“We’ll pay back what you owe him together. Don’t think about it anymore. Even if he paid a lot, it was his own choice, and you couldn’t stop him. Don’t carry too heavy a burden. You’ve had a long and tiring journey. You need to rest properly. Lie down and rest to recharge. Once we get to the Prince Ning’s residence, we might not have time to rest properly.”

Shen Jinchen glanced at her, then pulled her into his arms, letting her lean against his lap, his handsome features carrying a hint of deep thought.

"Um!"

Cen Xi found a comfortable position in Shen Jinchen's arms, closed her eyes to rest, and enjoyed the feeling of being cared for by a man.

This feeling, both real and ethereal, filled her hazy mind. She suddenly realized that she craved this feeling of being cherished, perhaps a lingering effect of her family of origin.

She is a contradiction. Ms. Li's marital experience taught her that men cannot be trusted and that if she wants to live a good life, she has to rely on herself. She has always adhered to this belief and rejected any man who wanted to take advantage of her. Therefore, she subconsciously ignored Yu Kuang's feelings for her and only regarded him as a buddy.

After being seduced by Shen Jinchen's intense advances and roguish tactics, she became addicted to the feeling, as if her long-standing emotional void had been filled. Perhaps, subconsciously, women just want to find someone to lean on.

After a day's journey, they arrived at Chongyu Town, a hundred miles away from Shangyang City, and settled down there.

After checking into the inn, Youhe sent a message to Shen Jinchen saying that he had found out that the two people had secretly hidden in the next town called Changyu Town, as if they were plotting something.

After receiving this news, Shen Jinchen told Cen Xi to rest well while he went to find Jun Jianchou.

Cen Xi agreed. He really liked the feeling of being protected under someone's wing, and even though he should do something, he didn't want to.

Little did she know that because of this moment of laziness and letting her guard down, she would be the first to encounter danger.

Having lived through two lifetimes, Yan Shengxiao's abilities were not to be underestimated. Therefore, early the next morning, she and Jun Xiaoqiao stepped into a trap carefully prepared by others.

Shen Jinchen and Jun Jianchou went ahead to scout the way. Jun Xiaoqiao stood by Cen Xi's carriage and mocked her for only thinking about the pleasures of life. She said that she had lost all her former spirit and would probably be abandoned in a few years.

Cen Xi lifted the curtain and glared at her, then mocked Jun Xiaoqiao, saying that she was jealous because no man was around. After saying that, she snatched the horse that Jun Xiaoqiao was riding, flicked the whip, and chased after Shen Jinchen and Jun Jianchou.

Jun Xiaoqiao was thrown from her horse, but she sprang up in anger, snatched a horse from one of Shen Jinchen's guards, and gave chase. "Damn this woman! Don't think I can't beat her!" she thought. The two horses galloped through a bamboo forest, and the scene before them changed dramatically; a forest of strange rocks appeared before them.

As soon as Cen Xi entered, she knew she had entered someone else's formation. Seeing Jun Xiaoqiao come in, she couldn't help but mock her:

"Look at how crazy you've gone. We've probably fallen into someone's trap this time."

"If you hadn't gone mad and stolen the horse and ran amok, how would we have been able to get in?"

Jun Xiaoqiao glanced at Cen Xi, then dismounted. Facing Cen Xi's questioning, she did not back down at all.

"Then break this formation. If you can't, we're afraid we'll have to eat grass here."

Cen Xi dismounted and crossed his arms, appearing to be observing from the sidelines.

"I don't know how. You do it. I've heard that the Hidden Sect is the best at this. How could I, a woman from the inner quarters of Shangyang City, possibly know how? If you can't break it, then we might as well eat grass together."

Jun Xiaoqiao spread her hands, looking like a rogue.

"Jun Xiaoqiao, did I steal your man? I feel like you're always trying to trip me up!"

Cen Xi was so angry at this woman that she almost fell over. They used to be best friends, but what was wrong with her? Why did she always have to dig traps for her?

"Do you remember how you used to mock me? All I did was date a few more boyfriends, and you ridiculed me like that. Now that I see you falling in love, I feel so happy. If I don't get my revenge, am I still me?"

Jun Xiaoqiao crossed her arms and looked at Cen Xi calmly. Even though she had fallen into someone else's trap, she was not flustered. Her smile was incredibly irritating.

"Jun Xiaoqiao..."

Just as Cen Xi was about to say something, the strange stone forest suddenly moved, and two large rocks rushed straight towards Cen Xi and Jun Xiaoqiao with lightning speed.

Fortunately, Cen Xi reacted quickly, pulling Jun Xiaoqiao up and taking off into the air. Just as they dodged the attack, a pile of rocks flew from the left and headed straight for the two of them.

While using her internal energy to defend herself, Cen Xi cursed:

"Jun Xiaoqiao, look what you've done! If I die today, I'll haunt you even as a ghost."

"I won't let you off either. If you hadn't stolen my horse, would we have fallen into this trap? Cen Xi, you're really love-struck now. You've lost your intelligence."

This was the way Jun Xiaoqiao and Cen Xi interacted in their previous life, so how could she not refute Cen Xi's words?

"If it weren't for you, you idiot, I would have broken through the formation long ago. You're the one who's love-struck. If you want to live, shut up."

Cen Xi really wanted to dump Jun Xiaoqiao, but she wasn't that heartless.

"So what if you're good at martial arts? Hmm!"

Jun Xiaoqiao was about to retort when suddenly a boulder crashed down on her right leg, causing her pain and forcing her to shut her mouth.

"See if you can keep up your empty talk? You're getting your comeuppance this time."

Seeing her in pain, Cen Xi couldn't help but chuckle, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice.

"I know martial arts too. Let me go. I don't need your protection."

Jun Xiaoqiao glanced at her and realized that it was Cen Xi who had grabbed her, which was why her right leg had been hit.

"You're the one who told me to put it there. If anything goes wrong again, don't blame me."

Cen Xi released her abruptly and then focused all her energy on dealing with the rocks that were being thrown at her from all directions.

Just as Cen Xi released her, Jun Xiaoqiao was hit by another rock, and she screamed again:

"Cen Xi, you son of a bitch, you actually released it."

"Didn't you tell me to put it out? Look at your amateurish skills."

Seeing Jun Xiaoqiao's disheveled state, Cen Xi had no choice but to pull her back.

After the commotion, Cen Xi was hit on the back by a rock. Just as she hugged Jun Xiaoqiao, a mouthful of blood spilled from her lips.

Cen Xi's muffled murmur was heard by Jun Xiaoqiao as soon as she entered her arms, and she immediately panicked, losing all interest in banter.

How are you?

Jun Xiaoqiao asked somewhat flusteredly.

"You almost killed me, so did I really steal your man in my past life? How come I didn't know that you ruined my life, Jun Xiaoqiao?"

The boulder was incredibly powerful, and Cen Xi was clearly seriously injured. She coughed up two mouthfuls of blood and slowly fell downwards.

Fortunately, she managed to smash all the rocks in the air with a final burst of strength.

But as soon as they landed, many green vines suddenly sprouted from all around them, completely enveloping them, and then both of them fell into a coma.