The queen is crazy and spoiled, and the tyrant bows to her

After saying this, Xie Zhiyan still stood in front of Jiang Wantang, refusing to give in.

The two of them were in a stalemate.

Jiang Wantang frowned, said nothing, and walked around.

Her arm was tightly grasped by a hand, and Jiang Wantang tried to break free but failed.

She turned around and looked at Xie Zhiyan with an annoyed look in her eyes. Her tone could not hide her impatience and anger: "Xie Zhiyan!"

"What on earth are you going to do?"

"Jiang Wantang..." Xie Zhiyan clenched his fist under his sleeve, trembling slightly. He held her arm a little harder and said, "Going in is tantamount to seeking death, you..."

"That's enough, thank you, sir!"

"I appreciate your kindness, but this is the path I want to take. It has nothing to do with you. Please let me go."

The four words "It has nothing to do with you" were like cold and sharp needles that easily pricked Xie Zhiyan's nerves, causing a sharp pain.

He lowered his eyebrows, suppressed his emotions, and said calmly: "What if... I must intervene?"

Jiang Wantang sneered, his eyes sarcastically saying, "Who do you think you are to me? What gives you the right to control me?"

After she finished speaking, she struggled to free her arm.

Xie Zhiyan suddenly felt like something was blocking his throat, and an indescribable bitterness filled his heart.

Who is he?

In her eyes, he was probably nothing.

Xie Zhiyan clenched his fists tighter and tighter, and finally spoke with a difficult tone: "I promised His Majesty that I would protect you when he is away."

Jiang Wantang raised his eyes to look at him, sneered, and his voice gradually turned colder: "So?"

"Thank you, sir. How are you going to stop me?"

"Knock me out like before?"

Xie Zhiyan's eyes unconsciously showed a hint of pain and sadness, but it quickly subsided.

"I won't..." His voice was so soft that he felt powerless. He said, "I know that no one can stop you from doing what you want to do."

"So, I'll go in with you..."

This is why Xie Zhiyan stayed in the inn waiting for Jiang Wantang to wake up. He had guessed that she would do so.

Since I can't stop her, I'll just accompany her.

Jiang Wantang's pupils suddenly tightened, and she looked at him in disbelief: "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not joking..." Xie Zhiyan looked at her, his eyes calm and his words serious: "Protecting you is my duty."

Jiang Wantang frowned, his eyes indifferent: "But I don't need it."

After saying that, he repeated: "I don't need your protection, and I don't need you to do this."

"Just go..."

After she finished speaking, she took a step back, turned around and walked up the mountain in another direction.

Xie Zhiyan didn't try to stop her. His clenched fists slowly dropped behind him...

He watched the slender figure moving farther and farther away from him.

Gradually, a hint of red appeared in his eyes.

After a moment, Xie Zhiyan followed.

There was always a distance between the two of them, neither far nor close.

Jiang Wantang had only taken a few steps, before entering the mountain, when she suddenly heard a woman's cry for help...

It was night and the surroundings were pitch black. The sound seemed particularly creepy in this gloomy mountain area.

Jiang Wantang paused, frowned slightly, and walked towards the voice without hesitation.

Xie Zhiyan, who was following behind her, became alert when he heard the sound.

The area around Wuming Mountain is rarely visited by people. Not to mention at night, no one dares to set foot within a radius of more than ten miles even during the day.

At this time, in this place, it was really strange to hear such a cry for help.

As the distance got closer, Jiang Wantang vaguely saw a blurry figure behind the big tree in front.

She walked over quickly and saw a woman sitting on the ground behind the tree. She was wearing a bright red wedding dress. The color of the dress was dazzling, gorgeous, yet full of endless weirdness.

The woman's hair was scattered messily on her shoulders, the gold jewelry in her hair was crooked, and a few strands of hair were still stuck to her tear-stained face.

It was obvious that the woman was not very old. The makeup on her face should have been festive, but it was now mottled with tears and dirt. The makeup on her eyes was smudged like two deep black holes, and the rouge on her lips also extended beyond the lip line, as if she had just sucked blood, which was creepy.

Jiang Wantang was stunned for just a moment, then continued walking forward.

The girl in red cried for help and looked at Jiang Wantang who was walking towards her with a look of horror, her body trembling.

Seeing this, Jiang Wantang slowed down his pace and said softly, "Don't be afraid, girl. I am also a human being..."

"Where are you from, girl? Why are you here so late at night?"

However, the girl in red continued to tremble, looking at her with fear, without saying a word.

Jiang Wantang walked forward, squatted in front of her, raised his hand and held the red-dressed girl's cold hand. The latter subconsciously shrank back.

Jiang Wantang held her hand tightly and whispered, "My hand is warm..."

"Can you feel it?"

The girl in red was startled when she heard this, then relaxed her vigilance a little, but still stared at Jiang Wantang without saying a word.

Jiang Wantang sighed, raised her hand and untied the headband on her head, and her long black hair fell like a waterfall.

She handed the hairband to the woman, and said soothingly, "Don't be afraid. Look, I'm a woman too."

"My sister got lost around here, and I came here specifically to look for her."

The girl in red looked at Jiang Wantang's drooping black hair, then looked at Jiang Wantang's face, and finally fell on the headband. Her lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.

Jiang Wantang raised his hand and patted hers, comforting her: "Don't be afraid. Why don't you tell me what happened to you?"

The girl in red grabbed Jiang Wantang's hand and burst into tears, "Sister, please, save me! I've only just reached marriage, and I don't want to die yet!"

"me......"

The girl in red had just opened her mouth when she burst into tears due to her overwhelming emotion.

Jiang Wantang raised his hand to wipe her tears and comforted her, "Don't be anxious, talk slowly."

After a while, the girl in red stopped crying and said slowly, "My name is Xiao Lian. I am a villager from a village near the foot of this mountain. A few days ago, the village chief came to my house and said that the mountain god was going to marry a wife, and I was one of the brides..."

"A mountain god is getting married?" Jiang Wantang's pupils shrank sharply. A horrifying thought suddenly occurred to him. He asked, "Which mountain god is this?"

The girl in red was stunned for a moment. She stretched out her hand and pointed tremblingly at the distant Wuming Mountain. She whispered timidly, "That's the ghost mountain over there..."

After she finished speaking, she saw Xie Zhiyan suddenly appear, and she screamed in fright, and quickly huddled in Jiang Wantang's arms.