Clouds and Moon Shadow

Although this route is somewhat remote, it's not deserted; it's about a day's journey from here to the Lizhou camp.

Given the limited means of transportation in ancient times, this place was quite far from the Lizhou military camp.

How small is this town?

It's just that it has two or three more inns, a few food stalls, a blacksmith shop, a jewelry and clothing shop, and of course, a town government office with a courtyard that's only one-courtyard-long, compared to a typical village.

Once upstairs, the waiter courteously led the two to their room.

Pushing open the door, Gu Qingyue casually tossed her bundle onto the table.

"Waiter, take good care of our horses and feed them the best feed," Gu Qingyue said, sitting on the edge of the bed, lazily stretching her arms and shaking her legs, feeling like she was about to fall apart from being jostled around by the horses.

"Oh, right, bring us some food," Gu Qingyue quickly added, remembering that they had been hungry all afternoon.

Outside the door, Mo Shaoshang, who was about to push open the door to enter the next room, couldn't help but smile when he heard Gu Qingyue's instructions.

"Alright, I'll bring it up for you right away. Please take a rest."

After saying that, the waiter went downstairs with a beaming smile.

The smile on his face suddenly disappeared as he turned into the kitchen.

Instead, there was an indescribable sense of gloom and terror.

'Knock knock-----', there was a knock on the door. Gu Qingyue looked up and saw Mo Shaoshang standing at the door with a smile on his face. He was tall and graceful, like a slender bamboo.

Huh! This guy's horse, which he's been riding all day, is completely different from mine?

I'm completely exhausted, like a lump of mud! I'm so tired I feel like I'm falling apart.

"Why aren't you resting yet?" Gu Qingyue stood up and walked towards the door.

"Not tired," Mo Shaoshang said as he entered the room and sat down at the table.

Gu Qingyue looked the man up and down with great suspicion, but then, remembering that he was probably also a martial artist, she felt relieved.

Gu Qingyue took out a box of pastries from her bundle, but in reality, she took out the box of pastries from her spatial storage space under the cover of the bundle.

He opened it, gesturing for Mo Shaoshang to try it.

Mo Shaoshang looked at the pastries in front of him, which were intact and still smelled sweet, and glanced at Gu Qingyue in surprise.

Despite the bumpy journey, the snacks were preserved in such good condition.

The thought only lasted a moment before Mo Shaoshang unceremoniously took a piece and put it in his mouth.

A soft, sweet, and chewy flavor, accompanied by the aroma of mango, invaded my mouth.

Mo Shaoshang paused for no apparent reason. Mangoes were not uncommon in this southwestern region, but he had never tried making them so delicious with desserts before.

"Very good," Mo Shaoshang praised without reservation. "Where did Qingyue buy it?"

Gu Qingyue quickly launched an advertisement for "Wenxianglou".

"Hehe, it reminds me of Wenxianglou. Their tea and snacks are indeed unique," Mo Shaoshang remarked.

"Yes, their tea, snacks, and food are all quite good," Gu Qingyue confidently advertised. The patron in front of her was certainly not short of money, so she would definitely patronize their place more often in the future!

"Hehe-----", Mo Shaoshang took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and continued leisurely, "I wonder where Qingyue is going? If you have time, I sincerely invite you to visit Zhucheng."

"The cities of Nanzhao?" Gu Qingyue asked, surprised by his invitation. "Would it be fun?"

Mo Shaoshang looked at the girl's eyes, which suddenly became bright and sparkling, and his mood also lifted.

“It’s fun! The Lin Guan Lou at Bai Ma Bie Yuan, the Zhou Xin Pagoda on the banks of Qiu Jiang River, and the peach blossoms covering the mountains of Jin Guang Temple are all great places to visit,” he said, staring intently into the girl’s eyes.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyue's heart indeed began to stir with desire.

I really want to go see it!

She came into this world and, apart from fleeing and struggling to establish herself, she has never had the chance to leisurely visit any fun places!

Unfortunately, with ongoing border conflicts, now is not the time to go and have fun.

"Hmm, that sounds good. Maybe next time. I have something important to do right now," Gu Qingyue suddenly said, deflated.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you in Zhucheng,” Mo Shaoshang said with a smile.

Half an hour later, the waiter, followed by a kitchen worker, brought up the food.

He warmly invited the two to eat while it was hot.

Gu Qingyue had been to this restaurant before. Although the waiter seemed to be a new face, she had seen the kitchen helpers before.

In these small-town inns, there is usually only one manager, one waiter, and one chef/apprentice in the kitchen. Often, the manager is also the chef.

So, unfazed, they sat down and prepared to eat.

Gu Qingyue picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of stir-fried cured pork. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the man opposite her, and her gaze met his.

The two exchanged a knowing glance and then lowered their heads to continue eating.

Beside them, the waiter enthusiastically introduced the restaurant's new dishes and chefs to the two of them, his pride evident in his words.

Seeing that the two of them had eaten the stir-fried pork, a sly glint flashed in his eyes.

However, Gu Qingyue, who had lowered her head, was still somewhat surprised.

As a doctor herself, it's not surprising that she could tell the food had been spiked, but for the man opposite her to have such a keen palate... well...

But considering he runs a herbal medicine shop, it's not that surprising.

But to be honest, she was still amazed to find dishes with sesame seeds in this remote town.

Not only is this thing extremely hard to find, but it is also, to some extent, not a poison, but it is a rare ingredient in some kind of sedative.

Ordinary people simply cannot taste the difference, and even if they could, they wouldn't know that it's a catalyst for another drug.

With this, even if someone is drugged, not even a god could wake them up.

If the poison is not neutralized within two hours, the person will die from nerve paralysis.

The two finished their meal slowly and deliberately, and watched as the waiter attentively carried the tray away to take their leave.

The two looked at each other.

"Alright, get some rest. We have to travel tomorrow," Gu Qingyue said, seeing that Mo Shaoshang was still sitting there and didn't move, and immediately urged him to leave.

She felt that the way the other person looked at her was too gentle, and she felt a little uncomfortable.

Thinking that she might have to deal with people outside tonight, she wanted to quickly get some rest.

"Okay," Mo Shaoshang wanted to say a few more words to the woman, but he didn't expect her to kick him out directly. He didn't resist, stood up, and went back to his room next door.

The night is deep and quiet, the sky is high and the moon is cold.

A faint sound of footsteps echoed on the stairs.

This ridiculously small guesthouse currently only has two guests staying there.

Gu Qingyue yawned, sat on the bed, fully clothed, and lazily waited for the troublemakers outside to arrive on time.

She had already slept enough in the space, and had been waiting for almost half an hour, but she still hadn't come.

It's so slow!

Gu Qingyue had just released her spiritual power when she saw five people dressed in black and masked, discussing something for a long time in the kitchen.

Among this group, the waiter's eyes were particularly cold, completely unlike his affable demeanor from the evening.

People are indeed complex; who would have thought that you could encounter a master actor in this small town?

Moreover, he was a bandit from Black Wind Village, a remote mountain village twenty miles away.

However, she was still a little curious about the bandits who were plotting against her.