Shen Yuan asked the question, then looked back at the long sword hanging above the bed.

Xiao Ling left this knife for her to use for self-defense when he left home, and didn't take it with him. What did he use to kill her?

"Don't worry, I didn't kill anyone." Xiao Ling smiled helplessly.

Shen Yuan: "Then why do you smell so strongly of blood? You...you're injured?"

Xiao Ling clutched his shoulder. "Aside from the whip marks from yesterday, there's nothing else."

The room was lit, and Shen Yuan could clearly see that there was no blood on Xiao Ling's body, but she could still smell a unique human blood odor.

Perhaps worried that Shen Yuan would continue to press for answers, Xiao Ling changed the subject: "The horses have been booked. I've spoken to the horse trading company, and we'll pick them up when we leave the city."

Shen Yuan nodded. If they retrieved the horse now, it might be lost again.

It's better to keep them at the horse farm; that way, we can save on feed costs for two days.

Shen Yuan asked again, "Have you had dinner?"

Xiao Ling: "I'm not hungry."

"That means you didn't eat it." Shen Yuan pointed to the porcelain bowl on the stove, which she had covered tightly. "The rice I left for you is still warm from the fire!"

Xiao Ling picked up the porcelain bowl, opened it, and inside was a bowl of braised pork rice. The thick braising sauce was poured over the rice, and the aroma alone was incredibly enticing.

Xiao Ling suddenly felt hungry.

He picked up his spoon and sat down at the table to eat.

Shen Yuan sat opposite Xiao Ling and poured him a cup of tea to cool it down.

What kind of person is Xiao Yunfei?

Shen Yuan's voice was low, yet it clearly reached Xiao Ling's ears.

Xiao Ling suddenly leaned closer to Shen Yuan and reminded her, "In this Jizhou City, no one dares to mention his name."

"Even if it's a literary inquisition, you can't just go into someone's bed and arrest them!" Shen Yuan glanced at the closed door and said dismissively.

Although she had witnessed how a single word could cost a life in Jizhou City, she was not foolish enough to call out Xiao Yunfei's name in public!

There were only her and Xiao Ling in the room, and their voices could only be heard by each other. Even if there were eavesdroppers, they wouldn't be able to hear their whispers.

Hearing Shen Yuan's words, a smile appeared in Xiao Ling's eyes: "Miss Shen, what... what kind of wild and inappropriate words are these?"

"We...were lying in the same bed?"

The two were very close, and as they spoke, their gentle breaths fell on each other's faces, causing a slight tickle.

Xiao Ling pressed his forehead against Shen Yuan's, looking at her with a smile in his eyes.

An ambiguous atmosphere filled the air.

But it lasted less than two seconds before being ruthlessly broken by Shen Yuan.

"You've been studying literature and characters with Master Murong for half a year, and you still don't understand the rhetorical device of exaggeration?"

Shen Yuan sat up straight, her face serious, and said, "What I mean is that we talk about 'husband and wife' behind closed doors, so it won't get out."

Xiao Ling smiled and said, "I understand."

Looking at the smile on Xiao Ling's face, Shen Yuan's heart began to beat inexplicably erratically.

She pinched her hand to calm herself down and recounted to Xiao Ling what she had heard from Wang Xiaoqiang that day.

Finally, Shen Yuan said, "Whether it flies in the sky or walks on the ground, once it enters Xiao Yunfei's territory, it will be skinned alive. What exactly does Xiao Yunfei want to do by plundering so much of the people's wealth?"

In Shen Yuan's memory, Xiao Yunfei's reputation in the Great Yan Kingdom was completely different from that of Xiao Yuncheng and Xiao Yunyan.

When the people of the Great Yan Kingdom talked about Xiao Yunfei, they all said that although he was greatly favored, he was not arrogant or domineering, but rather gentle and kind, and never fought or scrambled.

The civil and military officials all praised him highly, saying that the city of Jizhou under his jurisdiction was prosperous and wealthy, and that he had governed it in an orderly manner.

Some even said that if Xiao Yunfei were to ascend to a high position, he would surely become a wise and virtuous ruler.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yunfei only liked poetry, songs, and traveling; his ambitions lay elsewhere.

Many people in the government expressed their regret over this.

Therefore, Shen Yuan also thought that Xiao Yunfei was a good shoot emerging from a bad bamboo, the only white rat in a rat's nest.

But after entering Jizhou City, Shen Yuan discovered that what she saw was completely different from what she had heard before.

This Xiao Yunfei is probably a ruthless character!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling dipped his chopsticks in the tea and wrote seven strokes on the table.

Upon seeing the words on the table, Shen Yuan's eyes widened instantly. She looked up at Xiao Ling, her eyes filled with shock, but Xiao Ling nodded in her line of sight.

If what Xiao Ling said is true, then this...

"It seems that leaving Jizhou City won't be so easy." Shen Yuan frowned, her expression serious.

Seeing her frowning face, Xiao Ling suddenly regretted revealing the information he knew to Shen Yuan in advance, causing her to worry and be afraid.

But he also knew that although the little girl in front of him was easily frightened, she was not a small-minded person.

Xiao Ling tapped the table lightly twice. "Don't worry, we can leave anytime you want!"

"Really?"

Shen Yuan was somewhat skeptical, but Xiao Ling's words did lessen her worries considerably.

Xiao Ling's bedding had already been laid out by Shen Yuan in advance, and Shen Yuan had also prepared hot water for washing up, but it was a little cold at the moment.

Seeing that Xiao Ling had finished eating, Shen Yuan yawned and said, "It's almost dawn, go wash up and go to bed!"

Xiao Ling: "Mm."

The two slept for only two hours before being woken up by the crowing of a rooster.

After washing up, Shen Yuan went downstairs. Since most of the guests had left, there were hardly any people in the inn. The staff were all chopping wood and doing odd jobs in the backyard.

Seeing Shen Yuan come downstairs, they quickly put down their work and asked, "Miss Shen, what would you like to eat?"

"Just make me a bowl of noodles!" Shen Yuan said, then asked, "Is Xiao Qiang feeling better?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!