After provoking the holy maiden of Miao territory, she was infected with a love curse.

Somehow, the two of them ended up sitting together.

Holding her chopsticks, Yin Huaixi stared at Sang Che. She picked up a piece of meat, put it between her lips and teeth, and chewed slowly.

The image of the two men, infected with Gu worms and looking like walking corpses, that I had only caught a glimpse of at the inn back then quietly surfaced in my mind.

Unconsciously, Yin Huaixi chewed the tender, boiled meat a couple more times before slowly swallowing.

Fortunately.

At this moment, she still felt that cooked meat tasted better than raw meat, and she showed no signs of that.

"Huaixi, what are you eating?"

"Could you...feed me?"

Taking advantage of others is Sang Che's daily routine; she's never ashamed of doing such things.

Biting the chopsticks, Yin Huaixi wished they were Sang Che's fingers, so she could bite them in two.

"You have hands and feet, why do I need to feed you?"

Sang Che persisted relentlessly.

She reached out and pressed her hand on the wooden table, her dull yet captivating eyes, as if veiled by a layer of mist, greedily enveloping Yin Huaixi.

Sang Che spoke in a leisurely tone, full of affection.

"Huaixi, I can't see."

"How can you be so heartless?"

"Furthermore, if I don't eat, I'll fall ill. If I fall ill, who will teach you how to break the curse?"

That's half true and half false.

There was teasing, banter, and genuine sincerity.

The imperial court now regards Yin Huaixi as a thorn in their side and someone who must be eliminated. Sang Che plans to teach her some unique self-defense techniques that she can actually use.

As for the High Priest, it's fine if he doesn't know.

Pick up the bowl and straighten your back.

Yin Huaixi unconsciously moved further away from Sang Che. She picked at her rice with her chopsticks and muttered, "Are you genuinely trying to teach me, or are you just trying to appease me?"

Sang Che: "Of course it's true."

Yin Huaixi's eating movements gradually slowed down, and she bit her chopsticks less forcefully, since Sang Che had already said so.

Why doesn't she just ask for an exorbitant amount?

I want more.

Yin Huaixi: "Aren't you afraid that the student will surpass the teacher?"

Sang Che: "I'm not afraid."

Since that's what her teacher said, she naturally had to give him a friendly welcome.

With chopsticks holding a piece of meat, Yin Huaixi raised an eyebrow, staring at Sang Che's face, and slightly parted her thin lips.

Open your mouth.

Be a good boy and open your mouth.

A piece of soft meat was stuffed in.

Seeing Sang Che contentedly chewing meat with his eyes half-closed, Yin Huaixi felt as if she had raised a dog.

He's the kind of guy who usually does bad things, making her furious, but when he gets angry at her, he'll glare at her with those innocent, pitiful eyes and throw a tantrum in front of her.

She's the kind of shameless little dog you can't do anything about.

...

He said he would take her to the warehouse.

Sang Che really didn't play tricks on Yin Huaixi. He even handed over the key to Yin Huaixi with complete peace of mind.

"If you want to borrow any book, just look in the warehouse. There are no Chinese translations anywhere else, only here."

Hold the warm key tightly.

Yin Huaixi looked up at Sang Che in disbelief, as if to say, "Are you serious?"

"I won't give you the key to the other warehouse. It's full of poisonous things. If you're not careful... you'll be entangled by my unruly little guys."

Sang Che's earnest instructions silenced Yin Huaixi, who had originally intended to say she wasn't afraid at all.

It's important to be assertive and to know your own limitations.

Even if she were bitten by the poisonous creatures in that warehouse, causing delays in her progress over the past few days, she would still be able to figure out a cure.

This is unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!

"Okay, I'll be in the warehouse."

"If you need anything, you can come over there and find me."

Having received the favor from Sang Che, Yin Huaixi's attitude towards him improved considerably.

She excitedly grabbed the key and ran straight to the warehouse. Sang Che watched her hazy figure go, waiting for Jia Wan to arrive.

