Underworld Reapers, Soul-Collecting Envoys (2)

That night

Since it was winter, night fell especially fast. Today, Ivy Shen ordered her seven husbands not to go out and to stay home with her instead.

The seven husbands were a bit confused by this.

But Ivy just smiled and told them, "It's because you've all been busy with the war for so long that we haven't had a chance to talk."

Only then did the seven realize that, thanks to all the fighting, they'd barely spent any time with her lately.

So the whole family gathered around the brazier, eating hotpot that Ivy had specially made. Laughter filled the tent as everyone chatted happily about anything and everything.

Meanwhile, Little Snowball was carried off to Madam Jin's tent by the nurses. When Xu Ning heard she'd get to spend the night with Little Snowball, she was absolutely thrilled.

With Little Snowball gone, the warm tent was left with just the eight of them, cozy and content.

“Ivy, this is amazing! I thought I’d tasted all the world’s delicacies, but I never expected something this good!” Caleb Miles praised nonstop.

“Yeah, Ivy, what’s this called again? Hotpot, right? It’s so good! Hey, after we take down the Soaring Phoenix Realm, how about we open a hotpot restaurant so everyone can eat this warm, cozy food in winter?” Butterfly Rogue said, stuffing a piece of lamb into his mouth.

“That’s a great idea! Next time, let’s open a few in Chu Kingdom too,” Ethan Chu laughed, nodding while tossing chunks of wild chicken into the pot to cook.

Eli Crane added in some delicious mushrooms and wild greens, nodding in agreement with their plan.

“Ivy, did Little Snowball get his milk yet?” Adrian Night asked while eating. These days, aside from Ivy, their hearts were all set on their son.

“He did, and I pumped plenty too. He was hungry, so Madam Jin will warm up some milk for him. Seriously, you guys finally sit down with me for a meal and all you can think about is that little guy?” Ivy pouted a little, feeling like she’d dropped in their rankings. Boohoo, so sad.

“Ivy, of course you’re our top priority! Here, be good and have some rabbit,” Liam Willow hurriedly said, dropping a piece of rabbit into her bowl.

Earlier, when Ivy decided on hotpot for dinner, she made them catch some fresh meat—rabbit, wild chicken, lamb, you name it, they had it.

“Top priority, huh? So you don’t care about Little Snowball at all?” Ivy glared at Liam Willow, faking anger.

Everyone broke out in cold sweat. So it’s true—when a woman starts making trouble for no reason, she’s unbeatable!

“How could I not? You and Little Snowball are both my top priorities! And of course, the other six too. We’re all family, no favorites!” Liam Willow quickly wised up and dragged everyone else into it.

Everyone just ate their food, stifling laughter, refusing to back up Liam Willow or even look at him. They totally left him hanging.

Ivy stared at Liam Willow for a long moment without saying a word, making him sweat bullets, terrified he'd said something wrong again.

Finally, she couldn’t help it—she burst out laughing.

Her laughter set everyone off; they all cracked up, except for poor Liam Willow, who just sat there dazed, totally clueless about what was so funny.

“Tomorrow we storm the city. Come on, let’s raise a glass and celebrate!” Ivy lifted her cup, filled with her favorite peach blossom wine—sweet, gentle, and not too strong.

“Cheers!” Everyone raised their cups and drank it all in one go.

It was a wonderful meal—everyone was genuinely happy. Between the war and Ivy’s childbirth, moments like this were rare.

After dinner, Ethan Chu had the servants take everything out to wash, then sent someone to Madam Jin’s tent to add more charcoal so the baby prince wouldn’t catch cold. Butterfly Rogue grabbed a broom and tidied up, while Eli Crane made sure every brazier was stocked with fresh coals to keep the tent nice and warm.

“Come on, lie down,” Ivy called, flopping onto the big bed and patting the spots beside her.

“Coming!” Adrian Night dashed over first, with Ethan Chu slyly following and flopping down beside Ivy. The two of them settled in on either side of her.

The rest, once they’d finished tidying up, joined them one by one on the soft bed: Liam Willow, Adrian Night, Caleb Miles, Butterfly Rogue, Ethan Chu, Ivy, Eli Crane.

