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

"Why aren't you drinking anymore?" Chai Xiaomi frowned, remembering how he had once deliberately held the water pouch above her mouth while drinking from it, and said, "Isn't it enough to just not touch the opening? Didn't you used to drink like that?"

"I'm not thirsty anymore." He pushed aside the water bag, and as he got up, he casually plucked a slender blade of grass from the lakeside, twirled it between his fingertips, and put it straight into his mouth to chew.

"Hey, why are you putting everything in your mouth? What if it's poisonous!"

Chai Xiaomi grabbed his arm and forcefully pulled the half-eaten blade of grass from his lips.

Wu Li stared at her speechlessly.

Not only were they not allowed to drink lake water, but they also wouldn't let him chew on a single blade of grass.

But when he met her undisguised anger in her eyes, he paused for a moment, then helplessly explained to her, "This herb is called sour wood pulp. It tastes sour and astringent when chewed, but it can quench thirst."

Seeing that she was listening attentively, he paused again and added in a low voice, "It also has the effects of clearing heat and drying dampness, softening hard masses and dispersing nodules."

When I was teaching her how to draw a bow, she wasn't this focused. But now that we're talking about wild grass, her eyes are wide open, like a little animal with its ears perked up.

He couldn't resist bending down and gently pinching her cheek with his fingertips, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips: "It's not some poisonous weed, understand?"

Chai Xiaomi stared at him blankly, wondering how he knew so much about a mere blade of grass.

Is it true that practice makes perfect?

He probably... tasted it when he was a child, and he remembers the effects very clearly.

So in the end, he was still thirsty.

That's why I need this sour wood pulp to quench my thirst.

They don't even mind the lake water, yet they insist on criticizing other people's water bags.

Really satisfied.

Chai Xiaomi pointed to a house in the distance, a delicate bamboo house surrounded by a fence, which looked particularly tranquil in the open countryside.

She had been observing for a long time while she was drawing on the ground, and it seemed that there was only one house in the vicinity.

"I'll go to that house and borrow some water and a cup. I'm hungry too, and I'll ask if they have anything to eat so I can buy some. You go rest in the shade for a while, so you don't get heatstroke."

After saying that, she ran to return the water pouch to Song Yueyao. When she turned around and saw Wu Li still standing there, she turned back, took his hand, and led him to the tree.

The boy let her lead him, but his gaze fell on the bamboo house. He wanted to insist that he wasn't thirsty, but then he heard her say that she was hungry. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll go with you."

"No, you're sitting here! You're not allowed to go anywhere except under the shade of a tree." Chai Xiaomi pressed him down on the grass, her tone leaving no room for argument. "If you get heatstroke and faint, Yao-jie and I will have to carry you back."

As she spoke, she pulled out a delicate little handkerchief from the side of her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), which was embroidered with tiny cherry blossoms.

Wu Li remembered that she bought this at the market in Qianwu Town, and it was originally a set with the money bag embroidered with cherry blossoms.

She always liked to buy complete sets of things, with clothes that matched perfectly and colors that were coordinated flawlessly.

If she wore a deep pink gauze dress underneath, she would definitely wear a light pink outer garment over it, and two small pink crystal pendants would hang from her earlobes.

To complete her outfit, she lingered countless times at the jewelry stalls in the market, never hesitating to spend money.

The hair ribbons and hairpins in her hair were often changed, but the silver hair ornament was never replaced.

No matter what color or pattern the clothes were, she stubbornly wore them, swaying with every step, the silver light faint, as if she were holding onto some kind of obsession.

She has been keeping this handkerchief embroidered with cherry blossoms hidden inside her bodice ever since she bought it, and she is reluctant to take it out to use it.

It seems as if it was bought specifically to complete a set with the purse, and then displayed for decoration.

But now, she uses it to wipe his sweat.

The handkerchief, which she kept close to her body, had long since acquired a familiar, warm fragrance.

The silk was slightly cool, yet carried her body heat, gently wiping his sweaty nose and forehead.

The breath seeped into his nostrils in wisps, as if it had grown invisible wings, silently seeping into every meridian of his body, gently stirring something.

He stared at her focused and earnest eyes, wiping them so lightly and gently, as if touching some fragile treasure. He suddenly remembered what she had once said.

Even if a pearl is temporarily covered in dust, a little wiping will reveal it to be a perfectly beautiful pearl!

Pearl...

But he knew he wasn't.

The damp algae growing in the sewer is rotten to the core, so dirty that it can't be washed clean. Does it deserve to be treated with such care?

