During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

But for the sake of money, he couldn't afford to offend Ye Qingqing, this "goddess of wealth," so he squeezed out a sentence.

"Qingqing, my heart is truly with you, why must you say such hurtful things..."

Ye Qingqing coldly interrupted him.

"You hurt someone? You asked for it!"

With that, she took Ye Dazhuang's hand and walked into the night without looking back.

The two walked along the bluestone path for a long time without saying a word.

The two walked along the bluestone path for a long time without saying a word.

A cool night breeze swept in from the alley, and Ye Qingqing shrank her neck, tucking her hands into her sleeves. Ye Dazhuang walked beside her, his pace neither fast nor slow, keeping a half-body distance between them. The grip on her wrist had long since loosened; now her hands hung limply at her sides, her fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

Ye Qingqing glanced at him but didn't say anything.

After walking for a while, Ye Dazhuang suddenly spoke, his voice muffled, "That person didn't give you any more trouble, did he?"

"You've already hit him, how can you still make things difficult for me?" Ye Qingqing's lips curled up slightly as she said this, but quickly flattened them again. "But that punch of yours was really accurate; I think his teeth are almost loose."

Ye Dazhuang didn't reply, but the corners of his mouth twitched, as if he wanted to laugh but held it back.

Seeing his expression, Ye Qingqing's displeasure dissipated considerably. Just as she was about to say something, a low sob suddenly came from the shadows at the alley entrance ahead.

She paused, glancing over there instinctively.

A large black dog emerged from the darkness, stood in the middle of the road, its back arched, teeth bared, and a series of low growls rumbled from its throat. The dog was quite large, reaching up to the upper thighs when standing, and its eyes gleamed eerily in the night.

Ye Qingqing's heart skipped a beat, and she took half a step back.

"Don't move." Ye Dazhuang's voice suddenly became very low and deep. He took a step to the side, blocking Ye Qingqing, his eyes fixed on the dog. "Slowly back away, don't run."

Ye Qingqing obediently took a step back. But the dog also took a step forward, barking even louder.

Ye Qingqing's mind raced—there were quite a few families in this town who kept dogs, but in the middle of the night, a dog was blocking the road and baring its teeth at people for no reason; something was wrong. Before she could think about it further, the dog suddenly kicked its hind legs and pounced on her.

That's too fast.

Ye Qingqing only had time to see a dark shadow shoot towards her before she was slammed to the ground by a powerful force. The back of her head hit the bluestone pavement, the pain making her vision go black and her ears ring. She instinctively reached out to push away what was pressing down on her, but all she touched was an arm—hard and stiff, its muscles taut.

Ye Dazhuang pressed his entire body against hers, shielding her completely beneath him.

She heard him groan softly, a low sound, as if squeezed out between his teeth. Then came the sound of tearing fabric, followed by the dog's whimpering and the scratching of its paws on the ground.

"Big Brother Zhuang?" Ye Qingqing's voice trembled slightly.

Ye Dazhuang didn't respond to her. He tilted his head to the side, resting his chin on her shoulder, his breathing heavy and rapid, his hot breath hitting her neck and giving her goosebumps.

Ye Qingqing heard someone shout in the distance, the dog whimpered a few times, and the footsteps gradually faded away. The alley quieted down, leaving only the breathing of two people, one rapid and the other flustered.

"Big Brother Zhuang," Ye Qingqing called out again, reaching out to push his shoulder, "Get up, you're crushing me."

Ye Dazhuang didn't move.

Ye Qingqing's heart tightened, and she pushed him hard. He seemed to come to his senses, slowly rolling over off her. Ye Qingqing quickly sat up, about to speak, when she turned her head and saw a gash on his left forearm. His clothes were torn, the exposed flesh was gaping open, and blood was gushing out, dripping down his elbow onto the bluestone pavement.

Ye Qingqing gasped, and without saying a word, she tore off her belt, quickly folded it into a thick ball of cloth, pressed it against the wound, and then tore off a piece of the hem of her skirt, tightly wrapped it around several times, and tied it into a knot.

She didn't say a word as she did this, her head down, her hands moving quickly and efficiently. Ye Dazhuang leaned against the wall, watching her work. The moonlight shone on her face, revealing her furrowed brows and pursed lips.

"Qingqing," he called her.

Ye Qingqing didn't look up, nor did she stop what she was doing; she simply hummed in response.

Are you hurt?

Ye Qingqing paused for a moment, then continued wrapping the cloth strips. "I'm fine."

After wrapping the last loop, she tied a knot, looked up at him, and asked, "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

"You're kidding me." Ye Qingqing rolled her eyes at him, patted the blood off her hands, stood up, and reached out to pull him up. "Get up."

"You're kidding me." Ye Qingqing rolled her eyes at him, patted the blood off her hands, stood up, and reached out to pull him up. "Get up."

Ye Dazhuang grasped her hand and used it to stand up. After standing up, he didn't let go, but just held on, his rough palm with thin calluses warmly enveloping her fingers.

Ye Qingqing was stunned for a moment, and tried to pull back, but couldn't.

"Big Zhuang?"

Ye Dazhuang didn't speak, he just looked at her. His eyes shone brightly in the night, filled with something she couldn't understand. He opened his mouth as if to say something, his Adam's apple bobbed, then he swallowed back down.

Ye Qingqing felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and her ears began to burn. She looked away, cleared her throat, and said, "Let's go back."

She pulled her hand away again, and this time Ye Dazhuang let go.

The two walked back side by side, neither of them speaking. When they were almost at the shop entrance, Ye Dazhuang suddenly stopped.

"Qingqing".

Ye Qingqing also stopped and turned to look at him.

Ye Dazhuang stood under the streetlamp, his shadow stretched long. He looked at Ye Qingqing, his lips moving as if he were choosing his words carefully. After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice low, "This afternoon, I ran into someone."

Ye Qingqing's heart skipped a beat, but she remained expressionless. "Who is it?"

"A complete stranger," Ye Dazhuang said, "but he said he knew me."

A night breeze blew by, swirling up and then letting go of the withered leaves by the roadside. Ye Qingqing stood there, waiting for him to continue.

"He called me General Xiao." When Ye Dazhuang said these four words, there was a kind of bewilderment in his voice that he himself did not realize. "He said I was a general of the Xiao family army, personally appointed by the emperor, and guarding the frontier."

Ye Qingqing was stunned.

She had considered that Ye Dazhuang's identity was not simple. His demeanor and composure in every gesture made him seem like an ordinary person.

But she never expected him to be a general!