Qi Che paused for a moment, but did not say anything. His eyes were fixed on Chu Qingluan, as if he was afraid that she would turn into smoke and disappear in the next moment.

The carriage fell into silence for a moment, with only the sound of the wheels rolling over the gravel on the road.

Chu Qingluan looked calm, but in her heart she was quietly sensing the direction of the carriage, estimating the time and terrain.

Li Heng had already ordered people to block the city gates, but Qi Che kidnapped her out of the city so easily. This must have been premeditated.

It is definitely not a good idea to confront him head-on.

But if he really took me to that deserted place, it would be even more difficult to escape given the high altitude and far away emperor.

…

In this way, the carriage drove all the way to the north. Along the way, there were only barren mountains and wilderness, and even a village was hard to see.

Qi Che watched her very closely, and even when she got off the carriage to get some fresh air, he would tie her wrist with a thin silver chain and wrap the other end tightly around his own wrist.

Even when sleeping outdoors at night, he never takes off the silver chain.

"Don't waste your energy."

Qi Che pinched her chin dangerously, his eyes gloomy: "This area is a hundred miles away and is all barren mountains. You can't run away."

Chu Qingluan turned her face away and remained silent.

She knew that Qi Che was telling the truth.

In the past two days, she deliberately left traces on the tree trunks along the way, rubbed the silk thread of her clothes on the stones by the stream, and even quietly dropped her earrings into the grass.

But Qi Che would notice it keenly every time, and then clear away the traces with a sneer.

"Qing Niang."

He suddenly leaned close to her ear, his breath hot, "If you keep playing tricks, I don't mind taking you out here in the wilderness."

Chu Qingluan's whole body stiffened, and her nails dug deeply into her palms.

She believed that Qi Che was capable of such a thing.

By the third day, Chu Qingluan could no longer bear the physical discomfort. Her face turned pale and almost transparent, and her lips cracked slightly from thirst.

When Qi Che handed over the dry food again, she raised her hand and knocked the rough cake to the ground.

“That’s enough!”

Chu Qingluan's voice was hoarse and filled with irresistible coldness.

"Qi Che, if you still want a living me instead of a corpse, take me to the inn now. I want hot water for a bath, hot food, and a bed to lie down on."

Qi Che narrowed his eyes and pinched her chin dangerously with his fingers: "Do you think I will believe it?"

Chu Qingluan sneered, suddenly grabbed her hand and pressed it on her hot forehead.

"Then you continue to drag the patient along and see who will regret it in the end!"

The high heat coming from his palm made Qi Che frown and stare at her for a long time.

Finally, he said gloomily: "One night, just one night."

Chu Qingluan's expression looked a little better.

That night, the two rested in an inn in a small town called Guiyunju.

The town is not big and is located in a remote area. Qi Che took a detour to find it so as not to attract attention.

There were only two inns in the whole town, one of which was fully booked. Although the accommodation conditions in the other one were a little worse, the lanterns under the eaves were polished brightly, so it became the only choice.

When Chu Qingluan lifted the curtain of the carriage, the evening breeze blew the mountain mist towards him.

She calculated the distance the carriage was traveling and frowned slightly. According to this direction, if they continued for another three days, they would reach the border of Da Chu.

Once you cross the border, it's the territory of the Twelve Tribes of the Western Regions.

"My dear guests, would you like to stay overnight or stay at the hotel?"

The shopkeeper was a thin middle-aged man, his eyes flickering between the two of them.

He first glanced at Qi Che. He had an ordinary face and was wearing a dark brocade robe. The jade pendant on his waist looked inconspicuous, but the knot was the most fashionable style in the capital.

He doesn't look like an ordinary merchant on the road.

When he looked at Chu Qingluan again, the shopkeeper's Adam's apple moved slightly.

The main thing is that the first impression this girl gives people is like a green pine in a mountain stream. The calmness between her eyebrows is even more imposing than that of the governor's wife who passed by here last year.

The shopkeeper subconsciously wanted to bow his head, but when he got closer he could see her face clearly. She had plain eyebrows and eyes, and her skin was the wheat color of an ordinary farm girl. She could be considered pretty at best.

It is very inconsistent with her overall demeanor.

"How strange." The shopkeeper muttered to himself.

He has been running the inn for nearly twenty years and has seen many people coming and going, but this is the first time he has seen such a "phoenix frame and chicken face".

"Stay in the hotel, one of the upper rooms." Qi Che's voice interrupted the shopkeeper's observation, and he tapped on the counter with his fingertips.

"Do you have clean hot water? Prepare a table of food and wine and send it to the room."

"Yes, yes, yes. Please wait a moment, I will ask someone to prepare it right away." The shopkeeper responded hurriedly.

"Two." Chu Qingluan's voice was cold and her face was calm, but her tone carried an unquestionable momentum.

"Otherwise, find another place to live."

“Ah… this…”

The shopkeeper was a little embarrassed, his eyes shifting between Qi Che and Chu Qingluan.

Qi Che chuckled and put his arm around Chu Qingluan's shoulders, "Excuse me, shopkeeper. This is my wife. We are having a small misunderstanding."

As he spoke, he leaned close to Chu Qingluan's ear, but deliberately let the shopkeeper hear: "Madam, don't be angry when you are away from home."

Chu Qingluan's expression did not change, she just pushed him away slightly, her tone still cold.

"Either two rooms or leave now, your choice."

Seeing this, the shopkeeper tried to smooth things over: "Don't worry, ma'am. We do have two vacant rooms upstairs. But they are in very simple conditions. I hope you can forgive me."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper handed over two keys.

There was a gloomy look in Qi Che's eyes, but he still took out the silver.

Just as the shopkeeper was giving out the change, he suddenly took out a piece of silver, covered it with his sleeve and stuffed it into the hand of the clerk beside him, and whispered, "Go tell that lady that the other room has been reserved and you didn't know it before."

The guy hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement.

After Chu Qingluan went upstairs, the waiter suddenly caught up with her and said, "Madam, please stay. When I went to check just now, the bed in the east room was broken and it is really uninhabitable. I'm afraid... I can only ask you two to stay in one room tonight."

Chu Qingluan paused, a sneer appeared on the corner of his lips.

She had expected that Qi Che might resort to such tactics.

She turned around and looked at Qi Che who had caught up with her, with sneer in her eyes: "Then you can sleep on the floor."

Qi Che did not get angry but laughed: "As a husband, I will naturally listen to my wife."

Little did they know that the two men's actions from the moment they entered the door to the time they went upstairs, including Qi Che's series of actions to bribe the waiter, were all caught by a pair of hawk-like eyes.