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

Qianwu Town is located in the heart of Liangya Prefecture and is a well-known town.

The area is densely populated and prosperous, with shop flags waving on both sides of the long street and cargo ships coming and going at the dock.

Their group was passing through this place, where they would transfer to a large ship and travel by water to Youquan Town.

Because of the booming trade, many caravans and travelers came from all over the world, making it difficult to find a place to stay.

The group asked at several inns along the street, but the innkeepers all waved their hands apologetically, saying, "We're fully booked, we've been full for a long time."

The restaurant was bustling with people, and the clinking of cups and plates made it difficult to find a seat.

The market was bustling with noise, filled with the sweet aroma of cakes and the fishy smell of live fish.

"Normally, only the morning market is bustling, but here even the evening market is thriving." Jiang Zhiyu looked at the throng of people and chatted casually with Song Yueyao. "Yaoyao, have you ever been here before?"

Song Yueyao's gaze swept over the lazy white cat sitting on his shoulder, and she said in a light tone, "Young Master Jiang is joking. I'm afraid I've spent less time in my homeland than as a hostage in Lingyu Prefecture. How can someone who is not in control of his own destiny have the good fortune to travel and enjoy the scenery?"

The air went still for a moment.

The atmosphere was visibly awkward.

For the past few days, the way the two have interacted has remained the same, neither warm nor cold.

Despite Jiang Zhiyu's persistent efforts to win over the beautiful Song Yueyao, an invisible barrier seemed to always surround him, keeping him at bay.

She was always all smiles and laughter when she was with others, but the smile in her eyes vanished the moment she turned to him.

Just then, she caught sight of the bright red candied hawthorns by the roadside and immediately turned around, smiling, and asked, "Xiao Mi, Wu Li, would you like some candied hawthorns?"

Her tone was slightly indulgent, as if she were the eldest sister in her family, leading her two younger siblings out to play, coaxing them like little children.

Jiang Zhiyu silently curled his lip, and the white cat on his shoulder glanced at him: "Good-for-nothing."

"Sister Yao, I can buy it myself!" Chai Xiaomi looked up at the sky and had an idea. "Why don't we split up and go look for it? That way it'll be faster and we'll have more choices."

We can't let these two remain at odds any longer; we must find a way to ease the tension between them.

Chai Xiaomi thought to herself that if Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao really had a falling out, it would give those with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

She glanced at the boy beside her without making a sound.

Although the person didn't show it on their face, their eyes, beneath their slightly lowered eyelashes, were practically overflowing with smugness and joy after seeing Jiang Zhiyu's frustrated and dejected appearance.

Although Wu Li was very secretive, he had a lot of little gestures when he was happy. For example, he would always play with a piece of goosegrass around his fingertips, fold it into a cricket or a dragonfly, and casually throw it on the roadside, then pick up another one and fold another.

When artisans are happy, they make handicrafts like crazy.

She had been observing for a long time and saw everything clearly.

They were just waiting to find a loophole, don't even think about it!

She turned back and gently tugged at Wu Li's sleeve, pulling him to her side: "Li Li, come with me to the east."

She then turned to the other two, her voice light and cheerful, "Sister Yao, why don't you and Brother Yu look westwards?"

Song Yueyao thought for a moment and agreed that this method would indeed be more efficient: "Alright, then let's set a half-hour limit. Whether or not we find a suitable inn, we will still meet here."

"Okay!" Chai Xiaomi replied crisply.

Watching the two awkward figures walk away, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter what, Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao must be kept together, and Wu Li must not be given any opportunity to be alone with Song Yueyao.

"What shady scheme are you plotting, you idiot?"

The boy beside her leaned slightly to meet her gaze, a playful smile curving his lips as he scrutinized her subtly tense expression without any restraint.

Chai Xiaomi was startled by his handsome face suddenly approaching; his heterochromatic eyes seemed to be able to see into the deepest secrets of people's hearts.

"N-nothing..." she denied instinctively, shrinking back.

"Oh?" Wu Li drawled out the last syllable, his gaze fixed on her slightly furrowed brows. "Then why are your brows so tightly furrowed? They could trap a fly."

As he spoke, he slowly raised his other hand and opened his palm in front of her.

Inside lay a green fly, exquisitely crafted from goosegrass, its antennae and wings clearly defined, lifelike.

Immediately, he flicked his fingertips, and a wisp of dark, malevolent energy coiled around it.

The emerald green grass fly was instantly soaked and charred, turning into a small clump of ash that fluttered down between his fingers.

"Look," he said innocently, but a mischievous glint in his eyes, "you really squeezed me to death."

"You'd be more likely to get crushed to death!" Chai Xiaomi shoved him irritably.

She didn't even know what she was upset about.

Just thinking about how Wu Li would use a love potion on Song Yueyao in Qianwu Town in the plot...

I felt inexplicably uneasy.

Just then, a long shout came from afar.

"Sugar figurine maker, drawing sugar figurines—"

It instantly drew her attention.

She bypassed Wu Li and jogged to the stall. A row of crystal-clear sugar figurines, depicting people, birds, and animals, were stuck on a haystack, gleaming with an amber light under the market lanterns.

"Uncle, I want two!"

Her eyes sparkled as she turned and pointed to Wu Li, who had followed her, "One stick is for me, and the other is for him."

"Alright! Ten coins in total, young lady!" The old man at the stall looked at the two young people in front of him, each one more outstanding than the last, and was delighted. He was determined to show off his best skills.

The sugar spoon moves deftly across the heated copper plate, drawing out strands of syrup.

The uncle noticed the conspicuous longbow on the boy's back and his strikingly beautiful heterochromatic eyes. His hands continued moving as he casually asked, "You two aren't locals, are you? Are you also here for the Crescent Moon Arrow Technique?"

"The New Moon Arrow Technique?" Chai Xiaomi was taken aback.

"The Ouyang family, the richest family in Qianwu Town, will soon hold their 'New Moon Archery Competition,' which takes place every three years. It is the most exciting archery competition in Liangya Prefecture and will be held at Luoxingyuan in the town. The town is now full of martial arts masters who have come to compete, young masters from noble families who have come to watch the ceremony, and many high-ranking officials and nobles from the capital."

The plot has indeed started to veer off course.

In the original story, although the main characters arrived in Thousand Mist Town, they never mentioned that there was such a hunting competition.

"No wonder the inn is full," Chai Xiaomi murmured.

"Are you looking for lodging, young lady? Don't bother!" The old man twirled his sugar spoon rapidly, his words flowing non-stop. "These past few days, not only are proper inns packed, but even roadside shops on the outskirts of town are overflowing with people. You've arrived too late; you'll probably have to sleep on a boat plank!"

Upon hearing this, Chai Xiaomi's long eyelashes drooped, and a layer of dejection clouded her bright, clear almond-shaped eyes. "There's only the planks left..."

They had endured wind and rain and slept in the open along the way. The only inn they stayed in was Zhu Yu's dilapidated one. They had finally arrived in such a bustling town and were hoping to enjoy the scale of a high-class inn, but their hopes were dashed.

The uncle was drying the sugar figurines when he noticed the little girl's bright eyes suddenly turn pitiful, and his heart softened. "It's not like there's no other way. If you don't mind, you can stay there."