She had known him for some time now.

This was the first time she had seen him scold her so harshly.

He looked truly very angry.

Luoshen felt both guilty and somewhat frightened.

Actually, she had already regretted it earlier, when she was searching for him anxiously and helplessly in the crowd. But being scolded like this, the joy and relief she had felt upon recognizing him vanished completely, replaced by a feeling that made her want to cry.

But in front of him, she just wouldn’t show weakness. After standing stunned for a moment, she twisted her body, trying to break free from the hand still pressing her against the stone stele.

“Let me go! It hurts!”

She held back tears that were about to fall and protested in a low voice.

Li Mu paused and slowly released the hand gripping her arm. By the dim lamplight slanting from the City God Temple gate nearby, he lowered his head to study her expression.

Luoshen bit her lip tightly, turned her face away to prevent him from seeing, and raised her hand to rub where his five fingers had gripped her.

“Are you crying?”

After a moment, he asked softly, his tone having returned to its usual gentleness.

“You were being a bit naughty just now. Don’t do that again next time…”

Luoshen still ignored him.

He hesitated, then reached out as if to turn her face toward him.

With a “smack,” before that hand could touch her, Luoshen slapped it away.

“Where are my figurines and sugar figures? I don’t need you to carry them anymore!”

She turned her face back toward him and held out her hand for her things.

Li Mu’s hands were already empty. He made a sound of acknowledgment.

“You have to compensate me!”

Li Mu smiled bitterly and nodded.

“Fine, fine, let’s go back. I’ll buy you new ones.”

He was almost groveling to appease her.

Only then did Luoshen feel satisfied. Lifting her chin, she turned and walked out from behind the stele.

But as soon as she emerged, several children burst out from the crowd nearby, laughing and chasing each other.

One child carried a lantern while running with legs spread wide, calling back to his companions behind him, completely unaware of Luoshen ahead.

Luoshen was also unprepared. When she noticed, she quickly stopped and tried to dodge, but her physical reactions weren’t that fast.

Just as she was about to collide with the running child, an arm from behind suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulled her back with a sweep, and retreated behind the stone stele.

The child ran past the stele like the wind, completely oblivious.

Li Mu then released his arm and let her go.

But Luoshen couldn’t steady herself so quickly.

With the supporting force around her waist suddenly gone, her feet swayed accordingly. She cried out in alarm and then fell forward, landing solidly in Li Mu’s embrace.

The bright moon hung like a jade disc high in the deep blue night sky above the willow branches, quietly casting its clear radiance.

The countless stars in the sky were nowhere to be seen – tonight they had all fallen to earth and transformed into brilliant lamplight.

In front of the City God Temple, crowds surged. Countless night revelers carried flickering lanterns like fireflies, coming and going in endless streams, passing by the stone stele.

No one noticed the two still figures embracing quietly in the shadows behind the roadside stele.

A wife who was still a young girl had accidentally fallen into her husband’s arms.

Luoshen’s soft body pressed against the man’s warm, firm chest.

She could only clearly feel her forehead pressing against his slightly rough chin. Everything else – her mind went blank, she lost all sensation, forgot to move.

He didn’t move either.

Gradually, she began to smell again the rich incense from the City God Temple floating in the air. In her ears, the scattered laughter of those running children mixed with the cheerful voices of passersby, gradually fading into the night wind that still carried the chill of early spring.

She didn’t know how long had passed when she felt Li Mu stir.

He raised his hands and gently gripped her arms, asking softly: “Were you frightened just now?”

When he spoke, his chin lightly brushed her forehead.

The skin on her forehead that had been rubbed by his stubble felt ticklish, as if little insects had crawled across it.

Luoshen finally awakened as if from a dream. Suppressing the urge to raise her hand and rub the spot, her face quietly reddened.

She slowly straightened her body, moved away from him, and shook her head.

Li Mu continued in silence for a moment.

“Shall we go then? Take you to buy sugar figures?”

He asked again, his tone seeming somewhat tentative.

Luoshen shook her head, then nodded.

He smiled.

“Let’s go.”

Even though the lamplight was dim, Luoshen could still clearly see the bright, gentle smile in his eyes as he looked at her.

Luoshen’s heart slowly filled with joy again.

She turned and retraced their path, walking toward the stall where they had bought sugar figures and figurines.

Without needing to look back, she knew he was following behind her. She felt completely at ease.

Just as they were nearing that stall, she suddenly heard commotion behind them, as if some accident had occurred.

Luoshen looked back and was shocked to see flames rising from the direction of the City God Temple behind them.

