Here in the courtyard, Mu Hongling idly chewed a blade of tender grass, swinging her arms and legs with a lethargic yi ya ha hei, looking utterly and profoundly bored. Not far off, under the eaves, Hua Mei sat on a small stool, intensely focused, her carving knife flashing up and down in her hands.

"Ah!"

Mu Hongling suddenly let out a sharp, delicate cry, her fists striking the air with bursts of sharp cracks. Yet, her expression suggested no real power; it seemed more like an outlet for extreme ennui. As she drew her fist back, her small mouth curled up, and she shot a challenging glance at Hua Mei.

Hua Mei paused her carving knife, raising her eyes for a brief, questioning glance at Mu Hongling. Then, the de de de de sound resumed, echoing through the courtyard.

Seeing Hua Mei remain unmoved, Mu Hongling instantly deflated like a punctured balloon. She spat out the grass and listlessly shuffled over to Hua Mei, her little face contorted into a mournful mess. "Hua Mei, please, I'm begging you, stop carving those wooden figures! Let's go out shopping, okay? Okay? Okay...?"

She tugged at Hua Mei's right arm, shaking it like a little girl demanding candy.

"Shopping?"

Hua Mei blinked a few times.

Noticing Hua Mei’s eyes suddenly brighten, suggesting a potential agreement, Mu Hongling’s pretty face instantly bloomed with a smile, her head nodding furiously like a clucking chicken. However, Hua Mei immediately shook her head. "No, Uncle told me I shouldn't leave the Nie residence recently."

"Uncle! It's always your Uncle!"

Mu Hongling's face instantly collapsed. Her eyebrows shot up, her eyes widened in anger. "Hua Mei, you are Sister-in-law, and he is Uncle. You are older than him, why must you listen to him? Furthermore, I am his Master! By that reckoning, I am also your elder. Do you dare defy an elder’s command? Hmm? Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?"

The little woman puffed up like a fighting cock, her eyes blazing red. With every 'hmm,' she leaned a fraction closer, until after four 'hmms,' her perfectly straight nose was nearly touching Hua Mei’s face.

Startled by the fiercely aggressive Mu Hongling, Hua Mei instinctively shrank back, resembling a young bride being bullied by a difficult mother-in-law. She mumbled, "But... but Uncle is right. He only wants what's best for me. I can't let Uncle worry."

"You..."

Little fighting cock Mu Hongling was utterly defeated by Hua Mei. She threw both hands up to cover her cheeks and wailed, "Heavens, Nie Kong, what kind of aphrodisiac potion did you give Hua Mei? Anyone who didn't know better would think she's your wife, not your sister-in-law! Nie Kong, wuwu, Master is not done with you!"

Hua Mei’s pretty face flushed crimson, her lips trembling slightly. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's whine. "Hongling, you... you can't joke about that. Hongling, are you crying?"

"I am not crying!"

Mu Hongling flailed her arms wildly, swinging her fists a few times. Then, she took a deep breath and softened her tone, coaxing gently, "Hua Mei, look at me. Who am I? I am Mu Hongling, a fifth-rank Spirit Master of Spirit Fusion! You tell me yourself, with me protecting you personally, would that scoundrel Nie Fengxing dare to bother you?"

"He wouldn't dare," Hua Mei replied honestly, shaking her head.

"Exactly."

Mu Hongling clapped her hands decisively, beaming happily as she fixed her gaze on Hua Mei’s eyes. "I was invited by Nie Kong specifically to protect you. With me here, you have nothing to worry about. So, what you need to do now is put down that carving knife... go inside, change into something clean, and then come out shopping with me!"

"Mm."

Hua Mei unconsciously loosened her grip on the carving knife and took a few steps toward the house, then suddenly turned back, her voice laced with apology. "But I... I..."

Before Hua Mei could utter the rest of her words, Mu Hongling roared like an enraged lioness: "Go change your clothes, immediately! Right now! Speed up!"

"Oh."

Afraid of provoking the impending volcanic eruption, Hua Mei lowered her head and walked into the room, looking somewhat dejected.

Only then did Mu Hongling begin taking deep breaths, her palms smoothing over her high chest repeatedly, as if trying to soothe the fire raging within her.

"Finally, freedom," she muttered. After a long pause, Mu Hongling huffed and bent down to examine the wooden carving on the bench. She grumbled in confusion, "Is carving this thing really that fun? De de de de—it’s been sounding for four straight days, my ears are about to grow calluses. Nie Kong, that bad apprentice, is definitely up to no good."

"Aiya, my little darling, Three Brother truly missed you. Eh? Why are you wearing red? Don't be nervous, don't be afraid, and don't scream. Your little brother-in-law is likely to run into some trouble in the Illusion Realm this time. I’ll tell you the truth: I arranged all of it. Do you want him to live? Then be a good girl and come home with Three Brother. If you serve me well, there’s a chance that fellow might just make it out alive, hehehehehe..."

A lewd and hurried voice echoed, accompanied by two arms reaching out from behind, targeting Mu Hongling’s slender waist.

"Ah, Nie Fengxing."

Hua Mei, having changed into a set of white clothes Nie Kong had bought for her, stepped out of the room just in time to see Nie Fengxing reaching to embrace Mu Hongling from behind, and she cried out in alarm.

