Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

Xiao Hanxing's heart tightened, and he quickly picked up Liu Yunshu and ran towards the palace.

He hadn't run more than a few steps when he bumped into Xiao Luochen, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.

A few osmanthus petals were still stuck to the hem of his dark robe. Upon seeing this, the gloom on his face immediately turned into alarm and worry, and he quickly stepped forward.

"What happened?"

"Luo Chen, come take a look!"

Xiao Hanxing kept walking, her voice trembling with anxiety, "She just collapsed into my arms and fainted, her face was frighteningly pale!"

Liu Yunshu, who was in his arms, had her eyes closed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and her lips were completely bloodless.

A fallen osmanthus blossom clung to her pale cheek, making her appear exceptionally delicate.

As they spoke, the three of them entered the adjacent warm pavilion.

Xiao Hanxing carefully placed Liu Yunshu on the soft couch. Just as he was about to reach out to take her pulse, Xiao Luochen gently pressed his wrist down.

"I'll do it."

His voice was deep, and his fingers were already on her slightly cool wrist, his fingertips feeling her faint pulse.

His brows furrowed, then a look of surprise and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

Yun Shu... she's pregnant?! Could it be because of that night...?

Xiao Luochen unconsciously looked at Xiao Hanxing, his eyes flashing with guilt and complex struggle.

Seeing that he had been taking her pulse for a long time and was looking at her with a complicated expression, Xiao Hanxing felt both anxious and suspicious.

He then took Liu Yunshu's other hand and placed it on her wrist to check her pulse.

The pulse was weak and thready, yet it carried a vibrant energy, unlike the faintness of a typical fainting spell. Instead, it subtly revealed a warm and healthy vitality.

Xiao Hanxing frowned, checking several times, her eyes filled with confusion: "This...this pulse feels like...a pregnancy pulse!"

His fingers trembled violently, and he looked up at Xiao Luochen in disbelief, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice strained:

"Luo Chen, did I diagnose her wrong? Yun Shu... she's really pregnant?"

Xiao Luochen looked down at Liu Yunshu, who was breathing weakly on the soft couch, and the cool touch of her wrist still lingered on his fingertips.

That weak yet resilient pulse was like an invisible thread tightly binding his heart.

His throat was dry, and he nodded, his voice low and hoarse:

"It's a pregnancy pulse. But her meridians had just recovered, and she was experiencing extreme emotional fluctuations, which caused her to faint."

These words struck Xiao Hanxing like a thunderbolt, leaving him stunned in place.

He stared at Liu Yunshu's pale face, his mind a complete mess.

That day in the cave, he and Yun Shu did indeed have physical intimacy. Counting the days, could it have been around that time…?

At this moment, Liu Yunshu's eyelids twitched slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

His vision went from blurry to clear, first seeing Xiao Hanxing's anxious face, then meeting Xiao Luochen's deep gaze.

Her throat was dry and warm, and her voice was as light as a wisp of smoke in the wind: "Cold Star..."

Just as she was about to sit up, a slight, dull pain suddenly shot through her lower abdomen, causing her to furrow her brow and grip the brocade quilt beneath her.

Xiao Hanxing quickly bent down to support her, carefully placing his hand on her waist, and speaking very softly:

"Don't move, you just hurt the baby. Yunshu, you... are pregnant."

"Pregnant..."

Liu Yunshu's pupils contracted, her eyes first showing confusion, then panic.

She subconsciously touched her lower abdomen, which was still flat, but already harboring a small life.

The image of that night flashed through her mind—the flickering candlelight in the palace, the scene of her and Xiao Luochen entwined in passion…

Her blood seemed to freeze, her face turned even paler, and she looked up at Xiao Luochen, meeting his unfathomable eyes.

There surged feelings of guilt, forbearance, and a hint of joy.

The moment their eyes met, Liu Yunshu felt as if struck by lightning. She hurriedly looked away, her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Her fingertips turned white from the force, the throbbing pain in her lower abdomen and the panic in her heart intertwined, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She could clearly feel the temperature of Xiao Hanxing's palm, but at that moment it was so hot that it made her tremble all over.

Xiao Luochen's gaze was like a deep pool, fixed firmly on her, carrying guilt and a hint of barely perceptible stubbornness, making her dare not look at him anymore.

"Yunshu, what's wrong?"

Seeing her complexion getting worse and worse, Xiao Hanxing was filled with worry. He reached out to touch her face, but she instinctively dodged away.

His hand froze in mid-air, a sense of unease washing over him. "Are you feeling unwell? Luo Chen, think of something quickly!"

Xiao Luochen felt a lump in his throat. He slowly stepped forward, his fingers hovering above her wrist, but he didn't dare to actually touch it.

"She was too emotional, and her pregnancy was unstable. She needs to calm down and soothe her mind immediately."

His voice was deep, his gaze fixed on her furrowed brows. "I'll go get the medicine to prevent miscarriage. You stay with her and don't let her get frightened again."

After saying that, he gave Liu Yunshu a deep look, his gaze complex and unfathomable, before finally turning around and walking out of the warm pavilion, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, Liu Yunshu felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she collapsed onto the couch.

Tears rolled down unexpectedly, landing on the brocade quilt and leaving a small wet patch.

"Yunshu, what's wrong with you?"

Xiao Hanxing bent down and carefully took her cold hand in his, his voice full of heartache.

"Was this baby too sudden, and you weren't prepared? It's okay, I'm here. I'll protect you and the baby."

Liu Yunshu shook her head, tears falling even more fiercely, choking and unable to speak.

