THIP Chapter 62

“You satisfied now?!” Mu Liuyin stared at Mu Qingzhi. Her pitch-black eyes seemed to shimmer with unshed tears, and her voice was cold. “Mu Qingzhi, I’ve never done anything to betray you!”

“But… you’re the prince of an enemy empire to Great Chu.” Mu Qingzhi’s eyes dimmed, her voice low and weary. “Liuyin, as the most beloved royal of Great Chu… why would you truly, sincerely… heal my legs?”

If not for some ulterior motive, yet still showing me such care, wasn’t that love?

Mu Liuyin was momentarily speechless. Seeing Mu Qingzhi’s expression, the fire that had been burning in her heart was suddenly extinguished, replaced by a wave of helplessness.

So now this was her fault?

Heaven knows—if Mu Qingzhi hadn’t been her mission target, would she have willingly treated her legs? Would she have shielded her with her own body during that assassination attempt?

Fine. Add in the fact that the story made Mu Qingzhi pitiful enough, and her face just happened to look exactly like that person’s—that probably contributed too.

Looking at the unjustly pitiful expression in Mu Qingzhi’s eyes, Mu Liuyin reflected for a moment. She decided that in the future, she would avoid doing anything that might mislead a mission target again.

Still, she was furious! Especially with that face of Mu Qingzhi’s. It was just… infuriating.

So in response to Mu Qingzhi’s question, Mu Liuyin said coldly, “Didn’t I tell you from the start? I was only interested in the poison of your royal family.”

And with that, she flung her sleeve and stormed out of Mu Qingzhi’s room.

After walking some distance, something felt off. That’s when Mu Liuyin realized—she had walked out still wearing the wedding gown.

“…”

She quickly returned to the bedroom, changed into her usual clothes, and went to the pharmacy, thinking about how to speed up the treatment process for Mu Qingzhi’s legs. After all, unless she completed that task, she couldn’t leave Prince Qi’s manor.

Sighing, she began reworking the antidote formula.

As the date of Prince Qi’s wedding drew near, even the Yue Empire got wind of the event. Despite Moon Wuxi dispatching spies for weeks, they still hadn’t managed to discover who Prince Qi was marrying.

Suddenly, Moon Wuxi remembered the still-missing Mu Liuyin, who had refused to return from Prince Qi’s estate. His eyes narrowed slightly.

A few days later, the wedding was held.

Because of that night’s threat, and with her mission still unfinished, Mu Liuyin donned the wedding gown with a cold face.

The only thing she was grateful for was the red bridal veil—aside from the people at Prince Qi’s manor and Mu Yinglan, no one knew who the mysterious bride was or what she looked like.

The wedding ceremony followed ancient customs, but in this female-dominant world, the only difference was that women married men, and women were always the initiators.

System voice, cautiously: “That’s not all, host. In a matriarchal world, men can get pregnant.”

Mu Liuyin: “…Shut up!!!”

Even though she told the system to shut up, the words “men can get pregnant” filled her with terror.

System added: “Don’t worry, host. Because you’re a mission agent, you won’t get pregnant.”

It better be true!

That night, Mu Qingzhi had a little to drink, but no one dared get her drunk due to her status. Not long after Mu Liuyin was brought into the bridal chamber, Mu Qingzhi arrived.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, her usually pale, jade-like cheeks were flushed. Her calm, aloof eyes held a soft haze of intoxication—so different from the cold and detached figure Mu Liuyin had first met.

But Mu Liuyin didn’t give Mu Qingzhi the chance to lift her veil—she had already taken it off the moment she entered the room.

Seeing Mu Liuyin’s cool expression, Mu Qingzhi only smiled. She wheeled herself over and softly called, “Liuyin…”

There was a hint of wine in her breath, and something intimate in the air.

Her hands fell gently on Mu Liuyin’s shoulders. Then she slowly stood up. Under Mu Liuyin’s indifferent gaze, she pushed her down onto the bed and leaned over her.

The scent of wine and Mu Qingzhi’s faint orchid fragrance mingled in the air. As Mu Liuyin stared into her eyes, hazy with longing, she suddenly felt a strange illusion, as if the person above her truly, deeply loved her.

But the moment passed.

Mu Liuyin quickly raised her right hand, aiming to seal Mu Qingzhi’s pressure point.

But before her fair fingers could touch her, Mu Qingzhi caught her hand. With a faint smile, she looked down at her and swiftly tapped two fingers against Mu Liuyin’s pressure point instead.

“Mu Qingzhi!” Mu Liuyin’s heart jumped, her eyes widening.

The next instant, their lips met.

They were so close that Mu Liuyin could see every long, dark lash on Mu Qingzhi’s eyes. But she was panicking, angry, afraid—completely unable to appreciate the beauty hovering above her.

The kiss lasted who knew how long. When Mu Qingzhi finally pulled away, Mu Liuyin’s lips were red and swollen, her dark eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of falling.

