Two empty cups sat on the table. Mu Sui’s gaze fixed on Meng Ruji, the color in his pupils dark as ink.

At this moment, Meng Ruji couldn’t be bothered to look at Mu Sui. She glanced at Madam Lin and saw her looking at Ye Chuan, so she also turned to look at Ye Chuan:

“Ye Daqing, you don’t need to risk your life with us.”

Ye Chuan’s fingertip touched the rim of his teacup, lightly circling the edge: “Miss Meng…”

Meng Ruji thought that, given his personality, he would insist on drinking with them. She was about to snatch his cup when she saw him flick his finger and push the cup away himself.

The water with cursed poison in the cup sloshed twice, then settled.

“You’re right.” Ye Chuan stared at Madam Lin, “Someone needs to be a witness, just in case.”

The emotion in his words carried much dissatisfaction with Madam Lin, as if she might break her word.

Madam Lin wasn’t angry and withdrew the teacup.

“By rights, people unrelated to the thousand gold pieces shouldn’t remain here, but Young Master Ye, I find you truly familiar. In my many years in the No Refuge Land, I’ve never had this feeling. Please stay and chat with this old woman a bit more.” Madam Lin tapped the two empty cups. “It would also be convenient for you to serve as a witness.”

“Very well.” Ye Chuan agreed.

“There are two side rooms in the courtyard. If the two young masters don’t mind, you can share one room, leaving the other for the young lady.”

“That’s wrong.” Meng Ruji interrupted Madam Lin, “Qianshan Jun and I are husband and wife. We should share a room. Ye Chuan, you take the other room—convenient for you to chat with Madam.”

“Husband and wife?” Madam Lin was somewhat surprised.

Mu Sui didn’t respond, only rolling his eyes in annoyance and exhaled a sigh full of speechless exasperation through his nose.

Risking her life to fool around, but she hadn’t forgotten about this matter…

Mu Sui looked into the distance, no longer watching Meng Ruji, and was too lazy to argue with her about which room to sleep in.

“How unexpected.” Madam Lin studied Mu Sui with a half-smile, “Qianshan Jun would take a wife.”

Recalling that equally absurd episode of “taking a wife” in the past, Mu Sui suddenly realized that between him and Meng Ruji, they always seemed to be scheming against each other, pulling at each other—even at this moment, it was still the same…

Whether as siblings or as husband and wife, never peaceful.

Mu Sui steadied himself and said to Madam Lin, “Both people have drunk the tea. How should we determine the winner?”

“We’ll use a point system. For daily tasks, if both complete them, the person who completes them more excellently gets one point. If someone fails to complete a task… then there’s no need to keep score.”

As Madam Lin spoke, she turned her hand, and a palm-sized wooden board appeared in her palm. Her other hand pinched the air, and a brush materialized from nowhere. She wrote “Qianshan Jun” and “Miss Meng” on the small board.

“Let’s begin today.”

Madam Lin spoke casually, but the next moment, strange sensations simultaneously arose in both Meng Ruji’s and Mu Sui’s bodies.

It felt as if threads were shuttling through their bodies, flowing through blood vessels, wandering through their limbs and bones.

Both Meng Ruji and Mu Sui’s expressions suddenly tensed, as if both were feeling this strange “cursed poison” in their bodies.

“The first task.”

Madam Lin’s voice sounded different to Meng Ruji and Mu Sui’s ears than before. Her voice seemed to disturb these threads, making them restless.

Facing the unknown task, Meng Ruji looked at Madam Lin, her hand under the stone table unconsciously clenching slightly.

“Prepare dinner.”

With these four words, the small courtyard fell quiet.

Meng Ruji’s hand under the table also relaxed: “Huh?” She somewhat doubted her ears, “Prepare what?”

“Dinner.” Madam Lin still sat upright. Though somewhat hunched, she could still be seen trying to maintain her bearing. “There are some wild vegetables in the shrub forest behind. You can identify and pick them yourselves. Some are poisonous, some taste bad—please identify carefully. When dinner is ready, we’ll all eat together. Whoever cooks better gets today’s point.”

Meng Ruji squinted, feeling like her surname wasn’t Meng right now, but that she was dreaming.

