Qianwu Town was located in the heart of Liangya Province, a large town renowned far and wide.
Densely populated and rich in resources, the long streets were lined with fluttering merchant banners, and cargo ships came and went endlessly at the docks.
Their group was passing through this place to transfer to a larger ship and travel by water to Youquan Town.
Because of the bustling trade, there were many merchant caravans and travelers from all over, making finding a place to stay a difficult task.
They asked at several inns along the street, but the managers all waved their hands apologetically, We are full, we have been booked solid for a while.
The dining halls were filled with flickering shadows and the clinking of glasses and plates; a single seat was hard to come by.
The market was boiling with noise, steaming with the sweet aroma of pastries and the fishy scent of live catches.
Ordinary towns only have bustling morning markets, but here even the evening market is this thriving. Jiang Zhiyu looked at the bustling crowd, chatting casually with Song Yueyao. Yaoyao, have you ever been here before?
Song Yueyao's gaze swept past the lazy white cat meditating on his shoulder, her tone indifferent. Young Master Jiang is joking. The days I spent in my homeland are probably fewer than the time I spent as a hostage in Lingyu Province. A person with no control over her own fate does not have the luxury to travel and enjoy the scenery.
The air fell silent for a moment.
The atmosphere became visibly awkward.
Over the past few days, their interaction pattern had been like this, neither cold nor hot.
No matter how persistently Jiang Zhiyu tried to warm up to the cold beauty, it seemed there was always an invisible barrier around Song Yueyao, keeping him out.
She was always smiling and cheerful with others, but the moment she turned to him, the smile in her eyes vanished instantly.
At this moment, she caught sight of the bright red candied haws by the roadside and immediately turned around with a smile, Xiaomi, Wu Li, do you want some candied haws?
Her tone was slightly doting, like an elder sister taking her two younger siblings out to play, coaxing them like children.
Jiang Zhiyu silently twitched the corners of his mouth, and the white cat on his shoulder shot him a glance. Pathetic.
Sister Yao, I can buy it myself! Chai Xiaomi looked up at the sky and had an idea. Why do not we split up to look? It will be faster, and we will have more choices.
She could not let these two stay in this deadlock anymore; she had to find a way to ease their relationship.
Chai Xiaomi thought to herself that if Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao really fell out, it would just give someone with ulterior motives a chance to take advantage.
She quietly glanced at the young man beside her.
Although a certain someone did not show it on his face, beneath those slightly lowered eyelashes, upon seeing Jiang Zhiyu's deflated and lonely appearance, the smugness and joy in his eyes were almost overflowing.
Even though Wu Li hid it well, he could not help but have a lot of little habits when he was happy. For instance, his fingertips would always play with a blade of goosegrass, folding it into a cricket or a dragonfly, casually tossing it by the roadside, and then picking up another to fold something else.
A craftsman who goes crazy making handicrafts when he is happy.
She had been observing for a long time and saw it clear as day.
Sure enough, he was waiting to exploit the loophole. Do not even think about it!
She turned back and gently pulled Wu Li's sleeve, drawing him to her side. Lili, you come with me to the east.
Then she turned to the other two, her voice brisk. Sister Yao, you and Brother Yu look towards the west, how about that?
Song Yueyao thought about it and agreed that this would indeed be more efficient. Alright, let us set a time limit of half an hour. Whether we find a suitable inn or not, we will meet back here.
Okay! Chai Xiaomi replied crisply.
Watching the two awkward figures walk away, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what, she had to tie Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao together and not give Wu Li any chance to be alone with Song Yueyao.
What kind of shady little scheme are you plotting, Miss Idiot?
The youth beside her leaned down slightly, bringing his gaze level with hers. A teasing curve formed at the corner of his lips as he unabashedly scrutinized her faintly nervous expression.
Chai Xiaomi was startled by his handsome face suddenly closing in. Those heterochromatic eyes seemed able to peer into the deepest secrets of a person's heart.
N-Nothing... she instinctively denied, shrinking back a little.
Oh? Wu Li dragged out the end of his word, his gaze falling on her slightly furrowed brow. Then why are you frowning so tightly? You could crush a fly with that.
As he spoke, he slowly raised his other hand and opened his palm in front of her eyes.
Inside lay a green fly intricately folded from goosegrass. Its antennae and wings were distinct, looking incredibly lifelike.
Immediately after, he gently rolled his fingertips, and a wisp of pitch-black baleful aura coiled upward.
The emerald green grass fly was instantly saturated and carbonized, turning into a small pinch of ash that fluttered down through his fingers.
You see, his tone was innocent, but a mischievous light flashed in his eyes. You really crushed it.
I would rather crush you! Chai Xiaomi pushed him in annoyance.
She did not even know what she was so upset about.
It was just that whenever she thought of the plot where Wu Li would plant a love gu in Song Yueyao in Qianwu Town.
She inexplicably felt a sour taste in her heart.
Right at that moment, a long, drawn-out shout came from the distance.
Sugar figures, drawing sugar figures here—
It instantly hooked her attention away.
She bypassed Wu Li and trotted over to the stall. A row of crystal-clear sugar figures was stuck into a straw bundle. There were people, birds, and beasts, everything one could wish for, gleaming with an amber light under the glow of the market lanterns.
Uncle, I want two!
Her eyes sparkled as she turned back and pointed at Wu Li, who had followed her. One of me, and one of him.
Alright! That will be ten copper coins in total, miss! The stall owner looked at the young couple in front of him. Each was more outstandingly good-looking than the last. He felt delighted and made up his mind to show off his best skills.
The sugar spoon moved nimbly over the heated copper plate, drawing lines and pulling strings of syrup.
The old man caught a glimpse of the eye-catching longbow on the youth's back and those overly gorgeous heterochromatic eyes. Without stopping his hands, he asked casually, You two are not locals, are you? Are you also here for the New Moon Archery Tournament?
New Moon Archery Tournament? Chai Xiaomi was taken aback.
The Ouyang family, the wealthiest family in Qianwu Town, is going to hold their triennial New Moon Archery Tournament in a few days. It is the liveliest hunting and archery competition in Liangya Province, held at the Falling Star Plateau in town. Right now, the whole city is filled with martial artists coming to compete, young nobles coming to watch, and quite a few high-ranking officials from the capital.
The plot was indeed starting to deviate.
In the original novel, although the main cast arrived at Qianwu Town, there was absolutely no mention of such an archery competition.
No wonder the inns are all full, Chai Xiaomi muttered.
Are you looking for a place to stay, miss? Do not even bother! The old man's sugar spoon flew in rapid swirls, and he did not stop talking either. These days, let alone proper inns, even the wild taverns in the suburbs are packed with people. You came too late; I am afraid you will have to sleep on the boat decks!
Hearing this, Chai Xiaomi's long eyelashes drooped, and a layer of dismay clouded her bright and clear almond eyes. Only boat decks are left...
They had been sleeping in the wind and dining in the dew all along the way. The only inn they had stayed at was Zhu Yu's dilapidated one. They had finally arrived at such a bustling town and wanted to enjoy the scale of a high-class inn, but their hopes were dashed just like that.
The old vendor was just setting the freshly hardened sugar figures out to dry. Seeing the young woman's previously sparkling eyes suddenly turn so heartbreakingly pitiful, his heart couldn't help but soften. "Well, there is one way. If you don't mind, miss, you can stay over there."
