The candlelight flickered in the store, illuminating the different expressions of the four people. There was a subtle atmosphere in the air, as if a silent contest and decision was brewing.

Inside the store, Qiongqi's deep eyes were fixed on Lei Jiaojiao.

He gently applied medicine to her last wound, his voice low and magnetic: "Jiaojiao, are you willing to stay with me? Let me be your shield, your sword, to protect you."

His words were like a spring breeze, gentle yet firm.

Lei Jiaojiao looked up and met his sincere eyes, and ripples began to form in her heart.

She tilted her head slightly, and the candlelight shone on her face, leaving a soft glow.

She replied softly, "Qiongqi, I am willing. Being with you, I feel more at ease than ever before."

As they spoke, their eyes met in the air, and it seemed as if the whole world had stopped at this moment.

Lei Jiaojiao's expression suddenly became determined. She gently pulled back the hand that was held by Qiongqi. The candlelight danced in her eyes, reflecting complex emotions.

"Qiongqi,"

Her voice was gentle but firm enough to not be ignored.

"I can't stay just for you. The world is so big, and I still have many landscapes I haven't seen and many stories I haven't experienced. I can't give up the whole forest for a tree."

Qiongqi's face suddenly turned gloomy, and a trace of disbelief and anger flashed in his deep eyes, as if his heart was hurt by Lei Jiaojiao's words.

His clenched fists trembled slightly, and even the air was filled with a suppressed atmosphere.

He stared at Lei Jiaojiao, his eyes seemed to have a storm brewing, but he still tried to remain calm and restrained, not wanting to lose his composure in front of her.

After Qiongqi gave her the medicine, he stood up suddenly and accidentally knocked over the medicine box. The herbs and medicine bottles scattered all over the floor with a crisp sound, breaking the original tranquility of the store.

Without even a glance, he strode towards the door, his black robe fluttering, bringing up a gust of cold wind that caused the candle flame to shake violently.

Lei Jiaojiao looked at his departing back, opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Shangguan Qing shook his head slightly, with a playful smile on his face: "It seems that our guardian beast, Lord Qiongqi, was unable to take Miss Lei Jiaojiao away this time."

He walked slowly forward, bent down and picked up the scattered herbs. His movements were graceful and calm, as if everything was under control.

Shangguan Qing and Youxuan slowly walked back into the store. The flickering candlelight stretched their shadows long and cast them on the mottled ground.

Shangguan Qing gently waved his folding fan, with a playful smile on his face: "Youxuan, you see, our Miss Lei Jiaojiao has a conscience now, and she can't bear to trouble our guardian beast Master Qiongqi."

Hearing this, Youxuan couldn't help laughing, with a playful gleam in his eyes.

He raised his hand and patted Shangguan Qing's shoulder, smiling and said, "Yes, this is really a rare thing. I think it's because our Lord Qiongqi is not charming enough to firmly tie Miss Jiaojiao's heart."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled. The laughter echoed in the store, carrying a bit of ridicule and helplessness, adding a different color to the quiet night.

Upon hearing this, Lei Jiaojiao turned her gaze to Shangguan Qing beside her, with complex emotions flashing in her eyes. She bit her lip lightly, as if she was making some kind of decision.

"Shangguan Qing, the reason I chose to leave is because I don't want to drag anyone into the storm that is destined for me. Qiongqi...he deserves a better life, rather than wandering with me and facing endless dangers."

Her voice was slightly trembling, but extremely firm.

Shangguan Qing shook his head slightly, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he slowly opened the folding fan in his hand. There were landscape paintings in ink on the fan, as if he could glimpse into another world.

"Jiaojiao, you are saying this because you are afraid of implicating Qiongqi, but not me? Is my life, Shangguan Qing, more insignificant than Qiongqi's?"

There was a hint of self-mockery and seriousness in his words. The flickering candlelight in the store illuminated his deep eyes, which seemed to hold countless unspoken secrets.

Lei Jiaojiao raised her head slightly, with a look of apology and determination in her eyes: "Shangguan Qing, you are smarter than Qiongqi, and you know better how to seek benefits and avoid harm. I choose to leave because I don't want to be a burden to you.

Your world is vast and there should be more wonderful things waiting for you to explore, rather than being bound by me in this endless wandering. "

After saying this, she gently lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes like a fan, casting a faint shadow.

Shangguan Qing had a complicated expression when he heard this. He stared at the folding fan in his hand. The mountains and rivers on the fan seemed to have lost their color and become dull at this moment.

The flickering candlelight in the store illuminated his tightly pursed lips and deep eyes, which contained thousands of unspoken words and a barely perceptible bitterness.

Lei Jiaojiao bit her lower lip lightly, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

She seemed to have mustered up her courage and asked in a low voice: "Shangguan Qing, can I...can I bring a few friends to the store? They are also homeless and want to find a place to rest."

Shangguan Qing's face darkened when he heard this, his eyes were like torches, and he said sternly: "Jiaojiao, if you dare to bring them here, you must leave this store immediately and never come back!"

His voice echoed in the store with unquestionable determination.

The candlelight cast light and dark shadows on his face, making his expression even more grim.

Lei Jiaojiao's body trembled, and a hint of loss and sadness flashed in her eyes. She lowered her head silently and said no more. The store fell into suffocating silence again.

Lei Jiaojiao was living under someone else's roof, so she had to shut her mouth and clench her hands into fists. Her nails were deeply embedded in her palms, but she didn't feel any pain at all.

She lowered her head, her hair covering half of her face, leaving only one eye exposed, which was full of helplessness and resignation.

The candlelight in the store was still flickering, stretching her shadow long and casting it on the ground, making her look particularly lonely.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she was trying hard to suppress the waves in her heart.

Shangguan Qing's back looked particularly cold and hard under the candlelight. He did not turn around, but simply waved his hand gently, and that action was full of irresistible majesty.

Lei Jiaojiao clenched her teeth and finally did not speak again. She just turned around silently and walked towards the door step by step. Every step felt like walking on the tip of a knife, painful and heavy.