Wu Li suddenly felt a little lost.

In a daze, he suddenly turned his head away, avoiding her hand, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"...Stop wiping."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, and forced the two words out between his teeth with difficulty:

"I'm dirty."

Chai Xiaomi glanced at him, turned his face to face, and continued wiping the sweat from his forehead: "What's dirty? Sweating is normal, everyone sweats."

"It's dirty everywhere." Wu Li suddenly raised his hand and grabbed her wrist. The force wasn't strong, but it was enough to stop her from wiping.

His gaze fell heavily on their intertwined hands. His hand, stained with countless lives of bloodshed, held her fair wrist, his sharp black nails digging slightly into her delicate, pink skin, creating a stark contrast.

Chai Xiaomi was taken aback by his sudden action, then gave him a look that said, "What's wrong with you now?" and unceremoniously pulled her hand away: "If you're dirty, just wash it off when you get home. It's no big deal. Tonight I'll lay down a layer of flower petal water for you, and I guarantee you'll smell wonderful from head to toe after you wash!"

Seeing that his lips were about to move as if he was about to say something, she decisively interrupted him, stood up, and patted the dirt off her skirt: "Alright, stop talking. Save your energy and save your saliva to save your life."

Chai Xiaomi had only taken a few steps when she suddenly turned around, hands on her hips, her posture both coquettish and arrogant: "Stay here obediently, I'll go get you a bowl of water. Don't you dare drink lake water or eat wild grass. If I find out, I'll come back and beat you up, understand?"

As she spoke, she deliberately raised her small fist, trying to add some momentum.

But those little fists had absolutely no intimidating power in Wu Li's eyes.

He could even imagine himself easily wrapping the whole thing in one hand.

When it falls, it's probably like the lightest raindrops in spring, with a gentle itch, light and insignificant.

But he stared at her blankly, then replied incredulously and obediently, "...I understand."

His voice was a little dry, but surprisingly obedient.

Ok?

Chai Xiaomi's raised fist froze in mid-air, and she was stunned for a moment.

This reaction truly caught her off guard. She had only made a casual warning, a threat that she herself hadn't taken seriously, yet it actually worked.

Is this guy completely overwhelmed by the sun, or just confused by the heat?

She looked closely.

The boy sat on the ground in the shade of a tree, his high braided hair hanging down, the strands clinging alluringly to his damp neck, like some kind of mysterious totem.

She had carefully wiped the sweat off her face, revealing a pale yet sharp-looking face. Her eyes were moist, and her gaze felt sticky on her, revealing a kind of bewildered yet dependent submissiveness.

It looks just like a puppy that's been tied up in one place.

Afraid of being abandoned by their owner, yet not daring to disobey orders, they could only watch longingly in the direction their owner had left, turning every second of waiting into a cautious anticipation.

Chai Xiaomi's heart softened for no apparent reason.

She lowered her fist and cleared her throat awkwardly: "Good to know."

As he turned around, a thought inexplicably popped into his head: if he were asked to call her "sister" right now, he might actually do it obediently with a hoarse voice.

They look so obedient.

She quickened her pace unconsciously, and only after walking quite a distance did she secretly glance back.

Wu Li was indeed still sitting in the same spot, his figure appearing exceptionally quiet in the dappled light and shadow, only his gaze still persistently following her direction.

Chai Xiaomi turned her head and clicked her tongue softly.

Turning around, she saw a plump snake coiled at her feet.

She reached out her hand for the red dragon to climb up. "Did Lili send you along?"

The red dragon wrapped its cold body around her arm with a pitiful expression, nodded, and its vertical pupils gleamed with a hint of fear.

The snake's body trembled slightly, and even its scales clung listlessly.

What's going on?

Chai Xiaomi: "Did he verbally abuse you or hit you?"

Red Dragon listlessly slumped his head on her shoulder, looking utterly timid after surviving a disaster.

It wasn't just beatings and scoldings, it almost killed him!

The owner sent it along this time, clearly giving it one last chance. If anything goes wrong again, it should find a good spot for itself, lie down there, and not just hibernate, but sleep forever.

Waaaaah... I've followed my master all these years, risking my life for him, but my status is still lower than this little medicine man who hasn't been with my master for very long.

The snake was suffering inside, but it didn't say anything.

While it grumbled inwardly, it wrapped its arms around Chai Xiaomi's arm even tighter.

It knew better than anyone that this was the most important person to cling to right now. If it wanted to survive, it had to stick to her obediently and protect her without making any mistakes.