Although she hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, Min Rou could still imagine the harrowing scene: her husband and she were both lying on the ground, one unconscious and the other with both hands dislocated, powerless to resist.

Nie Yun had only acknowledged her as his mother two months prior, so there was no real mother-son bond between them.

But he still stepped forward, using all his life’s skills, and despite being seriously injured, he killed Xie Yanke, the famous “Skyscraper Hermit,” in order to protect his family.

She had experienced Xie Yanke’s martial arts skills firsthand, so she knew how difficult it was to kill such a peerless master, and she was even more aware of how fierce his counterattack was before he died.

If it weren’t for divine intervention, Nie Yun would probably have died on the spot just like Shi Zhongyu.

Scenes from her acquaintance with Nie Yun flashed before her eyes: her initial amazement and murmurs, her courageous act at the Liu residence, her vulnerability on Mount Hua, and the mother-son reunion in Wuchang City…

Min Rou suddenly realized that ever since Nie Yun appeared in her life, he seemed to have been bringing her happiness, and Nie Yun’s endless charm made her more and more fascinated.

Thinking of this, Min Rou quickly asked Shi Qing, “Have you called a doctor to come and take a look?”

Shi Qing frowned and sighed, “I have already invited Mr. Zhang, a famous doctor from the south of the city, to examine the two children. Jian’er has three broken ribs and his internal organs have been injured, but his spirits are still good, and he just needs to rest. However, Yun’er used a secret method to stimulate her potential and fought with Xie Yanke. Later, she disregarded her injuries and used her internal energy to heal Jian’er, which greatly depleted her vital energy. I’m afraid… I’m afraid it will shorten her lifespan. She may… she may not live past forty.”

“What?!” Min Rou exclaimed in shock upon hearing the devastating news, and hurriedly grabbed her husband’s hand. “Yun’er’s injuries are so serious?”

Shi Qing sighed, nodded, and looked pained.

Remembering Nie Yun’s loving gaze and his filial piety in traveling a long distance to pay his respects for the New Year, Min Rou felt extremely sad and tears streamed down her face.

She suddenly fell backward, slumped on the edge of the bed, and murmured, “He came to Suzhou for our sake. It’s us…it’s us who ruined this child! If I hadn’t suggested that they become sworn brothers, this wouldn’t have happened!”

Shi Qing was also filled with remorse and sighed, “Yes, Xie Yanke did this because of Yu’er and Jian’er. After he succeeded, he was about to leave, but Yun’er disregarded the disparity in strength and fought him to the death, thus avenging Yu’er! Loyal and righteous, fearless of death, such a good child has turned out like this. How unjust is God!”

Upon hearing this, Min Rou suddenly thought of a question: Why did Xie Yanke kill her two children?

She asked Shi Qing, “Senior brother, what grudge does Xie Yanke have against us? Why did he kill Yu’er and Jian’er? Did you ask him last night?”

Shi Qing’s expression changed slightly, and he shook his head, saying, “That Xie Yanke is both righteous and wicked, with a strange temper. He kills people without hesitation. I don’t know why he would do such a thing.”

Min Rou was filled with doubts. She and her husband had been traveling the martial arts world for many years. Although they had fought with others, they rarely made any deadly enemies, and they had never met Xie Yanke before.

Moreover, Xie Yanke had lived in seclusion for decades, never concerning himself with worldly affairs, so Min Rou couldn’t understand why he would suddenly come to Suzhou to kill her child.

She was about to ask more questions when she saw her husband’s exhausted face. She then realized that Shi Qing probably hadn’t rested all night, so she quickly said, “Brother, since I’m awake, you should rest for a while. I’ll take care of things at the manor.”

“Well… alright, wake me up at Shenshi (3-5 PM).” Shi Qing was already injured and had been up all night, so he was indeed very tired. He did as he was told, got into bed, and fell asleep in no time.

After washing up briefly, Min Rou went to Shi Zhongjian’s room. She saw that although he looked haggard and was still asleep, his breathing was steady and he seemed to be alright.

She breathed a sigh of relief, tucked the blanket around him, and then instructed the servants to take good care of him before heading towards Nie Yun’s room.

She walked to the door of the room and found it open. Inside, two maids were talking anxiously, one of them holding a small bowl.

