Nan Xuzong nodded slightly, "I will send someone to handle this matter, so you don't need to worry."
“Okay,” Ji Wushang replied.
"Wu Shang, there's something I want to tell you." Nan Xu Cong looked at her.
"What is it?" Ji Wushang stood in front of him. The two of them, one tall and one short, stood in the corridor. A gentle breeze blew by, and their clothes fluttered slightly.
"If, I mean if, I, I was..." "Your Highness, Your Highness's Wife, the second son of the Prince of Zhenbei and his wife have something to ask of you." Just then, a maid rushed over and bowed her head to say quickly.
Ji Wushang was still looking up at him, but Nan Xuzong had already stopped talking. Instead, he turned to the maid and said, "Report back, we will be there shortly. Please ask them to wait in the pavilion in Moxuan Garden."
"Yes." The maidservant cautiously retreated. How could she have missed seeing the young master and his wife talking together? She was terrified! Interrupting their conversation would have been a death sentence... Thank goodness. She immediately hurried away.
"What were you thinking of saying just now?" Ji Wushang looked at him, his eyes filled with a smile and anticipation.
"It's alright. Let's keep it a secret for now and tell you later!" Nan Xuzong suddenly thought of something and immediately took her hand. "Let's go see Jueshi and Princess Muchen."
"Cong." He should know that if things are only half-said, his heart will always be filled with worry and curiosity.
Seeing her brow furrow slightly, Nan Xuzong promised, "I'll definitely tell you tonight. Now isn't the right time; who knows who else might suddenly appear around here."
Hearing what he said, Ji Wushang felt that it made some sense, so he nodded.
But a sense of unease lingered in her heart. What was it that he wanted to tell her? And why were Bei Gong Jue Shi and Yi Yun Muchen coming directly to the Marquis's residence?
☆、228 Love and Hate, Blood Lotus Appears, Demon Lord Born! (Zai Wending!)
Ji Wushang and Nan Xuzong entered Moxuan Garden, walking side by side, so perfectly timed and fitting, like a pair of celestial lovers.
When he entered, he saw Bei Gong Jue Shi and Yi Yun Mu Chen sitting together. They didn't speak, but their gazes were tender, and Ji Wu Shang could sense the love between them. It was just like himself and Nan Xu Cong, deeply in love with each other.
Nan Xuzong took Ji Wushang's hand. Hearing footsteps, the two of them turned to look at them and immediately stood up, "Young Master Nan, Young Master Nan's Consort!"
"Wu Shang greets the Second Prince and the Second Prince's Consort." Ji Wu Shang bowed slightly.
"No need to be so polite." Yi Yun Muchen looked at Ji Wushang, "It's been a few days, Wushang, you've become even more beautiful."
"Thank you. What brings you here?" Ji Wushang asked. "Let's go inside and talk!"
The three nodded.
Once everyone was seated inside, the conversation began.
"Just now, Jue Shi and Mu Chen arrived at the hall, only to find that the Second Young Master Nan had already passed away. It's truly astonishing," Bei Gong Jue Shi said, his gaze falling on Nan Xu Cong and Ji Wu Shang. He couldn't see any sadness on their faces... And what he had heard before was that the Second Young Master Nan had died from exhaustion. It seems that these matters in the Marquis's mansion are far more complicated than those in the Zhenbei Prince's mansion.
“My second brother’s life was short, and Xu Cong had no choice.” Nan Xu Cong dismissed the topic with four words. “Are you two preparing to return to Wudang Mountain? Did you come here to say goodbye?”
"Yes. But I'd like to ask you, Your Highness, what happened to my elder brother? Is it possible to find him?" Bei Gong Jue Shi asked at this moment.
Ji Wushang looked at Nan Xuzong as he listened. Yes, what happened to Beigong Minhao? Is he really gone?
"He's fine, recuperating peacefully in a secluded place, and it's not advisable for him to come out. You can all rest assured." Nan Xuzong glanced at the three of them, his gaze finally settling on Beigong Jueshi. "You should go up the mountain as soon as possible."
“Yes.” Bei Gong Jue Shi nodded. “However, I want to tell you that the King of the Western Regions has recently developed a legion, and the soldiers in this legion are all skeletons that have been dead for many years… You must be careful!”
Nan Xuzong's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this, but he quickly concealed it. "Okay! Thanks for the reminder!"
Ji Wushang asked in surprise, "What is that? How do we break it?"
"Please forgive my incompetence, I have not found a way." Bei Gong Jue Shi looked at Yi Yun Muchen, "Mu Chen is pregnant, so I cannot fight alongside you. Please forgive me!"
"You're pregnant?" Ji Wushang stood up. "Mu Chen, are you really pregnant?"
"Mmm." Hearing this, Yi Yun Muchen blushed and lowered her head.
Bei Gong Jue Shi pulled her close, saying, "It's been two months. I was almost scared to death that day... Thankfully, everything's alright." Bei Gong Jue Shi's face was filled with joy, his heterochromatic eyes one red and one dark, but now they were tinged with deep affection.
"Congratulations!" Nan Xuzong smiled slightly. "You two can go up the mountain now. We'll take care of the rest."
