Chapter 243

By the time I got home, the sun had completely set.

Xiahou had succeeded. When he returned home, the courtyard was completely silent. (Wooden)

The person who escorted Fan Xiaoxiao home was General Yu's adjutant.

"My wife."

The adjutant watched as Fan Xiaoxiao dismounted from the carriage, and with a pang of pity, glanced at the carriage behind him.

"You should let the men in your family handle this. How can a young girl like you take it on?"

"The men in the family..."

Just as Fan Xiaoxiao was about to speak, the door behind her creaked open.

Her eyes widened, and she slowly turned her head—what's going on! Didn't Xiahou lead everyone away?!?! What! What happened?!

"I'll do it."

The man who emerged was Master Lu, limping and clearly having difficulty walking. The adjutant glanced at the two men with some pity, but ultimately summoned his men to unload the bodies from the carriage.

When the sound of the carriage was almost inaudible in the distance, Master Lu walked up to the two pieces of white cloth.

"These aren't the Wang brothers, are they?"

He used a declarative sentence, and Fan Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the white cloth without looking up. Instead of directly answering Master Lu's question, she asked in return, "Why?"

Why are you still here?

After a second or two of silence, another voice came from the door behind him.

"My wife, you're still here. Where are we supposed to go?"

Xiao Hei crouched down and lifted a corner of the white cloth. After seeing what was under the cloth, he clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Tsk tsk, she's burned to this state. Renle really doesn't seem like a princess of the Great Zhou. I think she'd be more suited to be a protector of the Demonic Sect; she's ruthless enough."

"you!"

Fan Xiaoxiao was somewhat exasperated, not expecting that Xiao Hei would also stay.

"My wife, please stop with yourself, it's not just me."

Xiao Hei's words stunned Fan Xiaoxiao. After regaining her senses, she hurriedly ran into the house.

Fan Shi, Xiao Bao, Xiao Yu, and Xia Hou, who was supposed to have left, were all sitting properly in the living room.

Upon seeing her return, Madam Fan immediately stood up. Her eyes were red, indicating that she had been crying.

Fan Xiaoxiao stared at everything in disbelief, muttering to herself, "You, why are you still here?! Renle won't let me go, what are you doing staying here?!"

"Sister!"

Madam Fan pulled Fan Xiaoxiao to sit down. She had a thousand words to say, but in the end, they all turned into a sigh.

Xiahou put down his water cup: "There are more than just General Yu's men on the road outside; there are other forces as well. They probably belong to the princess, or are here seeking revenge. Going out now would be like walking into a trap. And..."

He glanced at the Fan family, his eyes conveying a clear message. They didn't want to leave; even if it meant death, they wanted to stay together as a family.

This idea was both absurd and somewhat unbelievable to Xiahou.

Fan Xiaoxiao understood his gaze. It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved, but now was not the time. She gently pushed Fan Shi away, her face full of seriousness.

“Sister, you can’t stay here. Renle has sent people to monitor us. She already attacked our godfather and godmother today. Staying here will only make things more dangerous for you.”

Xiao Bao stood up, and the little boy grabbed Fan Xiaoxiao's sleeve, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Auntie, we're not leaving. We want to stay and help! We want to go after Grandpa and Grandma!"

Fan Xiaoxiao's temples were throbbing, and even with her good temper, she finally snapped this time.

"No! You need to find a safe place to hide! Auntie can't protect you! Auntie these days! There's no way to keep you safe under the power of the strong! I can't take the risk... I can't..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

Xiao Bao was startled by her and froze on the spot. But even so, he held back his tears, and his first reaction was not to cry, but to take a few steps forward and hug Fan Xiaoxiao tightly.

"Auntie! Don't be afraid, Xiaobao can protect himself. Xiaobao doesn't want Auntie to be alone!"

He was afraid. He was afraid that when he returned, he would see Fan Xiaoxiao covered in blood, afraid that she would disappear like Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang. Death was just a vague concept for Xiaobao at first. So in his little mind, he was only worried about Fan Xiaoxiao.

Fan Xiaoxiao understood all these principles; she understood them all. But…

"I think you should listen to Xiao Yatou the most."

Master Lu came in from outside, took a dry cloth, and wiped the dirt off his hands.

He and Xiao Hei had just buried the two bodies in the woods some distance away. When they returned, they happened to overhear a group of people arguing about whether or not to leave.

"Grandpa Lu?"

“We are Xiaoya’s weakness. If we all operate under Renle’s watchful eye, Xiaoya will face more restrictions. If we leave for a while, it will actually be beneficial for her.”

His words silenced everyone. Fan Xiaoxiao stroked Xiaobao's head, feeling a deep sadness in her heart.

"But, Xiao girl, have you considered what if Renle finds everyone somewhere you can't see? Can you accept them disappearing like Brother Wang and the others?"

Master Lu's tone suddenly shifted, becoming sharp again.

"I……"

Yes, can I accept it...?

Fan Xiaoxiao clenched her fists and pursed her lips tightly.

What if, just what if, something happens to them somewhere they can't see?

Seeing the hesitation on Fan Xiaoxiao's face, Master Lu added fuel to the fire: "Besides, you said Renle is monitoring this place. If we really run away, how can she just sit idly by?"

Fan Xiaoxiao lowered her head. Master Lu wasn't without reason. Escaping was also dangerous. Now that the pipeline was blocked, even if they went out to hide, they could only hide in the Tianshan Mountains.

However, the Tianshan Sect is currently in chaos, and if they really run over there, who knows what other trouble might arise.

I was so flustered just now that I couldn't figure it out for a moment.

Fan Xiaoxiao's silence gave Fan Shi hope, and she tugged at her younger sister.

“Sister, I’m not afraid of dying. But I’m afraid of dying without knowing why. We’re a family, and we should stay together. Today… today was my fault. I won’t go out anymore, please don’t let us leave, okay?”

Fan Xiaoxiao looked at Fan Shi's expression, which was filled with deep worry and fear. What had she done wrong? General Yu did indeed look remarkably like her brother-in-law. Her reaction today was simply the reaction she felt to someone who looked exactly like her deceased husband.

Fan Xiaoxiao sighed, pondering if there were any other solutions.

After a while, she actually came up with a solution.

She looked up at Madam Fan.

"No, you still can't stay."

Fan paused, opened her mouth to speak, but Fan Xiaoxiao continued, "At the very least, not openly."

(End of this chapter)