Chapter 271: Eating Hot Pot and Singing Songs

"You can cast my words to the back of your mind, but I hope you can take them to heart and leave yourself an extra path."

"My words may not necessarily be right, but they are indeed things I have suppressed in the bottom of my heart for a long time, wanting to say but never having said."

"Knowing a person's face does not mean knowing their heart; the him you know may not necessarily be the real him. In many cases, people can only see the surface of others."

"The you of the past and the you of the present are different; your status has changed, and it is the same for her and him."

"Although Ran Guifei appears to have been cast into the Cold Palace, who in Wentian City would dare to truly treat her as a deposed concubine? His status has not actually changed much, but you are different."

"Once, I also trusted a man like that, giving my everything for him, but in the end, he still abandoned me, leaving me with the fate I have today."

"I gambled, I lost everything, and I do not want you to end up like me."

"Think it over more; I am going out first."

After finishing what she wanted to say on her own, Luo Yaning did not continue to stay in the carriage but walked straight out, leaving only Shi Xiaoxiao with her brows tightly locked.

"..."

Shi Xiaoxiao frowned, pondering the purpose and state of mind behind Luo Yaning saying these words.

"Is she trying to sow discord between me and Yiyi? Did the Second Prince tell her to say this? But what benefit would that have?"

"For the Second Prince, Yiyi should never have counted as a threat, right?"

Although Li Yiyi had not given up on seizing the throne, anyone with a discerning eye could see that his foundation was unstable and he had no chance of winning; he should not be considered a threat by the Second Prince and the others.

Therefore, Luo Yaning's actions might indeed have been instigated by the Second Prince; this is possible, but the probability is truly not high.

And most importantly, Shi Xiaoxiao did not see any issues in Luo Yaning's performance.

Shi Xiaoxiao could be considered to have seen many people, and she understood that a person's appearance when lying and when telling the truth are completely different.

If those words of Luo Yaning were a lie, then she truly is the most outstanding liar in this world.

From the perspective of Shi Xiaoxiao's heart, she was more willing to believe that these words truly came from the bottom of Luo Yaning's heart and were what she herself wanted to say.

It cannot be denied that her heart was indeed shaken to a certain extent because of these heartfelt words.

In many cases, sincerity is the most effective trump card.

Although she had always firmly believed in her heart that Li Yiyi would not change, it was indeed as Luo Yaning said... what if?

What if Li Yiyi really did change? Then where should I go?

"I was once the eldest daughter of the Shi family, and the Shi family could still provide him with a certain amount of help, but now I have rebelled and left home; presumably, my father has already severed ties with me."

Combining with herself would not only fail to bring Li Yiyi any benefits, but would also cause him to suffer the hostility of the Shi family.

If he has ambitions for the throne, then for him, she is truly of no benefit and only harm...

Slap!

A crisp sound rang out inside the carriage, even reaching outside the carriage, causing others to notice this unexpected noise.

"What sound is that?"

"What happened inside?"

"Miss Shi?"

Some guards wanted to see what had happened, but were stopped by Luo Yaning raising her hand.

"You don't need to worry about her; pay full attention to the situation around us for me."

"There is only the final stretch of distance left; keep your spirits taut for me!"

"Yes!"

Luo Yaning dismissed the guards and drove the carriage herself, her gaze looking straight ahead without looking back.

"I don't want to harm you, I just hope you can consider things more."

Regarding her own thoughts and actions, Luo Yaning did not regret them.

Although this might create a rift between a couple with deep feelings, it might also save an innocent young girl.

"Perhaps a slap will make you a bit more clear-headed."

She did not expect Shi Xiaoxiao to suddenly wake up, but at least she hoped to let her grow a bit more caution.

Thinking that she had saved another young girl, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, tugging at the scar on her face and revealing a smile that could be described as ferocious.

However, the situation inside the carriage was somewhat different from what Luo Yaning imagined.

Shi Xiaoxiao did not give herself a slap in the depths of grief.

There was no need for that.

Waking up or not has nothing to do with a slap.

Moreover, she herself was afraid of pain, could not bear to hit herself, and could not bring herself to be that ruthless...

Shi Xiaoxiao just clapped her hands forcefully, then straightened her back, her eyes much brighter than before.

She thought a lot.

Although Luo Yaning's feelings were real, she had no malice toward her, and what she said had a certain amount of logic.

But Shi Xiaoxiao decided not to listen, at least not to listen to everything.

"No, Sister Luo, what you said is only the worst-case scenario." Shi Xiaoxiao stared at the blurry figure outside the carriage, shaking her head silently, and spoke to herself in her heart, "What you said may have some truth, but he and I may not necessarily reach that point."

"I shouldn't have assumed that about him before even seeing him."

Luo Yaning's perspective is not necessarily entirely correct, and her own experiences cannot explain everything; they cannot cover all situations.

"But if Yiyi didn't have the intention to do that, but changed because of my attitude, eventually leading him to change his heart, then who should be blamed?"

"In this situation, should one say that it is his nature to be fickle, and it was only a matter of time? No, it shouldn't be said like that."

Shi Xiaoxiao is indeed inexperienced in the ways of the world, but she is not an ignorant eldest daughter without a mind of her own.

From the fact that she tenaciously launched a resistance against her father, it can be seen that she not only has ideas but is also very capable of taking action.

Love-struck, but not entirely love-struck.

For this kind of person, if you want to make her change her mind with just a few words, that is simply impossible.

