Chapter 12: A New Strategy

I was stunned for a long time until a burly man in black grabbed my arm.

"No... wait..." I calmed myself down. I really couldn't understand, so I asked Lu Beiteng loudly, "I saved you on the mountain road! Is this how you repay me?! It's practically a life-saving favor!"

Lu Beiteng raised his eyes and glanced at me: "After all that fuss, you pretended to save me, cough... who sent you? Fifth Brother, or Thirteenth Brother?"

No...

Why is he suspecting me...

Who is Fifth Brother, and who is Thirteenth Brother?

"A piece of trash, why bother talking to her, brother." Lu Beihan's voice was cold. He raised his eyes and glanced at the burly man in black. "Aren't you going to take her away?"

This time, the burly men in black used force and pulled my arm hard.

I knew the situation was settled. I turned my head and found my old acquaintance—the burly man in black sitting at the door.

"Sir, excuse me, I like you again."

"..."

Time once again returned to when the stars had just adorned the night sky.

---

I stood outside the inn, not yet having met the burly man in black guarding the door.

I stood there for a while, then angrily turned around and went back to the big tree outside the town.

From a distance, I saw Shen Yuan perched on the thickest branch, waving and greeting me.

I was so angry that I picked up a stone and threw it at him. Shen Yuan dodged two stones, tilting his head to the side, and finally simply flipped over and obediently jumped down from the tree.

"Time reshaping, I knew our little fruit was at a disadvantage, but why are you so angry? Doesn't Lu Beiteng know what's good for him?"

"I think it's you who doesn't know what's good for you!" I was so angry that I glared at him and cursed, "If you can't do the job of Cupid and the God of Love, you might as well just die! Don't get in my way! What kind of terrible ideas are you coming up with! There's no fate! There's no opportunity! It's just me being delusional!..." I paused and added, "We! Mainly you!"

Despite my barrage of scolding, Shen Yuan wasn't angry. He just crossed his arms, tilted his head, and looked at me thoughtfully, saying, "So, what exactly happened this time?"

I suppressed my anger, crossed my arms, sat down on the spot, and briefly explained what had happened.

Shen Yuan listened to me, nodding as he spoke. After I finished, he clicked his tongue and said, "That was deliberate."

"What?"

"Little Liangguo, you were too deliberate."

I picked up a stone and threw it at Shen Yuan again: "You came up with the idea! And now you're telling me it was deliberate after the fact!"

Shen Yuan didn't cry out in pain after being hit by my stone. He stretched out his fingers and began to teach me: "The first step, going back to the inn and calling the innkeeper was correct. Lu Beihan didn't say anything at the time. But the second step, going to the wrong door, that was deliberate. There's a barrier on the door, you can't push it open. You should have cried out in pain, or taken three steps back and called the innkeeper, or immediately realized you went to the wrong door. After you stood in front of the door for a while..."

"Alright!" I interrupted Shen Yuan, "You're such a good actor, go ahead."

"But..." Shen Yuan blinked innocently, looking at me: "It's not me who needs true love."

I closed my eyes and composed myself.

Although I was angry, it was indeed me who needed true love.

"Lu Beiteng..."

I murmured the name, then went over the several times I had met Lu Beiteng in my mind. I remembered the soft "Miss" that came from behind me on the mountain path, and I thought of the last time Lu Beiteng saw me on the second floor of the inn, and his surprised "Miss".

These two "Miss" were indeed less wary than when he saw me just now.

"...Maybe there's something going on," I concluded. "I haven't been in the human world for long, and I've only left a clue with him."

"Right?" Shen Yuan agreed.

"But acting isn't my forte. I'm too inexperienced at faking it..."

Shen Yuan nodded in agreement: "A little..."

I looked at Shen Yuan: "But you're very good at it."

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow.

I straightened my back, crossed my arms, and stared at him: "You teach me."

Shen Yuan looked at me silently for a moment, then laughed: "Little Liangguo, are you praising me or insulting me?"

"Insulting you, you're so cunning," I said bluntly. "But now it's time for you to unleash your cunning and work with me against the enemy." I raised my hand, pointing to the red acacia flower on the back of my hand. "Think of a way to create an array so you can see what's happening on my side at any time, and transmit the sound to my brain, but without being noticed or heard by others, so you can adapt to any situation and unleash your cunning."

Shen Yuan stroked his chin, examining it: "Hmm, this method is comparable to my cunning. Little Liangguo has a bright future."

I gave a forced smile: "Thanks to you."

---

Shen Yuan was skilled at drawing arrays.

After half an hour, as night deepened, Shen Yuan finished drawing the array on the back of my hand. We stood a little further apart and tested the array; it worked perfectly.

We spent some more time adjusting the clarity of the image transmitted from my side to his mind, and also adjusting the volume of his voice transmitted to mine.

When everything was perfectly matched, the array on the back of my hand was completely completed, then disappeared beneath the red acacia flower mark.

"Let's go," I said to Shen Yuan. "Remember, this is my last chance for Cupid."

Shen Yuan nodded: "Go with peace of mind. In the Ten Thousand Years of Longing Palace, all the marriage templates are my creations."

I didn't look back, and walked further and further away into the night.

Because we were delayed this time, by the time I returned to the inn, the inn's doors were already closed, and the black-clad warriors inside were probably already asleep in the inn's lobby.

I stood at the inn's door, hesitating for a moment.

"Don't hesitate," Shen Yuan's voice came in my mind, "Knock on the door. You are now a little healer who has said goodbye to your senior brother and returned alone. Starting tomorrow, you will be venturing into the world alone. Tonight, the inn is your only refuge."

