Mu Bai tried to break free from Jiang Cijing’s grip, but the other seemed to be under a paralysis spell, remaining completely still.

At the stalemate, Su Mo happened to lift the carriage curtain and witnessed the scene.

After a brief silence, he said calmly, “Divine Constable Jiang.”

The voice was light and gentle, with an undertone of displeasure.

Jiang Cijing had served the court for many years and was all too familiar with the air of nobility unique to imperial relatives.

The moment Su Mo spoke, he nearly mistook it for the arrival of His Majesty and turned to kneel in reverence. Only upon seeing the man’s face did he pause in stunned silence.

The young man sat in a wheelchair, his demeanor frail. Yet, even in his apparent illness, the unrestrained charm in his every glance and gesture remained unmistakable.

Jiang Cijing had encountered many refined young masters from noble families, but the one before him gave off an air that went beyond just that.

“Young master… you know me?”

“Constable Jiang is renowned throughout the land. With the Wan Jing Si token in sight, of course I’d recognize you.” Su Mo casually brushed it off and beckoned to Mu Bai, “Little Bai, come here.”

Mu Bai had been struggling to find a way to escape. Seizing the moment when Jiang Cijing was momentarily distracted by the call, he yanked his hand free and darted onto the carriage.

Su Mo: “Push me in.”

“Yes, young master.”

Su Mo’s identity was special. Before leaving Qinglian Valley, they had agreed that outside, everyone would address him as “young master.”

Only after seeing the person he loved pushing the wheelchair into the post station did Jiang Cijing finally realize what had happened. He raised his hand to scratch the back of his head and chuckled: “Xiao Bai… so her name is Xiao Bai.”

Finch walked past him and shook his head: “Ah, another one gone mad.”

When Mu Bai was at Qinglian Valley, he had already captured all the few senior brothers in the valley. Now, as soon as he stepped into the martial world and got off the carriage, he took down another—none other than the renowned River God Constable.

Yet, faced with the valley’s beloved favorite, Finch could only pat Mu Bai on the shoulder and sigh, “Junior Sister Xiao Bai, truly, it’s so like you.”

Mu Bai: “What?”

“You still don’t get it?” Huamei teased. “That constable Jiang just fell for you at first sight.”

“Huh?”

Mu Bai’s expression was indescribable.

In the original story, the male and female leads fell in love at first sight. It seems in this world’s setting, as long as the two meet, sparks will fly between them.

But he isn’t the real original female lead and feels not the slightest interest in the male protagonist.

Huamei said: “Officer Jiang is highly skilled in martial arts, handsome, and the Myriad Mirrors Division pays well too. You won’t find such an outstanding young talent anywhere else in Jialan. Won’t you consider him, junior sister?”

Mu Bai’s fingers clenched on the wheelchair, making a creaking sound: “I don’t like his type.”

Hua Mei was taken aback for a moment, then asked again: “Then what kind do you like? I’ll help you look around.”

Mu Bai prefers quiet and delicate girls.

He thought for a moment and described based on his impression: “Long black hair, scholarly, fair and slender, the kind that makes you want to protect her at first sight…”

Mei Hua was shocked: “So you like Young Master Su?!”

Mu Bai: “…”

He belatedly realized and looked down to see the person in the wheelchair slightly lifting their eyelids, seemingly waiting for his response.

“Watch your mouth, I wasn’t talking about you.”

Su Mo let out an “Oh,” sounding somewhat disappointed.

Lowering his gaze in thought for a moment, he added, “Though I wouldn’t mind if you were.”

Meimei also softly reassured: “Little Bai, don’t be shy, we’re all family here.”

Mu Bai: “???”

–

After tidying up the bedroom and heading downstairs to order food, Mu Bai ran into Jiang Cijing again.

He seemed to have been waiting downstairs for a long time. As soon as he saw Mu Bai, he approached to strike up a conversation: “Miss Xiaobai, my earlier behavior was rather abrupt…”

Mu Bai felt slightly embarrassed and just waved his hand softly, saying, “It’s fine.”

Jiang Cijing’s eyes lit up, his face turning even redder: “Miss Bai is truly magnanimous.”

Mu Bai: “…”

As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Given the situation, it seemed like anything he said could boost Jiang Cijing’s affection for him.

Mu Bai remained calm and kept his distance from him. He walked over to the counter alone, ordered a few dishes, and asked the waiter to bring them upstairs later, then swiftly slipped away.

Walking upstairs, I could still feel Jiang Cijing’s burning gaze glued to my back.

Mu Bai didn’t want him to know which room he lived in, so he paused at the corner hesitantly before heading toward Su Mo’s bedroom.

Su Mo reclined on the bed, holding a book in his hand.

He heard him come in and, with an indifferent expression, didn’t even lift his eyelids: “Did you run into Constable Jiang?”

Mu Bai closed the door and walked to the table to pour himself a cup of tea: “How did you know?”

“I heard.”

Mu Bai was taken aback, recalling the legendary figures “Clairvoyance” and “Clairaudience.”

Martial arts masters indeed possess far superior eyesight and hearing compared to ordinary people.

At the bottom of the cliff, his master had specifically trained him in the ability to discern directions by listening to the wind.

But in this noisy inn, Mu Bai had to focus and quiet his mind to clearly hear even one or two voices.

Su Mo could hear him talking to Jiang Cijing from the bedroom—unless he was born with exceptionally sharp hearing, he must have been specifically paying attention to Mu Bai’s voice.

Mu Bai immediately decided never to speak ill of Su Mo behind his back again.

You should at least speak quietly.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Su Mo turning over, her raven-black long hair spilling onto the plush carpet behind her.

Mu Bai, who had an obsessive-compulsive disorder, couldn’t stand it any longer and squatted by the bed to brush his hair back onto the mattress.

