The villagers all gathered around. Ye Xiaohu stood in front of his sister, fists clenched and furious. The villagers didn't dare to come too close because of him. They could only kneel down at a distance of ten steps.

Ye Nuan was startled and hurriedly pulled Ye Xiaohu back.

The villagers knelt down and kowtowed three times, begging anxiously, "Goddess, we were wrong. Please don't leave and don't punish us."

"Yes, Goddess, please forgive our mistakes. We truly know we were wrong."

"We are willing to live and die with you and fight the bandits to the end."

"Goddess, please don't leave!"

Su had a lot of curse words in her mind. What did these people think of their family? If they wanted them to leave, they had to leave. If they wanted them to stay, they had to stay. Even kowtowing and calling them mothers would be useless at this moment!

Ye Nuan remained unmoved by their kowtows and said coldly, "I cannot bear your kneeling. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. Letting me go was your joint decision. What happens to Dahuang Village from now on has nothing to do with me. All of you should go back."

Her tone was distant, like that of a distant and ethereal god. To her, the creatures in Dahuang Village were just a drop in the ocean, not worth lingering on or caring about.

The villagers suddenly became even more panicked. Although it was clearly noon, they felt very cold in their hearts.

They also demanded that Ye Nuan, along with Su Shi and Ye Xiaohu, turn and leave. Wherever she passed, greenery withered instantly. The once-green hillsides behind were once again covered in withered grass by the wind. The villagers' hearts bled. Those trees had taken a month to clear the land and plant, and without the goddess's protection, they wouldn't survive.

Su looked at the rapidly withering tree beside her, curious, but didn't dare ask. The three of them walked forward without looking back. Suddenly, they heard hurried footsteps behind them, and someone rushed out of the crowd and shouted to Ye Nuan, "Sister Nuan!"

It’s golden autumn!

Ye Nuan was stunned for a moment, stopped but didn't look back!

Jinbao followed Jinqiu breathlessly, wanting to die. He didn't take good care of his sister, and he would definitely be beaten to death by his father when he returned.

"Sister Nuan, can you please not leave?" Jin Qiu's eyes were red, obviously she had been crying.

"Sister Nuan, I know they all feel sorry for you, but I don't want you to leave, so please stay!"

She cried so hard that her words were incoherent. Ye Nuan held Ye Xiaohu's hand tightly and whispered to Su: "Mom, let's keep going."

Then, in front of Jin Qiu, he continued to walk forward, step by step. The area of ​​withered trees expanded, echoing Jin Qiu's cries, which seemed even more desolate. Jin Qiu wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by the rushing Village Chief Jin. She turned back and stared at the Village Chief Jin, crying and cursing, "Dad, you are so selfish. Don't think I don't know. You just think Sister Nuan has taken away your business and cut off your financial resources, so you always target her."

"Why do you have to be so greedy for money? She's so nice, why do you have to force her away?"

The worried villagers began to vent their anger on Village Chief Jin, glaring at him. If Village Chief Jin hadn't misled them, they wouldn't have let the goddess go. Village Chief Jin's legs ached terribly. Being questioned by his daughter was one thing, but being looked at like that by the villagers made him explode.

He pointed at the villagers' noses and cursed, "Aren't you the ungrateful ones? You fence-sitters, and now you have the nerve to blame me!"

"At best, I just don't want the Ye family to stay in the village. You, on the other hand, took advantage of the Ye family but don't trust them. Don't say that not betraying her is a good thing. Besides, what's the difference between driving the Ye family out of Dahuang Village and letting them die?"

"Hmph! They're all disgusting!" At least he was clearly bad.

The villagers did not expect that the usually amiable Village Chief Jin would show such an expression. They were angry and furious, but what Village Chief Jin said was right. They were indeed wrong and had no right to blame him.

Seeing the others bow their heads in shame, their anger refusing to speak, Village Chief Jin felt a sense of relief. But seeing the withered ground where Ye Nuan had passed, a chill ran down his spine...

Is the Ye family really a god?

He suddenly felt a little regretful, but his daughter was still glaring at him. He reached out to pull her, but Jin Qiu swung her hard and threw him to the ground again.

Jinbao was startled and hurried to help him: "Dad, are you okay?"

Village Chief Jin's forehead was covered in sweat. He was helped to his feet by Jin Bao. He raised his hand to hit Jin Qiu, but seeing Jin Qiu's tearful face, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He cursed, "I've been in so much pain for so many years, and this is how you treat me?"

Jin Qiu cried even harder and yelled at Village Chief Jin, "I hate you!" Then she pushed through the crowd and walked away without even looking back.

