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Mi Xi spoke and walked away with big strides.

Gu Xiaoxi watched his broad back, momentarily at a loss for words.

From the moment she met him,

Mi Xi had always been a mysterious figure.

Even now, with knowledge of so many of his secrets, she still felt there were vast depths and unknowns to him.

"Everyone move quickly!" Quan Shaoqing suddenly stopped, turning back to look at Gu Xiaoxi with a cold expression.

Gu Xiaoxi hurried to catch up, and once again, Mi Xi trailed behind the group at the very end.

Ai Xiang nudged Gu Xiaoxi with her elbow, whispering, "What were you talking to him about?"

"He gave me a Life-saving Talisman!" Gu Xiaoxi said.

"What kind of Life-saving Talisman could he have?" Ai Xiang looked back at Mi Xi.

Mi Xi carried his bag with an indifferent expression. When he glanced over, he offered her a gentle smile.

"I don’t know!" Gu Xiaoxi shrugged her shoulders, also uncertain whether his Life-saving Talisman would work.

Quan Shaoqing was right by their side.

Gu Xiaoxi knew that he must have heard their conversation.

Yet, he kept his face sullen and silent.

She couldn’t guess what he was angry about.

...

In the afternoon, everyone arrived at the base of Sacred Mountain.

Sacred Mountain was very tall, and in contrast, the base was a vast expanse of flat land.

Pure-hearted villagers lived there, and from a glance, the end of the houses and village was not in sight, with children playing with mud in front of the humble adobe dwellings.

Because strangers had been arriving continuously for some time, the villagers had grown accustomed to it.

"Where is Gu Feng?" Yun Xiao looked at the vast village, which likely housed thousands.

Finding Gu Feng wouldn’t be easy.

"Since we’re here, he will definitely show up," Quan Shaoqing pondered for a moment before saying, "First, let’s find an inn to stay in. See what kind of people are arriving."

No sooner had they entered the village than they bumped into Danny Jay.

Gu Xiaoxi counted, and this was another acquaintance.

"Gu Xiaoxi, how come you’re here!" Danny Jay was happy to see her, but when he saw Quan Shaoqing, his face showed a trace of indifference.

"Did you receive a letter from Gu Feng too?" Gu Xiaoxi asked.

Danny Jay chuckled, "Of course not, I just got the message and came to check it out."

"What a waste of effort!" Ai Xiang muttered, exasperated. Of course, she spoke in the language of Liuli Country, which Danny naturally couldn’t understand.

"Alright, since everyone is here. After we settle in, let’s ask the villagers if anything unusual has happened," Quan Shaoqing said, then looked at Gu Xiaoxi, "You come with me."

"That doesn’t seem quite right!" Gu Xiaoxi felt it would be better to go with Yun Xiao.

"You’re my wife, is it a degradation to be with me?" Quan Shaoqing didn’t wait for Gu Xiaoxi to refuse; he wrapped his arm around her waist and left with her.

With money, they quickly rented a hostel.

But the conditions were very poor, Quan Shaoqing took Gu Xiaoxi to a small, separate adobe house where they would stay, one day away from the meeting time arranged by Gu Feng.

As dusk fell, Gu Xiaoxi looked at the room which had only one bed, thankfully clean.

But how would they sleep on this one bed at night?

"I’ll go outside to see if there are any suspicious places, you rest first," Gu Xiaoxi said. The journey had not been very tiring for her, but Quan Shaoqing seemed weary.

Especially the tiredness around his eyes, it was heart-wrenching to see.

"We’ll go together!" Quan Shaoqing put down his backpack, expressionless.

"I can go by myself, you rest here," Gu Xiaoxi felt that this trip, being with Quan Shaoqing, was inexplicably awkward.

They moved closer together unintentionally, each with their own thoughts, yet neither voiced them out.

She couldn’t share her thoughts with him, and he couldn’t be honest with her.

Thus, she felt it would be better to act separately.

Gu Xiaoxi turned to leave in silence.

But Quan Shaoqing suddenly reached out and embraced her.

Gu Xiaoxi was startled and quickly tried to push his hand away, "What are you doing?"

He didn’t let go; instead, he hugged her more tightly, catching her flailing wrist and trapping her entire body close in his embrace, leaving her unable to move.

