Chapter 32: How dare you wake me from my slumber!

“Where is the little baby?” Chou Xue asked as he saw Xiao Yue step back.

“Master, Miss Mo has already soothed the young master to sleep,” Xiao Yue replied, having just remembered to address the little master properly, thus changing her reference to Miss Mo Liuli accordingly.

Chou Xue waved his sleeve, no longer asking questions, and turned to leave the cliff valley.

He had received reports about the strange phenomena occurring outside. After the black bloom appeared in the crevice, the valley's atmosphere had subtly shifted. Both events happened on the same day, which was suspicious. He had to handle it personally.

Hearing Chou Xue leave, Mo Liuli quietly got up, half-dressed, and stood before the bronze mirror, carefully examining the strange marks on her back.

Though postpartum women should feel weak, the warmth emanating from her back made her feel unlike an ordinary frail woman. The mirror reflected a blooming blood lotus, layered and alluring. Before she could study it further, her shoulders and arms grew weak and numb.

Just then, the baby’s cries came again. Mo Liuli, flustered, quickly adjusted her clothing and returned to the bed to calm the little ancestor.

Upon closer look, the baby was actually wide awake with sparkling eyes, pretending to cry loudly.

When the baby saw Mo Liuli approaching, he immediately smiled and obediently stopped crying, soon closing his eyes to sleep again.

Mmm, what an unpredictable mommy! The little master thought to himself, annoyed that she had disappeared so quickly, disturbing his rest. He had to worry about her instead of sleeping peacefully.

Before drifting off, the baby glanced at Mo Liuli with an innocent face, smugly murmuring, “Humph! You’d better stay here with me and rest. Don’t leave! If you do, I’ll cry just to show you!”

His little eyes twinkled adorably, and Mo Liuli immediately understood his meaning.

She barely restrained a twitch at the corner of her mouth, watching the baby close his eyes again peacefully, feeling both amused and helpless.

“You little monster! Are you determined to torment your mommy? Not eating or drinking, just sleeping all day, and you get upset when I leave for a bit?” She quickly slipped under the covers, lying on her side facing the baby. She felt she could never get enough of this little one—even his sleeping face was so cute.

Hearing Mo Liuli’s soft complaint, the baby lazily opened one eye, glanced around, then shut it again.

…

Seeing the baby’s lazy demeanor, Mo Liuli smiled sweetly and said no more, turning her attention to sorting out her dreams.

The next day, as usual, Chou Xue came to visit. Because there was now a baby, and Xiao Yue was stretched thin, he brought along several pretty and nimble maids to help.

“When the baby was born, you were short-staffed here. I specially selected a few maids. See if you like them; if so, keep them here to help care for the baby so you can rest properly,” Chou Xue said from behind the curtain.

“Hmm, have them all leave first. I have something to ask you.” Soon, Mo Liuli appeared, dressed neatly and her long hair down.

Today, she wore the plush slippers Xiao Yue had carefully prepared, giving her a warm appearance.

After the maids left, Chou Xue’s face rare broke into a smile. “Having known you so long, it’s a pleasure to finally see you wearing shoes. They’re very cute and suit you well.”

His praise was sincere.

Mo Liuli chose a seat a little distance from Chou Xue. The door was left open after the maids left, which conveniently avoided awkwardness.

“Xiao Yue said women must rest after childbirth to avoid catching cold, so I put them on,” Mo Liuli said calmly. Seeing Chou Xue understand, she continued, “Have we met before? Or rather, in a past life?”

“We have,” Chou Xue replied without hesitation, having long anticipated the question.

“You should have remembered something by now; otherwise, you wouldn’t ask such a question out of nowhere,” he said, standing and looking directly at her.

After soul fusion, Mo Liuli should have recalled everything, but it wasn’t until after giving birth that memories returned, which puzzled him greatly.

Previously, when he tried to probe, Mo Liuli only mentioned a few names unrelated to their past lives.

“Mo Li.”

Mo Liuli raised her elegant brows coldly and spoke the name she cared about most. Seeing the ripple in Chou Xue’s blood-red eyes, she casually added a few more: “Huan Lan, Ge, Qianchi, Yuan Jian, and… General Yuan Lie?”

At the last name, she stared intently at Chou Xue, afraid to miss anything. If her guess was right, Chou Xue was the beloved general Yuan Lie who had served Mo Li in the past.

What was puzzling was how his once sharp black eyes had turned blood red.

As Mo Liuli softly uttered the last name, Chou Xue lowered his gaze, moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes. He had lost count of the years passed. Hearing this long-lost name again overwhelmed him with emotions, and his long-suppressed sorrow spilled into tears.

Yuan Lie… the devoted general who once guarded Mo Li!

Mo Liuli sat silently, hearing Chou Xue’s stifled sobs. Her own nose tingled with emotion, recalling from her dreams that Yuan Lie had been the most protective of them all.

Unable to restrain himself, Chou Xue turned his back to Mo Liuli and asked expectantly, “Yes, the names you mentioned are correct. But in your understanding, do you think Mo Li, the great leader, will ever return?”

“No. She won’t come back!” Mo Liuli denied his hope decisively.

Disappointed, Chou Xue spun around, tearful eyes glaring at Mo Liuli. “Why? Why do you deny it? You are her! You’ve remembered everything—why reject it?”

Chou Xue refused to accept it, angrily pointing and shouting hoarsely, waking the sleeping baby.

“Waaah! How dare you wake me up! Which damn fool did that?!” The baby wailed in his own language.

Startled by Chou Xue’s tears and agitation, Mo Liuli was momentarily stunned. Hearing the baby’s cries of protest, she hurriedly stood and ran inside.

…

Chou Xue closed his eyes and lifted his head, trying to will the uncontrollable tears to flow back.

The baby’s cries faded behind the curtain and were replaced by soft baby murmurs.

“Mo Li already disappeared in the distant past.”

“Don’t take it too hard, Yuan Lie. I don’t know how devastating Mo Li’s death was for you, how it made you like this, even willing to defy fate to remake her golden form…”

“You should go back now. We’ll discuss matters concerning Mo Li once I’ve recovered.”

Mo Liuli gave Chou Xue a gentle but firm dismissal, fearing his unstable emotions might upset the baby again.