Jin Mulan gently nudged Luo He's arm.
"You want to try?" She asked gently.
"I do." He declared.
"Then go." She said proudly.
Luo He shook his head. "I'd rather not." He said.
She looked at him knowingly. "You dislike attention that much?" She asked.
"I dislike unnecessary attention." He said calmly.
"Go honey. You will succeed." He said.
She blinked. "Me?" She asked genuinely confused.
"You might actually solve it." He said.
"And you'll help me?" She asked.
"I most certainly will." He promised.
A faint smile appeared on her lips. "And when they ask how I solved it?" She asked.
"Tell them it was luck." He said as if it was that easy. She laughed quietly. "So you want your wife to become famous?"
Luo He looked at her calmly. "I've never objected to that." He said.
"You mean you want to hide behind your wife again." She teased.
"There are far worse places to hide than behind one's wife." He said proudly.
Jin Mulan couldn't help but smile. Sometimes she genuinely wondered whether her husband possessed even the slightest sense of pride.
Because he was so shameless yet also so casually about it. He seemed perfectly content, allowing the world to happily misunderstand him, so long as those he cared about shone brightly.
When the scholar repeated his invitation, Jin Mulan slowly rose from her seat. Every eye in the hall followed her as she walked toward the center. Luo He remained exactly where he was.
Quietly seated among the guests. Just another insignificant spectator. Only he knew the truth. The moment the cube entered Jin Mulan's hands, a thread of invisible spiritual energy quietly spread from his fingertips.
It was so delicate that not even the strongest cultivators present noticed its existence. Every subtle movement of the cube would be guided by that unseen force.
Every impossible sequence would quietly correct itself. To the eyes of everyone present, Jin Mulan would become the woman who solved the unsolvable puzzle.
Luo He felt no guilt. Not even the slightest. He was no hero, nor did he pretend to be one. If cheating produced the outcome he desired, then cheating was merely another tool.
His wife's reputation would rise once again. The world would praise her brilliance. And hearing others praise Jin Mulan pleased him far more than hearing them praise himself.
Jin Mulan accepted the cube with both hands. The hall fell silent. Hundreds of eyes watched. The moment she felt doubt, Luo He's spiritual energy brushed against hers hands.
A gentle, familiar presence. She followed his guidance, her hands moving with precision. One move. Two. Three. Within twenty-two moves, all six faces aligned perfectly.
The elderly scholar who created it fell to his knees immediately. "Six months," he breathed. "I couldn't solve it in six months. She solved it in minutes."
More scholars bowed. Then the Emperor of Yue stood and clapped. Not polite applause, but declaration. Within seconds, the entire court rose, emperors and generals and dignitaries all standing.
The applause built like a storm. But Jin Mulan understood the truth. This brilliance wasn't entirely hers. It was Luo He's gift to her. His training. His touch guiding her hands.
The Feather Clan elders stood frozen, realizing too late who they had rejected. A woman this exceptional would have elevated their entire family. The regret burned through them like acid.
At the Yue emperor's side, Ning Jia saw everything and felt her fury crystallize into something cold and focused. She had been left behind.
She promised herself, when she had Luo He alone, she would make sure he never did this to her again. She would make him understand the cost of forgetting her.
Meanwhile, Prince Lian Luo recovered in a guarded chamber, his arm bandaged with surgical precision, his lungs cleared of filth, his heart restarted by the Wu Emperor's physicians.
The guards thought Luo He wanted him dead quickly, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Luo He had no interest in mercy.
He had hundreds of ways to break this man before death found him. Ways that would span days, ways that would make the cesspit seem like a rather gentle introduction.
Because there were dozens of girls. Dozens of lives destroyed. An entire reckoning owed. The prince would wake.
And then Luo He would begin. And Luo He would continue until he couldn't take it any longer.
After the initial event Jin Mulan resolved the puzzle twice more with Luo He's help to further prove her self. And people truly believed she was talented. But Ning Jia and the Yue emporer knew it was Luo He.
But not even them were sure exactly how he helped her archive victory every single time. So they filed it away to later clarify.
