Before Yang Ye left, he simply expressed his love for fine food, and told Xiaomai to remember to share any delicacies shees across.


    He left a guard at the Academy for Xiaomai to give whatever delicious food she found.


    Of course, if Xiaomai needed anything, she could also go to the guard for help.


    Xiaomai happily agreed.


    She was more than willing to maintain such a positive rtionship with Yang Ye.


    However, Yang Wang was a different matter altogether.


    Before Yang Wang left, he expressed his true feelings for her.


    His confession left her so disgusted that she felt goosebumps all over her body and wished she could throw up her dinner on him.


    How dare he im love when he was constantly scheming to plunder her family?


    Pah!


    Shameless!<div>


    If it weren’t for Yang Wang’s status, she would’ve definitely disabled him with a kick.


    Ever since her near assault, she had harbored a deep revulsion for such shameless men, and her first instinct was to disable their vile roots.


    Moreover, Yang Wang didn’t just confess his love. He even promised her an eternal status as a concubine at the Wang Residence if Tong Sang ever mistreated her.


    Listening to him spout such nonsense made her curse inwardly.


    And thinking about it now, still made her curse resentfully.


    Damn it, a concubine?


    Even if she were the first wife, if she were remotely interested in him, that would be the day the sun rose from the west.


    Ignorant, arrogant men who look down on others through their nostrils, pah!


    “I don’t want to talk about him any more. The emperor must have spoken to him about our marriage, he would not dare to disobey the emperor’s wishes,” Xiaomai said dismissively.


    Tong Sang nodded in agreement.


    “Come on, eat more,” Xiaomai took out more food from her spatial storage, including stir-fried dishes and snacks. “Are you sure you don’t want me to give you some silver?”


    “I don’t need it. I’m going to hunt,” he replied.


    “But it is your silver anyway.”


    “Once I gave it to you, it bes yours.” Tong Sang was insistent.


    “Well, well, what’s mine is also yours,” Xiaomai yfully retorted.


    “Not the same.” He insisted that he had to earn the money for their wedding expense.


    “Alright then, I’ll go up the mountain to collect firewood tomorrow. We can go together,” Xiaomai did not force him. Respectful of the young man’s dignity, she conceded.


    “Sure.” Tong Sang remembered their unexpected encounters on the mountain and couldn’t help grinning.<div>


    He would go to the mountain daily under the pretense of hunting, partly to protect the secret tunnel and partly to visit his mentor. However, he had unexpectedly bumped into Xiaomai several times.


    What a fate!


    Xiaomai turned off her shlight, took out a small table from her spatial storage and started chatting and dining with Tong Sang.


    The two hadn’t been able to chat freely ever since Yang Ye came to the vige. They stayed out untilte night before returning to the vige.<div>


    When Xiaomai got home, Qiao Changshun and Dami were already asleep. The two agreed on a meeting ce for the next day, then reluctantly parted ways.


    Before dawn the next day, Tong Sang was already up. He had only slept for four hours but was full of energy.


    He first went to the new house to check on Tong Tiehu, then went up the mountain.


    He first climbed over Rooster Mountain to see his mentor.


    His mentor, an old man named Deng Chun who followed Liuli, was already over seventy, but was still strong and versed in both literary and martial arts.


    He exined that the treasure had vanished without a trace.


    He hoped that Deng Chun would move from the primeval forest to the vige or the town to live.


    As the saying goes, “one day as a teacher, forever as a father”, he was willing to provide for Deng Chun in his old age.