Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

He indulged in unrestrained pleasure all night.

Her robes were disheveled, and her skin was flushed.

Wang Xuan and Mingzhu were pressed tightly together, their warmth mingling.

Just then, a clear, gentle voice called out from outside the courtyard: "Brother Wang Xuan."

You can tell it's Zhong Li's voice just by listening to it.

Wang Xuan sat up.

A sound like a bottle cap being popped open suddenly rang out inside the room.

Wang Xuan gently stroked Mingzhu's cheek, then lightly pinched her fair and tender skin, praising her with a smile, "Mingzhu, you're really great."

Mingzhu blinked her eyes slightly, her gaze hazy and sleepy. She smiled faintly, her voice melodious: "Young master, I was originally a clam."

She could sense that the young master enjoyed watching her lose control of her emotions while on the couch.

If the young master likes it, she will naturally cater to him wholeheartedly.

They quickly tidied their clothes, and Rouge opened the window to let in fresh air.

Wang Xuan, on the other hand, opened the door with a radiant expression and walked towards the courtyard gate.

It's called a courtyard gate, but it's really just a small area enclosed by a fence with a simple wooden door.

"Sister Zhong Li, it really is you."

Outside the courtyard gate, Zhong Li stood gracefully, carrying a basket of osmanthus rice cakes she had steamed herself, her features delicate and charming.

"Brother Wang Xuan, am I too early?"

Wang Xuan opened the wooden door and smiled gently: "It's alright."

Zhong Li asked with eyes full of curiosity, "You guys are so amazing, do you need to sleep and rest too?"

Wang Xuan replied softly, "It's because we're not good enough yet."

Zhong Li nodded, seemingly understanding, "Oh, oh."

"Judging from your appearance, you must have run all the way here, right?" Wang Xuan noticed the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, produced a clean handkerchief and handed it to her, "Wipe your sweat."

"Thank you, Brother Wang Xuan."

Zhong Li took the handkerchief and wiped away her sweat. She looked up and met his handsome face and gentle gaze. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a hint of shyness lingered in her eyes.

"Come in and talk."

The two walked into the house together.

Zhong Li raised the food basket in his hand and looked at Wang Xuan, Yan Zhi, and Ming Zhu: "Brother Wang Xuan, sisters, this is osmanthus rice cake that I made myself. I brought it here especially to try."

Rouge smiled and stepped forward to take the food basket, affectionately taking Zhong Li's hand and leading her to a seat: "Thank you for your trouble, little sister."

Lifting the basket lid, the sweet aroma of cakes instantly fills the entire room.

The four of them leisurely enjoyed the meal together.

Zhong Li took out a letter from his sleeve and solemnly handed it to Wang Xuan with both hands.

"Brother Wang Xuan, this is a letter I wrote to my brother. I'd like you to give it to him."

Wang Xuan took the letter and casually put it into the cave.

This miraculous method once again drew gasps of amazement from Zhong Li.

Yesterday's incident happened so suddenly that Zhong Li's mind went blank for a moment.

There are so many questions I want to ask, but I haven't had a chance to ask them yet.

She finally asked out of curiosity, "Brother Wang Xuan, aren't you the third-ranked scholar? Why can you fly?"

Wang Xuan smiled gently: "I embarked on the path of cultivation by chance."

"Oh, okay." Zhong Li blinked, then asked nervously, "So, is my brother very amazing?"

"Yes, that's pretty impressive."

"Is there any danger for you, brother, when you're out slaying demons and monsters?"

"Don't worry, your brother is very skilled now, he won't suffer any losses."

Zhong Li breathed a long sigh of relief, a smile appearing in her eyes: "That's great. My brother suffered his whole life, and now he can finally have a glorious life."

"Life's circumstances and opportunities vary from person to person, and your brother has actually turned misfortune into blessing," Wang Xuan said softly. "Although your brother is a newly appointed official, traveling around everywhere, he shouldn't have failed to visit you even once. When you meet again, I'll give him a good talking-to on your behalf."