After the wedding celebration, the emperor of Yue requested a private audience with the emperor of Wu. "My Crown Prince has rebelled," he said bluntly with the Crown Prince of Wu.
"He seized control of the imperial escort, turned my own guards against me. I was forced to flee for my life with barely a handful of loyal followers." The Crown Prince of Wu nodded thoughtfully.
"I think my father will be willing to help you reclaim your throne," he replied. "However, such a campaign will require considerable resources. We will naturally expect appropriate compensation."
The emperor of Yue agreed without hesitation. "It is already late." The Crown Prince of Wu interjected smoothly. "This is a wedding celebration, and everyone has had a great deal to drink."
"Let us discuss the details tomorrow with Father's presence." The emperor of Yue accepted the proposal. Because of the emperor's status, the Wu kingdom had arranged for him to stay within the inner palace.
Rather than the outer guest quarters. The security was considerably tighter there. As the emperor of Yue no longer had a proper staff to maintain a outer guest quarters anyway.
Three rooms were prepared. The emperor of Yue occupied one. Luo He and Jin Mulan were assigned another.
Ning Jia was offered a separate room, but she refused firmly.
"I will always remain close to Father," she said. "I truly wish to protect him personally." She said. Late that night, everyone quietly gathered in the emperor of Yue's chamber.
The emperor of Yue. Shu Kang. Eunuch Long. Ning Jia. Jin Mulan and Luo He.
They sat in careful silence as Luo He once again explained the plan, under the disguise of the sea shell.
"Now it's time for us to leave." Luo He said finally. Without another word, he summoned the Black Cloud Shuttle.
The vessel was concealed among nearby bushes after the ceremony.
The shuttle descended soundlessly through the night air. There was barely enough room for everyone. Luo He lifted Jin Mulan into his arms without any hesitation.
She did not protest. The emperor of Yue carried Ning Jia. Shu Kang helped Long on to his back. Ning Jia's jaw tightened watching Luo He choose Jin Mulan first, but she said nothing.
Luo He paid no attention to the silent accusation. To him, practicality always outweighed appearances.
Once everyone had boarded, the Black Cloud Shuttle shot into the night sky at astonishing speed.
It crossed the heavens in minutes, the stars blurring into streaks of light. The passengers held tightly as the shuttle streaked through darkness.
Putting impossible distance between themselves and the palace. Several minutes later, they reached the emperor of Yue's remaining contingent.
They were traveling through the territory of the Chu Kingdom. The shuttle descended smoothly. After everyone disembarked, Luo He bowed.
"Your Majesty!" He said, "please return to the capital as quickly as possible. I still have matters that require my attention. My wives and I will return to the Jin Mansion as soon as possible." He said.
"Although I am merely a living son in law, I will do everything within my power to assist you." He said. The emperor of Yue looked at him with genuine gratitude.
"Son, you have done more for me than any of my real son's ever have. Can ever repay you." He placed a hand upon Luo He's shoulder.
"I will never forget today's kindness. When the time comes, I shall personally see to the wedding of you and Ning Jia."
Luo He smiled faintly and bowed once more.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Soon afterward, Luo He, Jin Mulan, and Ning Jia boarded the Black Cloud Shuttle once again.
Most of their valuables had been left with the imperial contingent. Only the most essential belongings were taken. The shuttle rose into the night sky. Traveling at tremendous speed.
They reached the Jin Mansion before dawn. They had been away for only two days. The moment the shuttle landed, Jin Mulan did not stop to greet anyone.
"I want to see Little Lin." She said.
Then she ran in a hurry. Nothing else mattered. As she entered the courtyard, memories flashed across her mind.
Earlier that day, when the elderly scholar rushed toward her to bow in admiration, her body had reacted before her mind could think.
She had instinctively stepped into a fighting stance. Her hand had moved toward her weapon. For a split second, she had been prepared to strike if the man made a single threat.
Fortunately, the scholar merely knelt respectfully before her, and the misunderstanding ended without incident. But Luo He had noticed.