Su Mo noticed and suddenly turned around, locking eyes with him.

The corners of his eyes curved slightly upwards, giving him a cold demeanor when he wasn’t smiling, but when he smiled, it was like a crescent moon reflected in a lotus pond.

From the moment Mu Bai met Su Mo, he thought this person was terrifyingly composed—utterly devoid of emotion in his eyes, no matter the time or place.

Yet at this very moment, a ripple flickered through his gaze, like moonlight scattering across a pond.

Even the tear mole at the corner of his eye came alive, tender as water brimming with affection.

Mu Bai: “…”

His throat tightened as he stepped back, catching a glimpse of pale, slender ankles on the bed and raven hair strewn across the floor—the scene unexpectedly carried a hint of sensuality.

Bai Mu plopped down onto the ground.

After staring at the patterns on the carpet for a long while, he lowered his head, seemingly feeling that his previous actions were utterly humiliating. In a fit of pique, he grabbed Su Mo’s hair and tossed it onto the bed.

Su Mo nearly laughed out loud, quickly raising his sleeve to cover his mouth as he coughed twice, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Mu Bai thought for a moment, as if finding a brilliant way to hide his embarrassment. He crossed his legs and sat properly on the plush carpet, earnestly asking, “Suppose someone fell in love with you at first sight…”

Before he could finish, Su Mo guessed who he was referring to: “Where in the world does all this love at first sight come from? It could just as easily be lust at first sight.”

Mu Bai: “…”

He couldn’t help but feel that Su Mo seemed to have some issues with Jiang Cijing.

“Xiao Bai, the jianghu is full of treacherous people. It’s best to stay away from those with dubious backgrounds.”

Mu Bai thought to himself: The most treacherous one is clearly you. Just now you were praising the renowned divine constable of the Mirror Bureau, and now suddenly he’s someone with a dubious background?

These words he naturally wouldn’t say out loud, so he just propped his chin on one hand, sitting lazily on the ground while watching Su Mo.

Su Mo tried to persuade him a few more times, noticing that Mu Bai seemed distracted, and suddenly asked softly, “Xiao Bai, do you… also feel something for Jiang Cijing?”

“I don’t like men.”

Su Mo was not surprised. After a moment’s contemplation, he said slowly, “I have a way to make him give up and stop bothering you.”

–

Early the next morning, as soon as Mu Bai stepped over the threshold, he heard whispers from below.

He focused his hearing and realized the guests at the post station were discussing the person sitting by the window.

Mu Bai glanced toward the window and indeed saw Su Mo and Jiang Cijing sitting there playing chess. With these two gathered in one place, it was nearly impossible not to cause a stir.

Su Mo sat in the wheelchair, his legs covered with silk cloth for warmth. The pale light from the window fell upon him, accentuating his almost bloodless face—still sickly and weak.

With lowered eyelids, he picked up a black piece between two fingers and placed it at the center of the board.

Every movement he made was as elegant as orchids and jade trees.

Jiang Cijing sat across from him—though physically tall and imposing, his presence seemed diminished in comparison.

To describe it, the scene was like a sickly emperor playing chess with a military general—one ruler and one subject, clearly distinct.

Mu Bai paused in his steps, recalling the terrible idea Su Mo had given him yesterday—to tell Jiang Cijing that Mu Bai was already taken, so he would give up.

At this moment, Su Mo seemed to have already relayed the matter to Jiang Cijing, but the divine constable wouldn’t give up until he was driven to despair. Between moves, he continued to press: “But… Young Master Su hasn’t yet proposed to Miss Xiao Bai…”

Su Mo placed a piece on the board: “The betrothal gifts are already prepared, just waiting for Xiao Bai’s consent.”

Jiang Cijing continued, “Since Miss Bai hasn’t agreed yet, does that mean…”

He had barely spoken halfway when an extremely faint sound was heard.

On the chessboard, radiating from the black piece Su Mo had placed, a crack spread in all directions, instantly forming a dense web of fissures resembling a spider’s web.

Jiang Cijing watched with his heart pounding, the white piece in his hand unsure of where to place next.

He looked up across the table and saw Su Mo still smiling with curved eyes: “Officer Jiang, are you trying to steal someone’s love?”

His question was casual, yet it felt more chilling than an open confrontation.

Jiang Cijing was a reckless man; even in such a situation, he managed to blurt out: “I just think… Miss Xiao Bai should have the freedom to choose…”

“She won’t choose you.”

Mu Bai: “…”

What’s going on with these two? Maybe he shouldn’t go down now?

The onlookers in the corner whispered among themselves: “Who’s Xiaobai? They’re practically about to fight over him.”

Mubai slowly, very slowly, retracted the half-extended foot, planning to sneak back to the bedroom before anyone noticed.

Unexpectedly, as Jiang Cijing raised his head, their eyes met.

“Miss Xiaobai!”

Mu Bai: “…”

“Come sit down quickly, I’ve served you some porridge—it’s still warm.”

The onlookers all raised their heads to look up, and in an instant, Mubai became the center of attention in the posthouse.

Faced with Jiang Cijing’s enthusiastic call, he found himself at a loss—neither responding nor ignoring it felt right.

Mu Bai wasn’t good at handling such situations, and cold sweat was about to break out on his back.

After hesitating for a moment, he still stepped down from the platform and walked to the window.

Jiang Cijing’s long bench now showed its advantage as he scooted over, making space beside him: “Miss Bai, sit here. I saved this spot just for you.”

Mu Bai: “…”

He walked to the next table, about to pull over another bench to sit, when Su Mo lifted the silk cloth and patted his own thigh: “Bai, sit here.”

Mu Bai: “…”

Dude, must you be this extra?