The local customs here seemed quite open. On the streets, men often walked bare-chested, older men preferred to keep mustaches, and customs everywhere differed from the Wei Kingdom. They had arrived at a fortunate time—Tianshui City would be holding the “Water Festival” in two days. This was a significant local holiday, drawing residents and merchants from dozens of miles around.

The Feng family immediately felt the inconvenience brought by the festival:

All inns, large and small, were full.

Madam Xu disliked drawing attention and didn’t want to flaunt her wealth while traveling. She had planned to find a clean, mid-range inn to stay in, but they discovered that several places had no rooms available. Finally, they headed toward the city center and found a place called Ganlu Inn with an impressive facade that reportedly had rooms.

Following the mistress’s requirements, the Feng family steward quickly requested two superior rooms. Just as he was about to pay the deposit, someone forcefully pushed past him, shoving him into a corner while saying, “Young Master He wants five superior rooms, hurry up!”

The innkeeper cautiously replied, “Two rooms were just booked, and only two superior rooms remain, though we still have some middle-tier lodgings…”

The man jerked his chin to the side and said, “If you can’t provide five superior rooms, you might as well quit this job.” His gaze swept over the Feng family steward as he sneered, “He hasn’t paid the deposit yet, so it doesn’t count as confirmed.”

The steward angrily responded, “How can you not understand first come, first served? I requested the rooms first…”

The innkeeper noticed several richly dressed individuals standing nearby, one of whom, clearly Young Master He, looked quite displeased. He could only give the Feng family steward an apologetic smile and say, “We’re just a small business, so I must ask for your understanding. Since you haven’t paid the deposit yet, please don’t put us in a difficult position.”

The Feng family steward was unwilling to yield, but at that moment, Madam Xu entered with Feng Miaojun’s hand in hers. Her beautiful eyes quickly assessed the situation, and she spoke up, “Let them have it, we’ll leave.” When traveling, it was important to maintain harmony. After two years of independent business management, she thoroughly understood this principle.

Though she wore a hat veil, her figure was graceful, and she led a young girl who appeared delicately carved from jade. It was evident that both were beauties, one large and one small. Despite facing State troubles, Feng Miaojun had always been pampered. Her small face still retained some baby fat, as fresh as a newly steamed white bun, so soft that one would want to pinch it. Her obsidian eyes were clear and bright without a trace of impurity—standing in a temple, she would look like the fortune-bringing child beside the God of Wealth.

In just a few more years when she matured, she would be a great beauty.

If the small one was this good, the larger one naturally wouldn’t be inferior.

A tall figure emerged from the group of wealthy young men, slightly bending down to smile at Feng Miaojun: “How about I let you have one of our rooms? My brother He and I can share a room for our late-night discussions.”

He had handsome features, dressed appropriately with a gentle demeanor, especially his bright eyes, making him stand out among the group of four or five people.

Feng Miaojun snorted, “No need for yours.” She tugged at Madam Xu’s hand and said, “Mother, this place is chaotic and full of annoying pests. I don’t want to stay here!”

With the little princess expressing her dislike, Madam Xu naturally headed toward the exit: “Hmm, we won’t stay.”

The group behind them didn’t take this small incident seriously and continued their cheerful conversation. She overheard Young Master He saying to the youth who had offered them a room: “Women are always petty, don’t mind them. Brother Ziyao, tonight I’ll take you to a good place where the ladies are much more welcoming.”

How dare he compare them to those kinds of women? Feng Miaojun frowned, then heard this “Brother Ziyao” laugh and say, “No hurry, let me see first the ‘Fruit King’ you brought. I hear it’s already a hot favorite to win this year’s Water Festival championship.”

The last thing Feng Miaojun heard was Young Master He boasting proudly: “You have good taste. The Left Qiu family may have all kinds of rare treasures, but Little Brother guarantees that Brother Ziyao has never seen a fruit taller and bigger than a person!”

Turning from the main road into smaller alleys, the Feng family caravan had almost traversed the entire Tianshui City before finding an inn to settle in at the western corner of the city. This location was remote, and the conditions were naturally far inferior to those on the central main street, though the price wasn’t much cheaper. The guest rooms were adjacent to the stables, creating an unpleasant smell, and the innkeeper’s attitude was sour: stay or don’t stay, there are plenty of others who will, and any later would mean no rooms at all.

Madam Xu still wanted her adopted daughter to stay comfortably, so she arranged a separate room for Feng Miaojun. After everyone was settled, she and her daughter took the steward out to see the festivities. Peng Bai also stayed at the inn, but the wounds on his arms were not fully healed, forcing him to rest at the inn while directing his guards to protect the little princess from afar.

To Feng Miaojun, though Tianshui City seemed a bit hot, dirty, and chaotic, it was truly a wonderful place. The local soil and water were excellent, producing all kinds of fruits, making it a famous fruit-growing region for a thousand miles around. The group casually bought a few slices of cold melon (watermelon) from a street vendor, and one bite threatened to give them diabetes from the sweetness.

People had joked that anything with “melon” in its name grown in Tianshui would be at least twice as sweet as those from elsewhere.

Of course, sweet potatoes didn’t count—locally, they were called red and white yams.

The highlight of the annual “Water Festival” was the “Melon King Contest” and “Fruit King Contest,” where each village selected its largest and sweetest entries to compete. Winning the championship was the best promotion for a village’s specialty products, so it was held with great fanfare every year.

After their journey’s fatigue, Madam Xu and her daughter didn’t wander for too long before returning to the inn. Feng Miaojun bathed and chatted in her adoptive mother’s room until her beautiful hair was half-dry before returning to her room.

￥￥￥￥￥

The clouds in the sky were thick, often obscuring the moonlight. A wind had risen in Tianshui City, causing the trees throughout the estate to rustle loudly, making Feng Miaojun toss and turn, unable to sleep soundly.

Who knows how much time had passed when there came a faint “crack” from the window lattice outside. The sound was subtle, almost inaudible amidst the wind, yet somehow it woke her up.

Feng Miaojun rubbed her sleepy eyes and suddenly saw a huge, dark shadow occupying the wooden chair beside her bed!

In the darkness, a pair of bright eyes stared at her.

An intruder! Her eyes, which had been mere slits, flew wide open. Without thinking, she let out a shrill scream and quickly shrank diagonally backward, about to jump off the foot of the bed.

The dark figure leaned forward, covering her mouth with his hand, stopping her scream before it fully emerged. His palm was broad, and his fingertips curved inward, gripping the major artery in her neck. Just a light press here would make her dizzy and disoriented.

With this single move, she could neither scream nor struggle.

The dark figure raised his other hand to his lips, making a gentle “Shh” sound: “It’s me.”

The voice wasn’t unfamiliar, and at that moment, the clouds in the sky shifted, allowing moonlight to pour in, illuminating a full beard she knew well.

Mo Ti Zhun!

Was this guy’s spirit relentless? She had traveled over a hundred li away and still ran into him! They say a dark and windy night is perfect for murder—what did this imposing figure want, sneaking into her bedchamber?