Xiao Man choked on pastry crumbs, unable to stop coughing. Wen Mo Han, seeing this, patted her back to help her breathe and thrust a teacup into her hand, "Drink some tea quickly. I'm not going to snatch anything from you. Eat slower."
While drinking tea, Xiao Man turned her head sideways, "Sir, you've mistaken me for someone else."
Hearing this, Wen Mo Han chuckled softly, "There are millions of men and women in this world, yet among these millions, there is only one person I would never mistake."
When Xiao Man heard this, she felt she couldn't pretend not to know him anymore. She turned back, "I'm dressed like this, even my father wouldn't recognize me, how did you recognize me?"
Wen Mo Han lowered his gaze and smiled faintly, picking up a pastry and offering it to Xiao Man's lips, "We've known each other for so many years. If I couldn't recognize you after so many years of friendship, wouldn't you be sad?"
"What's there to be sad about? If I'm dressed like this, it's normal not to be recognized!" Xiao Man said with annoyance. This person truly had sharp eyes, recognizing her at a glance. "Why are you on an envoy mission to Wuyue Kingdom?"
"I didn't intend to come, but I heard Wuyue Kingdom has beautiful scenery, so I wanted to come and see. Now it seems, thankfully I came, otherwise, I wouldn't have known that Man'er was also coveting the scenery of Wuyue Kingdom and secretly ran over."
Xiao Man smiled awkwardly. She wasn't coveting the beauty of Wuyue Kingdom; she had traveled all this way to Wuyue Kingdom to find a cure for her poison.
"Don't tell anyone, or my father won't let me leave home," Xiao Man whispered, "To travel from Di Jing to Wuyue Kingdom, one must cross deserts and oases. Has your journey been peaceful?"
"It was alright. With the guards given by His Majesty, the journey was quite peaceful. It was just crossing the desert when we encountered a sandstorm, and lost a few guards." Wen Mo Han's voice was as gentle and pleasant as ever. Although he had been trembling with fear along the way, when he spoke of it, it seemed like nothing significant.
"What about you? Aren't you afraid of anything happening running to Wuyue Kingdom alone?"
"How would I dare to run here alone? I came with guards," Xiao Man said with a smile, her gaze falling on a woman in black ceremonial attire. The woman was barefoot, with a string of bells around her ankles that jingled as she walked.
The gazes of the surrounding people were drawn to this woman. Xiao Man's eyes flickered. It seemed this was the Saintess of Wuyue Kingdom. She hadn't expected the Saintess to be so young, looking around her age.
The people of Wuyue Kingdom lowered their heads upon seeing the Saintess, not daring to look at her face.
The Saintess seemed accustomed to the fear others held for her, walking slowly with no expression on her face, as if nothing could capture her attention.
"I didn't expect the Saintess of Wuyue Kingdom to be so young."
"This Saintess of Wuyue Kingdom only inherited the position a few years ago. The previous Saintess retired three years ago," Wen Mo Han said in a low voice. "Do you know why these people fear this Saintess?"
Xiao Man looked at Wen Mo Han curiously, "Mo Han knows?"
Xiao Man's words greatly pleased Wen Mo Han. He placed the pastries Xiao Man liked in front of her, "The doctors in Wuyue Kingdom are all shamanic doctors, who study shamanic sorcery. And this Saintess, is an outstanding among shamanic doctors, her shamanic sorcery is exquisite. Naturally, these people both revere and fear her."
Xiao Man nodded with understanding, "Mo Han, you are truly knowledgeable. I admire you."
Wen Mo Han's smile remained unchanged. He refilled Xiao Man's teacup. He already knew that Xiao Man had come to Wuyue Kingdom with the Prince of Qin. Even though Xiao Man had said she didn't like the Prince of Qin, he was still uneasy and followed her to Wuyue Kingdom. His revealing Xiao Man's identity was precisely to separate the two of them.
"Man'er, do you remember what day it is today?" Wen Mo Han's voice was extremely gentle, like the cool breeze of early autumn, refreshing the heart.
Xiao Man thought for a moment, "The Wuyue King's birthday."
Wen Mo Han looked at Xiao Man with a hint of helplessness. He took something out from his embrace, carefully wrapped in a cloth. Wen Mo Han carefully opened it, revealing a crystal clear jade bracelet.
Wen Mo Han grasped Xiao Man's hand and tried to put the bracelet on her wrist. Xiao Man was startled and instinctively refused, "You silly girl, have you forgotten it's your birthday today? This is your birthday gift, no refusal allowed."
Her birthday? Her birthday wasn't on the first day of the first lunar month?
No, the first day of the first lunar month was Du Gu Man's birthday. Xiao Man's birthday was the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, and today was precisely the ninth day of the ninth lunar month.
While Xiao Man hesitated, Wen Mo Han had already placed the jade bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet shone brilliantly and was warm to the touch, clearly made of warm jade.
"This gift is too precious, I can't..." Xiao Man reached out to take off the bracelet on her wrist, but Wen Mo Han stopped her.
"It's just a small trinket. Compared to your saving grace, it's completely insignificant," Wen Mo Han said softly. "When it's my birthday, Man'er can also give me a birthday gift. Whatever you give me, I will treasure it as if it were the most precious thing."
Xiao Man looked up at Wen Mo Han. Wen Mo Han's face was full of tenderness, and his handsome eyes held something she couldn't understand, as if it were about to overflow and drown her.
Xiao Man quickly averted her gaze, "In that case, thank you. When it's your birthday, I will definitely choose a gift for you with care."
"Then I shall look forward to it."
Xiao Man nodded, her gaze falling on Wen Mo Han's hand. Wen Mo Han was still holding her hand. Wen Mo Han also noticed and quickly let go, his earlobes flushing slightly. His hands were hidden within his wide sleeves, trembling slightly. The smooth touch transmitted from her hand to his heart, causing him to tremble inwardly.
Nangong Yu's already cold expression became even colder.
Princess Wulan looked in Nangong Yu's direction and saw the envoy from Yusheng holding Xiao Man's hand and talking. They seemed to be talking happily, but they were too far away to see what they were doing.
"Young Master, before the birthday banquet begins, may I show you around the palace?" Wulan shielded Nangong Yu's gaze and said with a smile. For some reason, she always felt that Nangong Yu cared too much about his third brother.
"That would be excellent. Thank you, Princess."
Princess Wulan led Nangong Yu down another path. Xiao Man had intended to shake off Wen Mo Han and then try to interact with the Saintess of Wuyue Kingdom. However, wherever she went, Wen Mo Han followed, and she had no opportunity to act alone.
Moreover, she couldn't tear their relationship apart and hold the Saintess of Wuyue Kingdom hostage on the spot, as it would implicate Wen Mo Han and the envoy from Yusheng, thus exposing Nangong Yu's whereabouts. Xiao Man felt a headache. What should she do?
Her gaze involuntarily fell on the Saintess of Wuyue Kingdom not far away. The Saintess of Wuyue Kingdom was getting closer and closer, walking towards her position.