The next day, before dawn broke, Yusang was still dreaming when she suddenly felt something continuously brushing back and forth across her nose, making her sneeze loudly from the tickling sensation.

“What are you doing? It’s not even light yet.” Yusang mumbled drowsily, thinking Yan Qige was playing tricks on her. But after a moment, she realized that given Yan Qige’s personality, he wouldn’t do such boring things, so she squinted one eye open slightly.

She saw a white fluffy thing right in front of her face, looking like a fox’s tail, soft and smooth-looking. The thing was swaying back and forth in front of her nose, just tickling it.

“Wake up, wake up…” The white fluffy thing made a tiny sound.

“Who?” Yusang immediately lost all drowsiness and scrambled up from the grass-covered ground.

“What’s wrong?” Yan Qige, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation on the grass mat across from her, was startled awake from his light sleep by her shout and opened his eyes to look at Yusang.

“There was a…” Yusang pointed to where she had just been sleeping and was about to speak, but halfway through, she turned her head only to find that the white thing from earlier had completely disappeared without a trace.

“There was what?”

“Uh… maybe… a strange beast? White and fluffy.” Yusang scratched the back of her head, speaking hesitantly.

As expected, Yan Qige looked at her with that disdainful gaze again, then closed his eyes to resume his meditation. Yusang felt a bit wronged—she had clearly seen something, but it vanished in the blink of an eye. She couldn’t explain it clearly, and Yan Qige was laughing at her cowardice in his heart.

When dawn was approaching, Yan Qige woke Yusang and had her wake Mingran, who was sleeping in the hut, to ask if there were any places nearby where they could stay. Because Mingran didn’t dare return home, fearing the villagers would throw her into the river again, although Hongzhu Village to the east was close, she couldn’t go there. They could only choose Huliu Town Market to the south.

They set off before sunrise, walking along the shimmering Hongzhu River for two hours until they reached a ferry crossing. Following the road from the ferry south for about half an hour, they arrived at a marketplace. The market wasn’t very large, but since it was nearly noon, the streets were quite lively with people coming and going.

“The town is small—there’s only this one inn,” Mingran said, leading Yan Qige and Yusang to the entrance of an establishment called Huliu Inn.

Calling it an inn, this was merely a two-story building, half-worn with age. Perhaps due to few guests, even the inn’s signboard above the main door was so old that its paint had peeled off without anyone caring to maintain it. If Mingran hadn’t pointed it out as an inn, it would be hard to recognize.

“Then this will do,” Yan Qige said, taking the lead to enter.

Yusang, already exhausted and powerless, followed behind. Just as she was about to enter after Yan Qige, he suddenly turned around and pushed her outside the threshold, saying, “You go to the clothing shop and buy some garments for Miss Mingran.”

“I’m so tired, let me rest a bit and have some water first.” Yusang said, trying to enter the door.

“When I tell you to go, you go. Did you hear me?” For some reason, Yan Qige’s expression suddenly changed, his voice turning cold.

“Why are you being so fierce? I’m not…” Yusang, who disliked being controlled and especially being ordered around, immediately felt displeased hearing Yan Qige’s attitude. She opened her mouth to retort that she wasn’t his maidservant, but Yan Qige interrupted her.

“If you don’t obey, don’t follow me.” Yan Qige stared at her with an expression that brooked no argument, as if he would make her leave immediately if she said one more word of protest.

Yusang secretly deliberated in her heart—if she tore things apart with Yan Qige, it would be all harm and no benefit to her. So she decided to endure for the moment, swallowing the words on her lips and changing her response to one of grudging helplessness: “I’ll go right now.”

“Go then.” Yan Qige waved his hand without much emotion.

Yusang turned and left, her heart full of doubts. After taking a few steps, she couldn’t help but look back, only to see Yan Qige leading Mingran into the inn. Mingran, in her red robes, walked gracefully with an enchanting figure.

Huliu Town wasn’t large, but being unfamiliar with it, Yusang still spent some effort finding a clothing shop. She selected and bought a set of dress and skirt, then headed back to the inn. But just after leaving the shop and walking a short distance, she felt something was wrong—it seemed like someone was always following her.

Yusang vigilantly used her peripheral vision to look around while continuing to walk forward without stopping. At an alley entrance, she quickly slipped inside, wanting to wait for her follower to deliver themselves to her. But after waiting a good while, nothing happened. When she poked her head out to look, there was nothing on the street except scattered pedestrians.

“It’s all Yan Qige’s fault for making me so angry that I’m becoming paranoid,” Yusang patted her forehead, muttering complaints as she returned to the main street toward the inn.

Not long after Yusang left the alley, white smoke gradually rose from the ground where she had hidden. After the white smoke dissipated, a snow-white little fox appeared on the ground. After jumping twice in place, it silently followed in the direction Yusang had gone.

Returning to the inn, Yusang entered to see a waiter cleaning tables. Seeing Yusang, the waiter adjusted the towel on his shoulder and continued wiping the table while saying, “You must be Young Master Yan’s maidservant. He left word for you to go directly to the Tianzi Room on the second floor when you returned.”

“Oh,” Yusang responded drowsily and went straight upstairs. Only after reaching the second floor did she realize she hadn’t asked clearly how to find the Tianzi Room. She wanted to turn back and ask the waiter again, but when she looked downstairs, there wasn’t a soul to be seen.

Fortunately, the inn wasn’t large and there weren’t many guest rooms on the second floor. Following the character plaques on the doors, Yusang easily found the Tianzi Room. Thinking this was where Yan Qige was staying, she raised her hand to knock, but heard voices talking inside.

“Young Master, please try this—it’s Huliu Town’s specialty, crispy tea.”

“Thank you, Miss.”

“Young Master, please call me Mingran. Don’t keep calling me ‘Miss’…”

Mingran’s voice was gentle, seeming to pout yet smile at the same time. Even without entering and seeing for herself, one could completely imagine her charming appearance at that moment. Yusang secretly laughed in her heart, thinking that Mingran had probably taken Yan Qige as her life-saving benefactor, and seeing his good looks, had developed romantic feelings, wanting to follow up with a tale of repaying kindness with her body. But given Yan Qige’s personality of keeping people at a distance and his sharp tongue, Mingran definitely wouldn’t get a warm reception. Thinking of this, she withdrew her hand that was about to knock and moved closer to the door frame to wait for the show.

“Mingran.” Unexpectedly, Yan Qige showed no objection whatsoever and casually went along with Mingran’s wishes.

Hearing Yan Qige become so gentle and amiable, Yusang was first surprised, then inexplicably somewhat indignant. It seemed Yan Qige’s personality of keeping people at a distance and being sharp-tongued wasn’t the same with everyone—meeting a beautiful woman like Mingran, he could also become gentle. Thinking of this, Yusang instantly lost interest in watching the show and turned to leave, but was called back by someone inside.

“Who’s outside?” Mingran’s voice came from inside the room, then the door opened, and Mingran’s pretty face, still faintly flushed, appeared behind the door.

“So it’s Miss Yusang who’s returned. You were gone for so long, I thought something had happened.”