Their eyes met, and in that exchange, Ivy Shen seemed to catch the crucial information she needed!
"Wow, so pretty! Mother, this place is gorgeous!" Caleb Miles cheered, running happily into the sea of flowers, laughing and waving for her. "Beijing, come quick! It smells amazing here! Hurry up!"
Seeing this, Mabel Miao (Queen Yun) gently stood up from King Raymond Lan's embrace, walked over to Ivy Shen, took her hand, and smiled, "Shall we go take a look up ahead?"
"Sure!" Ivy was curious what she was planning, so she followed her ahead.
Butterfly Rogue wanted to tag along, but Ivy's look stopped him—she clearly meant for him to stay put.
"Beijing, Beijing, where are you going?" Caleb tried to chase after them, but Butterfly Rogue darted over to block his way.
"Ugh, why are you stopping me? Move it, move it!" Caleb pouted and grumbled, flailing his hands, determined to shove Butterfly Rogue out of the way.
"Come on, big bro will play with you!" Butterfly Rogue grinned, taking advantage of Caleb's fuzzy state.
"No way, you're not my brother!"
"Alright, be good!" Butterfly Rogue didn't let him refuse, dragging him ahead.
"No! Beijing, save me! Beijing, save me!"
Meanwhile, King Raymond Lan watched the distant figure with aching heart. Sweet memories kept flooding in, but the thought that this sweetness would last only seven more months stabbed at him, leaving his heart writhing in pain.
Mabel Miao (Queen Yun) led Ivy Shen by the hand to the lakeshore, where willow branches swayed in the breeze and fluffy catkins drifted by—a hidden paradise, tranquil and beautiful.
"I found this place right after marrying into the palace. Because I'm a Menstrual Maiden, I'm not afraid of Hell Valley's black flowers, so I came here and accidentally discovered this secret wonderland. It's gorgeous—spring all year round! Look, the willows are so fresh and green, isn't it lovely?" She smiled, still holding Ivy's hand, taking in the beauty around them.
Hearing this, Ivy turned to look at Yvonne Yun, saying nothing, but she was truly captivated by the place. Who would've thought—Soaring Phoenix Realm was always summer, Luyu Kingdom was comfortably warm, but here it was always spring. Such a strange, magical spot made her want to keep exploring.
Yvonne Yun snapped out of her thoughts, smiled, and asked, "What's your name?"
"Ivy Shen!" This time, she didn't lie—she answered honestly.
"Ivy Shen?" Yvonne Yun murmured the name, pausing for a few seconds before shaking her head with a sigh. "Looks like this was fate. No wonder—even after losing his memory, Caleb can't forget you, the princess. Just how deep is that love, anyway?"
"You figured it out?" Ivy was shocked—she actually knew her true identity?!
Seeing this, Yvonne Yun quickly patted the back of her hand to reassure her. "Don't worry, I mean no harm. I've heard some things about Caleb from his aunt. She said he fell for a woman he shouldn't love, someone destined to bring him disaster, so she gave him a forget-love pill. But I never imagined the pill would make him suffer so much—he was miserable every single day, wasting away, and it broke my heart. I truly had no solution. Only when you appeared did he finally recover. He still can't remember the past, but he must love you deeply—so deeply that even with no memories, he still clings to that familiar feeling!"
Ivy looked at her, silent for a long moment, genuinely impressed by her deduction skills.
Yvonne Yun let go of her hand, took a deep breath, and stared at the lake before speaking slowly and clearly: "I think the rare medicine you came here for isn't some plant—it's me, isn't it?" She turned her gaze back to Ivy's face.
Ivy frowned, her eyes curious and probing. "You figured it out?" This woman wasn't just good at deduction—her powers of observation were off the charts!
Seeing Ivy's wary look, Yvonne Yun turned back to the lake. "No need to be nervous. I can sense these things—Menstrual Maidens are born with a natural feel for gu, almost like caring for their own child. The moment I saw your so-called brother, I knew he was riddled with gu, and it was severe enough that he couldn't stand for long. To cure him, what you need is my heart-stop blood." Yvonne Yun spoke as if she'd seen through everything.
"Yes! I didn't expect you to be so smart—you figured it all out so fast." Ivy didn't hold back her praise.
"Heh, it's just a natural ability for Menstrual Maidens. That's why I never had to learn gu arts—I just know them." She smiled wryly, then continued, "Still, I guessed your goal, but I didn't expect you to be a woman—let alone such a beautiful one." Yvonne Yun looked at Ivy's face with genuine admiration.
Hearing that, Ivy took a deep breath and looked at her earnestly. "Since you already know my true purpose, please—can you save him?"
"You care about him a lot?"
"Yes!"
"And what about Caleb?"
"He... I don't know," Ivy said, watching Caleb and Butterfly Rogue tussling in the distance. Her mind was a mess. To be honest, Caleb was her official husband—even if they hadn't slept together, they were legally married. She hadn't paid much attention to him at first, but then she learned Silver Consort was his aunt. Later, he even turned against his aunt for her sake, and then...
Honestly, she really didn't know. Whenever romance came up, her brain just short-circuited!