When the daughter he had loved so much since childhood said she hated him, Village Chief Jin's heart ached, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He looked back at the withered and yellowed leaves on the ground, and suddenly he began to waver in his decision...

Ye Nuan walked a long way and saw that the surrounding trees and grass were no longer withered. She breathed a sigh of relief and thought to herself: I finally got it!

Su looked left and right, then turned back and looked behind her. She couldn't help but ask, "A Nuan, how did you do it?"

Ye Nuan suddenly smiled and raised her wrist to show her: "Use this to absorb the energy of the plants, and they will naturally wither." She also accidentally discovered that the spiritual spring can not only absorb the crops she grows, but also other green things.

She did that just to pretend.

Su also laughed, "I felt really relieved just now. Let them regret it."

Ye Xiaohu, holding Xiao Hei, also looked back, obviously sensing something was wrong. He looked at his sister, then at his mother, and asked, "Sister, are you really a fairy?"

Ye Nuan teased him: "Do you think my sister looks like a fairy?"

Ye Xiaohu immediately said sweetly: "Yes, sister is the most beautiful, sister is a fairy, and I am the fairy boy."

Su laughed twice: "What is the mother?"

Ye Xiaohu tilted his head and thought for a moment: "It's the Queen Mother!"

The three of them walked and laughed, but their hearts were not at ease. She had heard of Crescent Lake, the place where they used to draw water. Bandits and wild beasts often passed by there. Could the three of them, mother and child, really live a better life?

She looked up at her two children in front of her, and her worries gradually eased. Her son and daughter were not afraid, so why should she be afraid? Building a home with her own hands was the greatest sense of accomplishment and happiness.

After a rough patch of road, the terrain ahead suddenly became more rugged, with snakes scurrying through the thorn bushes. Su, who had never been to the back mountain before, asked as they climbed, "Is this the road you usually take to Red Rock Canyon? Does it also lead to Crescent Lake?"

Ye Nuan nodded: "Yes, we can go. City Lord Qi took me there before. Crescent Lake is close to Snow God Mountain. There are trees and many small animals. It is very beautiful." It is the most beautiful place she has ever seen in the wilderness.

Ye Xiaohu was extremely happy when he heard about the little animals.

The three of them walked for a while and when they climbed a small slope, Ye Nuan suddenly stopped and stared blankly at the bottom of the slope.

"What's wrong?" Su asked from behind. She climbed up and looked in the direction her daughter was looking. She saw several people standing at the foot of the slope. The one leading them was a man in black clothes with dark hair and a handsome and clear face. It was none other than the City Lord Qi with his proud figure.

Behind him was the snow-stepping horse, as well as Gao Zangfeng and several subordinates who were walking back and forth anxiously.

When he saw Ye Nuan, the corners of his lips curled up almost inaudibly, then straightened again. The black gold broken-pattern knife on his back gleamed, and then he kicked Gao Zangfeng next to him.

Gao Zangfeng folded his hands, grimly glared at Ye Nuan, and said hello reluctantly, "Miss Ye, what a coincidence!"

Ye Nuan didn't expect him to come. She was stunned for a moment and immediately replied, "What a coincidence, why are you here?"

Gao Zangfeng immediately responded: "Our city lord...ah!" His foot was stepped on hard again, and he looked at Qi Wuze aggrievedly.

Qi Wuze looked at the sky, then at the barren mountain, and finally his gaze fell on Ye Nuan, "We were just passing by."

Gao Zangfeng: "..." He was speechless. Who was it that immediately ordered troops out of the city upon hearing the news of the bandits surrounding the village? Or was it him and a few of his men who desperately tried to stop them? Luomu City and Dahuang Village already had a feud, so it was a good thing they didn't attack them. If the old city lord and the citizens knew that their city lord had gone to save Dahuang Village, it would surely arouse public outrage!

In the end, the soldiers didn't order anything and just ran over with a few of them.

Passing by? Who would pass by this barren and rugged mountain for no reason?

Ye Nuan chuckled, feeling somewhat touched. She had a good ally. An idea was forming in her mind. Since she had left Dahuang Village and planned to open Yunjian Farm, why not talk to Qi Wuze and reach a deeper cooperation between them?

After so many contacts, she can absolutely trust Qi Wuze's character!

She always knew that City Lord Qi was a narcissistic and arrogant person, so since he said he was just passing by, then he was just passing by.

"What a coincidence, let's go together." Since he came, he must want to protect them for a while.

Ye Nuan led Su Shi and Ye Xiaohu downstairs. Ye Xiaohu was very happy to see Qi Wuze and Gao Zangfeng, and immediately ran down and shouted, "Brother Thigh, Uncle Gao."

