Chapter Ninety-Six

A north wind blew, and snowflakes slid down from the treetops, as if it had snowed again.

This snow was no longer fierce, but carried a faint chill, as if telling a new story about snowflakes.

Thinking that the puppy couldn't eat bones yet, the two met a herdsman selling goat milk and bought some to take home.

When they returned to the inn, Chen Wu had already settled the puppies in their room. The room was warm with charcoal fire, and the puppies were sleeping soundly huddled together.

Si Yanmo resisted the urge to tease the puppies and squatted down to watch the group of furry little guys.

The big dog quickly became unhappy and squeezed in, rubbing its head against her shoulder, as if to say, "Why don't you pet me?"

Si Yanmo was amused by him and reached out to touch his hair. "Mmm, so good."

"You can be even more obedient." He picked her up and rubbed his nose against hers. "Amo, do you want to experience it?"

“I think… he’s not obedient.” Si Yanmo saw through the man’s trick, but instead of pushing him away, she gently bit the tip of his nose. “He’s bad.”

"What can we do? All the big dogs are bad." He sniffed, feigning distress.

Si Yanmo was not to be outdone, "Then we don't need a big dog, just a small dog."

"That won't do!" He tightened his arms around her, pulled her onto the bed, and let her sit on his lap. "The big dog can protect you."

"I think the big dogs are the most dangerous."

"Then you should teach her more." He gently pinched the soft flesh on her waist with his large hand. "Dogs will learn if you teach them."

"Then how do you want me to teach you?" Si Yanmo cooperated by wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingertips gently tracing his back, causing him to tremble.

He raised his hand and pinched her little face. "Hmm, I think you've already gone astray before you've even properly trained the big dog."

"I think you want me to go astray more than anyone else." Si Yanmo raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to." Now that things have come to this, the person suddenly became serious. "What if you go astray and go find another dog?"

"Isn't it okay to have multiple dogs?"

She pretended not to understand, which angered Zhou Yanqing so much that he buried his head in the crook of her neck and bit her hard.

Okay, I said "hard," but I didn't actually use any force at all.

"You don't actually want three husbands and four concubines, do you?"

"It's not impossible. Women on Lanyu can act like men, right? I can go there and take a look later."

"You!" Zhou Yanqing's face darkened, and he gripped her wrist tightly. He couldn't argue with this little madwoman after all.

"Then go find one!" he said stubbornly, though tears welled up in his eyes. "Let's see which man treats you as well as I do!"

Seeing him like this, Si Yanmo felt a little sorry for him and quickly rubbed his face, "Poor little devil, I won't look for him anymore, I won't look for him anymore!"

Zhou Yanqing took the opportunity to grab her hand, bit her palm, and muttered softly, "Even if you dare to look for her, no one will dare to come."

Anyone who dares to covet his people, he will kill them all and throw them into a mass grave to feed the dogs.

Si Yanmo caught the malice in his eyes and knew that he was thinking something scary again. She leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek. "Okay, having so many dogs will make the house chaotic. I just need one big dog to take care of all my puppies."

"That's more like it!"

Finally, the big dog wagged its tail contentedly and rubbed its face against hers.

The atmosphere around them became ambiguous as the two became closer.

Zhou Yanqing's eyes flickered slightly, his gaze moving down from her affectionate eyes and finally settling on her soft lips.

“Amo.”

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was hoarse, making Si Yanmo's heart skip a beat.

She knew the answer, but still asked, "What's wrong?"

There was no reply, only the man's face gradually enlarging.

Just as their lips were about to touch, a small white dog in the cage woke up and let out a groggy bark.

One howl was no big deal, it woke up the others, and they all started howling, just like a pack of wolves responding to the howl of their alpha, one after another.

Zhou Yanqing was annoyed by their noise and tried her best to pretend that nothing had happened and continue the kiss.

The little ones, however, gave him no chance and shouted even louder.

He gritted his teeth, "What was Chen Wu thinking, putting them in the room?"

Si Yanmo pursed her lips and chuckled, gently pushing him away. "It's so cold outside, you wouldn't want them to freeze to death, would you?"

She stood up and went to get the goat milk the two had bought. "They must be hungry. Feeding them something will do the trick."

"I'm hungry too." A big dog hugged her from behind, looking pitiful.

So close, so close again!

He almost got to kiss Amo!

Si Yanmo turned around and patted his head, pretending not to understand, "Then let's go eat in a bit."

Just as he finished speaking, he realized there was nowhere to pour the goat milk, so he added, "Get me a bowl."

Zhou Yanqing was both angry and helpless, so she could only obediently do as she was told.

After the two of them poured some goat milk for the puppy, the puppy barked at them in a soft, babyish voice, as if it were thanking them.

He didn't appreciate it at all and bared his teeth at the puppy.

Si Yanmo caught a glimpse of this scene and thought the person was childish, yet also somewhat adorable.

She casually took his hand and said, "Oh, is our big dog jealous?"

