Fairy, please have some self-respect. I am not the reincarnation of your deceased husband.

Beside the campfire.

Mu Qianxue sat down again.

Although they didn't sit too close, they deliberately chose to sit next to Chen Lianshu, no longer sitting across the fire from each other.

Her expression remained calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.

"We should be able to reach Qinghe Town tomorrow."

Despite repeated setbacks in closing the distance, Mu Qianxue did not give up.

However, it's time to talk to my husband about serious matters.

"The miasma demons love water and fear drought; they hide during the day and come out at night."

"Once we arrive in town, we will first consult with the mayor to understand the situation, and then formulate a plan to exorcise the demon."

Once the topic turned to business, her tone returned to its usual cool and calm.

Moreover, she was organized and thorough, a stark contrast to her previous clumsy and frustrated demeanor in matters of the heart.

"To prevent accidents, it is necessary to set up formations in areas where miasma is prevalent and within the town to restrict it."

"After all, Qinghe Town is not big, so setting up the formation won't take much effort."

"It can protect the people and also prevent the monster from escaping."

At this point, she looked at her junior brother beside her.

Do you have any objections? Or a better plan?

"Junior brother is dull-witted and has no better plan."

Chen Lianshu answered crisply and decisively.

After all, this mission was led by Mu Qianxue, so she was naturally in charge of all arrangements.

Moreover, his purpose in coming here was not to eliminate the demon, but to "survive".

"Senior Sister Mu, please make the arrangements."

A subtle silence fell over the room once again.

"..."

Mu Qianxue seemed to have gotten used to this indifference. Although she felt a little depressed, she was no longer as at a loss as she had been at the beginning.

Gazing at the profile outlined by the firelight, she couldn't look away and was lost in memories.

Countless nights, the two of them did just that.

She nestled quietly beside her husband, listening to his gentle voice as he recounted the mundane yet heartwarming details of their daily life.

But now... the other party won't even look at me.

Thinking of this, Mu Qianxue gritted her teeth secretly, and the last trace of hesitation completely disappeared.

A woman's gentleness is what evokes a man's pity.

Although she never liked to show weakness and disdained to imitate that vixen's methods, for her husband...

"cough…"

Mu Qianxue coughed lightly, her voice deliberately softened, revealing a vulnerability she rarely showed:

"The mountain night is cold, but this fire... is warm."

"?"

This seemingly random remark left Chen Lianshu completely baffled.

But seeing that she had her arms crossed and seemed to be feeling cold, he offered a suggestion:

"If Senior Sister Mu feels cold, why don't you sit closer?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Qianxue was overjoyed.

Without revealing any emotion, she gave a soft "hmm" and then moved a little closer to her junior brother.

This approach only made Chen Lianshu more confused.

His intention was to let Senior Sister Mu move closer to the fire, but why did she move towards him instead?

Could it be that I didn't explain things clearly, which led to the other party misunderstanding?

However, to avoid embarrassment, he didn't point it out, but quietly moved closer to the fire.

"..."

Mu Qianxue saw this and, although she was dissatisfied, she did not show it.

Although the two were not very close, she could still smell her husband's faint scent.

The fragrance mixed with the surrounding grass and trees gradually calmed her slightly chaotic mind.

But that's not enough...

She glanced at her junior brother discreetly from behind, her head slightly lowered, and spoke again softly, her voice filled with concern:

"Junior brother, are you cold?"

"It's acceptable."

Chen Lianshu answered directly.

However, perhaps to take care of his senior sister, or perhaps because he felt the fire wasn't burning bright enough, he added a few more pieces of firewood after he finished speaking.

"..."

Frustrated once again, Mu Qianxue habitually pursed her lips.

Logically speaking, her husband should have already draped his outer robe over her shoulders by now.

But looking at his appearance, there was no trace of that intention.

Clearly, those words had no effect.

Perhaps it should be more straightforward…

"Junior brother, actually I..."

Mu Qianxue paused, her voice lower, clearly lacking confidence:

"...I feel a bit cold."

"?"

Chen Lianshu paused.

He finally turned his head and looked at her seriously.

Under the moonlight, Mu Qianxue's face did indeed appear less rosy than usual.

Those icy blue eyes reflected the firelight, and with her arms crossed and head slightly bowed, she did indeed have a pitiful air about her.

But this didn't evoke much of his protective instincts; instead, he asked in confusion:

"Since Senior Sister Mu is afraid of the cold, why doesn't she use her spiritual power to resist it?"

"...!"

Mu Qianxue was taken aback and was speechless at the question.

She forgot.

When Shen Yueli, that vixen, feigned weakness, she was pretending to be an ordinary woman with no strength to even kill a chicken.

Golden Core cultivators, protected by spiritual energy, how could they really be affected by ordinary cold?

"Spiritual power..."

However, in order to cover up the lie, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and keep talking, secretly annoyed at her own oversight.

"Spiritual power to ward off the cold is ultimately no match for the warmth of this flame."

"Um."

Chen Lianshu simply nodded thoughtfully, it was unclear whether he believed her or not.

Then, he suddenly stood up and walked behind him.

"!"

As he approached, Mu Qianxue's heart skipped a beat.

