“Just let Yun He and I share one room!” In front of the inn, Miss Duan clung to Qiu Huan, pouting cutely.

Qiu Huan patted her head and said, “Be good now—stop fussing.”

Seeing that Qiu Huan wasn’t agreeing, Duan Yunhe huffed and let go of her, then turned directly to the innkeeper and ordered, “Three upper rooms!”

The innkeeper looked at these guests with some unease, unsure what the relationship was between the red-clad woman and the white-clad man. He couldn’t help but wonder: Could it be that she’s been chasing after him in vain?

If any of them had the ability to read minds and could guess what he was thinking, they’d probably be so shocked they’d spit blood.

But of course, mind-reading is just a figment of imagination. Qiu Huan paid no attention to the innkeeper’s expression; she only stared at Yunhe suspiciously, wondering why she’d suddenly started acting so stubborn.

This thought crossed her mind again later on.

“Yunhe, we really do have something important to attend to—we’re not here to play. Can’t you just stay alone at the inn tonight?” Qiu Huan was getting a bit impatient, regretting that she’d softened earlier when she’d discovered Yunhe secretly following her and hadn’t sent her back right away.

“I don’t care! I’m determined to come with you no matter what!” Seeing Qiu Huan’s displeased look, Duan Yunhe felt a little uneasy, but even so, she refused to budge. Qiu Huan found her stubbornness rather odd, so she signaled Yuan Mo to bolt the door. Now there were only the three of them in the room; Yuan Qian had gone off to prepare the rest of their things.

“Did you have a dream or something?” Duan Yunhe had been acting strangely all morning, but Qiu Huan had been preoccupied with other matters and hadn’t paid much attention. Now, because of her series of unusual behaviors, Qiu Huan suddenly remembered how she’d always claimed to have strange dreams, so she decided to ask about it.

“Fengze!” Duan Yunhe’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Qiu Huan, deeply moved. “You really believe what I’m saying? I’ve told my family before… but no one ever believed me—they all thought I was just sleepwalking…”

Up until now, Qiu Huan had always remained noncommittal about her dreams. She knew full well that Qiu Huan never believed in such supernatural nonsense and usually treated her words as mere platitudes or comfort. Though she still felt a bit resentful deep down, compared with being labeled a nightmare or a madwoman in the past, this was already a huge improvement. It wasn’t until today, when Qiu Huan proactively asked about it, that she finally felt for the first time that Qiu Huan truly believed her. So, rather than worrying about what was happening right now, she was first overwhelmed by the joy of being acknowledged.

Qiu Huan patted Duan Yunhe’s head and said, “I’ve always believed in Yunhe.” Then she gave her a gentle smile and asked, “What did Yunhe dream about?”

“Me.” At this question, her good mood vanished in an instant, and her face turned deathly pale. After hesitating for a long while, she still didn’t dare to speak up, so Qiu Huan had to coax her again: “Is it something bad? It’ll be hard for you to figure it out on your own—just tell me, and we can find a solution together.” Duan Yunhe glanced at Qiu Huan, and fear shone in her eyes. Yuan Mo, standing behind Qiu Huan, felt a pang in his heart when he saw the look in Duan Yunhe’s eyes.

“Alright then,” Qiu Huan said, growing impatient with Duan Yunhe’s hesitation. She made a firm decision: “Either Yuan Qian takes you back to Xinxiang, or you tell me exactly what happened—your choice, Yunhe.”

“I’ll tell you!” Hearing Qiu Huan threaten to send her away, Duan Yunhe panicked and blurted out everything at once: “Are you guys going to a place called Cai Tan Lou to look for someone? I saw in a book that Fengze was talking to someone, but they didn’t reach an agreement in the end. That person used a hidden weapon to—”

By the time she got to this point, Qiu Huan pretty much understood what she was trying to say. She felt both shocked and moved. Shocked, because if Duan Yunhe really could foresee the future through her dreams, it would be nothing short of divine intervention; but if it were all lies, and only a handful of people knew why she’d come to Gu Yuan, then her source of information must be incredibly powerful. As for being moved, the two of them had only met by chance—at least as far as Qiu Huan was concerned. If Duan Yunhe was truly putting so much effort into protecting her, how could Qiu Huan not feel touched?

Still, Qiu Huan scoffed at the supposed accuracy of these “dreams.”

“Reach out your hand,” Qiu Huan said to Duan Yunhe. Duan Yunhe looked at her in confusion, but obediently held out her palm.

Qiu Huan lowered her head slightly, extended her own right hand, and gently touched Duan Yunhe’s hand with the tip of her index finger. At that very moment, Duan Yunhe suddenly trembled all over, her face filled with shock.

“You! Fengze—how can your inner energy be so—!” Her voice shot up in surprise, and after a few words she realized it sounded inappropriate, so she gradually spoke more softly.

Qiu Huan gave her a mysterious smile and changed the subject: “So don’t worry—I’m not going to die so easily. If you really want to come along, then fine—but you’ll have to change your clothes.” Duan Yunhe naturally agreed.

End of Chapter 8: The Flower Pavilion and Cai Tan Lou