After Jianxiu Gave The Villain In The Book A Wedding To Bring Him Good Luck - Chapter 7

Mu Wan woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and energized.

He had miscalculated, failing to account for the time it takes for merit to be absorbed within the body. As a result, he had not expected the impact it would have when it merged with his dantian.

He wondered if his sudden fainting spell had frightened Ning Bumo.

Lost in thought, Mu Wan rubbed his cheek against the pillow before suddenly realizing something was wrong. The fabric beneath his cheek felt different from a pillow.

“You are finally awake.” A voice dripping with suppressed frustration sounded from above. Mu Wan looked up and found himself staring into a handsome face that was clearly holding back annoyance.

To be fair, Ning Bumo’s features were impeccably crafted; even from this angle, he looked striking.

Mu Wan had a moment to appreciate the man’s appearance, but Ning Bumo was in no such mood. Seeing Mu Wan’s complexion, which had regained its rosy glow and looked significantly healthier, he let out a cold hum. “How much longer do you intend to hold me?”

He wanted to see a look of embarrassment on Mu Wan’s face, but the man calmly replied, “Oh.” Mu Wan then released his hold on Ning Bumo’s waist, propped himself up by pressing his hands against Ning Bumo’s chest, and asked with an air of innocence, “How did I end up sleeping in your arms? You did not take advantage of me while I was unconscious, did you?”

This shameless reversal left Ning Bumo so speechless that he actually laughed in frustration.

“Taking advantage of you? You are far too confident,” Ning Bumo retorted. After sizing Mu Wan up, he lied through his teeth. “May I ask what part of you is worth taking advantage of?”

“I think there is quite a lot. Many people have praised how good-looking I am,” Mu Wan replied, appearing to give the question serious thought. Ning Bumo was so struck by this thick-skinned attitude that he could not find a response, and Mu Wan could not help but laugh out loud.

“In any case, thank you. I must have been feeling unwell yesterday, which caused my internal energy to become chaotic. Sorry for the trouble.”

He changed the subject so quickly that Ning Bumo, who was never one to be harsh with those who were gentle toward him, found his sharp retort caught in his throat.

At that moment, Mu Wan reached out and shook his palm at him. “Give me your hand.”

“What for?” Ning Bumo asked irritably, yet he raised his hand anyway.

The soft palm of the other man pressed against his. Ning Bumo instinctively wanted to pull away, but a moment later, a warm current flowed through their joined fingers and into his body, nourishing his frame that had been ravaged by chronic illness.

It was similar to the treatment for his legs, though that time it had been agonizingly painful. This time, he felt only a sense of rejuvenation and profound comfort.

When Mu Wan finally pulled his hand away, Ning Bumo impulsively reached out to hold it again. It was only when he met Mu Wan’s half-smiling gaze that he realized what he was doing and let go in annoyance.

“What, you do not want to let go?” Mu Wan asked teasingly.

Ning Bumo could not explain his actions, and any attempt at an excuse would only make him look foolish, so he changed the subject. “What just happened?”

Even though he did not know exactly what Mu Wan had done, he knew for a fact that he had benefited.

“I suppose I just repaired your body a bit further. Consider it a thank-you for taking care of me yesterday.” Mu Wan hopped lightly off the bed and stretched. As sunlight streamed through the window frames, the inner garments he wore seemed almost translucent.

Ning Bumo awkwardly looked away, hearing Mu Wan add, “So, for the sake of that reward, let us consider the events of last night settled.”

Ning Bumo grunted in acknowledgment. When he looked back, Mu Wan was already dressing, but the tips of his ears, turned away from Ning Bumo, were inexplicably flushed.

Ning Bumo stared at that touch of red for a long time before rubbing his nose.

So, Mu Wan was not as relaxed as he pretended to be.

After both were dressed, Lin Zhong had breakfast delivered. It consisted of the seasonal dishes Mu Wan had requested. Having absorbed so much merit the day before, Mu Wan needed to replenish his energy. After finishing his breakfast, he chatted with Ning Bumo about the events of the previous day.

“You do not need to call a doctor next time. They cannot solve my issues, and it is not a serious problem. When I am like this, just make sure no one disturbs me.” Not sure if he would need to enter a long period of closed-door cultivation again, Mu Wan gave this warning before asking, “Also, I fainted suddenly yesterday. That did not cause any trouble, did it?”

“It was fine,” Ning Bumo replied. He picked up a pastry he usually disliked and put it in his mouth. The overly sweet taste spread, but he paused and silently finished the whole thing before saying, “I told people that the Mu residence had unclean spirits, that you were frightened while inside, and that is why you fainted.”

It sounded absurd, but since Mu Wan showed no signs of real illness, the excuse was perfect for adding to the Mu family’s troubles.

Mu Wan chuckled, thinking that Ning Bumo had a bit of a devious side.

However, he stopped smiling soon after.

“I have to enter the palace tomorrow, and you will likely need to come with me,” Ning Bumo said, anticipating that this would displease him. “We do not need to go too early, just whenever you wake up. There is no need to observe formal etiquette when we meet; just act a little slow-witted.”

He did not mention that Mu Wan needed to get out and relax. If Mu Wan wanted to relax, there were plenty of scenic places outside, but Ning Bumo knew he was the one asking for help and needed to show the proper attitude.

“Why must I go?”

“Because by using the pretext of paying respects, I can see the Empress Dowager sooner.” Although she was his mother, meeting her required following formal protocol, but Ning Bumo needed to see her urgently. The status of Mu Wan as his Princess consort was an excellent excuse.

“Aside from your daily necessities, is there anything else you like?” Ning Bumo asked.

Since the meeting with the Empress Dowager was clearly very important to him, he was making a sincere effort to accommodate Mu Wan.

