After provoking the holy maiden of Miao territory, she was infected with a love curse.

I opened my eyes again.

Sang Che was slowly playing with Yin Huaixi's fingers, her fingertips tracing the shape of Yin Huaixi's knuckles, and she smiled softly.

"Ah Che... what are you doing?"

I wanted to pull my hand away.

Having just woken up, feeling weak and exhausted, Yin Huaixi couldn't move Sang Che, who was full of energy.

"Your hands are beautiful, I like beautiful things...can't I look at them a few more times?"

Exhausted, Yin Huaixi turned her head and glanced at Sang Che with a look that suggested she was an idiot, then silently turned back and simply closed her eyes.

Catching up on sleep.

"I'm telling the truth, Huaixi... why don't you believe me?"

Sang Che's fingertips slowly rubbed along the lines of Yin Huaixi's palm.

A tingling, itchy sensation spread through me.

Yin Huaixi, who had been gathering her strength, simply raised her hand and grabbed Sang Che's fingers, squeezing them hard without any mercy.

Her tone was cold and indifferent, just like a wife who hadn't woken up yet was nagging her partner.

"If you can't say anything nice to someone, then don't buzz around in my ear like a mosquito in the morning."

"Why don't you tell me what your darling tipped you off about last night?"

"Ah Che, what little secret are you hiding from me this time?"

Yin Huaixi's tone was quite melancholy.

Sang Che, on the other hand, moved closer to him without any hesitation. She squeezed her fingers between Yin Huaixi's fingers, tucked them into the blanket, and closed her eyes.

"All the children I sent out before were blocked without exception. Following the scent left by Ah Shui, they could only reach the capital city."

"That already dwindling aura was abruptly severed... I know that someone had guessed my identity, which is why they deliberately chose this place to cut off Ah Shui's communication."

The enemy is in the dark, while we are in the light.

This situation was far from ideal for Sang Che, and Yin Huaixi's heart jumped into her throat. Her fingers involuntarily tightened.

He was holding Sang Che in his hand.

It was as if she was confirming whether Sang Che was still by her side.

"Even now, A-Che, do you still want to investigate further?"

"What if this is a trap set by someone else, a snare to lure us in?"

"If you go with them, you'll be walking into a trap. The other side... might very well be hoping for this day."

Sensing Yin Huaixi's worry, Sang Che simply reached out and hugged her.

He said, word by word, "Huaixi, Ah Shui's parents sacrificed themselves to save me. I cannot abandon her."

"Even if it's a den of dragons and tigers ahead, I will still go and bring her back."

"If I really get caught, Huaixi... remember to absolve yourself of all responsibility. That person... should feel guilty towards you."

Upon hearing this, Yin Huaixi immediately sensed something was amiss; Sang Che's words revealed far too much information.

Yin Huaixi simply threw off the covers, stared directly into Sang Che's deep eyes, wishing she could press her face against his and ask him for an explanation.

"What do you mean—that person should feel guilty towards me?"

"Ah Che, do you know who kidnapped Ah Shui?"

Upon asking the question, Yin Huaixi realized that she had acted rashly out of concern, and thought to herself that it was indeed true.

Only one person could have the ability to kidnap Jiawan silently and keep it a secret from Sang Che.

The eldest princess of the imperial court.

Zhao Huining.

Sang Che nodded: "I've always suspected it was her, but since Ah Shui's whereabouts were cut off and the kids couldn't find her, I couldn't be sure it was her who interfered."

"Tonight I finally got the information and confirmed it was her."

Yin Huaixi was furious when she heard this.

She quickly tried to let go of his hand, annoyed, and said, "Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Sang Che: "You were so tired last night, you were exhausted. It broke my heart to see you like that."

"I originally planned to wait until you woke up this morning to talk to you... but I never expected that you would barge into the bath and come to interrogate me."

Sang Che smiled like a black cat that had stolen some dried fish: "If I don't swallow the delicious food that's been served to me, I'll seem like an ungrateful, clueless, and melancholy person."

Yin Huaixi: "..."

Yin Huaixi: "You're getting a good deal and then acting innocent!"

...

Outside.

A-Cai, who had been standing at Sang Che's door for the third time, lowered her raised hand and turned to shake her head at Yi-Yun.

"Sister, I don't think this will work..."

"Let's not disturb the Holy Maiden's rest!"

With her legs trembling uncontrollably, A-Cai truly didn't have the courage to step forward and disturb the Holy Maiden and Yin Huaixi being alone in the room.

I heard that the last one who was so clueless was assigned by the Holy Maiden to take care of the Gu worms' three meals a day.

It's not that I dislike the Holy Maiden's Gu worms, it's just that the rules for taking care of them are so complicated. Just the task of feeding them is enough to make Ah Cai faint.

"Why are you afraid of this?"

"We've been with the Holy Maiden since we were little, and she won't make things difficult for you."

Yiyun offered a word of comfort, but the next second she was pushed up by Acai, who hurriedly circled behind her.

"In that case, my dear sister, my dear elder sister, why don't you go and knock on the Holy Maiden's door?"

Hearing the person behind her admit defeat, Yiyun sighed and finally stood up.

"Okay, okay, I'll go, I'll go then."

"You stand here, or you're not allowed to run away when the Holy Maiden comes to punish you."

When her name was called, Ah Cai immediately raised her hand and swore a solemn oath to the heavens, saying, "Sister! I promise I will absolutely not leave later!"

Seeing her like this, Yiyun walked to Sang Che's door and gently knocked.

"Holy Maiden, are you ready for your meal?"

Startled awake by the knocking, Yin Huaixi, a light sleeper, nudged Sang Che beside her with her knee and mumbled, "Your people are here looking for you..."

"Tell them to shut up, they're so noisy... I need to sleep more..."

Knowing that Yin Huaixi never liked being disturbed when she was awake, Sang Che responded and slowly sat up, supporting himself on the bed.

"understood."

"You all go and prepare the meal first."

Having received Sang Che's reply, Yi Yun, who had been anxiously waiting outside the door, finally breathed a sigh of relief and left with A Cai.

...

The Yin family.

Yin Qingyue was summoned over by the woman in black again. As soon as she sat down, the woman in black picked up the teacup in front of her, gently skimmed off the foam with the lid, and took a sip.

"I've heard that Lord Yin has been busy recently searching for a way to remove the curse?"

"Why don't you come and ask me, sir?"

Yin Qingyue hadn't slept well for several days and nights. She sent people to search the city, but still couldn't find Yin Huaixi and the Miao witch.

Knowing that she had already alerted them, they were very likely to have left the city.

Yin Qingyue then ordered her men to chase after them out of Lingshui City.

However, to this day, Yin Qingyue still has not been able to find Yin Huaixi's whereabouts, as if that day's events were just a fleeting moment.

It was her hallucination.

"Now is a time of crisis, and I have no time to chat with you and your master. If you have a way to remove the curse, just ask for it directly."

"Don't make things mysterious."

Faced with the aggressive Yin Qingyue, the man was not annoyed, but instead smiled.

"Lord Yin, what if I told you I truly possess a way to break the love curse?"

His expression froze.

Yin Qingyue raised her eyes and stared at the woman in black.

Is this really true?

The woman in black: "Is it true?"

What the two didn't notice was that outside the brown bamboo curtain, a colorful butterfly was perched under the eaves.

...

After straightening his robes, Sang Che stood in front of the bronze mirror, his fingers hooking around the hem of his robe, and a smile appeared on his face.

She picked up the silver jewelry on the table, put it on her wrist, and it jingled crisply.

As her body gradually returned to normal, her control over the Gu worms reached its peak.