As Hua Wuyou walked out of the courtyard, he heard the melodious sound of a flute. His expression changed, and he swiftly left Qinglin Academy.
In a bamboo grove...
A girl in purple stood respectfully before Hua Wuyou.
"Palace Master, the internal spy in Palace of No Worries has been caught. She is waiting for you to decide her punishment."
Hua Wuyou looked at her and casually said, "Purple Clothed Girl, do I need to be notified about such trivial matters? You can handle it yourself."
Purple Clothed Girl hesitated. "But... the person behind her has an unusual identity. Palace Master, you should make the decision after you return."
Hua Wuyou paused briefly. "I understand. I will return right away."
"Yes."
Just as Hua Wuyou was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something and turned to ask Purple Clothed Girl, "Who is currently in charge of the meals at Palace of No Worries?"
Purple Clothed Girl was surprised by this sudden question, but she respectfully answered, "It's Zhang Auntie."
"Alright, I understand now."
Even after Hua Wuyou had left, Purple Clothed Girl remained very puzzled. Why did he suddenly ask about this?
After Hua Wuyou returned to Qinglin Academy, everyone was cleaning up the courtyard.
As soon as Xia Miaomiao saw him return, she struggled to her feet and limped over to him.
"Hua Wuyou, have you made up your mind?" Xia Miaomiao asked.
Hua Wuyou looked her up and down with interest and smirked, "You want to be my lady that badly? Then why did you reject me before?"
Xia Miaomiao bit her lip. "That was because... I thought you were a bad person before..."
"Oh? You don't think I'm a bad person anymore?"
Xia Miaomiao nodded and grabbed his hand eagerly, "Not only did you save me, but you also helped us find Yu Jiaojiao. You're definitely not a bad person!"
Feeling the soft touch of her small hand, Hua Wuyou unconsciously glanced down. His gaze landed on Xia Miaomiao's hand.
His eyes darkened for a moment as he raised them to look at her again. "If you don't warm my bed, what's the point of being my lady? If you want to follow me, you can only be my maid!"
Xia Miaomiao was stunned. She suddenly felt that being a maid was better than being a lady.
"Then...being a maid is fine too!" Xia Miaomiao said seriously.
Hua Wuyou chuckled. "Alright. Get ready then, you'll come back to Palace of No Worries with me in a couple days."
He wanted to see why this little bunny suddenly wanted to follow him around.
Hua Wuyou leaned down to look into her eyes with an amused expression. "My little maid!"
Xia Miaomiao said uncomfortably, "Aren't you leaving today?"
Hua Wuyou glanced down at her injured foot. "Your foot still hasn't healed. I don't want to carry a maid back with me!"
"..."
...
Su Mo returned to Qinglin Academy at dusk. As soon as she entered, she went to find Sang Li and the others.
The few of them were tidying up the room while Xiao Han prepared many medicines for Xia Miaomiao.
Sang Li also gave her a lot of instructions.
Only then did Su Mo find out that Xia Miaomiao was preparing to follow Hua Wuyou to Chu City.
"No way. How could you let Xiaomiao go by herself?" Su Mo immediately said.
Xiao Han spread his hands helplessly. "We already advised her against it, but she refuses to listen!"
Xia Miaomiao grabbed Su Mo's arm. "Don't worry, Mo Mo. I'll be safe following Hua Wuyou!"
"That Hua Wuyou isn't stupid. Since you suddenly want to follow him around, he'll definitely be suspicious of you," said Sang Li.
Xia Miaomiao slowly explained, "I know he'll be suspicious of me, but it's fine. After I get to him, I'll dispel his doubts about me. I'll make him believe that I'm following him because I like him!"
Xiao Han couldn't help but give Xia Miaomiao a thumbs up. "Xiaomiao, you'll surely shine in show business in the future! The more innocent a girl looks on the outside, the more daring she is when up to no good!"
"..."
"You guys really consent to Xiaomiao going?" Su Mo still felt uneasy. "She doesn't know any martial arts. What if someone bullies her? What if that Hua Wuyou forces himself on her?"
Xia Miaomiao placed a package on the table. "Xiao Han prepared this for me! It has all kinds of medicine. I'll protect myself properly!" As for Hua Wuyou, he's not as bad as you think."
