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

After traveling for two whole days through the mountains, we finally left the territory of Chishan.

Song Yueyao reined in her horse and looked back. The brown horse that Wu Li and Xiao Mi were riding had fallen far behind.

She had spent some time in the military camp with her grandfather when she was young, and riding horses was no problem for her. She forgot that not everyone could withstand such a bumpy ride.

As the horse drew closer, she stared intently and was slightly taken aback.

Xiao Mi had somehow changed to a side-sitting position on the horse's back and was fast asleep in the boy's arms.

The boy behind her held the reins in one hand.

His other arm remained steadily raised in mid-air, supporting her back with the crook of his arm.

Doesn't he get tired doing this?

Song Yueyao recalled how Wu Li would occasionally speak to her during their rest stops along the way. His expression was calm, his tone gentle, and he would even subtly reach out and support her shoulder when Xiaomi nearly fell asleep.

Where was the truth of Jiang Zhiyu's subtle warning, saying something like "This young man has a strange temperament and is not easy to get along with"?

He was clearly a meticulous and gentle man, with his little wife always in his eyes and heart.

It's Jiang Zhiyu's eyesight that's bad!

Song Yueyao casually picked a green wild fruit from the treetop by the roadside, squinted at the back of the person's head in front of her, and thrust her wrist forward.

"Hiss!" Jiang Zhiyu's shoulders trembled, and he turned around in disbelief.

How could someone possibly get a sharp rap on the head from a distance in this desolate wilderness?

"What's wrong, Yao Yao?"

Song Yueyao raised her chin forward, and at the bend in the mountain road, a faded wine flag was fluttering in the wind.

"There's an inn up ahead, let's rest for the night before continuing." She paused, then reminded her, "After all these days of bumpy travel on horseback, Xiao Mi might not be able to handle it."

*

Chai Xiaomi felt her face being gently patted twice and slowly opened her eyes.

Right in front of you is Song Yueyao's close-up beauty filter attack.

After leaving the territory of Chishan, Song Yueyao removed her disguise and changed back into the clothing of a woman from the Central Plains.

She wore a long, lake-blue dress with cloud patterns, her black hair was neatly tied up with a jade hairpin, her wide sleeves were tied into narrow sleeves, and a short, crescent-shaped blade was worn at her waist. She exuded both heroic spirit and delicate grace.

Chai Xiaomi sighed inwardly. As expected of a woman raised in a military family, her beauty was the least noteworthy of her merits.

Song Yueyao was strong-willed and diligently studied martial arts. She was a promising woman who could rival any man. If her grandfather hadn't died in battle when she was eight, losing her most reliable support, she wouldn't have been sent to Lingyu Prefecture as a hostage.

If fate had been more kind to her, given time, she should have been a figure riding a horse and wielding a spear on the vast battlefield.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Seeing that her forehead was damp with sweat, Song Yueyao thoughtfully handed her a teacup. "You're all sweaty, want some water?"

That was a nightmare.

It's a hundred times more thrilling than a nightmare.

She returned to that hot spring pool.

In the misty air, their skin pressed together, embracing so tightly that they seemed to be embedded into each other's bones.

After a long while, the boy finally relaxed and asked the same question in a hoarse voice:

"Want a kiss?"

The blatant temptation was too much for Chai Xiaomi to resist, and she was about to bite those alluring, rosy lips.

I was woken up by being patted.

"I dreamt of a big wild boar," Chai Xiaomi said guiltily, taking the teacup and taking two gulps. "It almost pushed me into a mud pit."

She then realized that she was in an inn room, not the kind of high-class inn seen in TV dramas. It was a bit run-down, with old and worn tables, chairs, and cabinets, and she was lying on the bed.

"Pfft!" Song Yueyao chuckled at her words, reaching out to ruffle her sweaty forehead. "Are you dreaming you're a giant cabbage?"

At the same time, a clear "Achoo!" came from outside the window.

The room was on the second floor, and the two of them looked out the window together.

With just one glance, Chai Xiaomi was completely subdued.

