With a strong push, suddenly the center of gravity shifted backward, both feet left the ground, and just as she was about to fall off the tree, Shi Cuiyan reacted quickly and hurriedly reached out to catch her.
“What are you doing?!” Shi Cuiyan, equally sleepy-eyed, looked at her and struggled to pull Xi Fuhong back.
Realizing she had caused trouble again, Xi Fuhong awkwardly looked up to apologize, but her lips accidentally brushed against Shi Cuiyan’s cheek.
Embarrassed, she tried to pull away, but Shi Cuiyan frowned and forcefully held her hands, pulling her into an embrace.
“We’re on a tree! If you want to mess around, at least choose the right place.” She sighed helplessly.
“It’s just a cheek, why such a big reaction? I’m the one who got kissed, not you.
I’ve never seen a girl with such thin skin.”
“I-I want to get down!” Xi Fuhong’s face was so red it was almost bleeding, she insisted.
Shi Cuiyan just smiled at her reaction and then, as requested, took her down from the tree.
As soon as Xi Fuhong landed safely, she immediately wanted to distance herself from Shi Cuiyan, afraid of being teased.
But after taking just two steps, Shi Cuiyan grabbed her arm again.
She turned back, wanting to shake it off, but Shi Cuiyan pointed seriously at the ground.
“Look, you’re about to step on someone.”
Xi Fuhong followed Shi Cuiyan’s finger and saw four large men lying where the fire had been last night.
They didn’t look like they were sleeping, as their faces were pale, and some were foaming at the mouth.
Xi Fuhong’s face turned pale.
Could it be that Shi Cuiyan’s words came true? They were attacked during the night, what about Divine Doctor Xue?
“Hey, little Hua’er, are you okay?” Shi Cuiyan asked with a sly smile.
Xue Baihua elegantly stepped down from the carriage, and upon hearing Shi Cuiyan’s words, she smiled and shot three silver needles, which Shi Cuiyan dodged.
Seeing Xue Baihua unharmed, Xi Fuhong breathed a sigh of relief.
She carefully stepped around the bodies and walked to the carriage, puzzled.
“Who are these people?” Xi Fuhong asked, full of confusion.
“…Bandits,” Xue Baihua replied coldly, not looking at the bodies.
“They’re indeed bandits, but why didn’t I hear any fighting last night?” Shi Cuiyan circled one of the foaming bandits, who held a steel knife but had no wounds, not even a silver needle.
“…Because they didn’t have time to shout before I poisoned them,” Xue Baihua said naturally, even yawning out of boredom.
Xi Fuhong shivered at the thought.
She knew the Divine Doctor could use medicine to torture people, but she didn’t know the Divine Doctor could kill so swiftly and accurately.
Those big men were twice the size of the Divine Doctor, yet they died without a sound.
Shi Cuiyan wasn’t too surprised either.
She bent down to collect the money from the bandits’ bodies, thinking it would be a waste not to take it.
“Divine… uh, Hua’er, are you hurt?” Xi Fuhong asked awkwardly, looking at Xue Baihua.
“…Ah Fu, are you worried about me?” Xue Baihua’s usual charm was gone, replaced by a hint of coldness.
Xi Fuhong was not used to this.
Usually, when she showed concern, Xue Baihua would smile charmingly.
Why was she acting differently today? Xi Fuhong rubbed her nose, planning to leave in annoyance, but Xue Baihua grabbed her wrist first.
“…What? Are you angry?” Xue Baihua asked softly, squinting her eyes.
After staring at Xue Baihua for a while, Xi Fuhong suddenly realized something.
It must be because Shi Cuiyan only took her to the tree for safety yesterday, leaving Divine Doctor Xue to deal with the bandits alone.
She must be upset that Xi Fuhong didn’t ask Shi Cuiyan to take her along.
“Hua’er, next time I’ll make sure Shi Cuiyan takes you too,” Xi Fuhong said honestly.
