The teacher and Lu Fengjun were all there. I was so ashamed, and Xie Yuancheng was smiling happily.

"Teachers, you're busy, I'll go out first." Just as I was about to leave, Xie Yuancheng pulled me aside to talk.

"We won't let you leave. We just came in to talk. The teachers are going to the capital."

"Going to the capital?" I looked over and saw the teachers nodding. I didn't know why, but something just felt off.

"You two must get along well in Linyang. Don't run away after a fight. We won't be back for a while, so we won't be able to help you then."

When I heard him say that, my face turned red: "Teacher, I won't be the same as before. As long as Xie Yuancheng doesn't mess around with me, everything is negotiable."

"What's there to say? He ignored me last time." Xie Yuancheng's lies made everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter.

Only Lu Fengjun remained in Linyang. He saw the teacher and Lingwu out, while Xie Yuancheng and I stood at the door watching. Their figures became increasingly blurry, and then everything went black before my eyes, and I fainted.

In my daze, I saw Xie Yuancheng's face. He was extremely nervous, and his eyes were watery. I felt like I could reach out and touch him, but I couldn't touch his face no matter what I did.

Could there be something wrong with my brain? I haven't felt dizzy in a long time. Everything around me was black, so I quickly stood up.

"Where am I? Yuancheng~ Xie Yuancheng?" I called out several times, but there was no response.

Then, everything in front of me lit up, revealing a vast expanse of corpses. I walked around and saw that they were all people I knew. Seeing them made me feel uneasy, just like seeing Xie Yuancheng's fear when his family was destroyed.

"What's going on?" I ran around the manor for a long time before I finally saw him, but he didn't seem to have any life in him at all, except that his eyes were open.

I frantically called out to him, but Xie Yuancheng didn't respond at all. When I reached out to check his breath, it was already ice cold.

"Stop looking." It was the shopkeeper's voice. I went over to beg him to save Xie Yuancheng. He waved the jade piece in his hand, and the scene from before disappeared.

There was no blood flowing on the ground, and no more horn sounds outside; only a vast expanse of light remained.

"I just went out for a trip, and I haven't even finished half of it yet, and you guys have gotten into trouble again!"

"Shopkeeper, although we are somewhat conspicuous in Linyang, we haven't done anything."

"We haven't even done anything yet, and you were encouraging my good disciple to assist the new ruler, weren't you?"

"Yes, I just want Lin Yang to have a stable backer. If it's not good for him, I won't advise him on anything in the future."

I cried uncontrollably. If my words really harmed them, I wouldn't be able to find peace even if I killed myself.

The shopkeeper helped me up: "We're quite destined to meet. If it weren't for your help when I was little, I wouldn't be able to travel through time. This time you've been tricked; the other side is coming on strong."

"Who is it? Is there any room for negotiation?" I wiped my face with a handkerchief. I never used to carry these things with me.

"It was just a small incident. I foresaw the consequences, which is why I suddenly called you into my dream." The shopkeeper calculated with his fingers: "Luckily, you kept your mouths shut and didn't say anything about us. This was just a minor incident."

"What happened?" I was extremely nervous; I couldn't let anything happen to Xie Yuancheng.

"Not yet, but it will be soon. Wasn't there a time-traveling woman who embarrassed you last time? She's quite capable. She suffered a loss in Linyang. You're now trying to put the tenth prince on the throne, but that good-for-nothing isn't ready yet. The emperor of Da Zhao is in good spirits. He's just pretending to be sick to eliminate those who covet the throne. She's using this to sow discord among you, trying to get you to reveal the secrets of time and space."

"It was her? That vicious woman, she wanted to know something, so she made so many people pay with their lives?"

"Do you think everyone in the world is a good person? That old woman, the Empress Dowager, is so arrogant that she's fooled him so much that he doesn't even know his own name anymore. She even made him concoct elixirs for the old emperor."

"Refining elixirs!" I thought of the Celestial Master in the palace. Could it be that Hua Shi was in disguise? "Hua Shi is just a woman. She's not some kind of extraordinary person."

“There are many unremarkable people in this world who, without realizing it, become kings among kings. If you’re willing, I can help you become one of them.”

I quickly shook my head: "I only want to be with Yuancheng, I don't want to think about anything else."

"You're so weak because he has you completely under his thumb. If you were capable enough, I wouldn't need to get involved in these little things!"

"Shopkeeper, I'll learn more slowly later. Right now, I just want to be with him."

"Sigh, it's all because of your cunning; otherwise, you would have been a greedy female demon long ago." Was the shopkeeper testing me or just talking to himself?

"Shopkeeper, it's me."

“Let me tell you, everything in this world has two sides. Some people want the best of everything, and they are prone to getting into trouble. You don’t compete or fight now, which meets our requirements. I will take care of this for you. However, next time you deal with people who are not good for your future, don’t be soft-hearted. If they turn their fortunes around, you will be prisoners.”

The shopkeeper gave me a book and told me to read it when I had free time, but not to always think too much, or I might suffer a backlash. He also said that the tenth prince wouldn't ascend the throne for another ten years, by which time the Great Zhao would be the strongest of all nations. The old emperor was just waiting to eliminate capable people; I mustn't fall for his tricks.

I wrote it all down. Luckily, I did some good deeds when I was young, so I can keep reaping the benefits.

"Ah!" I saw a bright light in my eyes and quickly opened them, only to see the scene of corpses lying everywhere.

"Ying'er!" It was Xie Yuancheng's voice. I had just regained some of my strength when I collapsed into his arms.

When I finally saw who was in the room, I realized it wasn't just the two of us. I quickly tugged at his clothes, trying to save him some face. I saw tears in the corners of his eyes, but I didn't say anything.

"Yuancheng, let your sister-in-law lie down first, the needles haven't been removed yet." Li Ruowei was standing a little behind, so I didn't see her.

"I don't want to. Ying'er is always sick. I want to stay with her."

"Okay, let me lie down first." I still have things to talk about later. Luckily, the teachers are back, so I'm not worried about anything happening.

With needles stuck in my body, Xie Yuancheng stood guard beside me, looking aggrieved, holding my hand tightly. The teacher's medical skills were excellent; once the needles were removed, I felt a little better.

"Ying'er~" Xie Yuancheng's voice was weak, and I told him not to be nervous.

"He's been unconscious for a day. We won't leave for now; we'll wait until his condition stabilizes before we go."

"What illness?" I was extremely nervous. I only met the shopkeeper in my dream, but I wasn't sick!

"It's not a serious illness. Next time, you can't go to places that are too strenuous. Girls should be pampered a bit."

"Really? Teacher, you're the head of the family, you can't lie to me."