Chapter 286

Chapter 286

With a smile-filled gaze at Xiao Taohua, Lin Zaozao cupped his face, ready to lean in and kiss him.

"It's getting late, Xiao Taohua. You should go and tend to your duties."

Lin Zaozao saw the hilt of a sword blocking between her and Xiao Taohua, and turned to see Gu Shan's cold expression, silently urging Xiao Taohua to leave.

"Gu Shan, we're both early husbands to Zaozao. Is it not very generous of you to do this?"

"I'm not being generous. What, you want to duel me? Want to see whose poison is quicker or whose blade is swifter?"

Meeting Gu Shan's icy gaze, Xiao Taohua sighed resignedly. He firmly pushed the sword hilt in front of Gu Shan aside.

"Zaozao, someone's jar of vinegar is about to spill over, so I won't stand here and provoke him further."

Affectionately ruffling Lin Zaozao's hair, just as Xiao Taohua was about to turn and leave, he swayed briefly, then quickly embraced Lin Zaozao, planting a kiss on her cheek.

After the kiss, amid Lin Zaozao's surprised laughter and Gu Shan's fiery glare, Xiao Taohua turned and headed towards the area where the porridge was being cooked.

"Demonic Lord Gu Shan, you should change your name to 'Vinegar Jar Gu Shan'. You're so sour all day, your sourness could ferment vinegar."

Hearing Xiao Taohua's teasing, the Little Xibei group couldn't help but laugh.

Listening to Xiao Taohua and the others' teasing, Gu Shan coldly swept his gaze around. Under his murderous glare, Ruo Qiu and Ji Fantian suppressed their laughter and sheepishly closed their mouths.

Having achieved his goal, Gu Shan turned back, his expression of murderous intent instantly morphing into a pitiful, aggrieved look.

"Zaozao..."

"What is it, Gu Shan?"

"They, they're all making fun of me."

Hearing Gu Shan's pitiful accusation, Lin Zaozao, who had witnessed the whole scene, couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Zaozao, you also despise me, despise how I'm always clinging to you. So, so do you hate me now? Is that why you're making fun of me!"

Faced with Gu Shan's teary-eyed expression, Lin Zaozao was momentarily dumbfounded.

Not this again...

When will these three months be over!

"Gu Shan, no, no, I don't despise you at all."

Lin Zaozao approached Gu Shan, quickly embracing his waist and soothing him in a gentle voice.

"My dear Gu Shan, I wasn't making fun of you just now. I was just tickled by the cart that hit me. I couldn't hold back my laughter."

"Tickled by a cart? You're not lying to me, are you!"

"Of course not! How could I ever lie to my dear Gu Shan? It's true, the cart really did hit my ticklish spot on my waist. If you don't believe me, I can let you scratch it, and you'll see me laugh for sure."

Watching Lin Zaozao's mischievous hands on his waist, Gu Shan finally complained pitifully,

"I'm not even ticklish, and I can't laugh either. Zaozao, you just despise me, despise how I cling to you."

"Uh..."

Lin Zaozao, who had been vigorously scratching Gu Shan, suddenly found her voice stuck.

Gu Shan isn't ticklish, and it has nothing to do with whether she despises him or not!

Could it be that the customs and cultures of the Canglan and Fengshuo Kingdoms are so vastly different from theirs in the Frontier Region?

Just as these burly "refugees" were watching Lin Zaozao and Gu Shan sitting on the carriage, tenderly feeding each other snacks, Xiao Taohua had someone bring over the cooked porridge.

"Come, come, all you 'refugees', the porridge is ready to be served."

Xiao Taohua spared a glance at the Lin Zaozao and Gu Shan on the carriage, seeing them feeding each other with their mouths. He winced a little, but when he turned his attention back to the "refugees", his face was full of smiles.

"Everyone, since we didn't know your appetites, we cooked a bit more porridge than needed.

"But it doesn't matter if we can't finish it all, the people in our caravan can eat it too."

Meeting the gaze of the burly men, Xiao Taohua first poured a bowl of thick porridge for herself and the people beside her, blew on it, and began to drink it contentedly.

The burly men, seeing how deliciously Xiao Taohua and the others were eating, couldn't help but let their mouths water.

In the morning, they had only been able to gnaw on dried beef, leaving their mouths parched. Now, catching the fragrant aroma of the rice porridge, their mouths were practically drooling.

"Manager, can you please serve us brothers a bowl as well?"

A towering, muscular man stood before Xiao Taohua, looking down at her somewhat sheepishly.

"Look at me. I was so focused on feeding myself that I completely neglected you all.

Come, come, everyone, have some porridge. Our porridge is thick and plentiful, so let's all dig in and fill our stomachs."

With that, Xiao Taohua handed the filled bowls to the burly men. The man who received it took a whiff, then began to gulp it down eagerly.

Seeing the man drinking the porridge, the other muscular men who had been trailing behind him also quickly crowded around the pot, asking for servings.

Standing to the side, holding her own bowl of porridge, Xiao Taohua watched the burly men scramble for the food, her almond eyes gleaming with delight.

"Drink up! Drink it all. As long as they finish the porridge, it'll be one less thing for us to worry about."

After those burly men had scraped the several large pots of porridge clean with their spoons, they finally licked their lips contentedly, patted their bellies, and approached Lin Zaozao.

"Miss!"

"What is it?"

Lin Zaozao had Gu Shan in her arms and turned her head to respond.

"Miss, since we've eaten and drank your porridge, does that mean we are now your people?"

"Your people?"

Lin Zaozao met the honest smile of the burly man, puzzled by his statement.

"You people from the Central Plains always say, 'A drop of kindness deserves a gushing spring in return.' You've cooked several pots of porridge for us, which is far more than a mere drop of kindness. According to your traditions, we brothers are now your people. We would gladly follow you through fire and sword!"

"Haha, that won't be necessary. As you can see, I have quite a few people around me already, so I don't need you to jump through hoops for me.

Since you're no longer hungry, you can leave now. We have matters to attend to, so we must take our leave."

Lin Zaozao turned back and gave Xiao Taohua a subtle nod, signaling her to get moving.

Receiving Lin Zaozao's cue, Xiao Taohua waved to the bodyguards by her side, indicating that it was time to depart.

Seeing Lin Zaozao's carriage about to leave, the burly men immediately became anxious. They had been ordered by their Master Wolf to wait for someone here.

If they failed to complete their task, their fate would be...