"Looks like that young master likes you a lot too," Yvonne Yun observed, glancing at the conflicted Ivy before shifting her gaze to Butterfly Rogue.
Ivy could tell what Yvonne Yun was getting at—she probably thought Ivy was flirting with everyone and keeping things ambiguous. So Ivy decided not to hide it anymore. "I'll be honest with you: Caleb and I are already married."
"Uh? What?" Yvonne Yun was genuinely stunned. "You two are married?!"
"Yep. And he's only my Number Three husband. I married three other men the same day as him."
"What?!" Yvonne Yun was so shocked she didn't even know what to say. She'd known Ivy was no ordinary woman, but she never imagined she had so many husbands!
And her Caleb was only third in line?!
"I don't even know how to explain it. It's super complicated. I even gave Caleb a divorce letter once—told him to go find a woman who could stay by his side forever. Too bad, he refused. I know you care about him, you love him, but I need you to understand: I'm truly sincere toward every one of my husbands. There's no way I could ever leave them. I owe them all way too much, so I'll just have to love them with everything I've got!"
Ivy's words made it clear: no matter how much Yvonne Yun loved Caleb, asking her to give up her other husbands was simply impossible!
"So, have you and Caleb ever..."
"No! We're totally innocent!" Ivy blurted out, flustered by Yvonne Yun's look.
Yvonne Yun gave her a meaningful smile. "You're married, so why..."
"It's not what you think! It's super complicated." Ivy rushed to explain. She knew Yvonne Yun cared about Caleb's happiness and wanted to clarify that they were innocent, hoping she'd maybe arrange for him to be with someone like Miss Ruan.
"Caleb really likes you, you know..." Yvonne Yun nodded toward them, where Caleb was still shouting, "Beijing, wuwu, Beijing... wuwu, Beijing, I want to go to you, Beijing..."
Ivy didn't say anything—she honestly had no idea what to say at this point.
Yvonne Yun took a deep breath and sighed, "I promised my sister I'd make sure Caleb would be happy, that he'd live with joy. His aunt said the woman he loves would bring him danger. I thought the pill would make him happy, but now I know—if his memory ever comes back and he finds out what we did, he'll hate me forever."
"You promised your sister?" Ivy didn't get what she meant.
Yvonne Yun gave a helpless smile. "Sorry, I never told you—Caleb isn't my biological son. As a Menstrual Maiden, I have to constantly cultivate with the king, but even if I get pregnant, I can't keep the child. Caleb is my sister's son—she entrusted him to me before she died. So I poured all my love into him, caring for him with everything I had, just hoping he'd be happy." Her eyes filled with sorrow.
"Your Majesty..."
"My little sister was always mischievous and willful—she'd never listen to our parents, but she'd do whatever I said. So whenever our parents needed something, they'd make me say it. You know, we once promised each other we'd marry the same man, so we could always be together. But..."
"She didn't marry the king?"
"The timing was off. She met someone else—Silver Consort's brother, but the Silver family had too many enemies. My sister..." Yvonne Yun choked up, unable to go on. "So I promised her I'd make sure Caleb would be happy, that he'd live with joy."
Ivy didn't say anything. At last, she understood—Silver Consort was actually Caleb's father's sister. That had always puzzled her; by rights, Caleb should have the surname Silver, not Lan. Now she knew the truth.
Yvonne Yun struggled to contain her emotions and went on, "I know your world is dangerous, but isn't he happy with you?"
"Your Majesty..."
"You want to save your brother? I can help you," Yvonne Yun said, nodding seriously.
"Really? You'd really do that?" Ivy was stunned—she hadn't expected things to go so smoothly!
Yvonne Yun smiled gently. "That's right, I'll help you. But you have to promise me one thing..."
"A condition?"
"Yes. I trust you came to me knowing that a Menstrual Maiden's heart-blood is the hardest to obtain. If I give it willingly, it can save your beloved. But if I have even a hint of reluctance, not only will it fail to heal his legs—it could cost him his life." Yvonne Yun looked at her and continued, "You know, Caleb is the one I worry about most, the one I love most. Even though he's lost his memory, I know that being with you will help him regain it soon."
Ivy frowned slightly. "And then?"
"My condition is simple. Since you're already married, I want you to fulfill your duties as a wife. I want you two to consummate your marriage!"
"What?" Ivy was stunned. Consummate the marriage?!
"That's right. In exchange, I want you two to spend the wedding night together!"
"Why that condition?" Ivy was baffled. Why would she ask for this?
"I don't care how many husbands you have. I know Caleb loves you. Since he's willing to stay with you alongside your other husbands, it means he's accepted everything about you. So I hope you'll consummate your marriage, and let him truly become your husband." Yvonne Yun looked toward Caleb with a gentle, motherly smile.
Caleb, this is the last thing your mother can do for you!
"The mountain god is angry now, so let's stay here for the night. We'll leave tomorrow. See, there's a little cabin ahead—let's go." Yvonne Yun started walking ahead, then suddenly turned back to Ivy. "Think it over carefully. If you agree, I'll willingly give you my heart-blood, and I'll help heal your brother too." With that, she walked away.
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