Gao Zangfeng's face, which had been gloomy just now, immediately brightened up. He reached out to pick up Ye Xiaohu, then held him and Xiao Hei in his arms and said with a smile: "Our little tiger is still the cutest. He just says what he likes. Come on, tell uncle, do you like uncle?"

Ye Xiaohu immediately replied: "I like it! I like Big Thigh Brother too!"

Gao Zangfeng was even happier, looking at his awkward master. He thought to himself: Learn from that little kid!

Ye Nuan walked over to Qi Wuze, took out a bunch of grapes from her pocket and gave them to him, then took out a few apples and gave them to Gao Zangfeng.

"They've all been washed. You must be hungry after traveling so far. Come eat!"

Qi Wuze looked at the grapes in his hand and then at the apples in Gao Zangfeng and the others' hands, and suddenly a strong sweet feeling surged in his heart.

His is different from theirs!

He held the grapes but didn't eat them, and asked casually, "Why am I a grape?"

His expression didn't show happiness. Ye Nuan thought he didn't like grapes, so she reached out and took an apple to replace the grapes, saying, "Then you can eat the apple."

Then Qi Wuze watched Ye Nuan stuff the grapes to Gao Zangfeng and said, "These grapes are very sweet. You all should try them."

Gao Zangfeng looked at their city lord's murderous eyes and shook his head like a rattle: "We don't like eating grapes."

Ye Nuan tried to pass the grapes around but failed to give them away, and asked in surprise, "Don't you all in Luo Mucheng like to eat grapes?" Then Qi Wuze saw her put them into the cloth bag.

Qi Wuze: “.”

He felt a little depressed, thinking that this woman had a problem with her way of thinking: she was greedy for money, lustful and stingy, and she took advantage of him without saying anything, and she was also stupid!

Crunch! He took a hard bite of the apple and said in a cold tone, "Let's go! It's getting dark before you keep talking!"

Su looked at the scorching sun hanging high in the sky and thought to herself: This Master Qicheng is good, but his eyesight is not good!

The group led their horses through the most difficult section of the road. Qi Wuze carried Ye Nuan, and Gao Zangfeng rode on horseback carrying Ye Xiaohu and Su Shi.

This time, her mother was there, and Ye Nuan sat directly behind Qi Wuze to avoid suspicion. The mountain path was difficult to navigate, and the horse was not moving fast. Ye Nuan grabbed the hems of his clothes on both sides, and did not dare to put her hands near his jade belt.

The sun cast its shadows on the ground, their shadows overlapping. Previously, Ye Nuan had always sat in the front, Qi Wuze in the back, but this time, they had switched places. Her hands were tugging at the hems of his clothes, occasionally touching his waist, her movements light as a tickle.

The itchiness made him feel uncomfortable all over, and he wanted to hide away from time to time. Ye Nuan didn't pay attention to it at first, but after a few times, she realized something was wrong and moved closer to him and asked softly, "Are you itchy somewhere? How about I scratch it for you?"

Now even my ears are itchy!

He said randomly, "My back itches."

Then Ye Nuan really scratched his back left and right, asking questions as she did so. Now his entire body was itchy. When the horse passed through the rugged mountain road, he could no longer bear it and kicked the horse to run.

Walking forward with a whistling sound, Ye Nuan was caught off guard and fell backward. She was so scared that she hugged Qi Wuze's waist tightly, pressing her face against his back. In her panic, she didn't forget to put her left hand down. This feeling was too subtle. Now, not only her body was itchy, but her heart was itchy too.

Qi Wuze thought he might be sick, or that something had gotten on him, or that the poison he had been exposed to hadn't been completely cleansed. Otherwise, why would he feel uncomfortable every time he saw this woman since that time?

Several horses galloped wildly in the wilderness. The sun gradually moved westward, and the raised dust drifted away with the wind. Before the sun set, they arrived at the edge of Crescent Lake.

Qi Wuze dismounted first, then handed the scabbard to her. Ye Nuan was puzzled.

Qi Wuze extended the hilt of the knife in front of her again: "Come down."

Ye Nuan finally understood, and holding the hilt of the knife, she looked at him suspiciously. He was fine just now, why did he suddenly seem to be alienated from her?

What a weird personality!

Crescent Moon Lake lay quietly amidst the withered grass of the wilderness, surrounded by lush green grass and trees, with small animals occasionally passing by. Su exclaimed, "This is Crescent Moon Lake!"

Qi Wuze sheathed his sword, looked around with a frown, and asked, "Are you planning to settle down here?"

Ye Nuan nodded.