Mu Sui had already stood up and headed outside the courtyard.

Seeing him move, Meng Ruji naturally wouldn’t fall behind and immediately stood up to follow.

Madam Lin smiled as she watched the two leave one after the other, beginning to clear the table while sighing: “Even Qianshan Jun has taken a wife. This world truly holds endless wonders.”

Ye Chuan remained seated, calmly responding: “They also both drank the cursed poison you gave them.”

“Indeed.” Madam Lin chuckled softly, “Isn’t this a dead end? Making husband and wife into this state for a thousand gold pieces?”

“There are plenty of such couples.”

Madam Lin looked up at Ye Chuan: “Young Master Ye’s words are rather cold.” She poured a new cup of tea and pushed it toward Ye Chuan.

Ye Chuan glanced at it but didn’t move: “So, what does Madam Lin want to discuss with me?”

“No need to be nervous—this tea isn’t poisoned.” Madam Lin pushed the tea a little further, “Young Master Ye, just chat with me casually. I’m quite hospitable.”

Hearing this, Ye Chuan tilted his head slightly, looking at the meticulously maintained courtyard: “Is that so…”

Mu Sui and Meng Ruji walked one after the other into the shrub forest. Meng Ruji had already begun seriously examining the plants on the ground, trying hard to distinguish vegetables from grass in the mist. But the mist affected her vision, forcing her to bend down and search carefully.

“This place is so damp…” Meng Ruji muttered, “Madam Lin probably got rheumatism, which is why she’s hunched.”

Before her words finished, her head bumped into a hard back, just like hitting a tree.

Meng Ruji straightened up, looking at Mu Sui, who had stopped in front of her.

“What’s wrong?” Meng Ruji asked, “Did you find wild vegetables?”

“Mountain Master Meng, I truly misunderstood you.”

Meng Ruji raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

Mu Sui turned around, his expression seeming to hide anger, but finally he couldn’t hold it back: “How could you drink that tea? So reckless!”

“Ridiculous.” Meng Ruji laughed coldly, “Who drank first? Who was reckless?”

Mu Sui’s tone became even more mocking: “I have a hostile aura protecting me. The most deadly poisons in the world are nothing more than this—how could her cursed poison harm me?”

Hearing this, Meng Ruji was stunned. She hadn’t thought of this…

This Mu Sui! He was wearing a golden bell protection while fighting with swords!

And she was the only one going into battle bare-chested?

But thinking about it, it made sense. Previously, when they were bound by Luo Yingfeng and sunk together in Nai River, Mo Li was the Master of No Refuge, so the river wouldn’t harm him—understandable. But why was Mu Sui fine? He even wanted to stab Mo Li to death in the river! Though he could say he prepared in advance, having hostile aura protection was more reasonable!

“You usually pride yourself on being clever, but at a time like this, you don’t think more?!” Mu Sui scolded, “What did you drink it for?”

“For the thousand gold pieces, of course!” Meng Ruji snapped out of her realization about his hostile aura protection and couldn’t stand being scolded, “You can be determined to succeed, but I can’t risk my life to compete?”

“You are…”

“Stop right there!” Meng Ruji cut him off, then paused to let her emotions calm down first. She stared at Mu Sui, tilting her head to ask, “I’m gambling with my own life—why are you anxious?”

Under this question, Mu Sui’s lips seemed glued together. They moved and moved, trembled and trembled, but couldn’t open even a fraction.

“Qianshan Jun, you admitted before that you were moved, but perhaps during these days, you have grown to like me more, right?” She opened her eyes wide, reflecting all the light, staring straight at him without missing any fluctuation in his expression, “More than just being moved?”

In the silent shrub forest, layers of mist fell between them.

“Meng Ruji…” Mu Sui turned around, walking into the forest as if fleeing. His footsteps on the grass sounded somewhat panicked. “You’re completely unreasonable.”

Before… he would still maintain eye contact with her…

Meng Ruji watched Mu Sui’s retreating figure. She didn’t chase after him directly. At this moment, with no one around and Mu Sui not daring to turn back, no one could see the barely concealed smile in her eyes and brows.