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

Pack your bags.

Mu He wiped the sweat from his brow, turned to look at Liu Xiu carrying empty baskets, and whispered, "We'll split today's earnings fifty-fifty. Don't tell anyone outside that you came into the village and sold anything."

"You know what?"

Liu Xiu grinned, looking completely silly and goofy.

"Of course, Brother Muhe, how could I have entered this place if it weren't for you?"

"My mother is also from this village, so I know your customs."

Hearing him say that, Mu He felt relieved. He worked under Chief Lü, and without this connection, he might not have been able to get into this place.

The two parted ways at the crossroads. Liu Xiu, holding a torch, groped his way forward in the dark. He reached a secluded spot and keenly surveyed his surroundings.

He blew a whistle.

A little bird perched on a treetop obediently flew down. Liu Xiu secretly slipped a note he had written into a bamboo tube at the bird's feet, and then gently stroked the bird's back with his palm.

He whispered to the little bird, "Good child, take this message out."

"I'll stay here a few more days to make sure the Third Miss is still here."

Birds are quite intelligent.

After hearing Liu Xiu's words, it flapped its wings and flew away, disappearing into the vast night.

After Liu Xiu finished doing all this, he felt relieved. He continued to pretend to be an honest peddler, as if what had just happened had never occurred.

...

The birds flew along the Silver Moon River all the way to the Yin family mansion.

It stopped on the pen holder, wiggled its rear end toward the woman sitting in the mahogany chair, and gestured for her to take down the bamboo tube next to its feet.

Seeing this, the maidservant quickly brought over a birdcage containing live insects and clear spring water for the birds to eat.

The letter was taken out.

The little bird flew listlessly into the cage. The journey was long and arduous, and it had exhausted too much of its energy.

"Young Miss, is there any news about the Third Young Miss?"

Qingmei, the maidservant who served Yin Huaixi, rushed forward anxiously. Ever since she heard that the Third Miss was missing, Qingmei had been so worried that blisters had formed on her lips.

My heart felt like it was on fire.

No peaceful birthday.

Looking at the words above, Yin Baishuang's worried expression did not ease. She sighed and replied, "They say there's some progress. There are indeed Han Chinese who have been abducted in that village, but... he doesn't know if Huaixi is among them."

Upon hearing this, Qingmei swayed precariously, but the head maid beside her caught her, preventing her from falling to the ground in a disheveled state.

His face turned deathly pale.

Qingmei shook her head in frustration, wishing she were the one who had been captured.

I don't want to be the third young lady!

She had heard her mother say that if you went along the Silver Moon River, there would be an endless expanse of miasma, and no one, whether a hunter or a herb gatherer, could come out alive.

Even if one or two manage to escape by sheer luck, they become insane and irrational.

He keeps repeating the same sentence to himself all day long.

"There's a bug! There's a bug!"

Later, Qingmei learned from the young lady that beyond the Yinyue River, beyond the forest malarial area, lay the Miao region.

The people of Miao territory are skilled in using Gu poison.

Ruthless and cruel, they regard human life as worthless as ants.

Moreover, they were extremely ruthless in eliminating dissidents. Any Central Plains people who came near Miao territory would be captured and turned into alchemists.

Unable to die, unable to live.

Seeing her sister's maid so worried, Yin Baishuang comforted her, "You don't need to worry. The truth hasn't come out yet. Huaixi might not be captured and used as a medicine man."

As she said this, her fingers still unconsciously clenched the note tightly.

The white paper became wrinkled.

Yin Baishuang dared not send out a large number of people, as that would surely alert the Miao people of Yinyue River.

Therefore, she had no choice but to reduce the number of people to decrease the risk of being discovered.

Besides waiting for news of Liu Xiu who had infiltrated the village.

Yin Baishuang still needs to find out if Yin Huaixi has any other whereabouts.

Her eyes were deep. She picked up a calligraphy brush, spread out a piece of letter paper, and weighed it down with a paperweight.

He then began to write a letter.

This matter can no longer be kept secret. We must tell Yin Qingyue, who holds an important position in the imperial court, and ask her to use her connections to find Yin Huaixi's whereabouts.

...

I ate quite a few pastries.

Yin Huaixi suspected that if she kept eating, she would become a giant, so she stopped.

She rubbed her swollen belly and sighed, "Even being a minor character in the female lead's life isn't easy."

"If you really like these things, I can take you to the docks."

"That place is under the jurisdiction of Lüzhai, so it's very safe and there won't be any thieves there."

It happened suddenly.

Sang Che, who always kept a close watch on her, actually suggested that she go outside for a walk, which made Yin Huaixi wary.

What exactly does Sang Che mean by this?

Is it because they are willing to give her more power, or do they have other motives?

Could it be... that her venomous insects found the spies who had infiltrated the village so quickly?

Thinking of this, Yin Huaixi swallowed back the words of refusal that were on the tip of her tongue.

If she were to admit it directly, wouldn't that expose her guilty conscience?

As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place. If she pretends to be overjoyed, Sang Che might be fooled.

Say.

Going to the dock would attract Sang Che's attention, preventing her from focusing solely on the village. If she were to find the spies her elder sister had painstakingly recruited, her chances of escaping would become even slimmer.

Yin Huaixi leaned forward urgently, pressing her body against the table. She grabbed Sang Che's fingers with both hands and pressed Sang Che's slender knuckles against her soft cheek.

She cheered and laughed, "Great! Thank you so much, A-Che!"

This feigned affection was gradually changing without Yin Huaixi realizing it, as she paid excessive attention to Sang Che's every move.

In her endless dreams, whether they were nightmares or erotic dreams, Yin Huaixi would always dream of Sang Che's seemingly innocent face.

She either grabbed her by the neck or tied her wrists with a rope.

Those eyes were clear and bright, yet filled with rage, as if they wanted to burn Yin Huaixi to ashes.

How can someone have such a deceptively pretty face, yet have a heart as black as ice?

The sesame dumplings from Wanchai Ferry Pier?

Hearing Yin Huaixi's clear "A-Che," Sang Che's originally calm heart was stirred up like a stone thrown into the water.

She slightly bent her fingertips, originally wanting to hold Yin Huaixi's fingers again.

The person opposite him let go and got up to tidy up the mess on the coffee table.

When his fingers felt empty again, Sang Che suddenly realized that the cool scales of Xiao Ya'er were not even half as comfortable as Yin Huaixi's warm palm.

She lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, annoyed that the cold poison had subsided so quickly that night.

Before I could even get a good look at her face and her features, I went blind again.

I can't see anything.

Sang Che traced the spot where Yin Huaixi had touched him with his fingertips, pressing his fingers so hard they almost drew blood from his palm.

She... would never let Yin Huaixi leave her side.

Never in this lifetime.

She was always hers.