Chapter 237: Chapter 233: Whatever You Want, I Will Give You

Who do you like the most?

This question…

Tang Xiaobai turned to look at him.

They had just seen Li Xingyuan off at the mountain pass. She wanted to speak with the little lord, so she walked back side by side with him.

Unconsciously, they had distanced themselves from the others.

The campsite and bonfire were still quite far off, and now the only thing lighting his face was the starlight.

Gentle, hazy.

It dyed the tips of his hair, reflecting in his eyes too.

Tang Xiaobai looked at him for a while, then suddenly turned her face away and quickened her pace: “I need to go back and organize the map I just drew!”

She had barely taken a step when he grabbed her wrist.

Perhaps it was because they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, Tang Xiaobai found him unfamiliar in many ways.

For instance, the angle at which he grabbed her wrist was different from before.

The sensation was different too.

In her impression, it used to be soft and warm.

Now, although his grip wasn’t tight, she could feel the hard bones in his fingers pressing against her wrist bone. His skin felt thin, yet very hot.

Tang Xiaobai pulled back her hand, feeling scorched.

Li Mu frowned as he looked at his hand that had been thrown off.

“You’re… too thin!” Tang Xiaobai exclaimed righteously, “You poked me!”

Li Mu silently hid his hand behind his back and said, “I started from Diezhou, crossed West Inclining Mountain, and Jishi Mountain, traveled north along the Yellow River, and saw many landscapes.”

Tang Xiaobai: “???”

Li Mu said: “I still remember them. Want me to tell you?”

Tang Xiaobai: “…”

Unconsciously, she also hid her hand behind her back and stammered, “Uh… it’s too late today, maybe next time? I’m a bit tired…”

Li Mu replied with an “Hmm,” and said, “Then let’s go up.”

“Go up?”

“The cave is wind-proof and safer,” Li Mu said.

“Ah…” Tang Xiaobai looked up at the cave, “Us?”

Although she accepted mixed-gender living arrangements when there were no other options in the wild, now…

The foot of the mountain was like a campsite, not exactly without options, right?

Li Mu moved his lips, stayed silent for a moment, then said, “I’ll escort you up.”

“What about you?” Tang Xiaobai asked.

The cave was obviously where the little lord had slept the previous night, and she felt a bit awkward to just take over his sleeping place.

“I’ll sleep in your tent?” When Li Mu suggested this, it was merely an instinctive choice, but right after he spoke, his heart skipped a beat.

“Sure!” Tang Xiaobai agreed readily, immediately calling over Tao Zi and Yingying to pass on the instructions.

The cave was quite spacious, a waste to sleep alone, so she decided to bring all the girls up!

Just as she was about to happily leave, she was stopped by the little lord.

“Since it’s for Madam and the Second Miss’s safety, how could I be stingy with a horse?” Li Mu grumbled.

If she wanted a horse, she could have just asked directly, explaining for Li Xingyuan specially.

Did Li Xingyuan help her just to sulk with him?

Was he really not as good as Li Xingyuan in her eyes?

“Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you,” he added.

His eyes weren’t the bright, clear kind, but instead deep and cold, even somewhat shadowy.

But at this moment, they reflected the Milky Way, like a faint brilliance inside an abyss… so rebellious.

Combined with this focused gaze, this line—

Tang Xiaobai’s face heated up, and she quickly said, “No need for that!”

After speaking, she hurriedly yelled, “I’ll go check if there’s anything we need to take up!” and ran off in a rush.

Li Mu stood there frowning.

Why did the Second Miss seem estranged from him?

…

What good is there to take up when just staying the night in the cave?

The luggage for a long journey was very simple; having bedding or pillows was out of the question, let alone anything else.

However, when Tao Zi and Yingying were laying down dry straw for her, Mo Ji brought over a large bundle.

Without a word, he just tossed it into the cave and left.

Upon opening it, well, it had everything: bedding and pillows.

“They go on a campaign with such complete kits?” Tang Xiaobai clicked her tongue.

Xin Yi pinched the dry corner of the blanket and laughed, “Maybe they only brought this set.”

Tang Xiaobai blushed, waving her hand, “Let’s sleep quickly! We have to wake up early to continue our journey tomorrow!”

…

The next day, though they woke up early, continuing the journey—

“The Southern Army will pass by here on their way back, so we can just wait here,” Li Mu said.

It began drizzling in the latter half of last night, and although it wasn’t freezing yet, it was still uncomfortable.

Just at dawn, they got up to farewell Gu Yuan and Ah Lin and their party.

When mentioning setting off west again, Li Mu objected.

The further west they progressed, the worse the climate and the unpredictability of danger, Li Mu was unwilling for Tang Xiaobai to continue.

Moreover, what was the point of meeting Tang Ziqian so early?

However, seeing Tang Xiaobai’s reluctance, Li Mu added, “Continuing west is a senseless exhaustion. Rather than that, why not rest here? If Second Miss is anxious, you can send someone to find the Southern Army led by the young master, and bring them directly over to avoid taking detours.”

Tang Xiaobai was swayed by his words.

Just as she was about to nod in agreement, someone behind her said, “If you’re not planning to continue west, then I’ll take my leave.”

“Are you planning to continue west?” Tang Xiaobai quickly turned around to ask.

Wenren Jia nodded with a smile, “It wasn’t easy to get here from the Capital City, and since I’ve passed Jishi Mountain, Xingxiu River shouldn’t be far. If I turn back now, it would be a regret of a lifetime.”

Tang Xiaobai understood dreams and such.

But Wenren Jia came from the Capital City alone, without even a servant.

All of them found it difficult to get this far, letting Wenren Jia go alone would be much too dangerous.

But the regret Wenren Jia spoke of was real too.

Given the conditions of this era, trying to reach the heart of Qinghai was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; turning back now might mean never having such a chance again.

For Wenren Jia, and for her too.

She also wanted to go further, see more, and record more.

But she couldn’t drag everyone with her…

“Second Miss, no need to feel troubled,” Wenren Jia smiled warmly. “To have followed Second Miss here is already a great fortune for me. I can travel the rest alone.”

Tang Xiaobai’s eyes dimmed.

Perhaps this was the only way.

As she was about to nod in agreement, the little lord by her side suddenly spoke up, “Since someone was injured yesterday, let’s rest for half a day and wait for the rain to stop before deciding.”

Tang Xiaobai turned to look at him.

The experience in Hedong’s military had changed his temperament greatly, his cold expression while speaking always carried an air of command that brooked no dissent.

For instance, once he opened his mouth, regardless of Wenren Jia’s opinion, the others immediately responded: “As you command!”

With one voice, full of energy, it was quite the commanding presence.

Even Wenren Jia nodded, saying, “I’ll go back and organize yesterday’s notes to check for any oversights.” After speaking, he saluted and left.

Tang Xiaobai was dumbfounded watching it.

Had she been… divested of power?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep