“Why didn’t you say you were hungry?” Luoyuan picked up a piece of roasted meat and handed it to Mu Xi.
“Eat.”
Mu Xi took the meat and took a small bite.
The aroma of the meat filled the air, making her realize just how hungry she was.
She ate slowly, but her gaze occasionally swept toward the west, as if there were something there that worried her.
“What is it?” Luoyuan keenly sensed Mu Xi’s unease.
Mu Xi put down the meat and suddenly grabbed Luoyuan’s arm.
“Sister, I just had a terrible dream.” Her voice trembled, and a flash of fear mirrored in her eyes.
Luoyuan raised an eyebrow, signaling for her to continue.
“I dreamed there were many wolves to the west, and they were coming to eat me.”
Mu Xi gripped Luoyuan’s arm tightly, her fingertips turning white.
“It was so scary. Their eyes were glowing in the dark, and their teeth were so sharp.”
Luoyuan let out a soft laugh and reached out to stroke Mu Xi’s silver hair.
“It was just a dream. There is no need to be afraid.”
Mu Xi shook her head, tears welling in her eyes, “No, it wasn’t just a dream. I feel like they are really there, waiting for me.”
Her voice carried a sob, “Sister, I’m scared.”
Luoyuan’s expression became serious, and her gaze toward Mu Xi turned searching.
“Are you sure it was the west?”
Mu Xi nodded vigorously, then suddenly threw herself into Luoyuan’s arms, wrapping her hands tightly around the other woman’s waist.
“Please, Sister, send someone to check. I’m really so scared.” Mu Xi’s voice was muffled against Luoyuan’s chest, thick with a clear sob.
Luoyuan frowned.
With one hand, she gently patted Mu Xi’s back, while the other was raised to beckon one of the nearby officers over.
“Patrol the west. Take enough men with you,” Luoyuan ordered, her voice calm and brook no argument.
The officer nodded and immediately stood to leave.
Mu Xi lifted her head from Luoyuan’s embrace.
Tears shimmered in her eyes, but the corners of her mouth secretly curled into a nearly invisible arc.
“Thank you, Sister,” she whispered, her voice sweet and grateful.
Luoyuan’s expression softened slightly, but her eyes remained guarded.
“Go back to the RV once you finish eating. It isn’t safe here.”
Mu Xi nodded and leaned against Luoyuan obediently, continuing to eat the roasted meat.
Her gaze occasionally swept toward the east.
It was silent there, with only a few scattered soldiers on patrol.
The bonfire crackled, sparks flying and rising into the night sky.
Somewhere in this Desert, Ye Lan was preparing her plan.
And she, Mu Xi, was successfully creating an opportunity for Ye Lan.
This realization brought a strange sense of satisfaction to her heart.
She did not understand why she was so willing to help Ye Lan, but that intense emotion drove her, as if it were an irresistible instinct.
Luoyuan’s hand rested on her shoulder, warm and powerful.
Mu Xi leaned against her savior’s side, yet her heart was filled with concern for another woman.
The sound of footsteps and conversation from soldiers drifted from a distance; the patrol for the west had already set out.
Mu Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to feign fear, huddling close to Luoyuan.
The night wind howled, and grains of sand struck the outer walls of the temporary base.
In this desolate land, a silent game was unfolding, and Mu Xi, this seemingly weak silver-haired girl, was a key link in the chain.
She looked up at the starry sky, silently praying in her heart that Ye Lan’s plan would succeed.
No matter the outcome, she had already done everything she could.
Now, all that was left was to wait.
Luoyuan bit into a piece of roasted meat, her brow furrowing slightly as her gaze inadvertently swept toward the east.
In that open area, there were only a few sparse patrol soldiers.
The defense was clearly weak.
“There aren’t enough people over there.” She put down her food and beckoned to a nearby adjutant.
Mu Xi noticed Luoyuan’s movement and her heart tightened.
She immediately dropped the meat and reached out to grab Luoyuan’s sleeve.
“Sister, there’s no need,” she said urgently, her eyes filled with entreaty.
Luoyuan turned and narrowed her eyes, staring at Mu Xi’s face she asked, “Why is there no need?”
“I… I just feel like things are fine the way they are now.” Mu Xi lowered her head, her long silver hair masking her expression.
Luoyuan waved her hand, signaling for the people around them to withdraw.
“All of you, leave. I have something to say to the Little Princess.”
The soldiers quickly dispersed, leaving the two of them alone.
