Best friends dressed up in ancient times to become mistresses? You run, I run too!

If she was unwilling, how could Miss Liu possibly deceive him?

Is it true that even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman?

No, no, no, what kind of beauties hasn't his master seen? Not to mention those nobles who wanted to send their daughters into the mansion in hopes of currying favor with their master, the number of beauties sent by the officials below is countless.

Among them are many beauties from exotic lands.

But the master didn't even glance at them before sending them back untouched. He never seemed to be interested in them!

It has to be said that Miss Liu is truly capable, managing to make even an incorrigible master like herself bloom.

"Cough cough..."

Shen Ningzhu choked on her own saliva before she could react, and silently gave her a thumbs up.

"Sister, it has to be you, you're so brave."

"Then..."

“He is not a person who covets power and wealth. Since he is unwilling to come with us, he must still have unfulfilled wishes. We have agreed that I will wait for him for three years.”

Before the carriage knew it, it had arrived at the ferry.

Before boarding the ship, Song Hanchuan walked up to Liu Zhiyi and held her small hand affectionately.

In the end, all the words can be summed up in one sentence: "Take care on your journey."

He didn't even dare to tell her that she had to wait for him.

Liu Zhiyi rolled her eyes at him.

"Hmph, the matter of recognizing me as your brother last night won't be so easily forgotten. Are you sure you don't want to coax me a little? Although I promised to wait for you for three years, it doesn't mean I'll stay single for those three years."

"Xiaoyi means..."

"I will wait for you, but in these three years, I will also look for other outstanding men for myself, to prepare for the future."

Song Hanchuan smiled and gently pinched her hair bun, his tone certain, "You won't."

Liu Zhiyi glared at him, "Who said I can't?"

Song Hanchuan smiled confidently, gently pulled her into his arms, and took out a jade plum blossom hairpin from somewhere, carefully placing it in her hair.

Warm lips whispered in her ear,

"Xiaoyi, my courtesy name is Zimu. Before I leave, I want to hear you call me Zimu."

"Yes, Zimu."

Song Hanchuan smiled, his smile as bright as the warm winter sun, and whispered softly in her ear, "The sage said that one should call you by your courtesy name, which is Qingqing."

Xiao Yi, remember this: I am now yours. Once I've addressed you by your courtesy name, you can't go back on your word.

Liu Zhiyi wanted to ask him which sage had said those words, but by then, he had already stood up straight.

Liu Zhiyi paused for a moment, then had no choice but to turn around and board the boat.

To make matters worse, Shen Ningzhu was also seasick.

Helpless, after traveling for half a day, the group had no choice but to disembark at the next ferry crossing, intending to find an inn to rest for a few days before continuing their journey.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered the inn, they came face to face with another group of people, each of whom wore a sword at their waist and had sharp eyes.

The man at the head of the group wore a luxurious black robe and a half-silver mask, revealing his sharply defined jawline.

His lips were very pale, which suggested he was injured and had insufficient blood and qi.

At this moment, a guard walked to the front desk.

"Manager, how many Grade 1 rooms do you have left? We'll book them all, every single one of them."

Upon seeing that the newcomers were all wealthy and powerful, the shopkeeper began to break out in a cold sweat, glancing at Shen Ningzhu and her group beside him.

"Well... I'm sorry, sir, our top-class room number one has just been booked by these distinguished guests. Perhaps you could consider other places?"

"Or, the other rooms in our hotel are also quite clean, you see..."

At this moment, the man in black who had been silent spoke up, "Let's choose a few clean rooms to stay in first."

Upon hearing the man's cold voice, the two best friends froze simultaneously. Fortunately, they were standing in a corner and their reaction was inconspicuous, so no one around them noticed.

"But your health is so noble, how can you..."

"No need to say anything more. When you're traveling, there's no need to be so particular."

The innkeeper breathed a sigh of relief and personally led the group to their room.

After the person left, Shen Ningzhu's stiff body gradually relaxed, and she realized that her palms were already soaked with sweat, and even her back was covered in sticky cold sweat. Her clothes were soaked with sweat and clung tightly to her skin.

"Zhuzhu, what should we do?"

Liu Zhiyi lowered her voice.

Shen Ningzhu clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her flesh, only then did she manage to clear her head a little.

"We can't stay here any longer."

That scoundrel is as cunning as a sieve.

If they hadn't disguised themselves completely, changed their appearance, worn veils, and stood far away from him, they might have already been discovered by him.

"Okay, let's go to another store then."

"No, let's go straight to the ferry."

The longer the night, the more things could go wrong. We've come this far, and this time, we absolutely cannot allow any more accidents to happen.

After speaking, he called over the people who were following behind him.

"We'll split up later. A few people will stay in these rooms, making sure the other side doesn't notice anything amiss. The rest of you, come with me on the ship."

"Yes, ma'am."

The other party made the arrangements discreetly.

Shen Ningzhu and the others quietly left the inn and headed towards the ferry.

Thinking of how Shen Ningzhu had been vomiting terribly on the boat not long ago, Liu Zhiyi felt so sorry for her that she almost cried.

"No rush. There's a snack shop up ahead. I'll have someone buy some candied plums and some light snacks to take with you and eat on the boat later."

"But……"

"Stop with the 'buts'! Running away is more important than your life! You've almost vomited all your bile. The situation was so urgent just now, you didn't even have time to eat. How can your body hold up like this?"

"Don't forget, you still have a life inside you!"

Liu Zhiyi stopped abruptly, waited for the servants to buy snacks, and then pulled Shen Ningzhu to order two bowls of wontons from a street stall and started eating.

When they finished eating, the person who bought the snacks returned, and the group hurriedly set off.

Inside the inn

Jiang Xuan Yan sat at the table and slowly removed his eagle mask. Opposite him, an old man with a white beard was solemnly taking his pulse.

"Your Highness, your injuries look more serious than before; the situation is not good!"

"Your Highness, please rest at the inn for a few days until your injuries have healed before continuing your journey."

Jiang Xuan Yan withdrew his hand and said calmly,

"No need to persuade me anymore, just prescribe and apply the medicine for me."

Now is the perfect opportunity; he must seize it and take the position when they are off guard. Otherwise, who knows how long he will have to wait for the next chance.

For more than a decade, his patience had long since run out. This time, it was all or nothing; he would either succeed or die trying.

Even if it meant his death, he was determined to kill those people with his own hands and avenge that unfortunate woman.

"Alas, this old minister takes his leave."

The old man carried his medicine box out the door, and Jiang Yi walked in from the doorway, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Jiang Xuan Yan gave him a cold glance. "What is it?"

Jiang Yi coughed lightly, "Your Highness, another letter has arrived from the other residence."