I want to be innocent, but they don't allow me

Donglai Pass, outside the city gate.

Li Mu looked at the pedestrians and vendors coming in and out of the city gate and raised his eyebrows.

"This doesn't look like an invasion by the Ran people at all. It's all a conspiracy."

"How about we go to the surrounding counties and see if there are any bandits or robbers?"

Zhao Chuyi tugged at the corner of Li Mu's clothes, her voice shrinking.

Li Mu was a little surprised. He turned around and saw the little girl's eyes evading. He asked in confusion:

"Aren't you going to look for your master? You're already at the door, why don't you go in?"

Hearing this, Li Mu's eyes became suspicious. He bent down and stared at Zhao Chuyi, teasingly saying,

"You don't want to default on your debt, do you? You don't want to pay me, do you?"

Zhao Chuyi felt the man's hot breath falling on her face, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, the blush spread from her neck to her ears, she closed her eyes and shouted:

"How is that possible? I will never go back on my word."

After waiting for a while, he didn't hear any response from Li Mu, so he opened his eyes carefully and looked.

However, Li Mu was already walking towards the city with Shanshan.

"Shanshan, come with me to set up the stall later. You've taken all the money. My pockets are cleaner than my face."

Shanshan bumped Li Mu with her shoulder and said proudly:

"Don't worry, sir. When Miss sees Master, she will prepare a great gift for you."

When Li Mu heard about the gift, he was immediately moved and thought,

"This soft rice tastes delicious. Pah, I earned it through my own hard work."

Zhao Chuyi, who was standing behind them, looked at the two people's familiar backs and felt more and more melancholy.

----

After the three of them entered the city, they went straight to an inn to rest.

According to Zhao Chuyi, she would wait until the next morning to look for her master, and Li Mu had no objection to this.

So Li Mu went to the inn, lay down on the bed and fell asleep. Along the way, all the punishment of evil and fortune-telling really exhausted Li Mu.

Late at night, Li Mu woke up again from that dream filled with people calling his name.

Looking at the bright moon outside the window, I sighed slightly.

"Those should be my friends and family from before I traveled through time."

Li Mu woke up from his dream and lost his sleepiness. He got out of bed and sat at the table by the window. He took out the bamboo slips and started reading them.

"Hide the Blade? This one-shot attack method that uses the internal energy always gives me a strong sense of déjà vu. What is it?"

Li Mu put down the bamboo slips in his hand, looked at the moon outside the window, and tapped the table rhythmically with his fingers.

As he was thinking, Li Mu frowned and his mood became a little irritable. He always felt that it was very familiar, but he couldn't remember it for a while.

Suddenly, it was as if lightning flashed through Li Mu's mind. His brows relaxed, his pupils contracted, and the shock on his face was difficult to conceal.

"Oh my god, this is not a martial arts secret book, this, this is a combat technique for cultivation!"

"squeak~"

The sound of footsteps outside the door interrupted Li Mu's thoughts. He looked in the direction of the sound and heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Dong dong dong."

"Sir, are you asleep?"

Li Mu raised his eyebrows and estimated the time in his mind. It was probably already midnight. He thought,

"It's past ten in the evening. What kind of girl would knock on a man's door at this time? She doesn't have any intentions towards me, does she?"

Before Li Mu could think more, the voice outside the door rang out again.

Li Mu had no choice but to go forward and open the door, and said with a stiff upper lip:

"Shanshan, why aren't you sleeping so late? What's wrong?"

Shanshan smiled and saw Li Mu open the door. She put her arm around Li Mu's shoulders and pushed Li Mu towards the door.

This action frightened Li Mu so much that he shrank his neck and got out of Shanshan's clutches. He looked at her vigilantly and said anxiously:

"Good boy, I treat you as a brother, but you actually have evil intentions towards me!"

Hearing Li Mu's words, Shanshan deliberately showed an aggrieved expression and lowered her head and said:

"I will be parting with you tomorrow, I just came here to say goodbye to you."

"Really? Can't we say goodbye tomorrow?"

