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

As if something was approaching the bed, Chai Xiaomi curled up in the quilt, tightly covering her mouth, suppressing her breathing to the point of being barely audible.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The sound was like something crawling, or like branches outside the window constantly hitting the windowpane.

Chai Xiaomi endured the long, dark night in such fear and torment.

The night passed, and nothing happened.

Early the next morning.

When she appeared before Jiang Zhiyu with heavy dark circles under her eyes, he was standing in the courtyard, concentrating on regulating his breathing.

Upon seeing that pale, swollen face, Jiang Zhiyu was so frightened that his wrist trembled, and his feather sword was drawn half an inch from its sheath. He almost thought he had run into a deadly female ghost.

Upon seeing who it was, he was unsure whether to swing his sword or retract it, so he awkwardly made a few gestures on the spot. Then, he casually rubbed his shoulders and said with a dry laugh, "Just stretching my muscles after practicing swordsmanship this morning."

Chai Xiaomi thought to herself: What a disciplined man! No wonder they chose you as the male lead.

"You keep practicing, I'll go find Lili." She said, looking around. She had already searched the inn inside and out before finally finding her way to the backyard. But even after checking the stables, she still couldn't find that familiar figure.

"Wu Li?" Jiang Zhiyu frowned, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings without making a sound, but he didn't see the boy's figure.

Wu Li's temper was unpredictable, and it seemed that Xiao Mi was always the one coaxing and indulging him.

Jiang Zhiyu, wondering what was going on, lowered his voice and asked with concern, "Xiao Mi, why do you look so pale? Did Wu Li throw a tantrum?"

I recalled hearing faint sobs coming from downstairs last night.

He initially thought it was the work of a ghost, but as long as it didn't harm anyone, he didn't investigate further. Now, seeing the dark circles under Xiao Mi's eyes, it really looked like she had cried all night and hadn't slept.

Moreover, if the couple were living together in one room, why would they be searching for each other so early in the morning?

"No way!" Chai Xiaomi quickly waved her hand. "My husband is very gentle and never argues with me."

She was eager to portray Wu Li's good qualities in Jiang Zhiyu's mind and establish a positive image in each other's hearts so that their relationship could get closer.

Suddenly remembering something, she took a half step closer: "By the way, Brother Yu, did you hear any strange noises last night?"

Jiang Zhiyu: "You mean the sound of a woman crying?"

"Not only that, there was also the crying of a baby... the creaking of doors opening and closing... all sorts of rustling noises..." Chai Xiaomi described it with some difficulty, but in short, it was a series of small but chaotic noises that sounded particularly clear in the dead of night.

As she spoke, her gaze kept drifting towards the second floor of the inn, as if afraid that something unseen might overhear her.

So she quietly covered her mouth with both hands, leaned close to Jiang Zhiyu's ear, and whispered in a low voice.

The fear from last night still lingered in her heart. After Chai Xiaomi finished speaking, she couldn't help but shudder.

"Really? I didn't hear anything." Jiang Zhiyu shook his head slightly and gently comforted her, "Xiao Mi, could it be a nightmare? I once heard my master say that when you're traveling, the yin energy in the back rooms of an inn tends to accumulate, which is most likely to attract unsettling dreams."

A hint of guilt appeared on his face: "It's also my fault for being negligent. Yesterday, I was only thinking about settling Yao Yao in properly, but I forgot that you are pregnant and need a stable place to rest. If I had known this, I should have switched rooms with you."

Seeing that Chai Xiaomi was still somewhat timid, Jiang Zhiyu reached out and took off the cloak from his shoulders, handing it to her like a considerate older brother: "The autumn morning is chilly, put this on and take care of yourself."

Chai Xiaomi was grateful and was about to reach out to take it—

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound pierced the air!

Startled, she pulled her hand back.

A melon seed flew in with a sharp force, like a weapon, and attacked Jiang Zhiyu's outstretched arm.

Jiang Zhiyu reacted extremely quickly, abruptly withdrawing his hand and turning around. Although his arm narrowly avoided the bullet, the melon seed grazed the edge of his cloak, making a "sizzle" sound and cutting a long gash.

This feather-veil cloak is woven from the feathers of the Vermilion Bird God. It is extremely tough and difficult to damage with ordinary swords and knives. It is a unique treasure of Feathered State. However, it was unexpected that just a melon seed would ruin it.

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly looked up.

Wu Li was sitting sideways on the windowsill of the third floor of the inn.

One leg was bent and placed on the window frame, while the other leg dangled in the air, lazily swinging outside.

He held a bow in his hand, casually fiddling with the bowstring, his gaze sweeping down, his tone slow and cool: "Get up early to practice archery, to stretch your muscles."

"Sorry, it slipped. Hope you weren't hurt?"

The boy's cold tone startled Chai Xiaomi slightly.

She saw his lips pressed tightly together, and the sinister aura gathering between his brows and eyes was silently spreading, gradually enveloping his entire body.

Was it because of—that presumptuous kiss last night? It must have annoyed him.

No wonder he didn't come home all night.

She took a few steps forward, looked up, and softly called out, "Lili."

There was a barely perceptible hint of complaint in her voice: "Where have you been? I've been looking for you for ages."

Wu Li paused in his strumming of the bowstring, then raised his eyelids. His eyes held no emotion, only a distant, dim light, as he looked down at the bow.

She tilted her head back, her small, delicate face pale, and the dark circles under her eyes were particularly noticeable in the dim morning light, revealing her weariness.

The women of the Central Plains wore flowing, thin clothing, and the wind made her sleeves rustle. The cold mist was heavy and damp, and her thin shoulders shivered a few times in the cold mist.

"It's none of your business." He frowned slightly, his voice flat. "Where I go is none of your concern."

After saying that, he casually slung the crossbow over his shoulder and turned to go back into the house.

Chai Xiaomi stood there, staring blankly at the empty window.

Behind that window was Song Yueyao's room.

She searched the inn for a long time, but she never expected that he would be in Song Yueyao's room.

Jiang Zhiyu was also a little confused. Before he could figure out why Wu Li was in Yao Yao's room, his gaze was drawn to the slender figure in front of him.

In the chilly wind, a lone figure, wrapped in thin clothes, appeared rather forlorn.

She had just sworn that her husband had never argued with her, but Wu Li's aloof attitude clearly showed that he was angry.

What's up with this?

Jiang Zhiyu thought to himself, "Young people are indeed impetuous and prone to acting on impulse, which is why they would argue with their pregnant wives like this."

Chai Xiaomi has a sweet tongue, big round eyes, and a cute and playful appearance. People always subconsciously treat her like a younger sister, or even want to treat her like a daughter.

A mixture of brotherly pity and elder-like care welled up within Jiang Zhiyu, who couldn't bear to see this and wanted to step forward and offer a few words of comfort.

However, he had only taken one step.

Inside the window on the third floor, the boy who had disappeared a moment ago suddenly reappeared.

He seemed to have something in his arms. Before Jiang Zhiyu could see it clearly, Wu Li swooped down from the window like a startled swan, grabbed Chai Xiaomi without saying a word, and pulled her away.

He didn't even glance at him once.

At the very least, they should apologize for that cloak.

Jiang Zhiyu felt a little annoyed as he looked at the feather cloak in his hand, which had been torn with a long rip, and felt a dull ache in his heart.

This was a birthday gift from his father.

"Jiang! Zhi! Yu!"

Upstairs, Song Yueyao poked her head out of another window, her voice carrying her usual spoiled tone: "Come up and rescue me!"