Yue Li walked over and sat down beside her, pulling her into her arms while playing with her small feet.
“You can play in the water, but not for too long. It won’t be good if you catch a cold.”
“I know.”
Xing Lian blushed and nodded. Her little feet wiggled, breaking free from Yue Li’s grasp before dipping back into the stream and splashing about.
The two sat by the small stream, chatting casually.
Unnoticed, the moon climbed overhead. Feeling drowsy, Xing Lian let out a lazy yawn.
“Tired? Sleep if you are.”
They had left in such a hurry that they hadn’t brought anything with them, so covering up with a blanket was out of the question.
Sleeping on the ground was no comparison to sleeping in her arms.
To keep Xing Lian from catching cold, Yue Li put her shoes and socks back on for her.
Xing Lian was petite, and Yue Li held her snugly. Combined with the mild night, she slept very comfortably.
…
The next day, the rising sun shone through the gaps in the dense foliage onto the ground.
Xing Lian slowly opened her eyes, realizing she was resting on something soft.
This was…
After a moment’s thought, she figured out what it was. Her cheeks flushed as she propped herself up and sat up.
“You’re awake.”
As soon as Xing Lian moved, Yue Li was startled awake. She gently looked down, stroking her hair with her hand.
“Mm.”
Xing Lian nodded, climbed out of Yue Li’s embrace, and stood up unsteadily.
Yue Li steadied her by the hand.
Xing Lian glanced at her with envy.
She had slept on her lap all night, feeling a bit uncomfortable from the curled-up position. Yet Yue Li, having been her pillow, showed no sign of discomfort. Her physical condition was simply too impressive.
“Are you hungry? Want me to make you something to eat?”
“I’m hungry. I want to eat.”
Xing Lian nodded again.
Yue Li walked over to the campsite and relit the fire. Breakfast was the leftover beast meat from last night.
After eating, the two set off again.
Yue Li followed the main road, sprinting for an hour until she spotted a small town.
This town wasn’t large, but it was much better than a village. More importantly, its buildings were well-preserved.
To avoid drawing attention, Yue Li transformed into human form and led Xing Lian into the town.
Though they kept a low profile, they still caught many eyes.
On one hand, it was because of Xing Lian’s stunning appearance. On the other, it was because they were strangers.
As soon as Xing Lian and Yue Li entered the town, guards stopped them for questioning.
“Halt! What business do you have here?”
“We fled from a nearby village.”
Yue Li stepped forward to negotiate with the guards.
The guards studied them closely, finding them highly suspicious, but ultimately let them go.
Yue Li carried an air of distinction that made her seem formidable, and Xing Lian’s striking looks made her unlikely to be a spy.
Once the guards were dealt with, Yue Li led Xing Lian into the town.
Xing Lian carefully observed the people around her. The town was crowded, and everyone wore worried expressions, though she had no idea what was happening.
Yue Li didn’t concern herself with that. She took Xing Lian into an inn, rented a high-quality room, and got Xing Lian settled before bothering to inquire about the situation.
“Did you find out?”
Xing Lian waited in the inn room, and when she saw Yue Li return, she approached curiously to ask.
“Yes, I did.”
Yue Li walked over to Xing Lian, pulled her into her arms, and sat down on a chair to relay what she had learned.
The tension in the town was due to the empire being at war with a neighboring country.
The Empire of Saint Meow and the Shanhui Empire had been mortal enemies since their founding, with constant large-scale battles between them. The last major war was forty years ago, and now war had broken out again, throwing everyone into panic.
“Shanhui Empire?”
Xing Lian looked puzzled.
“Mm. Those black-clad figures we saw were soldiers from the Shanhui Empire. They launched a surprise attack without declaring war and unexpectedly seized several cities.”
Xing Lian was even more astonished.
What were the people of the Empire of Saint Meow doing? Were they all fools?
Since the two countries were sworn enemies, why didn’t they keep up their guard?
“I don’t know either.”
Yue Li was also confused, but she didn’t plan to dig deeper.
Whether it was the Empire of Saint Meow or the Shanhui Empire, it had nothing to do with her.
The dominant race in the Empire of Saint Meow was cats, while the Shanhui Empire was made up of rats and dogs—all far removed from her.
Even if they were fellow wolves, she wouldn’t want to get involved. She just wanted to live her own life well.
That was her stance before, and now with Xing Lian, she was even more determined to mind her own business.
Having satisfied her curiosity, Xing Lian felt even more anxious.
With two empires at war, ordinary folks were bound to suffer. Could they still live well in the future?
She voiced her worries.
“Don’t worry.”
Yue Li comforted her gently.
“The Empire of Saint Meow and the Shanhui Empire are both major powers. They’ve been fighting for centuries. Neither will fall easily.”
“War will reach the borders, but it certainly won’t spread to the capital.”
“What do you mean…”
“We’ll head to the capital of the Empire of Saint Meow. It’ll be absolutely safe there. If even the capital fails, we’ll just leave this place.”
Hearing this, Xing Lian felt much relieved.
…
Knowing the real reason behind the chaos, Xing Lian wasn’t as panicked anymore.
Since the border was unsafe, they might as well head toward the empire’s center.
After discussing it, Yue Li and Xing Lian decided to rest for two days in the town, stock up on supplies, and then set off as soon as possible.
The reason for resting two days instead of one was purely because Yue Li was short on money.
The cost of staying at the inn was minimal—just selling some hunted prey would cover it—but supplies were expensive.
Yue Li decided to venture into the nearby deep mountains to gather herbs or wander around town to “borrow” money from some thugs.
While Yue Li was out, Xing Lian waited in the inn room.
A day passed, and soon it was the second day, but their planned schedule hadn’t been completed.
Not because they lacked money, but because buying things was difficult.
Everyone knew war was imminent. No one wanted to stay at the border; they all wanted to flee toward the empire’s center.
Dried rations and travel necessities that were easy to buy in peacetime were now extremely hard to come by.
Yue Li had to pay extra, but even then, it still took a lot of time.
“It’s okay. Don’t blame yourself. Staying an extra day won’t hurt.”
Xing Lian didn’t complain and gently comforted Yue Li.
Yue Li sighed.
Failing to handle things well in front of her beloved was just too embarrassing.
With her formidable strength, people had tried to recruit her in the past, but she always refused. Now that she had Xing Lian, it was hard to take good care of her alone. Should she consider joining some organization?
With her abilities, rising to a high position quickly wouldn’t be difficult.
Yue Li pondered this silently, unable to make up her mind.
She hated restraints and feared exposing Xing Lian to others’ eyes.
Joining a major faction could provide Xing Lian with a better life, but it also risked having her love taken away.