The four of them were stunned by what they heard. Then Lucian Vane was the first to shriek, "Xin'er, Xin'er, you remember me now, don't you?"
"Xin'er, are you feeling better now?" Liam Willow was also beyond excited, his eyes shining with happiness.
"Shen Bingxin, I literally married you in a proper ceremony—how could you call me just a fellow traveler?" Caleb Miles was clearly annoyed by the nickname.
"Wow, wifey, you're so heartless! I'm your Butterfly Rogue, your Number Five Husband!" Butterfly Rogue was happy she got her memory back, but also super salty about the nickname.
"Grandpa Tong, let's head inside." Ignoring the two who were still screaming, she took the old man's arm and walked in. Lucian Vane hurried after her, his beautiful face lit up with joy and excitement.
None of them ever expected Shen Bingxin to have a house like this here. From the outside, it looked pretty ordinary, but inside, it was a whole different world: little bridges over flowing water, rock gardens, tall trees—everything was full of charm.
There were only three people living in this house: Grandpa Tong the steward, one person in charge of cleaning, and another who handled the cooking. Grandpa Tong was actually a patient once treated by Shen Bingxin's mother. Later, by sheer luck, they met him again while fleeing, and he generously took them in and cared for them. Over time, they came to treat him as family.
After Shen Bingxin's mother passed away, Grandpa Tong kept looking after her with all his heart. Since he had no children of his own, he'd always treated Shen Bingxin like a granddaughter, giving her all the best food. Later, Shen Bingxin bought this house so he could retire here, promising she'd come back for her business. Grandpa Tong had always known her true identity, and he refused to let anyone else serve him. He often brought Shen Bingxin news about martial arts tournaments, big and small.
"You must be tired. I'll have the kitchen whip up something for you right away," Grandpa Tong said, heading inside.
"Grandpa Tong, hey, you can relax! I'll cook for everyone in a bit," Shen Bingxin said, pulling the old man to sit down. "By the way, what happened to all those servants I found for you?"
"This is way too good!" Butterfly Rogue instantly forgot all his earlier complaints the moment he saw the mountain of delicious food.
"Oh right, Ivy, that Silver Consort—ranked second in Jianghu—has already arrived."
*Clatter!* Grandpa Tong had barely finished his sentence when Caleb Miles dropped his chopsticks onto the table in shock.
Everyone paused for a moment. Ivy glanced at Caleb but said nothing, turning to Grandpa Tong instead. "Where is she staying?!"
"Yuelai Inn, Heaven-Number One room," Grandpa Tong replied, fussing over every bit of news about them. He might look like he just wanders the streets all day, but actually, he's always collecting intel. Any useful info gets sent straight to Ivy by carrier pigeon.
"She got here fast!"
"She arrived two hours before you guys did."
Ivy glanced at Caleb again, noticing he’d stopped eating and was deep in thought. She smiled and switched the topic. "Got it. Grandpa, eat up!"
"Alright, you eat more too. Here, this is Grandpa’s special black-chicken soup—drink up!" Grandpa Tong fussed, ladling soup for her.
The rest of dinner was just Ivy and Grandpa Tong chatting about family stuff.
Ivy stood, stretched, and grinned. "Relax, I’m not dying anytime soon. I’ve got way too many perfect husbands—if I croak, they’ll just go marry someone else, and I’m way too possessive for that! No way I’m letting them fall for anyone else, right, Lucian?" She suddenly turned toward the shadowy bushes.
"Haha…" Lucian Vane, caught hiding in the bushes, awkwardly stood up and started smoothing his sleeves. "I-I was just, uh, admiring the moon!"
"Isn’t moon-watching usually done sitting down? How do you admire the moon lying flat in the grass?" Ivy smirked. "And what about our friend up in the tree—are you moon-gazing too?"
Busted, Butterfly Rogue had no choice but to drop down from the tree. He’d been totally still—how did Ivy even spot him?!
"Wife, the watermelon’s all sliced!" Liam Willow walked over with a big tray of watermelon.
Ivy grabbed a piece and chomped down with gusto. "Whoa, this is crazy sweet!"
"Yeah, today’s watermelon is next-level sweet," Liam agreed, having already sampled a piece.
"Why are you all just staring? Eat up!" Ivy said, noticing everyone eyeing her watermelon.
The four guys instantly grabbed watermelon and started munching like there was no tomorrow. The Silver Consort stress? Poof—gone, thanks to melon therapy.
After demolishing two whole melons, Ivy wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and headed toward the house. But after just two steps, she spun around and called out, "Lucian, go wash up and come sleep with me tonight!"
*Pfffttt!* Butterfly Rogue did a dramatic spit-take with his watermelon. "Why him? Why not me?!"
Lucian choked on his melon, so surprised he nearly turned as red as the fruit.
"Hmph!" Caleb Miles turned his back in a huff. He was a legit husband, so why wasn’t he chosen?
Liam Willow just smiled gently. As long as he could stay by Ivy’s side, that was enough for him.
After a while...
Ivy finished washing up and flopped onto the bed. Barely a few seconds later, someone knocked—Lucian Vane slipped inside.
"Wife…" Lucian leaned in the doorway, twirling a lotus flower under his nose and flashing a roguish grin. "Fresh flowers for a beauty!" He looked exactly like a TV drama street thug trying to flirt.
"Hey, are you sleeping or not?" Ivy tried not to laugh at his pose.
"Sleeping, sleeping! Coming right now!" Thinking Ivy might be annoyed, Lucian quickly locked the door, dove under the covers, and whispered in a heated tone, "Wife, your husband is here…"