“Yun’er…you child!” Min Rou gently stroked Nie Yun’s face, her brows furrowed slightly, her bright eyes seemingly veiled in mist, both bewildered and beautiful.

Any woman would be very happy to hear someone compliment her on her beauty, especially if that person is a man of the opposite sex who is about the same age as her son.

However, the reserve and moral constraints of being a wife made Min Rou feel ashamed for the first time because of such praise…

She remained lost in thought for a long time before slowly returning to her bedding and lying down. Feeling the wetness between her legs, Min Rou let out a soft moan, her pretty face burning.

“That was just a dream! Today I first fed Yun’er mouth-to-mouth, and then I helped Yun’er wash her lower body, which is why I had this dream.”

Min Rou comforted herself, “He’s my adopted son, how could I possibly have such thoughts about him! It’s just because I haven’t been intimate with my senior brother for so long, that’s why…”

Thinking of this, Min Rou felt a pang of resentment—it seemed like a long time had passed since she had slept with Shi Qing.

“Senior brother, why…why would you rather practice swordsmanship every day than be intimate with me?”

She suppressed the urge to touch her own vulva and recited Buddhist scriptures several times to quell the rising desire within her.

After she fell asleep, Nie Yun, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes. He turned to look at Min Rou and smiled, “She really is a virtuous wife. But it doesn’t matter, meat tastes better when it’s simmered slowly!”

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

The next day, after feeding Nie Yun breakfast herself, Min Rou hurriedly went to the bathroom.

After falling asleep for the second time last night, she dreamed again of being intimate with Nie Yun. Now, her legs were covered in mud, making her feel extremely ashamed.

For the rest of the morning, Min Rou was in a daze, doing everything as if she had lost her soul.

Shi Qing assumed she was deeply saddened by Shi Zhongyu’s death, so he didn’t think too much about it and simply offered her comfort.

However, perhaps because of the dream she had last night, Min Rou felt a faint sense of rejection towards Shi Qing.

But the latter half of the dream, where she and Nie Yun made love, filled her with guilt, and her husband’s concerned gaze made her unable to look him in the eye.

With these mixed feelings, Min Rou and Shi Qing exchanged only a few words before Min Rou left their room under the pretext of looking after Nie Yun.

“Don’t think about it too much, just rest for a bit!” Min Rou returned to Nie Yun’s room, closed the door, clutched her chest, and tried to calm her racing heart.

She came to the bedside, looked at Nie Yun’s face, and remembered how he confessed his love to her in her dream. She couldn’t help but gently stroke his cheek and said with a bitter smile, “Yun’er, you’ve really put me through a lot!”

However, despite saying that, when it came time for lunch, Min Rou still blushed and fed Nie Yun a piece of meat porridge.

After being fed several times, she was no longer so shy. In fact, at the end of each feeding, she would even take the initiative to intertwine her tongue with Nie Yun’s, exchanging saliva.

The lingering sweetness made her even more infatuated, and a look of enjoyment and intoxication appeared on her face.

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

That night, Min Rou didn’t help Nie Yun wipe his body; she just used a towel to wash his face before going to sleep.

Nie Yun opened his eyes, thinking, “Min Rou is steadfast and loyal; a mere dream won’t be enough to make her let go of everything. I must sow discord between her and Shi Qing, leaving her deeply hurt before I can make my move. Tonight’s dream might be better like the ending of the original story, letting her experience what it’s like to be a backup option!”

He made up his mind, secretly made a few strange hand gestures with his right hand, and then closed his eyes…

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

While asleep, Min Rou felt as if she were flying again, but this time she was not as free as before, but was floating among a group of mountains.

“Where am I? Wasn’t I sleeping in Yun’er’s room? How did I end up here?”

Min Rou was utterly puzzled and looked around when she suddenly heard someone shout from not far away, “Ah Huang, Ah Huang! You’re back. Where’s my mother?”

“That sounds like Jian’er’s voice…” Min Rou thought to herself when suddenly the scenery before her blurred, and then she saw Shi Zhongjian holding a yellow dog, shouting loudly at a few thatched huts.

“Jian’er was so badly injured, how come he’s showing no signs of illness now?” Min Rou was increasingly confused. “Am I dreaming again?”

Min Rou was lost in thought when she suddenly saw a woman with an extremely ugly face walk out of a thatched hut.

“Mom…” Shi Zhongjian saw the woman and was about to step forward, but then he seemed to suddenly remember something and stopped in his tracks, abruptly stopping himself from calling out “Mom”.

Min Rou was startled upon hearing this and tried to step forward to stop Shi Zhongjian to ask him questions, but found that she could not move at all.

The woman said coldly, “Where have you been?” Her tone was full of disgust.

“Why does Jian’er call her ‘Mom’? Could she be Aunt Mei Fang?”

Thinking of the enemy who took her son away back then, Min Rou wanted to rush forward and fight her to the death, but no matter how much she struggled, she could only remain motionless like a stone statue.

The two people in front of her ignored her completely, as if they didn’t see her at all.

Shi Zhongjian hesitated for a moment, then stammered, “Mom, are you… are you my biological mother?”

The woman sneered, “You’re a bastard, your mother died a long time ago!”

Upon hearing this, Min Rou trembled with anger and was also somewhat disappointed with Shi Zhongjian in her dream.

“As the saying goes, what you think about during the day, you dream about at night. Perhaps this scene before me is what I was worried about—Jian’er isn’t entirely sure he’s my child yet. That’s right, a few months of tenderness can’t compare to more than a decade of raising him… Aunt Meifang, you deserve to die!”

Min Rou looked at the woman, her anger growing stronger.

At this moment, Min Rou suddenly heard someone behind her say, “Mei Fanggu, you kidnapped Jian’er back then, and now you’ve used the Xuan Tie Token to make Xie Yanke kill Yu’er. I, Min Rou, will never let you live under the same sky again!”

Min Rou turned around and saw two people standing behind her: Shi Qing and another version of herself.

Min Rou was completely confused. Looking at the woman in front of her who looked exactly like her, it was like looking in a mirror.

However, the “Min Rou” in front of them had intense hatred in her eyes, and her long sword was drawn, as if she was about to step forward and fight the woman.

“What on earth is going on? Why is there another me? Could this be something from the future?!”

Min Rou was deep in thought when she suddenly remembered what “Min Rou” had said in her dream. She was stunned for a moment, and then the hatred in her heart surged like a tsunami.

“She really is Mei Fanggu, and she’s the one who killed Yu’er!” Min Rou looked at Mei Fanggu with a fury so intense it could burn her to ashes.

Shi Zhongjian looked troubled. He glanced around for a moment, then whispered, “Mother, you…”

Before he could speak, “Min Rou” in the dream shouted, “Shut up! Jian’er, although she raised you, she was the one who kidnapped you back then, causing my son and me to suffer the pain of separation. Just when our family was finally reunited, she sent Xie Yanke to kill your brother, and Yun’er was seriously injured while saving you. Have you forgotten all of that?”

Shi Zhongjian was embarrassed by what he was told. He turned to look at Mei Fanggu, gritted his teeth, and stepped back to the side.

Shi Qing stepped forward and asked, “Fang Gu, did you really do all this?” His voice was calm, but it was full of bitterness.

Mei Fanggu gave a cold laugh, her eyes filled with resentment, and said, “I can kill whomever I want. You…you abandoned me after seducing me, this is your retribution!”

In the dream, “Min Rou” slowly drew her long sword and said to Shi Qing, “Senior brother, I don’t need you to make things difficult for me. You can stand aside. If I can’t kill her, I don’t need your help. It’s just death, nothing serious.”

Although she said that, her face was filled with sorrow, as if she was extremely heartbroken.

Shi Qing frowned, looking quite troubled.

Min Rou looked at herself with tears in her eyes, then at Shi Qing standing beside her with a frown and no words. Suddenly, her heart ached, and tears streamed down her face.

She could fully feel the grief and despair in the heart of “Min Rou” in her dream, and Shi Qing’s attitude made her feel as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water from head to toe, instantly turning her to the bone.

In her dream, “Min Rou” stepped forward, only to see Shi Zhongjian suddenly stand before her, his face full of pleading. She glanced at Shi Zhongjian and said sadly, “Jian’er, what do you want to say?”

With tears in his eyes and a look of struggle on his face, Shi Zhongjian stammered, “I…I…Mother…I…”

Suddenly he knelt down and cried out, “My mother raised me for over ten years, please… please spare her!” He kowtowed repeatedly, making a loud thud, and soon blood began to flow from his forehead.

Mei Fanggu shouted sternly, “You bastard, stand up! Who asked you to plead for this vile woman on my behalf?”

Min Rou felt increasingly desperate as she watched this scene unfold. She never expected that her son would kneel down before her for Mei Fanggu, while her husband remained hesitant and indecisive.

