My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Luo Qingyi took in Si Zi's subtle reactions, and her smile deepened.

She began to describe the non-existent "special late-night snack" in a seductive voice.

"That's the Crystal Osmanthus Honey Dew, made by the Luo family's top chef using a secret recipe."

"Crystal clear, melts in your mouth, sweet but not cloying."

"Besides desserts, we also have Wagyu beef short ribs baked with millennia-old volcanic rocks."

Luo Qingyi deliberately swallowed, then described it vividly.

"The roasted meat has a golden and crispy skin. When you take a bite, there's a 'crunch' sound, and the juicy, flavorful meat inside bursts out and fills your mouth with a 'sizzle'."

"And sprinkle some cumin and secret spices brought by foreign caravans from the Western Regions..."

"Oh my, that smell is so enticing, it could make you drool even from three blocks away."

Luo Qingyi stood up and clapped her hands.

"But since Sizi is a big girl now and needs to sleep alone, then I guess I'll have to eat this midnight snack by myself when I get back."

"Sister's going now, you get some rest."

After saying that, Luo Qingyi made a gesture as if to turn around and walk out of the courtyard.

"Clatter".

A very faint yet very clear sound rang out.

That was the sound of saliva dripping onto the bluestone slab.

Just now, Si Zi confidently declared that she was an "adult" and would never sleep with anyone else.

At this moment, their defenses have been completely breached.

Her big eyes, which had been half-closed due to sleepiness, were now wide open.

Deep within his eyes, two blazing flames, seemingly tangible, erupted, fueled by "appetite."

The string of "maturity and composure" in my mind snapped instantly in the face of "crispy on the outside and tender on the inside spare ribs," leaving not a trace.

"etc!"

Sizi let out an anxious cry of alarm.

She took a few quick steps, like a pink whirlwind, and pounced straight at them.

He grabbed Luo Qingyi's leg and wouldn't let go.

"What's wrong, little one?"

Luo Qingyi turned around, suppressing her laughter, and deliberately teased her.

"Didn't you say that adults should sleep alone?"

"Who said that?!"

Sizi shook his little head like a rattle drum, and without batting an eye, he immediately recanted his confession.

"Sizi is only five and a half years old! Sizi is still a little baby!"

The little girl looked up, her face, which was slightly drooled, was full of ingratiation and obedience.

The little head nodded happily, like a chick pecking at rice.

"Okay, okay! Sizi is most afraid of the dark, and Sizi loves sleeping with Sister Qingyi the most!"

"Sister, let's hurry! If we're late, the barbecue will get cold and won't taste good!"

Looking at this little tyrant whose expression changes faster than turning the pages of a book.

Li Chen stood not far away.

I'm completely speechless.

He covered his face with one hand and sighed deeply.

A desperate groan escaped from between his fingers.

"Li Mingda, oh Li Mingda..."

"With your kind of backbone, you can't even last a plate of barbecue. If you ever encounter a child trafficker who tries to abduct children with candied hawthorns, you'll probably call their ancestors 'the thief's fathers.

However, Li Chen only complained to himself.

He did not speak up to stop it.

Because he knew very well that this girl might look naive and innocent, someone who could be easily fooled with a bite to eat.

But anyone who truly takes her for a defenseless little rabbit will definitely suffer a terrible fate.

After all, it's on the shoulders of the rhinoceros.

At this moment, a seemingly lazy but actually terrifying tabby cat with fishbone patterns is lying there.

"Meow."

Fatty yawned and licked his lips.

Those amber cat eyes also gleamed with an intense longing for "grilled beef ribs".

It rubbed its chubby head against the rhinoceros's cheek, indicating that the vice-leader firmly supported the leader's wise decision to go out for a late-night snack.

"Alright, let her be."

Li Chen waved his hand and turned to walk towards the main building of Juxian Pavilion.

"With this fat cat following her around, even if the sky falls, it won't hit a single hair on this girl's head."

"Miss Luo, this girl doesn't sleep well at night and likes to kick off the covers. Please bear with her."

"Don't worry, my benefactor, Qingyi will definitely take good care of my sister."

Luo Qingyi happily picked up Sizi as if she were holding a rare treasure, and excitedly walked towards her Cherry Blossom Courtyard.

Night deepened.

The previously bustling noise inside the Luo family mansion gradually subsided.

Apart from the occasional footsteps of patrolling guards, the surroundings were completely silent.

The clouds in the night sky grew thicker and thicker, obscuring the bright crescent moon.

The world was enveloped in an impenetrable, thick ink-like darkness.

Under this seemingly peaceful and serene night.

It was tens of thousands of miles away from the Luo family.

Inside that abandoned ancient city where Li Chen had crippled dozens of ruthless bandits.

Hidden deep beneath the city lord's mansion, a secret altar is erupting with blinding crimson light.

This is the secret stronghold of the Zhao family, another major family in this small world.

He was also the real mastermind behind the kidnapping of Luo Qingyi.

In the center of the altar sat a gaunt old man, his body radiating an aura of decay and death.

Half of his body had already turned to stone, and his lifespan was about to completely dry up.

"Useless! They're all useless!"

The old man suddenly opened his cloudy eyes and let out a roar as mournful as an owl.

"Not only did they fail to bring back the Luo family's spirit egg, but the people they sent were also crippled!"

"My lifespan won't last until tomorrow!"

Below the altar, the head of the Zhao family knelt on the ground, trembling.

"Ancestor, please calm down! According to our scouts, the ones who sabotaged the plan were an unknown man in blue robes and a five-year-old girl."

"Right now, they're staying in the Luo family's Cherry Blossom Courtyard. The phoenix spirit egg is in that little girl's hands!"

"A little girl?"

A glint of extreme resentment flashed in the old man's eyes.

His withered fingers snapped open.

A jet-black ring, exuding an ancient and weathered aura and covered with cracks, flew into the hands of the Zhao family patriarch.

"Go! Activate this ancient Shadow Ring!"

The old man's voice was filled with hysterical madness.

"Choose the strongest assassin in the clan! Put it on!"

"Once activated, this item will seal all of the assassin's spiritual power, consciousness, and physical strength, reducing him to a mortal."

"But equally, it can perfectly shield against all perception of heaven and earth, detection by arrays, and even the divine sense locking of powerful beings!"

"Let him sneak into the Luo family's residence."

"Tonight, by any means necessary, I must bring back that little girl's head and that spirit egg to this old man!"

"yes!"

Half an hour later.

Beneath the high walls surrounding the Luo family mansion.

The night was as dark as ink, and there wasn't a breath of wind.

A dark shadow, like a ghost, silently emerged from the soil.

There was no spiritual energy fluctuation on his body, and even his breathing and heartbeat were suppressed to the limit.

It's like a piece of lifeless, withered wood.

Wearing the jet-black ring, the assassin, like a gecko, silently climbed the towering wall of the Luo family's courtyard.

His gaze pierced through the darkness of the night.

Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to bare its fangs at any moment.

He stared intently in the direction of Rakusakura-in.