The story goes that Green Butterfly was originally an orphan. She had no name and wandered from one human trafficker to another, suffering all kinds of abuse and contempt from a young age. When she was five years old, she was rescued from the traffickers' whips by a powerful courtier from the Kingdom of Twilight. He named her Green Butterfly and taught her martial arts for self-defense.
One day, Princess Mujing saw Little Green Butterfly at the home of this court official and took a great liking to her. She asked the official for Little Green Butterfly to be her maid and had her accompany her all day long.
Green Butterfly preferred men's clothing and possessed a certain heroic spirit. When she was six years old, she accompanied the Third Princess to play in the palace. Suddenly, the Third Princess disappeared. Green Butterfly searched everywhere for the Third Princess, and unfortunately, she encountered the Second Prince, Mu Ming, squatting on the ground crying behind a rockery. At the time, she didn't know he was the Second Prince of Mu Ai Kingdom.
Little Green Butterfly glanced at him, stretched out her hand, and said coolly to Mu Ming, "A real man can bleed but not cry! Girls will look down on you if you act like this!"
Hearing her words, Xiao Muming wiped away his tears, took that little hand, and got up from the ground. From then on, he stuck to Green Butterfly's side all day, playing fighting games with her. Of course, behind them was the proud and arrogant little princess—Mu Jing.
Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. Green Butterfly is now sixteen years old. She still likes to dress as a man, while Mu Ming, who is a year older than her and a little slow to react, still foolishly believes that she is a boy.
However, Green Butterfly already knew that he was the second prince of the Twilight Kingdom. Due to the vast difference in their status, she always deliberately avoided him.
Until that summer night, under a sky full of stars, fireflies scattered their twinkling light along the edge of the pond. She stood barefoot in the water, gazing at the fluttering fireflies in a daze, when suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her leg. A water snake had bitten her and slithered away. Soon after, she collapsed into the water, unconscious.
Mu Ming, who had been watching her from behind, saw her fall into the water and hurriedly jumped in to pick her up.
He sucked the venom from her leg and fed her antidote powder. After a while, seeing that she still hadn't woken up, he gathered some dry branches and started a campfire. To keep her warm, he carefully removed her clothes to dry her. However, when he reached the last layer, he saw her slightly rounded breasts rising and falling with her breath. He gasped and sat down in shock. Green Butterfly awoke slightly, suddenly feeling a chill. Looking down, she realized she was only wearing a thin layer of clothing. Seeing Mu Ming sitting there in astonishment, her pretty face flushed red. She quickly sat up and covered herself with her hands.
"I...I want to help you dry your clothes..." Mu Ming hurriedly looked away, speaking in a flustered manner.
"Oh," Green Butterfly replied faintly, her face flushed. A night breeze blew by, and she couldn't help but sneeze.
After hesitating for a long time, Mu Ming took off his dry clothes, turned his face away and said, "Put...this...on...this on!"
Green Butterfly took the clothes, glanced at Mu Ming's retreating figure, and a strange, overwhelming feeling welled up inside her. She turned around and put on his clothes.
By the light of the campfire, he secretly watched her graceful figure reflected on the ground.
"All changed!" Green Butterfly turned around and said, the red firelight making her face glow red.
Mu Ming looked at her, and a strange flutter stirred in his heart.
"Green Butterfly," he whispered as he moved closer to her.
She looked up into his eyes, and he slowly leaned closer. Her heart pounded wildly. She knew she wasn't good enough for him, so for all these years, she had suppressed her feelings, keeping them hidden from everyone.
She closed her eyes, and his rapid breathing drowned out her panicked heartbeat.
Her lips were soft and cold, while his lips were tender and warm.
The firelight ignited the warmth of his body. He gently laid her flat on the ground, tenderly removed her clothes, and awkwardly took her.
After a passionate night, Mu Ming left a note: "Green butterflies dance in the wind with the moon, twilight and rosy clouds await the butterflies," and then went off to wander the world. He wasn't an irresponsible man; it was just that a man he had always treated like a younger brother had suddenly become his woman, and for a time, he couldn't accept this fact.
Green Butterfly straightened her clothes and came out of Mu Ming's room. She saw Chu Xiyin sitting outside in a daze, so she shook her shoulder and said, "Xiyin..."
Chu Xiyin snapped out of her daze, looked up at the green butterfly, and gave a slight smile.
"Wait for my news tomorrow night!" Green Butterfly said softly, then turned and left.
The next day, Chu Xiyin waited absentmindedly for night to fall.
