Forced to be a third person: I turned around and left the palace to marry a villain

We don’t know how long we will have to study in Changle Mountain, and there will not be many such opportunities in the future.

"Miss Xiao is lively and active, she can't stay in the mountains all the time. I promise to ensure her safety. What else do you worry about? Don't you trust me?"

"Brother Shangguan, what you said makes sense. Since you have made a promise, Qu will naturally trust you."

Qu Tingyun smiled and said, "Then Ruoxin can also go together. We can go together and take care of each other."

Qu Ruchen then handed Qu Tingyun a token to go down the mountain, and specifically reminded him:

"Longyuanze is a harsh environment. You are the oldest among them and the one who is most familiar with it. Since you have decided to take them out, you must be responsible for their safety. You must bring them back intact. Do you understand?"

"The disciple understands."

Qu Tingyun took the token respectfully and put it away carefully. At the same time, he noticed that Qu Ruchen's eyes swept over everyone and finally stopped at Li Xin, which seemed to have a special meaning.

"Yeah." Li Xin and Qu Ruchen looked at each other briefly, but she quickly looked away.

"Yes, disciple has made note of it." Qu Tingyun replied.

After saying goodbye to Qu Ruchen, he led the four of them away from the mountains. The carriage sped along the road, and Xiao Ruoxin leaned against the window, her eyes full of joy at the scenery outside.

"Wow! The wind outside is so comfortable!" She shouted happily as she faced the refreshing breeze.

"Xin'er, don't stick your head out. It's not safe."

Seeing that she was having fun, Qu Tingyun did not try to stop her. He just gave her a gentle reminder and then closed his eyes for a nap.

It would take another day to get to Longyuanze from here. They might have to camp in the wild tonight, and he needed to maintain his strength to ensure everyone's safety.

Li Xin sat beside him, regulating his breathing quietly.

Shangguan Chen on the opposite side was leaning lazily on the armrest, seemingly taking a rest as well, but Li Xin could feel his eyes falling on her from time to time.

It's really uncomfortable. Shangguan Chen glanced at Qu Tingyun and noticed that Li Xin and this man were sitting very close to each other, and there seemed to be an inexplicable tacit understanding between them.

This harmony made Shangguan Chen feel jealous. From the moment he got on the bus, he noticed that Qu Tingyun was particularly concerned about Li Xin, and the emotion in his eyes was similar to his feelings towards Li Xin.

In the evening, everyone stopped to rest. Qu Tingyun chose a place near a water source as a temporary camp.

Due to the lack of firewood and food, the five people divided the work among themselves: Xiao Yichen and Shangguan Chen went to find food, Xiao Ruoxin stayed where she was to guard the carriage, and Li Li and Qu Tingyun were responsible for collecting firewood.

When there were only two people left, Qu Tingyun asked while picking up firewood:

"Miss Li Xin, I noticed before that you don't seem to like Master Shangguan very much. Now that we are alone, can you tell me why you are so disgusted with him?"

Li Xin paused for a moment and then continued to look for suitable firewood.

"You did ask me that question, but I didn't give a clear answer at the time."

"So today I want to hear your true thoughts when no one is around."

Qu Tingyun looked at her intently, carefully capturing every subtle reaction of hers. During this time, she had tried to hurt the Xiao brothers and sisters many times, but was stopped by him every time.

She has been relatively calm recently, but since Shangguan Chen arrived, Qu Tingyun began to suspect whether there is some secret relationship between the two.

He knew that speculation would not reveal the truth, so he arranged for the two to meet so that he could observe their interaction.

However, Li Xing's disgust for Shangguan Chen exceeded his expectations.

The dislike seemed real, but it could also be deliberate, an attempt to hide their secret relationship.

Out of curiosity, he decided to test the centrifugal attitude.

If she expressed her dislike for Shangguan Chen in front of him without any concealment, it might mean that there was a complicated and deep relationship between them.

On the contrary, any subtle differences may hint at more secrets.

Earlier in the academy, Qu Ruchen had warned him about Shangguan Chen, reminding him to be extra vigilant against this person.

If Shangguan Chen is really in collusion with Li Xin, this trip to Longyuanze is an excellent opportunity to resolve these two potential threats once and for all.

But if Li Xin's dislike for Shangguan Chen is real, then she might still be of use and could be kept for emergencies.

"I won't say much about Shangguan Chen."

Li Xin picked up the last piece of firewood, turned around and faced him a few hundred meters away, and said firmly: "But there is one thing I want to tell you, Mr. Qu: This person cannot be trusted, so be careful."

Having said this, she walked towards the carriage with the firewood in her arms.

Watching her back go away, Qu Tingyun smiled slightly and turned back to look at Xiao Yichen who was walking out from behind the tree: "Achen, did you hear that?"

"Yeah." Xiao Yichen also looked in the direction where he was leaving, and the hostility in his eyes weakened a little.

"It seems that we may have misunderstood this time."

Qu Tingyun added: "But we can't completely let our guard down. She is now 70% hostile and 30% friendly. We can't trust her completely. Maybe she wants us to let down our guard."

"Brother, do you mean we should continue observing?" Xiao Yichen understood what he meant.

"Yes."

Qu Tingyun nodded in agreement: "The conflict between her and Shangguan Chen is certain. As for the next step, we will have to decide based on the situation."

Next, it’s time to wait for developments.

When he returned to the carriage, Li Xin found that Xiao Ruoxin, who was supposed to be waiting there, was nowhere to be seen.

Looking at the wild fruits and rabbits around, it was obvious that others had found food. After putting down the firewood, she searched around but did not find Xiao Ruoxin.

An inexplicable feeling of uneasiness surged into her heart. Xiao Ruoxin was not there, and Xiao Yichen and Shangguan Chen were nowhere to be seen either! Just as she was wondering where Xiao Ruoxin might have gone, a cry of surprise came from the front!

"ah!"

After only three months of being together, she immediately recognized that it was Xiao Ruoxin's voice. She reacted quickly and used Qinggong to run towards the direction of the voice!

"Xin'er!"

Hearing the call, she looked into the distance along the direction of the water flow. Upstream, a familiar figure came into view - it was Xiao Ruoxin.

She was seen in the turbulent river, trying hard to maintain her balance with both hands. On the shore, Shangguan Chen was slowly approaching, as if trying to lend a hand to help.

Seeing this scene, Li was furious.

She had clearly warned Shangguan Chen not to act rashly towards Xiao Ruoxin. Unexpectedly, he pushed her into the water while she was away. This was simply unforgivable!

Centrifugal's eyes became bloodshot, and he quickly mobilized his internal energy to rush to the scene of the incident. He quickly pulled Xiao Ruoxin out of the water, then turned around and launched a fierce attack on Shangguan Chen.

For a moment, the valley was echoed with the sound of fierce fighting.

Qu Tingyun and Xiao Yichen just returned and hurried over after hearing the noise.