Zhou Yanqing's eyebrows furrowed with secret delight as he enveloped her hand. "Yes, she's jealous. We need to coax her."

Si Yanmo took his hand and kissed it. "Then, Your Highness, how would you like me to coax you?"

"How about..." Zhou Yanqing said, pulling her into his arms again, their foreheads touching, everything understood without words.

Si Yanmo did not refuse, and the two gradually grew closer, along with their loving hearts.

However……

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

It seemed as if fate was deliberately preventing Zhou Yanqing from kissing her sweetheart, as Chen Wu knocked on the door from outside.

This time, Zhou Yanqing finally couldn't take it anymore. She stood up, opened the door, and said through gritted teeth, "You better have something to say!"

Chen Wu was stunned when he was yelled at. He only realized what was happening when he caught a glimpse of Si Yanmo blushing. He knew he was definitely doomed.

He said tremblingly, "Your Highness, please forgive me. A letter came from Sak saying... the situation is not good. Wu Zhao still has a personal guard hidden, and he has already captured Wu Lan. Now, the ministers of the Wu clan have all turned to support Wu Zhao. Sano may be able to hold out for a while, but it will still be difficult for him to seize the throne!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqing's expression turned serious.

This was actually within his expectations, but he didn't expect Wu Lan to be so useless, being taken down so quickly.

Si Yanmo also stood up and walked to the two of them. "The Wuke tribe will definitely support Wu Zhao. They don't want to be retaliated against by the Sawa tribe. But the more they do that, the more difficult it will be for Sano."

None of the three could think of a good solution for a moment, and the air fell into a deathly silence.

At this moment, the puppy's bowl of goat milk was empty, and it started barking at Si Yanmo, who had just "gifted" it, begging for a new round of food.

This scene, however, made her eyes light up. "A miracle!"

Zhou Yanqing and Chen Wu didn't understand what she meant at first, and their brows furrowed.

Zhou Yanqing: "What are you talking about?"

While pouring another bowl of goat milk for the puppies, Si Yanmo explained to the two of them, "Do you remember how we tricked Wu Lan before?"

Before the two could answer, she added, "Make him believe that he is the chosen one."

“And what we need to do now is—make everyone believe that Sanhok is the chosen one.” She raised her eyebrows and used a drop of goat’s milk that had accidentally fallen onto the table to write the character for “king.”

"But the outcome is still undecided, and it's impossible to go to the Digu Temple to cast the divination." Zhou Yanqing still felt that this matter was not feasible.

Si Yanmo laughed, "Who said we have to go to the Digu Temple?"

She walked to the window and looked at the setting sun not far away, its rays like fire, the sky as if draped in a red veil.

"Let's see when this freezing weather will end."

——

As night fell, Chen Wu and Zhou Yanqing, looking completely bewildered, watched Si Yanmo sit on the edge of the bed, with even the little dog in the cage staring at her.

They had no idea what the woman was up to, so they could only wait quietly.

A moment later, Si Yanmo came over and asked Chen Wu to get her some pen and ink. She wrote down numbers of various sizes on the paper, which left the two of them even more bewildered.

After an unknown amount of time, she finally put down her pen. "It will rain some night three days from now, and the next day the sun will shine brightly and the sky will be filled with extraordinary light. After that, the snow will fall less. This is the miracle we want."

Zhou Yanqing looked at her, then at the messy paper on the table, and frowned in confusion: "How do you know? Can this be seen from one's destiny?"

“It’s a combination of destiny and astrology.” Si Yanmo crossed her legs smugly and swung them back and forth. “I just looked at the innkeeper’s destiny and learned that after a light rain, Sak will become warmer. Although it will still snow, it will be much better than before. I also checked the celestial phenomena and found that the rain will come in three days. Heaven is helping us, why not take advantage of it?”

Looking at the curve of the woman's lips, Zhou Yanqing felt more and more that the marriage he had asked for was worthwhile.

This woman is both smart and crazy; she and he are a perfect match.

He instructed Chen Wu to send the message to Sano at top speed, and after Chen Wu left, he pulled Si Yanmo into his arms, made her sit on his lap, and supported her waist with his hands.

"With your intelligence, Madam, you're wasting your talents as a shaman."

"You're teasing me again!" Si Yanmo playfully slapped his shoulder. "So, according to you, I should really agree to the Third Prince's proposal?"

"That won't do!" The puppy wrinkled its nose and tightened its grip. "You can only be mine."

"What if I run away?"

"Then I'll bring you back." He leaned close to her ear, gently biting her earlobe, his voice hoarse. "I'll lock you in a cage again. This time, I won't let you off the hook."

Si Yanmo narrowed her eyes. "That cage again? Your Highness Prince Qin has no originality at all."

"You still think it's not original?" He was annoyed by the woman, and feigned anger with a light snort, "Then what do you think is original?"

Si Yanmo really didn't hold back, listing off a wildly imaginative list: "For example, locking me up in a forest where I can't find my way; or locking me up on a small island surrounded by the sea, where I can't escape; or breaking my legs so I'll completely give up any thought of running away..."