Looking at the man before her, who was overjoyed and trusted her completely, she felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife.

That night was an accident, caused by the effects of the drug, but the arrival of this child made it impossible to pretend that nothing had happened.

How should she tell him the truth?

Tell him that his beloved fiancée has long been defiled and that the child in her womb may not even be his.

"Cold Star,"

She sniffed, lifted her tear-streaked face, and looked on with a desperate struggle in her eyes.

"What would you do if... if this child wasn't yours?"

Xiao Hanxing's smile froze instantly, and she stared at her in disbelief, as if she hadn't heard her words:

"What did you say? Yun Shu, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"I'm not lying!"

Liu Yunshu suddenly raised her voice, tears streaming down her face, "That day I was poisoned by a strange poison from the Demonic Sect and was sent to the palace for treatment."

Her voice choked with emotion, unable to speak, "That poison requires... requires the union of yin and yang to be cured, and Luo Chen and I..."

She couldn't continue speaking and covered her face, bursting into tears.

Every word was like a knife, piercing her heart, and also piercing Xiao Hanxing's heart.

The air in the warm room froze instantly. The color drained from Xiao Hanxing's face, and he tightened his grip on her hand, his knuckles turning white.

He stared blankly at Liu Yunshu, his mind flashing back to Xiao Luochen's complicated gaze and the inexplicable surge of emotion he felt that day.

All the fragments were pieced together in an instant, forming a truth that was hard for him to accept.

"So...you and Luo Chen..."

His voice was dry, as if it had been sanded, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"Could the child in your womb be Luochen?"

Liu Yunshu nodded, tears blurring her vision.

"I don't know... I really don't know... Hanxing, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Xiao Hanxing staggered back half a step, his back slamming heavily against the vermilion pillar behind him with a dull thud.

The joy and tenderness in his eyes shattered instantly, replaced by overwhelming shock and disbelief.

A metallic taste rose in his throat, but he forced it back down.

"I...I need to go out and calm down first. You...get some rest..."

The door to the warm pavilion was gently closed, shutting out Xiao Hanxing's staggering figure and leaving Liu Yunshu with a deathly silence.

She curled up on the soft couch, tears streaming down her face, soaking the brocade mattress beneath her and leaving dark stains.

The dull pain in my lower abdomen is still lingering.

It was as if it were a silent reminder of the unexpected life growing inside her, and of this doomed and complicated relationship.

She touched her lower abdomen with a complicated expression. It was flat and without any marks, yet it was nurturing a small life that filled her with both joy and fear.

The fingertips touched the slightly cool skin beneath the plain clothes, and a faint warmth spread through the abdomen, which strangely calmed the slight panic.

But then she thought of Xiao Hanxing's staggering figure as he left, the shattered tenderness in his eyes, and Xiao Luochen's deep and unfathomable gaze.

Tears welled up again, sliding down my cheeks and dripping onto the back of my hand, icy cold.

"Child, you've come at the worst possible time," she murmured, her voice choked with sobs and filled with utter helplessness.

"Very well, since we are destined to be together, you shall stay with your mother from now on."

Liu Yunshu raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and the vulnerability in her eyes was gradually replaced by a hint of resilience.

She struggled to her feet, glanced at the doorway one last time, and quietly opened the window.

The autumn wind, carrying the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, wafted in, fluttering the hem of her white dress.

Outside the window is a secluded corner of the Imperial Garden, where a bluestone path winds through groves of osmanthus trees.

The morning dew had not yet dried, wetting the fallen leaves in front of the steps, which gleamed with a cool light.

She held onto the windowsill and carefully climbed out.

He pulled his clothes tighter, avoided the patrolling guards, and walked quickly along the path.

Before long, she circled around to a side gate in the palace wall.

The guards here are sparse, with only two old soldiers dozing against the gatepost.

Liu Yunshu held her breath, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and her figure swept past like flowing clouds, silently landing in the alley outside the palace walls.

The alleyways were deep and secluded, the morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the bluestone pavement gleamed with a damp, cold light.

Liu Yunshu pulled her plain clothes tighter, the pain in her abdomen intensifying with each hurried step.

She leaned against the mottled wall, bent over to catch her breath, and instinctively covered her lower abdomen with her fingertips.

"Big sister! Are you alright?" Xiao Ba circled around her, his eyes full of worry.

"Xiao Ba, take a pregnancy-preserving pill."

"Okay~"

Just as Liu Yunshu took the pills to prevent miscarriage, she heard the sound of horses' hooves at the alley entrance. She looked up and saw a peddler's cart preparing to leave the city.

As the coachman bent down to adjust the ropes, Liu Yunshu had an idea. She took out the last bit of silver from her sleeve and quickly stepped forward.

"Uncle, could you give me a ride? I need to go to Qingfeng Town, which is thirty miles outside the city."

Seeing that she was pale but had an extraordinary bearing, and that he had given her some silver coins, the driver readily agreed: "Please get in, young lady, it's on my way."

Liu Yunshu lifted the carriage curtain and crawled into the carriage filled with fabric. A faint scent of cotton and linen enveloped her.

The carriage wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, gradually driving away from the imperial city. The majestic palace walls and the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms in the city behind them became silhouettes that gradually faded into the distance.

She leaned against the pile of fabric, closed her eyes wearily, but the image of Xiao Hanxing's broken gaze lingered in her mind.

"I'm sorry..." she murmured softly, tears streaming down her face again, dripping onto her plain clothes and leaving a small wet patch.