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

Wu Li looked down at her, watching her play with the fabric with obvious delight, and thought to himself: Girls really do like these fancy things.

He never imagined that someone would fall asleep while eating. Her fever from the cold had just started to subside, and he was afraid that she would fall ill again and delay his next trip, so he had no choice but to find her a blanket to cover herself with.

Passing by an eave, I saw an old woman embroidering with her head down. She said that embroidery is very popular in this area, and the birds and flowers are lifelike. They are often bought by merchants and sold to various places in the Central Plains and Western Regions.

He casually picked up a piece of dark blue fabric and asked the price, but the old woman smiled and took the piece from his hand, handing him a brightly colored embroidered carpet instead: "Young man, why not give this to your sweetheart? Young girls all love this kind, it's just a bit more expensive, three taels of silver more than the one you're holding."

Wu Lixin knew this was a common sales pitch; it was just a blanket, as long as it kept you warm, there was no need to be so particular.

But for some inexplicable reason, he ended up buying the more expensive one.

At that moment, Chai Xiaomi wrapped the embroidered blanket around her shoulders, leaned closer to him, and looked up at him with bright eyes: "Wu Li, this is a gift you specially picked out for me, right? You were worried I would catch a cold."

Wu Li was slightly taken aback.

The sunlight slanted from the eaves onto the girl's hair and into her clear eyes.

At that moment, he actually felt that spending those extra three taels of silver seemed... quite worthwhile.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he chuckled to himself: What idiot would think spending more money is a good thing?

He glanced down at her, his tone tinged with his usual impatience: "You're overthinking it. I just picked her up off the street. I never bother preparing gifts for people."

"If you get sick again, don't expect me to carry you on my back again. This is a one-time offer, there won't be a next time."

Even though his words were so cold and harsh, the eyes that looked at him remained clear and bright, like a babbling brook in the mountains, gentle and calm, silently reflecting his features.

As Wu Li watched, he suddenly reached out and lightly brushed his fingertips across her lips, picking away the sugar crumb that was about to fall.

"Is your mouth a sieve? Everything you eat spills out."

The touch was fleeting, as light as a feather brushing against her. Chai Xiaomi pursed her lips and wrapped the embroidered blanket around her shoulders even tighter.

A flutter ran through her heart, and she smiled, casually wrapping her arm around Wu Li's, pulling him to sit down, and saying in a coquettish tone, "Thank you, my husband."

Wu Li sat down beside her in a daze. The candy crumb on his fingertip had melted. He gently rubbed it between two fingers, and it was sticky and stuck to his fingertip.

A faint sweet scent seemed to waft through the air from the melting sugar residue on my fingertips.

Wu Li lowered his eyes and sniffed lightly, as if the scent hadn't come from there.

Seeing Wu Li calmly take his seat, Jiang Zhiyu glanced suspiciously at his fingers that had inexplicably caught fire earlier, and then looked at the other party's composed expression, a sense of doubt creeping into his heart.

His master had indeed taught him the art of fire control.

But the flame that just appeared was abrupt and had nothing to do with him.

When did he cast the spell or chant the incantation?

Jiang Zhiyu was staring intently at his fingertips when Song Yueyao suddenly stepped on his left foot, making him hiss in pain.

When he looked up, he saw Chai Xiaomi looking at him with a puzzled expression, and she was waving her five fingers in front of his face.

"Brother Yu, Brother Yu?"

Chai Xiaomi really couldn't bring herself to call him "Grandpa Jiang," so since the female lead told her to call him "sister," she simply called Song Yueyao "Sister Yao" and Jiang Zhiyu "Brother Yu."

Unexpectedly, Song Yueyao particularly liked this nickname, so Chai Xiaomi turned around and called out to Jiang Zhiyu as well.

But his eyes were glazed over, lost in thought, and he didn't respond when called several times.

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly snapped out of his reverie and responded softly, "Hmm?"

Meeting Song Yueyao's gaze, he remembered that he had come to say goodbye.

Yao Yao was never good at saying goodbye, so he was the one to say it.

We were able to escape the Banana Fairy's illusion thanks to the Rainbow Stone that Chai Xiaomi stole. Before leaving, we should say a proper goodbye to her.

The sky is high and the sea is wide, the mountains are long and the rivers are far; this parting may never be the last.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhiyu's eyes showed a hint of reluctance. They had only met a few times, but his heart was already filled with complicated and indescribable emotions. "Xiao Mi, we are about to set off for Liangya Prefecture today. We have come to say goodbye to you and... your husband."

He paused, looked at Wu Li, and spoke in a gentle and kind tone. Although this young man was unpredictable and difficult to get along with, it was always better to make more friends than enemies when traveling. "Wu Li, if you don't mind, you can call me Brother Jiang like Xiaomi does. I've found a little sister today, which is perfect, since I'm still missing a little brother."

"You come here and immediately claim to be my younger brother, without even asking his age?" Wu Li poured himself a cup of tea, then casually splashed the cold tea in front of Jiang Zhiyu that he had touched with his fingertips, refilled it with hot tea, and pushed it over.

Jiang Zhiyu politely nodded and accepted the cup, but immediately put it down because the cup was too hot. "I apologize for my presumption. You and Xiao Mi seem to be around the same age. May I ask how old Brother Wu Li is this year?"

"My husband is eighteen, he's the youngest, the youngest!" Chai Xiaomi answered quickly.

Jiang Zhiyu's initiative in extending an olive branch presented a perfect opportunity for Wu Li to ease tensions and forge a friendship with him.

Perhaps in the future, Wu Li will not turn against the male lead because of the female lead.

The reason why villains are called villains is simply because they stand on the opposite side of the protagonist.

If you always stick to the protagonist's side, even if you do all sorts of bad things, you will eventually be redeemed and become a positive character. You will be accepted by the world and even given a legitimate name. This is the most basic law of the world.

"Maknae?" Jiang Zhiyu was curious about this unfamiliar word.

"I heard it from somewhere else, it's just a title, it means the youngest in a group of people," Chai Xiaomi explained, then turned her gaze to Wu Li beside her.

She softened her voice, as if coaxing a child, and whispered in his ear, "Don't always have such a cold face. It makes people afraid to approach you. I think Jiang Zhiyu genuinely wants to be friends with you. It's not easy for us to meet, it's such a rare opportunity. Just accept him as your brother, he's the young master of Lingyu Prefecture. You should hold onto such a powerful figure!"

That faint, sweet scent drifted over again.

Wu Li tried to find its origin, but upon sniffing closely, he found no trace of it, as if it were just an illusion. He turned his head blankly and met Chai Xiaomi's adoring gaze, his expression suddenly turning cold.

She seemed to particularly appreciate the title of "Young Master of Lingyu Prefecture".

"Oh? Young Master." Wu Li lowered his head slightly, his expression hidden in the shadows, indistinct, and curled his lips in a half-smile, with a hint of mockery.

A chilling, bloodthirsty aura swept across the depths of his heterochromatic eyes, and his aura coiled like a venomous snake, sending shivers down one's spine.

Chai Xiaomi felt a sudden chill for no reason. Just as she was about to carefully discern the emotions in those eyes, she saw Wu Li's smile grow wider and wider. He raised his head and revealed a smile that was pure and innocent to the extreme.

A bright and warm voice called out:

"elder brother."

Jiang Zhiyu was taken aback. He had thought that given Wu Li's previous cold attitude, the chances of getting along were slim, but he did not expect him to call out to him so frankly.