A Man was recalling memories when Chu Mingxuan pushed open the door and walked in. Seeing A Man sitting up, he excitedly called out, "Sister Miaoling, you're awake!"
"You saved me?" A Man asked Chu Mingxuan, looking at him.
"Yes, after I found you missing, I searched everywhere for you. When I couldn't find you, I sought help from the Cold King and his consort. Afterwards, we finally found you beneath the grave of Liu Ruyi's son," Chu Mingxuan said solemnly.
"I didn't expect Liu Ruyi to really make me accompany her son in death." A Man's expression changed instantly upon hearing this.
"That madwoman Liu Ruyi, what wouldn't she do! But I don't understand, your martial arts aren't that weak. How did you let her succeed?" Chu Mingxuan asked with confusion.
"The day Liu Ruyi's son was beheaded, Liu Ruyi brought her son's corpse back to the thatched cottage outside the city. She took her embroidery needle and sewed her son's head and body back together. Then, she ordered me to kill the butcher who had beheaded her son. I did as she said."
A Man paused as she spoke.
"But when I returned after completing the task, I saw two coffins placed in the thatched cottage where we lived. One of the coffins contained Liu Ruyi's son."
As A Man reached this point, she reached up to her forehead and rubbed her temples.
She continued, "When Liu Ruyi saw me return, she asked if I was thirsty and then personally poured me a cup of tea. I wasn't on guard against her at the time, so I casually took the cup of water she handed me and drank it all in one gulp. Afterwards, I couldn't move my entire body, but I could still hear. I personally heard everything Liu Ruyi had done over the years, including how she pretended to be my benefactor for over ten years... Then, I fell into a daze and slept."
A Man recounted truthfully everything she had heard that day to Chu Mingxuan.
Chu Mingxuan's teeth clenched with rage. That woman was truly hateful; letting her die so quickly was too lenient.
"It's a pity that Liu Ruyi is already dead, otherwise, I, Chu Mingxuan, would have certainly tortured her properly," Chu Mingxuan said furiously.
"What? Liu Ruyi is dead too?" A Man asked in surprise.
"Yes, Liu Ruyi had the people from the Dark Night Pavilion abduct Yin Er and Xiao Liuzi to Sishang Manor. Then, she lured the Cold King and his consort to Sishang Manor, attempting to kill them using various mechanisms. But who were the Cold King and his consort? How could they be so easily ambushed by Liu Ruyi? As a result, Liu Ruyi failed to kill them and was instead severely injured by the Cold Consort, eventually dying from her severe internal injuries."
Chu Mingxuan also briefly explained to A Man how Liu Ruyi brought about her own demise.
"It's fine if she's dead. Liu Ruyi used me for over ten years. From now on, I have nothing to do with her," A Man said with a cold tone.
"Sister Miaoling, do you really not remember who I am?" Chu Mingxuan changed the subject and suddenly asked.
A Man shook her head.
"I don't even know who I am. Even my childhood memories are hazy."
"Sister Miaoling, why don't you let the Cold Consort hypnotize you? She can help you remember your past quickly," Chu Mingxuan suggested.
Upon hearing this, A Man pondered for a moment.
"Can the Cold Consort really help me remember my past? I don't believe it," A Man asked with doubt.
"I'm not entirely sure, but based on my understanding of the Cold Consort, if she proposed this method, she must have at least seventy percent confidence. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spoken," Chu Mingxuan said with certainty.
"Alright, then I agree to let the Cold Consort hypnotize me," A Man nodded, agreeing to Chu Mingxuan's suggestion.
"Sister Miaoling, you really agree? That's wonderful! You stay in the room and rest for a while. I'll go out and instruct the servants to help you wash up, and then I'll immediately inform the Cold Consort that you're willing to be hypnotized, so she can make arrangements."
Seeing that A Man had agreed to be hypnotized by the Cold Consort, Chu Mingxuan was extremely excited, and his speech quickened. After speaking, he turned and hurried out of the room.
Meanwhile, Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan were practicing martial arts in the courtyard.
Because Jun Mohan had been up all night, he did not attend the morning court today.
After he and his consort woke up, he was teaching Leng Ruoli martial arts and practicing Qinggong in his courtyard.
Jun Mohan was wearing a dark purple, belted, narrow-sleeved martial arts uniform. His black hair was neatly combed, tied with a jade hairpin. His thin lips curved into a doting smile.
He held a soft sword in one hand, standing tall in the morning light.
Leng Ruoli stood opposite Jun Mohan. She was also wearing a light purple, belted, narrow-fitting martial arts uniform, her hair simply tied in a ponytail. She held a long sword and sparred with Jun Mohan.
"Jun Mohan, fight me one round to test how far my martial arts have progressed."
After speaking, Leng Ruoli mischievously blinked her clear black and white eyes, revealing a hint of cunning.
"Alright! It's a good time for me to know your martial arts background as well. Let's begin." Jun Mohan readily agreed.
Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan both gathered internal energy and infused it into their silver-white swords. Then, they both charged towards each other and struck.
Leng Ruoli's light purple figure was as agile as a swallow. The sword in her hand emitted a dazzling light. With a slight rotation of her wrist, her silver sword flashed as quickly as lightning. The sword light was dazzling and brilliant, as if it merged with the woman's figure. The sword energy precisely struck towards Jun Mohan.
Jun Mohan's soft sword danced rapidly, leaving behind a trail of afterimages that mingled with his real form, making it impossible to distinguish the shadow from the real person. Then, with a casual lift of his hand, he blocked the sword energy Leng Ruoli sent towards him. Those who did not understand martial arts watched in a daze, only hearing the sounds of fighting and the whistling of sword energy.
Seeing that the sword energy she had unleashed was blocked by Jun Mohan, Leng Ruoli channeled another surge of internal energy into her long sword with her other hand. She launched another round of attacks towards Jun Mohan, but they were all easily resolved by Jun Mohan.
Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan exchanged over a dozen rounds, their battle incredibly spectacular. Before long, the guards and hidden guards of the Cold King's manor were all drawn to watch.
"Yin Chen, what kind of encounter did our Consort have when she went out? She has learned such powerful internal energy so quickly and can even spar with His Highness for over a dozen rounds. It's truly incredible. We have been practicing martial arts with His Highness for over ten years, and we still can't spar with him for more than ten rounds. Alas, I feel truly ashamed," Ye Ying frowned and said.
"I'm not too sure either," Yin Chen replied truthfully.
However, he guessed that the Consort must have had a fortuitous encounter on the night she disappeared in the snow cave of Tianyun Mountain. But he felt that he could not reveal this matter without the permission of His Highness and the Consort.