Второстепенная женская героиня невинна

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My eyes remain clear, and my voice remains as cold as ever.

I laughed and said, "Do you know that there is a type of person whose heart is the most difficult to understand?"

Shang Shao raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh?"

I said, "It's a woman."

Seeing the somewhat bewildered look on Shang Shaochang's face, I said leisurely, "Although many people forget my gender when they're with me, I am at least a woman." I sat on my horse, a bright smile appearing on my face: "I bet you, my heart is definitely harder to understand than most women's!"

Shang Shaozhang looked at me and suddenly smiled. His smile seemed to have a power that could melt ice and snow.

He gently pinched my cheek and said, "I bet you I'll know your heart within a year!" A glint flashed in his eyes as he looked intently at me.

"Want to bet or not?"

Shang Shaochang jumped off his horse and said, "It's getting late. I'll go ahead and ask where there's an inn." Shang Shaochang looked at me on horseback and smiled, "Wait for me on horseback. I'll be right back."

I nodded slightly and watched as Shang Shaochang walked into a general store.

These past few days have been filled with running around, but it's all been Young Master Shang who's taken care of everything, from food to lodging, without me having to lift a finger. And I know that even if Young Master Shang asked me to take care of things, I wouldn't know how.

Business acumen and the ability to make a living are two completely different things.

I sat on horseback, dressed in black as ink, and the black horse was also as ink-black.

A woman dressed in black sat on a pure black horse, attracting the attention of anyone who looked at her.

My eyes, however, didn't notice the passersby who were constantly observing me. Instead, my gaze passed through them and landed on a group of laughing children in a nearby alley. The children, both boys and girls, were running around a comically dressed clown. The clown wore brightly colored clothes, his face painted with ridiculous red and white stripes. He skillfully manipulated a puppet in one hand while comically jumping and singing. He would make funny faces and do somersaults, making the children behind him laugh heartily.

Watching them have so much fun, a gentle smile slowly crept onto my lips.

How long has it been since I laughed freely and without restraint?

I sighed softly. I'm long past the age of laughing heartily.

The children had left sometime earlier, and Shang Shaozhang still hadn't returned.

"Hey, girl in black, how about I give you a gift?" A strange voice rang out in front of the horse. I looked up and saw the clown, smiling at me.

I was taken aback. I had been lost in thought on horseback and hadn't noticed when this clown had jumped in front of my horse. I was secretly surprised, but smiled and said, "I can't accept such a reward without merit."

The clown grinned and said, "Miss, there's no need to be so polite. We'll meet soon, and you can thank me then." Suddenly, he flicked his wrist, and something flew towards my arms. I instinctively reached out and caught it—it was the wooden puppet he had been using to amuse the child. Seeing that I had caught the puppet, the clown burst into laughter, glanced at me, and then hopped away several times, quickly disappearing into the alley.

My eyes widened as I watched the clown disappear before my eyes, but I could barely utter a word.

The clown glanced at me; his eyes were filled with malice, lewdness, coldness, and gloom.

I felt as if hundreds of cold, slippery, venomous snakes were crawling across my back.

"What are you holding in your hand!" Shang Shaochang's angry voice rang out behind me. I turned around and saw Shang Shaochang standing behind me, his eyes fixed on the puppet in my hand.

I had never seen Shang Shaochang with such an expression. The muscles in his face twitched from time to time, and his eyes were fixed on the puppet in my hand, as if I were holding not a puppet, but the most venomous snake.

I forced a smile and said, "It's a puppet that a clown gave me for some reason, look—", I gestured and looked at the puppet—

"Ah—" I screamed, and in my terror, I threw the puppet in my hand into the air!

I consider myself a very calm person, and even when facing an assassin, I would never scream.

But what I'm encountering now is just too unbelievable, too... terrifying.

The puppet that the clown gave me was actually sculpted in my likeness, wearing the same black clothes as me, and it was so lifelike that it was almost a carbon copy of me.

The difference is that the "me" in my hand has a rope around its neck, and blood is dripping from its mouth, with one drop flowing onto the back of my hand.

Almost as soon as I screamed, with a clang, the Autumn Water Blade was drawn from its sheath—

Suddenly, a dazzling display of sword light appeared before my eyes, and countless bright, pristine streaks of water appeared in the sky.

In the blink of an eye, the eerie puppet was shattered to pieces by Shang Shaochang's blade.

I sat firmly on the horse's back and began, "It seems... it wasn't so scary after all... It turns out that inside the puppet's belly was a piece of ice made from frozen blood. When the ice melted... the blood flowed out..." My eyes were fixed straight ahead, and my voice seemed to tremble slightly, "So... that's how it is..."

A pair of strong arms hugged me tightly from behind. I didn't know when Shang Shaochang had mounted his horse. He hugged me so tightly that I could hardly breathe!

"Don't be afraid...!" Young Master Shang pressed my body close to his chest and murmured, "With me by your side, no one will hurt you in the slightest!"

"I..." I wanted to say, "I'm not scared!", but my lips opened and closed, and I couldn't say anything. I reached out and hugged Shang Shaochang tightly.

This time, I was genuinely scared.

I sat by the fire, quietly watching the setting sun slowly sink below the horizon, gradually turning dusk into night. Instead of looking for an inn, Shang Shaochang found a small, secluded shrine in a quiet corner. He burned a pile of pine branches for me to keep warm.

If we stay at the inn, and an assassin comes knocking, many innocent people will lose their lives in vain.

The air in early spring was still cold. Although there was a fire in front of me, I still felt chilled to the bone.

The eerie puppets, the evil clowns, the dangerous atmosphere—it seems that none of these things bring any warmth.

I took out the jade box Xiao Lü had given me from my pocket. Inside were various pills and powders that Xiao Lü had prepared for me, including some quite interesting ones. But now, almost none of them were of any use. And even though others praised me for being exceptionally clever, I couldn't even protect myself when faced with danger.

With a sigh, I picked out a pill from the jade box and put it in my sleeve. If I'm lucky, it might come in handy now.

A large hand reached out and pulled me into his arms. Young Master Shang patted my cold cheek and chuckled, "Scared?"

I stared intently at the embers popping from the fire, letting Young Master Shang tighten his black fur cloak around me, inhaling his familiar scent. I bit my lip, finally shaking my head. I murmured, "This cloak... was prepared for me by Yiyang... I wonder how Xiaolu and Yiyang are doing now, are they alright? And Aunt Yun, Su Sanshou and the others... I... perhaps it's been too long since I've returned to Yun Manor..."

Young Master Shang gently patted my back and said softly, "Don't worry, they will be safe and happy. Everyone will be fine, very fine..." Young Master Shang gently brushed the long hair behind my ear and whispered, "You will be fine with me too!"