The group of five traveled toward the tail end of the Nai River. At first, Meng Ruji kept holding Mu Sui’s hand, and after getting used to it and becoming bolder, for convenience, she even learned to loop her arm through Mu Sui’s arm.

Mu Sui felt somewhat awkward and kept trying to pull his arm free, but Meng Ruji would pull him back again and again, threatening, “This arm must be held today. Either break my hand or give up.”

Mu Sui: “…”

“I know you have feelings for me and can’t bear to hurt me.” she looked at him very calmly, advising, “So don’t struggle.”

Mu Sui thought for a moment, then stopped struggling.

Meng Ruji felt relieved and continued to hold his arm, walking forward happily.

Tuzi and Mo Li watched from behind. Tuzi squinted his eyes while shaking his head and clicking his tongue in amazement, while Mo Li nodded approvingly.

Ye Chuan walked at the very back with his arms folded, silently observing everyone without saying a word. He was usually this quiet, so those walking ahead didn’t think anything of it.

With her arm looped through his, Meng Ruji’s hand was free, so as she walked, she could pick grass and weave things.

She made little crickets, little dragonflies, little roosters—giving each one to Mu Sui as she finished. When Mu Sui wouldn’t take them, she directly pinned them to his waist, then asked: “Do you like them?”

Mu Sui glanced at his belt, where the small animals hanging from it were almost forming a half-skirt around him…

“Useless effort…”

The word “useless” reminded Meng Ruji, so she started weaving a straw hat.

Weaving a straw hat required large movements. As they walked, Mu Sui was constantly pulled and tugged by Meng Ruji, significantly slowing their travel speed. Mu Sui endured for a while, then finally couldn’t stand it anymore and looked at Meng Ruji.

“You…”

“Look.”

A straw hat woven from fresh grass appeared in Meng Ruji’s hands. She handed it to Mu Sui: “That Cloud-Gathering Formation a few days ago seems to have pulled away all the clouds in the No Refuge Land. It’s been very sunny these past two days. Here’s a hat for you to shield from the sun—useful, right?”

The hat was bright green. For some reason, Mu Sui didn’t take it immediately.

A pale hand reached over.

“It is sunny. Since I don’t want to disturb your lovey-dovey moments, I’m too embarrassed to hide in your sleeve. If he doesn’t want this hat, why not give it to this old man…”

Mo Li wore a flattering smile, carefully pinching the edge of the straw hat with two fingers.

But before Mo Li could grasp it firmly, Mu Sui snatched the hat away.

The movement was large and fast—even Meng Ruji didn’t quite react in time.

Mu Sui gave Mo Li a cold glance, then put the hat on his head.

Seeing the shadow immediately covering his face, Meng Ruji quickly asked again: “Do you like it?”

Mu Sui only said stiffly: “I don’t like it.”

Mo Li continued smiling beside them: “Why don’t you weave another one for me? I’m getting tanned.”

This time, before Mu Sui could speak, Meng Ruji said seriously: “No, I can only make them for him.”

“Why?”

“This is blatant favoritism.”

Hearing this, Mu Sui’s steps paused slightly. He glanced sideways at Meng Ruji, who was staring at Mo Li: “You and Tuzi go to the side, don’t get in the way.”

Mo Li gave a thumbs up: “You’re not good at romance, but once you treat romance like business, you instantly get it. Mountain Master Meng, brilliant.”

Meng Ruji didn’t take his bait, waving her hand to make him step aside.

Mo Li obediently walked to the back, then stopped Ye Chuan and Tuzi, making them stay even further away.

After dealing with Mo Li, Meng Ruji turned to study Mu Sui’s expression.

Her gaze was too direct, making Mu Sui involuntarily look away. She followed his eyes: “You’re embarrassed. Have I gotten to you?”

Mu Sui took a deep breath and looked up at the sky speechlessly.

In the distance on the horizon, the Nai River flowing upward into the sky was getting closer and closer, but he estimated that at their current pace, it would take another three days to reach it.

But he was already tired…

Otherwise, he could use his hostile aura. He still had some silver given by Zhuliu City’s soldiers, and he could use magic to arrive faster at the Ruwei grass shade, get the thousand gold pieces sooner, and get rid of this Meng Ruji…

“You want to fly?” Meng Ruji noticed Mu Sui’s hand moving to his waist and immediately said keenly, “If you fly up to the sky, I’ll cause trouble. I don’t want to invite other problems now, so I’m trying to reform you with love. But if you don’t follow my plan, then we’ll both perish together. I’ll draw the pursuers here and still delay you from getting the thousand gold pieces.”

Mu Sui’s gaze slanted, falling on Meng Ruji’s face. He saw that when she spoke of romance earlier, she was sincere, and now, when she spoke of threats, she was also sincere. Mu Sui laughed coldly and moved his hand away from the silver at his waist.

