Chapter 171: The Zodiac Artefacts

Madam Mu couldn't sleep. It was both a blessing and a curse that she was a mountain spirit.

She would stay up during the wee hours of the night, laying in the darkness, imagining what her life could be if Mang HuaZhen had never caught her. How her life would be free, filled with lush greenery and animals.

If only she had never met Liu Ximeng.

But here he was, lying on her bed - no - their bed, holding her in his arms as he slept deeply.

Too deeply.

Madam Mu tilted her head, watched as Ximeng's thin lips curled into a pleased little smile in his sleep.

For a moment, this was her reality. To be wrapped up in the arms of the man she loved, sleeping on their bed, acting like they were a happy couple - expecting a child.

Here, Liu Ximeng was all hers.

But each second of bliss was laced with poison. Each time her heart thumped from the sheer happiness, it also hurt like an old wound, festering before re-opening once more.