"Here's the thing—I wanted to borrow your Silver Dragon Stallion so I could make the trip quick... Honestly, I really can't bear to be away from you. I just want to hurry back to your side."
Grace said this as she moved closer, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her little head on his chest.
Evan Xiao still didn't say anything, but Grace could feel his mood had improved a lot compared to just now.
So she went on, "Even though we sometimes didn't see each other for days before, at least we were in the same city. Now, just thinking about being so far away from you makes my heart ache."
Evan Xiao lowered his head to look at her and said, "Go quickly and come back quickly."
"Mm!" Grace hugged him even tighter.
She meant every word—she truly hated being apart from him...
...
Early the next morning, Grace and Bobby rode the Silver Dragon Stallion, speeding off toward Yan City.
The trip went smoothly, but just as they were about to reach Yan City, they ran into a little incident at a roadside bun shop.
The bun shop was set up at a three-way intersection, just a simple makeshift stall.
But the aroma of the buns was seriously tempting.
The two of them happened to be a little hungry, so they went in for a bite.
They hadn't expected the taste to be so good.
"These buns are really good!" Bobby said.
He'd already polished off two baskets and ordered two more.
"Yeah." Grace nodded. "No matter how much you eat, you never get tired of them—the aftertaste is amazing."
Bobby glanced around and saw no one else at the nearby tables. He suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Grace, are you really going to be a royal consort in the Vermilion Kingdom one day?"
"Well..." Grace considered. "We'll see when the time comes. Right now, I just want to focus on cultivating. You know, only the strong have a say in anything!"
Bobby nodded. "That's true!"
...
The two were chatting idly when, from the direction of Yan City, two women appeared—one looked like the mistress, the other her maid.
The maid walked in front. She had delicate brows and eyes, looked quite pretty, dressed in black, carrying a bundle and holding a sword.
Behind her was a woman in white, wearing a wide-brimmed bamboo hat that hid her face.
But her figure was graceful and alluring—she was definitely a beauty.
The maid asked the elderly couple running the bun shop, "Do you have buns with pure lean meat filling?"
The old man was busy making buns, while the old lady greeted the customers with a cheerful smile. "Girls, all our buns are made with lean meat!" she replied.
"We'll take two baskets, then," the maid said.
"Alright! Just a moment! Have a seat first!" The old lady went to fetch the buns.
The maid took out a snowy white handkerchief and carefully wiped down the table and chairs, then respectfully invited the woman in white to sit.
After the woman in white sat down, the maid casually tossed the handkerchief, and it landed right by Grace's feet.
Grace glanced down at it, raising her eyebrows slightly.
Soon, the old lady brought over two steaming baskets of buns and handed them some chopsticks and bowls.
Eating with that big bamboo hat on was clearly awkward, so the woman in white took it off.
Grace and Bobby were sitting across from each other; Bobby was facing the newcomers, while Grace had her back to them.
The moment the woman in white removed her hat, Bobby's eyes went wide. He nudged Grace's foot and whispered, "Wow, she's really pretty."
Curious, Grace turned to look—and sure enough, the woman was stunning. Her features were delicate, her skin fair as snow, and her beauty was almost ethereal.
Grace always considered herself a beauty, and there were few women who could compare.
But this woman... she was definitely on Grace's level.
"Yeah, she's gorgeous," Grace said.