She looked up and met Chen Qing’s fresh red and cold eyes.
“Hurry, put me down quickly.”
Su Mu struggled to leave Chen Qing’s embrace. The shame from being watched by the crowd earlier still lingered in her heart.
However, Chen Qing looked at her annoyed yet weakly indignant appearance, a hint of playfulness flashing in her eyes.
She walked toward the prepared bed and placed Su Mu on it.
“Wait, my foot isn’t healed yet.”
This familiar opening line instantly put Su Mu on edge. She quickly shrank to a corner of the bed, vigilantly watching her.
“What are you thinking? Rest in the room. Remember, don’t sneak out.”
After enjoying Su Mu’s amusing reaction, Chen Qing got down to business.
After traveling all day, this inn was already near the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
However, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains was a vast, continuous mountain range. Finding the Ancient Miao People she was searching for inside was no easier than finding a needle in a haystack.
Fortunately, she had the information advantage from her previous life. In her past life, she had learned the specific location of the Ancient Miao Tribe in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains from a reclusive member of the Ancient Miao People.
The Ancient Miao Tribe was a clan that existed only in Jianghu legends, having vanished for several centuries.
What made the Ancient Miao People most infamous was their Gu Technique, which killed without a trace and struck terror into hearts.
But what Chen Qing truly valued was the Gu Technique’s power to control people.
After all, once infected with Gu, a person’s life was firmly in the hands of the Gu Master.
Infiltrating any faction would then become much easier.
However, the Ancient Miao People hid themselves extremely well. Even with intel from her previous life, she had little confidence.
Though the Miao Tribe hid deeply, they had lived in this area for generations and would inevitably leave traces.
Chen Qing stepped out of the room and beckoned to a waiter carrying a tray.
“Guest, what’s the matter?”
“I’d like to ask if there’s a market nearby selling goods.”
The best places to gather intelligence were bustling, chaotic markets.
In such fish-and-dragon-mixed markets, you could even hear gossip like a village’s pretty widow spending a passionate night with her robust brother-in-law, or an old man’s sow birthing a pig-tailed baby.
Nine out of ten rumors in the market were fake, but you could always sift out the information you needed.
“You’re heading to the Flower and Bird Market too, right, guest? But it’s still some distance from our inn. If you’re going to hunt for herbs, you’ll need to head out early tomorrow.”
“Flower and Bird Market?”
Seeing the waiter’s expression, Chen Qing’s interest piqued.
It seemed this Flower and Bird Market was quite famous. She’d only asked casually, yet he immediately assumed that’s where she was going.
Noticing the hint of doubt in Chen Qing’s words, the waiter said proudly,
“This Flower and Bird Market was spontaneously formed by mountain folk from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. It sells all sorts of precious, aged medicinal herbs—even the Lords in the capital send people there personally to scour for them. I figured you were here for herbs too.”
“The Hundred Thousand Great Mountains are incredibly perilous, yet these mountain folk dare venture in for herbs?”
Chen Qing feigned surprise to draw out more from the waiter.
“Heh heh, the mountain folk only forage on the outskirts. The truly rare, aged herbs have been brought out from the depths in recent years by some strange folk. They’re the ones who put the Flower and Bird Market on the map.”
The “strange folk” the waiter mentioned immediately grabbed Chen Qing’s attention.
Only the Ancient Miao People, who had lived in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains for generations, could freely enter and exit with such precious herbs. No one else had that ability.
Yet how could the deeply hidden Miao people be so easily located?
“Hey! You’re slacking off—the boss is gonna dock your pay!”
Chen Qing wanted to probe further, but the loitering waiter was called away by a coworker.
“Guest, I’ve gotta go. If you want to hear about the Flower and Bird Market, just ask any local.”
With that, the waiter hurried off with his tray.
Chen Qing didn’t stop him. The information he’d provided was already more than enough.
Now, she was deeply intrigued by the Flower and Bird Market. Were those strange folk the Ancient Miao People she sought?
With these thoughts, Chen Qing headed into the inn’s kitchen.
In the room, Su Mu slumped on the bed.
The tingling numbness in her foot had faded somewhat, but gazing at her jade-white little foot now flushed with red, Su Mu itched with irritation. How could anyone be such a pervert?
To hold someone else’s foot in her palms and rub it raw like that.
Once she bided her time and gathered enough strength to strike back at this detestable villain, she’d repay today’s perversions twofold.
Su Mu was still fantasizing about tormenting Chen Qing when the door creaked open.
Chen Qing walked in carrying steaming, fragrant dishes.
The enticing aroma made Su Mu swallow despite herself.
For so considerately bringing her food, she’d go a little easier on the torment later.
Chen Qing set the dishes on the inn’s table and laid out bowls and chopsticks.
“What are you spacing out for? Come eat.”
“Oh.”
Su Mu had expected Chen Qing to tease her first before allowing her to eat, but she was invited straight to the table.
Su Mu scrambled off the bed in a hurry.
Her smooth, ivory-white little foot pressed against the floor, the soft sole dimpling slightly.
Chen Qing’s gaze involuntarily locked onto Su Mu’s little foot.
That blatant stare instantly put the eager-to-eat Su Mu on high alert.
“Don’t do that sort of thing at mealtime.”
“Ahem, your sole picked up some dust. Pat it off yourself.”
Chen Qing felt uncharacteristically awkward. For some reason, her traitorous Shizun’s plump little feet held an irresistible allure for her.
Whenever she saw those dainty exposed toes and the perfectly proportioned porcelain-white foot, an urge she couldn’t suppress welled up.
She hadn’t had this fetish in her previous life. After rebirth, why had she developed this odd quirk?
Su Mu had no idea Chen Qing was inwardly interrogating her own proclivities.
She cautiously approached the table. Seeing that Chen Qing was indeed just looking this time with no further moves, her racing heart finally calmed.
She plopped onto the stool, grabbed her chopsticks, and reached for the fragrant stir-fried pork to shove into her mouth.
But before she could pick up a piece, Chen Qing flicked her forehead with a knuckle.
“Wash your hands before eating.”
“It’s fine—my hands aren’t dirty. No need.”
Su Mu clutched her flicked forehead with one hand and presented her other palm to Chen Qing, showing how clean it was.
Su Mu’s palm had clearly defined knuckles, slender and straight like ivory, with a healthy pink flush in the center. It did look spotless.
But no matter how clean it appeared, Chen Qing wouldn’t indulge her.