Confused cries for help came on the wind, mixed faintly with the screams of women and children.

“Something’s wrong! The City God Temple is on fire! An oil vat has overturned! There’s fire everywhere! Many people are trapped inside and can’t get out—”

Soon someone ahead shouted loudly.

The festive, peaceful atmosphere of the night instantly vanished.

The flow of people on the street became chaotic. Some stopped to watch, others pushed through those in front, turning to rush back and see what was happening.

Li Mu looked toward the fire, glanced back at Luoshen, and just then saw two patrol officers responsible for tonight’s street watch running toward them. He immediately called them over and ordered them to escort Luoshen back to the Li residence.

The officers obeyed the command.

Li Mu turned to Luoshen and said quietly: “The fire looks serious, and there are many people. I’ll go take a look. The streets are chaotic – don’t linger, go home first.”

Luoshen quickly nodded: “Be careful!”

Li Mu nodded, gave the officers a few more instructions, saw the flames in the distance growing larger with cries and wails everywhere, pushed through the crowd blocking his way, and hurried off.

Not far away, in the dark street corners where lamplight couldn’t reach, over ten shadowy figures silently emerged.

Their clothing and appearance were like ordinary passersby.

The only difference from real passersby was that each had a sword hidden in their sleeves.

These ten-plus men saw Li Mu leave, mingled in the crowd, and began slowly surrounding Luoshen’s direction.

Li Mu had run some distance when he suddenly stopped.

The City God Temple’s oil vats were massive with openings three feet across. Today they were filled with oil offered by worshippers – with oil and vat together weighing at least several hundred jun. It would take several strong men working together to overturn them.

This fire was somewhat suspicious.

He quickly turned back, his gaze sweeping around, passing through the running, crowded people on the street, and settling on several strangely upright figures in the distance moving against the flow of the crowd.

A shadow passed through his eyes. He turned and strode back to Luoshen, who was still by the roadside talking with the officers, and instructed them: “The magistrate will arrive soon. You go first – quickly disperse the crowds and have people bring sand to extinguish the oil fire on the ground!”

The officers didn’t know why he had suddenly changed his mind, but having received orders, they exchanged glances, realized the situation was urgent, and hurried off.

Li Mu turned to Luoshen, who was looking at him in confusion, said “I’ll escort you home first,” then took her hand and headed toward the Li residence.

Luoshen was still somewhat bewildered, not understanding why he had suddenly changed plans and decided to personally escort her home first.

But since he was doing so, she certainly wouldn’t object. She tried hard to ignore the feeling of him tightly holding her hand in the street and walked with him.

Seeing this, those men hesitated only briefly before, as if driven by some force, they advanced rather than retreating, following behind them.

When they reached a section with sparse lamplight and few passersby, they suddenly quickened their pace and caught up, all drawing swords and forming a line to block Li Mu and Luoshen’s path.

Luoshen was stunned by what suddenly unfolded before her.

She stared wide-eyed in horror at the dozen or so strangers who had suddenly appeared before them, wielding sharp swords with murderous intent.

That was shocking enough, but what startled her even more was these people’s faces and their expressions.

Each had a flushed red face with contorted features, their pupils flashing with bloodthirsty excitement. They looked completely inhuman, making anyone who saw them feel chilled to the bone with terror.

Li Mu could tell at a glance that these people had obviously taken evil drugs that induced excitement, made people lose normal fear, and enhanced their attacking power.

This was precisely one of the Celestial Master sect’s most skilled wicked methods.

He narrowed his eyes, gripped the hilt of the Qingfeng sword at his waist, slowly backed away with Luoshen until they reached a wall by the roadside, stopped, shielded her behind him, and said quietly: “Don’t be afraid, I’m here! Close your eyes – I’ll tell you when to open them.”

Luoshen pressed her back firmly against the wall behind her.

She wanted to follow his words, close her eyes, and wait for him to tell her to open them.

But she couldn’t do it.

She stared wide-eyed as the dozen zombie-like people opposite raised their swords, creating a dazzling display of sword flowers, and attacked Li Mu in front of her.

She instinctively cried out in alarm. Before her voice faded, she saw Li Mu draw his sword.

Under the moonlight, a flash of white cold light.

As the sword light swept out, the two men attacking in front had their sword-holding hands instantly severed cleanly at the wrists.

Those two severed hands seemed to disappear by magic, instantly separating from their arms. Accompanied by a spray of flying blood droplets, they flew high up, then landed with thuds beside Luoshen’s feet, still gripping their swords.

Luoshen’s face was also splattered with several drops of dirty blood.

