Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

"ah--"

Chai Xiaomi gasped and suddenly opened her eyes.

Still caught in the momentum of the dream, she suddenly lost her balance, her body tilted, and she fell off the stool.

At the critical moment, a sword sheath flew through the air and caught her back just as she was about to land, gently pulling her back onto the stool.

Chai Xiaomi settled herself down, her heart still pounding. She subconsciously raised her hand and patted her chest.

My mind was still shrouded in a white fog, as if I were still submerged in a bottomless pool of water.

Ever since she was haunted by the demon's illusion the day before yesterday, she had been having this dream repeatedly. She thought it was probably because the scene of watching Wu Li sink to the bottom of the pool was etched too deeply in her heart, which was why she was trapped underwater every night, trapped in images related to Wu Li.

But the content of the dream...

Although she has never been in a relationship, living in the information-saturated internet age has allowed her to accumulate a certain amount of viewing experience; even if she hasn't eaten pork, she has seen pigs run.

Even though nothing had happened in her dream, she felt as if her heart was inside a sealed bottle, shaking and churning. A constant burning sensation in her chest felt like a furnace beneath the bottle, scorching her so intensely that she felt like she was about to explode.

"Xiao Mi," Jiang Zhiyu sheathed his sword and sat down beside her, his tone filled with concern, "You don't look well, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Chai Xiaomi suddenly came to her senses, forced a smile, and casually brushed it off, "I just suddenly felt sleepy while eating and had a nightmare."

You can even fall asleep while eating?

Jiang Zhiyu originally thought that she must be unable to eat or sleep after being so frightened the night before, but to his surprise, her appetite and sleep were quite good.

He looked at the crumb of brown sugar that she hadn't wiped off at the corner of her mouth, then glanced at the Duyun rice cake on the table, and for a moment he felt a sense of admiration.

Jiang Zhiyu's fingers twitched unconsciously, but he finally restrained himself.

"This is normal; pregnant women often experience increased sleepiness."

Another person sat down at the table. This person was slender and had been following behind Jiang Zhiyu. She was also disguised with a stubble beard. Chai Xiaomi originally thought she was one of Jiang Zhiyu's subordinates, but when she heard a familiar female voice, she suddenly recognized her.

"Song...the female lead baby!" Chai Xiaomi quickly corrected herself, lowering her voice so that her exclamation could only be heard between the three of them.

The Yabba clan is currently in complete chaos.

After the clan chief Qi Lao's human skin was discovered by everyone in the Drum Tower, the news that he had been replaced by a great demon also spread.

The clan's most precious treasure, the Illusionary Colored Stone, and the bride, Song Yueyao, both vanished on the same night. Rumors spread like wildfire, with some even speculating that the princess of Liangya Prefecture, unwilling to marry the aging clan chief, conspired with demons to kill Qilao and steal the treasure.

The clan has dispatched several groups of people to search for Song Yueyao's whereabouts.

Benchai Xiaomi originally thought they had already taken advantage of the chaos to leave Ribai, and she was still pondering the next plot. Logically speaking, Wu Li should have decided to join the main characters after meeting Song Yueyao, but judging from his appearance these past few days, he seemed to be still hesitating about something.

Upon hearing Chai Xiaomi blurt out "Female lead baby," Song Yueyao was taken aback at first, then a smile appeared in her eyes.

The term of address was odd, but not unpleasant; rather, it carried a certain inexplicable intimacy. However, the word "baby" always sounded like it was used to address a toddler, so she asked about Chai Xiaomi's age.

Chai Xiaomi replied with a smile, "Nineteen."

Song Yueyao was taken aback. The girl in front of her had round almond-shaped eyes and a childlike playfulness when she smiled. She thought the girl had just turned 18, but she didn't expect her to be the same age as her.

Upon further inquiry, she learned that he was only a few months younger than her. Song Yueyao's expression softened, and she said softly, "Don't call me 'baby' anymore. I'm a little older than you, and I feel especially close to you. If you'd like, you can call me 'older sister'."

