Chapter 394

Yuan Yao and Cang Li sat down in a small noodle shop and ordered two bowls of beef braised egg noodles.

Cang Li specifically told the shop owner, "Owner, for one of the beef braised egg noodle orders, please add a full serving of braised bird eggs."

The shop owner was taken aback the first time he heard such a request.

Cang Li added, "Money is not a problem."

"Huh?... Ah, okay." The shop owner recovered and nodded.

When the two bowls of beef braised egg noodles were brought out, everyone in the shop was startled.

"This..."

The bowl was filled with braised eggs, almost overflowing.

At a glance, there were at least a dozen braised eggs.

The onlookers, surprised, looked at the owner of the egg noodle bowl and saw a young girl in a green dress, her hair styled in twin butterfly buns, two small braids hanging over her chest, a fox‑shaped mask on her face, and her exposed skin as white as snow.

She sat upright at the table, chopsticks in hand, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the bowl of egg noodles.

"Eat, see how it makes you crave," Cang Li said.

"Okay."

Yuan Yao took a bite of a braised egg, her eyes slightly brightening as she looked at Cang Li, "These braised eggs are fragrant."

Cang Li also tasted one; indeed, it was quite good.

The two then began to eat.

After finishing her meal, Yuan Yao suddenly thought of Xie Yan; she sent her spiritual awareness into the storage space to check whether the emerald jade tablet had received a message from Xie Yan.

But there was none.

Could it be that Xie Yan really ran into trouble?

A slight unease arose in Yuan Yao's heart; she calmly used her spiritual awareness to send a message to Xie Yan.

—Have you reached the Crimson Mist Plains?

She waited a moment but received no reply.

Cang Li set down his chopsticks and said to her, "Let's go, let's sit at the tea house."

Yuan Yao came back to herself and nodded.

After paying, Cang Li and Yuan Yao walked together into the street.

They had intended to go to the tea house, but as they walked, they heard a clamor ahead.

That moment sparked Yuan Yao and Cang Li's curiosity.

The two exchanged a knowing glance and hurried forward.

"What happened?" Cang Li asked while pushing forward.

A gossiping elder said, "Miss Sang Miao and Ao Jiayu first quarreled, and now they're about to fight."

Yuan Yao had heard yesterday the story of Ao Jiayu and the young master of Crimson Mist, Sang Bo, and didn't expect to see one of the protagonists today; she also pushed forward with her third senior brother.

But there were too many people; after a while, the two senior siblings were pushed aside.

Cang Li turned around and found his junior sister missing; his heart tightened, and he quickly used a token to send a message to Yuan Yao to confirm her safety.

Yuan Yao replied quickly.

"Third senior brother, I'm nearby, I'm fine."

Upon hearing this, Cang Li felt a little relieved.

Yuan Yao couldn't squeeze in, so she simply gave up.

She took the opportunity to send another message to Xie Yan.

—Did you run into any trouble?

But the moment she finished sending the message, a blast rang out ahead, startling the onlookers who rushed backward.

Yuan Yao, caught off guard, was bumped by a few people ahead.

Just as she was about to fall to the ground, someone grabbed her arm.

And pulled her back a few steps.

Yuan Yao looked up and saw a girl in a black combat outfit, her high ponytail tightly bound, a delicate face with slightly narrow, elongated eyes, exuding a dashing aura; she carried on her back a massive heavy sword housed in a wooden case.

【Target: Yu Jing, Awakening Value 0.】

"Thank you," Yuan Yao said, slightly stunned, then smiled and addressed Yu Jing.

Yu Jing's face was cold; she gave a faint nod toward her.

Yuan Yao looked at her curiously, her gaze gradually falling on the wooden case on her back; the heavy sword inside seemed several sizes larger than Dongfangxiu's heavy sword.

"Heavy?" Yuan Yao asked curiously.

Yu Jing hadn't expected her to speak, she slightly lifted her eyes, stared at the person before her, and replied in a very flat tone with two words: "Not heavy."

After speaking, Yu Jing stepped away.

Yuan Yao watched her disappear into the crowd, feeling a spark of curiosity toward her.

From not far away came a cold, sharp female voice, "Sang Miao, cease entangling with me!"

Another female voice said, "Ao Jiayu, it is clearly you who entangled my brother! If not for you, my brother would never have left Crimson Mist City! Ao Jiayu, I, Miss, command you to leave Crimson Mist City at once! Crimson Mist City cannot accommodate you!"

At this moment, Yuan Yao noticed Guard appearing on both sides of the street; they quickly dispersed the crowd and then moved behind the girl in a moon‑white dress with a cold expression.

Opposite her stood a young woman in a red combat outfit, tall and slightly slender, with a pair of vermilion phoenix eyes and thin lips.

Yuan Yao was also ushered aside by the Guard.

The girl in the moon‑white dress was the second daughter of the Crimson Mist City ruler, Sang Miao; she pointed toward the city gate and said in a deep voice, "Ao Jiayu, I, Miss, command you to leave Crimson Mist City!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Guard drew their swords, pointing at the young woman in the red combat outfit, Ao Jiayu.

In an instant, the atmosphere on the scene became heavy and oppressive.

Ao Jiayu snorted, "Sang Miao, are you sure you want me to get out of Red Cloud City?"

Sang Miao heard those words, sensing the dangerous look in the other's eyes, her expression froze.

Just as she was about to speak, a male voice suddenly came from not far away.

"Miao Miao."

The crowd followed the sound and saw a young man in white robes walking slowly over; his features were handsome, with a hint of gloom in his brows and eyes. He first gave Sang Miao a warning glance, then shifted his gaze to Ao Jiayu.

Ao Jiayu looked at him expressionlessly.

"Brother." Sang Miao hurried over to Sang Bai's side, her expression slightly aggrieved and unwilling.

Sang Bai had no time to attend to Sang Miao.

He gazed at Ao Jiayu, his eyes holding an indescribable emotion.

The two had not seen each other for three years, yet now their meeting was like this.

Sang Bai said, "Miss Ao, my younger sister is clueless and has offended you; please forgive her."

Ao Jiayu gave the two siblings a cold glance, said nothing, and was about to turn and leave when she saw an old servant from the Red Cloud City Lord's Mansion hurry over to Sang Bai.

The old servant lowered her voice and said, "Young Master, Miss Gongliang is looking for you."

Sang Bai's brows twitched slightly, and he replied, "Okay."

When he lifted his gaze again, he discovered that Ao Jiayu had already disappeared.

He pressed his lips, first scolding Sang Miao a few sentences, then telling her not to be disrespectful to Ao Jiayu, "Back then, she broke off the engagement… that's true."

"Return to the mansion."

Sang Miao still felt somewhat resentful, but in the end she didn't say anything else.

She closely followed Sang Bai, then curiously asked, "Brother, when will you and Sister Qingya get married?"

Sang Bai did not answer.

After they left, the onlooking crowd began to chatter again.

"I heard the Red Cloud City Young Master is going to take a wife……"

"I really feel sorry for Miss Ao! She and the Red Cloud City Young Master were childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree, a match made in heaven, yet now they meet as strangers."

"Although I am a person of Red Cloud City, I feel the Red Cloud City Young Master is truly sorry to Miss Ao!"

"Men, after all, are always fickle."

"……"

Yuan Yao witnessed this scene, feeling many emotions.

Can true feelings really change in an instant?

Xie Yan's figure appeared in her mind, and she lowered her eyes slightly.

At that moment, the verdant jade tablet in her storage space flickered.