Chapter 49
Mu Qing turned her head and was momentarily stunned.
It was, as expected, someone familiar.
And a beauty, no less.
She was dressed simply—nothing extravagant, not even particularly refined—but just standing there casually in this remote and disordered alley, she exuded an effortlessly alluring presence.
This was what people meant by a natural-born seductress.
Look at that face, always carrying a faint smile, and those tender, limpid eyes like autumn water—if this wasn’t Sister Yanran, then who could it be?
She hadn’t expected her to show up as well.
It seemed that when she’d left Apricot Blossom Pavilion last time, it wasn’t merely with a slap to Liu Feng’s face and a declaration of severed ties—there had been more to it.
And that jade pendant—sure enough, it had played a significant role, hadn’t it?
It seemed her and Mu Qing’s husband’s “reunion of kin” had really turned out to be the real thing…
Mu Qing reflected on everything that had happened and quickly pieced together the convoluted links—most likely, that reunion at Apricot Blossom Pavilion between Sister Yanran and her husband had been extremely effective.
The key item was that aged jade pendant.
She thought about it for a long time but couldn’t recall this plot point from the original novel. So perhaps… this was a hidden opportunity that Liu Feng hadn’t yet discovered—one she had stumbled upon by accident?
Why did that thought suddenly make her feel so pleased?
Mu Qing pressed down the unexpected joy rising in her chest and resumed thinking.
So this Sister Yanran really was the long-lost daughter of Madam Feng from Hundred Fragrance Pavilion—
That same Madam Feng who had been her husband’s foster mother, and an old acquaintance of her father, Master Mu, from many years ago.
By extension, that made Sister Yanran… her sister-in-law.
Hopefully, their relationship would stay at that level. Please, heavens, let there be no more “surprises”…
In that instant, Mu Qing’s mind flooded with a thousand melodramatic scenarios—each one dramatic enough to turn the Mu family upside down—so she quickly cut off the wild fantasies and refocused on the present.
Though she hadn’t expected things to unfold this neatly, thinking back to her husband always mentioning he was “looking for someone,” and how that supposedly coincidental jade pendant had shown up…
This was clearly a pre-written “golden cheat item” plot thread, just waiting for someone to claim it.
Thinking that way, it didn’t feel all that surprising.
Most likely, it was a “cheat” originally meant for Liu Feng, which she’d gotten her hands on first.
Well, whatever the case, it was hers now—or more accurately, her husband’s… but that was fine, as long as it wasn’t Liu Feng’s.
While she was mentally celebrating, Sister Yanran was still looking at them both with a face full of “Ah, such a loving couple” expression. And for some reason, that half-smile-half-smirk expression made Mu Qing’s scalp tingle.
Miss, what’s with that auntie-style grin?
I’m really not that close with your little brother, okay?
We’re really not that kind of couple!
Under Sister Yanran’s affectionate, almost motherly smile, Mu Qing surrendered, letting out a helpless chuckle. “Sister Yanran, you really love to tease… Is there something important that brought you here? Anything I can help with?”
Even though they’d only met once before, Mu Qing had always had a good impression of Sister Yanran—even without the connection to her husband.
After all, how many women would dare slap Liu Feng in public and cut ties so cleanly?
That bold and decisive nature was easy to admire.
Especially for someone like Mu Qing, who had a bit of that same spirit herself—naturally, she was fond of women with that kind of character.
Judging from how Liu Feng had sulked for days afterward, Sister Yanran had really, truly severed ties with him.
And now, seeing her again, though her face bore a trace of weariness, her overall demeanor was calm and collected—far better than when she’d been in that slightly lovestruck, dreamy state.
A young woman’s longing might be poetic, but if she gave her heart to the wrong man, it was a straight path into the flames.
It was hard to imagine how even someone as sharp as Sister Yanran had fallen for Liu Feng’s charm, but now that she’d escaped becoming one of the “Dragon Son’s harem,” it was honestly something to celebrate.
More importantly, the atmosphere between Mu Qing and her husband just now had been way too weird.
She had no idea how to deal with it, so Sister Yanran’s timely arrival was nothing short of divine intervention—cutting off the awkwardness and saving her from further embarrassment.
After all, regardless of how casually she wanted to treat it… she’d been hugged.
That was a pretty big deal.
Mu Qing felt like her emotions were tumbling like waves. And yet, her mind went completely blank… In all her years, other than being held by her father as a child, not even her older brother Mu Hai had ever hugged her.
In fact, after she turned five, even her father hadn’t hugged her again. Which meant… this was the first time she’d ever been hugged by a man who wasn’t her father.
And the feeling…
Was kind of… heady.
Her husband’s familiar clean scent filled her nose—crisp and soothing, oddly calming.
Mu Qing felt a little dizzy, momentarily forgetting to react… Normally, she should’ve shoved him away. Even if he was her husband, this wasn’t okay…
She understood that logically, but in that moment, she’d simply gone slack, letting him hold her like a fool… And really, his posture had been pretty questionable too.