"Let go!" Gu Xiaoxi didn’t understand his intentions and couldn’t help becoming angry.

Quan Shaoqing maintained a stern face, and when he lowered his head, the woman’s profile was just a few centimeters away from his own.

In the dimness of the small room, he couldn’t discern what expression Gu Xiaoxi wore, only smelling the enticing fragrance emanating from her.

Regardless of what love was, right now, this woman was his wife.

He wouldn’t allow another man to blanket her.

Nor did he want to see her whispering with another man.

"What exactly do you want to do, Quan Shaoqing?" Gu Xiaoxi struggled for a moment, but couldn’t get away, so she said angrily.

"I just want to tell you who is your man. If you get too close to him again, I will not let it go lightly," Quan Shaoqing said coldly.

"You..." Gu Xiaoxi had intended to explain.

"Don’t believe me? Just try and see!" Quan Shaoqing held her tight, as domineering as a raging lion.

Gu Xiaoxi couldn’t resist, biting her lip, letting him hold her.

In the dim room, they couldn’t see each other’s expressions, only a hint of awkwardness spreading in the room.

He held her, even if the reason was anger. But after warning her, he still didn’t want to let go.

Holding her, all his sadness, loss, and anger from the past days seemed to be smoothed away. Even, he thought about holding her like this forever, never letting go.

It was an addictive feeling. Yet he had to kick this habit...

His heart was struggling!

She bit her lip, reason telling her to leave quickly...

But weirdly, she felt so good nestled against his chest.

She couldn’t move her feet, she didn’t even have the strength to push him away.

Time seemed to have stopped, and the room was filled only with their hot breaths.

"Xiao Xi! Dinner’s ready!" Yun Xiao’s voice at the door broke the awkwardness in the room.

Quan Shaoqing immediately let go of her hand, releasing her.

A chill ran down Gu Xiaoxi’s back, a coldness creeping over her entire body. As if without his support, she suddenly felt lonely and unsupported again.

She took a deep breath, allowing herself to slowly regain her rationality.

"The only thing that binds me is our marriage certificate, Quan Shaoqing. Even as your wife, I have the right to freedom. Please respect me in the future. I will not marry anyone else, nor will I ever fall in love with you," Gu Xiaoxi said, clenching her fists tightly before striding away.

She felt a coldness on her back, like the coldest of winters, but still she coldly walked away.

If she sought a warm embrace, it would be betting with his life.

I’m sorry!

It was a gamble she couldn’t take! Even if she had to be lonely and unsupported for life, she wanted to live well with him.

If there was to be hatred, let it be!

Once the heart grows cold, one will not love with fiery passion!

"Smash!" The moment she stepped out the door, she heard the sound of the small wooden table shattering.

He must be very angry!

Thinking this, she suddenly felt a deep pain in her heart.

The area around her heart felt as if it were being cut by a blunt knife, little by little.

She had hurt him!

Realizing this, tears involuntarily fell.

Yun Xiao stood there, stunned, unaware of what had happened, only sensing that the atmosphere was off, "I’m sorry, did I come at a bad time?"

"No!" Gu Xiaoxi quickly turned back for a glance at the cabin and said to Yun Xiao, "Go check on him."

With that, Gu Xiaoxi ran off quickly.

She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t be able to resist turning back to tell him—

Actually, she really loved him.

Yun Xiao stood at the door, unsure of what to do.

She was clumsy and didn’t know how to speak, and she was even more at a loss when she saw Quan Shaoqing get angry.

Just then, Ai Xiang came out.

"You go have dinner! Leave this to me," Ai Xiang said, striding into the house.

There was no light in the room, the sun had set, and darkness filled the space.

She couldn’t even see where Quan Shaoqing was sitting!

The village had always used oil lamps; electricity hadn’t reached here yet.

Ai Xiang took out a lighter, a flash of light illuminating the room, and Quan Shaoqing stood in a corner like a blackened log.

He quickly found a lamp and lit it, bathing the room in a dim glow.

Ai Xiang walked over, frowning at the broken pieces of the table and his bleeding fingers.

"What happened, who got you so angry?" Ai Xiang quickly pulled up a chair to sit down.

Of course, he knew exactly why, but he was looking for a reason, so he wouldn’t feel sad.

"Tell me, what is love?" Quan Shaoqing lifted his cold eyes, looking back at him with an icy tone.