Her heart tightened, and she quickly went inside and asked, “Why aren’t you serving Yun’er? What are you doing standing here?”

When the two maids saw their mistress enter, they quickly bowed.

Min Rou waved her sleeve to stop her, and said urgently, “No need for formalities. Has Yun’er’s injury worsened?” As she spoke, she quickly looked towards the bed.

But when she saw the boy lying on the bed, two streams of tears immediately flowed down her cheeks, and she cried out in a broken voice, “Yun’er!”

At this moment, Nie Yun was no longer the dashing figure he usually was. His eyes, which always held a smile, were tightly closed, his lips were covered with cracked, dry skin, and his face was frighteningly pale, even somewhat bluish.

Upon seeing Nie Yun’s current state, Min Rou swayed and almost collapsed to the ground.

A maidservant rushed forward to support her, while another maidservant carrying a bowl stepped forward and said, “Reporting to Madam, the doctor prescribed ginseng soup to replenish Young Master Yun’s qi, but he is completely unconscious at the moment and cannot be fed it.”

Upon hearing this, Min Rou felt a pang of sadness. She took the soup bowl and sat down by the bedside.

She picked up a spoon, scooped up some soup, gently blew on it, and then fed it to Nie Yun with utmost tenderness. However, the ginseng soup dripped down his chin as it entered his mouth.

Min Rou fed her several spoonfuls, but they all spilled out. She was anxious and heartbroken, her hands trembled more and more violently, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

“How…how did he become like this?”

Min Rou handed the bowl to the maid behind her, then stretched out her soft hand and tremblingly touched Nie Yun’s face—eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, cheeks, lips…

The boy was by her side yesterday, strolling through the flower market, asking questions with great excitement. Now, he lies here quietly, unable to even drink a drop of water.

Min Rou felt both heartache and pity, wishing she could take her place.

“Hmm!” Just then, Nie Yun, who was unconscious, let out a groan, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Min Rou quickly took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away his sweat.

Seeing Nie Yun’s haggard and badly injured appearance, Min Rou made up her mind and turned to the maid, saying, “I will take care of Yun’er. You all go and rest first! Close the door when you leave so that the wind won’t blow in.”

The two maids, unsuspecting, bowed and took their leave.

Min Rou turned to look at Nie Yun, her eyes full of hesitation. Finally, she took a deep breath, lowered her head to sip some soup, reached out and gently lifted Nie Yun’s head. Her cheeks flushed, she slowly brought her lips closer, trembling as she parted Nie Yun’s lips.

Although Nie Yun opened his lips, his teeth remained tightly closed, and he was unable to open them.

Left with no other choice, Min Rou could only swallow the soup in her mouth first, then stick out her tongue and gently sweep the tip of her tongue in his mouth, prying open his jaw little by little.

With her efforts, Nie Yun’s teeth slowly opened, and his tongue unconsciously stuck out, touching Min Rou’s soft and smooth tongue.

This was the first time that a man other than her husband had put his tongue into her mouth. She was startled and immediately raised her head, her pretty face flushed with a beautiful blush.

She was breathing heavily, her eyes darting around unconsciously before finally settling on Nie Yun’s face again.

“I…I did this to feed Yun’er medicine. He risked his life to save our family of three and avenged Yu’er’s blood feud. I am also his godmother, so it’s okay for me to do this. Don’t be afraid.”

Min Rou silently encouraged herself, trying her best to suppress the strange fluctuations in her heart.

She lowered her head again, only because Nie Yun’s mouth had closed again when she suddenly looked up.

Left with no other choice, Min Rou had to exert a great deal of effort to open his teeth again, then pinch his cheeks with her hands, put the soup in her mouth, and fed it to Nie Yun mouth-to-mouth, swallowing it all in one gulp.

As their lips met, Min Rou’s tightly closed eyes trembled, her heart feeling as if it were about to be ripped out. A complex and indescribable emotion welled up within her: Yun’er, if you were awake…

Nie Yun seemed to have been thirsty for a long time before finally getting some hydration, so he instinctively began to suckle vigorously with his large mouth.

Caught off guard, Min Rou’s sweet lips and tongue were suddenly sucked into his mouth, releasing an alluring sweet fragrance.