The boy was no longer dressed in Miao ethnic clothing, but in a black robe with gold thread outlining fire and cloud patterns on the sleeves. His black hair was tied up high, with the ends flying. All the layers of silver necklaces around his neck had been removed, leaving only a few strands of silver ornaments and earrings in his braided hair, which shimmered in the twilight.

He leaned against the wooden post of the stable, holding a bunch of freshly cut wild grass in his arms, which he casually scattered into the feeding trough.

That profile was stunningly beautiful, with clear, heterochromatic eyes that concealed a unique untamed spirit. Long eyelashes gently rested on her eyes, and her nose was straight, seemingly revealing a stubborn personality.

Whether it was from being choked by grass clippings or something else, he suddenly sneezed loudly and rubbed the tip of his nose.

As if sensing the gaze, he suddenly looked up and gazed at the window on the second floor of the inn.

Their gazes met Chai Xiaomi's flushed cheeks.

Wu Li's eyes suddenly became unfocused, as if he had been directly exposed to sunlight, and he subconsciously turned his head away.

He then called out to Song Yueyao, "Sister, I'll feed your horse too."

Song Yueyao leaned forward: "Thanks!"

After thanking her, she sat back down on the edge of the bed and smiled at Chai Xiaomi, saying, "Xiaomi, your husband is a really good person."

"Although he's young, he's much more refined and reliable than that Jiang Zhiyu." She took out a soft cushion. "He knew that riding horses for a long time would chafe my legs, so he gave me this. Such a thoughtful gentleman is hard to find even with a lantern. Xiaomi is so lucky!"

Chai Xiaomi looked at Song Yueyao's thumbs-up and sighed silently in her heart.

My dear female lead... do you know that this "thoughtfulness" of his is only ever shown to you?

He's hardly a meticulous and reliable person. When has he ever been so considerate of others?

It's good enough if they don't torment others.

Song Yueyao suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Xiao Mi, do you know that he was with you the whole time you were asleep on horseback—"

The conversation was interrupted and abruptly ended.

The door creaked open.

The innkeeper's waiter stood outside the door with a tray, his face beaming with smiles: "Gentlemen, the snacks have arrived."

Song Yueyao: "Okay, put it on the table."

The waiter did as instructed, arranging several plates of rough but steaming pastries, but did not leave immediately.

He rubbed his hands together, lowered his voice, and glanced at the two strikingly beautiful women for a moment before saying, as if reminding them, "When you rest at night, please remember to close the doors and windows tightly."

As autumn approaches and the nights are filled with the chill of dew, even if he doesn't say anything, ordinary people will naturally close their doors and windows.

But this extra comment seemed deliberate.

Song Yueyao raised an eyebrow, teasingly asking, "What, could it be that mice have crawled in to steal food?"

"Of course not." The waiter got excited when she spoke up. The manager had instructed him that if a customer asked, he should just say "there are a lot of mosquitoes at night."

But these two girls in front of me are truly rare beauties, especially the one who is sitting on the edge of the bed. Although she looks tired, she can't hide the liveliness in her eyes.

Even just a few words would be nice.

He leaned closer and lowered his voice mysteriously: "Our inn... is located in a remote area. I've heard that in the old days, this was a mass grave, where wandering ghosts often roam. Especially in the dead of night, you can often faintly hear a woman's sobbing, and also the cries of a baby."

He paused, observing the expressions of the two. He noticed that the one who had spoken did not show any obvious fear, while the other had half his face hidden under the blanket, making it impossible to discern his expression.

He continued, "But sir, don't be afraid. The innkeeper has already invited a master to perform a ritual. The inn has been exorcised, and protective barriers have been set up on the doors and windows. However, the master specifically instructed that, for absolute safety, the doors and windows should still be tightly closed at night."

"Just a few days ago, a customer, not believing in ghosts, slept with his window open last night. Guess what? When he woke up the next morning, half his face was stiff, and water was dribbling from the corner of his mouth when he drank. He must have had half his life force drained away by that ghost!"