Dugu Chen sighed, the chill of his lips gently pecked the little woman in his embrace.

"You may not speak to anyone in that tone of voice in the future," he said.

"Okay," was the brisk reply.

Having heard this, Dugu Chen finally revealed a smile. He gently lifted Feng Xuxu and placed her on the capacious bed, then he too lay down in his clothes, embracing the small woman on the bed, his hand occasionally stroking Feng Xuxu’s back.

"Chen, you haven’t told me what Demon Forest is, and why is Tian Yi so afraid of it?" Inhaling the familiar scent, her heart quietly stilled, and her eyelids fought to stay open. Eventually, she drifted into a deep sleep.

Seeing the little woman asleep, Dugu Chen waved his hand, and the blanket soared through the air to cover the two of them. Finally, he too slowly fell asleep.

The next day, Feng Xuxu rose early, ate a few steamed buns, and drank a small bowl of jujube porridge. Only after getting dressed and made up did she go out of the courtyard with Yingsu and Lan Lengyun. Upon reaching the gate and seeing her cousin already there, she then got into the carriage that was bound for the liveliest part of the Capital City, "Prince Mo Residence."

Jueqing and Feng Xuxu, seeing the large red lanterns hung high in Prince Mo Residence and the constant stream of people inside, exchanged glances and stepped forward into the estate.

After presenting their gifts, they were directed to the front courtyard. Just as they steadied themselves, someone approached to greet them.

"Brother Jueqing, long time no see," Xiahou Yuan, who had been watching the gate, greeted Jueqing and Feng Xuxu as they entered, promptly excusing himself from a few others before turning to come close to Jueqing.

"It turns out to be Brother Xiahou." Seeing it was Xiahou Yuan, Jueqing hid the coldness in his eyes, replaced with a face full of warmth, as he smilingly dealt with Xiahou.

"Brother Jueqing, you’ve really been in the limelight recently. Now, almost all the wine in the Capital City comes from your distillery."

"Brother Xiahou, I dare not claim to be in the limelight, but when it comes to wine, I do pride myself on it being exceptionally good."

At this, Xiahou Yuan laughed heartily and gave Jueqing a thumbs-up: "The wine truly is excellent, superior even to top-grade Bamboo Leaf Green."

"Brother Xiahou is right. The wine that Brother Jueqing produces is indeed outstanding, as befits something that has gained fame across the Capital City in just half a month," Duanmu Yuanji, flicking his golden fan, floated into the conversation like a graceful young master between the two men.

Feng Xuxu watched from a distance as the men, clearly wishing to outdo each other, nonetheless spoke with great humility and praised one another. If she hadn’t understood the undercurrents between them, she might have easily believed they indeed shared a bond of brotherhood.

As soon as Zongzheng Tinglan entered Prince Mo Residence, she became eager to find Sister Feng and at last found her under a flowering crabapple tree in full bloom.

"Sister Feng, I’ve finally found you," Tinglan walked up, clinging to Feng Xuxu’s arm and speaking in a coquettish manner.

"Did Tinglan behave, take her medicine on time?" Feng Xuxu reached out to tap Tinglan’s pert nose, and Tinglan pouted, swatting away Feng Xuxu’s teasing hand without reservation.

"Yes, I’ve taken the medicine just as Sister Feng instructed."

"That’s good. Tomorrow, I’ll wait for you at the estate, and I’ll prepare something delicious for you," Sister Feng replied.

With bright eyes wide in disbelief, Tinglan looked at Sister Feng, "Really?" But then, recalling what her elder brother had said earlier, her eyes dimmed, her head drooped, and her lips pursed in disappointment, "Brother surely won’t let me go eat."

"Cheer up, I’ll talk to your brother about it in a bit, okay? I’ll make sure he agrees," Feng Xuxu consoled her.

"Really, that would be wonderful."

Zongzheng Zehang, unable to stop worrying about his sister, thought to check on her and arrived just as he saw his little sister’s face light up with excitement.

"What are you so happy about, little sister?" Zehang asked softly after settling in place.

Turning to see her brother, Tinglan immediately let go of Feng Xuxu and drew Zehang’s hand toward her, blinking her adorable almond eyes that sparkled as she said, "Brother, Sister Feng said she would make me something delicious."

Hearing his sister’s words, Zongzheng Zehang turned his gaze to Feng Xuxu.

"Brother Zehang, please bring Tinglan to the residence tomorrow for a gathering. It’s also been some days since I’ve seen Tinglan, and I miss her dearly," Feng Xuxu said with a playful smile.

Tinglan clasped her brother’s hand tightly, hopeful eyes looking expectantly at him.

Seeing his sister’s eagerness, Zongzheng Zehang replied to Feng Xuxu, "Then we must trouble Sister Feng."

"Brother Zehang, it’s too formal of you to say that. Well then, I’ll be waiting at the estate tomorrow for your esteemed visit," she said with a playful smile to Zongzheng Zehang.

Inside Prince Mo Residence’s study

"You saw Feng Xuxu enter the residence with your own eyes," a man in a bright red wedding robe said, standing by the window without a trace of a bridegroom’s joy on his gloomy face.

"Yes, your subordinate saw Feng Xuxu enter the residence and speak with Zongzheng Tinglan," the male knelt on the ground, carefully replying to his master.

"Hmm, tell Xiaocui to handle this matter well, otherwise..." Dugu Mo applied a slight pressure, and the cup in his hand turned into powder.

The kneeling man peeked up briefly before lowering his head again.

"Yes," he said, then vanished from the room.

Dugu Mo’s phoenix eyes narrowed, a thin smile played on his lips: "Hehehe, a wedding night without you, my darling, would be utterly lacking in splendor!"