Li Mu looked at Shanshan with suspicion, obviously not believing her lies.

"Of course, there's something else."

Hearing this, Li Mu quickly took two steps back, put his hands in front of his chest, and said firmly:

"Well, I told you that you were up to something, but you still didn't admit it."

After a pause, Li Mu thought for a moment and then changed the subject, saying earnestly:

"Shanshan, you are a good girl, but I really treat you as a brother. You have to understand that a forced melon is not sweet."

"Hahahaha, sir, do you treat me as a brother?"

When Li Mu heard Shanshan's bold laughter, his eyes twitched and he changed his words:

"Sister, I think it's okay for you to be my elder sister?"

Shanshan waved her hand and said with a smile:

"I understand what you mean, you are indeed good-looking, but your body is a little thin."

As he said this, he patted Li Mu on the shoulder.

Li Mu was immediately furious and indignant.

"Who are you talking about? I'll let you know that I'll keep you company for a night, ahem..."

Li Mu stopped thinking halfway and laughed awkwardly.

"Indeed, it is indeed a bit weak."

Before he finished speaking, Shanshan suddenly knelt on one knee and bowed:

"Master, please accept Shanshan's bow, no, three bows."

As she spoke, Shanshan first banged on the ground, and then banged twice more. Just when she was about to bang for the fourth time, Li Mu finally reacted and rushed forward to grab Shanshan.

"I dare not. I dare not kowtow again. If I kowtow again, it will be like going to the grave."

Shanshan seemed to have just reacted and quickly stood up, scratching her head in embarrassment.

Li Mu was also a little happy when he saw Shanshan's honest appearance, thinking,

"As long as our friendship doesn't deteriorate, whatever you say is what matters."

Then he suddenly thought of something, looked up at Shanshan, and said anxiously:

"Have you learned the divination technique?"

Shanshan seemed to have been caught in a weak spot. She smiled unnaturally and said:

"How can that be possible? I can never learn Master's divination technique."

"Then why do you call me Master? What can I teach you?"

Li Mu didn't know whether he should be happy or worried that others couldn't learn this "divination technique". He simply stopped thinking about it and looked at Shan Shan in confusion, thinking,

"You don't know that I'm practicing a dual cultivation technique, so you want to learn it too."

Shanshan did not answer Li Mu's question directly. Instead, she waved the table next to her from bottom to top. The table suddenly exploded and wood chips flew everywhere.

"Master, I'm at the second level. I'm at the second level."

Then, Shanshan grabbed Li Mu's shoulders with both hands and shook him hard, the surprise between her brows was difficult to conceal.

Li Mu felt that his entire body was about to be shaken apart, and he quickly called out to warn them.

"Stop shaking, stop shaking, aren't you already at the second level?"

Shan Shan also realized that she was getting a little carried away, so she quickly let go of Li Mu, folded her hands in front of her belly, pretending to be well behaved, and said sincerely,

"I usually fight with others relying on my physique and natural strength. My boxing and kicking skills are only third-rate."

As she spoke, Shanshan looked at Li Mu with burning eyes and expressed gratitude.

"I didn't expect that the sword skills my master taught me would help me improve so quickly. I'm afraid there is no precedent in the entire Xing Dynasty."

However, these words confused Li Mu, and he cautiously opened his mouth to test:

"What formula?"

Shanshan seemed to have seen through Li Mu a long time ago. She raised her hand and patted Li Mu's arm, then said with a smile:

"Master, please stop pretending. I have already chosen you. You have no choice but to accept me."

As he spoke, he imitated Li Mu's tone and frowned.

"A heavy sword has no edge, and great skill is not skillful. This sword will be yours from now on."

After saying that, he quickly looked at Li Mu, as if he had seen through everything, and said with a firm tone,

"Have I learned it well, Master?"

The veins on Li Mu's forehead jumped.

"You are a monster, right? I don't want to take the credit for this."

At this moment, their faces froze at the same time, and they looked towards the door together, only to hear a woman's soft voice coming from the door.

"Sir, are you asleep?"