Her shoulders trembled slightly, and suddenly she laughed out loud.
He narrowed his eyes: "Tricking me?"
Chai Xiaomi stopped pretending, took a small bite of the fruit, and chewed carefully. "Who told you to trick me too? This fruit isn't bitter at all; it actually tastes pretty good."
The young girl ate with relish, a sweet smile lingering on her lips.
It was as if she were eating some rare delicacy.
At that moment, the sunset glow slanted down, illuminating half of her face.
Wu Li suddenly felt a bit dazed. The memories of those numb and obscure days of gnawing on wild fruits seemed to be tinged with a soft, warm halo by her smile.
"Thank you, Ah Nan," she looked at the falcon gratefully and said, "Thank you for bringing wild fruits for our Xiao Lili to eat."
The young man was stunned. He saw the clouds in the distance burning into thin flames, softly spreading across the horizon. The light leaked through the gaps in the clouds, slanting through the treetops, illuminating every leaf so brightly.
It seemed to also illuminate the darkest corner deep in his heart.
"Turn around," he suddenly said.
Chai Xiaomi saw a layer of soft light blooming on the young man's beautiful face, and she already guessed what it was. She turned her head and looked in the same direction as him.
"Wow! So beautiful!!"
It was a gorgeous, picturesque sunset she had never seen before.
The valley seemed to have been casually painted with rouge by someone. First, the peaks were dyed orange, then the mountainsides were covered in crimson, and finally, the entire valley floor rippled with a soft purple.
The young girl tilted her face up, her eyes reflecting the sky full of rosy clouds, shining astonishingly bright.
Wu Li silently swallowed the metallic taste rising in his throat.
Heh.
He thought he was truly going mad.
Even though he had just been injured by the backlash of the Gu, and his wounds had not yet healed, he shouldn't have used Gu again during this period, but he forcibly summoned this dense flock of tomb bats.
Just because when he flew up holding her, he suddenly remembered the unintentional words of the innkeeper on the day they checked in:
"If you have free time, dear guest, go to the eastern valley at the hour of You to take a look. The sunset there, tsk, is absolutely stunning."
So he forced the bat flock to hover in the air for a long time.
Waiting for this moment.
Looking at her side profile soaked in the sunset glow, listening to her soft exclamations of surprise, the surging severe pain in his chest seemed insignificant.
He silently swallowed another mouthful of blood, his jawline tense and pale.
But the hand around her waist was steady, not trembling in the slightest.
*
In the moment Jiang Zhiyu was distracted.
He saw Wu Li in the distance holding Xiaomi and leaping up, disappearing into the vast wilderness.
He stood on the mountain path, surrounded by lush trees and leaves blocking his view, unable to tell which direction they had gone.
While he was wondering, he suddenly heard the inn waiter's continuous exclamations coming from the direction of the inn, sounding extremely urgent:
"Shopkeeper—bad news! Terrible news! A monster came to the inn, insisting on staying, and even demanded a superior room!"
The waiter stumbled over, covered in sweat, his expression more troubled than terrified.
A monster?
Jiang Zhiyu's heart sank, and he immediately turned back, hurrying to the others.
"Did it hurt anyone?" Zhu Yu's tear stains were not yet wiped clean, but his tone had habitually returned to his usual steady shopkeeper demeanor.
Yan Xingxiao couldn't wait for the waiter's answer. He took a step forward and hurried back with his sword. Lady Yue and the brothers from the escort agency were still in the inn, and he didn't dare delay for a moment.
Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao exchanged a glance and also quickly followed.
They all coincidentally thought of the nine-tailed demon beast that Wu Li had just forced back.
The inn was not far ahead, standing alone on the official road, showing no signs of any fighting.
"No one's hurt, no one's hurt!" The waiter waved his hands repeatedly, grabbing the hemp cloth from his shoulder to wipe his sweat haphazardly. "It's just that this monster guest is too picky! It finished all the pickled vegetables, steamed buns, and mushroom soup noodles we served, and still complained that it tasted bad. It kept clamoring for braised pork knuckle, roasted duck, steamed sea bass, braised prawns..."
"In our desolate mountain inn, we only go to the market every three or four days to buy supplies. We only have that little bit of food stored in the cellar. Where can we conjure up these expensive dishes!"
When the three of them rushed back to the inn, they saw a huge round table in the middle of the hall, and right in the center lay a snow-white cat.
It lay sprawled out, its belly bulging roundly, almost shining from being so full. Its long tail swayed lazily, surrounded by a dozen or so large and small plates, all of which had been swept clean, leaving only some leftovers and grease stains.
Jiang Zhiyu's pupils shrank. He stopped in his tracks, grabbed Song Yueyao's wrist, and quickly retreated two steps, flashing outside the door.
Yan Xingxiao was confused but also followed them out, pressing his back against the door panel and lowering his voice: "Young Master Jiang, this cat demon... has profound cultivation?"
He had seen Jiang Zhiyu's ability to break barriers and cast spells, knowing he was no ordinary cultivator.
Even he was so wary, this cat must be extraordinary.
But looking through the crack in the door, the cat was lying lazily, comfortably scratching its belly with its paw. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a gluttonous and lazy pet, incapable of anything.
"Burp—"
A loud burp came from inside.
The white cat slowly picked its teeth with its paw, then finally spoke in a drawling tone, its voice carrying a lazy authority:
"Brat, what are you hiding for? Do you really think your master's nose has gone dead after being out these days, and can't even smell your scent?"
Jiang Zhiyu pretended not to hear, winked at Song Yueyao, pulled her, and prepared to sneak away step by step, hunched over.
Yan Xingxiao opened his mouth, looking at Jiang Zhiyu's embarrassed state of wanting to flee like a mouse seeing a cat, and then looking at the cat still lying on the table inside.
This cat is actually Young Master Jiang's master?
He was pondering whether he should act righteously and help them escape for the sake of their friendship.
But he saw Song Yueyao suddenly withdraw her hand from Jiang Zhiyu's palm, turn neatly, and step into the hall, clasping her fists respectfully: "Alchemist Ji."
"Yaoyao!"
Jiang Zhiyu called out anxiously, reaching out to pull her but missing, so he had to bite the bullet and follow her in.
"Little Song," the white cat finally sat up straight, its long tail swaying leisurely.
When it caught sight of Jiang Zhiyu's figure, its tail suddenly flicked up.
In an instant, bowls and plates flew through the air with a "swish, swish, swish," as fast as hidden weapons.
"You brat, have your wings grown hard? How dare you hide it from your royal father and mother and sneak out of the palace without a word!"
Jiang Zhiyu dodged left and right, begging for mercy repeatedly: "Master, Master! Your disciple knows he was wrong!"
"Know you were wrong? Do you know your royal father coughed up blood from worrying about you? He already has a weak body, and yet he has to deal with an unfilial son like you!"
"What?!"
Hearing this, Jiang Zhiyu's body suddenly stiffened, and he forgot to dodge.
Seeing a porcelain plate heading straight for his face.
Song Yueyao's eyes darkened, her crescent blade unsheathed in mid-air, a cold light flashed, and the porcelain plate shattered in response.
Just now, in order to forcibly break the barrier, Jiang Zhiyu had already depleted his internal energy and was injured.
Although he hadn't mentioned it the whole time, his steps had been unsteady on the way back. Song Yueyao saw all this, but since he didn't bring it up, she wouldn't ask.
Because Jiang Zhiyu knew she was strong-willed and knew she wanted the people fighting alongside her to be strong as well.
She still remembered when she first met him, he fell off a wall and would still hold his butt and howl in pain.
At some point, he had started to imitate her, suffering his injuries in silence.
