Yan Xiao was unaware of the conversation between Wei Wuxiu, the important second male lead, and the female lead. At that moment, she was leading Shen Muzhi toward the place she had arranged to meet Man Yi.

As she walked, she subtly warned Shen Muzhi:

"By the way, there are two other people traveling with us. Don't scare them when you see them later."

Upon hearing this, Shen Muzhi's gaze darkened. He looked down at his childhood sweetheart and couldn't help but recall his past.

In his memory, he didn't have much interaction with his childhood sweetheart.

Although he married her to fulfill his mother's last wish, he didn't seem to have mistreated her.

Was I a terrifying presence in her eyes?

Could it be that what just happened left her with some kind of psychological trauma?

That's understandable, considering that even if she's fierce, she's still just a country girl who's never seen such a bloody scene before; she was probably terrified.

After all, she is my lawfully wedded wife. I know without a doubt that she must have suffered a lot these past few years, and she also has to take care of my younger sister. I should treat her better in the future and make it up to her.

As Shen Muzhi was thinking this, he saw Yan Xiao kick away the corpse of a man in black who was blocking her way.

The corpse was covered in blood, its expression was ferocious, and it could be said that it died in a way that was anything but peaceful.

Most women, upon first encountering such a situation, would likely be terrified, but they would definitely have nightmares for several nights.

But Yan Xiao acted as if nothing had happened, her movements were fluid and without the slightest hesitation.

If you didn't know better, you'd think she was kicking some kind of hazardous waste.

Upon seeing this scene, Chen Muzhi: ? ? ? ? ? ?

Only then did he belatedly realize that his wife had just stripped the corpse of its clothes and put them on, right?

So, in his wife's eyes, he was more terrifying than the corpse?

Yan Xiao had no idea what Shen Muzhi was thinking, nor did she have time to care, because she had already seen Man Yi sneaking around in the shadows.

When Man Yi failed to meet Yan Xiao at the agreed time, he decided to come and meet her as Yan Xiao had instructed.

They then discovered that something was amiss, and witnessed Yan Xiao talking to Shen Muzhi and the others.

Seeing that those people didn't seem to want to make things awkward or funny, he guessed that the situation had changed.

Fearing that going out would ruin Yanxiao's plans, he hid in the shadows and remained still, waiting for the right opportunity to act.

When he saw Yan Xiao walking towards him, he quickly revealed a little of his presence to let Yan Xiao notice him.

Upon seeing Man Yi's smile, he immediately waved to Man Yi, signaling him to come out, and then introduced him to Shen Muzhi, who had already spotted Man Yi:

"This is one of the people traveling with us. He's a swordsman, and his martial arts are quite impressive. I'll tell you the details later."

Shen Muzhi could tell at a glance that Man Yi's skills were extraordinary and his internal strength was also very strong. With such a master by her side, it was easy to explain how the two sisters-in-law were able to get here alive.

He just couldn't understand how Yan Xiao had gotten to know this kind of person.

Or rather, what is it about these two women that makes them worth befriending?

Could it be because of that medical skill he learned from who-knows-where again?

Now, combined with the fact that Wei Wuxiu's Gu poison had been removed, Shen Muzhi felt that she understood her adopted daughter-in-law less and less.

Or rather, he never really understood her.

While Shen Muzhi was pondering, Man Yi had already arrived in front of Yan Xiao.

Yan Xiao didn't want to waste words, nor did she want to explain the matter of a woman disguised as a man to Man Yi right now, so she spoke directly:

"This is the relative I told you I was looking for, and also July's older brother. Let's go and meet up with July and the others now."

Upon hearing this, Man Yi breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this man seemed to have an extraordinary demeanor and appeared to hold a high position among the group. In that case, they could be considered to have turned misfortune into blessing.

But after he realized what Yan Xiao had said, he felt that something was wrong.

What does it mean to be July's older brother?

Aren't July and Doctor Yan siblings? Why not just introduce him as her brother?

Man Yi wanted to ask, but after Yan Xiao finished speaking, she led Shen Muzhi past him and went directly to the direction where Qi Yue was, without intending to say anything more to him.

He thought to himself that Doctor Yan had finally found his relatives and had made a slip of the tongue, so he didn't take it seriously and quickly followed after him.

Shen Qiyue and Lou Guyu were waiting anxiously. Since they could no longer hear any sounds of battle ahead, they felt uncertain and became even more agitated.

Just as Shen Qiyue was about to lose her composure, a familiar figure appeared in her sight.

Although she couldn't see the person's face clearly, she could tell who it was just by looking at their figure and walking movements.

Her eyes reddened, and she immediately ran over and threw herself into Yan Xiao's arms.

"Waaah, you're finally back! I was so scared!"

Yan Xiao stiffly allowed Shen Qiyue to hug her.

She knew she had really frightened the little girl. She had been holding it in, but now that she saw her, she was losing control of her emotions and desperately seeking a sense of security from her.

When Shen Muzhi saw Shen Qiyue standing there unharmed, he was very excited. Just as he was about to stride over, he saw the little girl running towards him.

He was initially pleased, thinking that she truly was his own sister; even after several years apart, she could recognize him, her brother, at a glance in such dim light.

He had already opened his arms to welcome the little girl, but right under his expectant gaze, she buried her head in Yan Xiao's arms without giving him a single glance.

Shen Muzhi said he felt hurt, embarrassed, and a little wronged, but he didn't say anything.

Yan Xiao patted Shen Qiyue's back lightly, and when she looked up, she saw Shen Muzhi's slightly stiff gesture of withdrawing his hand, as well as his indescribable gaze.

She suppressed a smile that was about to burst from her lips, then gently patted Chen Qiyue's back, speaking in a tone of tenderness she had never used before:

"Don't be afraid, it's alright now. Look up and see who I've found!"

Yan Xiao has been quite nice to Shen Qiyue lately, but she's anything but gentle.

So, her sudden gentle tone gave Shen Qiyue, who was completely unprepared, goosebumps.

After a brief pause, Shen Qiyue did indeed loosen her smile and raise her head, but she still didn't give Shen Muzhi, who was staring at her expectantly, a single glance.

Instead, he looked Yanxiao up and down with a worried expression, trying to see if there was anything wrong with her.

She breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Yan Xiao was unharmed, but still asked with concern:

"Are you hurt? Are you sure you're alright? I..."

"July!"

Shen Muzhi, who had been ignored all along, finally couldn't hold back any longer and called out to Shen Qiyue, causing Shen Qiyue to choke on her words.

Upon hearing that familiar call, her eyes widened suddenly, her mind went blank, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

But she dared not turn back; she was afraid, afraid that it was all just her illusion.

I'm afraid that this time, like countless times before, I'll turn around and find that there's nothing left.

It wasn't until she saw Yan Xiao nod at her affirmatively that she seemed to have some courage, the courage to turn around and look.