Your Highness, please stop chasing me.

After listening to their conversation, Ye Shangyuan also fell into deep thought.

Leng Quan is right. He is currently poisoned and cannot protect Mu Xue at all. If they encounter real danger, Mu Xue might have to protect him instead.

This is not what I wanted to see.

He suddenly had a strong urge to find those herbs as soon as possible.

He glanced at Mu Xue, who was sleeping soundly not far away, his eyes filled with tenderness. He realized he couldn't let go of this little girl.

Since I can't let her go, she can only be mine.

Anyone who tries to hurt her will suffer.

What is reputation?

The Mu Xue he knew certainly wouldn't care whether he was as ruthless as rumored. He could tell she was a free-spirited girl, and he would do anything to get her what she wanted.

At this moment, Mu Xue was still dreaming.

In her dream, there was a soft princess bed, sweet and delicious cakes, and a handsome man with eight-pack abs dancing for her. She couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She has no idea that she has been targeted by a wolf.

Before dawn, Mu Xue and the others were already awake, waiting for the city gates to open so they could enter the city.

Ye Shangyuan walked to Mu Xue's side and said in a low voice, "I received news last night that your eldest brother, Mu Feng, returned to the manor before the city gates closed last night. If you need anything, you can find me at the First Forging Shop. I'll be staying there."

When she heard that her older brother Mu Feng had returned, she was a little dazed. Her older brother!

What an ancient title!

If Ye Shangyuan hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten that she also had a brother.

Suddenly hearing that her long-lost elder brother had returned to the manor and likely already knew she wasn't there, she felt a million curses running through her mind!

Mu Xue quickly called out to Mu Hu, "We need to hurry back to the manor, my elder brother is back!"

"What? The eldest young master is back?" Mu Hu was so shocked that he stood up.

"Brother A Yuan, A Hu and I will be leaving now!" Mu Xue said to Ye Shangyuan.

"Mu Mu, be careful. Remember to contact me if anything happens," Ye Shangyuan said.

"Okay. I'm going now!" Mu Xue waved her hand.

The two packed their things and hurried toward the city gate.

Just then, the city gate opened.

As Mu Xue ran, she said, "Ah Hu, I'll go back to the courtyard first. You go and find Mu Qi to find out what's going on in the manor."

"Yes." Mu Hu quickened his pace as well.

He discovered that Mu Xue was the one who gained the most from this five-day trip.

Her combat skills increased dramatically.

And then there are her strange and bizarre moves, each one deadly, she's ruthless.

If a fight were to break out, he wouldn't be confident of winning.

Mu Xue entered her room just as dawn was breaking.

Granny Kang was sitting in Mu Xue's room, and she was startled when she went in.

"Why isn't Momo going to sleep?" Mu Xue asked.

"Miss is finally back. Are you injured?" Granny Kang looked Mu Xue up and down.

Mu Xue turned around playfully and said, "Look, Granny, I'm perfectly fine! I even think I've gained weight!"

"It's good that you're back safe and sound. By the way, the eldest young master has returned to the manor. He came back last night, and I sent a servant to report that you were asleep. I was really worried that Miss wouldn't be able to make it back in time." Granny Kang immediately told Mu Xue why she was waiting there.

A glint of light flashed in Mu Xue's eyes. She pulled Kang Mama to sit down at the table and said, "Mama, tell me, what kind of person is my elder brother?"

Granny Kang looked at Mu Xue with affection and said, "Young Master, he is the one among your four brothers who resembles the General the most. He has been groomed as the heir since childhood. He is an upright man. I heard that the court bestowed a great reward upon him upon his return to the capital. It seems our Mu family truly has a father-son team spirit. He originally wanted a younger sister..."

Mu Xue listened quietly as Granny Kang talked about the eldest son, Mu Feng. When she heard this, she interrupted and said, "Granny, you always told me how much my father and brothers loved me, but I didn't feel it at all. Did something happen? Or is it just because I became mentally impaired later that they don't like me or even hate me?"

“This,” she realized she had spoken carelessly in her excitement.

"Granny, am I not allowed to know these things given my current situation? Am I even considered a young lady of the Mu family?" Mu Xue said seriously.

“Of course, Miss is a young lady of the Mu family!” Kang Mama said anxiously when she heard this.

Mu Xue took her hand and said, "Think about how I spent the last eight years in this mansion. The first three years were alright because my second brother was still here, but how did I get through the last five years after all three brothers passed away? If it weren't for you protecting me, I'm afraid the grass on my grave would be taller than a person."

"Pah, pah, pah, Miss, don't say such discouraging things. My lady will surely live a long and peaceful life," said Granny Kang.

"I don't understand. How could my father and brothers let me, a mentally challenged child under ten years old, live alone in the Mu family mansion?" Mu Xue pressed on, "Do they really think that Aunt An can take care of my biological daughter?"

Once it's broad daylight, that cheap older brother will probably summon her over. The An family mother and daughter, who haven't been behaving themselves for long, will definitely go too; she needs to know this older brother's attitude towards her.

Over the past month, she had subtly inquired and had vaguely guessed that the Mu family father and son had doted on her very much in the past. But that was in the past. If they were really that good, how could they bear to leave their five-year-old child alone in the Mu mansion, helpless and alone?

The Mu family also has the An family mother and daughter who are eyeing her covetously.

Unless... unless she did something they couldn't forgive her for, which is why they couldn't face her and chose not to see her.

Right now, only Granny Kang can get the answers she needs.

"Granny Kang, my elder brother's attitude upon returning is ambiguous. I am no longer mentally impaired. If the Mu family truly cannot accept me, the world is vast, and there is nowhere that cannot be my refuge." Mu Xue's words were clear.

"Oh well. Since Miss wants to ask, this old servant will tell you." She sighed heavily.

"Eight years ago, the lady came to Yu Nan City to recuperate. Her health improved greatly, but not long after, she began coughing up blood. The general searched for doctors everywhere, but none of them could do anything about it." Kang Mama saw that Mu Xue was listening attentively.

She gritted her teeth and continued, "Until the lady fell ill and was on the verge of death, someone told the general that the young lady would send her a small pastry every day, and that there was something wrong with the pastry."

Mu Xue's heart skipped a beat; the poison was in the pastry.

She has no memory of this period.

"I don't remember this at all?" Mu Xue asked.

“You were probably too young then. The general caught you holding the pastry and was about to hand it to the lady. He asked you where the pastry came from, but you couldn’t explain it clearly!” The old woman’s voice choked with emotion.

She wiped away her tears and said, "At this moment, the lady started spitting out large amounts of blood, and she couldn't stop it. She was coughing so hard that she couldn't breathe. In a fit of anger, the general stuffed all the pastries into your mouth."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xue's anger flared up instantly.

This scumbag father actually laid a hand on a little kid.