...

As night fell, Jiawan, who arrived on time, crouched down. This time, she remembered not to push the door open directly, but instead knocked on it.

"Come in."

Sang Che had been waiting for a long time.

Not hearing Yin Huaixi's voice, Jia Wan breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside.

"Ah Che, isn't your partner home?"

"Or...did she fall asleep?"

Curious, they looked around the room.

Jia Wan didn't see Yin Huaixi's familiar face, or rather, she didn't see a single figure.

"She's not here, she's in the warehouse."

A small, bright red snake swam out, its tiny teeth carrying a cushion, and came before Jiawan to curry favor.

Seeing that even Xiaoya dared to come out so brazenly, Jiawan was now certain that Yin Huaixi was indeed not in Sang Che's residence.

The two, one human and one snake, have been at odds ever since they first met. Little Tooth has been sleeping in Jiawan's yard quite often these days, so Jiawan feels a special connection with Little Tooth.

"My sweetheart, you're here."

"Then Yin Huaixi must be gone."

Jiawan stretched and sat down.

She saw that Sang Che had laid out all the witchcraft and divination tools on the table as expected, and she stared at him with a leisurely air.

"Did you bring her underwear? If there's any hair or nails, the effect will be even more pronounced."

As Sang Che spoke, Jia Wan took things out. She remembered that when she was braiding Zhao Huining's hair earlier, some strands of hair got tangled in the silver ornaments. Jia Wan had no choice but to take out scissors and cut off a lock of Zhao Huining's hair.

Jiawan didn't throw away that strand of long hair without anyone noticing. Instead, she put it in a brocade box and locked it in a cabinet.

What was originally an undisguised, ambiguous, and romantic feeling has now become... one of the most useful things to bring Ah Ning back.

Jiawan had mixed feelings.

"I have her hair, A-Che, you can take it."

"Return it to me after you're done using it."

An exquisite brocade box was pushed over, and Sang Che reached out and touched it, chuckling softly.

"Ah Shui, you should have known her identity long ago, so why... come to me so desperately seeking to give up?"

Jiawan immediately covered her ears, pressed her forehead against the wooden table, and shook her head.

"I can't hear you, I can't hear you, I can't hear you! Ah Che, can you please stop talking!"

Sang Che ignored Jia Wan's request and continued, "For the Yu Wei to go to such great lengths, traveling thousands of miles to Miao territory and expending manpower and resources to bring her out, and even killing their own people to keep this secret a secret."

"We want Huaixi's life."

"Tell me, do you think her background is ordinary?"

Busy with witchcraft and divination, Sang Che left the final step to Jia Wan; she didn't do it herself.

"The answer is right here, Ah Shui, look for yourself... where exactly is she now."

Jiawan watched as the butterflies that had been fluttering around the room at night gradually landed on the table. She could reach out and touch Aning's location, and hesitated for a moment.

Sang Che saw right through her.

"Should I give up, A-Che...? If she really is royalty, shouldn't I stop thinking about her, stop longing for her?"

The outstretched finger paused in mid-air. Jiawan pressed down, and the blue butterfly suddenly took flight, revealing strange patterns on the table.

Thousands of chaotic lines are entwined around the central area of ​​the table, where... is the royal court and palace of the Central Plains people.

Sang Che looked up and stared at Jia Wan.

She spoke softly, "Are you asking me, or are you asking yourself?"

"If it were me, Ah Shui... I would do everything in my power to keep what I want."

"The mountains and rivers remain unmoved for thousands of years, but the human heart is fickle."

"Ah Shui, if you want something, go fight for it... What's meant to be yours, how can you have it if you don't fight for it?"

A sickly smile hung on his face, and Sang Che's usually unfocused eyes seemed to be able to look straight into people's hearts.

Jiawan's mind was in turmoil. She took a deep breath and gripped the hem of her skirt tightly with her fingers.

A-Che is right!