Bai Shuiyao’s mouth hurt terribly. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes widened, her whole face filled with disbelief.
“Mmph…!!”
Was this still that foolish older sister who had always been timid and obedient to her? How dare she shove dirty seeds into her mouth!
Mu Wanwan was too lazy to look at her. She raised her eyes to Fuliu, whose expression was written with surprise, and lied without changing her face.
“Lord Ao Qin met me yesterday and gave me a token. If I die, Lord Ao Qin will immediately know.”
“And…” Mu Wanwan smiled at Fuliu. “What if I say my mother left me a second-rank fire source stone?”
“A second-rank fire source stone!”
One little maid cried out in shock and instinctively took two steps back.
A second-rank fire source stone was a type of fire-element crystal. When struck violently or triggered by spiritual power, it would create a fierce explosion. Anyone below the second rank would die upon touching it, and anyone below the third rank would be seriously injured. Its market price was one high-grade spirit stone.
Fuliu’s heart also jolted. She looked at Mu Wanwan with a strange gaze. At this moment, she actually felt a little admiration for this bride-for-good-luck, who had previously only known how to cry.
In truth, she knew this person might just be bluffing her and might not have any fire source stone at all. But there was no need for her to take such a risk for some treasure Bai Shuiyao claimed to have, which might not even exist.
“Madam, don’t listen to Bai Shuiyao’s nonsense. We never had any intention of switching you two.”
Fuliu was the first to soften her stance. Facing Bai Shuiyao’s pure, tearful face as she whimpered and shook her head, Fuliu had not the slightest intention of cherishing beauty. She took out a green binding rope from her sleeve and waved at the maids behind her. They immediately surrounded Bai Shuiyao and tied her up.
“Wait.”
Just as they were about to drag away the still-struggling Bai Shuiyao, Mu Wanwan stepped forward without changing her expression. She tugged hard at the seeds that had been shoved into half of Bai Shuiyao’s mouth because she had used a little too much strength. Since they had been stuffed in too firmly, she only managed to pull out half.
The little maid who had spoken up for Qingye earlier watched from the side as Bai Shuiyao cried from the pain. Her face flushed with excitement.
“Pah! Serves you right!”
Mu Wanwan pulled the seeds out, and Bai Shuiyao immediately screamed, “Mu Wanwan, you black-hearted slut! I won’t let you off!”
“What are you shouting for?”
That little maid was clearly someone who knew how to read the room. Seeing that Fuliu had no intention of helping Bai Shuiyao, she slapped Bai Shuiyao hard across the face.
“What right do you have to speak so rudely to Madam?”
She did not hold back with that slap. It made a crisp **pa** sound, and even Mu Wanwan felt it hurt just hearing it.
Bai Shuiyao was directly stunned by the slap. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and tears fell from her eyes, making her look pitiful enough to move anyone.
Fuliu gave Mu Wanwan a slight bow, then led the others out. The little maid’s eyes shone brightly as she bowed to Mu Wanwan too, then prodded Bai Shuiyao in the back and left.
Only after they had all gone did Mu Wanwan slowly let out a breath. She casually set aside the half-ruined seeds, slowly walked to the courtyard gate, and locked the heavy doors tightly.
She looked at the lifelike golden dragon carved on the courtyard gate and angrily patted the dragon’s head.
This matter had seemed to be resolved very easily, but in reality, it had hidden a great crisis.
If Bai Shuiyao had not been too anxious and revealed too many flaws, if she had grown a little more and carefully planned things out, perhaps Mu Wanwan really could have been replaced. As for some second-rank fire source stone, she did not have that kind of thing at all.
The original owner’s mother had also been weak. Her own strength had only been second-rank, and at home she had always humbled herself before Father Mu. Otherwise, how could Bai Shuiyao, the illegitimate daughter of an outside woman, have climbed over the heads of the mother and daughter?
Forget a second-rank fire source stone. The original owner’s mother had not even had a single gold coin in private savings, nor had she left the original owner anything.
Mu Wanwan scratched her hair and sighed deeply.
She had to thank Bai Shuiyao for courting death on her own. This time, Bai Shuiyao had been punished and sent to the cold palace beside the forbidden area to do hard labour. She and Mr. Dragon could temporarily live a few peaceful days.
Three years.
As long as she endured three years, when Mr. Dragon woke up, surely he would give her a way out for the sake of her having taken care of him for three years.
She did not ask for wealth or glory. She only hoped to live safely and peacefully.
Mu Wanwan leaned her back against the cold gate and looked from afar toward the palace where the tyrant lay. Suddenly, she felt that the courtyard was vast and lonely.
She was a very strong person. She had lived alone for so many years; there was nothing to feel lonely about.
Mu Wanwan thought this, but still, she suddenly did not want to do anything. She washed her hands clean, returned to the room, and looked at Mr. Dragon lying on the jade bed.
Perhaps because his tail had been cleaned properly, his complexion was visibly much better. Although his face was still covered in hideous black-red lines, his brows and eyes had relaxed a little. The lines still moved every now and then, but they no longer looked quite so frightening.
Mu Wanwan had originally felt very upset. But looking at this tyrant, who had once been a great villain, now lying obediently beneath the bright red wedding quilt like a little wife completely dependent on her, she felt an oddly satisfying sense of comfort.
She did not know what had gone wrong with her. As if possessed, she reached out and poked Mr. Dragon’s cheek.
Very thin, not much flesh, but still soft.
Mr. Dragon’s cheek was not raised by the black-red lines that looked as if they floated on the surface. If she felt carefully, it even seemed a little smooth.
Mu Wanwan poked him several times before realising what she was doing. She hurriedly withdrew her hand, then smiled helplessly.
“Mr. Dragon, will you really fall in love with Bai Shuiyao in the future?”
Her voice was very soft, like a low breeze that vanished in an instant. The tyrant, trapped in pain, did not hear it, and naturally gave her no response.
Mu Wanwan was not surprised at all.
She sat by the bed for a while, her thoughts a mess. One moment, Bai Shuiyao’s hateful gaze before leaving flashed before her eyes. The next, it became Ao Qin’s seemingly threatening warning in the ancestral hall. Then it turned into the few low-grade spirit stones in her pocket. Then it became the pile of ash she had touched beside Mr. Dragon’s ear that morning…
Potential dangers and the pressure of life all pressed down on her. Mu Wanwan was actually very tired.
She sat for a long time. Outside, the sun gradually set, and the room slowly became very dark.
Mu Wanwan rubbed her head, her gaze catching sight of Mr. Dragon beside her.
His breathing was steady. Earlier, the room had been very bright, so Mu Wanwan had not noticed that his mouth was covered with a layer of Hundred Treasures Fruit juice. It looked shiny. His lips were still a little bruised purple, and mixed together, it unexpectedly created the effect of some dazzling purple, enchanting lip gloss.
She couldn’t help curling her lips.
She remembered that when she had fed him fruit juice earlier, she had forgotten to wipe his mouth clean.
But it actually looked quite nice.
Perhaps because she had been amused by Mr. Dragon’s lip gloss, Mu Wanwan felt much better.
She stood up, preparing to go to the kitchen and cook.
Although there were internal worries and external troubles, and life was difficult, the days still had to be lived. One always had to look forward.
Sitting still and waiting for death was not a solution. In the next two days, after settling Mr. Dragon properly, she would apply to go out once and see whether she could find any business opportunity.
**Author’s note:**
Mr. Dragon: *(weak, pitiful, helpless, and in pain.jpg)* “Today, I still failed to wake up.”
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