First Gathering of the Seven Husbands (1)

A slender new moon hung high in the deep blue sky, its clear, watery light bathing the earth.

At this moment, everyone else was probably deep in dreamland—except for one place, where seven men as handsome as gods were gathered. Each had a different kind of striking good looks, but the one thing they all shared was a touch of worry between their brows.

It was as if they were all troubled by something.

Inside the spacious hall, everyone sat in silence. After Aiden Chen and Charlie Qiao brought tea, they quietly closed the door and left.

Three days earlier, Adrian Night and Lucian Vane had run into each other and planned to search for Ivy together. Suddenly, Butterfly Rogue burst in, announcing that Ivy was safe, and that she wanted them each to stay in separate inns, keep in touch, and not 'startle the snake in the grass!'

This left Adrian and Lucian both confused. If Ivy was really safe, why hadn't she met with them? And just when had Butterfly Rogue last seen her?!

A string of unanswered mysteries kept circling in their minds.

Just as the two were puzzling over everything, Butterfly Rogue dropped another bomb: not only had he seen Ivy, but Ethan Chu and Caleb Miles had too—and regardless of their opinion, Ivy had already accepted a seventh husband, and she seemed to really like him!

Hearing this, the two men couldn't help but frown. She'd met all of them? And even brought home another guy?!

So, for the first time ever, the two tried to gently coax information out of Butterfly Rogue—but his lips were sealed, no matter how much they pressed.

Seeing this, the two had no choice but to grab Butterfly Rogue by the neck and threaten him: if he didn’t cooperate, they’d sabotage his chances with Ivy forever, even if she got mad at them!

That made Butterfly Rogue freeze. Sabotage?

He remembered the last time he and Ethan Chu sabotaged Caleb Miles—yeah, that sucked. If he ended up on the receiving end, he’d probably want to bash his head against the wall!

Seeing Butterfly Rogue hesitate, the two switched tactics and tried coaxing him again. They reminded him how, back then, they were the ones who pushed Liam Willow into Ivy’s room; otherwise, with them around, how could the little White Rabbit have succeeded so easily?!

Butterfly Rogue thought about what the little White Rabbit had told him last time—that without their help, he wouldn’t have had the nerve. Realizing this, Butterfly Rogue gave in with a tragic sigh. After all, even if he stayed quiet, they’d find Ivy anyway, so he’d end up losing both the girl and his allies!

And that’s how all seven of them ended up sitting together in one room.

Adrian Night and Lucian Vane stared hard at Eli Crane. This sudden new addition made them feel even more pressure—why was every newcomer so ridiculously talented? It made them doubt their own worth.

"That’s how I met Ivy," Eli Crane said gently, recounting his whole story with her.

The six men were all deeply moved and shocked. Their hearts overflowed with gratitude and unspeakable awe—if not for him, Ivy might have...

And the shock was because Ivy and Eli had faced life and death together, supporting each other through it all. They realized that, back then, Ivy must have felt so helpless and afraid, and in those crucial moments, none of them could be there to comfort her.

Still, they felt lucky—because they had Ivy, and could stay by her side. They knew that for any one of them, Ivy would risk her life to save them, no matter how strong the enemy or how dangerous the road ahead. At that moment, everyone’s heart ached, thinking of the scenes in the Crane Dynasty Mausoleum and how much it hurt not to be there for her.

"After Ivy regained her memories, she told me that you are all an inseparable part of her. Because she holds you in her heart, she will never leave you, no matter what!" Eli Crane looked at the six outstanding men around him, realizing just how powerful Ivy’s charm really was.

Hearing this, the men exchanged glances—those words were like a wave of warmth flooding their hearts.

"I’m Adrian Night, master of Ice Palace. I don’t waste words on anyone but family, but with her, I just can’t stay cold—even when she’s in disguise, she melts everything and opens my heart."

Adrian Night didn’t hold back—he introduced himself openly, no more secrets. Since they all truly loved Ivy, they needed to know each other’s real identities. Eli Crane had already told his story, so Adrian felt it was only right for everyone to share.

"I’m Lucian Vane, master of Endless Gorge, heir of the poison-doctor clan. Poison and killing are my fun, but even as a poison master, I’ve ended up poisoned myself—by love. And honestly, I don’t want the antidote." Lucian’s eyes narrowed playfully, twirling a shiny silver needle in his fingers. His words were full of soft, deep affection.

"I’m Caleb Miles, Crown Prince of the Endless Indulgence Kingdom. Scheming is my hobby, and fleecing people is my joy. But in all my plotting, I ended up losing my own heart." As Caleb finished, he pulled out his golden abacus, looking a bit helpless but mostly happy.

"You’re the Crown Prince of the Endless Indulgence Kingdom?" Adrian Night, Lucian Vane, and Liam Willow were all shocked. Who would have guessed that the simple, clingy guy had such a background?!

"Sorry for only telling you now," Caleb said, smiling sheepishly as he fiddled with his abacus. "Guess I owe you guys—so let me cover the food bill tonight!"

Liam Willow stood up and looked around at everyone. "I—I’m the one with the weakest status. Just a Top Scholar who almost got killed by the Crown Prince, and now I’ve somehow become everyone’s ‘Saint.’ Honestly, I feel a bit guilty. As for me and Ivy, we’ve known each other since childhood. A single word from her has driven me to work hard ever since. I may not know martial arts, but I’ve always tried my best, just so I wouldn’t fall too far behind the rest of you."

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Adrian Night quickly said, "Who says you’re falling behind? You’re the kindest among us, and absolutely essential."

"Exactly! Our kids will be counting on you for their education. You handle the academics, we’ll handle martial arts—so our children will be total prodigies, top-notch in both!" Lucian Vane laughed, already picturing their dazzling future.

"Totally!" The others chimed in enthusiastically.

Liam Willow burst out laughing, "Thank you, guys. Really, thank you!"

"Alright, my turn. I’m Butterfly Rogue, heir to the Storm Command Token, though honestly I used to be a useless flower thief who didn’t care about my duty. But ever since I met my wifey, I’ve cleaned up my act—seriously! I haven’t picked a single flower since. Well, those weren’t flowers, just dogshit... Anyway, since meeting her, I became a righteous thief who only robs corrupt officials and never takes a coin from good folks. I’m doing all this to build up a bride price worthy of marrying her." Butterfly Rogue spoke with total sincerity—he really wasn’t lying.

"I’m Ethan Chu, Emperor of Chu. My status is special, but honestly, I’m just like you guys—I’m truly in love with Ivy. She taught me that living means hope, helped me find my confidence again, and gave me the courage to face everything. For her, I’d abolish my entire harem just to stay by her side." Hearing an emperor say this stunned everyone.

Even though the others knew his identity, they’d always thought he was just joking. After all, he’s an emperor—how could a ruler abolish his whole harem for a woman who isn’t even his alone? If word got out, wouldn’t he lose face as emperor?

But to their surprise, Ethan showed no sign of backing down. Turns out, love really is like this—once you’re in, you’re all in, and nothing else matters!

"I think I don’t need to introduce myself anymore—you’ve all heard my story already," Eli Crane said breezily, but there was still a hint of sweetness in his voice.

Adrian Night nodded. "Now we all want the same thing—to keep Ivy safe and well. But right now, she’s risking herself alone in the palace, and none of us can guess how dangerous it really is. The only thing we can do is help her, so we can all have peace of mind. What do you think?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Letting Ivy face those dangers alone was absolutely out of the question!

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PS: Dear readers, all seven husbands can’t enter the palace at the same time, or it would make Song Zhi-jue’s defenses look too weak, and all the sacrifices so far would seem meaningless.