"Thank you for your help in the past!" Bei Gong Jue Shi cupped her hands. "Princess Consort of the Southern Prince, I apologize for my disrespect towards you before. Please accept my apology!" As she spoke, she bowed her head to Ji Wu Shang.
Ji Wushang immediately said, "Absolutely not, please get up... Second Prince, I, Ji Wushang, do indeed owe you a lot. If you could scold or beat me to vent your anger, that would be great. At least that way, my heart would feel better and I wouldn't feel too guilty." Ji Wushang looked at them.
Bei Gong Jue Shi nodded, "Thank you, Princess Consort. You don't need to be so polite. I know my elder brother did it willingly. Let bygones be bygones!"
All three people agreed.
At this moment, Yi Yunmu Chen said, "My brother asked me to refine the Heart-Eating Gu for him. He now possesses this Heart-Eating Gu, so you must be very careful. You absolutely must not provoke this Heart-Eating Gu. If you are infected by it, there will probably be no turning back."
"So amazing?" Ji Wushang looked at her.
"Yes, I'm sorry, at the time, I had no choice, I..."
"There's no need to blame yourself," Nan Xuzong interrupted her. "The Heart-Eating Gu must be exchanged with one's heart. This Gu poison comes from the Gu King of the Western Regions!"
“Your Highness is very knowledgeable. Indeed, the Heart-Eating Gu is the Gu King of the Western Regions. If a person afflicted by the Gu wants to live, they must exchange the heart of the person they love for their own. In this way, the person they love will die. Every time the moon is full, their heart will be torn apart, unable to live or die. Every time they think of their loved one, their heart will ache as if pierced by a thousand arrows.”
All four remained silent. If this medicine were used on one of them, they would face separation by death and suffer the agony of being pierced by a thousand arrows.
"Don't worry, there's only one Heart-Eating Gu, it'll be fine." Yi Yun Muchen smiled. "My brother doesn't know the dangers of this level. He only knows that the Heart-Eating Gu can enhance one's power, so don't worry. He won't easily give the Heart-Eating Gu to anyone. You know, once someone eats it, it will be impossible for them to enhance their power."
The three of them breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"Mu Chen, I'd like to walk with you and then we can talk." Ji Wushang looked at her at this moment.
Yi Yun Muchen listened and looked at Bei Gong Jue Shi, who nodded slightly.
Ji Wushang looked at Nan Xuzong, who nodded in agreement. "Don't go too far. If anything happens, call us immediately."
“Okay.” Ji Wushang nodded, then took Yi Yun Muchen’s hand. “We can just take a walk in the courtyard. We won’t go far in this Moxuan Garden.”
"Mm," Yi Yunmu Chen replied.
The two men were relieved to hear this and watched the two women leave.
Ji Wushang knew that Yiyun Muchen was only two months pregnant and would be easily tired, so he found a quiet corridor where they could talk. He instructed a maid to bring over a soft chair, and the two of them sat down together before they began to talk.
"Mu Chen, I want to ask, what does it feel like to be pregnant?" Ji Wushang asked after holding back for a long time.
Yi Yunmu Chen smiled happily, "That feeling is wonderful. Although I can't feel the baby moving yet, I can feel his life inside my belly, and he is growing."
"Hmm." Ji Wushang nodded. Even they have children now, so when will she be able to have one?
"Princess Consort, don't you and the Prince want a baby yet? I see that the Prince doesn't seem anxious at all." Yi Yun Muchen looked at her.
"Honestly, you have to keep this a secret. I'm not feeling well, so the chances of me getting pregnant are a bit slim, but we've been trying." Ji Wushang looked towards the room. "He also really wants a baby." He then turned to her. "I have some questions for you."
"Go ahead," Yi Yunmu asked, touching a sore spot. She felt embarrassed, but thankfully, Ji Wushang didn't blame her and changed the subject.
“I want to ask about the King of the Western Regions. I want to know what happened to him. I feel he has changed, everything has changed.” Ji Wushang looked into her eyes. “You are his sister, you know all of this, don’t you?”
"I... I don't really know either, but what I do know is that all his changes stemmed from a woman, from his throne." Yi Yunmu Chen looked at her. "Could it be that you are the woman in his heart?"
"I...no," Ji Wushang denied. "He once saved my life, and he also hurt me. It's all over now, isn't it? But now, he wants to duel with Cong, he wants to take his life, and I have no choice but to intervene!" Ji Wushang recalled the power he had that day, the ruthlessness he displayed when he wanted to kill Nan Xu Cong, and his heart was always filled with worry.
"I see..." Yi Yunmu Chen told him everything she knew, and Ji Wushang listened in silence.
“That’s how it is. After I married Jueshi, I didn’t know what happened afterward.” Yi Yun Muchen looked at her and, seeing that Ji Wushang was lost in thought, gently shook her. “Princess Consort, there’s no need to blame yourself. I can see that you and the Prince are truly in love. It’s just that my brother doesn’t know how to love. If he could be more open-minded, none of this would have happened.”
"Thank you." Ji Wushang looked at her. "Thank you for everything you told me today."
