late. You should depart,” Mo Han urged.

Su Tun looked at her displeased, her sleeve-flicking motion stopped by Jin Ying.

“Sister Su Tun, don’t wait anymore. He won’t come.”

Su Tun’s eyes darkened, her fingers clenching tightly.

Jin Ying leaned close to her ear and whispered, “He’s not worthy of you, sister. You should find someone else to be your husband, so you can achieve great things. He’s not capable.”

Su Tun looked at him sharply, seeing the seriousness in his lively eyes, and fell silent.

Jin Ying: “Sister Su Tun, trust me.”

“Fine, if it’s not meant to be, this young mistress won’t force it.”

“Let’s go. Let’s go home.”

Jin Ying stood at the city gate, watching the vast procession quickly disappear into the distance. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of desolation and sighed softly.

“Young Master Jin, it’s time to return to the palace,” the attendant behind the youth said.

Jin Ying still looked ahead, not moving.

“Young Master Jin?”

“Shut up. Who’s the master, you or me? Didn’t your previous master teach you manners?”

The cold and harsh voice hit like a blow to the head. Hearing this, the attendant’s lips turned pale, not daring to speak again to disturb him.

Only when the procession was completely out of sight did Jin Ying turn to go towards the inner imperial city, but not in the direction of the palace, but rather…

Chengtan Avenue.

“Young Master Jin, where are you going? If you don’t return to the palace soon, the Emperor will surely blame me when she finds out. Please return to the palace quickly!”

“If you keep talking, I won’t mind making you shut up permanently.”

The youth said this with a smile on his face, his innocence tinged with malice. The attendant’s voice began to tremble.

“You… how dare you kill someone in the capital.”

“I didn’t say I was going to kill you. The Flower Scorpion has plenty of good things to make people mute. Do you want to try?”

Jin Ying’s gaze was bright as he stared at him. The attendant was thoroughly frightened and dared not object further.

“That’s more obedient. Lead the way.”

“…Yes.”

−

“This Chengtan Avenue is quite wide, almost as wide as a highway.”

On the other side, Gu Sui, who had come to interact with his fiancée, lifted the curtain of the carriage and sighed leisurely.

Sui Yu beside him asked somewhat puzzled: “What is this highway that the young master speaks of?”

“How do I explain this to you… It’s a road where vehicles can travel very fast, usually quite wide.”

“So that’s what it means. Chengtan Avenue is where the nobles and aristocrats live. If the road were too narrow, it would be inconvenient for daily travel and would often cause obstruction.

So they built such a wide road that can accommodate six carriages passing through at the same time, and also allows for faster driving without fear of colliding with pedestrians on the side of the road.”

“Nobles? Aristocrats?”

Gu Sui said each word slowly. He raised his hand to point in a direction for Sui Yu to see, his voice low.

“That person, which category does he fall into?”

In front of the Regent’s mansion, Jin Ying, dressed in splendid clothes, stood face to face with Mu Jiulu, saying something unknown.

As the carriage approached, Gu Sui just happened to hear a sentence—

“Since you already know, Jin Ying won’t beat around the bush. My feelings for Your Highness are hard to part with, and I don’t mind serving one wife together with Young Master Gu. I wonder what Your Highness thinks?”

Gu Sui, with his jaw clenched tight, looked down at the sword at Sui Yu’s waist, pulled it out in one motion, and jumped off the carriage.

“Young Master, Young Master, please calm down.”

Sui Yu and Yun Mu hurriedly followed. At the same time, a stern shout suddenly rang out.

“Jin Ying, you’re courting death.”

Gu Sui stopped on the road, maintaining his sword-drawing posture. Sui Yu and Yun Mu behind him almost crashed into him.

“Young Master?”

The two gulped and looked towards the front of the mansion.

The Regent had grabbed Jin Ying by the neck with one hand, her arm slightly raised. Jin Ying’s feet gradually left the ground as his expression turned panicked.

As for that sentence filled with killing intent, it naturally came from her mouth.

“Your… Highness.”

Jin Ying, gasping for breath, grabbed her wrists with both hands, trying to pry them open, but it was completely useless.

She really wanted to strangle him to death.

A deep fear and unwillingness welled up in Jin Ying’s heart. Why, why was it like this…

“Calm down, calm down, baby, you need to calm down!”

The youth’s voice suddenly broke the atmosphere that had sunk into deathly silence. Sui Yu and Yun Mu both widened their eyes as they watched the person who rushed out.

Who was telling whom to calm down?