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

To be honest, Liu Zhiyi wasn't sure either.

After all, a fox is a fox, and a police dog is a police dog. No matter how clever a fox is, there's still a difference in species between it and a police dog.

But looking at the mother fox and her cub walking ahead with their heads held high and full of spirit, a sense of confidence inexplicably welled up in my heart.

As the sun began to set, its rays bathed the earth in a warm glow.

Golden light spilled across the earth, and golden leaves swayed gently in the air.

Scattered sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Inside the dilapidated temple, Shen Ningzhu clenched her fists tightly, listening quietly to the rustling of leaves outside the temple. Her body tensed involuntarily as she silently waited for everything to end.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside.

Shen Ningzhu's palms tightened, and she immediately looked nervously at Chu Xiong. He smiled faintly at her and gestured with his chin for her to hide first.

Shen Ningzhu pursed her lips.

He quickly hid behind the statue, held his breath, and strained his ears to listen carefully to what was happening outside.

Just then, unexpectedly, came in two white foxes, one large and one small.

The fox was agile and lithe, its entire body snow-white, its fur glossy and shiny, shimmering like fine satin in the sunlight.

They stood not far apart, one in front of the other.

The arrogant fox-like eyes slowly opened, first glancing at Chu Xiong, then fixing their gaze on the direction of the statue.

Shen Ningzhu had some guesses in her mind, but to be on the safe side, she did not rush to come out.

Until Liu Zhiyi strode into the dilapidated temple.

His eyes lit up immediately, and he ran out quickly.

"Xiaoyi, I'm here."

"Zhuzhu, are you alright? Let me see quickly, has that bastard Jiang Yanche done anything to you?"

Shen Ningzhu shook her head.

"Don't worry, you're not hurt."

Liu Zhiyi was relieved, and the two best friends hugged each other excitedly, chattering away.

"I won't allow you to put yourself in danger like this again, understand? Next time something like this happens, I'll go with you. At least I know a little martial arts, so we can look after each other. It's too dangerous for you to be all alone!"

Shen Ningzhu nodded haphazardly.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, from now on I will listen to you."

Liu Zhiyi listened quietly to her obviously perfunctory words with a blank face, and rolled her eyes helplessly.

"Can you be serious for once?"

"Don't forget, you have two babies! Think about it, what would happen to them if something happened to you?"

"Having lived here for so many years, you must know what children without parents face, right?"

Shen Ningzhu pursed her lips.

Of course she knew all this; she had realized it back when she returned to Sweetwater Village.

This era values ​​clan heritage, and people of the same clan rely on and support each other.

Even if a large and prosperous family has never produced any outstanding figures, a person can still walk down the street with great confidence, and few dare to provoke them.

Conversely, families that are declining and have few male heirs, even if they are powerful and influential, will be looked down upon, with outsiders eyeing them covetously, always ready to devour their descendants.

Children without fathers or mothers are ridiculed and called wild children. Even if they are of noble birth, they are secretly looked down upon.

This is also the main reason why, after they fled Luoshui Town, they left Qingfeng behind and had him pretend to be Shen Ningzhu's husband and Liu Zhiyi's brother.

The purpose is to avoid attracting attention and being bullied by outsiders.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

She would never put herself in danger until the very last moment.

"Ahem, my lords, since we have nothing else to do, shall we head back now?"

The Prince of Chen's henchmen are still running rampant in the city; it's really not safe for them to stay outside.

Shen Ningzhu hummed in agreement, looked at Chu Xiong huddled in the corner, cleared her throat, and said...

"Why don't you come back with us too?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to Chu Xiong, only to discover his identity in surprise.

"You are... the eldest son of the Prime Minister's family?"

Liu Zhiyi's eyes widened in shock, her mouth agape as if she could fit an egg in it.

At first, they all thought he was a beggar staying at the temple, never expecting that he was an acquaintance.

She moved her lips as if to ask something, but ultimately held back. Her gaze was complicated as she stared at him, waiting for his reply along with Shen Ningzhu.

Chu Xiong's eyes lit up, and his lips moved slowly.

“I…I am the descendant of a disgraced official.”

Shen Ningzhu sighed, stepped forward and said to him earnestly, "It's alright, you're not the one who's guilty."

Chu Xiong was momentarily confused.

"What's the difference?" Shen Ningzhu didn't give him time to think further and turned directly to Qingyun, saying...

"Take the brothers guarding outside, take down the door panels of this dilapidated temple, and find two more people to carry Chu Xiong. We'll go and meet up with your master as soon as possible."

Only then did everyone notice the unusual appearance of Chu Xiong's lower body.

A flicker of disbelief flashed in his eyes, and upon closer inspection, a hint of sympathy could be seen.

"Yes."

On the way back, we did encounter several groups of fleeing Chenwang Party members.

Fortunately, Liu Zhiyi and the two foxes joined the battle, and those people were soon either subdued or killed.

And so, they arrived at the backyard of the county government office.

Song Hanchuan and Jiang Xuanyan were both dealing with the matter of the defector, and when the two best friends returned, they did not see the two men.

Li Jiaojiao has regained consciousness.

She was so traumatized that she became mentally unstable, refusing to let anyone near her, and would punch, kick, bite, and scratch them if they did.

Even Madam Li couldn't do it.

Madam Li was moved to tears upon seeing this.

Shen Ningzhu didn't have time to care about those things. After being on edge for a day or two, she was exhausted and hungry. Now that she had finally given up, she couldn't hold on any longer.

The county government office is now completely staffed by Jiang Xuan Yan's men, so it's quite safe.

So she had a meal prepared, ate her fill, and then had some sent to Chu Xiong as well. She also asked Qingyun to find a doctor to check on him.

After arranging everything, he closed the door and fell fast asleep.

Half-asleep, she noticed a man's presence in the room, followed by the bed sinking slightly beside her.

A familiar scent wafted into my nostrils.

Shen Ningzhu didn't open her eyes and continued sleeping. But before she could sleep for long, the man rolled over and pinned her down. His strong body covered her completely.

A cool, soft touch came from her lips, gently tracing their shape, disrupting her breathing and causing her to open her eyes helplessly.

It was already dark, and a bright moon hung in front of the window, illuminating the courtyard as if it were daytime.

Moonlight streamed through the window, allowing Shen Ningzhu to clearly see all the expressions on the man's face.

His dark eyes were deep and narrow, his phoenix eyes were incredibly profound, like an ancient well, calm and still, yet deep and bright, as if they could completely draw people in.