With a soft "snap," the plump, bouncy flesh trembled slightly. Yue Zhan felt a tingling sensation in his fingers, and the numb feeling spread from his fingertips to his arm and then to his whole body. He rubbed his fingers together and couldn't help but give it another nip.

Shi Lan froze. She hadn't expected Yue Zhan to do such a thing. The slight stinging pain in her buttocks made her blush with shame and anger, which gradually turned her fair and delicate neck red.

"You...you put me down," Shi Lan struggled desperately, trying to straighten her supple waist.

Yue Zhan held her tightly, turned his head to the side, and glanced at her, saying, "Tell me why you went there, and I'll let you go."

Shi Lan paused, bit her lip, and turned to look at him.

Her going there was related to her mission, and revealing it would involve many things, such as why she went there. If she said she knew he was a spy and went to kill him, she would have to explain how she knew these things, since her current identity was just a courtesan.

Shi Lan was in a dilemma. She didn't want to lie to him, but Yue Zhan wouldn't let go without giving a clear explanation. Suddenly, she remembered the conversation between Bu Mingbo and Ashina that night, and said, "Old Liu had Ashina kill my foster mother. I want to avenge my mother."

Yue Zhan stared intently at her for a while, then suddenly laughed, “Fatty, tell me the truth.”

Shi Lan pouted, her eyes wide open, and she lied as smoothly as could be, "I'm telling the truth, if you don't believe me, that's fine too."

Shi Lan turned her head away in a huff, her back facing him.

Yue Zhan smiled good-naturedly and said, "Alright, don't be angry anymore. I believe you, is that alright?"

Shi Lan turned to look at him, "You really believe me?"

Yue Zhan nodded.

Whether he believed it or not was not that important to him. Anyway, the whole city was under his control. The mansion and the people inside couldn't possibly grow wings and fly away. He didn't believe that anyone would be so stubborn as to refuse to speak under the iron shackles. The most important thing right now was to make the chubby baby happy. Only when she was happy would he be in a good mood.

Shi Lan had no idea of ​​the complicated thoughts in his heart. When she heard him say he believed her, her eyes immediately lit up and her heart instantly warmed.

I think Yue Zhan is a really good person. He's skilled, a good friend, and a good comrade-in-arms and brother who fights alongside you.

"So you'll always believe me from now on? No matter what others say?"

Unaware that the atmosphere was too pleasant, Shi Lan continued to press for answers, displaying a slightly spoiled and pampered attitude.

Yue Zhan nodded naturally, saying indulgently, "Yes."

Shi Lan then pouted and smiled.

Yue Zhan carried Shi Lan a couple of steps, placed her on the couch, and said, "Alright, you've been up all night, you must be tired. Get some sleep and rest before you get up."

Shi Lan nodded obediently, her dark eyes fixed on Yue Zhan. She had some questions in her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to ask them, such as how he had broken free of the bewitching spell and regained his senses.

After Yue Zhan finished giving his instructions, he turned to leave. Shi Lan remembered that the matter of Old Man Shi had not yet been resolved, so she quickly called out to him, "Ah Lang."

Yue Zhan turned to look at her.

Shi Lan twisted her sleeves, a little embarrassed about what she was about to say, but she had to say it nonetheless, "Um... don't you think it's a bit strange for a merchant to keep so many guards?"

Yue Zhan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with interest. "It is indeed a bit strange."

“Hmm… I also think that old Liu is very unusual. You are the Grand Commander, guarding this land. If spies from other countries were to infiltrate, it would be dangerous, and it would also be troublesome if the court blamed you.”

Shi Lan's words were incoherent; she herself didn't know what she was saying. Most of the tasks she had done before were solved by herself. Although she had helped a small number of people, most of them were by chance. This was the first time she had discussed something related to a task with someone else, which made her feel embarrassed to talk about it.

Yue Zhan tilted his head, his eyes sparkling, "Then what does Yi Lan think we should do?"

Shi Lan blinked, thinking to herself, "They're testing me, aren't they? I won't fall for it." So she pretended to be clueless and said, "Why don't you lead the troops to arrest them? A trial will surely reveal the truth."

Yue Zhan pursed his lips, suppressing a smile, and said in a seemingly serious but actually fake tone, "That's exactly right. There's no time to lose. I'll go and muster my troops now, charge in again, and capture all the henchmen."

Shi Lan pouted and glared at him, as if she couldn't see through his words; he was just teasing her.

Seeing her like this, Yue Zhan threw his head back and laughed loudly, then strode out.

The sunlight inside was soft and gentle, and a slightly cool breeze stirred the soft curtains, casting shadows that rose and fell on the floor. In the quiet of the room, the atmosphere was somewhat serene and cool.

Shi Lan frowned, disliking this feeling, and simply unbuttoned her clothes to catch up on sleep.

As she stretched out her arm, the fabric brushed against her wrist, and a sharp pain instantly spread. Only then did she remember that she still had an injury on her wrist.

After quickly securing her wrists and cleaning her face, Shi Lan covered herself with the quilt, cleared her mind of distractions, and began circulating the Chaos Technique, soon falling into a deep sleep.

As noon approached, Shi Lan groggily opened her eyes, looked at the shadow that had changed direction, and lazily called out, "Zhu'er."

Zhu'er responded softly, lifted the gauze curtain and came in, "My lady is awake."

Shi Lan hummed in agreement and lazily got up.

After Zhu'er helped her wash up, she put up her long, silky hair and said, "My lady, my husband sent someone back to tell you not to forget to have Lady Han take a look at your hand. He left in a hurry this morning and forgot to treat it for you."

Shi Lan touched her wrist, which had healed considerably, and a smile appeared on her lips.

Fortunately, he has a good memory and hasn't forgotten about it. Actually, she only bumped into it and will be fine after a couple of days.

Zhu'er carefully helped her change her clothes, avoiding the wound. Dou'er set out the meal and served her. Before noon, Lady Han arrived with her medicine boy.

After taking her pulse, examining her injuries, and seeing off Ms. Han, Shi Lan felt a bit lazy and leaned against the couch, not wanting to do anything.

She had been planning this for a long time and thought it would be a piece of cake, but unexpectedly, things went wrong one after another. First, her disguise technique failed, alerting Liu Weng and prompting him to call for guards. Then, her most confident bewitching technique was exposed, and in the end, she couldn't even pick up a hair.

She had no luck whatsoever – perfect timing, perfect location, perfect people – she was incredibly unlucky.

The only silver lining is that she wasn't wearing his own face before, so Shi Weng doesn't know that the person who wanted to kill him was actually her. Right now, he's probably still figuring out how to use her to steal Yue Zhan's token.

As the sun gradually sets in the west and autumn arrives, the days here become exceptionally short. Just moments ago, the sun shone brightly, but now night is falling.

Standing by the door, Zhu'er noticed that Shi Lan's face remained calm and expressionless all afternoon. Feeling a little uneasy, she reached out and touched Dou'er, "What's wrong, my lady?"

Dou'er stared at her blankly, moved her fingers, and stuffed another fragrant roasted bean into her mouth, making a crunchy sound as she bit into it.

Zhu'er waited for a while, but there was no movement. She turned her head and saw Dou'er muttering to herself, her chubby cheeks moving back and forth. She couldn't help but slap her in anger.

Dou'er carefully protected the beans in her hands, then darted away, grinning at Zhu'er.

Seeing her shake her head like that, Zhu'er turned to look at Shi Lan and sighed dejectedly. (To be continued.)