“Forget it. Since you accompanied me back to my parents’ home, I will accompany you there,” Mu Wan said. “As for my reward, I like jade stones that have a strong spiritual presence and look expensive.”

In this world, spiritual energy was scarce, and spiritual stones were rare. However, high-quality jade stones often held lingering spiritual energy, and in sufficient quantities, they were a great choice for nourishing the body.

This was not a difficult request for Ning Bumo.

“There are many in the storage room. Pick whatever you want. As long as you do not sell them, you may use them at will.” He hesitated for a moment before adding, “And if you do want to sell them, do not do it yourself. It is still a bit troublesome, but I will resolve it for you.”

Although Mu Wan had jokingly mentioned selling those useless gold and silver treasures more than once, he had not expected Ning Bumo to remember even that.

“Are you not afraid that if I really do it, I will become a thorn in the Emperor’s side?” Selling imperial gifts without permission was forbidden, even for a prince, and Ning Bumo’s current situation was already precarious enough.

“Is that not already the case?” Ning Bumo looked at his own legs and sneered. He did not want to dwell on it further. Since Mu Wan had agreed, he could proceed with the arrangements for the palace visit.

In principle, Ning Bumo and Mu Wan should not have been able to go to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager together, but Mu Wan’s situation was unique. Since he was a man and considered simple-minded, the standard protocol for noblewomen no longer applied. Furthermore, because the Empress Dowager often listened to state affairs from behind a curtain, the Ciyuan Hall was located close to the inner court, making it much more convenient for him to accompany Ning Bumo.

The sedan chair moved slowly through the vermilion palace walls. Mu Wan kept his head down, fiddling with a piece of mutton-fat jade in his hand. This was one of the items Ning Bumo had ordered brought over the night before, along with various gemstones, fan pendants, and hairpins. When these items were brought out, the look of hesitation on Lin Zhong’s face had been truly profound.

Although Ning Bumo was present, preventing him from saying much, Mu Wan had easily captured his subtle dissatisfaction.

This steward was certainly not as honest as he appeared.

“What are you thinking about?” Ning Bumo asked, noticing he had been deep in thought.

Mu Wan was about to reply when he saw another sedan chair approaching them. Interestingly, the eunuchs carrying the other sedan chair instinctively wanted to move aside to let them pass. Once Ning Bumo let out a cold snort, the lead eunuch stopped, hesitating and not knowing how to proceed.

Who was coming? Such arrogance.

Mu Wan looked up and saw that the person in the sedan chair was observing them as well.

It was a Taoist priest.

He looked to be in his thirties with long brows and narrow eyes. The hair trailing down on both sides was a distinctive white, giving him a truly transcendent, immortal appearance.

When he saw Ning Bumo, he did not get off the sedan chair but merely cupped his hands in a slight, perfunctory salute. “Prince Jing.”

“The Imperial Preceptor does not stay in his residence to cultivate, but instead comes to the palace. Could it be that some major event has happened to keep you so busy?”

“It is nothing major. His Majesty ordered me to host a ritual to comfort the souls of the fallen soldiers, so I came to the palace.” His tone was respectful, making Ning Bumo’s hostility seem overly aggressive.

However, there had been no recent wars requiring a ritual, only the battle at Lingzhou. And that battle had everything to do with Ning Bumo.

Upon hearing this, Ning Bumo fell silent.

The priest said no more, gave another salute, and departed. Throughout the encounter, he had not cast a single glance at Mu Wan.

Mu Wan, however, was quite interested in him.

For a cultivator, an increase in cultivation level made a world of difference. Although Mu Wan’s strength had been greatly reduced and he needed to recover, his understanding and perspective remained. If he was not mistaken, the priest had a faint aura of spiritual energy surrounding him.

In other words, this was not just a fame-seeking fraud, but someone with genuine ability.

“Who is he?” Mu Wan asked curiously.

“His name is Chai Yi, and he is the current Imperial Preceptor of the Yong Dynasty. Three years ago, when the Jiangling flood occurred, rumors spread of an evil flood dragon causing chaos. At that time, a Taoist named Qingyun appeared, slew the dragon, and calmed the flood. Later, stories of him appeared in many places. The Emperor eventually sent for him and appointed him Imperial Preceptor.”

“A flood dragon?” Mu Wan mused, and once he saw Ning Bumo looking at him with curiosity, he transmitted his voice directly to him.

“This world cannot produce a flood dragon unless a small snake ran to your family’s dragon vein and took a bite out of it.” The spiritual energy here was far too barren for anything to transform into a dragon.

Rather, the Imperial Preceptor he just saw was quite unique; he wondered how he had cultivated his power.

Although he already knew that Mu Wan possessed the ability to transmit his voice, what he said felt highly disrespectful. Ning Bumo looked left and right, confirmed that no one else could hear them, and shook his head slightly at Mu Wan, signaling that they would discuss it later.

However, Mu Wan’s words continued to echo in his mind.

In reality, before meeting Mu Wan, he had never believed in these mystical monks and Taoists, and after hearing of Ning Yu’s behavior at the border, he thought it was utterly absurd.

But now, the appearance of Mu Wan forced him to reconsider those he had previously ignored.

The two said no more. When the sedan chair reached Ciyuan Hall, Mu Wan pushed Ning Bumo in his wheelchair, and under the guidance of the waiting court lady, they walked into the hall.

Ciyuan Hall was divided into two sections. The main hall was where the Empress Dowager held court. As they entered, before Mu Wan could get a clear view of the hall’s layout or the Empress Dowager, the myna bird that had been sitting quietly on a perch suddenly shrieked.

“Fairy! Fairy!”

The bird stared straight at Mu Wan as it cried out, as if it were a devout believer who had encountered a celestial immortal from the heavens.