Chapter 114: What If We Are Biological Siblings?

"Your Highness, the local authorities will be here soon."

"Understood," Mo Yan replied indifferently.

Jin'er recognized the cold tone of Shi Yuan and flushed instantly. She reasoned that even if they hadn't heard the first time last night, they surely hadn't missed the most recent encounter. In annoyance, she punched Mo Yan and whispered a reproach: "This is all your fault!" If he hadn't been so forceful, she wouldn't have cried out so... so... oh, how embarrassing!

Mo Yan smiled, pinched her cheek, and comforted her: "What is there to fear? You are my woman; who would dare wag their tongues? When we return, I will ask the Emperor to grant us a marriage decree."

"Huh?" At the mention of a "marriage decree," Jin'er felt an inexplicable surge of nervousness.

"Huh, what? Don't tell me you haven't considered it yet? It’s too late for you to reconsider now," Mo Yan said with a smug smile. The raw rice has already been cooked into porridge; just wait obediently to marry me.

Jin'er rolled her eyes at him and sluggishly got up to dress. Marriage? When she was with him last night, she hadn't considered that. Although she truly loved him, she was determined not to marry into nobility. If he were just a commoner or a wanderer, she might not have any reservations, but he happened to be a prince. Now that she had given herself to him, even if she could treat this as a fleeting experience or a form of compensation, Mo Yan would likely never allow her to escape. Curse that damnable aphrodisiac!

"What are you thinking about?" Mo Yan suddenly reached out, pulled the dressed Jin'er into his arms, and held her tightly, greedily inhaling her fragrance. "Don't tell me you're still considering whether to marry me. You are already my woman, and I will be responsible for you to the end." With that, he lowered his head and kissed her cheek.

Just as expected! Jin'er sighed helplessly to herself. Forget it, she would take things one step at a time; she had to obtain the Fire Eye Stone and cure her poison first.

Stepping off the bed, Jin'er felt a sharp ache in her legs and couldn't help but grimace.

"Are you in pain?" Seeing this, Mo Yan hurried over to support her. He met her resentful gaze with a faint smile, helped her sit at the table, picked up a comb, and gently brushed her long hair. Jin'er stared blankly, feeling his thoughtfulness and tenderness, which made her inner turmoil even more agonizing. He was so good—so good that she couldn't bear to leave or hurt him.

She gazed vaguely at the candle that was about to burn out; its flickering flame struggled desperately, much like the conflict in her heart. As the flame neared extinction, Jin'er felt a sudden urgency and reached out to protect it. To her surprise, the spark suddenly flared up as if doused in oil, shooting high into the air. Jin'er was startled, and Mo Yan, behind her, froze, staring at the scene in astonishment.

"Jin'er..." Mo Yan looked at the column of fire, nearly a foot high, in utter disbelief.

Jin'er came to her senses and subconsciously pulled her hand back. "W-what is this? Did you do this?" Before she could finish, the column of fire shrank and extinguished in an instant.

Mo Yan sat stunned for a long while before moving to the round stool beside her. He stared at Jin'er as if she were a monster for a long time before asking, "What did that feel like just now? Think carefully."

Jin'er paused, lowered her eyes to reflect, and then her eyes brightened. She looked up and said uncertainly, "I feel... as if I caused it. I can't explain how, but there was a sense of connection with it."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan was shocked. He hurriedly scanned the room, saw an oil lamp on a corner table, and brought it over to her. "Try to focus your mental energy and make it ignite." Mo Yan’s voice trembled slightly.

Though flustered, Jin'er followed his instructions. She stared at the wick, gathered her focus, cleared her mind, and concentrated solely on the thought of a flame appearing. The room was so quiet they could hear each other's heartbeats and breathing; the atmosphere was incredibly tense and strange.

Suddenly, the room brightened, and the lamp ignited. Even though it was just a faint spark, it had truly emerged from nothing. Both Jin'er and Mo Yan were left dumbstruck.

After a long while, Jin'er recovered first and looked at Mo Yan, a guess forming in her mind.

"Fire Spirit... how could you possess a Fire Spirit?" Mo Yan's shock was unprecedented.

