Just now, with a great weight lifted from her heart, Li Yue Shu emerged from her spatial realm only to find herself surrounded by dozens of snow wolves.
Among the pack was the very snow wolf she had shot earlier.
Damn it!
Without a second thought, Li Yue Shu quickly retreated back into her spatial realm.
It seemed she wouldn't be getting out anytime soon. She wondered if Gu Hexuan would be worried if he couldn't find her.
After all, she was the holder of the Panlong Jade Pendant, and Gu Hexuan naturally cared about her safety.
At this very moment, Gu Hexuan was rushing towards this direction with his men.
At this hour, Miss Li should have returned. Why was there no sign of her today?
Gu Hexuan led his men in a search, calling out Li Yue Shu's name, but he dared not speak too loudly, for fear of triggering another avalanche.
Just then, a soldier scouting ahead suddenly ran back, reporting that wolf tracks had been spotted ahead.
A sense of unease suddenly washed over Gu Hexuan. He quickly led a few men forward and cautiously observed the situation from behind a snowdrift.
They saw dozens of snow wolves searching for something on the vast expanse of snow. Several crimson bloodstains were visible on the ground.
Gu Hexuan's heart tightened. His first thought was that Li Yue Shu had met with misfortune.
However, the bloodstains were not extensive, and no dismembered limbs were visible. Miss Li might still be alive.
Gu Hexuan slowly retreated with his men, his expression grave. "Bypass this pack of wolves and search the surrounding area for any trace of Miss Li."
"Yes!"
The soldiers' voices were hushed as they quickly dispersed to search.
But their search yielded nothing. They searched for seven full days and found not even a shred of a clue.
Everyone understood that Miss Li must have met with an accident.
She was the one carrying the Panlong Jade Pendant. How were they going to explain this to the Emperor!
Everyone was anxious and felt compelled to relay the news back to Chongzhou.
Meanwhile, in Chongzhou, preparations were underway for the New Year celebrations the following day.
Today was New Year's Eve, and also Shen Yi Min's birthday. However, few paid much attention to the Fourteenth Prince, who lacked the support of his maternal clan.
Shen Yi Min didn't mind. It also gave him more opportunity to spend time with his mother.
This might be the last birthday his mother celebrated with him.
While everyone was busy preparing for the New Year, Consort Rong's palace seemed rather quiet.
At the dinner table, there were only Consort Rong, Shen Yi Min, and Mo Lian. The dishes were not lavish, but they exuded a sense of family warmth.
However, this year, there was no birthday cake on the table.
Shen Yi Min couldn't help but think of the promise made by a certain person to make a cake every year for his birthday, a wave of sadness washing over him.
As his mother, Consort Rong could not fail to notice his unusual mood.
She had heard about the birthday cake from Mo Lian, so she guessed the reason for her son's expression.
In Zi Min's heart, there were already two mothers now?
Consort Rong sighed silently and took out an embroidered sachet from her embrace. "Zi Min, today is your birthday. Mother wishes you health, happiness, and peace."
Mo Lian looked at the sachet and touched his sleeve.
Before the young lady left for Guanzhou, she had sent her gift in advance, instructing him to give it to Yi Min on his birthday.
The young lady had also specifically told him to give the gift to Yi Min in private, after Consort Rong had presented hers.
There was no mother in this world who wished for her child to call out "mother" and have two people respond.
They were the real mother and son. Even if Li Yue Shu treated Shen Yi Min as her child, she could not overstep the boundaries of his biological mother.
Shen Yi Min accepted the sachet with both hands, holding it carefully. "Thank you, Mother."
Consort Rong gently stroked his head. "There is also a jade pendant in this sachet, a betrothal gift from mother to your future wife."
"Later, you must give it to her on mother's behalf."
She probably wouldn't have the chance to meet her herself.
Shen Yi Min understood the regret in her words and his hand holding the sachet tightened involuntarily. "...Alright."
Sensing his low mood, Consort Rong smiled and changed the subject. "Zi Min, mother heard you have a prearranged marriage with the niece of the Lord of Hongning City. Can you tell mother about that child?"
Even if she could not see her herself, she wanted to know what her future daughter-in-law was like.
Shen Yi Min nodded, put away the sachet, and began to speak of the simple and kind Ling'er.
In his words, Consort Rong seemed to see the innocent, lively, and obedient Wei Ling.
...
As everyone waited for the New Year to arrive, Li Yue Shu remained in her spatial realm.
Today was Amin's birthday. Although her gift had been sent in advance, the promised birthday cake would likely not be fulfilled.
She wondered if she could make it up to him after returning.
Li Yue Shu sighed and turned to change the dressing for Qin Mo Yuan, who lay on the bed with his eyes closed, and also changed his clothes.
Her spatial realm often contained items for her family, but the quality of the clothes was not as good as those from the Regent's Estate.
She now hoped that Qin Mo Yuan would recover quickly so that she could return.
...
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
While Gu Hexuan and his men searched everywhere, Li Yue Shu remained trapped in her spatial realm.
For the past half month, the pack of wolves seemed to have settled there. Every time Li Yue Shu emerged, she encountered them.
Sometimes, she was unlucky enough to emerge directly on top of one of the wolves.
In the snowy wilderness, edible food was scarce, yet these wolves seemed not to know hunger, guarding the area day after day.
Li Yue Shu was not foolish. She immediately guessed that the plot was at play.
If the plot was a sentient, conscious entity, then it was the god of this world.
As a god, how could it tolerate being provoked time and time again?
These wolves were likely after both her and Qin Mo Yuan's lives.
Li Yue Shu was never one to passively accept her fate. Having realized this, she turned to look at Qin Mo Yuan, who lay on the bed with his eyes closed.
Qin Mo Yuan had actually woken up quite some time ago, but Li Yue Shu had let him "sleep a little longer" to protect the secret of her spatial realm.
Half a month was not enough for Qin Mo Yuan's injuries to fully recover, but it would not impede his actions.
After waiting for so long, it was time to go back.
Li Yue Shu took out two guns and gave Qin Mo Yuan a pill.
A moment later, Qin Mo Yuan's eyelids twitched.
In a daze, he seemed to see more strange things.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Mo Yuan felt his body jolt and was suddenly thrown to the ground.
"Awoo—"
A wolf's howl echoed. Before Qin Mo Yuan could even react to what was happening, his body instinctively sprang up.
"Here!"
A familiar voice sounded in his ear. The next moment, a dark, heavy object was thrown towards him.
It was a gun.
Qin Mo Yuan looked up and saw the person beside him immediately.
"A Shu?"
Qin Mo Yuan's face lit up with joy. He then noticed the surrounding pack of wolves.
Although he didn't understand what was going on, he immediately moved to Li Yue Shu's side, vigilantly facing the wolves.
Back to back, they entrusted each other with their safety.