One month later—
This past month, the Soaring Phoenix Realm has been turned completely upside down—every household has spent their days under investigation. Luckily, Ivy Shen knew this would happen and sent Thunder and Lightning to Mount Hua to protect Yvonne Song.
She’d wanted Yvonne to come back, but her injuries wouldn’t heal that quickly. If General Nee saw her, it would just make him even sadder.
Besides, she’d already planned to deal with their situation after the war was over.
Plus, once the two kingdoms go to war, the Chu palace definitely won’t be peaceful. She’d be worried sick every day, so it’s better for Yvonne to recover quietly at faraway Mount Hua. That’s honestly the best arrangement.
The only thing that comforts Ivy is that, so far, Cao Wan’er still hasn’t found any trace of her.
Honestly, it’s all thanks to General Nee and Grand Master Zhang.
General Nee’s soldiers are seriously well-trained—keeping secrets is their baseline. They chose to enter the city at night, and since General Nee personally drove the carriage, obviously no one dared stop them.
Plus, with Grand Master Zhang’s arrangements, they slipped right into the inner palace without anyone noticing.
As for the palace guards, everyone stuck to the same story: the emperor came back ten days ago—they all saw him arrive by carriage, end of discussion.
This whole setup was just so no one would suspect Ethan Chu.
Grand Master Zhang handled the cover story, casually letting slip that the Chu Emperor had already returned but was just resting up because he wasn’t feeling well.
Naturally, the ministers started freaking out. Then Ethan Chu would show his face once in a while, just to prove Grand Master Zhang was telling the truth.
He’d been back for ages, just chilling.
That’s how the whole ‘Chu Emperor’s been home for a while’ rumor started spreading all over Chu Kingdom, and of course it reached Cao Wan’er’s ears.
So all those people who were suspicious about where the emperor went and if there was some plot brewing had to rethink everything.
From start to finish, the only ones who actually knew about the comings and goings were General Nee and Grand Master Zhang.
Plus, all the food in the harem was handled by personally selected staff chosen by Grand Master Zhang—these folks were seriously trained, knew what not to say and what not to hear.
Everyone in the harem was terrified of dying, terrified of gossiping, so not a single servant dared to leak even a whisper.
Just because these people aren’t afraid of dying themselves doesn’t mean their families aren’t—one slip in the palace could get your whole family dragged down with you. And this time Grand Master Zhang gave the order personally; anyone who messed up would get their whole clan in trouble.
That’s why, even after all Cao Wan’er’s digging, she still hasn’t found a single clue.
But as far as Ivy Shen is concerned, she just needs to hold out for three more months. After that, even if Cao Wan’er hasn’t learned a thing, Ivy will make sure she does—if there’s a war to fight, it’s happening!
She glanced down and rubbed her belly, her brows scrunched up high—clearly uncomfortable.
It’s only been a month, so why does her stomach look like someone pumped it up with a bike pump?
Doing the math, if she were human, she’d look seven months pregnant already!
"Xin’er..." The woman on the bed, who looked almost exactly like her, called out softly.
"Sis, you’re awake?" Ivy perked up at the sound and hurried over.
"Mm." With Ivy’s help, Lacey Shen propped herself up on the pillows. Her complexion now was worlds apart from when she’d just been rescued.
Back then, the moment they reunited, Ivy begged Eli Crane to fetch Old Man Sai, because only the Living Buddha Sage could possibly heal her sister’s injuries.
So Eli didn’t waste a second—he hopped on his white crane and brought Old Man Sai over in three days flat.
Thanks to Old Man Sai’s treatment, the rot on Lacey Shen’s tail slowly healed. After a month, the wounds had started to scab over. Sure, Old Man Sai couldn’t bring back the original golden scales, but he did his best to minimize the scarring.
Ivy knew that if Old Man Sai said so, there was no way her sister’s tail would ever look the same. But as long as Lacey got healthy, that was worth more than anything.
And with Old Man Sai’s help, Lacey’s dried-up, skeletal look started to improve. Her cheeks got rosy, and with Ethan Chu making sure the imperial chefs cooked up the best meals, she started putting on weight—no longer the walking skeleton she’d been.
Now Ivy’s biggest concern was when her sister could get her legs back—because so far, Lacey still had a tail and couldn’t control her legs at all.
Luckily, Old Man Sai said that with a few more months of treatment, Lacey should be able to show her legs again. That finally let Ivy breathe a sigh of relief.
"Has... he arrived yet?" Lacey’s eyes darted everywhere, trying so hard to look casual.
Seeing this, Ivy grinned wickedly and leaned in. "Who are you talking about, hmm?"
"Ah, him... the King." Lacey ducked her head, blushing furiously.
"Oh, you mean Xiska Mon? He just left three days ago. He’s probably just getting to Flame Valley now. What’s up—missing him already?" Ivy teased, grinning.
"N-no... not at all."
"Oh, good then. He said he’d go back and find you the absolute best medicine, something perfect for your injuries. Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve seen him so serious about a woman!" Ivy shot Lacey a sly look—her cheeks were already bright red.
Seeing that, Ivy just smiled and didn’t say anything more. Ever since leaving the palace, Xiska Mon had been totally devoted to looking after her sister. Watching the two of them together, Ivy quickly realized they were both obviously into each other—just neither wanted to admit it.
(This chapter isn’t over yet~ Click next page for the rest of the fun!)
If it was just one-sided, Ivy would totally help out. But since it’s clear both of them like each other and just won’t say it, she’s not rushing things. She’s sure Xiska Mon will confess soon anyway, and besides, slow-burn romance is the best kind—her sister deserves to experience the thrill of a secret crush.
After all, nothing beats the dreamy feeling of falling in love.
Right now, the priority is getting her sister healed and walking again. Only then can she love—and love boldly!
"Baby, have you been good today?" Lacey cooed, gently stroking Ivy’s belly.
"Not good at all! Sis, you know I’m supposed to be carrying a serpent egg—do serpent eggs even kick?" Ivy’s brows scrunched up again. Human babies kick because they’re inside, but this kid’s in a serpent egg. Can a serpent egg really wiggle around inside her belly?
"Silly, didn’t Grandpa Sai say serpent eggs are soft and won’t break? The baby can move freely inside, and since the egg is squishy, of course you can feel it! Haha, this little one must be super naughty." Lacey laughed.
"Who knows!" Ivy sighed. As her belly grew, her worries multiplied—those seven guys were all busy prepping clothes and baby gear, piling the pressure on her!
"Ah! He just kicked me!" Lacey stared at Ivy’s belly, amazed—she’d definitely felt a little jump just now.
"Yup, super naughty. He kicks all day, every day!"
"He’s gotta be a little boy," Lacey declared, totally sure.
"I’d actually love a boy, but those seven all want a girl!" Ivy pouted. What’s wrong with having a big brother first? Then a little sister—big brother protects little sister, right? But older sisters always end up protecting their little brothers, and honestly, sisters are always the ones getting picked on.
Little sisters have it easy. If a big brother bullies her, he’ll get scolded. But if it’s a big sister, it’s always, "She’s older, so why can’t I pick on her?"
Ugh, just thinking about it, Ivy was determined—her first kid had to be a boy! But, well, they’d just have to wait and see.
"If it’s a boy, those seven are gonna be insanely jealous!" Suddenly, a teasing voice came from the door. Yvonne Li walked in, grinning and carrying a bowl of medicine.
*********Prediction break*********
PS: Guys, Ivy’s about to give birth soon! So, who do you think the dad is? Is it a single baby or twins? Hehe~ The answer’s coming up soon! (And no fighting over whose kid it is, okay?)