At the very least, before Li Yiyi truly does something to disappoint Shi Xiaoxiao, she will not change her mind.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I accept your good intentions in my heart, and that is all I accept."

Shi Xiaoxiao had made up her mind, but she had no desire to argue with Luo Yaning about anything.

Verbal conflict was meaningless; winning or losing the argument would not change anything.

It was better to let the facts speak for themselves.

If you guessed wrong and he remains as he was, you have lost.

But even if you guessed right and he truly has changed his heart, then I have lost, but you have not won either.

Looking at Luo Yaning's back, a faint sense of sympathy rose in Shi Xiaoxiao's heart.

"It must be because she was hurt by someone before that she so hopes others do not follow in her footsteps."

"Perhaps she is actually waiting for another outcome to prove that she didn't choose wrongly back then? Otherwise, she wouldn't have said so much..."

Whoosh—

Just as Shi Xiaoxiao was thinking, a sound that was not particularly loud caught her attention.

"What was that sound... Sister Luo!!?"

In Shi Xiaoxiao's eyes, a spray of fresh flowers bloomed instantly on Luo Yaning's body.

Pfft.

That flower fell, staining the carriage's cloth curtain red.

That was blood!

Thud!

As Luo Yaning's body fell backward, the atmosphere outside the carriage changed instantly.

"Enemy attack!!! All units, be on guard!!!"

"Watch out! Don't... *cough*!"

"Audacious! We are under the command of the Second Prince! Who dares to act recklessly!!?"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Several more light sounds made Shi Xiaoxiao's heart shrink, and painful howls erupted from outside the carriage.

What was happening outside?

Who exactly were they?

Was it the Shi family lying in ambush there?

Regarding the changes in the outside world, Shi Xiaoxiao knew nothing, but she did not rashly step out of the carriage.

She still remembered Luo Yaning's previous warning: she must not easily reveal her tracks.

The Shi family had come to find her; as long as she did not expose herself, the other party would be wary of harming her and would not completely tear off the mask.

Shi Xiaoxiao covered her mouth tightly, not letting her own voice escape.

"If you know what's good for you, hand the person over immediately, and I will spare your lives! Otherwise, heh heh! None of you are leaving!"

A sinister voice came through, making Shi Xiaoxiao's already tense heart tighten once more.

"Presumptuous! Do you know who you are talking to? You dare to hijack even the Prince's carriage; have you all rebelled against Heaven itself?"

Luo Yaning had fallen, but the guards' morale did not collapse; they angrily rebuked the figures continuously emerging from the mountain forest ahead.

"Heh heh, don't try to scare me with such talk. As long as you all die here, what can the Second Prince do? Could he even find us?"

"Since you're going to die anyway, you might as well hand the person over, and I can let you go more quickly."

And just as the two sides were deadlocked, Luo Yaning, who had fallen due to the sneak attack, suddenly rose and pulled the horse whip with force.

Luo Yaning's hoarse voice reached everyone's ears:

"Stop them!"

Neigh!!!

Feeling the sharp pain, the horse let out a long cry and began to run frantically.

Seeing that the situation was unexpected, the black-clad men blocking the road lost their composure and roared in panic:

"Not good! Stop them for me!"

The guards were overjoyed, their morale surged, and they shouted:

"Haha! Stop them, let Boss Luo take the young lady away!"

The two sides rushed toward each other with a roar, erupting into a fierce collision.

Boom!

And just as the carriage escaped to safety under the guards' desperate obstruction, Luo Yaning's body suddenly went limp and fell backward powerlessly.

"Sister Luo!"

Amidst Shi Xiaoxiao's exclamation, the out-of-control horse was tripped by a rock underfoot, and the high-speed carriage flipped over directly, crashing into the lake water to the side!

Now the situation changed in an instant, and it was the guards' turn to be anxious.

"Not good! Hurry and save them!"

The black-clad men were overjoyed and blocked their path.

"Haha! You lot, stop them! I'll take some men to go and grab that person!"

Just as the two sides were locked in a bitter battle there and the atmosphere reached its most tense point, a white shadow of extreme speed swept past the mountain forest a hundred meters away, without drawing the attention of anyone from either side.

But soon, that white shadow returned along the same path.

"Eh? How lively."

It was an elegant white fox with a long tail, soft fur, and eyes shimmering with a pink hue.

"What is the situation here?"

"Someone has fallen into the water, and everyone is scrambling to save them here?"

The white fox tilted its head and flicked its tail, but it felt that things were not that simple.

Looking at the carriage overturned on the water's surface and the two groups of people constantly rushing up but obstructing each other, it blinked and muttered:

"No, is this a robbery by bandits?"

"Eating hotpot and singing songs, only to be suddenly robbed by bandits?"

After looking at the two groups of people and discovering that it did not recognize a single one of them, the white fox decided not to show itself in a hurry and would observe for a while first.

"I feel like there's some fun... cough! There should be Merit to pick up, but don't be hasty, let me take a look first."

"What if I accidentally help the bad guys!"

At the same time, a figure rushed out from the mountain gate of the Divine Path Sect and charged toward this location.

"Xiao Xiao! I'm coming!!!"

Two updates, 6,200 words, a difficult road to rehabilitation.

It's strange, my neck hurts a lot, I applied a medicated plaster and put on a neck brace...

Also, my throat hurts a bit today; is it because I cried yesterday? (scratches head)

In short, I am fine, thank you all for your concern, I will tenaciously continue to live!