After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

Zhao Duo didn't hide anything from him, saying, "I do have this idea."

Pearl was a little shy, but she was still rational. "I don't think that's right."

"Um?"

Pearl said, "If you go to the capital, Uncle Qianyuan will have to face those clan elders alone."

Those clan elders always put on airs and were very dissatisfied with Qian Yuan, a mere male, being the head of the clan. Over the years, they had caused quite a bit of trouble by taking advantage of their seniority.

Fortunately, Zhao Duo was born, and as the youngest Gu Master, he was highly regarded by the entire clan.

If Zhao Duo leaves the Southwest, those clan elders will surely take advantage of him and come to bully Uncle Qian Yuan every day.

Pearl was really worried.

Zhao Duo chuckled.

Pearl retorted, "What are you laughing at!"

"It's nothing," Zhao Duo paused, "I just think you're very cute."

Ah! Why are you suddenly praising him?

Pearl was shy, and she stopped talking.

"I will discuss this with them. We will always find a solution, so don't worry."

"Um……"

Pearl was lazy and didn't want to walk, so she just clung to the boy's back. "Zhao Duo."

"Um."

"Zhao Duo".

"Um."

"elder brother."

"……Um."

Pearl grinned, "Your ears are red."

Zhao Duo: "..."

Zhao Duo gently pinched Pearl's calf. "Stop fooling around."

The Zhao family mansion is located in the most remote alley of the Five Poisons Fortress. A short distance further ahead is the city wall built by the Five Poisons Fortress.

Originally, Wudu Fort had no city walls. It was only after the emperor ordered Wudu Fort to be established as a separate prefecture that it was hastily built, and it looks quite proper now.

The soldiers guarding the city were from the Southwest Army, so they naturally recognized Zhao Duo.

Seeing Zhao Duo carrying a snow-white, fluffy-haired young man on his back, they winked at him, saying, "Young Master, you're quite something!"

"As expected of the young master."

"I heard it's Princess Zhaoren from Prince Cheng's family, and she's our young master! A royal prince can just take her down like that."

Even Pearl felt a little embarrassed. He silently buried his head in the boy's shoulder, pretending that no one could see him.

"..." Zhao Duo was also a little unsure of what to say. Fortunately, he was always taciturn, so he simply nodded slightly to everyone and left the city gate.

Once on the main road, Pearl saw that there was no one in front or behind her, so she quickly got off Zhao Duo and dragged him along as they ran.

Once they were away from the city gate, the heat on Pearl's face finally subsided a little.

It's one thing for him to tease his brother, but it's another thing for others to tease him!

He's still a young boy!

"They meant no harm, don't be angry," Zhao Duo said.

Pearl's little face was flushed with shyness, and she didn't even think that this was something she should be angry about.

"They can't see us now. Slow down, don't tire yourself out." Zhao Duo took Pearl's hand in his, and the two walked side by side.

"oh."

Pearl thought to herself, "I wonder how fragile he really is in Zhao Duo's eyes. It's only such a short distance, yet I'm already worried he'll get tired."

"I'm not tired." Pearl then remembered that Zhao Duo had gone out of town on business, so she asked, "Brother, who are you going to see at Mount Tsukimi?"

"Artuya".

Pearl asked in confusion, "Why do you want to see him?"

Zhao Duo didn't hide it from him: "He's gone missing."

Pearl thought of that arrogant young man and began to reasonably speculate: "Could it be that he knew you were the only one who could freely enter and leave Mount Tsukimi, so he deliberately went in?"

Just so you'll go find him yourself, Pearl herself has that kind of mentality, and she's too embarrassed to say it to others.

"He..." Zhao Duo didn't elaborate, only saying, "He may not have gone to Mount Tsukimi, he just went to take a look."

After all, she was a member of their clan. With Artuya missing, Zhao Duo, as the young master, would definitely have to step forward.

Pearl wasn't being jealous for no reason. "But Mount Tsukimi is so big, it would take forever to find it."

"There are bugs, but we can find someone quickly."

Pearl suddenly realized that she had forgotten the boy was an insect breeder.

He chuckled softly.

Zhao Duo looked at him.

Pearl waved her hand, thinking that she couldn't tell him about this, so she quickly said, "Then let's go quickly. Oh, right, I also want to see that really big snake from that night."

Zhao Duo asked, "Aren't you scared anymore?"

Pearl whispered, "Actually, there's still a little bit, but I'm not scared because you're with me."

If Yin Cheng were here, he would surely be heartbroken.

However, only Zhao Duo was there, and he would only smile and look at Pearl with affectionate eyes.

Thirty miles south, you'll reach the territory of Mount Tsukimi.

Both of them were quite skilled in light footwork, and they quickly arrived at the foot of Mount Tsukimi.

Pearl said to the guards behind her, "Wait for me here."

The bodyguard appeared. "Yes."

The two men were Pearl's bodyguards. Although they were trained by Yin Cheng, Pearl was their primary master, and everything was done according to Pearl's wishes.

As soon as Pearl entered the mist, she clung tightly to Zhao Duo's arm.

Zhao Duo patted Pearl's hand. "Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid," Pearl retorted softly. "I just want to hold your hand."

"..." Zhao Duo's face flushed. Sometimes his little darling was so straightforward that it was hard to handle!

Pearl pouted, "Why aren't you saying anything!"

Zhao Duo asked, "Are you going to see the butterflies later?"

Pearl's attention was immediately diverted. "Oh, right, is it at the same place as last time?"

"right."

"But aren't we here to see Atuya? Wouldn't it be inappropriate to just go off and play like this?"

Zhao Duo sighed, "I guess he's dead."

Pearl asked suspiciously, "How did you know? Did you send out bugs to look for people? I haven't seen any. What bugs? Did they get on you?"

Pearl-like little mouth smacked.

Zhao Duo suddenly put his arm around Pearl's waist, covered the little boy's incessant mouth, and then slowly and tenderly approached him.

A kiss landed on the back of her hand.

Even though it was through his palm, Pearl still felt as if the boy had kissed her.

Even after the boy released him, he was still in a daze, staring blankly with his big, bright, watery eyes.

Zhao Duo had kissed him before, but it was always on the forehead or the top of the head, just like the goodnight kiss his father would give him after telling him a bedtime story when he was a child.

But today's kiss was different.

Completely different!

Pearl felt as if she hadn't actually kissed the boy's palm, but rather as if the palm didn't exist at all, and they...

Ahhh! This is so embarrassing! Pearl silently buried her head in the boy's shoulder, pretending that no one was holding her lower back, and pretending that the boy in front of her was actually a block of wood.

Zhao Duo wasn't much better off. He could still feel the warmth of his darling's pink lips in his palm, and his nose was filled with the sweet scent of Xiaotanggao, which was unsettling.

"Pearl." Zhao Duo's voice was somewhat deep, yet the tenderness in his tone was still evident. "I like you."

Pearl, who had been somewhat dazed, couldn't help but smile upon hearing this.

He tilted his head back, pointed to his lips, and said, "Then why don't you just kiss me directly?"