Dressed, Gu Qianying stood up. The wound on her abdomen ached, causing her to frown and cover it.
Upon opening his eyes, Luo Muchen quickly supported her. "You are injured and need rest and recuperation. Do not move around carelessly. Lie down quickly."
As he helped Gu Qianying sit down, Luo Muchen did not notice that he had stepped on her dress. He stumbled forward, and the two fell onto the bed, with Luo Muchen pressing down on her.
Their lips met.
Both of them froze.
Gu Qianying's eyes widened.
Luo Muchen, flustered and panicked, hurriedly got up. "I... I'm sorry."
As he got up, he accidentally touched Gu Qianying's abdominal wound again.
"Mmm..."
Gu Qianying winced in pain.
Luo Muchen was alarmed and quickly checked Gu Qianying's wound. "Are... are you alright? I'm sorry, did the wound split open?"
He stammered incoherently.
His hand grabbed Gu Qianying's dress and, as he lifted it, his hand stopped abruptly in mid-air.
Feeling like a scoundrel, Luo Muchen's ears turned slightly red, and he quickly let down the lifted dress.
Looking at the flustered Luo Muchen, who kept making mistakes due to nervousness,
Gu Qianying let out a laugh. "You don't need to be so nervous around me, as if I'm going to eat you. I don't eat people, what are you afraid of?"
Gu Qianying sat up.
She checked her wound herself.
"I... I meant no harm. I hope Miss Gu can forgive me."
It was his carelessness that led to kissing her just now.
"Meaning no harm is unintentional. What? You bullied me and now you want to renege?"
The wound had been bandaged very well by Luo Muchen. It had not split open despite the pulling just now. It was good.
Gu Qianying tidied her dress and walked to the table, sitting down. Her slender fingers picked up the teapot and poured two cups of tea.
She picked up one of the cups and took a sip.
Before she could speak, she heard Luo Muchen approaching, his ears red, say, "I will take responsibility. I will marry you."
Gu Qianying played with the teacup in her hand. "You've said that once already. Can't you say something else?"
"Miss Gu, I... I... can let you... get back at me."
His cheeks were as red as apples.
Luo Muchen said this with his eyes closed, feeling as if he were facing death with a resolute spirit.
In reality, he was just shy.
Gu Qianying looked at him, feeling like a man-eating demoness.
She put down the teacup and stood up. "Alright, I was teasing you. Look at you, refusing to yield like this, as if I would assault you."
Luo Muchen: "..."
He opened his eyes and saw Gu Qianying about to leave.
Luo Muchen followed closely. "You need to lie down and rest. Where are you going now?"
"To save your sister."
Gu Qianying did not look back.
Luo Muchen stood frozen, watching Gu Qianying's retreating back.
At that moment, he felt a surge of emotion.
"Wait a moment."
Luo Muchen rushed after her and grabbed her wrist.
Gu Qianying looked down, at the hand tightly gripping her wrist.
The familiar touch made her pause.
At this moment, a figure suddenly appeared in her mind.
This figure was very familiar to her, appearing in her mind often. Sometimes, when she dreamed, she would also dream of that person.
However... the figure in her mind was blurry; she could not see his features or his appearance.
Yet... at this moment, she looked up at the person before her.
A very absurd thought suddenly arose in her heart.
"Have we met before?"
Seeing his hand on Gu Qianying's wrist again, Luo Muchen quickly let go. "I'm sorry."
"We have not met before."
Luo Muchen took a small step back, creating distance between them.
Before they were married, he had to respect her and not behave frivolously.
"Not met before?"
Gu Qianying asked again.
Luo Muchen shook his head.
Gu Qianying understood.
She felt a little disappointed.
She had been overthinking.
"You stay here and wait for my news. I will definitely save your sister."
Gu Qianying spoke and was about to leave.
"No."
Luo Muchen stopped her.
As they were pulling at each other, Duan Xifeng returned with Xiao Yihao.
"Mother, you're awake?"
Seeing his mother standing, Xiao Yihao jumped from Duan Xifeng's arms, his eyes red, and rushed into Gu Qianying's embrace.
The clothes he was wearing were a bit wet. Xiao Yihao hugged Gu Qianying's neck and burst into tears.
"Why are your clothes so wet? Did you get rained on?"
Gu Qianying hugged Xiao Yihao and walked to the bedside, asking Duan Xifeng to find a clean small shirt and quickly changing Xiao Yihao.
Xiao Yihao hugged Gu Qianying's neck and refused to let go, wanting her to hold him.
His large eyes were filled with mist.
"Mother, when you were injured just now, Yihao was so worried about you. But luckily, Mother, you're alright, *wuwu*."
As Xiao Yihao spoke, his tears fell like beans, and he started crying again.
Seeing Xiao Yihao, who was usually mischievous and wouldn't cry even if he fell and scraped his knee, now crying so sadly because she was injured,
Gu Qianying's heart warmed.
She held Xiao Yihao and asked the kitchen to prepare some ginger water, then brought it over and personally fed it to Xiao Yihao.
Beside them, Duan Xifeng, seeing that Gu Qianying was unharmed, also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Qianying, what happened to you at the Luo mansion? Why were you injured?"
This was something Duan Xifeng had been unable to understand.
