Chapter 3: Suspicion Huh? What a handsome man!

Qi Xin opened her eyes in a daze, and what she saw was no longer the dark cellar, but the roof of an ordinary tile house. At this moment, she suddenly felt a heat on her wrist, and she sat up in shock. She habitually reached for the hidden blade under her pillow, but found nothing, and then chopped it with a palm.

"ah--"

A scream was heard, and Qi Xin looked up and saw a young man. It was this young man who had just grabbed her wrist and screamed again after being slapped by her.

This young man was dressed in a coarse linen shirt, his hair was disheveled, and his appearance was elegant and refined. He looked very good. Although his attire made him look like a farmer, the military aura hidden between his brows made him more like a descendant of a military family. However, Qi Xin didn't know whether he was an enemy or a friend, so he couldn't let his guard down.

The young man touched the red mark on his palm, looked aside, and said, "Zheng Qi, look at her, the little ungrateful wolf, she attacked her savior the moment she woke up!"

She didn't know if it was Qi Xin's illusion, but she actually sensed some anger.

Is this the sound that a young man in his prime can make?

Qi Xin followed the young man's gaze and saw the man named "Zheng Qi". He was wearing an indigo shirt and a chiffon bamboo pattern robe, but he was sitting in a wheelchair, probably because his legs were injured and he couldn't stand.

Two strands of black hair fluttered on his temples, and his pair of black eyebrows seemed to be frowned, but the lychee eyes under the eyebrows always contained a smile, and his amber eyes like glass, when he looked at me like this, seemed to be conveying love.

Despite his frail frame, he exuded an air of dignity and nobility. Like a jade or a jade, he was aloof and profound, and when viewed quietly, he looked more like a reclusive and elegant scholar.

Qi Xin's breathing stagnated and for a moment he forgot to react.

A refreshing bass voice broke the stagnant atmosphere: "Hey, you stole someone else's clothes, how can you still be so arrogant?"

After Zheng Qi finished speaking, he maneuvered his wooden mechanical wheelchair closer, looking like a casual observer.

Qi Xin found Zheng Qi even more mysterious. Who knew if he truly had a kind heart or ulterior motives? Now that she was alone and had lost all her martial arts skills, she had to be on high alert at all times.

"Don't come over!" Qi Xin's tough tone was filled with coldness, as if he would skin and pull out the tendons of anyone who came close.

The man who had just been slapped, whose name was unknown, was now angry and annoyed:

"How dare you turn your back on us? We haven't even settled the score with you for breaking into my wine cellar yet. You fell and nearly died, but instead of just leaving you to die, we gave you excellent care, spending five days trying to bring you back. And now you wake up with this attitude? How can you be ashamed?"

Hearing this, Qi Xin, who had always been tough, held back for a long time without saying a word. She let down her guard a little and said insincerely, "Thank you for saving me."

Apparently, her voice gradually became inaudible.

Zheng Qi said nothing more, just glanced at her lazily.

After a while, Zheng Qi slowly said, "The young lady is seriously injured and has not recovered yet. You can stay here temporarily to recuperate."

Hearing this, Qi Xin thought to himself that these two people did not seem to be hostile to him, but they did not look like ordinary people. Not only could he recuperate in this farmhouse on the border of Ningbei, but maybe he could get to know them better in the future and even find out more about Shen Yu's whereabouts. After all, Shen Yu was rumored to have collaborated with the enemy during the battle of Ningbei and then disappeared.

Seeing that she had fallen silent again, Zheng Qi asked softly, "What do you think, young lady?"

Qi Xin followed suit and said, "Then I'd better obey your command respectfully."

"My name is Zheng Qi, Xiao Ba is my younger brother, and I wonder if you are a young lady..." Zheng Qi looked into her eyes and asked.

"I don't remember." Qi Xin pretended to be dejected.

"It seems that Xiaoba is a few years older than you. So, from now on, you can be called Xiaojiu." Zheng Qi's smile deepened as he stared at her playfully.

It was the night when they had just pulled the unconscious Qi Xin out of the wine cellar. Zheng Qi was immersed in the gauze-like moonlight, waiting quietly for Zheng Ba to carry him back to the room.

Unexpectedly, a sandalwood plaque slipped to his feet. Zheng Qi stroked the familiar words "Frost Descent" on it and fell into endless contemplation.

After a while, he handed the sandalwood tablet to Zheng Ba.

Zheng Ba was surprised: "Did you find it on her?"

