"Moa… what kind of potion is that?"
Xue Yunxue stared at the bottle in Luo Shixin's hand with undisguised caution. Her heart beat softly, yet steadily.
"That's a truth potion, Big Sister Xue," Moa replied inside her mind. "All its ingredients come from poisonous plants. If the drinker lies, the pain will spread throughout their entire body—like their bones being broken one by one."
Xue Yunxue's fingers tensed.
"So… will we be exposed this time?" she asked inwardly.
"Relax," Moa answered confidently. "As long as I'm inside your body, poisons like this can be completely neutralized. That potion won't mean anything to us. You can lie as much as you want."
"Truly… useful," Xue Yunxue muttered, the corner of her lips twitching slightly.
Relief flowed through her chest, though a trace of nervousness still lingered.
Luo Shixin stepped closer. His movements were calm, his demeanor polite—too polite for a situation like this. He extended the small bottle toward Xue Yunxue.
"Miss, please drink this," he said flatly.
Xue Yunxue looked at him with slightly widened eyes, feigning fear.
"Are you planning to poison me?"
"Oh, no," Luo Shixin replied without a change in expression. "If I wanted to kill you, I could do it right now. There's no need to go through the trouble of using poison."
His tone was calm, authoritative, and cold—the composure of someone long accustomed to deciding life and death on the battlefield. An iron-hearted general.
Yun Wu merely observed from the side. His gaze was deep, unreadable. He neither defended Xue Yunxue nor urged her on. In his heart, he too wanted to know—who this girl really was.
With slightly trembling hands, Xue Yunxue took the bottle and drank its contents. A bitter herbal taste touched her tongue, but no other sensation followed.
No heat.
No pain.
"Well?" Xiang Shuai could no longer wait. His voice was cold and sharp.
"Are you Hu Shui?"
"No," Xue Yunxue answered calmly.
The three of them waited.
One second.
Two seconds.
No screams. No sign of pain.
Their gazes met, filled with doubt.
"What is your name?" Luo Shixin asked again, his tone carrying a faint pressure.
"Xue Yunxue. Most people call me Yunxue." This time, she spoke the truth.
"Then," Yun Wu finally spoke, "why do you possess the soul-bond mark of feral humans that we placed on Hu Shui?"
"I don't know," Xue Yunxue answered slowly. "I only woke up in the middle of a forest… already in this body."
"Do you possess the plant element?" Xiang Shuai asked, his tone far more restrained this time.
"Uh… I think so," Xue Yunxue replied hesitantly. That power belonged to Moa—she was merely borrowing it.
Luo Shixin narrowed his eyes slightly. The plant element… an extremely rare power.
Xiang Shuai turned to him.
"Has your potion expired?"
"No," Luo Shixin replied shortly. "I took it from the military supply two days ago."
Silence once again enveloped the room.
"Miss," Luo Shixin finally said, "you possess the soul-bond marks of these two men. Do you also have a soul-bond mark with me?"
"I don't know," Xue Yunxue replied calmly—fully aware that the mark existed, but pretending ignorance.
"Very well," Luo Shixin said. "Allow me to check."
Politely, he took hold of Xue Yunxue's left wrist.
A faint light appeared—then the symbol of an eagle feather slowly carved itself clearly into her skin.
If Yun Wu's mark was on her right wrist, then Luo Shixin's was on her left.
All three men were stunned.
The room fell deathly silent.
How could it be…
The soul-bond mark symbolizing marriage…
was actually on Xue Yunxue's body?
"Miss… are you truly not Hu Shui?"
Luo Shixin asked once more. His tone remained calm, but the subtle pressure beneath it was unmistakable—like an eagle's gaze locking onto its prey.
"I am truly not Hu Shui," the girl answered without the slightest hesitation. Her voice was clear and firm. "My name is Xue Yunxue."
No tremor.
No lie.
Yun Wu let out a soft breath and stood up. "Go outside for now," he said briefly to Xue Yunxue. "There's something we need to discuss."
Xue Yunxue didn't object. She immediately left with a light heart—at least, for the moment, she was free from the oppressive gazes of those three feral men.
The moment the door closed, the atmosphere inside the room shifted.
"So," Yun Wu began, rubbing his temples, "your potion really works?"
"Of course," Luo Shixin replied without hesitation. "I used it yesterday while interrogating rebels. There's no way the effect was wrong."
