The young man laughed and said, "I'm an assassin from the Refining Realm. Brother Xun saved me before, so of course I should call his wife sister-in-law. Oh, I came yesterday too, standing on the roof of that house in the southeast corner. You probably didn't recognize me."

"I came today to talk to Brother Xun about something. Is he here?" The young man was about to barge in when the curtain was lifted and Xun Nu walked out, bumping into each other.

Seeing Xun Nu, the young man restrained himself a bit, stepped back and called out "Brother Xun". Noticing Tang Li's expression, Xun Nu shook his head at her and walked out with the young man. The two walked one after the other to a nearby willow tree.

With no one around, the smile on the young man's face immediately disappeared. He said directly, "Brother Xun, I don't know what's going on between you and the boss, but there's something I must tell you."

He glanced at the graceful and beautiful figure in the shop, his eyes revealing a hint of suspicion and disdain. "Do you know this woman's identity, Brother Xun?"

Xun Nu frowned slightly at the contempt in his expression. "What identity?"

The young man curled his lip. "I bet you don't even know her real name, yet you dare to leave Refining Realm for her? It hasn't been long and you're already bewitched, not knowing what love potion you've taken. If it were someone else, I wouldn't bother, but you did save me before. I call you Brother Xun, and I don't want you to be deceived, so I secretly came to tell you.

"She has an unusual relationship with the lord of North City. Xiahou Xuanyu has been secretly searching for her for two months, even going so far as to seek out Refining Realm for this."

Xun Nu said, "I don't care about her past."

Hearing this, the young man was a bit exasperated, but also knew his personality. He said resentfully, "Forget it, since you're willing, I won't meddle. But the boss sent a message to North City yesterday, and they will probably receive the news soon. Xiahou Xuanyu, who could become one of the four city lords at such a young age, is domineering and fierce, not someone to be trifled with. Brother Xun, if you don't want to give her up, it's best to take her far away."

Xun Nu glanced at the open shop. Tang Li happened to look up at him and gave him a smile.

"I understand." Xun Nu withdrew his gaze and said to the young man, "Go back. No need to come again. I won't see you anymore."

The young man wanted to say more but gritted his teeth. In the end, he left with big strides without looking back.

Xun Nu returned to the shop and looked at Tang Li for a while before saying to her, "We need to leave here temporarily."

Surprised by Xun Nu's sudden decision to leave, Tang Li also guessed that the young man must have said something. The first thing she thought of was revenge. It seems that after jianghu people wash their hands, revenge plots are still inevitable. Thinking of this, Tang Li patted Xun Nu's arm reassuringly and nodded. "Okay, I'll get ready now."

Tang Li nimbly packed some necessities, prepared some dried food and snacks, and finally wrote a sign to hang outside the shop door, indicating that the store would be temporarily closed for a period of time. Just as she finished packing, Xun Nu returned leading a reddish-brown horse from the market.

When Xun Nu lifted her onto the horse after closing the shop door, Tang Li suddenly felt that if this were in modern times, it would probably be her husband wanting to go on an impromptu trip. Thinking from a different perspective, it still had a bit of romance.

Tang Li was very steady, just not very stable on the horse, having to carefully lean against Xun Nu's embrace, which was a bit strenuous.

The two left Bailu City and headed east. After leaving the city for a while, they got off the official road. The country paths were surrounded by wild grass, and the setting sun made it seem even more desolate. Xun Nu held Tang Li and remained silent all the way.

Only now did he say, "It's my fault for making you suddenly leave with me. If you like Bailu City, I'll take you back after the matter is resolved."

Tang Li was just looking at the sunset, thinking it was a pity there was no camera to capture such a beautiful scene. Suddenly hearing Xun Nu say this, she said in surprise, "Why are you suddenly saying this? There's nothing wrong with leaving to look around. I've said before, in this world, you are the one I'm most deeply connected to. So as long as you're by my side, I can go anywhere."

"You ah, don't be too obsessed with giving me a 'stable life'. Rather than pursuing what kind of life, the present is most important. How do you know I'm not happy now?" Tang Li leaned against Xun Nu's embrace, slowly persuading him.

When she was twenty-two or twenty-three, she often suddenly wanted to go somewhere with two friends, and they would pack their bags and go together. They took trains, buses, and boats. Once they even rented a van and went to several places. Only after returning did she decide to open a shop with her friends.

"Don't underestimate me too much. I can adapt to all kinds of situations very well." Tang Li smiled gently, her tone also soft and tender, sounding not very convincing.

Xun Nu pulled the reins with one hand and held her waist with the other, grunting in response, not knowing if he believed it or not.

The horse got tired from running and gradually slowed down. The two followed the cooking smoke and came to a village to stay the night. The farmers were hospitable, treating them with meat dishes for guests and giving them newly made bedding. The tall and sturdy farm wife even brought them a large basin of hot water.

After washing up, seeing Xun Nu sitting by the window staring at the night, motionless, Tang Li got up, walked over, and leaned against him from behind.

"What's wrong? Do you have something on your mind?" Her long hair draped down, showing tranquility under the lamp, involuntarily making one think of the term "tender trap".

Xun Nu's hand suddenly tightened, grasping Tang Li's hand, and gazed at her with a peculiar look. "As long as you don't leave, I can do anything for you."