Jin'er’s heart tightened; her guess had been confirmed. Her emotions were incredibly complex—shock, joy, and confusion. She recalled the bizarre fire during her infancy that her nanny had told her about. As a princess of the Wood Kingdom, to possess a Fire Spirit... if others knew, both she and her mother would surely die. It seemed her spiritual power had been sealed by her mother. But was she truly the daughter of her mother and someone from the Fire Kingdom's royal family? Hadn't the Emperor of the Wood Kingdom suspected anything? She suddenly remembered the strange look in her mother’s eyes when she said "I'm sorry" before dying. Was that what the apology meant? If so, did that make her and Mo Yan relatives? Perhaps even...

Jin'er dared not contemplate the final possibility; a wave of cold horror washed over her. *It can't be, it can't be...* Even if she carried the blood of the Fire Kingdom’s royalty, it didn't mean she and Mo Yan were close relatives; after all, there were many royal men with Fire Spirits. Why dwell on the worst-case scenario? Despite trying to console herself, her heart remained heavy.

"Jin'er? Jin'er, what's wrong?" Mo Yan gently shook her, his brow furrowed with concern.

Jin'er came back to herself and sighed, "I was placed under a sealing spell; my spiritual power has been suppressed. It seems the seal is broken, but I never expected my power to be a Fire Spirit." She closed her eyes wearily, "My mind is in chaos; let me sort this out."

A sealing spell? He had never heard of such a thing. Though full of questions, Mo Yan nodded, choosing not to press further. Recalling her past suffering, he felt a deep ache in his heart. Was it her identity that had caused her so much pain? The heavens were truly unfair to make her endure so much at such a young age.

As they sat in silence, the sound of chaotic footsteps approached the door. Thinking the officials had arrived, they packed their belongings and headed out. Outside, Shi Yuan was waiting. Another commander of the Imperial Guard was dealing with the officials, while the innkeeper and waiter stood by, terrified, glancing toward the room filled with corpses and blood.

Mo Yan led Jin'er downstairs, followed by Shi Yuan and the others. Jin'er had been so distracted she forgot the pain in her legs until she descended the stairs, causing her to cry out softly. Without a word, Mo Yan ignored her protests and swept her into his arms, carrying her down.

"Put me down," Jin'er whispered, embarrassed as others watched.

"After the battle last night, they will assume you are injured; they won't think anything else," Mo Yan whispered, looking down at her with a faint smile.

Jin'er relaxed slightly. Setting aside everything else, being carried was certainly more comfortable than forcing herself to walk. Outside the inn, a soldier reported that the main force was just around the corner, so Mo Yan stood waiting with Jin'er.

"Is Your Highness unharmed?" Shi Yuan asked in his cold, detached voice, though his gaze lingered on Jin'er in Mo Yan’s arms. Seeing she looked rosy and uninjured, he felt a secret sense of relief. However, thinking of what happened in their room last night, he mocked his own concern. If they could engage in such intimacy, any injury she might have sustained couldn't be serious. The memory of her alluring, soul-stirring cries from the previous night made him feel uneasy, as if he were being pricked by silver needles.

"A minor sword wound, nothing serious. Go get some food," Mo Yan instructed.

Shi Yuan nodded and returned to the inn. Jin'er realized Mo Yan was also wounded and that carrying her would surely reopen his wounds. She struggled to get down, "Put me down, your wounds will tear open!"

Mo Yan held her tighter, stubbornly shaking his head: "It's fine, just don't move."

Frustrated by his stubbornness, Jin'er didn't dare struggle further, opting instead to wait for the main force. Fortunately, the lead cavalry appeared, easing her mind. Once the carriage stopped, Mo Yan boarded with Jin'er, and Shi Yuan passed the food inside. Mo Yan ordered the departure and dropped the curtain. As the whips cracked and the wheels began to turn, Jin'er ate the steamed buns in silence, her mind heavy with worries.

"Drink some water, don't choke," Mo Yan said softly, having watched her for a long time.

Jin'er looked at him, her heart churning with indescribable feelings. She took the water, drank twice, and handed it back, murmuring, "I have a Fire Spirit; we might be close relatives."

Mo Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Good, then we can become even closer when we marry."

Jin'er remembered that in this era, close relatives could marry; her concerns might be trivial to him.

"I remember you saying you became an orphan at ten. Where were your parents' ancestral roots? Perhaps I can help you find your genealogy," Mo Yan said earnestly.

"No need," Jin'er smiled weakly, "I don't care about that, I’m just afraid that..." She frowned and stopped.

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid that... what if we are biological siblings?" Seeing Mo Yan's exaggerated smile, Jin'er blushed and defended herself, "I'm just saying 'what if.' Even if the possibility is slim, we can't rule it out."