Silence fell once more.
"Then," Luo Shixin continued, "how did you come across that girl?"
Yun Wu leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting for a moment before he began to speak. He told them about tracking bandits in a village. About being injured while pursuing them. About a girl who appeared out of nowhere—helping him, tending to his wounds, without fear. And about her beast form—a black fox with a white-tipped tail, identical to Hu Shui's.
"When I first recognized her," Yun Wu said softly, "her face… was exactly Hu Shui's. Not a single detail was wrong."
Xiang Shuai narrowed his eyes.
"But half a day later," Yun Wu continued, his voice growing heavier, "her face changed into what it is now. Yet her scent didn't change. Hu Shui's scent—I couldn't possibly be mistaken."
"A soul's scent cannot be faked," Luo Shixin murmured.
"Exactly," Yun Wu nodded. "That's what made me hesitate. From the beginning, she insisted her name was Xue Yunxue. Her behavior, the way she speaks, the way she looks at the world—everything is completely different from the Hu Shui we knew."
Silence pressed heavily on the room.
"So…" Xiang Shuai finally spoke, his voice lower than usual, "is it possible that Hu Shui truly lost her memory?"
"Maybe," Yun Wu answered honestly. "Or maybe… there's something far more complicated."
Luo Shixin looked toward the door through which Xue Yunxue had left. His gaze was deep and cold.
"Whatever the truth is," he said slowly, "we cannot let her go."
Xiang Shuai smiled faintly, meaningfully.
"The soul bond does not lie."
Yun Wu clenched his fist.
"Yes. As long as that bond still exists… she remains ours."
"Indeed," Xiang Shuai sneered softly, though his eyes remained dark and filled with resentment. "If she truly lost her memory and changed completely… perhaps we don't need to kill her to avenge everything she's done."
He paused, his tongue flicking across his lips in a serpent-like motion—cold and dangerous.
"But," he continued in a low, sharp voice, "if she's lying—if all of this is just an act—then I'll be the first to end her."
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Luo Shixin let out a soft sigh. His hands clenched at his sides, his face calm, yet it was clear he was weighing something far greater than mere truth or lies.
"Should we report this to the King and Queen?" he finally asked.
The question hung heavily in the air.
Even he couldn't predict how the ruling couple would react. The princess who had been buried with full state honors… suddenly alive again. Would they rejoice? Or would they feel threatened by the return of a symbol of shame and betrayal?
And then—Hu Lian.
The image of the royal princess flashed through Luo Shixin's mind, causing his brows to knit slightly. All this time, he had deliberately kept his distance—avoiding her gaze, avoiding invitations, avoiding every attempt she made to approach him relentlessly. Not out of fear, but out of disgust.
Disgust with palace intrigues.
Disgust with political marriages.
Disgust with a royal family that treated bonds as tools, not choices.
Honestly, if he had to marry again…
he would rather choose an ordinary woman. Someone without a crown, without demands, without the chains of the palace.
Yun Wu fell silent, his jaw tightening.
"For now, no," he finally said, his voice heavy with caution. "We ourselves aren't even certain who that girl truly is. If we report this now, the palace will intervene… and after that, we'll have no control over anything."
Xiang Shuai snorted softly but did not object.
"Very well," Luo Shixin said slowly. "Then we observe her first."
He turned toward the door, as if he could see through the walls to the girl standing outside.
"If she truly has changed," he added quietly, "then this isn't just a resurrection. This may be fate playing tricks on us."
And none of them realized—
that beyond that door, the fate they spoke of was standing right at the threshold, unaware that her life once again hung on the fragile edge of doubt held by three feral men.
Xue Yunxue suddenly sneezed softly.
"Hah… those three must be talking about me, right?" she muttered inwardly, her brows knitting slightly.
"Probably, Big Sister Xue," Moa's cheerful voice echoed in her mind. "But at least we managed to fool them smoothly just now."
Yunxue let out a relieved breath. "Then… they'll release me soon, right?"
Moa fell silent for a moment, as if pondering.
"Hmmm, not necessarily. But I think it'll be safer for you to stay with your feral husbands. If you can win their hearts, they'll become your closest allies. Don't forget—your five husbands all have power levels above fifty."
The corner of Xue Yunxue's lips twitched.
"Hu Shui's husbands," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "Not mine."
