Ye Lingfeng's handsome face hardened with determination, leaving no room for negotiation.
The Empress Dowager laughed, looking at her son: "Feng'er, I am very happy that you love the kitten so much, but don't forget that the kitten is your own child, and you are my own child, so it is not surprising that my blood will also be useful."
"Mother?"
Ye Lingfeng cried out in surprise, looking at his mother. What did his mother mean?
"I am willing to donate blood to Ye, even if it means taking all the blood out of my body. I will die without regrets. I have finally done something for my son."
Hearing his mother's words, Ye Lingfeng felt a warmth in his heart. This was true motherly love. She was willing to do anything for her son, just as he couldn't bear to see the kitten get hurt, and his mother was willing to drain all her blood to save him.
"Mother."
"Night, don't worry, we'll talk about everything when the Empress returns. You know, I really want to see Little Cat, he's my little grandson."
Back in the Zhaoyang Prince's Mansion, she had also longed for a grandson like him. Unfortunately, although Yi had many women, two or three of whom were pregnant, none of them were born. This was because there were too many women in the harem who, in addition to scheming against each other, also plotted to harm the unborn children. In the past, she had been too lazy to deal with these things, as those pregnant women were also quite annoying.
Today she finally got to see a real grandson, so she couldn't wait for Ling'er to bring the kitten back. However, they probably wouldn't be able to come back for a while because they had to go get the gall bladders of the Azure Dragon and the Tiger.
Inside the Lanqing Palace, the mother and son fell silent, longing for Ling'er and the little cat who were about to return.
At the foot of Yuncang Mountain, the long night has passed, dawn has arrived, and birds are chirping in the forest.
The people in the carriage grew increasingly anxious. They hadn't come out for so long; could something have happened? Shi Mei kept lifting the curtain to look outside, but she didn't see anyone come out. She couldn't help but ask worriedly.
"I hope nothing bad happens to them."
"Logically, that shouldn't be the case. Although a three-hundred-year-old Azure Flood Dragon is powerful, Mu Ye and Shen Ruoxuan are not ordinary people. How could they not get the snake gall?"
"Don't worry, let's wait a little longer."
Hai Ling was also very anxious, but seeing Shi Mei and Shi Lan's anxiety, she tried to comfort them, but the more anxious everyone became, the more annoyed they became.
"Or I can go in and take a look."
Concern leads to confusion. Whenever Shi Mei thought about how Shen Ruoxuan hadn't returned yet, her mind was filled with images of him being swallowed by that giant snake. Just thinking about it made her want to break down. She desperately wanted to go in and save him. So, as soon as she finished speaking, without waiting for Hai Ling's reply, she got up, instructed Shi Lan to take care of Hai Ling, and prepared to slip into Yun Cang Mountain.
But just then, a series of footsteps came from Yuncang Mountain and soon appeared.
The two leading the group were Mu Ye and Shen Ruoxuan. One of them was dressed in black, so there was no blood on him, but the other was wearing a light-colored brocade robe, so there were some bloodstains on it.
Shi Mei glanced at him and quickly moved away, pulling Shen Ruoxuan up and down to look him over, anxiously pressing him for answers.
"How are you? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Seeing how worried Shi Mei was about him, someone who used to be his enemy but was now so concerned about him, Shen Ruoxuan was very happy. His wicked face lit up with a smile, and he said with great spirit, "What could possibly happen to us? With Mu Ye and my skills, killing a three-hundred-year-old azure dragon is a piece of cake. The two of us joined forces and killed that snake in half an hour."
"But why didn't you come out all night?"
Shi Mei was somewhat incredulous. If he had killed the green dragon in just half an hour, why hadn't he returned after a whole night, causing them great worry?
"We found the Panlong Cave in the middle of the night and then tried to lure out the Azure Dragon. Who knew that the Azure Dragon was so cunning? After we injured it, it retreated back into the Panlong Cave. Although the cave was not small, we couldn't go in, so we waited outside. Since the snake was injured, it couldn't just wait to die in the cave. It would definitely come out to find the antidote. Sure enough, the beast couldn't hold back any longer. As dawn approached, it swam out of the Panlong Cave again, and we seized the opportunity to catch it."
Shen Ruoxuan recounted the events to Shi Mei, and Hai Ling and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Mu Ye ignored Shen Ruoxuan and Shi Mei's conversation and walked straight to Hai Ling. With a wave of his hand, a green dragon gall bladder lay in his palm.
"Ling'er, here you go. This is the gall of a green dragon snake. Keep it safe."
“Okay,” Hailin happily put away the Azure Dragon Serpent Gallbladder, and then respectfully thanked Muye: “Thank you, Muye.”
"Why are you thanking me? We're friends."
He finished speaking and laughed, his laughter hearty and clear. His well-defined face was like a sculpture, and beneath his raised, sword-like eyebrows, his dark eyes were like unfathomable lake water, rippling with gentle waves. Because Hailin no longer rejected him, even if he couldn't have her, being able to be friends with her and do things for her made him happy.
"Let's go, let's continue to the next stop to retrieve the gallbladder of a century-old tiger."
"Okay. Let's go."
At Mu Ye's command, everyone boarded the carriages or mounted their horses, and they all left Yun Cang Mountain for their next destination. Although there were tigers in Yun Cang Mountain, they were difficult to find due to the vastness of the mountain range. However, Chang Yang Mountain was much easier to find because the forests there were smaller. Moreover, the Seven Star Glazed Bracelet had clearly marked the locations of tiger dens on Chang Yang Mountain, making their search much easier. So, the group set off for Chang Yang Mountain.
After traveling for another two days, they arrived at Changyang Mountain. This was not the only way back to Bianliang City, but a detour they had taken specifically. This time, it was still Mu Ye and Shen Ruoxuan who led the group into the mountain to capture the century-old tiger.
Shi Mei was afraid they might be in danger, so she gave them instructions again and again.
"Be careful and come back soon."
Tigers are social animals, and one careless move could lead to trouble. However, Shen Ruoxuan was not worried because he had a sleeping potion on him. As long as he could knock out the tigers, he could easily obtain their gallbladders.
Inside the carriage, Hailing and Shimei waited anxiously. Suddenly, Shilan exclaimed in surprise. The two looked over at the same time and saw Shilan pointing in astonishment at the kitten sleeping on the couch to the side.
"Master, look! The kitten is smiling! He's actually smiling!"
As soon as she spoke, Hailing and Shimei looked over and sure enough, they saw a smile on the little cat's lips, which was very cute. Not only was Shilan surprised, but Shimei was also astonished.
"Your Majesty, the kitten did smile! He's so adorable!"
Her entire face has soft lines, and it's fair and tender. Although it's not very fleshy yet, it's already so tender that it's irresistible to touch.
Seeing her son Mengxiao, Hailing was naturally very happy. She reached out her slender hand and held the kitten's little hand, which was no longer as thin as when it was born and had gained some flesh.
"Every baby smiles in their sleep when they are first born. When they get a little older, they will open their eyes and laugh out loud."
"That's amazing!"
Shi Mei praised, and Shi Lan nodded in agreement.
Hai Ling glanced at Shi Mei, thinking about her relationship with Shen Ruoxuan, and teased, "Why don't you marry Shen Ruoxuan and have a baby of your own to play with?"