In the dream, “Min Rou” also seemed to be greatly shocked. Her body trembled suddenly, and her eyes were full of disappointment and pain as she looked at Shi Zhongjian.

Seeing this scene, Mei Fanggu revealed a gloating smile and sneered, “Heh heh, what a spineless bastard! Calling you a dog bastard is absolutely right!”

“Aunt Mei Fang!” Min Rou felt like she was going crazy. If she could move, she would rush over and bite Aunt Mei Fang to death.

In the dream, “Min Rou” staggered backward, the long sword in her hand fell to the ground with a “clang”, and nodded, saying, “Good, good, good, he is really my good son!” As she spoke, she turned around and tears streamed down her face.

Shi Qing stepped forward to support the “Min Rou” in his dream, then turned to Mei Fanggu and said, “Fanggu, it’s been decades, why are you still so stubborn?”

Mei Fanggu did not answer, but instead asked Shi Qing, “Shi Qing, I ask you, back then, who was more beautiful, me or Min Rou?”

Shi Qing hesitated for a long time before sighing, “Twenty years ago, you were a famous beauty in the martial arts world. Although my junior sister was also quite beautiful, she still couldn’t compare to you.”

Mei Fanggu smiled slightly and snorted.

In the dream, “Min Rou” trembled and turned to look at Shi Qing, “Senior Brother, you…”

Shi Qing didn’t dare look at his wife, but just held her arm.

Min Rou, watching from the sidelines, felt as if her heart was being torn apart. Although she knew that she was indeed less beautiful than Mei Fanggu, the sadness she felt upon hearing her husband admit it in front of outsiders was unimaginable.

“Senior brother, so that’s what you thought too! I was so naive, thinking that after being married to you for over ten years, I would become special to you!”

Min Rou’s face was desolate, and her gaze toward Shi Qing became increasingly disappointed.

Mei Fanggu then asked, “Back then, whose martial arts skills were superior, mine or Min Rou’s?”

Shi Qing said, “Your Mei family’s martial arts are passed down through generations, and you have also learned many strange and unusual martial arts. You have learned from many sources. At that time, my junior sister had not yet grasped the true essence of the Shangqing Temple’s swordsmanship, so she was naturally inferior to you.”

Mei Fanggu then asked, “And in the field of literature, who is superior?”

Shi Qing said, “You can compose poems and lyrics, but my junior sister’s literacy is limited. How can she compare to you!”

Mei Fanggu sneered, “I suppose I am no match for this Min family girl in terms of needlework skills and cooking expertise.”

Shi Qing shook his head again and said, “My wife can’t mend clothes, she can’t tailor clothes, and she can’t even fry eggs properly. How can she compare to your clever and skillful methods?”

Upon hearing this, the “Min Rou” in her dream turned pale. She lowered her head, tears falling to the ground, and trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind.

Although Min Rou knew that none of the people in the room could see her, she still felt deeply humiliated.

Every word Shi Qing spoke felt like a layer of clothing being stripped off her. After a few sentences, Min Rou felt as if she had been completely naked, and all her dignity had been trampled underfoot by Mei Fanggu.

Mei Fanggu said sternly, “Then why are you always cold and unfriendly when you see me, but you’re all smiles and laughter with your Junior Sister Min? Why…why…”

In the dream, “Min Rou” raised her head and looked at Shi Qing with a hopeful expression, like a drowning person trying to grasp at the last straw.

Min Rou, who was watching from the sidelines, also looked at Shi Qing nervously, thinking to herself, “Senior brother, tell him that I am better than her, because you have me in your heart.”

Shi Qing said slowly, “Miss Mei, you are better than my junior sister in every way. Not only are you better than her, but you are also better than me. I feel ashamed and unworthy of you when I am with you.”

Upon hearing these words, “Min Rou” in the dream felt as if she had been hit on the head with a stick, and her eyes instantly lost all their luster, as if she had lost her soul.

“Shi Qing…” Min Rou, who was watching from the sidelines, looked at her husband, her teeth grinding together, wishing she could go up and slap him.

For a woman, even if her husband has an affair, it’s better than hearing him say that he sees her as a second choice after he couldn’t marry her. That would be the greatest insult to her.

“Mei Fanggu is good in every way. You are not good enough for her, but you are good enough for me, Min Rou, right?” The more Min Rou thought about it, the more heartbroken and angry she became. “Shi Qing, what do you take me for?”

Mei Fanggu stared at Shi Qing for a long while, then shook her head and sighed, a bitter smile on her face, “So that’s the reason. Then I really didn’t lose unjustly!”

