“You and Cao Peizhi are truly meant to be together.” Xu Meili sighed after, looking up to the sky after.

“We are?” Lin Ning turned to face Xu Meili, feeling her mind at a loss. ‘How are we ‘meant to be’?’ Hoping that Xu Meili would be able to tell her and give her a hand in this sort of topic since she was a bit lost herself.

“Pfft, I think it would be better to ask Cao Peizhi yourself. I can’t be the one to tell you from my side.” Xu Meili held a smirk, looking at Lin Ning.

“H-”

“We got one!!! We got a rabbit!!!” Hearing Xia Ling, yelling with her footsteps getting louder and louder. Lin Ning did not get to ask Xu Meili more about Cao Peizhi, but the day just turned better and better with Mei Mei being able to eat to her fill. The days had been going smoothly, and Mei Mei would stick by her side almost every day. She had not seen Cao Peizhi, so she assumed he was perhaps still mad at her. Lin Ning was in her tent that night, having Mei Mei by her side while sewing.

“Young miss, you should be resting right now.” Xia Ling entered Lin Ning’s tent, seeing how she was still up and awake.

“I can stay up just a little longer.” Lin Ning smiled.

“No, you need to rest. You have been through a lot, and I do not want to hear…” Xia Ling did not say anymore, getting Lin Ning to head off to bed for the night.

Being tucked into bed, Lin Ning laid the blindfold on the side with Mei Mei hopping onto the bed at the foot side. Laying down, she was on guard while Lin Ning fell asleep. Xia Ling had left the room a while ago with Lin Ning still unable to fall asleep throughout the last few hours. Opening her eyes, she could see Mei Mei’s glowing green color at the foot of the bed, which turned red with anger. Looking around once more, she noticed two colors that held red, entering into her tent with lustful intentions. ‘Who are they???’ She thought. Turning her back towards the entrance, she made it look like she was still sleeping as she shut her eyes.

“Hey, why are we going into this tent?” Hearing a soldier ask the other who was with him.

“Don’t you see over there?” The other soldier pointed at the bed where Lin Ning laid, not even noticing that there was a wolf at the foot of the bed due to the curtains that hid her.

“Why is there a woman here?”

“I don’t know, but why don’t we have a little fun tonight.”

Hearing those soldiers, Lin Ning tightly held onto her blanket with Mei Mei keeping her growl low while setting herself ready to pounce. Hearing a tap on the table inside her tent, she did not know what that sound was. Getting prepared to struggle once they got close enough to her.

“AARRRGGHHH!!! Why is this beast here?!”

Mei Mei had pounced onto the man who thought of the plan to play with Lin Ning. Clamping down onto his right arm, she wasn’t going to let him go that easily. Lin Ning had gotten up, pushing the other man with all her strength. Not knowing where to run, she had tripped with her hand touching the hot coal on the ground.

“AH!” Feeling the coal burn her palm, she could hear the man come up to her from behind. Grabbing her hair, she grunted to feel her hair being pulled.

“A fighter. I like women who want to put up a fight with me.” Hearing his breath against her ear, her body shook with fear. Hearing the tap once more, something had been placed in front of her to smell. “This will help you relax more.” He then said.

‘Brother Pei.’ She called inside of her head, being close to tears.

“AACC-!!!”

Feeling her hair be released, she fell to the ground with the sound of the table in her tent breaking. The man who held her had no time to talk but could be heard as if trying to get air. “Who told you that you could enter this place?” Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Ning’s heartfelt happiness as she felt her mind going hazy.

“Cao Pe-aargghhh!!!”

The man Mei Mei had taken down was brutally stabbed in the chest while Mei Mei got off and went over to Lin Ning. Whining, she kept pushing Lin Ning’s shoulder with her nose. “Men like you do not deserve a second chance.” Ignoring the soldier who was wailing in pain, he had taken off his hanfu cloak and wrapped it around Lin Ning. Summoning the guards outside to take the dead body and the last soldier alive to be locked up. “Call Hun Cuifen to my place.” Looking down to see Lin Ning breathing heavily, she tightly clung onto Cao Peizhi’s cloak wrapped around her.

“Brother Pei…” She started to cry lifted to stand on her feet while facing him.

“I’m sorry. You were almost hurt again.” He hugged her close to his chest, feeling as though he would have lost his sanity if she were found far worse if he did not show up sooner. “Can you walk?”

Lin Ning nodded, keeping her arms around him with her face hidden into his chest. Walking out of the tent, Cao Peizhi kept his single arm around her, with Mei Mei following after the two and growling at all of the soldiers who would pass by them both. Being taken to Cao Peizhi’s tent, Lin Ning was laid on his bed. Lin Ning clutched tightly onto the bedsheets, wrapping herself with it while shivering. ‘I feel weird.’ She thought, feeling as though she was in a dream.

“What happened???” Hun Cuifen entered the tent, seeing that Lin Ning was wrapped up inside the blankets.

“I just burnt my hand.” Lin Ning felt her body shivering as she only stretched her hand out for Hun Cuifen to bandage up. She did not know if it was just the rush of her adrenaline taking its course through her body.

Hun Cuifen started to clean and bandage up Lin Ning’s hand, but she still felt something was off. Pulling the blanket off of Lin Ning, she could see her face was flushed red with sweat forming. “Young miss???” Hun Cuifen started to examine her once more to ensure that she did not overlook anything.

“I’m okay.” Lin Ning was sweating more and more, with her breathing becoming more rapid.

“What’s wrong with her???” Cao Peizhi looked to Hun Cuifen for an answer.