Xiao Jinhan rubbed his temples, his eyes faintly bloodshot.

Five days ago, the Yu family encountered some problems at a stronghold on the border between Dayu and the Western Rong, which required him to handle personally. However, with these concerns on his mind, a day felt like three autumns, and he was eager to resolve the issues and return as soon as possible.

Especially today, the desire to return home has reached its peak.

He stepped off the carriage, looked at the familiar scenery, and his mood inexplicably improved.

Yu Feng waved his hand, signaling his men to drive the carriage back. Seeing the large package the man was carrying, he subtly curled his lips into a smile. "Sir, this is quite heavy. Shall I help you carry it?"

Xiao Jinhan gave him a half-smile, half-smile, "This is a gift for Hua'er, why would you want to hug it!"

Before he finished speaking, his pace quickened considerably.

I wonder if Hua'er will like these novelties from the Western Rong?

Yu Feng looked up and saw that his master's steps were as fast as the wind. He couldn't help but smirk. After his master fell in love, he was like a completely different person.

Not only did they talk more, they also became more humane.

Even when traveling far away, she still managed to steal a moment to pick out a gift.

Unlike before, he was lifeless all day long, like an old man on his deathbed.

However, not long after the master and servant passed the village entrance, they saw two furtive figures searching for something in the reeds by the river. Beside them was a dark-skinned puppy.

It occasionally lets out a small bark or two.

"Woof! Woof woof..."

"Xiao Hei!" Xiao Jinhan frowned upon hearing this. Due to the distance and the darkness, he could only make out a blurry figure in the reeds.

But he recognized the dog's bark immediately; it was Hua'er's pet, Xiao Hei.

"Woof! Woof woof..." Little Black's ears perked up, its whimpering grew louder, and its chubby paws gripped the ground as it charged towards the people on the riverbank.

Xiao Jinhan grabbed Xiao Hei and finally saw that the people in the reeds were Su Baishi and Su Erhu.

Upon seeing this, his heart inexplicably quickened. "Aunt Su, Erhu, what are you doing?"

When Su Bai saw the person striding towards her, she felt as if she had suddenly grasped a lifeline. "Jinhan, it's Hua'er! Hua'er is missing! Please go and help your aunt look for her!"

In the past hour, they had searched the entire Shanghe Village, Fuhu Mountain, and Zaozhuang. It was already completely dark, but they still couldn't find a trace of Hua'er.

Now, the eldest and third brothers have started searching in the direction of Qingshui County.

Her heart was pounding wildly.

Hearing the other person's tearful words, Xiao Jinhan's previous joy seemed to be instantly drenched by cold water, and his expression turned cold and devoid of any warmth.

"Aunt Su, please tell me first, when did Hua'er disappear? Where did she go before she disappeared? Was anyone else with her at the time?"

Madam Su wiped away her tears and quickly said, "After lunch today, Hua'er said she was going to deliver crabapples to Yucheng and buy fruit tree saplings. I personally saw her off onto the carriage. The driver was an acquaintance from the neighboring Xiahe Village, but I haven't seen her since. I wanted to go to the city to look for her, but the city gates are closed, and I can't get in now..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinhan's deep eyes darkened.

Hua'er went to the Qin family to deliver Lin Qinmiao? Then the key now should be the Qin family.

Every movement a person makes will leave clues.

He didn't believe that a person would disappear without a trace.

The man instructed, "Yu Feng, I'll go to the Qin residence first. Go and gather all the people from the county and have them wait for me outside the Qin residence."

"Yes," Yu Feng replied, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

With a light touch of the toes on the reeds, a few leaps and they were gone.

Xiao Jinhan glanced at the puppy and the package in his arms, then pushed the package forward. "Aunt Su, please keep this safe for me. It's a gift I brought for Hua'er."

As for the little black dog, Hua'er's pet has a keen sense of smell, so it might come in handy.

Holding the bundle, Su Bai didn't want to delve into why he was able to enter the city after the gates were closed. She simply grabbed him, her eyes pleading, "Jinhan, will you take your aunt with you to find Hua'er?"

Su Erhu nodded repeatedly from the side, "Brother Jinhan, more people means more help. Shall we go together?"

Xiao Jinhan nodded when he saw that the two of them had red eyes.

Immediately, he bent his index finger, put it to his lips, and whistled.

A short while later, a man in black appeared in a horse-drawn carriage under the crooked sycamore tree.

The three of them boarded the carriage.

Su Erhu sat calmly at the tea table, listening to the sound of horses' hooves outside, glancing at the man opposite him from time to time, his heart filled with astonishment.

He had always thought Yu Feng was Xiao Jinhan's friend, but judging from their behavior today, it was clearly the kind of etiquette that only exists between superiors and subordinates.

The person driving the carriage was completely covered from head to toe in black clothing, with a large black hat on his head and a black cloth covering his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

Those eyes were even more piercing, looking at people as if a sharp sword were sweeping over them.

He couldn't help but think of what his wife had said, that Xiao Jinhan might have been a centurion or chiliarch in the army.

Judging from the current situation, it does seem quite possible.

If that's true, then their chances of finding Hua'er should be much higher, right?

It was at this moment that he finally understood why his older brother studied so hard every day; a person without power or influence couldn't even protect his own family.

The carriage traveled extremely fast, reducing the original half-hour journey to half.

When we arrived at the entrance to Qingshui County, the city gate was tightly closed.

On the city gate tower stood two rows of imposing yamen runners.

Each of them had a large sword hanging at their waist, the tip of which gleamed coldly.

The head constable, seeing the carriage heading towards the city gate, immediately shouted, "Who goes there? Stop right now!"

The coachman in black tugged at the reins and pulled a silver token from his chest. "My master is on business. Open the city gates immediately! Can you take responsibility if this delays important matters?"

Su Erhu lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and saw a silver shadow flying towards the city gate. By sheer coincidence, it hit the head constable right in the face.

The head constable was stunned by the blow and was about to retaliate when he saw the words on the silver token. His expression changed immediately, and he quickly gave orders to the people below the city wall.

"Quickly! Open the city gates!"

As he gave the order, he hurriedly grabbed the silver token and ran downstairs.

Clang!

The city gates opened in response.

The head constable lowered his head and carefully handed the token to the coachman in black. "Sir, here is your token!"

"Hmm." The coachman in black nodded and took back the token.

With a flick of the reins, the horse pulled the carriage away like a whirlwind and disappeared through the city gate.

Once the carriage had completely disappeared from sight, the group of constables turned to look at their leader. One of them, who was on good terms with the leader, asked curiously, "Boss, which official was in that carriage?"