Mo Yan touched his nose, amused, and forced himself to look serious. "By your logic, you aren't your father's biological daughter?"

"Yes. My father was from the Wood Kingdom and had no Fire Spirit, and my mother even less so." Saying this felt like tarnishing her mother's reputation, but she couldn't worry about that now.

"Confirming it isn't hard. We can just test our blood against the Emperor's, can't we?"

Jin'er nodded in realization. It was a good idea, though the thought felt strange. Mo Yan seemed to understand her concerns and pulled her into his embrace. "Let's not test it. Even if we are siblings, I have decided you are mine."

Jin'er looked at him strangely, "I won't commit incest with you!" While she could barely accept other things, she absolutely could not accept a biological sibling relationship.

"Regardless, you are already my woman; that cannot be changed," Mo Yan said domineeringly. Besides, he didn't believe in such coincidences.

"I don't care. If it's wrong, we shouldn't continue making mistakes," she said, breaking free and moving to the opposite side of the carriage. Mo Yan felt hurt and helpless, but he ultimately agreed to let her test her blood against the Emperor's once they returned to the palace. *Heaven, please don't play a joke on me about us being siblings; it would be the death of me...*

***

Due to Jin'er's deliberate distance, Mo Yan couldn't hold her, so he ordered the carriage to return to the palace at top speed. That night, the full moon hung high, illuminating the world like daylight. Mo Yan didn't waste such an environment and ordered the group to travel through the night. Just as he lowered the curtain, he heard Jin'er groan. He turned to find her shivering, clutching her arms, and when he reached out to help, her skin felt freezing cold.

"Jin'er, has the Cold Poison flared up?" Mo Yan suddenly remembered that today was the middle of the month, the night of the full moon. He reached for her bag to find the antidote, but Jin'er spoke in a trembling voice.

"Teach me how to circulate the Fire Spirit in my body," she gritted out.

Mo Yan was stunned but quickly reacted, reciting the internal cultivation mantra. Jin'er endured the bone-chilling pain, chanting the mantra as she tried to manifest the Fire Spirit to combat the poison. Mo Yan had previously used his own Fire Spirit to suppress her poison, and now that she had one of her own, perhaps she could do it herself.

Though she was naturally gifted and understood the basics, the pain made it impossible to focus, and the circulation was not smooth. She felt only a tiny trace of warmth in her chest, which was nothing compared to the biting cold. After a while, she collapsed in agony. Mo Yan saw her failure and immediately used his own Fire Spirit to drive away the cold for her.

Half an hour later, Jin'er felt better, wrapped in a blanket of warmth. She opened her eyes to see Mo Yan concentrating on healing her. In the dim light of a night-luminescent pearl, his handsome features were captivating, and she found herself staring.

Just then, Mo Yan opened his eyes and pulled his hands back. As soon as he stopped, Jin'er felt the warmth vanishing rapidly. She didn't dare look at him anymore and closed her eyes to focus on her own spiritual power again. This time, she was more successful; she felt the Fire Spirit within her growing stronger, fighting the cold. However, the poison gradually suppressed her fire. After a grueling struggle, she had to let Mo Yan take over again. They repeated this process until dawn, when the poison finally subsided.

Exhausted, Mo Yan pulled Jin'er onto the soft cushions, but she struggled to pull away. "Jin'er, don't be like this. Do you know how much it hurts me that you’re distancing yourself over a tiny possibility?" Mo Yan frowned, his arms tightening.

Jin'er paused, hesitating. "I just want to hold you while I sleep," Mo Yan said mournfully. Looking into his tender, pained eyes, Jin'er finally relented, bit her lip, and buried her head in his chest. Mo Yan felt a warmth in his heart, kissed her forehead, and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

As dawn broke, the main force traveled through a mountain forest. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the sound of arrows whistling through the air. Several sharp arrows shot toward their carriage from different directions with incredible speed.

Before others could react, Shi Yuan moved like the wind, intercepting three arrows. However, he couldn't stop two others—one pierced the carriage curtain, narrowly missing the coachman's ear. Time seemed to slow; onlookers watched in horror as the arrows pierced the carriage. When the sound of arrows embedding into the wood echoed, Shi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to fight. Behind them, the sounds of battle erupted.

Inside the carriage, Mo Yan and Jin'er had woken instantly. They stared at the arrows embedded in the carriage, breaking into a cold sweat. One arrow had landed just half a finger's width above Mo Yan’s arm.

