Chapter 132: What are you doing?

As Si Xueyi and Xiu Yan stepped down from the carriage, preparing to enter the inn, they suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure. Panicking, she quickly pulled Xiu Yan into a nearby alcove and clamped a hand over his mouth to silence him. Peering out at Yuan Qianlü, Si Xueyi wondered how on earth he had managed to track them down so quickly, and even entered the inn ahead of them.

"This is bad." Si Xueyi shook her head. That inn was definitely no longer safe to stay in.

"What is it?" Xiu Yan removed her hand and asked in a low whisper.

"I've run into the man who captured me before. He mustn't see me."

"What? Is it that same person from just now?"

"Yes, he wants to drag me back. There is no way I'm going back with him." Si Xueyi shook her head. Her priority was to find Si Nuosang; she could not afford to let everything be ruined at the hands of Yuan Qianlü.

"His martial arts look formidable."

"Really? You can tell?"

"Yes. His footwork, his breathing, his gaze—they are extraordinary." Xiu Yan shared his assessment.

"Of course, he is one of Xuanyuan Juesi's men."

"Xuanyuan Juesi? The current prince? What on earth is your connection to them?" Hearing the name Xuanyuan Juesi, Xiu Yan was thoroughly astonished. He then asked, "Was that man just now Yuan Qianlü?"

"You're sharp. Yes, it's Yuan Qianlü. They are the ones hounding me. I merely wanted to go and see my sister, but they tried to stop me. I managed to slip away, though. My physical prowess might not match theirs, but I certainly have the wits to make up for it." Si Xueyi sneered, and Xiu Yan fell silent. If the pursuer was indeed Yuan Qianlü, he had no confidence in his ability to defeat him in a fight. This was not the time to provoke a direct conflict.

"It looks like we won't be able to stay at this inn."

"Naturally. We need to press on and hurry away."

"No, we can't just travel on the road right now. Yuan Qianlü will undoubtedly have men lying in ambush further ahead, inspecting passing carriages. After all, who travels by night? Doing so would walk right into his trap."

"What should we do then? There's nowhere to stay. Are we supposed to sleep out in the wilderness?" Surveying the pitch-black surroundings, Si Xueyi muttered in dismay. The weather was rather chilly and uncomfortably damp; sleeping outdoors would guarantee a severe cold. She desperately wished they could continue their journey, but as Xiu Yan had just pointed out, setting out now meant marching straight into a trap.

"Let the carriage driver go and rest first. We'll look for lodgings nearby." Xiu Yan looked at Si Xueyi, and she nodded in agreement. For now, that was all they could do.

Xiu Yan instructed the driver to go rest and paid him for the night's accommodation.

Next, he and Si Xueyi walked forward. Just at that moment, Yuan Qianlü suddenly emerged. Quick as lightning, Si Xueyi grabbed Xiu Yan and pulled him backward, maneuvering him so that he faced Yuan Qianlü while she shielded herself behind him.

Yuan Qianlü glanced around this section of the street, noticing only a man and a woman locked in a tight embrace. Harboring no further suspicions, he strode off in a different direction.

Si Xueyi hurriedly released Xiu Yan and watched Yuan Qianlü until he vanished completely from sight.

"Phew, that was close. We almost got caught." Si Xueyi panted, her chest heaving continuously.

"Are you that terrified of him?"

"Terrified? Not at all. I simply have far more important matters to attend to and don't want to waste time on him." Si Xueyi was afraid of no one. Her singular focus was finding Si Nuosang.

"Hmm." Xiu Yan offered no further comment, merely gazing at her.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Si Xueyi suddenly noticed that Xiu Yan's eyes were fixed intently on her. Wondering if there was something on her face, she wiped her cheek with her hand. Finding nothing amiss, she challenged him with a question.

"I was just looking!"

"Never mind. Anyway, we need to figure out where we're going to spend the night so we have the energy for tomorrow. But with Yuan Qianlü blocking our path, what can we do? We have to find a way to get rid of him." Si Xueyi furrowed her brow, plotting something in her mind.

"Surely you aren't thinking of killing him, are you?" Xiu Yan looked at her dubiously.

Si Xueyi offered a subtle, knowing smile, feigning mystery as she leaned close to his ear—and then abruptly dropped the act, letting out a deafening roar: "Do you think I'm capable of killing him?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Xiu Yan clapped his hands over his ears, which were ringing as if he had been struck deaf. The speed at which she changed her demeanor was entirely too fast for him to keep up with.

"I can keep my voice down, but please, tell me where we are supposed to sleep tonight?" Si Xueyi was deeply troubled by their lodging dilemma; they certainly couldn't hang from the trees like bats.

"Let's head that way." Pointing in the direction opposite to where Yuan Qianlü had gone, the two of them slipped into an inn further down the street. Posing as a married couple, they followed the inn servant upstairs to a room. Si Xueyi immediately peeked through a crack in the door to check the situation outside, terrified that Yuan Qianlü might suddenly appear and catch them completely off guard.

After keeping a vigilant watch for a short while and seeing no movement, she turned back to find Xiu Yan sitting idly nearby. She snatched a quilt off the platform bed and tossed it at him.

"What is this for?"

"To sleep on." Pointing to the floor, Si Xueyi spoke matter-of-factly before climbing onto the platform bed to rest.

Xiu Yan let out a helpless sigh, laid out the quilt on the floor, and blew out the candle.

However, the next morning, just as they were preparing to head downstairs, they spotted Yuan Qianlü patrolling the street below.

"Wait, don't go down yet. He's down there." Si Xueyi grabbed Xiu Yan's arm and pulled him toward the window. Yuan Qianlü was indeed roaming the main thoroughfare, inspecting the passersby.

"Why hasn't he left yet? Wouldn't he assume we've already fled the area?" Xiu Yan muttered as he looked down at the man, wondering if their cover had been blown.

Just then, Yuan Qianlü turned his head upward. The two of them instinctively dropped flat onto the floor. Si Xueyi happened to land squarely on top of Xiu Yan, clapping her hand over his mouth with instructions that even if it hurt, he had to bite down and keep quiet—otherwise, if Yuan Qianlü discovered them, they wouldn't stand a chance of escape. Since he himself had admitted he was no match for Yuan Qianlü, caution was their only option.

Poor Xiu Yan was suffering in silence, acutely aware that Si Xueyi had landed squarely on a very sensitive part of his body.

Naturally, Si Xueyi was entirely oblivious to this predicament at the moment. After two agonizing minutes, she slowly crawled up, rose to her feet, and peeked a single eye over the windowsill.

Yuan Qianlü had finally walked away. However, at that exact instant, the sound of footsteps approaching their door echoed through the hallway. Si Xueyi took one look and thought, *Oh heavens, it's him.*

Panicking, she ripped off her outer garment and tossed it to the floor, then grabbed Xiu Yan and hauled him onto the bed. She flung herself across his body, obscuring his face completely.

"What are you—"

"He's coming up! Play along and act convincing if you want to survive!" She dealt a sharp punch to his chest.

"Ow, go easy."

"Shut your mouth."

At that moment, a heavy pounding shook the door. Si Xueyi desperately buried her face against his waist, squeezing her eyes shut as if fast asleep.

"Who is it?" Xiu Yan called out from beneath her.

"Inspection."

"This is an inconvenient time." Xiu Yan refused. But Yuan Qianlü had no regard for convenience; with a brutal kick, he smashed the door wide open. Xiu Yan feigned an expression of profound shock and outrage.

"What is the meaning of this? Is there no law left in this world?!"