She stroked her fake beard, then changed the subject, pointing vaguely in Jiang Zhiyu's direction, "He's the oldest, so you can call him Grandpa Jiang!"

Jiang Zhiyu: "...?"

"Xiao Mi, don't listen to her nonsense," Jiang Zhiyu quickly clarified, pulling out a folding fan from somewhere and fanning himself a few times with a "whoosh." Unfortunately, his fake beard remained completely still, devoid of any elegance. "I'm only in my early twenties, in the prime of my life. Do you know how many daughters of official families in Lingyu Prefecture are vying for my attention, one after another, with their eyes glued to me? The scene..."

"Then why are you still unmarried at your age?" Chai Xiaomi interrupted him, feigning ignorance.

I remember in the original novel, the male and female leads went through a long period of back and forth before they officially established a relationship. The female lead could only let Song Hu, the lord of Liangya Prefecture, manipulate her because her mother was under house arrest by him.

Otherwise, given Song Yueyao's fiery temper in the original novel, she wouldn't have obediently submitted to her fate, swallowed her anger, and gone to Lingyu Prefecture as a hostage, or even agreed to this absurd marriage.

The words "at such an old age" choked Jiang Zhiyu so much that he couldn't catch his breath and coughed violently a few times.

"It's because..." He glanced at Song Yueyao, a hint of resentment in his voice, "that someone is hesitant to agree."

Song Yueyao's eyes suddenly darkened, and the smile on her lips faded away.

As her gaze shifted, she suddenly noticed a tiny, inconspicuous crumb of brown sugar stuck to the corner of Chai Xiaomi's mouth.

Her heart softened for no reason, and she subconsciously reached out to gently wipe it away for her. However, before her fingertips could even touch it, Jiang Zhiyu on the other side also inexplicably raised his hand, his movement almost in sync with hers.

Both hands froze in mid-air, the air seemed to freeze, and a silent awkwardness spread through the air.

Chai Xiaomi froze, her eyes swaying back and forth as she stared at the two hands in front of her.

Most afraid of the air suddenly quiet.

What I fear most is a friend's sudden concern.

"Cough," Jiang Zhiyu said hastily, his hand still hanging in the air, "Xiao Mi, you have something on your lips."

Actually, he had wanted to reach out the fragment the moment he saw it, but hesitated several times, feeling it was inappropriate. Just now, seeing Song Yueyao raise her hand, he moved as well, as if it were some kind of subconscious reaction.

Even he himself couldn't explain why he would unconsciously treat Chai Xiaomi as a child who needed to be taken care of.

"Yaoyao, I..." He turned to Song Yueyao, wanting to say something more.

It's normal for women to be intimate, but my behavior is really inexplicable.

Before I could finish explaining, a sudden burning pain shot through my fingertips!

A cluster of flames suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Jiang Zhiyu's expression changed slightly. He quickly dipped his finger into the teacup on the table. With a soft "sizzle," wisps of white smoke rose, and the fire went out.

Despite the extremely fast movements, two or three small blisters still appeared on my fingertips.

"I had long heard that the Lord of Lingyu Prefecture loved his son dearly and specially invited the renowned Taoist Ji to be his teacher. I did not know that Brother Jiang also knew the art of fire control. It is truly an eye-opener for me."

"But this fire... doesn't seem to obey Brother Jiang's commands?"

Wu Liyou's cold and languid voice came from behind him.

The calm air seemed to be sliced ​​open by an invisible wind blade, carrying a chill. Chai Xiaomi was about to turn around when she saw him holding a beautiful piece of cloth embroidered with symmetrical flowers.

He casually draped the cloth over her shoulders, but it covered her entire back perfectly, like a large shawl. It felt soft and gentle to the touch, and Chai Xiaomi rubbed it lovingly.