The moment Meng Duo’er called out, Baili Weisheng was instantly back at her side, clamping a hand over her mouth.

“Big sister, we’re tailing someone here — tailing, do you understand what that means?” Baili Weisheng asked, displeased.

Meng Duo’er nodded vigorously, and only then did he release her.

This fellow’s grip was no ordinary strength — she’d nearly been suffocated!

Meng Duo’er took several deep breaths before finally speaking. “Can you walk a little slower? I can’t keep up with you!”

“If you can’t keep up, follow slowly from behind — either way I’m right ahead, you won’t lose me!” Baili Weisheng said irritably.

What kind of attitude was this?

What exactly had she done to offend him?

The old grudges between them, she’d already let go of — he was a grown man, what more was there to hold onto? Did he think she was a fool? He was clearly keeping his distance from her on purpose!

Meng Duo’er’s temper flared, and she demanded angrily, “Would it kill you to walk alongside me?”

“It wouldn’t kill me, but I’d lose the trail,” Baili Weisheng said coldly.

Meng Duo’er glanced ahead and only then realized the carriage up front had already vanished from sight — the path ahead led down a slope.

She pursed her lips resentfully, saying nothing.

Baili Weisheng shot her a glance and turned to walk off again, but Meng Duo’er said, “Then you could just carry me along.”

At this, Baili Weisheng very nearly stumbled backward. He gave a small hop, a curve forming at the corner of his lips, and turned to look at Meng Duo’er.

That smile at his lips was somewhere between a smile and not quite one, tinged with playfulness, wickedness, and deep implication — truly, infuriatingly charming.

Meng Duo’er finally realized she’d said something wrong and hurriedly explained, “My father is missing too — I’m anxious to find Meng Wanyue and Xuanyuan Lige as well. I didn’t mean anything else by it!”

She emphasized those last words especially strongly.

Baili Weisheng shrugged, saying nothing more, simply extending his hand toward her.

Meng Duo’er’s heart skipped a beat, instinctively stepping back. What was this fellow doing?

“Keep dawdling like this and we’ll lose the trail — will you explain that to the man named Jun yourself?” Baili Weisheng said lazily.

Only then did Meng Duo’er snap back to her senses, reaching out to take his hand. This hand — it really was quite lovely. Just like his clean, scholarly bearing, with long, slender fingers and clearly defined palm lines — even a single glance gave an inexplicable sense of security.

What would it feel like, being held, being protected by this hand?

Meng Duo’er found herself unable to stop imagining it, startling even herself, her small face flushing bright red in an instant!

She quickly looked away, grabbing tightly onto the back of Baili Weisheng’s robe. “Let’s go.”

Knew it — this girl didn’t have the nerve for it!

Baili Weisheng leisurely withdrew his large hand and started walking. But who would have guessed — no sooner had he taken a few steps, soaring forward, than a sharp ripping sound tore out from behind him!

Uh oh.

Baili Weisheng silently cursed, coming to an abrupt halt — and Meng Duo’er’s reaction was even a beat faster than his!

But it was already too late, regardless.

Baili Weisheng’s entire robe looked as though it had been torn clean off his back — front and back, both the outer robe and the inner garment underneath, nothing spared.

Meng Duo’er had already let go, but at her feet lay a large swath of fabric, torn straight from her grip.

And Baili Weisheng’s entire back was now completely bare, with only a large piece of cloth remaining across the front, slowly… slowly sliding down.

In an instant, the middle section slipped completely free, falling right at Baili Weisheng’s feet.

Only then did Baili Weisheng finally come back to himself, slowly turning to look at Meng Duo’er. His tone was hard to gauge, but the rhythm was unmistakable — one word at a time, deliberate and precise, “Did. You. Really. Have. To. Grip. That… hard?”

Yet Meng Duo’er had no attention to spare for his question, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on his bare torso, drawing sharp, repeated breaths!

Heavens!

This fellow actually had a body like this?!

Beneath his robes, he’d seemed slender, almost delicate — yet beneath the fabric lay a physique carved with clean, defined lines, chiseled like sculpture.

How could anyone not let their thoughts run wild at the sight?!

Especially, especially that fresh knife scar across his chest — it instantly drew Meng Duo’er’s gaze.

Meng Duo’er’s heart pounded uncontrollably, her mind going utterly blank, and she blurted out without thinking, “Now… now isn’t… isn’t the time to… to discuss this.”

“So now IS the time to discuss something else?!” Baili Weisheng suddenly snapped furiously, so angry smoke practically poured from every orifice.

Was this woman his personal nemesis?

Why did nothing good ever happen whenever they were alone together?

Last time, alone together in a room, she’d managed to steal his first kiss.

This time, in the middle of this vast open wilderness, she’d somehow managed to strip him bare!

The shame of it!

These were the two greatest humiliations of his entire life, both at the hands of this girl more than a decade his junior!

His dignity had been thrown clean into the boundless deep sea, never to be recovered!

Startled back to her senses by Baili Weisheng’s roar, Meng Duo’er immediately squeezed her eyes shut, her small face flushed an unimaginable shade of red. She hurriedly tore off her own cloak, thrusting it toward Baili Weisheng. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

Baili Weisheng stared at the small pink cloak flung his way, nearly coughing up blood.

He took a deep breath. And another. And yet another!

If it weren’t for the sake of her barrier arts, he genuinely would have loved to shout at her, “Get lost!”

Baili Weisheng flung the fabric back at her, draping it over her head, then turned and vanished without a trace.

Meng Duo’er didn’t dare open her eyes. After a long while, hearing no sound around her, she finally let the cloak slip down cautiously, her face still burning red, peeking around.

Where was he?

She searched for a long while, but couldn’t spot him anywhere. Meng Duo’er pressed her lips together, feeling both wronged and guilty, muttering to herself, “Maybe… maybe it would’ve been better if Lady Jinjiao had come along after all.”

As she spoke, she could only continue pressing forward.

Just as Baili Weisheng had said, he was indeed always somewhere ahead, always visible eventually. Sure enough, after chasing a stretch further, she spotted that tall, lean figure, wrapped in two scraps of torn cloth, walking along in the distance.

Meng Duo’er pressed her lips together, not daring to ask for anything, obediently trailing silently behind him.

They walked this way for an entire day and night, until they finally reached a small port, where the carriage ahead came to a stop, and they too stopped alongside it.

The other party seemed to be waiting for a ship, preparing to head out to sea.

Baili Weisheng sat up in a large tree; Meng Duo’er had finally managed to catch up to him, yet still didn’t dare approach, obediently keeping watch beneath the tree, sitting cross-legged.

Who would have guessed — Baili Weisheng suddenly looked down and beckoned her up with a crook of his finger.

She had no idea whether this fellow was still angry or not — in any case, she still felt terribly awkward.

Still, not daring to say a word, she obediently climbed up the tree.

“Keep watch!”

Baili Weisheng tossed out just those two words, and then vanished…