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

It was evening when the three of them returned to the city from the outskirts.

The original plan was to practice until noon, then return for lunch and go out again when the sun was setting. Unexpectedly, Song Yueyao became so engrossed in practicing that she refused to stop drawing her bow and shooting arrows, practicing until this hour before finally giving up.

Chai Xiaomi was already starving.

Around noon, she was so hungry she was seeing stars. Wu Li slowly took out a meat pancake wrapped in oil paper from his pocket, saying that he was afraid she would eat it all as a snack if he took it too early.

I don’t know when he prepared it; I even forgot to bring my water pouch, but I remembered to bring a piece of cake.

Chai Xiaomi survived on that meat pancake.

They offered it to the two of them, but neither of them wanted it.

They're practically two invincible gods.

By evening, Chai Xiaomi was so hungry she was practically delirious, her whole body limp like a wandering soul. In the end, she clung to Wu Li and was carried all the way back by him.

On the last leg of the journey before entering the city, even Song Yueyao showed signs of fatigue.

Looking at Wu Li, who was surviving on water, she was still running back and forth between the two of them teaching. Except for the time when she was drinking water, she was still full of energy and her eyes were shining, as if she had inexhaustible power.

That's physical fitness; it's strong enough to participate in a triathlon.

Sister Yao is eligible to participate in two events.

And her? Zero.

Chai Xiaomi slumped on Wu Li's back, listlessly thinking to herself: The way the three of them were acting, it looked like she had been struggling to draw a bow all day under the sun.

At this hour, the vendors had already hastily finished their dinner. Seeing the increasing number of people on the street, they quickly put down their bowls and chopsticks, laid out their dazzling array of goods, and prepared for the night market to open.

Chai Xiaomi lay on Wu Li's back, her gaze lazily sweeping over the street scene.

She seemed to see the child who had made a wish to the evil god again. His asthma was clearly not getting better. He was coughing violently while helping his mother set up the stall for their business.

Despite his small stature, looking no more than seven or eight years old, he stood up straight, moved nimbly, and set up a structure that was surprisingly impressive.

Chai Xiaomi was momentarily dazed, and inexplicably recalled the small figure who had built the treehouse.

That figure, now beneath her, was bearing her weight.

Before I knew it, it had grown so broad and stable.

During the period around the time of the New Moon Arrow Execution, there are many tourists from outside the area, so it's a good time to do business and make a fortune.

Whether in ancient or modern times, people are always busy and working hard to make a living.

She sighed silently, and her gaze drifted to the side, catching sight of two sedan chairs parked not far away.

Those two palanquins were truly... resplendent in gold and jade, as if they had inlaid all their wealth with gold. Glass, gemstones, and lanterns hung everywhere, making them particularly eye-catching on the street as dawn was breaking, gaudy yet quite imposing.

Look, some people are born in Rome.

Wait, something's not right.

and many more!

Chai Xiaomi raised her head slightly and squinted to take a closer look. Those two in "Rome" looked somewhat familiar.

Two heads, one large and one small, one white and one black, were peeking out of the window of one of the sedan chairs.

Aren't they Jiang Zhiyu and Ji Fangshi?!

Song Yueyao, who was walking beside her, was also stunned, and her pace slowed involuntarily: "Am I seeing things? Are those the two people we know sitting in the sedan chair?"

They've only been gone for a day, what kind of mess have these two made?

"Sister Yao, you're not mistaken, they are the two we know." Chai Xiaomi analyzed with narrowed eyes.

She almost forgot that Jiang Zhiyu was born in Rome, but the problem is that his "Rome" isn't here; this is Liangya Prefecture.

Where did these two palanquins come from?

Through the sedan window, a white cat raised a paw, its pink paw pads waving excitedly at them.

If you ignore its charred tail sticking up, it is indeed a pretty cat.

Jiang Zhiyu sat beside him, but his expression was somewhat resentful.

His master had previously forbidden him from going to watch Yao Yao practice archery, insisting that he stay in the Illusionary Sound Pavilion to guard against the fox spirit. But what happened? As soon as he heard there was good food and drink, he immediately scurried onto the sedan chair.

Are you no longer wary of vixens?

Jiang Zhiyu felt that his master was deliberately preventing him from having a chance to spend more time with Yao Yao.

As the three approached, the curtain of another sedan chair was hastily lifted.

A young man in fine clothes strode down, waved away the servant's hand that was helping him up, and eagerly greeted him: "Xiao Mi, Xiao Mi! I've come to take you and your friends to my residence for dinner. I've been waiting for you to return!"

Ouyang Rui smiled and turned to the side, pointing to the sedan chair behind him: "Look, I've already invited your two friends in."

Chai Xiaomi was stunned for a moment before she remembered that when she asked him to help transport wood last night, she had indeed casually agreed to visit his residence tonight.

She slid off Wu Li's back, steadied herself, and waved to him: "Ouyang Feng."

"..." Ouyang Rui paused, his smile remaining unchanged, "That's right, it's me."

Chai Xiaomi was about to reply.

"Ouyang Rui".

A cold voice suddenly sounded beside him, with an undisguised sneer in its tone.

She glanced sideways in surprise, only to see Wu Li raise an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Ouyang Rui with a hint of arrogant disdain, his tone playful: "Sorry, my wife has always had a bad memory. Especially for unimportant names, she forgets them as soon as she hears them."

"I'm just offering a word of advice, lest Young Master Ouyang feel wronged. Why agree to a name that isn't yours?"

The casual smile in his eyes suddenly turned into a cold, sharp glint: "What doesn't belong to you shouldn't be coveted. What do you think, Young Master Ouyang?"

Ouyang Rui's smile froze.

From childhood to adulthood, his father always granted his every wish, and he never failed to get anything he set his sights on.

Therefore, he never understood what coveting meant; in his view, he could have anything he wanted.

But last night he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, sometimes hoping for dawn and sometimes for dusk, just so he could see Xiaomi again soon.

For the first time in his life, he tasted the flavor of "desire".

Recalling the way Xiaomi used to cling to her husband's arm and act coquettishly, he felt an unprecedented sense of envy and jealousy.

At this moment, the cold warning in the boy's words couldn't be clearer.

Ouyang Rui had a smooth life since childhood and was never used to backing down.

A surge of annoyance at being provoked, mixed with a defiant spirit, welled up within him. Instead of backing down, he took a step forward to meet Wu Li's gaze.

"Whether I want it or not is my business. I guess I'm a few years older than you, so today I'll teach you a lesson: if something is destined to be yours, no one can take it away. You should be fearless." He lowered his voice, his gaze fixed on those strange, otherworldly eyes, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear it.

"Young Master Wu, why are you so eager to assert your dominance? Could it be that you're unsure of yourself and afraid?"

"I did some research when I got back, and I heard that the witchcraft clan has a secret technique called Love Gu."

He drew out the last syllable, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over Chai Xiaomi, who was frowning and trying to read their lips, unable to understand what they were saying, before turning back to Wu Li and uttering the second half of his sentence with a light laugh:

"I wonder if Miss Xiaomi's affection for Young Master Wu is genuine, or... something else entirely?"