Chapter 71

Inside the herbal medicine hut at the foot of Black Cloud Mountain, an old man in a gray robe stood under the eaves, squinting and stroking his beard, gazing intently at the gloomy sky.

Suddenly, a bell rang from behind him. The old man turned around and said, "You've come."

This old man was none other than the doctor who had saved the bearded man from years ago.

"What? Can't I come?"

Tan Xiaoque walked up to him with a smile and her hands behind her back, her cat-like eyes gleaming with coldness.

"Are you disappointed to see me?"

“A little.” The old man didn’t seem to care about the barb in her words and waved his hand. “Speak, what do you want from me?”

"What did you do to that bearded man back then? Why didn't any of my medications work on him?"

Even her most potent medicine only made him slightly drowsy and posed no threat whatsoever.

"This is my business, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with you."

"Old man, do you know how serious the consequences will be for altering the course of this world without authorization?"

"Hahaha..." The old man was completely unfazed by the threat in her words: "What did I do? You and I both know he's not the big black bearded man. Back then, I saved him to maintain order in this space, didn't I?"

"Moreover, the arrival of that wandering spirit from another world was also with your tacit approval, wasn't it?"

"You..." Tan Xiaoque choked for a moment, her smile fading as she glared at him: "No matter what, Yuwen Zhe must win this war. Moreover, the destiny of Great Yan must be sacrificed with the blood of the chosen one, and I'm determined to take Yuan Liuniang's life!"

"That's your business, what does it have to do with me?"

"I'm just here to warn you. If you know what's good for you, I might leave a trace of Black Cloud Mountain's energy. But if you dare to make any rash moves, I will ensure the complete annihilation of your entire Fuyuan lineage!"

After speaking in a chilling tone, Tan Xiaoque turned and left without waiting for the old man's reply. The old man watched the direction she disappeared in and sighed softly.

"well--"

**

In the main hall of Black Cloud Village, a group of people surrounded the baby in Yuan Liu Niang's arms, curiously examining it. Looking at the baby's fair and tender cheeks, Cheng Mingyu couldn't resist the urge to poke it, but Yuan Liu Niang slapped his hand away and glared at him angrily: "Don't touch it."

"Hmph, fine, don't touch it then, why are you being so fierce?" Cheng Mingyu pouted, "Look at your protective instincts." Then he turned to Lin Qiang, "Boss, what do we do now?!"

Lin Qiang leaned back in the tiger-skin chair in the middle with a bold and decisive posture, his handsome eyebrows furrowed together as he rubbed his temples in pain.

"What else can we do? Just let it be!"

Who would have thought that this Crown Prince Yuwen Jue was actually a girl?

Yuan Liuniang looked up at Lin Qiang, her beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with a hint of guilt: "I'm sorry, Chief. Yuwen Zhe has too many spies in the palace. For the sake of the bigger picture, I took the liberty of concealing Jue'er's gender, and there was no way to pass on the true information to the village. Please punish me."

"It's not your fault." Lin Qiang straightened up. "If I were you, I would have chosen to do the same."

"No matter what the baby's true gender is now, she must be a boy, the Crown Prince Yuwen Jue of Great Yan."

"Uh-huh."

Then he said to the people in the main hall, "Alright, you've all worked hard for so long, go back and rest now. I believe that in a few days, we will be facing Yuwen Zhe's army head-on."

"Yes, brother!"

After everyone else had left, only Yuan Liuniang remained hesitantly in the same spot.

"Sixth Sister, is there anything else?"

Yuan Liuniang struggled for a moment, then said with a troubled expression, "Boss, I watched Jue'er come into this world with my own eyes, cut her umbilical cord with my own hands, and heard her first cry. When I held her in my arms, it was like holding my own child. So, no matter what the final outcome, I beg you, Boss, to show mercy. Jue'er is still a child; she is innocent..."

As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion.

"I understand," Lin Qiang reassured him.

Perhaps no one understands better than Lin Qiang what this child means to Yuan Liu Niang.

This child is her salvation.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't go so far as to harm the child. Once everything has calmed down, there will be no more Yuwen Jue in this world, only Yuan Xin Jue."

"Thank you, thank you so much, Boss! Thank you!!!"

At this moment, Yuan Liu Niang, who was extremely agitated, did not notice why Lin Qiang knew that her daughter in her previous life was named Xin Jue.

As she carried Yuwen Jue out of the main hall, she saw Yuan Qiong, dressed in a light yellow dress, lifting her skirt as she ascended the steps. After so long, Yuan Qiong still retained the aloof and noble appearance she remembered, only her slender fox-like eyes had lost some of their previous coldness and gained a more approachable, gentle warmth.

That's the warmth that only comes from being cherished in someone's heart.

Yuan Qiong's impression of Yuan Liu Niang was still from a few years ago, so she didn't take it to heart. She nodded politely to her and stepped into the main hall.

"Hahaha, little girl, come here quickly and take a look at the new route map I drew today!"

"It's really ugly. After practicing for so long, you haven't improved at all."

Behind them were Lin Qiang's hearty laughter and Yuan Qiong's gentle reproach; the warmth and affection between the two could be felt in their words without even turning around.

For a moment, Yuan Liuniang felt as if a piece of her chest had gone empty, as if something she couldn't grasp, or something she wasn't even aware of, had left her body, making her feel lightheaded. But when she looked down and saw Yuwen Jue babbling in her arms, giving her a toothless, silly grin, the emptiness in her heart was gradually filled by another warm current, and she slowly felt herself return to solid ground.

"Little one, what are you laughing at? You're drooling." Yuan Liu Niang poked her chubby little face and chuckled, "With you here, that's enough."

Then, I stopped lingering and felt a sense of relief.

"The one Sixth Sister was holding just now is Yuwen Jing and Yuan Zhen's daughter, your little niece. Why don't you take a look?" Lin Qiang joked.

Yuan Qiong held the hand-drawn route map, not even looking up: "Not interested."

"Hey, weren't you so eager for an imperial heir before? Now that the imperial heir is being held in front of you, you don't even glance at him. Tsk tsk tsk, what a fickle woman."

His words successfully made Yuan Qiong raise her head. She gave him a half-smile and said, "What? You want me to return as Empress Dowager?"

"No, no, no, absolutely not." We've finally gotten them out of the royal family; there's no way we'd give them back! "I was just saying that casually, so just take it with a grain of salt. Don't take it seriously."

Lin Qiang wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, rested his chin on her shoulder, and brought up the old topic again: "Girl, look, your half-sister already has a child. When are you planning to marry me?"