Outside the inn, in a dark alley adjacent to the inn--

"Oof!" A muffled groan sounded, followed by a sound of something hitting the wall and falling to the ground.

"You little brat, do you think we're easy to mess with? Tell me, did that woman you bumped into today give you anything good?" A man spoke with malice.

"No, no, I'm telling the truth!" a trembling voice replied.

--It was the voice of a girl.

The man took a step forward, grabbed the girl by her hair, bringing her eye level with him, although she couldn't see with her eyes gripped shut.

"I told you, don't take us for fools!"

"Bang!"

He forcefully pressed the girl against the wall, grabbing her neck, and spoke each word slowly.

She weakly struggled, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. With great difficulty, she managed to utter a few words, "Yu'er, I... I didn't... lie... ugh..."

"Tsk, what now? This brat doesn't seem to have gained anything," the man increased the pressure, looking towards his companion.

"Impossible! Although that woman's attire doesn't seem particularly special, my eyes never deceive me. The fabric of her clothes is definitely top-notch, and this person must be wealthy or noble! Furthermore, that woman is overflowing with kindness, she wouldn't hesitate to give this little brat some pocket change. She must have hidden it!"

"No... Yu'er didn't..." Yu'er continued to struggle, her face turning purple—a sign of oxygen deprivation.

"Still refuse to talk when you're about to die, huh? Then you can go to hell—"

The man couldn't bear it any longer and was about to tighten his grip to strangle Yu'er to death. Even his companion couldn't stop him in time.

However, nothing happened as expected. Besides Yu'er, the movements of the man and his companion suddenly froze, as if time had stopped.

What's going on?

"Roll... roll..."

Along with two indistinct sounds, Yu'er felt the hand choking her neck loosen, and she instantly dropped downward--

But she didn't. She fell into the warm embrace that was as gentle as jade and emitted a faint warmth.

"Haa... cough, cough!" She took in big breaths of air, causing her to choke, and started coughing violently. It was only then that she noticed she was being held by someone.

Through the thin clothing, Yu'er could clearly hear a vigorous and powerful heartbeat.

Who was it?

"Shi Liuli."

As if understanding Yu'er's question, Shi Liuli spoke her name.

A hand gently stroked her head, accompanied by a familiar and apologetic voice, "I'm sorry, I'm a bit late, but everything's fine now. You can relax."

Hearing that familiar voice, tears filled Yu'er's eyes, but she managed to hold them back because she had something more important to do--

"Yu'er, Yu'er still has to deliver medicine to Cui'er," she said, trying to squirm free, but lacking the strength.

"You're injured like this, let big sister take you there. Where is it?"

Yu'er hesitated, wondering if she could trust the other person.

--Because no one had ever been this kind to her before.

But in her deep heart, for some reason, a sense of trust surged without any reason or sign. She just wanted to believe in the other person.

She didn't know why, but she chose to follow her own heart.

"Um." She softly replied

"Next to the inn on the east side, there's a small house that's starting to get moldy..."

"Um!" Another "um," but it brought Yu'er a profound sense of security, causing her to curl up and lean further into the person's embrace.

Holding Yu'er tightly, Shi Liuli looked towards the east, her gaze becoming focused, with every blade of grass, every brick and tile reflecting in her eyes.

As if locking onto a target, Shi Liuli took a step, and the two of them disappeared in an instant.

"Thud!" In the alley, two headless bodies fell, forever buried in this darkness...

TLN: Oh wait, did the time just resume? wow