Su Mo dropped down on a stool in frustration. "Forget it, I can't convince you guys!"
Sang Li looked at Su Mo and asked, "Where were you today, Mo Mo?"
Only then did Su Mo remember what she had to tell them. "That's right, I came back to tell you guys that I plan to go to Dark Cabinet to look for the treasure map!"
"What?!" The three looked at her in shock.
"Today...I actually went to find Third Aunt! She gave me a signal device before."
"You didn't go looking for Wuying?" Sang Li asked.
Su Mo hesitated. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. "No. It was good that he left. I don't want to continue getting him involved. The last treasure map is in the hands of his Master. I don't want him to take risks for me."
"But it's too dangerous for you to go!"
Su Mo looked up at them. "Do we have any other choice? If we want to get out of here alive, we can only take risks. Taking risks gives us a chance to obtain the treasure map."
The sisters didn't say anything.
Indeed, if they didn't fight for it, death was certain after six months.
If they fought for it, there was still a ray of hope.
"Dark Cabinet is the most dangerous. My martial arts skills aren't bad. I'm the only one who has a chance if I go. Brother Zhi knows martial arts so I believe he can protect you all," said Su Mo as she stood up.
"I can't persuade you and you can't persuade me either. Elder sister Li, Xiao Han, just focus on finding the last map."
After saying this, Su Mo turned and left the room. "I'll be setting off tomorrow morning."
Watching Su Mo's departing figure, Xiao Han still felt a little confused. "Why do I feel like Mo Mo has changed into a different person? She wasn't like this when she was heartbroken before!"
Sang Li rubbed her temples. She actually hoped Su Mo could continue lying in bed depressed everyday like when she was heartbroken.
"Elder sister Li, if Mo Mo really goes to Dark Cabinet, she'll surely encounter more dangers than blessings!" Xia Miaomiao quickly said.
"I know..." Sang Li sighed. She suddenly recalled something. "Do you think Wuying will come back?"
The other two shook their heads. "We don't know. He feels that Mo Mo had only been using him before, so probably not..."
"But when he left, he still gave Mo Mo the treasure map..." mused Sang Li. "I believe he'll definitely come back..."
Sang Li took out some paper and wrote a letter.
When Xiao Han and Xia Miaomiao saw the contents of the letter, they were stunned.
Just as they were about to ask questions, Yu Yifan rushed in hastily.
"Elder Sister Li, here is the map of Chu City that you asked me to buy." Yu Yifan handed a map to Sang Li. "Are you guys really going to Chu City?"
Sang Li took the map and replied, "Yes, we have some matters to take care of in Chu City."
Yu Yifan didn't ask much more. "Then...do you need me to go with you?"
"No need."
Sang Li picked up the letter from the table and passed it to Yu Yifan.
"Keep this letter safe. Don't peek at it. If Wuying returns to Qinglin Academy one day, you must pass this letter to him!" Sang Li instructed solemnly.
"Oh, okay..." Yu Yifan accepted the letter. "I'll keep it safe for Master's return."
After Yu Yifan left, Xiao Han leaned forward and asked, "Elder sister Li, you told Wuying everything. With such a fantastical story, do you think Wuying will believe it?"
"Whether he believes it or not, if he still has feelings for Mo Mo, he won't just stand by as Mo Mo goes to take risks..."
"But Mo Mo just said she doesn't want to implicate Wuying anymore. If she knows we told Wuying, won't she be mad at us?"
"There's no helping it, this is for Mo Mo's safety...we can only do this..."
Sang Li opened the map that Yu Yifan brought and spread it out on the table to take a careful look at the marked locations.
"According to Hua Wuyou, Palace of No Worries is around here, some distance away from the city. We'll stay at this inn in the city when the time comes, Moonlight Inn..."
After discussing, the sky had already darkened.
When Sang Li returned to her room, she saw Gu Zhi sitting at the tea table spacing out. The flickering candlelight casted shadows on his expressionless face making him look rather gloomy.
"Zhi, what's wrong with you?"
Hearing Sang Li's voice, Gu Zhi finally raised his eyes to look at her. His tone was low. "Sister, are you hiding something from me?"