“Sizzle… sizzle… ooh… ooh… ha… ha…” Min Rou’s mind went blank until she was sucked a few times before she struggled free and gasped for breath.

Nie Yun continued to open his mouth and suck a few more times before licking his lips with lingering satisfaction and closing his mouth.

“That little rascal!” Min Rou frowned and spat softly, her pretty cheeks as red as an autumn apple.

She gasped for breath for a while, then suddenly reached out and pressed her hand on Nie Yun’s wrist. Only after feeling the weak and feeble pulse did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Yun’er was so badly injured and unconscious, how could she deliberately take advantage of me!” Min Rou dismissed her doubts, but the thought of feeding her a bowl of soup made her even more shy.

She wanted to have the maid come in and feed her, but she didn’t know how to explain it if they asked how she fed her.

“Enough! After this incident, what difference will there be between Yun’er and Jian’er?”

Min Rou recalled the maternal love she had felt for Nie Yun when she was at Mount Hua, gently stroking Nie Yun’s head with a kind smile on her face.

With soup in her mouth, she continued to feed Nie Yun mouth-to-mouth, each time letting Nie Yun suck on her fragrant tongue and red lips “unconsciously”.

Each time Nie Yun sucked hard, Min Rou would blush with embarrassment, but this kiss-like act also gave her an unprecedented pleasure that Shi Qing had never given her.

This pleasure made her more and more intoxicated, and she spent more and more time feeding him. Later on, she would unconsciously stick her tongue into Nie Yun’s mouth, or put Nie Yun’s tongue into her soft and moist mouth.

Min Rou’s body trembled slightly, and her breathing became more and more rapid. The thrill of being intimate with other men behind her husband’s back was irresistible to her, and a sweet joy that she herself did not realize arose in her heart, as if she had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

The seed planted in her heart the first time she saw Nie Yun has finally sprouted today.

When Min Rou picked up the soup bowl again, still wanting more, she found that there wasn’t a drop of ginseng soup left.

“Oh dear!” Looking at the empty bowl, Min Rou realized what she had just done. Embarrassed, she trembled and quickly threw the bowl on the ground, jumping up as if stung by a bee.

With a “crack”, the porcelain bowl shattered into three pieces.

Nie Yun seemed to be disturbed by the noise as well. He frowned, his expression becoming extremely anxious, and shouted, “Mother, hurry, go! Block him!”

Upon hearing his call, Min Rou forgot her embarrassment and quickly sat back down on the edge of the bed.

Nie Yun then revealed a gritted-teeth expression, “Xie Yanke, you go to hell!” As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it as if he was holding something.

Although Nie Yun’s expression looked terrifying at this moment, it deeply moved Min Rou.

She quickly grabbed Nie Yun’s hand, trying to press it down, but unexpectedly, after feeling his hand being pulled, Nie Yun shouted, “Let go of me! I want to save my mother!”

As he spoke, he forcefully pulled his hand back, and Min Rou, who was already exerting downward force, was pulled by him and fell onto him.

“Ah!” Min Rou exclaimed softly, her soft body suddenly collapsing onto Nie Yun, her two soft breasts being squeezed flat.

The strange sensation in her chest made Min Rou let out a soft moan. She felt a warm current rise from her chest and quickly spread throughout her body. She quickly sat up, pressed her hand to her chest, and looked at Nie Yun with a mixture of shyness and reproach.

“This is so embarrassing!” Min Rou’s face was burning, her heart was pounding, she bit her lower lip lightly, and her eyes showed a strange light, but it quickly dimmed again.

She hesitated for a long time, then finally sighed and turned to walk away.

After Min Rou left the room, Nie Yun, who had been “unconscious,” suddenly opened his eyes. His bright eyes did not resemble those of someone who was seriously injured.

He licked his lips, a wistful smile appearing on his face.

********************

Min Rou went out to call the maid to go into the room to tidy up, while she slowly walked towards her bedroom. Along the way, her expression constantly changed—sometimes shame, sometimes confusion, sometimes a bitter smile, sometimes sadness…

She walked into the room and saw Shi Qing sleeping soundly on the bed, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Although Min Rou kept convincing herself by giving him medicine, she knew very well the flutter in her heart when her lips touched Nie Yun’s.

