At night, when Anning and Xiao Yuan were going to sleep, they talked about Mao Xiaoxiao.

When they encountered Mao Xiaoxiao today, the young man by her side should be a Prince of the current dynasty, and Anning guessed he might be the Third Prince.

After all, in the original storyline, it seemed that Mao Xiaoxiao ultimately ended up with the Third Prince in a successful relationship.

The Third Prince is named Nangong Shu, his mother is the favored Noble Consort Wu, and now that the Empress has passed, Noble Consort Wu enjoys supreme favor, controlling all affairs within the palace, and is the highest-ranking concubine in the harem. It can be said that Nangong Shu has an exalted status and the Emperor’s favor, more loved by the court than the Crown Prince.

Despite being such a dignified Prince, he inexplicably fell in love with Mao Xiaoxiao, following her across the North and South of Jiangnan, going through numerous dangers, until the Third Prince’s sincerity finally moved Mao Xiaoxiao, and he won the beauty’s heart.

During this time, Mao Xiaoxiao claimed to be slaying demons, but many of the demons she killed had never harmed anyone, and they had struggled hard in their cultivation to take human form, only to have their progress undone and lives taken by Mao Xiaoxiao.

She had helped many humans, but many of them were evildoers. Those people survived and suffered no losses thanks to her help, but they later compounded their evil, and one great villain Mao Xiaoxiao helped went on to kill hundreds of people.

In short, Mao Xiaoxiao appeared innocent, but it’s precisely her naive inability to distinguish right from wrong that led to the deaths of so many innocents. If truly assessed, over the years, Mao Xiaoxiao accrued no merit but was instead covered in sin.

And by following Mao Xiaoxiao, Nangong Shu naturally also accumulated a lot of guilt.

In the end, Nangong Shu ascended the throne, and Mao Xiaoxiao became Empress, leading to even more egregious and indiscriminate actions.

Ultimately because of her, the world fell into chaos and collapsed entirely.

Xiao Yuan and Anning recounted the experiences of the two, analyzing bit by bit, knowing that eventually, Mao Xiaoxiao and Nangong Shu would not end well. Even if they died, they would be punished by the Heavenly Dao, being made to do hard labor as livestock for countless years before possibly being reincarnated as humans. Even if they were reborn as humans, they would be born into poor families, leading a life of loneliness and suffering. If they did good deeds continuously, perhaps they could redeem themselves early; if they did more evil, they would suffer in every life.

"Man’s misdeeds can still be undone, but self-inflicted wrongs are inescapable."

Anning finally sighed.

She looked out the window at the sky, snuggled into Xiao Yuan’s arms, and said softly, "Sleep, it’s nothing."

After they went to sleep, the sky over the entire town seemed to change, space twisted, and dark clouds gathered.

But no one in the town noticed, everyone went on with their lives as usual.

Early the next morning, Anning woke up early.

She first went to see Luo Anqing.

Luo Anqing had just finished freshening up and was waiting to have breakfast with Anning.

Anning had breakfast with her and then said to Anqing, "I’m going out with my husband later to see the excitement. Make sure to gather all the maids and old women in your room. You must wear the Amulet I gave you carefully."

Anqing paused for a moment, "Is there trouble here?"

Anning nodded, "A small trouble, nothing serious, but just in case, sister, don’t leave the inn’s backyard."

Anqing nodded seriously, and after Anning left, immediately called all her servants into the room, keeping them from leaving.

Xiao Yuan went to find Luo AnYuan and the Cong Family people, instructing them not to leave the backyard today no matter who calls or what happens.

An Yuan and the Cong Family’s cousin both knew Xiao Yuan was a master, and with such a serious reminder, they took heed.

Anning and Xiao Yuan set up a Barrier in the inn’s backyard and a protective formation to protect their people.

Only then did they go out.

Today, the whole town seemed extremely lively. Many people went to the Wu Family Restaurant to watch the excitement, and many stood below waiting to catch the Xiuqiu.

Anning and Xiao Yuan joined the crowd and walked over.

They didn’t get too close but found a distant spot to sit down.

Anning squinted, observing the Wu Family Restaurant. She glanced at Xiao Yuan, who held her hand and nodded slightly.

When Anning looked again, she saw Mao Xiaoxiao pulling Nangong Shu to stand below the restaurant. Mao Xiaoxiao pointed towards the restaurant with a smile on her face, while Nangong Shu looked at her tenderly.

"How clueless," Anning said softly, leaning against Xiao Yuan.

"They brought it upon themselves," Xiao Yuan snorted coldly.

Anning laughed and asked, "Later, do you want to be a hero and save the beauty?"

Xiao Yuan looked at Anning with a stern face.

Anning quickly waved, "Alright, I was just joking, don’t be mad."

Soon after, Old Master Wu brought Miss Wu out.

Miss Wu sat in a carriage that went directly to the back of the restaurant. After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, Miss Wu, in a red dress and veil, went up to the restaurant with two maids.

She stood high up, looking down, and soon spotted Mao Xiaoxiao.

Miss Wu’s gaze was complex, seemingly icy and compelling.

However, others could not perceive it.

Mao Xiaoxiao excitedly said to Nangong Shu, "Look, that Miss Wu is quite pretty."

"Can you tell with the veil on?"

Nangong Shu showed no interest at all.

Mao Xiaoxiao nodded, "Her eyes are beautiful, so her looks shouldn’t be far off."

"You’re prettier," Nangong Shu whispered in Mao Xiaoxiao’s ear.

Mao Xiaoxiao blushed and playfully hit him, "What nonsense, she’s the real beauty, what am I."

Then she joked, "Later, if you catch the Xiuqiu, you’ll win the beauty."

That comment instantly turned Nangong Shu’s face cold.

Old Master Wu stood beside Miss Wu and spoke a few words, then loudly announced, "I ask those not of appropriate age, those with wives or concubines, or those already engaged, to step back without catching the Xiuqiu."

The men below cheered loudly.

Old Master Wu signaled Miss Wu to begin.

Miss Wu received a large red Xiuqiu from her maid and nervously looked down.

She seemed to be choosing the right person.

Then, she smiled towards Mao Xiaoxiao’s direction and threw the Xiuqiu towards Nangong Shu.

Seeing the Xiuqiu coming, Nangong Shu immediately pulled Mao Xiaoxiao away, stepping back several paces to avoid it, as those around him began to scramble for the Xiuqiu. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

In the end, the Xiuqiu fell to the ground, with no one catching it.

The Wu Family’s servant picked up the Xiuqiu and took it back to the restaurant.

Miss Wu rejected the dirtied Xiuqiu and took another one to throw again.

This time, again she aimed towards Nangong Shu.

Nangong Shu, slightly annoyed, watched the Xiuqiu approach him and slapped it away to the side.

Then a wind blew.

The wind was strange and strong, blowing the Xiuqiu westward.

When the wind passed, everyone saw the bright red Xiuqiu embraced by a raggedly dressed, emaciated man.

Upon seeing this, Mao Xiaoxiao screamed, "Xiuqiu... someone caught the Xiuqiu, someone caught the Xiuqiu!"

She ran up to the man and asked, "What’s your name? You’ve caught the Xiuqiu and can marry Miss Wu."

With her words, many joined in to ask the man, "What’s your name? You’re truly lucky, gaining both wealth and beauty."