In Qi Lixiao's eyes, Li Zhichen had never been a dodder flower relying on others for growth. Instead, she was more like a wild and free gust of wind.
Even though the road ahead was full of thorns, Li Zhichen could always fight her way out.
And he... When would he be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with Li Zhichen?
Thinking of this, Qi Lixiao felt a tightness in his chest, and the smile in his eyes faded a bit instantly.
Li Zhichen had no idea what Qi Lixiao was thinking.
She stepped forward, took the somewhat cold hand - warmer, picked up a stick to stir the charcoal inside, and then put it back into Qi Lixiao's arms.
"Let's go. It's time to go home."
Qi Lixiao's eyelashes fluttered slightly. Somehow, the depression that had been lingering in his heart just now suddenly dissipated, and he felt inexplicably more at ease.
Seeing that Li Zhichen was about to leave, Shopkeeper Shang subconsciously looked at the unconscious Yao Liu and hesitated a bit.
"... Should we call a doctor for Head - Escort Yao?"
Li Zhichen, who had already walked out of the inn, shouted back, "No need. He'll wake up soon."
She knew that Yao Liu was not a bad person at heart, so she had only made a point during the competition and didn't use much force at all.
As for why Yao Liu had fainted?
Most likely he had fainted out of anger...
In the evening, after packing her luggage, Li Zhichen took Qi Lixiao to the inn.
Meanwhile, Shopkeeper Hu was busy arranging a banquet at Guixiang Tower to entertain everyone. More than a dozen dishes were all cooked by the head chef of Guixiang Tower. Li Zhichen's eyes lit up at the sight, and she was almost dizzy from the delicious smell.
As the leaders of the two groups of escorts, Li Zhichen, Qi Lixiao and Yao Liu naturally sat at a separate table with Shopkeeper Hu.
Yao Liu, being a martial artist with a tough constitution, had indeed woken up after sleeping for an afternoon. Now he was sitting at the corner of the table opposite Li Zhichen.
He glanced at Li Zhichen and quickly averted his gaze.
Yao Liu now had complex feelings towards Li Zhichen. There was admiration, curiosity, and fear.
Most importantly, every time he saw Li Zhichen now, he felt a dull pain in his chest!
"Escort Li, Head - Escort Yao, I'll have to rely on you all the way!" Shopkeeper Hu raised his cup in salute.
"It's our duty."
Yao Liu clasped his fists and drained his cup in one gulp.
Li Zhichen picked up her cup and sniffed it twice. The taste was so strange that it was indescribable. She frowned imperceptibly.
At the same time, she heard Qi Lixiao's jade - like voice ringing low and deep in her ear.
"This Qiang wine is too strong. Let me drink it."
Li Zhichen was stunned for a moment and hesitantly brought the cup to his lips.
Qi Lixiao looked gentle, but when it came to drinking, he was straightforward. He drank up the wine in the cup right from Li Zhichen's hand.
Seeing this, Shopkeeper Hu's eyes towards Qi Lixiao showed a bit more admiration.
Such a fine young man. If he weren't a cripple, his future would surely be bright!
The banquet began. For a moment, there was a clinking of glasses. Everyone was toasting and chatting merrily. Only Li Zhichen was eating seriously, gobbling up the food.
At first, Yao Liu only took one bite of the cold dish and then kept holding his cup, chatting with Shopkeeper Hu. When he wanted to eat more, the plate of crispy chicken legs in front of him was already empty.
Yao Liu:......
He put down his chopsticks and couldn't help but say, "Escort Li has quite a good appetite."
Li Zhichen grinned from ear to ear. "Where, where. Thank you for the compliment."
Yao Liu's eyebrow twitched. He almost couldn't help shouting that he wasn't complimenting her!
Just then, Li Zhichen picked up the last chicken leg in her bowl and took a bite. Just as she was about to swallow it, she heard the system issue a task.
[Please feed the chicken leg in your hand to your husband within five minutes!]
Li Zhichen's movement froze. She looked at the chicken leg with clear tooth marks in her hand and fell into deep thought.
After taking care of Qi Lixiao for some time, she had a general understanding of his preferences.
Although Qi Lixiao had been tempered by life and no longer showed his sharp edges, he was still a prince's son in the royal mansion after all. There were still many things he was particular about.
He had clear likes and dislikes. Even the lotus root slices he ate last time were coaxed out by her. How could he possibly eat the food she had already eaten...
As Li Zhichen thought, she removed the bone from the chicken leg and held the meat in front of Qi Lixiao. She leaned closer and asked tentatively, "This is the last one. Do you want to eat it?"
Hearing this, Yao Liu subconsciously looked in their direction and his heart skipped a beat.