"Hua Mei, what are you doing there? And... who are you?"

Hearing Hua Mei’s voice coming from the doorway, Nie Fengxing, who had been completely lost in his wicked thoughts, instantly sobered up. He cried out in startled disbelief, though his arms were still lunging forward.

"Who am I? Heh heh!"

Mu Hongling's pretty face burned scarlet, not from shyness, but from sheer rage. A seductive crimson glow burst forth from her delicate body. Nie Fengxing’s two arms recoiled as if scalded by glowing red irons. Immediately, Mu Hongling twisted her delicate hand and yanked Nie Fengxing’s hair, swinging him around.

"Thud!"

Nie Fengxing flew through the air as if riding a cloud, landing precisely on a wooden stump several feet away. The brutal impact against his abdomen made him feel as if his intestines had shattered into pieces. He managed to spit up several mouthfuls of bitter fluid before staggering to his feet. Seeing Mu Hongling’s face clearly, his own turned ashen. "Mu Hongling, it’s you? What are you doing here? I must tell you, I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Mu Hongling floated over like a lotus of fire. Her exquisite, fair right palm shot out like lightning, flashing with successive bursts of red light.

"Slap! Slap!"

Two bright red palm prints appeared on Nie Fengxing’s face.

The fiery pain made Nie Fengxing’s seven orifices smoke. He grinned hideously. "Mu Hongling, you dare strike me? Don't forget, you are going to marry me soon."

Nie Fengxing was truly furious. On the morning the Illusion Realm opened, he had been summoned by Nie Qingsong and ordered to remain confined in the Ice Flame Cave for a full seven days. Having finally snuck out today, expecting to realize his desires, he never imagined running into Mu Hongling here.

"Marry a useless good-for-nothing like you? Dream on!" Mu Hongling scoffed, flinging out her right hand again.

"Slap! Slap!"

Nie Fengxing desperately tried to dodge but was still struck. He staggered, nearly falling to the ground, his handsome face already swollen high, with streaks of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

"Damn woman, you’ve rebelled!"

Nie Fengxing wiped the corner of his mouth. The sight of the crimson blood made his eyes turn red and his mind heat up. He roared and madly lunged forward.

Mu Hongling curled her lips in contempt, not even looking. Two more slaps followed.

"Slap! Slap!"

Nie Fengxing spun in place like a top. The fierce force delivered to his cheeks made his vision black out. Although he had tried his best to evade, he was struck without any suspense—the disparity in their cultivation levels was simply too vast, leaving him no room to dodge.

A moment later, Nie Fengxing cleared his head slightly. His gaze, sharp as a viper's, fixed on Mu Hongling, as if wanting to strip the clothes from her body layer by layer. "Damn woman, hit me all you want now! Wait until you marry me, then watch how I destroy you, haha, heh... Ouch!"

Mu Hongling sent him flying with a slap, swatting him away like a fly.

"Want to touch me? Do you even have the ability?"

Mu Hongling smiled dismissively, her figure like the wind. She pursued the falling Nie Fengxing, hooked his body up with her toe, and then her two palms descended upon his face in a storm of blows. The continuous pī pī pālā sounds were incessant, like corn popping.

"Hongling."

Hua Mei’s timid voice sounded from behind.

Only then did Mu Hongling stop. Nie Fengxing crashed onto the ground, his handsome, pale face bruised purple and black in spots, swollen into a solid ring, fat like a pig’s jowl. Mu Hongling felt immensely satisfied. Abandoning all semblance of ladylike grace, she planted her hands on her hips and laughed heartily a few times. "Hua Mei, want to give him a few smacks too?"

"Me?"

Hua Mei glanced at Mu Hongling, then at the pig-head on the ground. Suddenly, she bit her lip, gathered her courage, and delivered a light kick to Nie Fengxing’s leg. After the first kick, she delivered another, each one stronger than the last. Nie Fengxing couldn't even open his eyes, only groaning incessantly through his mouth.

After kicking him dozens of times until her own foot ached, Hua Mei stopped, breathing heavily, a joyful smile on her face. Then, she suddenly looked worried. "Hongling, he’s the Clan Leader’s son. Will there be trouble if we hit him?"

Mu Hongling laughed triumphantly. "You can rest completely assured, there won't be any trouble. Clan Leader's third son, Nie Fengxing, sneaked here to try and take liberties with you, and I caught him red-handed and taught him a lesson. Even if your Nie Clan Leader finds out, he won't dare do anything to us. Just now, several people walked past outside; this news will spread throughout the entire Nie family before the day is done. Just wait and see, this scoundrel will probably be severely punished. Otherwise, where would your Clan Leader's face, and the Nie family’s face, be? If this incident can help dissolve my engagement with him, that would be wonderful. Enough talk, let's go shopping. Let this bastard lie here; someone will come to carry him away."

"Mm."

Hua Mei’s worries eased, and she followed Mu Hongling out of the courtyard. Along the way, Mu Hongling’s face was radiant, but a sliver of concern lingered in her heart. That scoundrel Nie Fengxing mentioned Nie Kong might run into trouble in the Illusion Realm—she wondered if that was true? Mu Hongling did not mention this to Hua Mei, so as not to frighten her...