Beside them, Luo Muchen was also looking intently at Gu Qianying.
Duan Xifeng's question was also what he wanted to know.
He wanted to know what had happened at home.
And where were his parents now?
"Luo Yuanxi betrayed her true form and became a witch. She went on a rampage in the Luo family. When I arrived, she was having her parents abuse Master and Madam Luo."
"They are injured? Where are they injured? How are they now?"
Luo Muchen asked with concern.
"I arrived in time, so they were not injured. They have been settled in a safe place and are being guarded by my subordinate Leng. They are very safe."
Hearing this, Luo Muchen cupped his hands and bowed to Gu Qianying. "Thank you. I am deeply grateful for saving my life and will surely repay you in the future."
Gu Qianying walked over. "You've already offered yourself in return. How else do you intend to repay me?"
Luo Muchen's ears turned red again.
Duan Xifeng's mouth fell open.
Xiao Yihao buried his little head in Gu Qianying's embrace. He wiped his tears and revealed a smile. "That's great, Yihao has a real father now."
Luo Muchen remained silent, his silence a form of acknowledgment.
Gu Qianying rubbed Xiao Yihao's little head. "As long as you're happy."
"Then... how exactly did you get injured?"
Duan Xifeng continued to press.
"Wulalana Yixiu. I encountered her."
As her injuries had not fully healed, Xiao Yihao stayed in Gu Qianying's arms for a while before getting down.
Duan Xifeng looked shocked. "What? You actually met her?"
During the time he was captured by Old Man Bai, he had also heard of this person.
The former Empress Dowager.
"How could she be at the Luo mansion?"
Seeing his mother unharmed, Xiao Yihao was very happy. After crying for a while, he started clamoring for food.
Duan Xifeng then made a bowl of noodles for Xiao Yihao.
Xiao Yihao ate with great joy.
"Nangong Cong might have some connection with her."
Gu Qianying wiped Xiao Yihao's mouth with her embroidered handkerchief.
"Qianying, are you saying that old woman Wulalana Yixiu lives in the palace?"
Duan Xifeng sat down in front of Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying nodded at him. "It seems our plan must proceed faster. Otherwise, if I continue to move around the palace in your identity, I will be discovered quickly. At that time, the Meng family and Nangong Xuanning and her daughter will be in danger. Moreover, to this day, we still don't know the whereabouts of Nangong Xuanning and her daughter, nor of Lan Qingqing and Caixia."
After watching Xiao Yihao finish the last bite of noodles in his bowl,
Gu Qianying wiped Xiao Yihao's mouth again, then stood up. "Brother, I have a task for you. Xiao Yihao will stay here with his Luo father. I need to go into the palace."
With that, Gu Qianying picked up her sword.
Duan Xifeng also stood up, preparing to leave with Gu Qianying.
Xiao Yihao, worried about his mother's injuries, had the medicinal herbs bought earlier brought up by the servant outside. He sorted them one by one. After they were brewed into medicine, he made sure Gu Qianying drank a bowl before he felt relieved to let her leave.
Concerned about the Meng family, Nangong Xuanning and her daughter, and Lan Qingqing and Caixia,
Gu Qianying, after disguising herself as "Duan Xifeng," entered the palace again.
Duan Xifeng also received the task assigned by Gu Qianying. After leaving the restaurant, he "parted ways" with Gu Qianying.
Xiao Yihao, following his mother's instructions, stayed at the restaurant with Luo Muchen.
However, Luo Muchen, who had been staying in the room, had not spoken since Gu Qianying and Duan Xifeng left.
He sat on the chair, maintaining the same posture for a long time.
"Wulalana Yixiu? The former Empress Dowager?"
What a familiar name!
A headache struck him.
He covered his head with his hands, enduring the pain.
"Father Luo, what's wrong?"
Seeing Luo Muchen in pain, Xiao Yihao brought over a small stool, stepped on it, and hugged one of Luo Muchen's arms.
Luo Muchen looked down, speechless. The headache was so severe that he couldn't speak.
A scene suddenly appeared in his mind.
A woman in a luxurious dress tied him to a pillar and whipped him angrily.
He didn't know what mistake he had made to make the woman so angry.
The long whip lashed him again and again. When the woman got tired, she seemed still not appeased, so she had a maid bring a basin of salt water and pour it over his head.
The wounds from the whipping, contaminated with salt water, stung unbearably.
He eventually fainted.
Before he fainted, he remembered that the woman's name was Wulalana Yixiu.
He also remembered that the woman kept insulting someone: "Nangong Mo, you are such a detestable little good-for-nothing!"
"Nangong Mo!"
Luo Muchen suddenly looked up, his pupils constricting.
Was he Nangong Mo? Or Luo Muchen?
"Father Luo, are you having a headache? Yihao knows acupuncture. Yihao will give you a few needles."
Xiao Yihao jumped down from the stool and was about to find silver needles. His hand, which was behind his back, was suddenly grabbed by a large hand.
"What is your name?"
Luo Muchen grabbed Xiao Yihao, his expression serious.
Xiao Yihao turned around, looking confused. "Father Luo, I'm Xiao Yihao. Don't you recognize me?"
"What is your surname?"
"Nangong. Doesn't Father Luo know?"