Tang Li was puzzled. "Of course I won't leave you. What is Xun Nu worried about? Can you really not tell me?"

"You..." Xun Nu hesitated for a long time before wanting to say something. Suddenly his expression turned solemn as he looked out the window. Without looking back, he said, "Put on your clothes, we're leaving now."

Tang Li didn't dawdle. She put on her outer garment, picked up her bundle, and tied up her hair while walking out. The two went straight to the courtyard without having time to say goodbye to the host who lent them lodging. They got on the horse and quickly left.

The night wind hit their faces, taking away the heat from their bodies. Tang Li held Xun Nu tightly, burying her face in his embrace, guessing in her mind just who Xun Nu was hiding from. Was it his former enemies, or the former company that seemed to have some disagreement with him? Thinking about the assassin organization, perhaps it was like the mafia and not so easy to leave?

They had just left the village when a group of people arrived at the village entrance. Each of them wore a sword and had the emblem of the North City Lord's manor on their clothes. The large carriage in the middle, which had two rows of shark fat candles, also bore a golden emblem.

After the carriage stopped, a thin man darted out from the shadows of the trees and knelt down in front of the carriage. "Lord Xiahou, please forgive me. That Xun Nu was too keen. He discovered my two brothers and immediately left with his men. However, my elder brother has already gone in pursuit and will leave marks along the way for us to follow. We will definitely catch up with them."

A cold snort came from inside the carriage. "Lead the way."

The man stood up. "Yes!"

This group of people, in a grand procession, set off in pursuit in the direction that Tang Li and her companion had left.

Xiahou Xuanyu leaned sideways in the carriage, in a very bad mood. Ever since his inner persona awakened and began to correct the plot, he felt that nothing was going smoothly.

At first, he couldn't find any trace of the female lead and supporting male lead. Then, he was entangled by Xiling from the West City, causing a lot of trouble and preventing him from wholeheartedly searching for them. It wasn't until a few days ago that he finally received news of the female lead.

Since becoming the male lead, the world's fortune had stood behind him, making everything he did incredibly smooth as if divinely assisted. It had been too long since he had tasted the bitterness of failure.

And now, with two consecutive losses of the world's fortune that belonged to him, it made him feel as if something was manipulating things behind the scenes. This feeling of being controlled and arbitrarily manipulated made him even more furious.

Looking at the system panel prompt and that eye-catching sentiment line deviation, Xiahou Xuanyu's anger surged, and his murderous intent also climbed higher and higher. Hearing the scout's report that the two had previously acted as husband and wife in Bailu City, Xiahou Xuanyu decided that this time, no matter what, he would first kill the second male lead Xun Nu.

If it weren't for the fact that the female lead's death would directly lead to the disappearance of his connection with this world's fortune, he really wanted to get rid of that traitorous female lead as well.

Since she no longer belonged to him, it was better to destroy her.

His gaze shifted to the plot deviation value that hadn't even passed halfway, and Xiahou Xuanyu fiercely closed his eyes, finally temporarily suppressing that murderous intent.

Since she was the female lead, he would give her one more chance. He hoped that this time she could make the right choice and cooperate well with him to pull the plot back, and not anger him again.

As dawn approached, Tang Li heard the sound of horse hooves coming from behind, as if quite a few people were catching up to them. At the same time, Xun Nu also noticed a dozen black shadows riding fast horses approaching from behind.

Amidst the whooshing wind, there was a sharp, small sound of air being pierced. Without looking back, he said to Tang Li in a low voice, "Hold tight." Then, with one hand, he grabbed his Xun blade and spun it behind him.

After a series of clanging sounds, countless small iron needles were knocked down by the blade. However, it wasn't over yet. The person riding the horse in the lead behind them laughed strangely and raised a strange weapon, firing countless thin needles. Xun Nu wielded the blade so fast that the afterimages were barely visible, blocking the needles without missing a single one.

Not only that, as the two horses got closer and closer, he suddenly reined in his horse, turned around, and brushed past that strangely laughing man.

Tang Li, in Xun Nu's arms, only saw a spray of blood as the man let out a miserable cry and fell off his horse. Xun Nu didn't stop there. Among the few people closest to them, three fell off their horses the moment they met, completely unable to match Xun Nu's speed in drawing his blade.

It was the first time Tang Li had seen Xun Nu take action at such close range. Because of her nervousness, her heart was beating wildly, but the chest she was leaning against still had a steady heartbeat, not at all flustered.

After Xun Nu cut down a few people, he was about to spur his horse to gallop again. However, with their speed hindered, more than a dozen people caught up and surrounded them. After a moment, a luxurious carriage slowly drove up and stopped in front of the two.

By this time, dawn had arrived, and the sky was turning a pale white. The light of the morning sun shone on the man who stepped out of the carriage, making his handsome features even more apparent, as if he were a heavenly god.

This was the Lord of North City, Xiahou Xuanyu. To be able to become the male lead, his appearance was undisputedly outstanding. The moment he appeared, he could attract everyone's attention.

Seeing Xiahou Xuanyu's appearance, Tang Li was completely stunned, staring at him in a daze.

The reason for her loss of composure was not because of how good-looking this male lead was, but because of the semi-transparent panel floating in front of him that had shocked her.

Tang Li: ...What is that? It seems to have words on it???