"But now," Moa replied teasingly, full of certainty, "they are your lawful husbands, Big Sister Xue."
"Remember," Moa continued, his tone turning serious, "dark forces have long infiltrated this kingdom. They are even the number one supporters of the rebels. The more allies we have, the better our chances of survival."
Xue Yunxue fell silent. This wasn't new to her—she understood it completely. This world was far too dangerous to face alone.
She slowly crouched down in the courtyard, gazing at the small plants she had planted earlier that morning. Their stems were broken, leaves torn, trampled and scattered by the aftermath of battle. The sight made her chest feel tight, as if something inside her had been broken along with them.
"Big Sister Xue," Moa said gently but firmly, "Tao Ling has actually already given you the plant element. It's just that the power is still very weak. That's why I've often helped you by using my own strength. But you can't rely on me forever."
Xue Yunxue lifted her head, her eyes widening slightly.
"Really?" she whispered.
"From now on, you must train it yourself," Moa continued. "The faster you master it, the greater your chances of protecting yourself… and choosing your own path."
A spark of determination slowly ignited in Xue Yunxue's eyes. She clenched her fingers, feeling a subtle, unfamiliar yet warm pulse within her body—like something waiting to be awakened.
"In that case," she said softly but firmly, "that's good news. This power… will definitely be useful to me someday."
She knelt down and touched the broken plant with her fingertips. Her touch was gentle, almost hesitant.
For a moment… nothing happened.
Then—
a warm pulse flowed from her palm.
The soil beneath the plant trembled softly. Root fibers stirred and rejoined, the broken stem slowly drawing together as if pulled by invisible threads. The crack sealed shut, faint green veins shimmering, and within a few breaths, the plant stood upright again—stronger than before.
Its leaves spread wide, their color a deep, gleaming green. The stem thickened and grew nearly twice its original height.
Xue Yunxue's eyes flew wide open.
"It… worked?" Her voice trembled, caught between disbelief and joy.
The next second, a bright smile bloomed on her face, her eyes sparkling like a child discovering a miracle. The fear and anxiety that had been weighing on her chest were swept away.
She quickly moved on to another plant. Torn leaves, crushed stems, ones nearly ripped from the ground—she touched them one by one. Each time her palm met the soil, gentle green energy flowed, and the plants recovered, growing more lush, taller, more vibrant than before.
The courtyard, once devastated, slowly transformed into a verdant land full of vitality, as if new life were blooming there.
Inside her mind, Moa chuckled softly in satisfaction.
"Excellent, Big Sister Xue. That is your power. Not a borrowed one… but truly your own."
Yun Wu opened the door, intending to call Xue Yunxue back inside. But his steps halted at the threshold.
He froze.
In his courtyard—the courtyard that had been devastated moments ago by battle—Xue Yunxue was crouched among the still-damp soil. Both her hands rested on broken plant stems, her movements slow and careful, as if soothing wounded living beings.
And those plants…
were coming back to life.
Crushed stems rejoined, torn leaves unfurled fresh and green, soil ripped apart by violent energy slowly covered by new sprouts. Life crept back, quiet yet undeniable, erasing the traces of destruction little by little.
Yun Wu said nothing. His chest felt tight with emotions he couldn't quite explain. This wasn't an illusion. As a wolfman with sharp senses and the earth element, he could feel the pulse of pure energy from the soil—the gentle yet powerful plant element.
From inside the house, Luo Shixin, standing near the window, also saw the scene clearly. Both froze in place.
Xiang Shuai narrowed his eyes, golden pupils flashing sharply.
Luo Shixin, usually as calm as solid rock, unconsciously furrowed his brow.
They exchanged glances—without a single word.
The doubt that had been buried until now surged forth, pressing heavily on each of their chests.
Since when… did Hu Shui possess such power?
No.
More precisely—since when did this woman possess the plant element?
Wasn't the royal family known only to inherit the fire element? An element that was hot, destructive, and full of ambition. The plant element was something nearly extinct, rare, and never once recorded in the royal bloodline.
A gentle breeze passed, rustling the newly grown leaves.
Xue Yunxue smiled softly, completely unaware of the three pairs of eyes watching her with ever-deepening uncertainty.
For the first time since meeting her again, the two of them felt the same thing—
Not anger.
Not vengeance.
But fear—of a single possibility they had never considered before.
What if…
this woman truly was not Hu Shui?