Not long after Mo Yu lay down, he heard a voice calling him from below the tree.
"Mo Yu, Mo Yu..."
Mo Yu sat up and looked down. It was Huiye Zhenyi standing beneath the tree.
"What's wrong?"
Mo Yu jumped down and asked.
Huiye Zhenyi hesitated, her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes. She lowered her head, and even in the dark, Mo Yu could see her face turning slightly red.
"I... I... want to..."
After watching her struggle to say something for a while, Mo Yu was puzzled. What could make this composed, elegant woman act so shy and awkward?
Upon closer inspection, Mo Yu noticed Huiye Zhenyi biting her lip, looking anxious, her legs pressed tightly together, squirming as if trying to hold something in. It didn't take him long to realize.
"So, she has to go..."
Mo Yu thought to himself.
He recalled that Huiye Zhenyi hadn't taken care of such matters the entire day. It was quite an accomplishment that she had held it in until now.
She must have planned to handle it quietly at night, but after the events earlier, she was probably scared and didn't want to go alone. So, she called him for help.
Having figured it out, Mo Yu casually said, "Zhenyi, I'll take a walk around and keep an eye out for any issues. If you need anything, just shout."
Huiye Zhenyi's face turned so red that it was almost as if blood would drip from it. She immediately understood Mo Yu's implied meaning, that he was offering to stand guard for her while she took care of things in private, phrased in a polite way to respect her modesty.
"Thank you..." Huiye Zhenyi murmured.
Mo Yu responded and began to wander around.
Huiye Zhenyi quickly found a secluded patch of grass and crouched down.
However, an even more embarrassing incident occurred. The night was so quiet that even the slightest noise carried far, and the sound of "splashing" water was extremely audible. Huiye Zhenyi was so mortified that she wished she could sink into the ground.
"I can't hear it, I can't hear it..."
Mo Yu silently repeated to himself, trying not to think about it, but his mind couldn't help wandering.
He was no longer a child physically or mentally, and with a solitary man and woman—especially with little Liuli asleep, just a small child—it was inevitable for him to have certain thoughts.
Luckily, the sound of water eventually faded and disappeared.
Mo Yu sighed in relief, but then, suddenly, he heard a shrill scream.
"Ah!"
It could only be Huiye Zhenyi.
The first thought that crossed Mo Yu's mind was that someone was lying in ambush. It could be someone trying to kill him, or perhaps those chasing after Huiye and her daughter.
This thought barely formed in his mind when Mo Yu immediately sprang into action, rushing towards the scream as fast as he could.
"Zhenyi, what's—"
Mo Yu stopped himself mid-sentence.
He had just seen Huiye Zhenyi crouching on the ground, her back to him, and a snow-white scene that was a feast for the eyes.
"Th-there's a snake! Get rid of it quickly..."
Huiye Zhenyi cried out in a trembling voice.
Mo Yu finally saw that next to Huiye Zhenyi, on a nearby plant, a small snake, about ten centimeters long, was coiled. It was no bigger than an earthworm.
Mo Yu couldn't help but sigh internally—regardless of the woman, snakes seemed to be the one thing that could fluster any of them.
He casually took a shuriken from his ninja tools pouch, threw it, and pinned the snake to the ground.
"Alright, it's dead. You, ahem... You can continue. I'll be going now."
Reluctantly, Mo Yu glanced at the snow-white scene one last time before swiftly disappearing into the night with a leap.
Huiye Zhenyi, seeing that the snake was dead, gradually calmed down. However, when she remembered how her private parts had been exposed to Mo Yu earlier, she felt utterly embarrassed. She didn't know how to face him anymore.
"He's still a child, he's still a child. I could be his mother... so even if he saw it, it's no big deal," she comforted herself in her mind, trying to feel better.
However, when they returned to the carriage, she still couldn't bring herself to look at Mo Yu. Her heart was pounding all night, and she eventually fell asleep after a long time of restless thoughts.
The next morning, Mo Yu and the others continued their journey.
Neither Mo Yu nor Huiye Zhenyi mentioned what had happened the previous night, as if it had never occurred.
However, whenever Mo Yu spoke to her, Huiye Zhenyi would avoid making eye contact.
Another day of travel passed.
It was calm, with no ambushes or bandits to deal with.
By evening, they reached a small town.
"We'll stay here tonight and leave early tomorrow morning. We should reach the border by noon," Mo Yu said as he guided the carriage slowly into the town.
Huiye and her daughter lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the passing crowds outside, finally letting out a breath of relief.
Mo Yu found a small inn and rented two rooms.
"The room charges will be on me. You can pay me back later," Mo Yu told Huiye Zhenyi, and she finally agreed.
This woman was stubborn. If Mo Yu hadn't phrased it like that, she would have rather slept outside in the woods.
Mo Yu couldn't help but appreciate this about her—just like him, she was unbending, no matter how poor or how strong the pressure.
"Boss, prepare a good meal—three meat dishes and two vegetables. Have it delivered to my room," Mo Yu called out.
"Alright, just wait a moment," the innkeeper replied.
Mo Yu and the Huiye mother-daughter duo each went to their respective rooms, agreeing to meet in Mo Yu's room for dinner in half an hour.
While in his room, with nothing else to do, Mo Yu reviewed his plans once more to ensure there were no flaws.
Outside, it had already grown completely dark. The innkeeper soon arrived with the meal, still steaming hot.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Mo Yu went to open it.
When he saw the scene before him, his eyes brightened.
Huiye Zhenyi and her daughter appeared to have just finished bathing, their hair still damp. They were dressed in simple clothes, but their beauty could not be concealed.
Huiye Zhenyi looked like a ripe fruit, full of fragrance.
The most significant change was in little Huiye Liuli, whom Mo Yu almost didn't recognize.
Having washed off the mud on her face and combed her hair, her complexion was now fair and delicate, completely inheriting her mother's beauty. Her large eyes were full of innocence, like black gemstones, transforming her from a tomboyish girl into a porcelain-doll-like little cutie.
"Little Liuli is so cute," Mo Yu couldn't help but reach out to pat her head.
However, the little girl shyly hid behind her mother, not daring to look at Mo Yu.
Huiye Zhenyi lovingly looked at her daughter and said, "She's just too shy; she usually doesn't talk much."
Mo Yu retracted his hand without feeling awkward and said, "Kids are always like this. Just let her find some playmates. Now, let's eat before the food gets cold."
After a simple meal, Huiye and her daughter left, and Mo Yu waited for a while. Then, he changed into a black ninja outfit.
He jumped out of the window and, with a few quick leaps, vanished into the vast night.