Gao Zangfeng and others also frowned and shouted, "There is nothing here, and wild beasts are roaming around. How can people live here?" He looked up at the sky again. The red sun was already hanging in the sky, and it was about to get dark.

"How are we going to spend the night? Are we going to sleep in the wilderness?"

Ye Nuan wasn't afraid. They could make a fire, then call in wild animals to protect them. After the night ended, they could plant trees and build a house tomorrow. Of course, Qi Wuze's help was indispensable. Ye Nuan was about to talk to him when Qi Wuze said, "Why don't you stay in the Creation Pavilion? Pavilion Master Jiang will probably give me some face."

"No need!" Ye Nuan refused. She didn't even want to stay in Dahuang Village, so she would definitely not go and live under someone else's roof.

Seeing her refusal, Qi Wuze thought for a while and said hesitantly: "Actually... if you really want to go to Luomu City... it's not impossible..."

As soon as he said this, Gao Zangfeng and several of his subordinates immediately raised their voices and shouted, "City Lord!" Their faces darkened at the same time. Had the City Lord forgotten about his wife's matter? No matter what, he couldn't let a wolf into the house!

Qi Wuze glared at them, and Gao Zangfeng immediately fell silent, feeling aggrieved. However, one of his subordinates couldn't help but speak, "City Lord, even if you scold me, I have to say that my wife was kind enough to rescue people back then, but what happened? Not only my wife and the old city lord...my parents were also killed by bandits. Miss Ye is a good person, and we won't say anything if you want to associate with her, but if you let them into the city, the people of Luomu City will definitely not agree."

Gao Zangfeng reached out to cover the boy's mouth and cursed, "Shut up!" In fact, if no one told anyone, it would not be impossible for the city lord to quietly bring people in.

Qi Wuze frowned, and didn't mean to blame the man, but he became depressed.

The situation was awkward for a moment, and Ye Nuan quickly said, "Thank you, City Lord Qi, for your kindness. I had no intention of going to Luomu City in the first place."

Qi Wuze was originally embarrassed, but after hearing her say that, he became unhappy. After a moment of silence, he said, "We will stay here tonight, you guys can sleep peacefully!"

The sun dipped below the horizon, the sunset glowing orange. The subordinates who had followed tied up their horses and then went to gather firewood and light a fire. Seven or eight people sat down not far from Crescent Lake, their bonfire dancing in the setting sun.

Ye Xiaohu put Xiao Hei down, and Xiao Hei started running around happily.

To Ye Nuan's right was Su Shi, to her left was Ye Xiaohu, next to Ye Xiaohu was Gao Zangfeng, and next to Gao Zangfeng was Qi Wuze. She had something to discuss with Qi Wuze, so she hadn't sat down for long when she said to Gao Zangfeng, "Can we change seats?"

Everyone around the fire was stunned and looked at their city lord. Qi Wuze turned his head and pretended not to hear, but his heart was beating hard with the crackling of the fire.

Seeing that his city lord remained silent, Gao Zangfeng understood what he meant. He stood up and asked Ye Nuan to come over, then moved Ye Xiaohu a little closer. Ye Nuan moved closer to sit next to Qi Wuze. She was not wearing a headscarf, with an oval face, starry eyes, and a beautiful nose. Her skin was radiant with a delicate glow. As she approached, a faint, cool fragrance wafted out.

Qi Wuze tightened his grip on the fire stick and unconsciously poked the blazing fire again. Sparks flew up from his movement and nearly splashed onto Ye Nuan's instep. He reached out to block it, but the sparks splashed onto the back of his hand. He immediately retracted his hand, not even looking at Ye Nuan, and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

What could possibly happen if a woman approached a man? Qi Wuze's heart began to beat violently again. He wondered how he would express it tactfully if she said she liked him.

The rest of the people listened attentively.

Ye Nuan considered her words carefully, her dark eyes reflecting the light of water. Qi Wuze only glanced at her and began to feel uncomfortable again. His tone was slightly impatient: "If you have something to say, just say it!"

Then Ye Nuan asked directly: "What do you think of me?"

Qi Wuze: Here she comes, here she comes, she really likes me, she asks so directly!

The eyes of those around the fire widened slightly.

"Not bad!" Qi Wuze pressed the corners of his lips.

Ye Nuan smiled. It was fine. She continued, "City Master Qi, there's something I want to discuss with you."

Qi Wuze: It’s already so obvious, what else is there to talk about?

He looked at the curious eyes around the fire, and suddenly felt a little awkward. "Talking here?"

Ye Nuan also looked around. There were more than a dozen pairs of eyes staring at her. It was indeed inappropriate. She thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go over there?" She pointed towards the Crescent Lake.