“Tomorrow will be even busier. Tonight, let’s just chat,” Ivy said, gazing up at the tent’s ceiling.

“Sounds good!” everyone chorused.

Ivy sat up, leaning against the headboard. The back of the bed was thick and padded with a stitched velvet quilt, making it wonderfully warm and comfy.

Her seven husbands didn’t sit up, but lay there, gazing up at her.

Ivy looked down at them and gave a sweet smile. For a moment, she was radiant—beauty in full bloom, outshining the world itself.

"I have two secrets I haven’t told you. Tonight, I want to share them." Hugging her knees, she said calmly, "Do you know who Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning really are?"

“They’re amazing—always appearing and disappearing like ghosts. They must be top experts,” Liam Willow said.

Ivy nodded. "They're members of the Shadow Guard."

"What?" Six of them were stunned—everyone except Lucian Yan. The Shadow Guard was legendary among martial artists, a secretive group whose spies and assassins were everywhere. Nobody knew their true faces, but their information was always the fastest and most accurate. Nothing escaped the Shadow Guard, yet no one had ever seen their real identities.

No one ever expected Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning to be part of the Shadow Guard. But what about Ivy?

Seeing everyone’s puzzled looks, Ivy gave a little smile. “I’m the master of the Shadow Guard.”

“What?” The six martial artists immediately sat up. “Ivy, you’re the head of the Shadow Guard?”

Ivy nodded. “The Shadow Guard is spread far and wide. Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning are its captains, and their members are everywhere in the Serpent Realm. Their main job is gathering intelligence.”

“Wow.” Everyone was amazed. Just how many identities did their beloved have? Why did every single one surprise them so much?

“But even the Shadow Guard can’t figure out Cao Wan’er’s current plans and methods,” Ivy said, face expressionless. She’d expected this—if Cao Wan’er were easy to deal with, they wouldn’t have to worry so much.

“Ivy, are there Shadow Guard members in the palace too?” Butterfly Rogue asked eagerly.

“Yes, but I’ve ordered them to stop all activity for now. There’s another dark force at work, and I want to keep my people safe.” Ivy guessed that this powerful rival was probably Cao Wan’er’s own network—her ‘Shadow Guard,’ so to speak. No wonder she managed to kill the old emperor and seize power; you’d need serious skills for that.

“Ivy…” Lucian Yan didn’t really understand what the Shadow Guard was, but seeing Ivy’s expression, he couldn’t help but call out softly.

Ivy smiled gently. "Let’s not worry about all that. No matter what, we have to take this city. We can’t let it fall into the hands of that wretched mother and son."

“What about the other secret?” Ethan Chu couldn’t help asking.

At his question, Ivy looked at her seven husbands, now all sitting up, and said seriously, “What I’m about to tell you is a long story. I hope you’ll listen quietly until I finish, okay?”

Everyone nodded, facing her, sitting cross-legged and listening intently.

Seeing this, Ivy took a deep breath, gazed at each of them, and began: "I’m actually not Ivy Shen—"

Yes, she was just a borrowed soul in another’s body. At this moment, she didn’t want to hide anymore. She knew she was running out of time, and the thought of someday being taken away by the underworld reapers terrified her. If she kept it secret, her husbands would suffer even more. Better to tell them the truth: the soul’s departure doesn’t mean death—maybe, somewhere in another world, she could still live happily.

Looking at her perfect husbands, Ivy felt so warm inside. They were truly wonderful—they’d given her the happiest days and brightest moments of her life.

Sometimes she wondered how she got so lucky—seven perfect guys, all hers. Sometimes she’d even get weirdly jealous of her own life. Total jackpot!

With them, she was happy. With them, she was just a little woman.

But if it meant trading their lives for her own survival, she could never do it.

Liam Willow, Adrian Night, Caleb Miles, Butterfly Rogue, Ethan Chu, Eli Crane—Ivy truly loved you all. For you, she’d give up everything!

Even her life!

She only wished for their safety. Even if they couldn’t be happy, she hoped they’d live on!