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

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and then she suddenly burst out laughing.

He narrowed his eyes: "Lying to me?"

Chai Xiaomi stopped pretending, took a small bite of the fruit, and chewed it slowly. "Who told you to lie to me too? This fruit is clearly not bitter, and it tastes pretty good."

The girl ate with relish, a sweet smile playing on her lips.

It was as if they were eating some kind of delicacy.

At that moment, the slanting rays of the setting sun illuminated half of her face.

Wu Li suddenly felt a little dazed. The days in his memory, when he was eating wild fruits and living a numb and obscure life, seemed to be tinged with a soft halo by this smile.

"Thank you, Anan," she said gratefully, looking at the falcon. "Thank you for bringing wild fruit to our little Lili."

The boy was stunned. He saw the distant clouds burning into thin flames, softly spreading across the horizon. Light leaked through the gaps in the clouds, slanting through the treetops and illuminating every leaf.

It seemed to illuminate the darkest corner of his heart as well.

"Turn around," he suddenly said.

Seeing the soft glow on the boy's beautiful face, Chai Xiaomi guessed what it was and turned to look in the same direction as him.

Wow! So beautiful!

It was a sunset she had never seen before, a sunset as magnificent as a painting.

The valley seemed to have been casually painted with rouge by someone. First, the peaks were tinged with orange, then the mountainside was tinged with crimson, and finally the entire valley floor was tinged with a soft purple.

The girl looked up, her eyes reflecting the rosy hues of the sunset, shining incredibly brightly.

Wu Li silently swallowed the metallic taste rising in his throat.

Oh.

He thought to himself that he was really crazy.

Despite having just been injured by the backlash of the Gu and not yet recovered, he shouldn't have used Gu again during this period, yet he still forcibly summoned this swarm of dark tomb bats.

Just as I lifted her up in my arms, I suddenly remembered the unintentional remark made by the innkeeper on the day we checked in:

"If you have some free time, go to the eastern valley around 5 PM. The sunset there is absolutely stunning."

He then forced the swarm of bats to circle in the air for a long time.

The moment we've been waiting for has finally arrived.

Looking at her profile bathed in the glow of the sunset, and hearing her soft gasp of surprise, the churning pain in my chest seemed insignificant.

He silently swallowed another mouthful of blood, his jawline taut and pale.

His hand around her waist remained steady, without trembling in the slightest.

*

Jiang Zhiyu was momentarily stunned.

In the distance, Wu Li, carrying Xiaomi, leaped up and disappeared into the vast wilderness.

He stood on the mountain path, surrounded by lush trees and foliage, unable to discern which direction they had gone.

Just as they were wondering, they suddenly heard the innkeeper's urgent shouts coming from the direction of the inn, his voice filled with a sense of urgency:

"Innkeeper—it's terrible! Something horrible has happened! A monster has come to the inn, insisting on staying and specifically asking for a superior room!"

The waiter stumbled over, covered in sweat, his expression more troubled than terrified.

monster?

Jiang Zhiyu's heart sank, and he immediately turned around and rushed back to the group.

"Was anyone hurt?" Zhu Yu's face was still wet with tears, but his tone had already returned to his usual calm and composed demeanor as a shopkeeper.

Without waiting for the waiter's reply, Yan Xingxiao took the lead, picked up his sword, and hurried back. Yue Niang and the brothers from the escort agency were still in the shop, and he dared not delay for even a moment.

Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

They all thought of the nine-tailed beast that Wu Li had just forced back.

The inn was not far ahead, standing alone on the official road, and it seemed that there had been no signs of a fight.

"No one was hurt, no one was hurt!" The waiter waved his hands repeatedly, grabbing a handkerchief from his shoulder to wipe his sweat haphazardly. "It's just that this monster customer is extremely picky! He ate all the pickled vegetables and steamed buns, and the mushroom soup dumplings we served, but still complained that they weren't good. He insisted on eating braised pork knuckle, roasted duck, steamed sea bass, and braised prawns..."

"We live in this desolate mountain village, only going to the market every three or four days to buy groceries. We only have so much food stored in our cellar; where are we going to get these precious vegetables?"

When the three returned to the inn, they saw a huge round table in the hall, with a pure white cat sprawled in the center.

It lay sprawled out, its belly round and bulging, almost shining, its long tail swaying gently. Around it were a dozen or so plates of varying sizes, all of which had been swept away by the wind, leaving only scraps and grease.

Jiang Zhiyu's pupils contracted, he stopped in his tracks, grabbed Song Yueyao's wrist and quickly retreated two steps, his figure flashing as he dodged to the outside of the door.

Yan Xingxiao, puzzled, also stepped out, his back against the door, and whispered, "Young Master Jiang, this cat demon... is very powerful?"

He had witnessed Jiang Zhiyu's ability to break through boundaries and cast spells, and knew that he was no ordinary cultivator.

Even he is so wary of this cat, it must be something extraordinary.

But peeking through the crack in the door, the cat was lounging lazily, scratching its belly contentedly with its paws. It looked like a gluttonous and lazy pet with no real skills.

"belch--"

A loud burp came from inside.

The white cat slowly picked at its teeth with its paw before speaking in a drawn-out tone, its voice carrying a lazy yet authoritative air:

"You brat, what are you hiding for? Have you really made my nose numb after all this time I've been away? You can't even smell your scent anymore?"

Jiang Zhiyu pretended not to hear, gave Song Yueyao a wink, pulled her along, and crouched down, preparing to slip away step by step.

Yan Xingxiao opened his mouth, looking at Jiang Zhiyu's embarrassed state, like a mouse trying to run away from a cat, and then at the cat still sprawled on the table inside.

This cat is actually Young Master Jiang's master?

He was pondering whether he should help them out of loyalty, since they were friends, and help them escape.

But then Song Yueyao suddenly pulled her hand away from Jiang Zhiyu's grasp, turned around and stepped into the hall, respectfully bowing and saying, "Master Ji."

"Yao Yao!"

Jiang Zhiyu called out urgently and reached out to pull him, but missed. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow him inside.

"Song girl." The white cat finally sat up straight, its long tail swaying gently.

Upon catching sight of Jiang Zhiyu, its tail suddenly flared up.

In an instant, bowls and plates came flying through the air with a "whoosh" sound, as fast as hidden weapons.

"You brat, you've grown wings, haven't you? How dare you sneak out of the palace without a word from your father and mother!"

Jiang Zhiyu dodged left and right, repeatedly begging for mercy: "Master, Master! Your disciple knows he was wrong!"

"You know you're wrong? Do you know that your father coughed up blood because of you? He was already frail, and now he has to deal with an unfilial son like you!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiyu suddenly froze, forgetting to dodge.

A porcelain plate was heading straight for his face.

Song Yueyao's eyes darkened, and the crescent blade was drawn from its sheath in mid-air. A flash of cold light appeared, and the porcelain plate shattered.

Just now, in order to forcibly break through the barrier, Jiang Zhiyu had already exhausted his internal energy and was injured.

Although he didn't mention it at all, his steps were unsteady on the way back, which Song Yueyao noticed. But since he didn't bring it up, she didn't ask.

Because he knew she was strong-willed, and she hoped that those who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her would also be strong.

I remember when I first met him, he fell off the wall and cried out in pain, clutching his bottom.

At some point, he began to learn from her to remain silent even when she was injured.