A flash of green light pierced the silent night sky.
Mu Ming smiled and said to Chu Xiyin, "Green Butterfly's side is all ready, let's go!"
Chu Xiyin followed Mu Ming nervously, heading straight for the Third Princess's palace. The dazzling red hues inside and outside the palace stung her eyes.
"Looking like this, no one should recognize you. Later, keep your head down and try not to let anyone remember your face." Before leaving, Mu Ming deliberately used rouge to apply a large birthmark to Chu Xiyin's face because her face was too eye-catching!
Green Butterfly stood guard at the door of the room, looking around warily. Only when she saw Mu Ming and Chu Xiyin did she relax her tense brows.
"The prince is inside, you can go in!" Green Butterfly patted Chu Xiyin's shoulder and said.
Chu Xiyin glanced at Green Butterfly, then at the smiling Mu Ming, took a deep breath, and gently pushed open the door to enter.
His tall and upright figure suddenly came into her view, and this strange familiarity made her feel a sense of oppression in her chest.
"Your Highness..." she called out tentatively.
He did not respond.
“Chuan…” The black heart-shaped birthmark on the back of his hand stung her. Why wasn’t he responding to her? Was he angry with her?
The Fourth Prince shrugged slightly. Why did that voice sound so strangely familiar? He turned around, and why was the woman in front of him staring at him with such a look?
"Who are you?" the Fourth Prince asked coldly.
Chu Xiyin wiped the rouge off her face with her sleeve, walked closer to the prince, and said, "Take a good look, who am I?"
Her proximity irritated him greatly...
He was a man without a past. These past few days, listening to the Third Princess recount his past, he felt that the person she was talking about was not himself.
He clutched his head and shoved her away abruptly, yelling, "Get away! Go away..."
Chu Xiyin held his shoulder, choking back tears, "How can I leave you like this? Do you remember saying you would marry no one but me in this lifetime? Do you remember..."
“Third...Third Princess…” Green Butterfly called out loudly from outside the door.
"Little sister, long time no see? How have you been these past few years?" Mu Ming deliberately raised his voice.
"Brother, did you come to visit me so late at night, or... to see her?" Mu Jing looked at Mu Ming with her alluring eyes, then at Lü Die.
Chu Xiyin looked at the Fourth Prince, who was lying on the ground struggling in pain, and murmured, "Do you remember before the sandalwood flower?"
"Neither... I came here..." Before Mu Ming could finish speaking, a wild howl suddenly came from inside the room.
Mu Jing glanced at the two suspiciously, then suddenly rushed into the room.
Chapter 46 Bloodbath (Part 1)
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Mu Jing demanded aggressively.
Fortunately, Chu Xiyin was quick-witted. The moment Mu Jing rushed in, she pulled out a large clump of her hair to cover her face.
Seeing this, Mu Ming rushed forward and shielded Chu Xiyin behind him, saying, "I came to see my brother-in-law just now, but I didn't expect him to suddenly go mad. I was afraid he didn't want to see me, so Green Butterfly and I stood outside the door waiting for Third Sister to return, leaving this little maid in the room to take care of him. I never expected it to turn out like this!"
Mu Jing glanced sideways at Mu Ming, then glared fiercely at Chu Xiyin behind him and said, "Come here!"
"Third Sister..." Mu Ming held Chu Xiyin tightly. He knew Mu Jing's personality; she would never easily let go of anyone who angered her.
"Get out of the way!" Mu Jing pushed Mu Ming aside and stood directly in front of Chu Xiyin.
Chu Xiyin lowered her head, not daring to let Mu Jing see her face, as she did not want to implicate Mu Ming and Lü Die.
*Slap!* A loud slap landed on Chu Xiyin's face.
"You wretched servant!" The flames of anger in Mu Jing's eyes seemed to burn Chu Xiyin's hateful face to ashes.
This was the first time Chu Xiyin had ever been slapped, and her cheeks felt burning hot. Of course, if she hadn't been afraid of implicating Mu Ming and Lü Die, she would have retaliated long ago.
Mu Jing raised her hand, ready to slap her again. Mu Ming hurriedly stopped her, saying, "Third Sister, why bother arguing with a servant? Tomorrow is your wedding day, you should be happy! As for her..." He glanced back at Chu Xiyin and said, "I will punish her properly when we get back!"
Mu Jing rolled her eyes at Mu Ming. "I'll spare her today for your sake!"