After speaking, he glanced at Min Rou, who was being supported by Shi Qing, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Suddenly a man’s voice said, “You’re talking nonsense!”

Everyone turned around and saw a pale-faced man holding a sharp sword, his face filled with anger, walking quickly towards them.

“Yun’er!” Min Rou was startled and felt nervous.

For some reason, she seemed to care more about Nie Yun’s evaluation of her than Shi Qing.

However, in the dream, “Min Rou” seemed not to see anything, just standing there blankly as if she had lost all feeling.

Shi Qing looked at Nie Yun and said, “Yun’er, you are still recovering from your serious injuries…” But before he could finish speaking, Nie Yun gave him a cold look, and he could no longer say anything.

Nie Yun walked up to “Min Rou” in his dream, looked at her with heartache, and whispered, “Mother, I’m late!”

In her dream, “Min Rou” looked up at her, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, her lips trembling, but she couldn’t utter a single word.

Nie Yun’s expression of pity deepened. He turned to Mei Fanggu and looked her up and down for a moment, then sneered, “So you’re Mei Fanggu, huh… Seeing you today, you really are a dung beetle wearing a mask! — Shameless!”

Mei Fanggu’s expression changed, and she angrily said, “You bastard, what did you say?”

Nie Yun stepped forward and continued, “My mother was beautiful and intelligent, virtuous and kind, a good homemaker, a skilled mother, and a chivalrous woman whose reputation spread far and wide. In the martial arts world, everyone praised the ‘Ice and Snow Divine Sword.’ How dare you, a middle-aged woman, compare yourself to her? You are ugly and black-hearted. When you couldn’t compete with my mother, you resorted to despicable tricks to steal my third brother. Like a toad in a hole, you can only eke out a living in this godforsaken place for the rest of your life! You did such a despicable thing, so you deserve to live a lonely old age with no one to see you off! Look at your wrinkles, they could trap flies! And look at my mother, although she is over thirty, she has black hair and snow-white skin, and her features are exquisite. She is a hundred times more beautiful than a teenage or twenty-year-old girl. If I were you, seeing my mother’s beautiful face and unparalleled beauty, I would have hanged myself long ago!”

Min Rou listened with a mixture of joy and shyness. Her heart, which had been broken by Shi Qing and Shi Zhongjian, seemed to be instantly restored, and she was like a flower blooming in the spring breeze, full of vitality.

“This child, really… really…” She looked at Nie Yun with eyes full of tenderness and affection, wishing she could go up and pat his head and give him a good kiss.

“You little beast!”

Mei Fanggu never expected Nie Yun to be so venomous. She was so angry that she was about to attack when her eyes suddenly darted back and forth between Nie Yun and Min Rou. She sneered, “I bet you’re that bitch Min Rou’s lover. What, you enjoy that bitch’s body so much that you’re yelling at me now that you’re not happy with your master?”

“Aunt Fang…”

“Mother……”

Shi Qing and Shi Zhongjian hurriedly called out, and in the dream, “Min Rou” was pale and her teeth were almost biting her lips raw.

Nie Yun’s face turned cold as he said to Mei Fanggu, “You kidnapped my third brother, killed my second brother, and now you dare to humiliate my mother. If I don’t kill you today, I will not rest until you are dead!” With that, he drew his long sword with a “whoosh”.

Shi Qing was startled upon hearing this and quickly said, “Yun’er…”

Shi Zhongjian also quickly stood up in front of Nie Yun, his arms outstretched, and said urgently, “Brother, please…”

Nie Yun completely ignored them. He leaped over Shi Zhongjian, his longsword transforming into a dazzling silver light as it hurtled straight towards Mei Fanggu.

Seeing his menacing approach, Mei Fanggu quickly dodged to the side.

You can’t escape!

Nie Yun shouted loudly, his body turned in mid-air, his sword flashing like pear blossoms, each move aimed at vital points, forcing Mei Fanggu to dodge repeatedly, panting heavily, on the verge of collapse.

Anxious, Shi Zhongjian joined the battle unarmed, shouting as he tried to stop Nie Yun, “Brother, stop!”

Nie Yun’s eyes flashed like lightning as he shouted, “Third brother, she killed your second brother!” His hands didn’t stop moving at all, but he was somewhat restrained because of Shi Zhongjian’s obstruction.

“I…I…” Shi Zhongjian looked ashamed, but still did not back down.

In the dream, “Min Rou” was anxious and wanted to step forward to help, but Shi Qing stopped her.