"Actually, I have a request for you, and I would like to ask you to grant it." As Yi Yun Muchen spoke, she immediately knelt down in front of Ji Wushang, but Ji Wushang immediately helped her up. "What's wrong? Get up and speak quickly."
"I...I beg you, please don't kill him. I plead with you." Yi Yun Muchen looked at Ji Wushang. "Please awaken his original nature. I can no longer do it. Please help me!"
Ji Wushang smiled faintly, "We can't possibly do that either. However, if there is a day for the duel, I will ask Cong not to kill him. He has been away from the Western Regions for so long, yet the Western Regions are thriving and becoming more prosperous every day. This shows that he is actually a good king. Such a good king should do more for the people, rather than spending his time on matters of love and affection. He should have a beautiful and virtuous queen."
“You’re right. If only my brother could think that way, but…” Yi Yun Muchen shook his head. “If possible, I would find a queen for my brother who would be a queen of unparalleled majesty.”
"Alright." Ji Wushang nodded. "What did the Prince and Princess of Zhenbei say about your trip up the mountain?"
“Although they are very sad, they did not object. Father is busy suppressing the border war, so he will leave the mansion for the border in the near future.” Yi Yun Muchen looked at the sky. “Father is a very good old general, an old war god.”
"Hmm." Ji Wushang then thought of Ji Dingbei, the General of Zhenbei. He wondered if he should also go on the expedition with the Prince of Zhenbei. The two of them had always been old teammates.
"Will my father also go to the frontier?" Ji Wushang asked. "I haven't been back to the General's Mansion for a long time. I've been too busy."
"I heard that you are going too, and your elder brother, General Ji, will also be fighting alongside you."
"He's going too? Then..." Ji Wushang thought of Ji Wusi, who had been sent to the frontier by Ji Tiankui and Mo Qiqi. He wondered how he was doing now. "I miss my younger brother Wuzi. He's also in the northern desert. I wonder how he is now."
"Don't worry, everything will be alright." Yi Yunmu Chen held her hand and patted it gently.
Ji Wushang took her wrist in his hand and said, "Let me check your pulse. I wonder how the baby is?"
Yi Yunmu Chen smiled and cooperated.
Ji Wushang felt a powerful force drawing him in! Startled, Ji Wushang tried to pull his hand away, but he felt the force entering his body through the touch!
Ji Wushang was shocked. "Mu Chen, get away from me!"
"What's wrong?" Yi Yunmu Chen looked at her and immediately tried to pull his arm out of her hand, but it seemed that he was also connected to her by that force!
As if hearing some shouts, Nan Xuzong and Beigong Jueshi, who were inside the house, immediately ran out. They saw, not far away, their hands clasped together, and a bright light emanating from the point where their hands met!
Nan Xuzong immediately stepped forward, and Beigong Jueshi was taken aback, so he rushed forward as well.
The combined forces of Nan Xuzong and Bei Gong Jueshi joined the connection point between them, suddenly separating the two. Ji Wushang was held tightly by Nan Xuzong, while Yi Yun Muchen was held by Bei Gong Jueshi.
"How are you? Wu Shang, do you feel anything is wrong?" Nan Xuzong immediately grabbed her wrist, checked her pulse, and looked at her somewhat panicked face. "Don't be afraid."
"I... I originally wanted to check on the baby's growth for Mu Chen, but unexpectedly, I felt a force coming from her womb to my body. I didn't know what was happening, so I immediately tried to pull away, but it felt like we were connected. I was terrified..." Ji Wushang said, leaning on his shoulder.
Nan Xuzong gently patted her back to help her breathe, "It's alright, it's alright." But at that moment, he clearly saw a black blood lotus blooming on the back of Ji Wushang's neck, hidden by her gauze dress, but he could see it clearly from his angle.
Blood lotus appears.
The Demon Lord was born.
Nan Xuzong's heart skipped a beat. He gripped her arm tightly, but her pulse was steady... Nan Xuzong's heart pounded with anxiety. He cupped her face in his hands, "Do you feel any discomfort?"
"No." Ji Wushang caught his breath.
At this moment, Bei Gong Jue Shi held Yi Yun Muchen and protected her for a long time, and she was only slightly frightened.
Bei Gong Jue Shi held her hand, "From now on, don't get too close to the Princess Consort of the Southern Prince... or you can get close, but you can't touch her." He looked at Yi Yun Muchen and frowned slightly, but he still made a concession in his heart.
"I wonder how she is?" Yi Yun Muchen looked at Ji Wushang and Nan Xuzong.
The four looked at each other, and Ji Wushang shoved Nan Xucong, "Cong, go check on Mu Chen and see if the child is alright."
"Hmm." Nan Xuzong unwound the golden thread from his hand, tightened it slightly, and after a moment, his thin lips moved slightly. "The fetus is stable, but there is an unknown force hidden within it... Jueshi, you must hurry to Wudang Mountain! Set off immediately!"
"Yes." Bei Gong Jue Shi knew the situation. He had finally managed to control the demonic nature within himself. Thinking about it, perhaps the child had also inherited some of his demonic nature. That demonic nature was a huge force, which was why it was transmitted to Ji Wu Shang!