After exchanging a glance, they grabbed their swords and broke through the windows on either side. Outside, over thirty black-clad assassins surrounded the carriage. Worse, the two hundred Imperial Guards were fighting each other, with some marked by white ash on their chests. Mo Yan’s face darkened with icy rage.

Jin'er was furious. *Again? Do they really think we’re easy to bully?*

"Jin'er, be careful!" Mo Yan shouted.

"Don't underestimate me! Let's see who kills more!" Jin'er gripped her Flying Flower Sword, a bloodthirsty smile gracing her lips.

"Deal!"

In an instant, the assassins rushed them. Jin'er moved like a flower dancing in the wind, graceful and untouchable. She played defensively until they closed in, then vaulted into the air, using their sword tips as leverage to spin and scatter poison powder. The agile assassins screamed, collapsed, and died, blood pouring from their seven orifices.

Two survivors hesitated in fear, but forced themselves forward. Jin'er laughed coldly, flicked her sword, and dispatched them in a few moves. These were less skilled than the ones from last night.

Seeing more enemies approaching and fearing for Mo Yan, Jin'er leapt onto the carriage roof. She saw Mo Yan, clad in silver robes, surrounded by assassins like a silver fox in a pack of wolves. Seeing blood seeping from his right chest, her heart tightened.

Suddenly, Mo Yan roared, plunging his sword into the ground. Like an explosion, a wave of fire energy erupted from the sword, radiating outward. Nearly twenty assassins were blasted away, vomiting blood, their bodies catching fire as they writhed in agony. Mo Yan gasped for air, his black hair now flaming red, his eyes glowing with fire—he looked wickedly enchanting.

Jin'er stood on the roof, utterly mesmerized.

Suddenly, Mo Yan looked at her, his eyes hardening. He leapt onto the carriage roof, blocked two swords aimed at Jin'er, and swept her into his arms, landing on the ground.

"Woman, this is no time to be obsessed with me. I'll let you look all you want when this is over," Mo Yan whispered. Jin'er blushed, embarrassed by her infatuation, but she smiled and replied, "Deal."

They continued to fight. With many traitors among the guards, the situation was grim. But between Mo Yan, Jin'er, and Shi Yuan, they held their own.

As the sun rose, the forest was painted with the stark, crimson blood of the fallen. Jin'er had exhausted most of her poisons. She was fighting with a blood-red light in her eyes, her sword shimmering with fire.

Not far away, Shi Yuan was shocked to see Jin'er using the Fire Spirit. Seeing her killing with such ferocity, he felt a strange, inexplicable pang in his heart.

"Boom!" Mo Yan unleashed his ultimate technique again, wiping out another ten men. He looked pale, his chest soaked in blood. He struggled to lift his sword, gasping, and looked toward Jin'er. Seeing she was holding up well, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"He can actually use the Hellfire?! And what's with that woman? Why does she have a Fire Spirit too?" Hidden behind a tree, Mo Fan watched with jealousy and disbelief.

"Very well, let's see how strong you really are!" Mo Fan sneered at Wang Lin, "Leave none alive!"

Wang Lin signaled, and countless black-clad archers emerged.

Mo Yan, Jin'er, and Shi Yuan felt the change and turned to see the sea of enemies. Their hearts sank.

"Jin'er, run!" Mo Yan shouted, hacking through the crowd to reach her.

Arrows rained down like a storm, indiscriminate of friend or foe. Mo Fan’s own men panicked, stopping their attack on Mo Yan to shield themselves from the hail of arrows.

Jin'er fought with grim focus, her heart in her throat. She worried for Mo Yan but couldn't look away. Time slowed as she felt a chill creep into her heart. *Are we really going to die here today? I refuse!*

Nearby, Mo Yan was struggling. His injured right shoulder made swordplay painful, and his reliance on Hellfire had drained his internal energy. He moved toward Jin'er, blocking arrows as he went.

"Jin'er, I'm sorry!" Mo Yan shouted.

Jin'er looked at him, "Don't say that! I've always been glad I met you! If we die today, we'll be happy together on the road to the afterlife!"

Mo Yan felt a surge of warmth, moved beyond words. Beside them, Shi Yuan remained stoic, but the frozen lake of his heart had been shattered by a stone. *Happy together on the road to the afterlife?* It was a foolish sentiment, yet it stirred his soul. To have such a woman in one's life—would death really be a tragedy? He realized he hadn't wanted to leave because of her. He had no regrets for throwing himself into this danger. He only regretted not meeting her sooner.