Mu Anxiao broke out in a cold sweat, put down her foot, and said, "You're bullying me too much. If I knew it would be this hard with you, I wouldn't have come."
"If you hadn't come, you would have been bullied by that fat pig. And to put it bluntly," Shen Yan stepped forward and pointed an index finger at Mu Anxiao's forehead, "your gender will be discovered sooner or later. If that fat pig finds out, you know what the consequences will be."
Mu Anxiao avoided her gaze and said, "Don't worry, I'll protect you next time."
"Very good." Shen Yan withdrew her finger and patted Mu Anxiao's head.
Mu Anxiao squinted sideways and said, "I'm hungry."
"Why are you hungry again?" Shen Yan asked impatiently.
Mu Anxiao tilted her head up and said, "Elder Sister, we've been walking for so long, and I haven't eaten anything."
Shen Yan looked at Mu Anxiao's exaggerated expression and casually took a baked flatbread from her sleeve, handing it to Mu Anxiao. "Eat."
"Thank you." Mu Anxiao nodded, took the flatbread, and devoured it.
Seeing Mu Anxiao like this, Shen Yan couldn't help but shake her head and walked past her.
Mu Anxiao followed Shen Yan, eating as she walked, and turned to ask, "There's only one matchmaker here, and she's a monster. How are we supposed to find them?"
"There are quite a few monsters in this place," Shen Yan said suddenly.
Mu Anxiao immediately looked around warily and asked, "They don't eat people, do they?"
"This is why I didn't let you eat your fill," Shen Yan said, turning her head. "They only eat people with plenty of flesh."
"Eating this won't add much flesh," Mu Anxiao said, taking smaller bites of the flatbread.
"I advise you to stop eating."
"Why?" Mu Anxiao stopped eating and asked, tilting her head up.
"This is the last one. According to our journey, it will take us the entire night to reach our destination. If you finish it now, you'll have nothing to eat tomorrow morning," Shen Yan explained patiently.
Mu Anxiao touched her stomach and mumbled softly, "I won't eat it." She then wrapped the flatbread in a handkerchief and put it into her bundle behind her.
Shen Yan said, "Money is useless in this place."
"Once we leave here, it will be useful," Mu Anxiao said, tugging at her bundle.
Shen Yan fell silent.
Mu Anxiao stared at the back of Shen Yan's head and curled her lips. She then took a deep breath, looking at the vendors who were gradually packing up and going home, and the people who were quickening their pace. She asked, "Hey, why are they speeding up?"
"Demons roam here at night. It's safer to stay home."
"Don't the demons go to their homes?"
"Their homes are protected by demon-warding talismans, so naturally, those demons can't get in," Shen Yan explained.
Mu Anxiao's eyes darted, and she walked forward. "You have that... demon-warding talisman too, right?"
"I don't. You just need to protect me," Shen Yan said, turning her head slightly.
Mu Anxiao frowned. "You're a cultivator and you must know magic. I'm just a mortal, how can I protect you?"
"Protect me however you want," Shen Yan said casually.
Mu Anxiao felt exhausted and took a step back, lowering her head.
Shen Yan glanced sideways at Mu Anxiao's appearance and smiled faintly as she looked back.
At the same time, Ye Yin appeared before Shen Yan once again. "You look so beautiful when you smile."
Shen Yan stopped abruptly.
Mu Anxiao, not reacting, bumped into Shen Yan's back and then stumbled back two steps, falling to the ground.
"Didn't you leave?" Shen Yan asked, not paying attention to Mu Anxiao behind her.
Ye Yin smiled. "I did leave, but I told you, we would meet again."