Yuwen Jing kept a tight watch on Feng Shu, leaving no gaps for oversight. Xie Jue’s shadow guards, concealed deep within the palace, found it difficult to approach Yingchun Palace frequently. The inner court of the Imperial Palace was not a place one could come and go as they pleased. The palace inner court housed numerous elite martial artists, guarding its sanctity year-round, even more secretive than the Jinyi Guard. The only ways they could communicate with Feng Shu were through the shadow guards or Zhang Lingzheng. As an Imperial Physician, Zhang Lingzheng couldn’t frequently enter and exit Yingchun Palace, and Feng Shu’s regular health checks were overseen by the director of the Imperial Hospital. If Zhang Lingzheng wanted to interact with Feng Shu, he too needed the right opportunity. Xie Xun could only comfort Fengyu. Now that they had arrived in the Capital City, they were slowly laying their plans. First, they had to find a way to send the members of the Feng Family away. Once their family was safe, Feng Shu could feel a bit more at ease. "Does Sister know you’re in the Capital City?" "Yes," Xie Xun replied. "Our eldest sister-in-law is calm by nature. Even if she knows we’re in the Capital, she won’t let Yuwen Jing notice anything out of the ordinary. Ayu, I will protect our family no matter what." Years ago, he hadn’t been able to protect his family, but this time, he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. With the atmosphere in Kyoto City tense and dangerous, Fengyu knew every step had to be taken cautiously. Since she and Xie Xun hadn’t fully put their plans in place, it wasn’t yet the right time to contact her sister. Years ago, her parents had sent her away fearing that Yuwen Jing, in his madness, would harm her. The whole Feng Family had prepared for total annihilation alongside the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. To send her out of the city, her parents hadn’t even had the chance to properly bid her farewell. When Fengyu left, she had a premonition in her heart that their reunion might never come. Perhaps her parents would perish in this upheaval. Her sister had also been taken away by Yuwen Jing, leaving Fengyu with no better choice at the time. She could either harden her heart and leave, saving herself for the future, or turn back and die alongside her family. Dying together might have been a sort of bittersweet completeness for the family. But the scariest option was being caught between the inability to live or die. When Xie Jue and Xie Xun defected, Yuwen Jing had already sent Jinyi Guards to the Feng Mansion, hoping to use Fengyu’s life to threaten Xie Xun. Her parents, having anticipated this, sent her away. Otherwise... if Xie Xun had turned back, they both would have died at the gates of Kyoto City. If Xie Xun hadn’t turned back, she would have jumped from the city gates herself, ensuring she would never become a pawn for Yuwen Jing to threaten Xie Xun. These were the only outcomes possible. She had no choice but to obey her parents’ orders and leave her family behind. Even the desire to die felt like a luxury. During her time in West State, while longing for her family, she felt a deep-seated anguish. Forced to leave home, she hadn’t been able to face hardship with her family, nor had the means to save them. At that time, Kyoto was under the control of the Forbidden Army and Jinyi Guards. Turning back to rescue people would have been like a moth flying into the flames—a doomed sacrifice. Yuwen Jing had prepared an unbreakable trap, waiting for her to leap into it. She had no choice but to keep moving forward to West State and never look back. Fengyu had been completely powerless. Under imperial authority, lives were as insignificant as ants. "Three years ago, we left Kyoto, traveling ever further. I went to West State, you went to Ningzhou. Later, we journeyed together to Yangzhou, facing death countless times. Every step was taken so we could return with dignity." Fengyu set aside the regret and pain in her heart. Reflecting would bring no meaning to the past. At least the present outcome wasn’t entirely terrible. "Zhixu, I believe in you." Even if the ending wasn’t perfect, they had tried their best. While Xie Xun was recovering from his injuries, Fengyu tried everything she could to reverse their soul swap. She repeatedly removed and reattached the Soul Suppressing Pearl, placing it on both their wrists. Their bodies and souls remained unaffected, and Xie Xun only smiled as he watched her efforts, indulging her completely. No matter what Fengyu wanted to try, he cooperated. In the room, Xie Xun had just taken his medicine, and a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead. His body was still weak, unable to get out of bed. Yet he was inherently restless, continuously pleading with Fengyu to take him for a walk in the courtyard. Fengyu flatly refused, prompting Xie Xun to rarely resort to pulling on her hand, acting spoiled. "Ayu, won’t you take pity on me?" Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝙣𝙚𝙩 It was Fengyu’s face, Fengyu’s voice—but his deliberate drag on the tone of his words made Fengyu shudder when she remembered his soul was inside her body. "Act normal!" Fengyu slapped his hand lightly, focusing on examining the bracelet. The Soul Suppressing Pearl showed no cracks, yet no matter how much Fengyu scrutinized it, she couldn’t find anything unusual. "Why is this happening?" Fengyu was baffled, unable to make sense of it. "Let it be—it’s not so bad this way," Xie Xun said with a faint smile, watching her. When he swapped souls with Fengyu, they were almost always far apart. Rarely did he get the chance to view his own face from Fengyu’s perspective. The Third Miss’s fondness for him was greatly influenced by this face. If he weren’t so attractive, he doubted he would have caught her attention in the first place. When Fengyu’s soul inhabited his body, the eyes lost their sharpness, and the aura softened. She exuded the air of a pampered playboy raised in the Capital, transforming his face entirely. Appearance truly was affected by temperament. The longer Xie Xun looked, the more he liked what he saw. Seeing Xie Xun completely unperturbed angered Fengyu. It felt like the Emperor remaining calm while the eunuch grew anxious. Fengyu could somewhat guess Xie Xun’s thoughts, so she wickedly leaned closer to him. Fengyu’s nose was practically touching his. Her breath smelled sweet, and her lips came so close to his they almost brushed together. Her voice was seductive. "Are you not even the tiniest bit anxious?" "Not at all," Xie Xun replied, his heart calm, unmoved by her teasing. Because... it was his own face! He simply couldn’t bring himself to kiss it! If it had been Fengyu’s face, he would have already pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely, alleviating months of yearning. With his beloved so close and looking as radiant as ever, his one regret was... the body swap had left him feeling strangely out of place. While embracing and kissing used to come naturally to him, now everything seemed misaligned. Xie Xun hadn’t yet adapted to the reversal! "Don’t you want to kiss me?" Fengyu teased while nudging his nose, imitating the gestures he’d used to flirt with her in the past, brushing his cheek with her fingers. Truth be told, neither of them felt entirely comfortable. Fengyu herself couldn’t help blushing. It almost felt as though she were flirting with herself! Watching Xie Xun’s face suddenly flush bright red embarrassed her even further, yet it brought her a secret thrill, making it all the more exciting. His current body was sensitive, and even a small touch made him blush. Despite his calm demeanor, Xie Xun couldn’t suppress his physiological reactions, as though her provocations had caused him to turn red at his own touch. "Enough already..." Xie Xun trembled as Fengyu’s fingers traced toward his collarbone. Completely overwhelmed by her teasing, the corners of his eyes, flushed with passion, slightly reddened. Fengyu found the situation even more fascinating. So this is what I look like when I’m aroused! The novelty, curiosity, and thrill of seeing this unfold encouraged Fengyu to linger. Her eyes couldn’t help but wander toward Xie Xun’s partially exposed neckline. "Fengyu, are you a pervert?!" Xie Xun, unable to endure her overly bold gazes, gritted his teeth in pain and hastily adjusted his clothing, wrapping himself tightly up. It was as if he were the proper girl-next-door resisting the advances of a wayward youth—a virtuous maiden steadfastly defending her honor. His indignation exploded. "This is your body!"