Hearing her say that, Mu Ming and Lü Die both breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Mu Ming was about to take his leave, Mu Jing suddenly grabbed Chu Xiyin's arm tightly and said, "From now on, you are not allowed to set foot in my palace again, otherwise..."
Before Mu Jing could finish speaking, the Fourth Prince suddenly let out another painful howl. Mu Jing rushed over, put her arm around his shoulder, and fed him a packet of medicine powder. Only then did he fall asleep peacefully in her arms.
Chu Xiyin looked at the Fourth Prince and felt a pang of pain in her heart. She clenched her fists tightly and forced back the tears that were about to spill from her eyes.
"Let's go!" Mu Ming said softly to Chu Xiyin behind him.
Chu Xiyin nodded and followed Mu Ming back to his palace. The moment she closed the door, her tears finally burst forth like a dam breaking!
"Are you alright?" Mu Ming was startled by her sudden burst of tears.
Chu Xiyin suddenly threw herself into Mu Ming's arms and burst into tears like a child.
Mu Ming gently stroked her back and softly comforted her.
In this world, the only thing that torments people is love! Not all lovers can end up together. The sweetness your lover gives you is matched by the bitterness they can inflict.
After an unknown amount of time, Mu Ming noticed that the person in his arms had stopped moving. Sensing something was wrong, he abruptly pushed her head away and discovered that she had fallen asleep in his arms. Her tears and snot were stuck to his robes.
Mu Ming shook his head helplessly and carried her to his bed. He changed out of his dirty robes and lay down on the soft couch.
He turned over, thinking about his relationship with Green Butterfly, and couldn't help but feel extremely agitated.
Inside the tent, Qi Yu slammed his hand on the table, startling Hua Shao'ao so much that he jumped up with a start.
First, the Fourth Prince was trapped in enemy territory, and then Chu Xiyin went missing. If they continue to sit idly by and wait for their doom, it will inevitably lead to instability in the army. If the Mu'ai Kingdom takes the opportunity to attack the camp, chaos will surely break out in the camp.
After struggling for a long time, Liang Siqi finally stammered, "I...I know...Where did Chu Xiyin go?"
Qi Yu frowned and looked at her with a serious expression.
“She went to the Twilight Kingdom…” Siqi whispered, not daring to look Qi Yu in the eye.
"Oh, what's that silly girl doing? She ran off to that damn country all by herself without saying a word!" Hua Shao said angrily, smoothing his hair.
"I'm sorry..." Siqi said, lowering her eyes.
Qi Yu stared at her and let out a muffled groan of anger.
"Let's not worry about anything else, let's just wipe out that damned country and rescue the prince and that silly girl!" Hua Shao suddenly stood up and said.
"Lord Hua is right. Rather than sitting and waiting for the enemy to attack, we should strike first and kill as many as we can." Mo Cong angrily downed his tea in one gulp. If he had killed Mu Jing last time, things wouldn't have become so complicated.
Qi Yu frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Then send someone to deliver the challenge immediately! We must act before the Prince and the Third Princess get married! Otherwise, it will be too late after tomorrow!"
"Okay! I'll go right now!" With that, Mo Cong hurriedly left the tent.
When Mu Fei received the challenge, it was already past midnight. Because the war was urgent, he had no choice but to summon the court officials that very night to discuss the battle for the next day. Of course, the valiant and skilled Third Princess—Mu Jing—was also present.
"This old minister believes that the Ziling Dynasty chose this time to attack our country because they want to take advantage of the situation on the day of the Third Princess's wedding!" an old minister with white hair said in a hoarse voice.
"Hmph! What is the Ziling Dynasty? It's nothing but a bunch of spineless rabble! In my humble opinion, it would be better if we held the city gates tight tomorrow and did not engage in battle. After the Third Princess's wedding, we could catch them off guard!" A minister with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face looked at the Third Princess and said with a fawning smile.
But Mu Jing didn't appreciate his gesture. She glanced at him coldly and said, "Foolish! If we hold the city gates, they will think we are afraid to fight. This will boost their morale and diminish ours, making it difficult for us to win in future battles!"
The minister with the pointed face and monkey-like features was rendered speechless by her words and silently wiped away his sweat.
"Mu Jing requests to lead the army into battle tomorrow!" Mu Jing said, clasping her hands in a fist salute.
Mu Fei remained calm and composed. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "It is said that the Third Prince Consort is also skilled in martial arts. Although I do not know his background, I believe that if he can fight alongside my sister and protect the people of Mu'ai Kingdom, he can secure his position as Prince Consort!"