Zhong Li quickly waved his hand to dissuade him, "No need, Brother Wang Xuan. Since my brother has important things to do, I won't blame him even if he doesn't show up."

"Should I still deliver this letter to him?"

Wang Xuan held the letter between his fingers, looking at her with amusement.

Zhong Li was slightly taken aback.

Rouge, who was standing nearby, smiled and spoke up to defuse the situation: "Husband, please stop teasing Sister Zhongli."

Wang Xuan composed himself, shaking his head slightly.

"Your brother is too straightforward and inflexible. If he claimed to have sensed demonic energy in Zhouzhi County and came under the guise of checking on things, and then casually visited you, who could blame him?"

Zhong Li shook her head slightly and said with a helpless bitter smile, "That's just the kind of person my brother is, otherwise what happened back then wouldn't have happened."

"That's true."

Wang Xuan nodded in agreement, and then inquired in detail about Zhong Li's recent situation.

After a long conversation, Wang Xuan stood up and suggested, "Zhong Li, you're familiar with this place, why don't you take us to buy some things?"

Zhong Li didn't think much of it and readily agreed, "Okay."

She led Wang Xuan and the other two towards the town market.

Wang Xuan looked at Zhong Li and asked gently, "Zhong Li, what do you need at home?"

"Huh? My house?"

Wang Xuan replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, I don't live here permanently, so naturally I bought it for you."

"No, no, you can't do that, Wang Xuan, you've already helped me too much."

Wang Xuan's tone was gentle, yet firm: "I just bought you some necessities; it's a small token of my appreciation as your older brother."

Rouge gently took Zhong Li's arm, and soothed him with a soft laugh, "Sister, don't be so polite. Since you call my husband 'brother,' it's only natural for an elder brother to take care of his younger sister. As for revenge, you don't need to worry about that. We'll leave another day; the people here can't make things difficult for us."

"But……"

Wang Xuan smiled warmly and said sincerely, "If we're talking about difficulties, delivering a letter is much harder than this. If you feel bad about it, just come to my house and help with the cleaning after we leave."

These words perfectly dispelled Zhong Li's concerns, and her heart stirred slightly. She no longer declined, saying, "Thank you, Brother Wang Xuan. I definitely will."

Next, during the shopping trip, Wang Xuan deliberately made a big fuss so that everyone would know about it.

I bought rice and salt in the east market and silk in the west market.

In the south market, I buy rouge; in the north market, I buy pollen.

Wang Xuan had previously heard Zhong Li mention that several wealthy merchants in town wanted to force her to become their concubine.

The mutual checks and balances among the various factions allowed Zhong Li to find a delicate balance and remain single.

Seeing this high-profile purchase, the wealthy businessmen who covet Zhong Li will naturally be unwilling to let their beloved woman be taken by someone else, and most of them will come to provoke him.

Then comes the story of Wang Xuan rescuing Zhong Li from a damsel in distress.

Wang Xuan has already written the script and is just waiting for the actors to arrive.

After all, he was worried about leaving Zhong Li alone here.

It's safest to have them by your side.

He couldn't help but sigh, realizing how much he had worried about Zhong Li!

The four of them carried a large pile of purchased supplies back to Zhong Li's home.

"Brother Wang Xuan, Sister Yan Zhi, Sister Ming Zhu, please sit down, I'll cook."

"Let's try your cooking today," Wang Xuan said with a smile. "We'll help you out."

"Yes!" Zhong Li nodded repeatedly.

While the four were busy in the kitchen, everything was unfolding according to Director Wang's planned storyline.

Zhao Xuefeng, a wealthy local businessman, led several of his servants and, chatting and laughing, brazenly barged into Zhong Li's courtyard.

Upon hearing this noise, Zhong Li's face immediately showed a hint of helplessness and frustration.