Sitting on the back of the colorful-feathered red-crowned phoenix, facing the howling wind, Jieyou couldn't help sighing with emotion—they had traveled day and night, and unknowingly, they had already walked eight thousand li.
To help Jiuge regain the wetland as soon as possible, they did not dare to slack off at all, rushing all the way. Even when passing through prosperous cities, they only glanced at them in a hurry and never stopped. The day before yesterday, when passing through a relatively prosperous city, she, Xiao Bai, and Miss Jiu were still talking about how they would go into the city to have a good time, taste the local specialty food, take a hot bath, change into clean clothes, and relax well after completing the task.
At that time, they were full of eagerness to complete the task as soon as possible, not thinking much, only wanting to forge ahead. But they never expected that this eagerness would lead to a big joke.
"Oh no!"
Jieyou patted her forehead suddenly, her face turned pale instantly, and her tone was full of panic and chagrin: "I think I went the wrong way! Miss Jiu, why didn't you remind me? And Xiao Bai, you only knew how to sleep along the way, couldn't you help me keep an eye on the direction?"
She put her hands on her hips, pouted her little mouth, and looked unhappy. Even when she was angry, she looked extremely delicate and lovely, making people unable to bear to blame her.
Miss Jiu chirped softly twice, rubbing her little head gently against Jieyou's palm, as if explaining—from the beginning to the end, she didn't know where they were going! At that time, Jiuge only quietly told Jieyou the destination, and even she was kept in the dark. How could they blame her for not reminding them now?
"Weren't you by my side when Jiuge said it? How could you not have heard it?" Jieyou looked at Xiao Bai again, her tone full of grievance, as if she had been wronged greatly.
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Xiao Bai spread his hands and shook his head innocently, indicating that he didn't hear Jiuge's words at all—he had been thinking about not getting a chance to make a move just now, and was looking forward to reaching the destination soon to have a good fight. How could he pay attention to the whispers between Jiuge and Jieyou?
At this moment, what Miss Jiu cared most about was whether they really went the wrong way, for fear of delaying Jiuge's important matter—she was still waiting for Jiuge to tell her what her past was like and why she had always been by Jieyou's side. Xiao Bai was also very anxious. He wanted to know his true identity, why he had become a fat bug, and what kind of connection he had with those dead branches and leaves.
The girl, the bird, and the beast looked at each other, as if asking at the same time: "Do you remember the correct direction?"
Jieyou scratched her head, her eyes dodging, and her tone became unconfident, stammering: "It seems... the direction is correct, but the distance seems to be only more than three thousand li... Could it be that we have passed the destination?"
Xiao Bai and Miss Jiu were stunned at the same time, their faces full of helplessness and speechlessness—so, the eight thousand li they had walked was all in vain?
If that was the case, the Pisha City they passed the day before yesterday was the destination Jiuge had told them!
Looking back, when they passed Pisha City at that time, they were chattering about whether to go into the city to eat delicious food or find an inn to stay for a night, but they never thought that this city was the end of their trip.
It was just a moment of carelessness, but they walked an extra five thousand li, wasting two days in vain. Just thinking about it made them feel extremely chagrined.
The three "little fools" sighed together. They were about to turn around and head back when Jieyou suddenly covered their mouths and whispered: "Shhh! Be quiet, don't let others hear you—it's so embarrassing!"
She wrinkled her little nose and made a decisive decision: "Now that it's done, there's no point in turning back. Let's first find a nearby market to rest! At the very least, we need to take a bath and change our clothes. I don't want to travel covered in dust—I, this young lady, can't be so shabby!"
Xiao Bai and Miss Jiu looked at each other and nodded helplessly—since they had already gone the wrong way, they might as well rest first to recharge their energy before heading to Pisha City. Just like that, a dusty young girl, holding a snow-white bird in her arms and followed by a handsome young man, swaggered into the nearby market, ready to rest properly.