Okay.

"Innkeeper? Innkeeper, please open the door." I knocked.

After a moment, the door opened a crack.

It was an old acquaintance, the burly man in black who was "guarding" the door. So familiar that I even wanted to greet him.

"The inn isn't accepting guests tonight," the burly man in black said.

"Shut him up," Shen Yuan in my mind said. "You checked in this afternoon and already paid."

"What do you mean?" I braced myself against the door and yelled, "What's wrong with this inn? I arrived this afternoon, how can you take my money and not let me stay?"

The burly man in black was taken aback.

A commotion erupted inside the inn.

"Oh dear, my apologies," the innkeeper's voice, slightly hoarse from just waking up, came through. "This is indeed a guest I served this afternoon. She's back late, everyone, please be lenient; my little shop still needs to do business..."

"Let her in," Lu Beihan said. "Don't disturb the neighbors."

Then the inn's door opened.

I went inside and saw the black-clad men had stacked tables and chairs to one side. They were all dressed, holding swords, sitting against the wall, not sleeping in the middle of the hall. Lu Beihan, however, sat with his arms crossed on a stool in the corner. It seemed he hadn't gone to stay by his brother's sickbed.

Are the rules of the Yanfeng Lu Clan really this strict? Are younger brothers not even allowed to stay with their older brothers?

"A quick glance is enough," Shen Yuan reminded me in my mind. "Go upstairs."

I did as he said and went upstairs. The innkeeper asked softly beside me, "Hey? Where's the young master who came with you during the day? He won't be knocking on the door again later, will he?"

"No," I replied. "My senior brother... went back to the mountains."

"He's not staying?"

"Yes, he's not staying."

"Be careful not to get upset," Shen Yuan reminded me.

I immediately sighed.

The innkeeper continued, "It's already late at night, so we can't refund the room fee..."

Last time we clearly refunded two copper coins...

I thought about it, not wanting to cause any more trouble, and was about to nod when Shen Yuan reminded me, "According to your usual temper."

So I immediately got angry: "That's not the rule. My senior brother only stayed for half a day."

"I reserved the room for you for the whole night. When these heroes came to ask, I told them there were no rooms available."

I thought about it: "What you said makes some sense."

It seems that last time, the innkeeper had acted on impulse, not wanting to cause any more trouble, and just paid to settle the matter.

I apologized to the boss, "Sorry for the offense. I'll pack up what my senior brother left behind tomorrow morning."

With that, I went upstairs.

No one called me back, and no one spoke again downstairs.

"Just go back to your room," Shen Yuan instructed me, "Don't go to the wrong room."

I obeyed and went back to my room, then sat down and poured myself some water.

"Wash your face and go to sleep," he said softly, "By normal standards, Xiao Liangguo has been exhausted for two days."

"..." Hearing this, I wanted to ask Shen Yuan a question—what?

I'm not going to do anything?

Just sleep?

How can I sleep?

Then I lay down on the bed and actually fell asleep.

I was truly exhausted. Both physically and mentally.

Last time, I was so focused on the mission of reuniting with Lu Beiteng that I was only woken up in the middle of the night by the coughing from next door.

Now, Shen Yuan simply said, "Go to sleep," without giving me any further guidance or pressure. I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

During the night, not only the coughing from next door, but even the rooster's crowing didn't wake me.

I finally woke up when the sun was so hot my face felt burning.

"Today is the third day of the eighth lunar month. Did Xiao Liangguo sleep well?" Shen Yuan's voice echoed in my mind.

I yawned, about to reply, but then remembered I was still on a mission. I patted my mouth and listened intently to the sounds outside. Suddenly, I heard a horse sneeze downstairs.

My heart skipped a beat. I immediately remembered seeing Lu Beiteng and Lu Beihan leaving the town in a carriage when Shen Yuan and I were playing with Rongrong at the dilapidated temple outside the town...

It was noon!?

I rushed to the window and looked down. Below, on the street, was the very carriage that had carried the two brothers.

The carriage was parked, waiting for passengers.

"Control your expression," Shen Yuan said. "Just pretend you're leaning against the window looking at the scenery."

So, I immediately suppressed my surprise, adopted a relaxed demeanor, and looked downstairs.

A moment later, Lu Beihan helped Lu Beiteng out of the inn.

The sun was high in the sky, and as the brothers boarded the carriage, the blazing sunlight made their faces appear excessively pale.

Lu Beiteng was still coughing, and this step before boarding seemed particularly difficult for him. He clutched his wound, taking a long time to recover. Lu Beihan watched him from beside him, his brows slightly furrowed, a hint of worry showing beneath his usually indifferent and cold expression.

I, still feeling drowsy from waking up, watched them indifferently from upstairs, treating them as part of the scenery.

"Help him, Xiao Liangguo," Shen Yuan said.

Did I really need help getting into a carriage? Once, when a meteor fell, his younger brother had carried him away so nimbly...

I thought to myself, but still obeyed Shen Yuan's words, using my fingertips to capture the scattered spiritual energy in the air.

I manipulated the scattered spiritual energy, slowly condensing it into points of light, which then gathered little by little into Lu Beiteng's body.

The firefly-like lights multiplied, attracting the attention of more than just Lu Beiteng. Lu Beihan, the black-clad warrior, and the passersby all looked at these shimmering points of light.

I directed them, drawing them together from all directions. In an instant, everyone looked around, except for Lu Beiteng, who, clutching his chest wound, struggled to lift his head and look at me on the second floor.

Due to the off-center sunlight, I pointed a point of concentrated spiritual energy at him, and in that instant as he looked up, the point of light, precisely, entered his black pupil...

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