Yet no matter how much she resisted in her heart, she was paralyzed—unable to fight back.

All she could do was bite her lip, hard, to stop herself from making a sound.

But the tears still slipped silently down her face.

Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, Mu Qingzhi gently kissed the tears away, soft and slow.

Her voice hoarse, she whispered, “Don’t cry…”

But Mu Liuyin sobbed harder, biting her lip until it bled.

Even the ever-calm Prince Qi, who hadn’t flinched when told she’d never walk again, looked panicked for the first time, trying to soothe her.

Through the blur of tears, Mu Liuyin’s eyes burned with rage. She looked like a helpless, angry little beast.

Fierce, yet pitiful.

Mu Qingzhi couldn’t help it—she chuckled softly. It was hoarse, gentle… and filled with unhidden affection.

Halfway through, she released Mu Liuyin’s pressure point—but by then, she had no strength left to struggle.

…

After their wedding night, although they continued living under the same roof, Mu Qingzhi never forced herself on Mu Liuyin again. Most of Mu Liuyin’s time was spent in the pharmacy. Half a month later, she finally developed a new antidote that could cleanse the remaining poison from Mu Qingzhi’s legs in three months.

During this time, no one outside knew who the mysterious Prince Qi’s bride was. But Moon Wuxi, after once again being refused by his younger brother, confirmed that the bride was none other than Shi Wuyin.

Back in the Yue Empire, Moon Wuxi’s expression grew increasingly cold and detached.

Sure enough, within three months, the Yue Empire declared war, claiming Prince Qi had forcibly married and imprisoned their Seventh Prince.

Only then did Mu Yinglan realize: the famed miracle healer, Shi Wuyin, was the Seventh Prince of the Yue Empire.

She wanted Mu Qingzhi to hand Wuyin over—but for the first time, the younger princess defied her, stating firmly that she would never surrender her.

On the fifth day of the war, Prince Qi, who hadn’t attended court in nearly three years, petitioned to lead the army.

Mu Yinglan refused. But then she watched, stunned, as Mu Qingzhi rose from her wheelchair.

“Royal Sister,” she said calmly. “My legs are fully healed.”

Mu Yinglan fell silent, face shifting subtly. She wasn’t sure whether Mu Qingzhi knew the truth about how her legs had been injured.

To her surprise, more than half the court supported Mu Qingzhi leading the war.

In the end, she left for the battlefield, taking Mu Liuyin with her.

The war dragged on for over a year. In the end, the Yue Empire was defeated.

But as it was her original homeland, Mu Liuyin had made Mu Qingzhi promise: as long as the Yue Empire did not start another war, Great Chu would not attack.

When Mu Qingzhi returned triumphant, Mu Yinglan’s face darkened. She hadn’t wanted Great Chu to lose, but Mu Qingzhi’s return felt like an even bigger blow.

In the following days, she couldn’t stop thinking about the time Mu Qingzhi had been injured.

And on the third day after her return… her fears came true.

Unbeknownst to her, Mu Qingzhi already had loyal followers in the palace. Mu Yinglan was imprisoned.

Then Mu Qingzhi, using an imperial edict sealed with the jade seal, claimed the title of Regent, citing the emperor’s grave illness.

Somehow, in those three years she spent “recovering,” she’d won over most of the court. Almost everyone supported her.

As Mu Yinglan was detained, Mu Qingzhi’s expression remained calm. “Royal Sister,” she said softly, “I never wanted to be emperor. You’re still Great Chu’s sovereign.”

Only now… the emperor no longer held power.

Back at the manor, Mu Liuyin was by the lotus pond, watching the blossoms.

Mu Qingzhi walked over, wrapped her arms around her from behind, and rested her chin on her shoulder.

At that moment, a cold system countdown echoed in Mu Liuyin’s mind.

She whispered, “Mu Qingzhi… I’m leaving.”

“Leaving?” Mu Qingzhi smiled. “Liuyin, you’re already mine. Where could you possibly go?”

A thread of blood spilled from Mu Liuyin’s lips. She turned, and the moment Mu Qingzhi saw it, her smile vanished.

Mu Liuyin coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed into her arms.

Mu Qingzhi caught her, just as the system countdown hit zero. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Two streams of tears slid down Mu Qingzhi’s face. Panicked, she rushed for a doctor, only to hear the words: Poisoned herself.

Mu Qingzhi froze. Her vision blurred with tears.

In disbelief, she carried Mu Liuyin back to the bedroom, kissed her, undressed her—yet felt no response from the body beneath her.

“Liuyin,” she choked through tears, “Come back. I won’t force you anymore. Go wherever you want… Just stop playing, okay?”

From the system space, Mu Liuyin watched through the water mirror as Mu Qingzhi broke down. A pale smile curved her lips.

She was already gone. That body… could never come back.

She opened the emotional-cleansing serum floating before her and drank it without hesitation.