“Fine,” he curved his lips without emotion, “I’ll play along with you.”

Mu Sui placed his hand on Meng Ruji’s face, his index finger’s back gently caressing her cheek, so light he could even feel the barely visible fine down on her skin.

“What other tricks do you have? Use them all, wife.”

There was a slight tickle on her skin. Seeing him so close and hearing his words, Meng Ruji’s mind turned, then she tilted her head slightly, her lips landing right on the index finger caressing her cheek.

Meng Ruji’s lips kissed the back of his index finger at the second knuckle.

The sensation was different from skin contact—warmer, slightly moist.

Mu Sui’s hand froze in the air until Meng Ruji’s lips moved away.

“How’s this move, husband?”

Meng Ruji stared straight into Mu Sui’s eyes.

The daze lasted only an instant. The moment Mu Sui’s eyelids lowered, he washed away all emotion from his eyes. He withdrew his hand, placing it behind his back.

“Not impressive.”

He said this, but behind his back, his thumb unconsciously rubbed the skin of his index finger’s second knuckle.

As their eyes met, Meng Ruji looked for a long time but saw no ripples in Mu Sui’s eyes. She could only purse her lips: “Fine, I’ll keep trying.”

She looked away.

Only then did Mu Sui turn his head and continue walking forward.

For some reason, he had felt that he couldn’t be the first to look away from that mutual gaze.

Because looking away…

It would seem like he felt guilty…

Now continuing forward, Mu Sui felt as if a suspended stone in his heart had fallen to the ground. But this stone seemed not to have landed on solid ground, but rather fallen into deeper lake water. With a “plop,” it stirred up countless ripples on the surface before slowly sinking into the bottomless depths. As he walked forward, it swayed left and right, making him restless yet helpless.

The people behind were far away, but they still saw the general outline of their actions.

Tuzi shook his head with increasing amplitude, his mouth pursed tighter and tighter, until he couldn’t help but comment: “That evil woman… has some skills…”

Mo Li nodded repeatedly: “If I had known this would happen, why did I worry so much? I should have told her Mu Sui’s purpose earlier. She’s more willing to go all out than I am.”

Hearing their conversation, Ye Chuan’s gaze fell on Meng Ruji and Mu Sui’s retreating figures. He slowly said, “Mu Sui’s purpose… what is it?”

“City Lord big brother wants to kill everyone,” Tuzi said with a pout, somewhat dejected. “I knew before that he carried a burden from the past, I knew he wanted revenge, but I didn’t think it would be so extreme…”

“Everyone?” Ye Chuan pointed at Mu Sui and Meng Ruji’s backs, asking, “The way he is now, he still wants to kill everyone?”

“That’s why she’s working so hard,” Tuzi sighed. “I don’t like that evil woman, but if City Lord big brother likes her, then so be it!”

Upon hearing this, Mo Li meaningfully said, “Oh,” then studied Tuzi.

Ye Chuan also said “Oh,” but quietly. He looked ahead, his gaze falling only on Meng Ruji’s back.

By nightfall, a small village appeared ahead. Mo Li calculated with his fingers: “We don’t have to sleep outdoors tonight.” He excitedly caught up to tell Meng Ruji, “There’s a government office there. We can sleep inside.”

Meng Ruji was also happy: “We can sleep on beds!”

“Keep traveling,” Mu Sui said like an emotionless piece of wood, coldly and rigidly. “No sleeping.”

After walking all day, Meng Ruji was already very tired. Just as she was about to curse for her benefit, Mu Sui’s stomach produced that long-absent, familiar sound: “Grumble, grumble, grumble.”

Mu Sui’s face darkened.

Meng Ruji laughed: “Husband, your body doesn’t agree.”

With some reluctance, Mu Sui was dragged by Meng Ruji to the government office.

The small village’s government office barely had any people. When their group of five—four burly men walked into the office, they didn’t look like they were seeking lodging but rather like they were coming to cause trouble.

The two guarding soldiers were terrified. Mo Li called them over and perhaps showed them some token of the Master of No Refuge, because the soldiers changed from terror to awe, busily cleaning out two dilapidated rooms in the back and cooking a large pot of sweet potatoes and vegetable leaves, placing it on the stone round table in the small courtyard.

Tuzi was starving. His large body had just sat down and was about to eat when Meng Ruji knocked him on the head: “With such a big body, how much would you eat? Transform into a rabbit and eat less, leave some for your City Lord, big brother!”

Tuzi grumbled and complained for a while, but still obediently transformed into a rabbit. When he shrank, the courtyard seemed to become more spacious.

Meng Ruji took a sweet potato from the pot and gave it to him. He hugged it and hopped to one side to gnaw on it.

