Just feel, just feel...

Sigh.

We absolutely cannot let Father know.

If Father finds out, he will surely behead Guard Lin.

Guard Lin is just trying to keep Mother warm; it’s normal for someone with a fever to feel cold.

That’s all it is.

An Youyou played on the ground with a small stick, continuously brainwashing herself.

Lin Zichan’s attention was entirely focused on An Ning at that moment; he couldn’t comfort the slightly hurt An Youyou.

He could feel An Ning’s burning hand on his skin...

Lin Zichan’s Adam’s apple moved.

His whole body stiffened.

No one knew how much time had passed.

An Ning started to sweat.

Fine sweat in her palms covered his skin, leaving sweat stains.

"Xiao Jinxing..." An Ning began to murmur again.

Lin Zichan didn’t hear clearly.

He frowned slightly, "What do you want?"

An Ning mumbled again.

An Youyou heard An Ning speak and quickly turned around, her little ear close to An Ning’s mouth.

"Xiao Jinxing..."

An Youyou furrowed her little brow, listening for a while before understanding, "Mother is calling my Father."

Lin Zichan pressed his lips tightly.

"It seems Mother’s fever has subsided." An Youyou touched An Ning’s forehead and said.

"Yes."

Lin Zichan could feel it too.

Her sweat was increasing, and the heat was dissipating from her body.

"Guard Lin, you should not hold Mother anymore; holding her is bad for dissipating the heat." An Youyou quickly said.

Lin Zichan nodded.

He gently released An Ning, cautiously placing her on the clothes.

Just as he was about to get up and leave.

The clothes were seized by An Ning.

Seized tightly.

Lin Zichan felt a slight flutter in his heart.

An Youyou also saw her mother’s action.

"Don’t leave." An Ning suddenly said loudly.

This time, it was very clear.

"Mother, wake up." An Youyou called to her from the side, "He is not Father; he is Guard Lin. You have mistaken him."

An Ning frowned slightly.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

What she saw was An Youyou’s concerned expression.

Her eyes moved slightly and saw Lin Zichan beside her.

He was also looking at her that way.

There wasn’t much emotional fluctuation on his face.

"When the lady wakes up, let go of my clothes. I’ll go outside and check if the rain has stopped." Lin Zichan said.

An Ning seemed to realize at that moment, her hand tightly clutching his clothes.

Clutched very tightly.

An Ning’s eyes moved slightly.

Tears suddenly sprang forth.

A look of panic flashed in Lin Zichan’s eyes.

An Youyou was also suddenly frightened by her mother’s appearance, "Mother, what’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable? Don’t cry."

An Ning’s eyes were red.

Her vision was blurred.

The more she repressed her emotions, the more they flooded uncontrollably.

An Youyou was scared and hurriedly took An Ning’s pulse again.

There was nothing seriously wrong with her body.

Why did Mother suddenly cry so sadly?

"Lady, you have frightened the Princess." Lin Zichan reminded her.

An Ning lowered her eyes.

At that moment, she also released her hand.

Lin Zichan’s eyes fell on the wrinkled clothes she had grabbed, and he turned to leave the temple.

An Ning just watched his back.

Watched his lonely and desolate back...

Why has everything become like this now?

...

Afternoon.

Guan Yu and the others arrived at the temple.

Because all of them were more or less wounded, their pursuit progress was significantly slower.

Fortunately, by that time An Ning’s body had basically recovered, and the rain had also stopped. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

After some discussion, they decided not to delay further and continued on their journey.

With water accumulated from the rain, the pace was notably slower.

An Youyou sat by Lin Zichan again, accompanying him to drive the carriage.

"I won’t tell my Father about you holding my mother today." An Youyou suddenly spoke.

When she said it, her cheeks were clearly a bit red.

She seemed to be somewhat angry.

Lin Zichan smiled, "Thank you, Princess."

"Umm..." An Youyou hesitated.

An Youyou, usually straightforward and without any reservations, surprisingly showed some hesitation.

"Princess, speak frankly."

"You cannot like my mother." An Youyou mustered the courage.

Lin Zichan pursed his lips.

An Ning was sitting inside the carriage.

Only separated by a veil, she could hear everything clear as day.

"Liking my mother will get you beheaded." An Youyou’s voice turned softer.

"Is the Princess worried about me?"

"I fear for your life and also fear that you might be heartbroken." An Youyou didn’t even know why she liked Lin Zichan so much. She couldn’t help but say, "My mother only loves my Father; she won’t love you."

"I know." Lin Zichan’s voice was indifferent, "Princess rest assured, I held your mother today only because the lady was cold; nothing else. I will mind my distance in the future, so the Princess won’t worry."

"You must keep your word."

"I will keep my word." Lin Zichan smiled.

He smiled as he supplemented.

He wouldn’t ruin their relationship.

...

Five days passed.

Finally, they arrived in Wenzhou.

Besides the first day being quite challenging, the rest of the journey went relatively smoothly.

Zhang Wenhe and Yan Jinyao met them at the gates of Wenzhou City and they all stayed at the residence An Ning acquired for them in Wenzhou.

The first thing everyone did after settling in was sleep.

To avoid delaying the trip, they had been traveling almost continuously for several days without proper rest.

As soon as they lay down on the soft bed, they fell into a deep sleep.

Upon waking.

An Ning felt rejuvenated.

"Boss is awake?" Yan Jinyao’s voice came from the room.

Speaking.

She walked in through the screen.

Beside her were two maids, assisting her with washing up.

"Would the boss like to bathe or dine first?" Yan Jinyao asked.

"Eat." An Ning was starving.

Thinking she could’ve only slept because she was so hungry.

Yan Jinyao quickly ordered to bring dinner.

"What time is it now?"

"Dog hour."

"Slept the whole day." An Ning murmured, "Where’s Youyou?"

"Youyou woke up earlier; after dining, she was pestering Uncle Zhang to take her to the night market."

"Where are the others?" An Ning asked, seemingly unbothered.

"The others?" Yan Jinyao thought for a moment, "Guan Yu and the others have slight injuries, so I had a doctor attend to them. There’s not much trouble; they’re all recovering in their rooms now."

"Okay." An Ning responded.

Yan Jinyao sensed the boss seemed to be holding back.

After dining, An Ning felt even better.

She said, "Draw a bucket of hot water, I want to bathe."

"Boss, we discovered a hot spring pool behind our mansion, a large pool. I had people set it up simply; would you like to try it? It’s quite comfortable." Yan Jinyao suggested.

"Sure." An Ning readily agreed.

Having a hot spring to soak in, of course, she had to try it.

Yan Jinyao escorted An Ning to the backyard, through the backyard door to the rear mountain where a massive hot spring pool was hidden, steam still rising from it.

"Boss, there’s usually no one here. You can go in and soak; I’ll guard outside." Yan Jinyao said.

An Ning hesitated not.

She took off her clothes and jumped straight in, then began swimming.

Undoubtedly.

This natural warm water was more comfortable than the imperial pool in the Imperial Palace.

An Ning recklessly swam in the water, as if washing away the fatigue of the past few days.

She noticed a large rock in the pool, thinking of resting against it, and as she approached...

"Lady, it’s best not to come over."

In the hot spring, suddenly a familiar male voice sounded.