Ruyi clicked her tongue and drove the carriage to the alley entrance as instructed, then helped him down and left him at the Ministry of Justice gate.

Zhou Tingchuan felt the world spinning around him. Just as he was about to fall, he was suddenly caught by someone.

The strong smell of alcohol spread from the alley. Shen Qiyuan supported him and said irritably, “You certainly had a good time.”

Zhou Tingchuan mumbled incoherently, pointing at the food boxes behind him, unable to speak clearly.

Ruyi helped him carry the food boxes over and said flatly, “These are the dishes the little lord ordered. That’ll be twenty taels.”

Shen Qiyuan pressed his lips together, took out a bank note to give her. She took it and stuffed it into her chest, then turned to leave.

“Hey.” He called out to stop her. “You got my clerk this drunk and you’re just leaving?”

Ruyi found it amusing and glanced back lazily, “What, do you want me to do his work for him too?”

Of course, he couldn’t have her do the work. Shen Qiyuan lowered his eyes, not knowing how he had said such words—perhaps he just wanted to keep her for a moment.

He opened his mouth to say something more when the carriage curtain at the alley entrance was suddenly lifted.

“Are we home?” Wei Zijue stumbled down, his drunken eyes misty as he was about to collapse onto the steps.

Ruyi hurried over to support him, saying irritably, “No, this is a tiger’s den and wolf’s lair—you can’t sleep here.”

Wei Zijue could no longer understand anything; his body collapsing like cotton onto Ruyi. His index finger tapped the multi-treasure hairpin in her hair, smiling until his eyes narrowed into slits, “The one I chose still looks better.”

Shen Qiyuan watched this chaotic scene expressionlessly, tossed Zhou Tingchuan onto the side steps, and said flatly, “Had I known Commander Wei was also such an indulgent person, I shouldn’t have pleaded before His Majesty to let him escort the grain supplies.”

Her face darkened. Ruyi turned to look at him, “So it was you.”

Wei Zijue mumbled along, “Thank you for Lord Shen’s assistance.”

Thank you my foot! Ruyi stuffed Wei Zijue into the carriage, then turned to stand before Shen Qiyuan, “Did you do this on purpose?”

He was head taller than her. Looking down with some mockery, “Wei Zijue at least thanks me, yet you’re quite concerned about this.”

“Stop talking about other things. What intentions you have, Shen Qiyuan, others may not know, but how could I not know?” She was somewhat angry, the veins on the back of her hands showing.

“Oh?” Shen Qiyuan chuckled lightly, “What intentions do I have? Do tell.”

“…” She opened her mouth, then swallowed back her words in frustration.

What fool would confess without being caught?

His gaze at her was deep and mocking. “Ensuring the grain supplies are completely safe is Commander Wei’s duty. If the proprietress has other plans, then you’d better carefully consider whether this handsome young man is more important, or whether you are more important.”

He glanced toward the carriage direction, “This young man doesn’t seek wealth, so he’s not as easy to fool as the one on the street.”

Ruyi swallowed her breath, pursed her lips, and looked up with a fake smile, “Thank you for the Lord’s reminder.”

“Proprietress, you’re quite…”

Before he could finish saying “polite,” she stepped hard on his foot with such force that his expression instantly changed from one of pain.

Ruyi leisurely cupped her hands toward him, “Then this little woman will take her leave first.”

“Go slowly,” he said through gritted teeth, “I won’t see you off.”

The carriage departed in a cloud of dust. Shen Qiyuan looked down and saw a hairpin had fallen in the nearby grass, multi-treasure inlaid, brilliantly dazzling.

He sneered coldly, turned around, and carried Zhou Tingchuan along with the food boxes into the office.

The pitch-black back door closed with a “bang.”

After the seven-day rest period, everyone on the street looked somewhat lazy. Even the vendors selling soup along God’s Street lacked energy, muttering complaints about having to work again.

He Tinglan got up but saw that her proprietress had already left, not even having time to eat the breakfast on the table, taking only a steamed bun with her.

“What did she go do?” Tinglan asked Fuman in puzzlement.

Fuman gestured: She went to see off Commander Wei.

Rubbing her hungover head, Tinglan finally remembered that Commander Wei had received a new assignment to escort grain supplies and was departing today.

She looked toward the door.

Lin’an City had beautiful scenery today. The grass near the city gates had grown up, the mountains were splashed with dark green, the water rippled blue, and the slender willows were like spring shirts.

Wei Zijue stepped through the spring scenery out of the city, unable to help but look back frequently, “Really, no need to escort me, we’re already outside the city.”

Ruyi rode her horse, paying particular attention to surveying the surroundings, “To be honest with the commander, I need to go to the neighboring city to purchase some ingredients. I’m somewhat afraid to travel alone, so I wanted to borrow your escort to bolster my courage.”

This made sense. Wei Zijue nodded and apologetically said to her, “Yesterday, I couldn’t handle my liquor well and troubled you.”

“The commander has excellent drinking manners and wasn’t difficult to handle.”

As she spoke, she turned to look at the nearby forest.

She hadn’t slept all night, tossing and turning, and her conclusion was—she couldn’t break faith with Wei Zijue. He had paid dearly for her back then, and now that he was mortal, she couldn’t obstruct even such a small wish of his.

So at daybreak she had informed those little demons under her command that they couldn’t make a move today. But somehow, seeing the dark sky over the city outskirts, she felt uneasy.

“Stay close.” Wei Zijue also felt something was wrong, “There have been frequent murders in the city outskirts recently. Don’t stray too far from me.”

Ruyi acknowledged, squinting to survey the forest ahead, suddenly saying, “I need to relieve myself.”

Wei Zijue’s face reddened. He quickly reined in his horse, “I, I’ll have them wait here. Go quickly and return quickly.”

“Alright.”

Ruyi dismounted, covering her stomach as she entered the forest alone.

As soon as the gaze from behind disappeared, she lowered her hand and said coldly, “Come out.”

Several fierce beasts bared their fangs, wanting to resist. Ruyi raised her hand, and intense demonic energy like a thousand-pound stone instantly pressed them to the ground, making them whimper in supplication.

She withdrew her hand and turned her head to see seven or eight fierce beasts carrying their respective masters emerge from among the branches and leaves—all demons who had already cultivated human form.

“We won’t block your path, so you have no reason to block ours.” A green-clothed female demon at the front spoke delicately, “With such fat prey before us, what demon would fight among themselves first?”

Ruyi said calmly, “I can give you incense offerings from elsewhere as compensation. Let them pass.”

“That won’t do. How could several years of incense offerings compare to so much grain?” The green demon clicked her tongue and shook her head, “You seem more capable than us, but with so many of us together, you might not be able to protect them. Why not join us instead—we’ll give you a third of those things.”

She had thought they had some mission, but it turned out they were just highway robbers.

Demons who had achieved human form would naturally covet worldly wealth. Ruyi knew she couldn’t persuade them, so she simply cast a barrier first.

The originally bright forest instantly became pitch black. Several demons changed expression, looked at each other, and immediately attacked simultaneously, striking first.

Ruyi calmly dismantled their moves, using full force when exchanging palms. One demon was sent flying and instantly had its soul scattered and spirit destroyed.

“What vicious methods.” The green demon angrily revealed her true form, “Liu Ruyi, this isn’t over between us!”