Chapter 124: Oh my! You scared me to death!

Mo Jinnan’s furrowed brow finally relaxed. This explanation was the most plausible and convincing one.

“Xinyao, why didn’t you tell me you sensed a change in the weather?”

Xiang Xinyao pouted. “Didn’t I already say I wasn’t sure? What if I said something and it didn’t change? How would I explain that? I just made preparations quietly, just in case. Luckily, I only ran back for a little over an hour, and I met the driver who was bringing the cart. I told him to ride back.”

Mo Jinnan rubbed his nose. “Next time, just tell me directly. No need to worry about whether your feelings are accurate or not.”

“Okay.”

Mo Jinnan didn’t say anything more, as he was convinced that Xiang Xinyao had kept quiet for his sake, to avoid him losing face.

Xiang Xinyao finally let out a long sigh of relief and resumed chewing on dried meat, enjoying herself.

The heavy snow continued falling until the next morning.

The snow was too thick to continue traveling, so they had no choice but to stay in the small town where they had taken shelter.

The town was surrounded by mountains, and everything was blanketed in white.

Xiang Xinyao, being unable to sit still, saw there was no way to continue their journey and decided to take a chance by going into the mountains.

Mo Jinnan and her family didn’t want her to go alone, so, for her parents’ and sister’s safety, Xiang Xinyao insisted that her three brothers stay behind to protect them while Mo Jinnan would accompany her into the mountains.

The two of them walked along the rural path, stepping through the snow, in silence.

After hesitating for a long while, Xiang Xinyao finally couldn’t hold back. “`, when you first met me, did you start suspecting my background?”

“Yes,” Mo Jinnan answered firmly.

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Mo Jinnan touched his nose. “Because I wasn’t sure. And with the Xiang family and your sister Xiang Xinyu still around, I had to confirm your true identity. I also needed to be sure that when you returned to the Xiang family, you wouldn’t be influenced by the adopted daughter position, which would affect your standing, before I could tell you.”

“Xinyao, putting aside the fact that you’re my fiancée, you’re still my lifesaver. I don’t want you to suffer any unfairness.”

Xiang Xinyao smiled slightly. “To be honest, I’m just a country girl who grew up in the countryside. Aren’t you repulsed by your fiancée?”

Mo Jinnan smiled and replied, “Why would I be repulsed? Not only do you have medical skills, but you’re also so unique, far surpassing those noble young women from Bianjing.”

Xiang Xinyao twitched her mouth. What makes me unique?

You tell me, should I change careers?

Though Xiang Xinyao wasn’t entirely opposed to this engagement, she couldn’t fully accept it just yet.

While Mo Jinnan fit her aesthetic preferences, they had barely spent any time together, and she didn’t know much about her so-called fiancé’s character.

But that was okay; she was still young, and Mo Jinnan couldn’t possibly force her into marriage.

From her interactions with Mo Jinnan during their time at Dawai Village, she found him to be a man of integrity.

He wasn’t like those cold, indifferent male protagonists she read about in novels.

Hmm, maybe they could try to get along.

If it was only about good looks and they didn’t share the same values, she would still choose to break off the engagement.

But she wasn’t keen on getting involved with the royal family, nor did she want to be caught up in palace intrigues.

If Mo Jinnan was willing, she would help rescue his mother, the empress, and take her parents and family far from the political world, to live a carefree life.

But those were thoughts for the future.

She needed to first fully accept her parents, family, and this fiancé.

Xiang Xinyao raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Mo, to be honest, I’m not really accepting this engagement.”

Mo Jinnan was taken aback, a hint of nervousness flashing in his eyes. “Why?”

“You’re a high-ranking officials, aren’t most of you with three or four wives? I don’t like the idea of sharing my husband with other women…”

Before Xiang Xinyao could finish, Mo Jinnan quickly reassured her. “I won’t take a concubine, and I don’t want to be one of those high officials. If I had the chance, I’d rather live with you in Dawai Village, enjoying a simple life—working at sunrise, resting at sunset.”

Xiang Xinyao smiled, making a secret decision in her heart.

She would spend some time observing. If this man was truly worthy of trust, then living in Bianjing with him in the future wouldn’t be impossible.

After all, she was the daughter of the Xiang Taifu, and also the fiancée of the King of Xian. She could afford to live carefreely and enjoy her status as a young lady for a while.

As for married life, it was too early to think about that.

The two entered the mountains, and Xiang Xinyao spoke up. “Mr. Mo, let’s separate a bit. It might increase our chances of finding more meat.”

Mo Jinnan nodded. “Okay, but don’t go too far, in case you run into danger.”

“Understood.”

So, they separated and walked at a distance from each other.

Xiang Xinyao happily walked forward, the sound of snow crunching beneath her feet.

The best prey to hunt in the snow was probably wild pheasants.

In harsh weather, when food was scarce, wild pheasants would bury their heads in the snow to warm up, often forgetting their surroundings and becoming frozen.

When threatened, they also had the habit of hiding their heads in the snow.

After walking for a short while, Xiang Xinyao spotted two wild pheasants searching for food in the snow.

But there was nothing for them to find in the vast white expanse.

Sensing danger, the pheasants flapped their wings and fled.

Xiang Xinyao would never let the opportunity to catch them slip by. Using her inner strength, she made running easier and chased after them.

The pheasants didn’t run far before they plunged into the snow and stopped moving.

“Hehe… hahaha…”

Xiang Xinyao chuckled, a bit of restrained yet wild glee in her laugh.

She quickly approached, pulling the pheasants out of the snow like pulling radishes, and, with a thought, stored them in her space.

After collecting both pheasants, she continued walking forward.

She walked for quite a while, but aside from catching a rabbit, she didn’t encounter any other animals.

On Mo Jinnan’s end, he too hadn’t found much. After catching two rabbits and a wild pheasant, there were no more animals in sight.

His brow furrowed, a bad premonition creeping up on him.

He quickly moved toward the direction where Xiang Xinyao was.

At the same time, Xiang Xinyao suddenly felt an aura of danger. Like a monkey, she scrambled up a tree in a frenzy.

The next second, a starving adult tiger pounced out.

The tiger leaped high, but it wasn’t enough to reach Xiang Xinyao, who had already climbed up the tree.

Xiang Xinyao patted her chest. “Oh my! You scared me to death!”

A tiger!

Though fierce, its entire body was a treasure, and she definitely couldn’t bring herself to sell it.

With a thought, she prepared to take out some tranquilizing powder from her space to subdue the tiger and store it.

However, before she could act, a sword gleaming with cold light shot from the left side of Xiang Xinyao.

The tiger barely dodged the sword’s attack, and in the blink of an eye, Mo Jinnan’s figure appeared, faster than lightning.

As the sword was about to strike the tree trunk, Mo Jinnan grabbed the hilt with his right hand.