Zheng Qi nodded slightly.

Zheng Ba whispered, "I'll check right away."

The next day at the hour of Mao, the dew slightly wet my clothes, and a wild goose left a note.

Qi Xin still showed no signs of waking up.

Zheng Ba looked around cautiously, then opened the letter and immediately burned it to ashes. He quickly walked to Zheng Qi's side and whispered in his ear:

"It's confirmed. She's Princess Jialing. As for the power of her blood pill—" Zheng Ba paused briefly, then continued, "Shuangjiang said she couldn't quite estimate it. She only knew that the Princess, with her superior blood, must have a blood pill far more powerful than hers. No wonder her injuries were so difficult to heal."

Zheng Qi's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and his expression was hidden in the morning mist. He then drove the wheelchair alone and approached the boundless fields.

When Grain in Ear first arrived, Qi Xin had already been in this village for some time.

However, she often grumbled in her heart that although Zheng Qi was ill, he was a little useless. Even for things he could do on weekdays, such as making tea and cooking wine, he would always order others around, either Zheng Ba or herself. He had everything he wanted, and he didn't worry about being bored.

Zheng Ba had brewed the tea, which was shrouded in mist, and ordered Qi Xin, "Come, Xiaojiu, take it to Ah Qi."

Qi Xin reluctantly took the tea tray and entered Zheng Qi's room.

At this time, Zheng Qi was not sitting in his inseparable wooden mechanical wheelchair, but leaning on the sandalwood couch by the window, his eyes a little blurry, probably because he had just woken up and still felt a little drowsy.

He hadn't had time to put on his crown yet, and his waterfall-like black hair was casually draped on his sides. A beam of warm sunlight from the window happened to climb onto his cheek, and the interweaving of light and shadow made him look even more handsome than usual.

Qi Xin raised his voice: "Zheng Qi, the tea is here."

"So early in the morning, calling my soul—" Zheng Qi jumped up from the couch in shock. After seeing who was coming, he said:

"Hey, Xiaojiu, today is Grain in Ear, remember to simmer the green plum wine in my wine cellar..."

Before she could finish her words, Qi Xin turned around, slammed the door, and walked towards Zheng Ba in the field. Along the way, she thought to herself:

Zheng Qi is really pretentious. There are countless fine wines in the wine cellar, but he insists on following the recipe, drinking green plum wine during Grain in Ear and eating mulberries during Grain Full. He has never been so particular when he was in the palace before.

Qi Xin looked at Zheng Ba working hard in the fields, and was somewhat curious about these farm tools that he had never seen in the palace before, so he began to study them on his own.

In order to facilitate the experiment, Qi Xin rolled up his sleeves and trouser legs.

After being baked by the scorching sun, the wind was a little sticky, and beads of sweat slid down her rosy cheeks to her collarbone. Her skin was as white as fat, her almond-shaped eyes were drooping, and when she tilted her head, her smooth jaw became more distinct.

Zheng Qi, who came to the stalk to look for Zheng Ba, happened to see this scene, and then looked over and looked at her with amusement.

Qi Xin wiped the sweat off his neck, and when he saw the person coming, he said unhappily:

"What a rare visitor! How dare a young master like you, who has never done any housework, visit my farm?"

"I have a leg disease and I have the will but not the strength." Zheng Qi responded gently.

Qi Xin ignored him and continued walking forward. Suddenly, Zheng Ba shouted from behind him, "Xiaojiu, get out of the way!"

She fell to the ground unexpectedly, and a black snake was rushing towards her.

She guessed that the snake was probably poisonous, so she might as well try the blood pill. She would only have one life left, and if she could figure out the function of the blood pill, it would not be a loss.

She then stopped quietly where she was, closed her eyes and welcomed the pain.

After a while, the imagined pain still didn't appear. She looked around in confusion, and then she found that a bamboo joint like an arrow was firmly fixed on the snake's vital point.

Qi Xin glanced in the direction where the bamboo arrow came from and saw Zheng Qi in the distance still holding a bow. He didn't know when a bamboo bow appeared in his left hand.

She never expected that such an idle patient would have such ability.

Qi Xin quickly walked to Zheng Qi's side and asked cautiously, "Have you... learned archery?"

"Is someone willing to pay attention to me now?" Zheng Qi was still sitting elegantly in the wheelchair, but there was a hint of cynicism on his face.

Qi Xin suppressed the urge to strangle him and stared at him.