When Ye Chuan saw the furry rabbit, his eyes suddenly brightened. He also took two sweet potatoes—eating one himself and using the other to play with the rabbit.

But although Tuzi had transformed into a rabbit, his personality remained. His red eyes glanced at Ye Chuan, finding this Ye fellow inexplicable, so he turned his back and ignored him, continuing to gnaw his sweet potato.

Ye Chuan wasn’t angry either. He simply sat cross-legged on the ground, watching the rabbit’s back while eating his sweet potato. One person and one rabbit achieved a sort of harmony.

Mo Li was uninterested in food. He stretched: “I’m tired, going to rest.”

Meng Ruji was peeling a sweet potato and didn’t look up as she “mm-hmmed,” “Come to the dream later, I have something to discuss with you.”

Mo Li nodded: “Alright.”

He immediately turned into a stone and lay beside the table.

Meng Ruji finished peeling the sweet potato and brought it to Mu Sui’s lips: “Husband, try it. I peeled it for you.”

Mu Sui was holding an undercooked sweet potato. With a “crunch,” he bit into it, chewed twice—the crisp sound was like chewing a child’s finger.

Seeing Mu Sui ignore her, Meng Ruji thought for a moment and immediately reacted: “Don’t be jealous. I’m going to the dream to meet him to discuss how to flirt with you tomorrow. I can’t let you hear this—if you heard it, there’d be no surprise.”

“…” She spoke so frankly that Mu Sui was momentarily speechless.

“Thank you, wife, for taking such pains and scheming so thoroughly.”

“Don’t mention it.” Meng Ruji held the sweet potato near Mu Sui’s lips. “Xiao Sui.”

The long-absent address made both Meng Ruji and Mu Sui somewhat dazed when it slipped out.

Compared to Mu Sui’s stunned reaction, Meng Ruji felt somewhat nostalgic: “You used to call me sister.”

“You dared to accept that.”

Since Mu Sui wouldn’t eat the peeled sweet potato, she took it back and bit into it herself: “If you called me that now, I’d still dare to accept it.”

“Sister?”

Meng Ruji paused, somewhat surprised. She looked up at Mu Sui and saw him looking at her somewhat teasingly. Meng Ruji’s competitive spirit was aroused. She smiled gently: “Xiao Sui, if you’re into this, I can play along.”

Mu Sui restrained his expression: “No need. I’d rather you be distant and polite.”

He retreated, and Meng Ruji pursed her lips but didn’t continue pursuing.

“You don’t seem to get hungry as easily as before now. Can hostile aura fill you up?”

“Previously, on the cliff of your Hengxu Mountain, when fighting the Nether Monster for your Inner Core, I consumed considerable power. My body’s age reversed, and after coming to the No Refuge Land, I needed more food to replenish the lost strength.”

“Finished replenishing?” Meng Ruji asked him, “Are you back to how you were before now?”

“Pretty much.”

“Your hostile aura can make you younger when consumed?”

“Just a fortunate coincidence. Defeating the Nether Monster and swallowing that Inner Core… the Inner Core had been in your body for so long, it wasn’t friendly to hostile aura.”

Meng Ruji nodded: “As it should be.”

After this brief conversation, Meng Ruji finished the sweet potato in her hand. Unable to think of other ways to flirt with Mu Sui, she clapped her hands and stood up, grabbing the stone from the table:

“I’m going to rest, Xiao Sui. Don’t try to run away secretly. I didn’t take the little green pills today. If you leave, my heart will ache.”

Mu Sui looked up, appearing cold and speechless as he stared at her retreating figure.

But Meng Ruji paused just before entering the room, turning to look at him: “Did you like me a little more today?”

Moonlight fell into the courtyard, illuminating both their eyes.

Mu Sui’s lips moved, but finally, he looked away.

“No.”

Hearing this, Meng Ruji sighed deeply and entered the room.

Even though she said nothing, Mu Sui seemed to hear her saying: “Love is really difficult…”

The hanging cloth curtain stopped swaying. Mu Sui still sat in the courtyard, accompanied by moonlight, eating sweet potatoes from the table. He suddenly felt that the sweet potato in his hand had lost some flavor, like chewing wax, only able to fill his stomach.

“You are moved,” Ye Chuan, who had been watching the rabbit, suddenly spoke.

His words made Mu Sui look up at him.

Ye Chuan only stared at the rabbit: “The revenge you speak of—must it be taken? Using your previous method?”

“It must be taken,” Mu Sui said, “using the previous method.” As he answered, he lowered his eyes, seemingly contemplating something.

Ye Chuan turned his gaze to fall on Mu Sui.

Under the ghostly green moonlight, his pupils seemed to gleam with an eerie light.

Nai River, flowing upward in reverse, surged silently, as if washing the stars in the sky. From here, it had changed from a distant ribbon connecting to the sky into a trickling stream flowing upward.