Soaring Phoenix Realm, Draken City!
Lately, rumors about the Eastern Palace fire and the Crown Princess being burned alive have gone totally wild. Every commoner in Draken City is gossiping about it at dinner—nobody gets how the Eastern Palace could catch fire, or how the Crown Princess could just die out of nowhere. I mean, this is the imperial palace! How could anyone just barge in and cause chaos like that?!
No one actually knows what went down that night.
But the more the palace tries to cover things up, the more everyone wants to dig out the truth.
Still, apart from wild guesses, folks can’t find a single clue.
Honestly, probably only those few people would dare pull off something so outrageous!
That night, Ivy Shen grabbed Nina Xu and jumped off the eaves, only to be snagged midair by a rope tossed from a tall tree outside by Butterfly Rogue. With Butterfly Rogue hauling them up, they swung right over the wall. Plus, since Jude Song had yelled that anyone who hurt her would get their nine clans wiped out, not a single guard dared charge forward.
Seeing it all play out, Ivy couldn’t help but smirk—everything was going exactly as she’d planned.
After that, they hopped onto the thousand-li horses waiting for them and bolted east.
With Yvonne Song’s detailed map and Ivy’s rule that everything had to happen up on the rooftops, the whole escape was nerve-wracking but pretty much foolproof.
It didn’t take long for the group to regroup. As for Yvonne Song, the moment Adrian Night and Lucian Vane busted her out, they whisked her away in another carriage straight to her little courtyard on Mount Hua. It’s super remote, so no one’s gonna find her. Honestly, Ivy Shen had wanted to send her back to Chu Kingdom at first, but after thinking it over—if war breaks out, all those stubborn old ministers will definitely blame Yvonne.
Plus, with all the injuries and trauma, there’s no way Yvonne’s ready to go back to Chu, let alone face him yet!
Thinking it over, that courtyard is hands-down the safest and most comforting spot. There’s someone there Ivy trusts, and she’s sure they’ll take great care of Yvonne.
Besides, Mount Hua’s back to its gorgeous old self. For someone like Yvonne who’s been locked up in the palace for years, it’s basically a natural healing spa.
Whether it’s her mind or her body, Ivy figures she’ll finally be able to let go and heal, because nature’s epic scenery gives people real hope to live.
So Ivy’s plan is for her to rest up and recover there. Then, when they’ve won everything, she’ll send Yvonne back to Chu Kingdom under a new identity—one Ivy’s already picked out: Madam Nee. (Hehe, here’s hoping General Nee doesn’t let her down!)
No matter what, since Ivy rescued her, she’s gonna make sure Yvonne lives well—she deserves to be happy!
But Ivy already promised Yvonne she’d never tell Ethan Chu about the hell she went through in the palace. That was Yvonne’s only condition for leaving, and Ivy totally gets it.
That’s why Ivy had Adrian Night and Lucian Vane do the rescue. Only after did she tell Ethan Chu his big sis was safe. He was thrilled—he’s always thought Jude Song was a total jerk who didn’t deserve her. He even suspected foul play in Yvonne’s miscarriage and wanted to ask her about it, but never got the chance. Now that Ivy’s got her out, he’s decided not to ask anything. She’s out of the palace, so it’s all over now, right?!
Thanks to their thousand-li horses, martial arts skills, and all the prep work they did, dodging the palace guards was a breeze.
After riding hard all night, the horses finally stopped—and by now, they were way, way far from Draken City.
Knock knock knock—Adrian Night tapped out the secret pattern on the door of a certain house.
A moment later, someone opened up. And there he was—the handsome scholar himself.
"Wifey..." Liam Willow grabbed Ivy’s hand, voice shaking with excitement.
Ivy just smiled and led everyone inside. The door swung shut behind them.
Butterfly Rogue was full of praise: "Wow, Little Seven, your white crane is seriously smart! I can't believe it actually managed to notify little White Rabbit!"
"How long have you been here?" Ivy asked, turning to Liam.