She seemed to have only experienced that feeling during her happy days with Shi Qing. It rarely occurred after the couple gradually became familiar with each other, especially after the birth of Shi Zhongyu. She never experienced it again.

Moreover, unlike the nervousness and shyness she felt during her honeymoon, Nie Yun brought her a sweet feeling that was intoxicating, and even his breath made Min Rou feel weak all over.

The nominal mother-son relationship between her and Nie Yun made Min Rou feel ashamed, but at the same time she also felt a faint thrill. This feeling was like a model student in a modern school being dragged to skip class for a day by a bad student.

Min Rou was in a state of turmoil, sitting quietly at the table in a daze until Shi Qing, who had just woken up, interrupted her thoughts as it grew late.

“Junior sister, what’s wrong? I called you several times but you didn’t answer. Is something on your mind?” Shi Qing asked with concern.

Looking at Shi Qing’s concerned eyes, Min Rou felt even more guilty. She subconsciously turned her head away from her husband’s gaze and whispered, “I… I still can’t understand why Xie Yanke would poison Yu’er and Jian’er.”

Seemingly feeling guilty for avoiding eye contact, Min Rou looked up as she spoke, only to see a hint of unease on Shi Qing’s face.

“Senior brother, is something on your mind?” Min Rou, who had been married to him for over ten years, could tell at a glance that Shi Qing had something on his mind.

“No…it’s nothing.” This time, Shi Qing avoided her gaze. “I was just thinking that when we travel around the world, is it possible that we’ve made enemies with Xie Yanke’s relatives and friends?”

Min Rou was suspicious, but being naturally compliant, she was used to obeying her husband, so she nodded and said nothing.

Seeing that Min Rou didn’t press the matter further, Shi Qing breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, “Junior Sister, it’s getting late. Let’s eat and rest early.”

Upon hearing the word “meal,” Min Rou immediately thought of Shi Zhongjian and Nie Yun, and said to Shi Qing, “Senior Brother, please have someone prepare the meal first. I’ll go check on Jian’er and Yun’er.”

********************

Min Rou arrived at Shi Zhongjian’s room and found that he had already woken up and was eating with the help of a maid. Of course, due to his serious injuries, he could only swallow liquid food and was unable to get up, so he could only lie down.

Upon seeing Min Rou enter, Shi Zhongjian’s face lit up with joy, and he called out with difficulty, “Mother…”

“Hey, Jian’er, don’t talk, lest you aggravate your wound. Just take good care of yourself and tell your mother what you want to eat, okay!” Min Rou walked a few steps to the bedside and said, holding his hand.

Shi Zhongjian nodded slightly and asked again, “Brother… Brother…”

Min Rou felt a pang of pain in her heart, but she still forced back her tears and said, “They are also injured and recovering just like you, so don’t worry.”

Shi Zhongjian was relieved and allowed the maid to feed him.

Min Rou gave a few more instructions, then headed towards Nie Yun’s room. Her steps slowed, but her heart burned with a restless heat.

Halfway there, she saw the maidservant who served Nie Yun hurrying towards her. Upon seeing Min Rou, she immediately showed a happy expression and said, “Madam, Young Master Yun is still unable to eat. I was just about to go over and ask you how you fed him ginseng soup at noon.”

Min Rouyu’s face flushed slightly, and she stammered, “I… I used my internal energy to open his mouth, something you can’t learn.”

The maid frowned upon hearing this and said worriedly, “What should we do? Young Master Yun is seriously injured and weak. The doctor said he must be properly nourished.”

Upon hearing this, Min Rou disregarded her embarrassment and quickly said, “Alright, let me feed him for the next few days, and you can help him turn over and wash him.”

Upon hearing this, the maidservant quickly bowed and thanked her, saying, “Thank you for your kindness, Madam.”

Min Rou sighed and quickly entered Nie Yun’s room. She used the excuse that it was inconvenient for outsiders to watch her use her internal energy to send the maid away and instructed her to tell Shi Qing to eat first and not wait for her.

After the maid closed the door and left, Min Rou picked up her rice bowl, looked at Nie Yun who was still unconscious, a blush rising on her face, but she still slowly lowered her head…

The incessant “sizzling” sound started up in the room again at noon today, interspersed with a few faint moans and somewhat heavy breathing…