Seeing Mingyue enter, Ji Shiyou felt uneasy.
He wasn't ready to explain the room fee.
His heart fluttered in panic, and he sat on the edge of the bed.
He thought Mingyue must be here to demand an explanation.
Or should he just admit his mistake?
"Get up. We agreed, this bed is mine.
You sleep on the floor, and you're not allowed to cross this line."
Just as he was struggling with his thoughts, Mingyue fiercely pulled him off the bed.
Then she pushed him onto a chair and drew a line on the floor.
With a fierce but not truly menacing warning, she turned and lay on the bed.
"What is this?"
Ji Shiyou was bewildered. He, who was usually calm and composed,
was startled by Mingyue's actions and couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"It's all your fault for dragging me along.
You delayed my booking, and now the inn has no more rooms.
Those people from the Sword Sect have to squeeze three to a room.
So I had to come back and share a room with you."
Mingyue grumbled, rolling back and forth on the bed with dissatisfaction.
If not for this, she wouldn't have come back so shamelessly.
Her earlier fierceness towards Ji Shiyou was just to hide her embarrassment.
She had cried and begged not to share a room with Ji Shiyou,
only to slink back. Ji Shiyou must be looking down on her.
Mingyue buried her head under the covers, not daring to come out, feeling ashamed to face Ji Shiyou.
She didn't see that Ji Shiyou, upon learning the reason for her return,
let out a sigh of relief and even smiled.
"The night market has opened. Shall we go?"
Looking at Mingyue on the bed, twisted like a rope,
Ji Shiyou glanced out the window at the rising moon and said softly.
"Yes, why not?
I want to eat so much delicious food and buy so many things.
We agreed, I spend, you pay."
Upon hearing about the night market, Mingyue immediately threw off the covers.
She didn't care about anything else and pulled Ji Shiyou out of the room.
Tian Jian and the others' rooms were quiet; they must have already gone out.
As soon as they stepped out of the inn, Mingyue looked a bit lost, unsure of the way.
"This way."
Ji Shiyou had traveled the world in his younger days and had visited Furong Town before, so he knew the direction of the night market.
He took Mingyue's hand and led her towards the east of Furong Town.
The streets were thronged with people, all likely heading to the night market.
Mingyue feared getting separated from Ji Shiyou, lest no one pay for her.
So she let Ji Shiyou hold her hand without resistance.
Along the way, everything she saw was new and exciting, and she wanted to buy everything.
Ji Shiyou indulged her, generously paying behind her.
Without a hint of hesitation, the corners of his lips curved upwards, and his eyes held a doting gaze.
At this moment, in his eyes, Mingyue
was like a carefree spirit of the mortal world, and he found her more endearing the more he looked.
The two of them strolled and snacked, and before they knew it, they felt the crowd thinning around them.
Ahead, a tall white jade archway appeared. Most people shopping
turned back upon seeing the archway, not venturing further.
"Is this the end?"
Mingyue was still not satisfied; she hadn't shopped enough.
Holding a skewer of candied hawthorn, she looked at Ji Shiyou.
"No, that's where the cultivators set up their stalls.
Ordinary people don't go there. Do you want to take a look?"
Ji Shiyou reached out and wiped the candied hawthorn residue from the corner of Mingyue's mouth.
He patiently explained and sought her opinion.
"Of course, we have to go."
Feeling Ji Shiyou's warm fingertip caress her lips,
Mingyue blushed and suddenly broke free from his hand,
running towards the white jade archway. She was shy.
Ji Shiyou watched Mingyue's retreating back and slowly followed.
He could feel that Mingyue likely had feelings for him.
Beyond the white jade archway was an open space.
Compared to the bustling night market, it was quite deserted.
Dozens of stalls were arranged in a disorderly fashion.
Some didn't even have stalls, simply laying a cloth on the ground.
The items for sale were placed casually on top.
The stall owners were not like those in the front night market, shouting loudly.
They were either resting with their eyes closed or meditating.
There were fewer shoppers than stall owners.
So Ji Shiyou wasn't worried about Mingyue getting lost. He stood under the white jade archway, watching from a distance.
He was a little tired and wanted to rest.
He saw Mingyue in the distance, still full of energy, wandering through the stalls tirelessly.
He wondered curiously if all women were this energetic when shopping.
He even suspected if his cultivation had declined recently.
While Ji Shiyou was lost in thought, Mingyue was like a curious baby,
lingering at various stalls. If she encountered something she didn't understand, she would ask the stall owner.
Some stall owners didn't reply at all, but she didn't mind.
As she looked around, something at one stall suddenly caught her eye.
It was a wooden hairpin. The moment she saw it, she fell in love with it.
The hairpin was a defensive magical artifact, but judging by the fluctuations of its spiritual energy, it wasn't very powerful.
What attracted Mingyue was the hairpin's design; it was a pear blossom.
Mingyue's true form was a pear blossom tree, so she loved it at first sight.
She hadn't bought anything since she transformed.
So she wanted to experience the joy of buying something with her own money.
However, she wasn't buying it for herself; she wanted to give this pear blossom hairpin to Ji Shiyou.
Ji Shiyou had bought her many things today.
Originally, she had come with the intention of getting freebies and hadn't paid much attention.
But just now, under the white jade archway, Ji Shiyou had been so gentle with her.
It gave her a strange feeling, and at the same time, she realized
that Ji Shiyou was truly good to her, spending money and effort.
He was also considerate and thoughtful, so she wanted to buy something for Ji Shiyou.
She even deluded herself into thinking it was just reciprocity, not that she liked Ji Shiyou.
But even when buying gifts for others, she had to choose what she liked.
Thus, she had immediately set her sights on this pear blossom hairpin.
However, just as she was about to pick it up and ask the stall owner the price,
the pear blossom hairpin was taken away.
"Young lady, do you like this hairpin?
I'll give it to you. My name is He Hua, the senior disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect.
If you like it, I can buy the entire night market and give it to you.
As long as you play with me, how about it?"
The one who snatched the pear blossom hairpin was a young man around twenty years old.
He wore a golden crown and white robes, with a pale complexion. He was quite handsome.
However, his eyes held a lecherous glint, and his words were even more indecent.
"Really? Can the night market be converted into magical artifacts?"
Mingyue's eyes lit up. She didn't quite understand the meaning behind He Hua's words.
She only thought he meant simple play and asked in surprise.
"Of course. Why don't we find a quiet place to discuss the terms?"
He Hua chuckled inwardly, thinking his luck was great today.
The beautiful young girl in front of him was not only pretty but also naive and innocent.
She was exactly his type. As he spoke, he reached out to take Mingyue's hand.
"He Hua, you're seeking death!"
But before his hand could touch her, a furious roar sounded in his ears.
Then, he felt an immense force surge towards him, like a tidal wave.
His body was sent flying backward for six or seven zhang, like a kite with a broken string.
"Ji Shiyou!"
He Hua, having been thrown back, clearly saw that it was Ji Shiyou who had attacked him.
His face turned ashen with fear, and he scrambled to run.
But Ji Shiyou's figure was like a streak of light.
In an instant, he was in front of him, his right hand like an iron clamp, grabbing his neck.
"Die!"
Ji Shiyou's voice was icy cold, and he tightened his grip.
He Hua struggled desperately but couldn't break free.
His eyes rolled back, his face turned purple, and he was about to be strangled by Ji Shiyou.
Just then, a sword light from the sky,
like a shooting star, flew down and pierced Ji Shiyou's right hand that was holding He Hua.