Bai Lingmiao Side Story (4,600 Words)

Beneath the golden sunset, Bai Lingmiao pressed her hand against the blood-colored Daoist robe soaking in the river. After vigorously swishing it through the water a few times, she lifted it out and put it back in again.

She tried to use the river's current to wash away some of the bloodstains, but the color had long since seeped into the fabric. No amount of rinsing could wash it out.

Just then, two hands covered in black fur reached over and snatched the wooden paddle from Bai Lingmiao's hands.

Bai Lingmiao glanced at Chun Xiao Man before smiling faintly, and the two of them worked together to wash the clothes.

"Senior Brother Li is having another episode." Chun Xiao Man's words gradually wiped the smile from Bai Lingmiao's face. She set down what she was holding and walked over to the carriage by the roadside, where she saw the delirious Li Huowang had already been hastily bound in chains by the others.

She had been about to go back and check on him, but after thinking it over carefully, she turned around and took out some cotton cloth from inside the carriage. She stuffed it beneath the places where the chains would easily rub against flesh, then returned to the riverbank to continue washing.

"It's fine. He's tied up tight, and the others are watching him." Bai Lingmiao had been terribly worried when this first started happening, but after enough time had passed, she had grown used to it.

"Think this through. If you really stay with him, you'll have to live this bitter life for the rest of your days."

Hearing Chun Xiao Man's advice, Bai Lingmiao's delicate brows drew together slightly. "Sister Xiao Man, please stop saying that. I'll get angry if you keep it up."

"I really