Liam scratched his head, sheepish. "I just got here—barely half an hour ago."
Ivy chuckled but didn’t comment. His rumpled clothes and windblown hair said it all—he’d only just arrived, and it hadn’t been easy. Little White had delivered the message earlier that day, and this place was crazy far. Liam’s not exactly a horse-riding expert; normally, it’d take him two days to get here, but he showed up way ahead of schedule. Clearly, he gave it his all.
"Thanks for the hard work," Adrian Night said, clapping Liam on the shoulder with a smile. The other six nodded in agreement. For martial artists like them, it was obvious from Liam’s red, swollen palms that he’d worked his butt off riding here—the reins had rubbed his hands raw and bruised. It must’ve been torture for him.
"It’s fine, really!" Liam Willow said, scratching his head, embarrassed. As long as he could be with them, a little hardship was nothing!
"Little White Rabbit, you’re awesome!" Butterfly Rogue gave him a big thumbs-up.
"Wifey?" Nina Xu glanced at Liam Willow, then at Ivy, totally baffled by the nickname. Wait, does Sherry have a husband? Is this gentle scholar guy her husband?!
Seeing Nina’s shock, Ivy just smiled and introduced her: "Everyone, this is my palace sister, Goslyn Goss." Then, turning to Nina: "Hello, I’m Ivy Shen. Nice to meet you—please support me!"
"Wait—Shen... Shen Bingxin?"
Ivy smiled, took the potion Butterfly Rogue handed her, and gently rubbed her face. Then—rip!—she peeled off the human-skin mask. Goslyn Goss gasped.
"Oh my gosh..." Nina clapped a hand to her mouth, stunned. She’d always thought Sherry was the most beautiful woman in the world, but who knew that was just a mask? And underneath—wow! The real Ivy was a hundred times more gorgeous, more dazzling, more jaw-dropping. Did girls like this even exist?!
All seven husbands saw Nina’s stunned face and couldn’t help looking smug. Obviously! Their Xin’er really was the most beautiful woman alive!
"Xin... Xin’er?" Nina called out, testing the name.
Ivy nodded. "We’re even. You hid your real name once, and so did I."
Nina gulped, then suddenly turned to the crowd of husbands. "Please, brothers, let me stay—my feelings for Xin’er are real. I want to be by her side forever." She stepped up to Liam Willow. "Even if you’re her husband, I won’t back down. I hope you’ll accept me. I truly love her."
The group was totally floored. Seriously? It was one thing for Xin’er to attract men—but now even women couldn’t resist her charm?!
Ivy frowned. Seriously, they were fugitives—and this girl still had time for romance?!
"Xin’er, I know now’s not the time, but all your brothers are amazing. I want everyone’s blessing. And look, I know you already have a husband—I don’t mind! I just want to stay with you forever!" Nina declared, full of emotion.
"We mind!" Six voices shouted in perfect unison.
"Why?" Nina asked, confused. Was it really about gender? True love should be above all that!
"Why? Because of this!" And before Nina could react, each husband stepped up and gave Ivy a wild kiss—until she was nearly out of breath.
"Hey! Butterfly Rogue, you snuck in a kiss too! Shame on you!" Lucian Vane finally noticed Butterfly Rogue had joined in.
"Hehe, why not? Wow, I actually kissed her! I did, I did!" Butterfly Rogue was thrilled—he couldn’t believe he’d managed to kiss Xin’er. So happy!
The two men who’d kissed Xin’er for the first time were shaking their shoulders—anyone watching might think they were sad, but really, they were over the moon. Finally, they’d kissed her!
Honestly, they wished for this kind of chaos a few more times...
Even Lan Moxuan and Ethan Chu—normally so dignified—were having the same shameless thoughts!
"You... you..." Nina gasped, stunned. Was this some kind of sibling taboo?
Seeing Nina’s shock, Lucian Vane smirked, looking devilishly handsome. "Don’t be surprised. We’re not her brothers—we’re her..." He raised a brow, and the whole group chimed in, "Husbands!"