Was this still the Li Zhichen who had beaten him during the day?
At this moment, Li Zhichen's small white teeth were slightly exposed, and her dark eyes were shining brightly as she stared at Qi Lixiao. There was also a bit of sweetness and coquettishness in her expression.
Li Zhichen like this seemed, well, quite good - looking...
Yao Liu was startled by his own thought. But looking at the gentle and charming appearance of the girl not far away, somehow, he just couldn't take his eyes off.
What he didn't know was that while he was looking at Li Zhichen, a pair of cold eyes were also watching him.
Qi Lixiao's previously happy mood vanished completely. The hand hanging by his side tightened little by little, and there was a turbulent undercurrent in his eyes.
He didn't know why, but he didn't want others to see this coquettish side of Li Zhichen.
The possessiveness churned in his heart, but Li Zhichen was completely unaware and leaned even closer to him...
Seeing that Qi Lixiao didn't say a word, Li Zhichen thought he was in a dilemma.
Fortunately, there was no death warning for this task!
Just as Li Zhichen was about to take back her hand, she saw Qi Lixiao's thin lips move. Then he bit down without hesitation and actually ate the part that Li Zhichen had just bitten!
Looking at Li Zhichen's stunned expression, there finally appeared a bit of a smile in Qi Lixiao's eyes.
He chewed carefully and praised.
"It's really delicious. Thank you, wife."
[Congratulations to the host for completing the task. You have obtained the reward item - Storm × 1.]
[It is detected that the task target has triggered an intimate nickname. Reward: 2 hours of health points!]
The eyes of the escorts like Yao Liu were all fixed on them. Shopkeeper Hu and Shopkeeper Shang also blushed and quickly averted their eyes.
Although some of them were already married, they had never seen a couple being so affectionate in front of everyone!
..........
Early the next morning, Shopkeeper Hu carefully counted all the goods and silver. After Yao Liu personally checked them again, the goods were locked in different escort carriages in batches.
Seeing Yao Liu insert the escort flag symbolizing the escort agency's name on the carriage, the escorts shouted the escort slogan in unison and set off in a mighty manner.
The other escorts were all riding horses. Li Zhichen was worried about leaving Qi Lixiao alone, so she greeted Shopkeeper Hu and sat in the carriage at the end of the team with Qi Lixiao.
The carriage was moving steadily. The dead trees by the roadside quickly retreated, merging into a long straight line.
Li Zhichen lifted the curtain and took a look. She saw that the carriage had already left the outskirts of the capital and entered the territory of Qinglong Mountain.
At the same time, fine snow began to fall from the sky. The surrounding forests were dense, but the wind that blew carried a cold and desolate atmosphere.
Li Zhichen's eyelids twitched. For some reason, a sense of foreboding suddenly rose in her heart.
I don't know how long it had passed when suddenly a scream came from outside the carriage.
"Bandits! There are bandits!"
After the shout, the neighing of horses and the clashing sounds of swords and guns rang out all at once!
Li Zhichen didn't hesitate and lifted the curtain. She saw dozens of bandits leaping out of the bushes not far away. Each of them was holding a long spear, a short sword, a sharp blade, or a strong bow, and they were slashing at anyone they saw!
The coachman in front of their carriage panicked and fled the carriage. But he had only run a few steps when a bandit stabbed him through the chest with a knife. He let out a pained scream, and his blood soaked the whole land!
Li Zhichen's expression darkened. She was about to get out of the carriage to fight, but unexpectedly, a flash of cold light suddenly passed by. A sleeve arrow hit the horse's belly precisely!
The horse let out a pained neigh and reared up its hooves, dragging the carriage around in circles!
The carriage jolted violently. Seeing Qi Lixiao about to fall to the ground, Li Zhichen quickly supported him.
At the same time, the tall horse pulled the carriage uncontrollably towards the distance!
Li Zhichen was afraid that Qi Lixiao would get hurt, so she didn't dare to fight against the horse head - on. She could only hold the reins tightly and try to control the direction.
Her palms were burning with pain from the reins. She didn't even need to look to know that blood was oozing out.
Qi Lixiao's situation was not good either. He lowered his head and pursed his lips tightly without saying a word.
It felt as if his internal organs were being churned into a mess. His breathing became faster and faster as the carriage sped up, almost unable to keep up with his heartbeat...
Yao Liu at the front of the team finally realized something was wrong. He took a quick look in the direction of Li Zhichen's carriage and was instantly shocked.
He saw that the carriage had reached a hillside not far away. The horse hit a boulder and instantly broke free from the reins!
Li Zhichen and Qi Lixiao, who were completely unprepared, were thrown out of the carriage and fell straight down the steep hillside, disappearing from sight!