Hearing this, Xue Baihua flashed a deadly charming smile: “…Alright, next time Ah Fu must have Miss Shi take me too, so I can snuggle in your arms until morning, hmm?”
Xi Fuhong’s hair stood on end.
Did she say something wrong again?
“What are you two whispering about?” Shi Cuiyan approached, holding a cloth bag filled with jingling silver coins and two large knives with gem-encrusted handles, shining brightly in the sunlight.
Seeing Shi Cuiyan approach, Xue Baihua automatically got back on the carriage, clearly disliking Shi Cuiyan.
Xi Fuhong helped organize the loot, feeling that Shi Cuiyan was a bit excessive.
After all, these were dead people’s belongings.
Taking the money was one thing, but even taking the knives seemed inauspicious.
“I think… maybe we shouldn’t?” Xi Fuhong said hesitantly, looking at the steel knife in her hand.
“Not take it? Only a fool wouldn’t.
Do you know how much the gem on this handle is worth? At least thirty silver.
How can we just leave such a good thing lying around?” Shi Cuiyan clicked her tongue and laughed.
“Are you worried about taking things from the dead? Don’t worry, these knives were probably stolen from others anyway.
We’re just exchanging them for money.”
Xi Fuhong knew she couldn’t argue with Shi Cuiyan, so she put the knife away and jumped on the carriage to set off.
Along the way, a light rain began to fall unexpectedly.
Xi Fuhong covered her head with a coat, while Shi Cuiyan said a little rain wouldn’t hurt and sped up towards the next city.
After about an hour of travel, the rain didn’t get heavier, just a light drizzle that tickled her cheeks.
Xi Fuhong wiped her face and suddenly noticed a black dot circling in the sky.
Its color was similar to the dark clouds, and if it hadn’t moved, she wouldn’t have noticed it.
Just as Xi Fuhong was puzzled, Shi Cuiyan suddenly handed her the reins.
“Xi, help me out for a moment,” she said, then jumped up.
Seeing her move, Xi Fuhong looked up at the sky again.
The circling shadow swooped down with a bird’s cry, and she realized it was the large eagle she had seen on the boat.
Shi Cuiyan raised her left hand, and the eagle landed on her arm with a flap of its wings.
“Coming out in the rain, aren’t you afraid of breaking a wing?” Shi Cuiyan laughed softly, stroking the eagle’s feathers and skillfully removing the letter from its talons.
Then she shook her arm and said, “Go hide from the rain, don’t get hurt.”
The eagle seemed to understand, taking off with a few cries before disappearing into the forest.
Xi Fuhong found it fascinating that a bird could understand human speech.
Shi Cuiyan’s eagle must be incredibly smart.
If only the chicks she raised in the valley could understand her, she wouldn’t have had to chase after them all the time.
“Hehe, that’s great,” Shi Cuiyan said, looking pleased after reading the letter.
“What is it?” Xi Fuhong asked, looking up at her.
Shi Cuiyan only replied, “Heaven rewards those who work hard.”
A few moments later, they arrived at Tian Yu City.
Instead of going to an inn, they headed to a place with a sign that read “Wulin Branch.” Shi Cuiyan knocked on the door, and after a while, a child in plain clothes opened it, eyeing Shi Cuiyan and Xi Fuhong.
“Go report that the Black Dragon Tail Ring has arrived,” Shi Cuiyan said, glancing at him.
Upon hearing about the Black Dragon Tail Ring, the child didn’t need to report and opened the door wide, saying, “The leader has ordered that anything related to the Black Dragon Tail Ring can go directly to the main hall.”
Shi Cuiyan raised an eyebrow and walked in confidently.
Xi Fuhong hesitated but followed after Xue Baihua got off the carriage.
Inside, the atmosphere was oppressively tense, perhaps due to the overcast sky and drizzle, making the entire branch feel dark and somber.
Xi Fuhong shook off her thoughts and stepped into the hall, but as soon as she did, she wanted to run away.