Seeing that she was silent, Zheng Qi responded gently, "Well, I was fortunate to have received instruction from my master in my early years."

Qi Xin was surprised: "You have a master? Can you introduce him to one?"

"Want to learn?" Zheng Qi asked softly, his bright lychee eyes curved into crescents.

"Hmm." Qi Xin couldn't help but snort as he looked at his smug look.

"Master followed the late emperor in his campaigns, but unexpectedly, he died in a battle while protecting the late emperor." Zheng Qi said this with a sad look on his face.

"But if you want to learn, I can teach you. It can also be regarded as a way to pass on the archery skills to Master, to comfort his spirit in heaven."

Qi Xin looked at his face silently for a moment, then said calmly, "Thank you."

Seeing that she had no objection, Zheng Qi continued: "Let's go, I'll take you to the town to buy you a pair of suitable bow and arrows."

Qi Xin had never been to a local street market before, and she was dazzled by the sight of escort agencies, banks, candy shops... Finally, she stopped in front of a storybook shop. On the outer stall was a stack of "The Strange Stories of Duke Jingguo". As soon as she picked it up, she heard several men with rough voices talking about Chen Yu in the winery next door.

She looked over the wall and saw a few strong men with unshaven beards:

"What did you say? That fellow Shen Yu is still alive? How dare he have the nerve?"

"Who says it isn't true? I heard that he surrendered in the middle of the battle. His fawning behavior is really a disgrace to the Duke's family!"

"Tsk tsk, who knows if his early military achievements were fake or not."

…

Qi Xin could not bear to listen any longer. Before leaving, his mother repeatedly told him that if the time was right, he could go find Jingguo Duke Shen Yu. After all, when he was at the peak of his fame, he was willing to guard Ningbei for many years. She did not believe that such a young general would abandon his comrades in the battlefield and collaborate with the enemy to survive.

Then, she grabbed the scissors next to the shopkeeper and rushed out, and in a blink of an eye, she was already touching the eyelid of a big man.

The other people at the table immediately jumped up and shouted, "What are you doing?"

Qi Xin showed no fear and increased his strength, "You'd better come up with some evidence, otherwise it's just a rumor. I think your eyes are just for show, so why don't you let me help you?"

Seeing that blood was about to be drawn, Zheng Qi on the side hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "I'm sorry, my sister is hysterical and has disturbed everyone's interest. I will take her back right away. I hope you will be kind enough to show mercy."

Those tough guys looked at the sick and disabled man and didn't want to pursue anything. They just spat a few times and then dispersed.

"Xiaojiu, you have such a bad temper..." Zheng Qi was gloomy. He then noticed the copy of "The Strange Stories of Duke Jingguo" in her hand and joked, "Xiaojiu, are you secretly admiring Duke Jingguo Chen Yu? You can't stand listening to him at all?"

Along the way, Qi Xin said nothing, thinking quietly:

If Zheng Qi hadn't interrupted her, she might have been able to trick out some information about Chen Yu's whereabouts. Although it might not be accurate information, it was better than having no clue at all.

Qi Xin suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and he didn't know what he remembered. He said in a deep voice: "You are also a farmer from the border area. What do you think about the matter of Jingguo Duke Shen Yu?"

A hint of subtle surprise flashed across Zheng Qi's eyes, and he smiled calmly:

"Little girl, don't get too caught up in those stories. How can a small farmer like us guess at the intricacies of state affairs?"

Hearing this, Qi Xin's face turned a little surprised:

So, the clue is broken?

That night, dark clouds hung low and a sudden rain was about to fall.

There was a hurried knock on the gate.

Zheng Ba opened the gate a crack and found that a group of thieves were crowded outside the yard, with iron protection on their faces and mounts.

The thief leader spoke coldly from behind his mask, "I don't mean to bother you. Simply hand over the woman in the painting, and you'll be safe."

Qi Xin clearly saw through the crack of the door that the woman in the painting was...

It was exactly the same as when she was married to a foreign prince and was wearing a pearl crown and a red robe.

At this moment, Zheng Ba was glancing over here out of the corner of his eye.

She quickly pulled the hemp rope beside her and tied it around Zheng Qi's neck in the shadows.

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Highlights——

Zheng Ba: Tsk tsk, Xiaojiu doesn’t know who I am [smirk]

Qi Xin: Hehe, they don’t know who I am [sunglasses]

Zheng Qi: [Eating melon]