When the sound of hoofbeats stopped, everything around fell silent.

The night was like a curtain, stars like lanterns, fine grass swayed, and the Milky Way stretched afar, beautiful and serene.

Tang Xiaobai was in a daze for a moment and glanced around.

They stopped at the foot of the mountain, as if it were the other side of the mountain.

But apart from the mountain and grass, she found nothing else on the other side.

Why was she brought here?

Tang Xiaobai was full of doubts.

The man in black jumped off the horse and stood beside it, looking up at her.

Tang Xiaobai suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.

Below the veil, his posture was tall and handsome.

His forearms, calves, and waist were all tightly bound with cloth, appearing slender yet strong.

He stood there, as straight as a pine or bamboo, possessing a noble bearing, yet his attire was wild.

Two completely opposite temperaments blended in one person, mysterious yet... somewhat familiar?

Tang Xiaobai’s gaze shifted to his face.

Under the black veil, she couldn’t see his face but could feel his gaze.

Cold, but not hostile.

He seemed to be scrutinizing her carefully, making Tang Xiaobai a bit embarrassed, so she looked away and asked, "Do you... know me?"

The aura around him turned cold once more.

So he doesn’t know her?

Tang Xiaobai felt a bit frustrated, turned away to look back, and asked, "Who are you people? Friend or foe?"

This group of black-clad people had such uniform clothing, indicating they were organized.

And they managed to abduct her so easily, even Li Xingyuan couldn’t catch up, so they must be quite capable.

If they were enemies, it would be dangerous.

But she had a feeling they weren’t enemies.

The man barely glanced at her with cold eyes and didn’t answer, just extended his hand to her.

His hand wore a black leather glove, slightly worn from holding reins for long periods.

Tang Xiaobai hesitated a bit.

She could try to seize the horse and escape now, but the man seemed quite skilled in martial arts... better not...

Tang Xiaobai sighed inwardly, reaching out to grasp his hand.

However, she didn’t catch it.

He suddenly withdrew his hand.

Caught off guard, Tang Xiaobai lost her balance.

She hurried to grab the reins and hook the stirrup, but he reached out with both arms and directly lifted her down.

Tang Xiaobai: ...

This scene felt somewhat familiar?

After he lifted her down, the man in black didn’t let go.

He tightened one arm around her, took a bag from the saddle with the other, and leapt up the mountain wall.

The mountain wall wasn’t particularly steep, but it was hard to see clearly in the dark.

However, he seemed familiar with the mountain, leaping nimbly and landing accurately.

Tang Xiaobai couldn’t help but wonder, could he be a bandit living in the mountains?

Why would a bandit kidnap her?

She wasn’t carrying anything valuable on her!

It couldn’t be for her virtue, right? She was still young!

So what did he want?

More than fear, Tang Xiaobai felt that curiosity was more fatal now.

After a few jumps, the man in black stopped.

They stopped at the entrance of a cave.

The cave was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

It couldn’t be a bandit hideout, could it? So shabby, it didn’t match their well-trained and well-equipped nature, Tang Xiaobai thought.

After her feet touched the ground, the man in black didn’t let go but instead held her tighter.

Tang Xiaobai was pressed against his chest, her face buried in his cold, rough collar, surrounded by the scent of grass and wind, a bit stiff, and a bit dazed.

This hug was a purely platonic embrace, like longing, like joy, leaving no room for her to resist.

Tang Xiaobai hesitated, raising her arms, which had hung by her sides, tentatively gripping the edge of his clothing, and whispered: "Ah Xiao, is that you?"

He was silent for a moment before finally speaking: "What do you think?"

Tang Xiaobai felt electrified.

This voice...

It was so pleasant!

A mid-range voice between a man and a boy, slightly deep, somewhat hoarse, imbued with icy clarity, carrying a frail and ascetic aura, making her want to scream.

Yet, it wasn’t the voice of the little ancestor she remembered.

Right.

Her little ancestor was in Hedong, how could he possibly come here? And dressed so strangely at that.

The key was, if it were her little ancestor, why the theatrics? Why abduct her in front of so many people?

"Ah... sorry, I thought it was... I mistook you for someone else." Tang Xiaobai quickly said.

As she said this, she felt the surroundings grow colder by a few degrees.

The man in black suddenly turned and walked into the cave.

Tang Xiaobai was momentarily dazed.

This type of temper, sulking at a single word, was exactly like her little ancestor.

But the voice wasn’t, the figure wasn’t.

Though when she thought about it, it had been almost a year since she last saw her little ancestor.

At this age, could boys change a lot?

Did his voice change? Did he grow taller?

Tang Xiaobai studied him carefully.

He only took a few steps before stopping, making rustling sounds.

"Woosh—"

A flame ignited.

Tang Xiaobai glanced inside and saw him holding a lit fire torch, bending to pick up dry grass from the ground.

As he bent, the veil’s black screen descended, swaying gently with his movements.

Seeing this, Tang Xiaobai felt that it was—

Too dangerous!

"Wait!" she hurriedly shouted, "If you’re going to make a fire, take off the veil first, it’s too dangerous to burn yourself!"

As she spoke, she approached him, naturally reaching out to remove his veil.

He tilted his head to evade, turning to look at her.

Under the black veil, his gaze was cool, almost tangible.

Tang Xiaobai felt a bit embarrassed by his look, hiding her hand behind her back, emphasizing seriously again: "It’s really dangerous!"

"It won’t be," he replied indifferently, bending down to ignite the dry grass.

Tang Xiaobai watched nervously, wishing she could flash "Dangerous moves, do not imitate" on the screen.

Indeed, she wanted to use this chance to remove his veil, but this was genuinely dangerous!

If this reckless young man was her little ancestor, she would be furious.

After lighting the dry grass, the man in black swept with his palm, brushing it onto a used fire pit nearby.

Dry grass, flames, and the sweep of his palm.

The fire quickly grew, expanding the visible range.

The cave wasn’t large, nor deep, with no trace of any past occupants aside from this remnants of a fire pit.

The man in black sat down by the fire pit, silently stirring it with a branch.

Tang Xiaobai also sat down, looked at him, then moved closer and softly asked: "We... aren’t enemies, right?"

He glanced at her, "Hmm," he replied, somewhat cold, and perhaps a bit sullen.

Tang Xiaobai felt relieved and cautiously said: "Since we’re not enemies, you don’t need to wear the veil, do you?"

He slightly hung his head, the feeling of sullen grew stronger.

Tang Xiaobai’s heart unexpectedly softened, and her tone became gentler: "The veil is to shield from wind and sand, there’s no wind or sand here, just take it off, alright?"

She eagerly reached out.

"With a voice that sounds so nice, you must look handsome too, right?"

She coaxingly said, her hand gradually reaching the edge of the veil—