I pressed myself against Xie Yuancheng's chest and could hear his strong heartbeat: "Little Chengcheng, we'll read books together from now on. I like you so much~"

"Stop saying sweet words and just spend more time with me, that's better than anything else."

"Yes~ My lord is too domineering, I have to be obedient."

"Ying'er~" Xie Yuancheng leaned against me and smiled. I could meet his smiling face when I looked up. I asked him to lean closer so we could read together.

The book begins with the gluttonous beast. It's not a thick book, and each page is filled with poems. I finished reading it quickly. No wonder he can recite it so fluently despite being so busy. It must be over a thousand words, but it's still a bit difficult for me.

"Yuan Cheng, these are all paintings of legendary mythical beasts. Do you think they're just pretty, or do they have a hidden meaning?"

"I don't know about that. I guess Master has something to tell you. I can memorize it so that one day when you think about it and can't remember what it is, I can tell you."

"You're just too considerate. I'm only twenty-two, and I'm already completely dominated by you. I don't even want to escape."

I turned around and hugged him. This bad man, he always sets traps for me. He does everything so well. I can't live without him. Besides, why should I leave him?

Xie Yuancheng played with my fingers: "Master said that when I was swept away by the water, you stayed by my side. At that time, I was thinking that this silly wife did not know what she was going to face. She followed me after giving birth. When I have the ability, I will let you take good care of your health."

"I was already injured, and you still wanted to jump into the river with me. You pampered little darling, how could you possibly handle that? You stayed by my side to keep me warm, never leaving me. If it were anyone else, they would have already handed me over and climbed out."

"What other people? Explain yourself first. If it's some random woman, see how I deal with you!"

"Ying'er~ I'm surrounded by men most of the time. You little rascal, you dressed up as a man to seduce me. If I hadn't been afraid of scaring you, it wouldn't have been as simple as just touching your hand."

"That's right, get up, I want to read it again, I'm not talking to you anymore." I picked up the book and continued reading. Xie Yuancheng leaned down and kissed the corner of my mouth, then quietly followed me as I read.

I've always felt that the Taotie is a bit mysterious: "a sheep's body, a human face, tiger's teeth, and a greedy person."

"It's just something from a book, how could you think of so many things?"

"Could it be telling us that someone born in the Year of the Sheep may look weak, but is actually very greedy and harbors malicious intentions and purposes? The most important thing for wild animals is their ability to bite. Even if the prey is right in front of them, they can't have a full meal if they lose all their teeth."

"Born in the Year of the Sheep?" Xie Yuancheng looked at me, propping his hands on the table. "None of the people I value are born in the Year of the Sheep."

"I don't mean it either. It could be just a guess. It's just an image. I like to let my thoughts wander and think about things. It might not be true."

“Ying’er~ Master said your ideas are very close to this book, which is why I let you see it, and it seems that it really is true.”

Xie Yuancheng turned to the third page and showed it to me: "It's easy to recognize the face of the east wind, and spring is always full of colorful flowers." This sentence is very close to what you thought. Also, the word "spring" is at the end of this book. I'm just following your idea and it may not be correct.

"Whether it is or not, since it was given by the shopkeeper, we still need to be careful. Actually, age can be faked. As long as the appearance matches, even someone who is not this age can appear to be this age."

Xie Yuancheng suddenly kissed me and then went outside. I hadn't even reacted yet. That naughty boy, he didn't even tell me why he ran away like that.

I put on an outer robe and went to call Bizhu, but she wasn't there. I called her twice before two maids came in.

"Madam, the Marquis just sent Bizhu to invite the eldest young lady. Please wait a moment."

"Call my sister over? It's too late." I put my clothes on. My sister is an elder, I can't go to see her like this.

"We servants didn't know, but the Marquis has made arrangements. Madam, please stay in the courtyard and don't go out for now."

"I know, you all go ahead and do your things. I'll wait for my sister to come over in the yard."

I went to sit in the courtyard. Xie Yuancheng seemed to be thinking about something. It was getting cold outside, but he didn't even put on a coat. He was about to rest.

"Sister-in-law, my silly little brother suddenly has something to do. Let's keep you company for a while."

Li Ruowei came in very quickly; I had just put the books down when she came in. "Sister, let's go check on the children; they might not be asleep yet."

"It's getting late. Children should play and learn a little before going to sleep so they can grow faster."

"Well, he just left suddenly, and I don't know why."

“Some things have been a bit troublesome lately. I guess my younger brother heard your wise words and suddenly had an epiphany. He’s already on his way to deal with it.”

"Yuan Cheng went out of the manor? Is he alone?" I was a little worried, and my hands involuntarily clenched.

"Don't worry, he certainly didn't go alone. We're not gods who can get everything with a snap of our fingers. He has many people helping him."

"That's good. I'll have to ask him about it when he gets back. He has to take me everywhere next time he goes!"

I'm a little angry. Xie Yuancheng, that little rascal, always thinks about seeing everything first and then telling me everything after it's all over.

"It's good that you love him the most, but I'm very curious how he came to his senses. We, the Divine Emei Sect, were just guessing, not telling the truth."

"We were just chatting and reading when he suddenly ran away, which made me think something had happened."

“I assure you, Yuancheng will not get hurt. It will be someone else who gets into trouble. If something happens to him, we will be the first to be in trouble.”

I could only nod in agreement. His family, whom he protected the best, would be the first to know if there was any bad news about him. The follow-up arrangements were handled very carefully. It was really difficult for him, who was only two years older than me, to have to shoulder so much responsibility.

Li Ruowei was very enthusiastic about chatting and asked many questions. I was worried that Xie Yuancheng would be unhappy, so I didn't answer. Anyway, the two siblings would keep in touch with each other, so I let him do it.

We waited until almost midnight, when Xie Yuancheng and the others finally returned. I noticed that his clothes were torn in places by the sword. He was about to speak to Li Ruowei when he suddenly disappeared.

"I'll protect you first." I helped Xie Yuancheng inside. His fatigue was very obvious. I had to protect him and prevent him from having any bad emotions, lest he become depressed someday.

"Ying'er~ You are really perfect to be my behind-the-scenes strategist. You can connect so many things with just a guess."