Qi Wuze coughed lightly twice, threw away the fire stick in his hand, and said cheerfully, "That's fine." He took a step forward, and after a few steps, he found that Ye Nuan didn't follow him, so he couldn't help but look back curiously.

She looked up into the distance, a solemn expression on her face. Qi Wuze looked in her direction. Flames shot up from the northwest corner, illuminating most of the night sky. The others noticed as well and stood up. Gao Zangfeng shouted, "Where?... It seems to be in the direction of Dahuang Village."

Ye Nuan thought of a possibility and tugged at Qi Wuze's sleeve, anxiously saying, "Can you take me back to Dahuang Village?"

Su knew what she wanted to do, so she quickly stood up, grabbed her and advised: "A Nuan, don't go back. Those people are ungrateful. What are you going back for?" Those horse bandits actually set fire to the village. They came to find A Nuan. If A Nuan went back, she would be walking into a trap.

Ye Nuan pulled her mother's hand away and said anxiously, "Mom, I have to go back. There are also Jinqiu and Jinbao. Brother Feng and Aunt Li are also good people."

Su refused to let him go: "What can you do if you go back?" He was not a real god, and going back would only mean his death.

"Mom, please let go. I will find a way."

Seeing that she was really anxious, Qi Wuze simply grabbed her waist, pulled her over and rushed towards the horse, then said to Gao Zangfeng: "You stay here and watch them, we will be back soon."

Su was so anxious that she stamped her feet, but she had no idea what to do!

This time, Ye Nuan was sitting in the front. It was dark and windy, and she couldn't open her eyes. She lay uncomfortably on the horse's back. The back of her neck was cold, and the cold wind blew straight into her. Soon she was shivering with cold.

Qi Wuze felt her trembling, and without thinking, he turned her around and hugged her in his arms, saying loudly: "Hold tight!"

He had been practicing martial arts since childhood, and whenever he could ride a horse, he would roam freely in the wilderness. He was tall and strong, so his body temperature was naturally high. As soon as Ye Nuan approached, she was enveloped by the heat. Without caring about anything else, she grabbed the front of his clothes with both hands and huddled inside.

This was an extremely ambiguous gesture, but at this moment, both of them were just hurrying on their way and didn't care so much. Ye Nuan nestled in his arms and muttered, "Can you go faster?"

Qi Wuze said nothing, then cracked his whip twice more, treading through the snow so fast that only a shadow remained. The wind ripped through their ears, and they reached the back mountain in just half the day's time. The mountain path was so steep and rugged that they couldn't ride their horses halfway.

Ye Nuan had no energy and couldn't walk very fast, so Qi Wuze simply carried her on his back and used his Qinggong to run. His movements were extremely steady, and Ye Nuan, who had been tossed around on horseback, finally felt better.

When they reached the pond at the back of the mountain, they heard the sound of crying and shouting from the village. Ye Nuan jumped off his back and said anxiously, "Just take her here, thank you." She knew that people from Luomu City would not enter Dahuang Village. Qi Wuze had done his best to send her here, so she couldn't ask him for help anymore.

She lifted her skirt and ran towards the source of the crying. The village was charred everywhere and thick smoke was billowing. The villagers who were driven together gathered by the ancient well, and a group of horse bandits were standing outside with torches in their hands and laughing loudly.

Over a dozen villagers lay dead in the ground, with elderly and children weeping on the ground, and women being dragged and forcibly embraced by bandits. Village Chief Jin was pinned to the ground by the bandit leader, while Jin Qiu and Jin Bao were held tightly by their mother.

The bandit took a deep breath and cursed, "Do you think that just because you said the person is not in the village, it will end? You dare to let the person we want go. I think you are tired of living. If that's the case, then all of you should die. I'll give you face!"

Village Chief Jin struggled hard under his feet, crying out in pain, "Your old boss promised me that as long as we don't leave, we won't enter Dahuang Village. You don't keep your word, and you will be struck by lightning!"

The horse bandit slapped him on the head and cursed: "Damn it, bandits still have to keep their words! Since the boss agreed, you can go to the underworld to seek justice!" The person is dead, and he is still using him to threaten them. Who among the horse bandits is afraid of being struck by lightning or going to hell?

Village Chief Jin's leg was already broken, and after the torture, his head and mouth were covered in blood, and he looked a terrible mess with mud on the ground.

"Dad!" Jin Qiu shouted anxiously, broke free from her mother and ran towards Village Chief Jin.

"Jinqiu!" Tao shouted anxiously.

Village Chief Jin glared and cursed, "Aqiu, go back! Get out!"