Before she could feel the immense fear and shock from the killing and bloodshed she had never witnessed in her life, she saw the remaining men continue surrounding and attacking Li Mu.

She had no time to be afraid, no time to feel terror.

Her mind and heart were filled only with tension and hope – hoping Li Mu could kill these terrifying people.

Blood flew everywhere, with severed limbs and arms scattered about.

Luoshen couldn’t understand how she was able to keep her eyes wide open, watching from beginning to end as Li Mu wielded his sword, slaughtering people like cutting grass, killing the dozen or so men before him one by one on the ground.

Finally only two remained.

Those two looked like leaders.

The blood of their fallen subordinates not only didn’t make them retreat but drove them even more frenzied.

Bestial roars came from their throats as they attacked from left and right with swords, each strike a desperate, deadly assault.

Luoshen was drenched in sweat, pressed against the wall with tightly clenched fists, eyes unblinking as she watched Li Mu fight these two madmen who had lost their minds. Suddenly, a man on the ground who had lost an arm shakily crawled up from the pool of blood, raised his sword, and stabbed toward Li Mu.

Luoshen’s eyes turned red as she shouted “Watch out!”

At that moment, with courage from who knows where, she bent down and grabbed one of the severed hands still holding a sword that had fallen by her feet, rushed forward, aimed the sword point at that man, closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and stabbed hard.

With a “puff” sound, she didn’t know where she had struck, but the man swayed and his sword fell to the ground.

The next moment, Li Mu’s sword swept back, and with a flash of sword light, half that man’s head was sliced off.

Time seemed to stop.

Luoshen stood frozen in place, eyes tightly shut, until she heard Li Mu’s anxious voice calling her name by her ear. Only then did she tremblingly open her eyes and see the severed hand she was still gripping tightly. She suddenly opened her eyes wide and let out a piercing, blood-curdling scream.

“Ahhhh—”

Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed into Li Mu’s arms.

…

The Jingkou Prefect, Jiang Tao, Sun Fangzhi and others quickly arrived afterward to extinguish the fire and capture the remaining Celestial Master sect accomplices.

Li Mu abandoned everything else and immediately carried the unconscious Luoshen home.

A’Ju saw Luoshen’s face and body covered in blood and unconscious, and turned pale with fright. Hearing Li Mu say she wasn’t injured, just frightened unconscious, she hurried to the bedroom. After Li Mu laid her down, she busied herself cleaning the blood and changing her clothes. After cleaning her up, she fed her warm sugar water.

A’Ting had also returned home earlier and upon hearing the news, quickly helped support Lu Shi as they came over together.

Luoshen finally slowly awakened, opened her eyes, and saw the anxious familiar faces surrounding the bed. Remembering the earlier scene, still shaken, she immediately looked for Li Mu. As soon as their eyes met, her eyes reddened and tears began pattering down.

Li Mu’s heart ached terribly. Not caring about others present, he immediately sat beside the bed, tightly gripped her cold hands, and softly comforted her.

Lu Shi heard everything clearly from nearby. Seeing Luoshen had awakened and knowing she should be fine except for the fright, she breathed a small sigh of relief. After comforting Luoshen, she and everyone else withdrew, leaving only the couple alone.

Only Li Mu remained beside her.

He brought sugar water and fed it to her spoonful by spoonful.

After a few sips, Luoshen shook her head and refused, asking if he was injured. Hearing him say no, she seemed to relax, showing fatigue, slowly closed her eyes, lay there motionless.

Li Mu sat by the bed accompanying Luoshen for a long time. Seeing her fall asleep, he quietly rose and entered the bathhouse.

His outer clothes were stained with blood and had been removed earlier. His inner garments were also unclean, but he hadn’t had time to change while worrying about the frightened, unconscious Luoshen.

He quickly washed and changed into clean clothes. Just as he put them on, he heard Luoshen’s panicked voice calling for him from outside. He hurried out and returned to the bedside.

Luoshen had already sat up. As soon as she saw him return, she threw herself into his arms, hugging his waist tightly with her arms, and said with reddened eyes: “Where did you go just now? I want you to stay with me!”

Li Mu quickly agreed, held her trembling body in his arms, gently patted her back with his palm, waited for her emotions to gradually calm down again, coaxed her to lie back down, and not daring to leave again, also lay down beside her.

That night, Luoshen curled up in Li Mu’s arms, held by him, never separating for even a moment.

When dawn broke, Li Mu opened his eyes after staying awake all night, looked down at the girl in his arms who had dozed on and off, tossing until the fourth watch before finally falling into deep sleep, then closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.