The campfire crackled, light and shadow dancing across Mu Xi’s delicate face.
“Tell me, what is in the east?” Luoyuan’s voice turned cold.
Her fingertips lightly brushed Mu Xi’s chin, forcing the girl to look up.
Mu Xi bit her lower lip, her eyes flickering.
“No… nothing.”
A cold glint flashed in Luoyuan’s eyes as she leaned in close to Mu Xi.
“Look into my eyes.”
Mu Xi resistively closed both eyes, but Luoyuan firmly held her face.
“Look at me.”
Mu Xi could not resist.
She slowly opened her eyes and met Luoyuan’s gaze.
Luoyuan’s pupils began to change.
The deep blue gradually shifted to pink, and their shape distorted into hearts.
The eerie eyes spun like a vortex, emitting an irresistible attraction.
“Now, tell me the truth,” Luoyuan ordered.
Mu Xi’s gaze immediately became hollow, and her voice sounded mechanical, “Ye Lan is acting in the east.”
Luoyuan’s body stiffened slightly, “What is she doing?”
“Sending a signal to call her Escort Team.” Mu Xi’s voice was devoid of any fluctuation.
Luoyuan stood up abruptly and turned to call over several soldiers standing not far away.
“Assemble the team and follow me to the east! Quickly!”
The soldiers moved into action immediately.
Luoyuan led a squad and rushed toward the east, leaving Mu Xi sitting alone by the bonfire.
Mu Xi gradually regained her senses and looked down at her hands.
The aroma of the roasted meat had dissipated, replaced by the bitterness of failure.
‘I actually got exposed this quickly,’ she murmured to herself, her eyes filled with regret.
Just then, a familiar figure strolled over from the edge of the camp to the north.
Ye Lan.
She walked with the wind, her long hair flowing like a waterfall in the night.
She sat down directly beside Mu Xi, her movements casual and elegant.
“The signal has been sent.” A smile played on the corners of Ye Lan’s mouth.
“The Escort Team will be here within a few days.”
Mu Xi’s eyes widened and she asked, “How did you come back from the north?”
Just as Ye Lan was about to answer, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the distance.
Luoyuan returned from the east at a brisk pace with her squad, her face as dark as water.
When she saw Ye Lan sitting leisurely by the bonfire, a flash of shock crossed her eyes.
“What is going on?” Luoyuan questioned, her voice slightly heavy from the rapid run.
Ye Lan looked up, her eyes filled with playfulness.
“My Escort Team will arrive here within a few days.” Her tone was flat, as if she were discussing tomorrow’s weather.
“As for why I wasn’t in the east?” Ye Lan chuckled.
“Because I knew you would hypnotize Mu Xi to make her tell the truth. So, I intentionally lied and said I was going to the east.”
Luoyuan’s face grew uglier by the second.
“I had Mu Xi attract your attention just so you would personally ask her and get the fake answer I designed.”
Ye Lan explained slowly, her fingers lightly toyed with the sand near the fire.
Luoyuan snapped her head toward the soldiers behind her.
“Check the situation to the north! Immediately!”
Ye Lan let out a soft laugh, “Don’t bother. I actually set out from the west and circled back from the north. It was all just to confuse you.”
She looked up and stared directly at Luoyuan, a provocative light shining in her eyes.
“You were fooled so easily, and yet you want to play power politics with those nobles? You might as well just wash up and go to sleep!”
Luoyuan’s face turned ashen.
Her long golden hair fluttered in the wind, and her azure eyes nearly spat fire.
“Don’t think I don’t dare to touch you.” She spoke through gritted teeth.
“Do you believe I’ll install a chip in your brain, too?”
Hearing this, Mu Xi’s body trembled involuntarily.
Her fingers instinctively reached toward the back of her own head.
Ye Lan, however, showed no fear.
Instead, she leaned even closer and said, “Do it if you have the guts.”
Her voice was low and dangerous, “The mortality rate for that surgery is extremely high. Mu Xi surviving was pure luck. As for me…”
She shrugged, “I might not be so fortunate.”
Mu Xi quietly observed the confrontation between the two.
From Luoyuan’s expression and body language, she saw one fact: Luoyuan did not dare to kill Ye Lan.
This meant that, to Luoyuan, Ye Lan was by no means an ordinary hostage, but some kind of indispensable existence.
The night wind blew through the camp, stirring up a cloud of dust.
The light of the bonfire cast shifting shadows across the faces of the three women.