All stiff and tense—any outsider might’ve thought he was hoisting a sack of rice… or maybe getting ready to pull up a tree by its roots or something.
It was incredibly awkward.
Thankfully, Sister Yanran had dropped in from the sky right on cue, “shouting justice at injustice,” and finally shattered the strange impasse.
Mu Qing did her best to act like nothing happened, casually slipping free from her husband’s rigid embrace.
As long as she wasn’t embarrassed, then maybe her husband wouldn’t be either. And if neither of them was embarrassed, Sister Yanran certainly wouldn’t be.
That way, no one would be awkward, and they could all pretend like nothing had happened.
Perfect.
Mu Qing optimistically believed this, even going so far as to launch a new topic, hoping to steer the situation back on track—after all, these two weren’t the kind to appear in a desolate alley for no reason.
There were probably countless such alleys in Tongzhou. If Liu Feng hadn’t deliberately led her off-course, Mu Qing would’ve never come here.
One, she’d only been in Tongzhou for about a month—she didn’t know her way around well and had no idea where these alleys led.
Two, after arriving, she’d been basically locked up studying in White Crane Academy. In all that time, this was only her third time out.
And every outing had been either a trip home, a visit to Apricot Blossom Pavilion, or a walk along Tongzhou’s busiest street. She never had any reason to come to a place like this.
So… thinking back to Liu Feng’s expression earlier—could it be that he’d really meant to take advantage of her?
That was almost impressive—what a brain.
As the Dragon Son male lead, if he really did that, wouldn’t he be lowering himself?
By this world’s logic, Liu Feng could have any woman he wanted.
If he fancied someone, they’d eventually fall into his arms—whether it was love at first sight, or hatred-to-love transformation, the outcome was preordained.
That’s how it was supposed to be.
But encountering Mu Qing changed everything.
Because she’d been held a bit longer than expected, Liu Feng had already recovered from his earlier beatdown and was slowly limping back.
But no one paid him any attention.
After Mu Qing said her piece, her husband wordlessly grabbed her hand and led her into another alley.
Sister Yanran chuckled a few times but didn’t linger. She followed a few steps behind them, heading in the same direction.
Almost as soon as the three disappeared into the depths of the alley, Liu Feng appeared at the corner.
He watched their retreating figures with a hateful expression, then turned and hobbled off in another direction.
Mu Qing’s husband held her hand as they walked deeper into the winding alleys. After several twists and turns—nearly half an hour—they finally stopped.
Mu Qing looked up. Before them stood a dark red door.
Her husband paused, raised a hand, and gently pushed it open, revealing a small courtyard within.
He hadn’t let go of her hand the entire time, but didn’t go inside either. Sister Yanran, who had been following behind, couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She stepped forward and softly said, “Let’s go in. I’ll go with Ah Qing—we’ll go together.”
Only then did her husband seem to snap out of it. He gave a small nod and led Mu Qing inside.
The courtyard wasn’t large, but it was peaceful. They walked along a stone path, rounded a modest stone screen, and arrived at a small house tucked in the back.
Standing at the doorway, her husband stopped again. He didn’t speak—and even began to tremble.
Mu Qing instinctively tightened her grip on his hand and whispered, “If it’s too much, why don’t we talk somewhere else?”
Strangely, the moment she held his hand, the trembling stopped.
He quietly returned the pressure and gave a slight shake of the head. Finally, he spoke his first words of the day:
“I’m fine. Let’s go in.”
Then he pushed open the door.
The room seemed long abandoned, yet everything inside was spotless and neatly arranged.
But Mu Qing’s sharp sense of smell picked up something faint in the air.
It was the smell of blood.
It was very faint—likely from long ago and carefully cleaned up.
But some old items in the room must have retained the lingering scent. With Mu Qing’s unusually sensitive nose, she could still detect it. It was unsettling.
Sensing her discomfort, her husband turned and asked softly, “What’s wrong? Is something off?”
Mu Qing shook her head, intending to brush it off, but unexpectedly, he tightened his grip on her hand.
Though after their previous unpleasant hand-holding episodes, he’d learned to restrain his strength and no longer hurt her, it was still a bit uncomfortable.
Mu Qing frowned slightly, and he immediately eased his grip—but didn’t let go.
Holding her hand tightly, his voice was laced with tension and hope as he cautiously asked, “Did you… smell something?”
Mu Qing hesitated for a moment.
She could’ve made up a comforting excuse, but looking at the expression on his face—
That pained, lost-puppy look, with a hint of madness in the sorrow—she just couldn’t lie.
Besides, if he had brought her here, it must’ve been to confirm exactly this.
So she nodded and admitted it directly.
“Yes. There’s a faint smell of blood.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she saw her husband’s entire expression change.