Although I kept reminding myself not to have too high expectations, I couldn't help but look forward to it.

Could it be that even though her husband saw through her poor acting skills, he was still willing to put an outer robe on her?

Just as the other person walked right in front of me, and my anticipation reached its peak...

Chen Lianshu didn't even glance at her, and walked straight past her.

He walked to a tree not far away, broke off a few thicker, withered branches, and came back to add more firewood.

And without realizing it, he said directly:

"In that case, let the fire burn brighter."

"..."

Looking at the even stronger flames, Mu Qianxue felt a mix of emotions.

The awkwardness of that day stemmed not only from her clumsiness, but also from…

He's such a blockhead!

Although he cursed under his breath, his gaze still involuntarily fell on his junior brother.

The other person was intently watching the fire, and she was sitting to the side and behind, able to enjoy the view without restraint.

"Heh~"

Looking at his exceptionally gentle profile in the firelight, Mu Qianxue was not bothered by his lack of romantic understanding. Instead, she couldn't help but chuckle softly, her gaze softening.

It's nice to be able to sit quietly beside me like this.

At least in this life, she was the one who found her husband first.

At least for now, she was the only one by his side.

At least... he's still alive.

Silent all night.

The next day at Shenshi (3-5 PM), the two arrived at Qinghe Town.

Shortly after the city gate guards announced the arrival, a middle-aged man rushed over, looking anxious.

"Immortal Master, you've finally arrived."

Upon seeing the people from the Jade Jade Sect, he quickly stepped forward, about to bow respectfully:

"Li Kang, the mayor of Qinghe Town, greets the two immortals."

"No need."

Mu Qianxue used her spiritual power to gently lift the other party, stopping their movements, and went straight to the point:

"How is the situation? Is anyone injured?"

"Currently, five people have been affected by the miasma, but other people have not yet been harmed."

"Take us to see it."

"Yes."

After hearing the town mayor's brief explanation on the way, the two roughly understood:

The river in Qinghe Town has been largely polluted by the miasma demon, and the town is almost without water.

Moreover, the closer one gets to the water, the more severe the miasma becomes.

People can only fetch water by traveling back and forth to the surrounding villages.

At this rate, within a few days, even the village's water source will be polluted.

This is precisely why Mayor Li is so anxious.

The five injured people inside the house had been injured after mistakenly drinking contaminated river water.

Chen Lianshu stepped forward silently and gently probed with her spiritual energy.

Fortunately, it was just ordinary miasma, which could be neutralized with common miasma-removing pills.

After leaving him a bottle of pills and instructing him to take them, the two followed the town mayor to the riverbank to investigate.

After politely declining the mayor's offer to host a welcome banquet and receiving repeated reassurances, they finally found an inn in the town to stay in.

The miasma demons of Qinghe Town never stray far from the riverbank, and the people are safe as long as they stay away from the water.

Therefore, although there were fewer pedestrians on the street than usual, it was still lively.

Mu Qianxue sat by the window, gazing at the scene outside, and pondered:

"Although the miasma along the riverbank continues to permeate, it is not particularly severe."

"From this, we can conclude that the demon's cultivation level should be at the Foundation Establishment stage."

"What are Senior Sister Mu's plans?"

"Junior brother, you should first set up these array formations and talismans around the town."

Mu Qianxue gently rubbed her temples, pretending to be deep in thought, her expression revealing no sign of anything amiss.

Her acting was far superior to last night's, enough to put one at ease.

"The rest... I'll think about it some more."

"Yes."

Chen Lianshu accepted the talisman readily, said no more, and turned to leave.

After all, this split-up was exactly the opportunity he had been hoping for.

Unexpectedly, the two of them traveling together made it easier to escape than when they were on missions with multiple people.

Upon arriving in Qinghe Town, he had the opportunity to meet with his superiors.

Fortunately, there's a base right here in this town, so we don't have to go any further.

However, he did not let his guard down.

As he was about to disappear around the street corner, he turned back and took one last deep look at the second-floor window of the inn.

Mu Qianxue remained seated by the window, her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly furrowed. Although her movements changed, she still maintained that pensive expression.

"call--"

Chen Lianshu then relaxed slightly and turned to walk into the alley.

But it was precisely because he was too cautious that he failed to notice anything amiss.

After all, even if one is observing, the distance is still quite far, making it impossible to clearly see the text displayed by the system.

Mu Qianxue is still "Mu Qianxue".

But the system he considered obsolete quietly changed:

The special red heart with its icy crystal pattern has become ordinary.

Even the display of names and intimacy levels is completely different.

【Mu Qianxue (??)】

[Affection Level: MAX (Always by Your Side)]

Only after Chen Lianshu's figure disappeared around the corner did Mu Qianxue quietly emerge from the crowd.

She held a sword-like finger, her fingertips pinching a finely cut paper figure.

This was the unique skill that Chen Lianshu had created for her in her previous life: the Paper Doll Clone Technique.

"..."

As she watched that hurried figure disappear into the distance, Mu Qianxue's eyes sharpened like swords.

She knew perfectly well why Chen Lianshu was doing this and where he was going.

In this life, her husband's every step will be seen by her eyes.

Like a shadow, always by my side!