Bai Zhanfeng

"Master Lan is quite clever; it's surprising that even he can make mistakes sometimes."

Inside the carriage, the two sat cross-legged across a table.

Xianyue supported her chin with her hands, gazing at Lan Yixuan with a playful expression. Normally, after a hearty meal, Xianyue would be fast asleep without a care, but now, she felt unusually excited, completely free of drowsiness.

Just thinking about it made her happy. It was truly a pity that the grass-picking thief was so useless; they were merely splashing water, and they even managed to break their own tendons. With such little ability, how could they dare to come out and pick grass, especially in front of someone as stunning as Lan Yixuan? It was really a death wish.

Why did she even want to join the fun? If she had known earlier, she should have just stayed hidden in her room and tripped up Lei Yun and Lei An; then she could have seen how Lan Yixuan would handle it.

If only she had a digital camera, it would have been great! No matter how fast Lan Yixuan's actions were, she could show him the pictures afterward. The more she thought about it, the more amusing it became. Looking at Lan Yixuan, she patted the table and suddenly burst into laughter.

"People make mistakes, and horses stumble."

Lan Yixuan raised his eyes, glancing at Xianyue, whose brows and eyes were filled with pride, as if his forehead was also marked with 'I'm very proud.' "I wonder what has made you so happy, Xianyue. Can you share it with me?"

Xianyue's every word was laced with sarcasm, but Lan Yixuan seemed completely unbothered.

Upon hearing this, the smile on Xianyue's face froze, her brows furrowing into a serious expression. "Lan Yixuan, do not call me that without my permission in the future."

Lan Yixuan paused his hand, which was resting under the table, looking at Xianyue without a hint of ordinary displeasure. After a moment of silence, he replied softly, "Understood."

Not pursuing the reason further, Xianyue felt as if the air around them had solidified.

Lan Yixuan picked up a book from the table, moved a few steps back, and leaned against the window, lifting the curtain as if he were angry. But then he thought, it was just a name after all. How could a person like him be upset over such trivial matters?

"Lan Yixuan."

Xianyue slapped the table and leaned forward, and as soon as Lan Yixuan heard her call, he turned around, finding her looking up at him.

Her plain face, clear eyes, and delicate features could hardly be considered stunning, yet once he looked at her, even a beauty that could topple a city would fail to stir his heart.

"What is it?"

Lan Yixuan turned his head away, continuing to look out the window, though his expression seemed a bit unnatural.

"Weren't you asking why I was so happy?"

Xianyue stood on tiptoe, leaning forward as if she was about to fall into Lan Yixuan's embrace.

Lan Yixuan glanced at her, remaining silent.

"I was thinking, if only there were something that could capture the moment you flew out of the water forever."

After finishing her sentence, Xianyue pursed her lips, straightened up, and laughed, "If that were the case, those beautiful ladies who secretly adore you would definitely hang it by their beds and worship it every day. Who knows, I might even make a small profit."

Xianyue smiled at Lan Yixuan, her eyes narrowing with amusement.

"What a pity."

Lan Yixuan smiled at her, as if he felt sorry for her.

"Ah!"

Xianyue yawned and stretched, "Lan Yixuan, I'm going to sleep. I'm so tired."

Having said that, she couldn't help but yawn again, waved goodbye to Lan Yixuan, and closed her eyes as she stepped past the beaded curtain, collapsing directly into sleep.

"Why is it so quiet?"

The driver, Lei An, turned around, lifted the curtain, and was about to poke his head in when he was stopped by Lei Yun. "Lei An, didn't I tell you? The master's affairs are not something we can interfere with, especially when it comes to him and Miss Xianyue."

On this day, the four of them arrived at the foot of Yan Mountain. Yan Mountain lies at the junction of Yanjing, Lanzhou, and Mingzhou. While it may not be as steep and dangerous as Falling Blossom Mountain, it is indeed the longest mountain range in Yan, stretching over one thousand seven hundred miles from east to west. If they crossed Yan Mountain, they would reach Yanjing in just two days.

As summer approached, it was noon, scorching hot. The four found a clean, shady spot. Even in such a desolate place, Lan Yixuan was extremely particular.

Lei An and the others took out their water bags to serve him, while Lei Yun prepared the dry food they had purchased from Yun Prefecture. Xianyue noticed that although Lan Yixuan loved cleanliness and luxury, making even outdoor dining feel heavenly, he wasn't incapable of enduring hardship. He ate dry food and drank water without any sign of discomfort. However, asking such a person to personally prepare a roasted duck for you seemed highly unlikely; his cleanliness was far too serious.

Xianyue accepted the water bag Lei Yun threw her way, opened the wooden cork, and let the icy water splash on her face. The mountain breeze blew in, bringing a refreshing coolness, and she felt completely relaxed.

Laughing, she walked over to Lan Yixuan, shook her head, and let her hair fly about, intentionally splashing him with water. Yet, Lan Yixuan did not dodge or evade; he allowed her to play around.

"Why don't you dodge?"

Aren't you supposed to be picky? Xianyue pouted in anger and threw the water bottle to Lei Yun.

In the blur, she faintly heard the sound of galloping hooves growing closer and clearer.

"Let's go."

Lan Yixuan glanced at Xianyue and entered the carriage first, noticing that she remained still, he turned around. "If we wait any longer, we'll have to camp out in the wild at night."

If she could, Xianyue would certainly prefer to stay at an inn, enjoy their signature dishes, and take a hot bath.

"Coming."

She glanced at Lei An and Lei Yun beside her. Lei Yun seemed a bit helpless, while Lei An wore a face full of excitement.

Just as Xianyue lay down in the carriage, she felt the hoofbeats getting closer. The driver, Lei An, urgently shouted, "Whoa!" The carriage suddenly stopped, followed by a sound that could be described as earth-shattering.

Which fool was causing trouble in broad daylight and disturbing her peaceful dream?

Xianyue sat up abruptly, angrily pulling aside the curtain, only to see Lan Yixuan sitting at the table, looking calm as if he had known all along.

Seeing Xianyue looking at him, Lan Yixuan turned around and smiled at her, "Would you like to see who disturbed your sweet dreams?"

With that, he stood up, lifted the curtain, and stepped outside.

Xianyue followed behind him, directly pushing Lei An out of the carriage and sitting in front of Lan Yixuan.

In the middle of the road, a man riding a dark-colored steed was blocking the carriage's path, with a large tree uprooted in the middle. It seemed that the rumbling sound was made when the tree collapsed.

What deep inner strength! Xianyue couldn't help but glance at the man a few more times—dressed in black with black hair, it flowed in the air. He was clad in fine clothes, with a fierce expression and a sharp gaze.

Lan Yixuan looked at the fallen tree on the ground, leaning forward as he sat in Lei Yun's place, his tall figure blocking Xianyue's line of sight slightly. "Brother Bai's Iron Sand Palm has improved quite a bit."

"How about a match with me?"

Bai Zhanfeng patted the back of his horse, leaped into the air, and his hand transformed into a palm, flying straight towards Lan Yixuan.