Chapter 161 Female Warrior

"Sir, recently some people in Chang'an have been deliberately spreading gossip about Li Sanniang, mostly focusing on her ability to kill villains, all based on her illicit affair with them."

My subordinates investigated and found that the rumor first spread from a minor official in the Jingzhao Prefecture who frequently went to the West Market to see the woman surnamed Hu. Later, someone else took advantage of this momentum to expand the rumor from a small circle to the entire city of Chang'an, and even the outer three cities had heard about it.

"Oh? You've got your eye on this minor official?"

"Yes, the scouts followed him for a few days and found that he had no parents or brothers, was not married, and lived alone in a rented house. After work, he would often go to the West Market to drink, and in the Ran District, he would go to a secret place to find a woman named Hu to relieve his boredom."

"Keep watching; we'll eventually find some clues. Investigate that secret agent too, see who's behind him!"

Mr. Ke lit the newspaper roll he had just finished reading with the candlelight and threw it into the brazier on the ground.

"Sir, should we help Li San Niangzi clarify those rumors?"

Mr. Ke thought for a moment and then said, "No need. Third Sister isn't the kind of woman who would cry over a few rumors. Have the female guards chosen for Third Sister been selected?"

Seeing his subordinate nod, Mr. Bu Ke asked, "Is he a skilled assassin? I don't think the person behind this will give up on harming Li San Niang. This person acts with a reckless arrogance, and next time it might not be an assassination, but something done in public."

The subordinate quickly replied, "Sir, we selected a top-notch maid who has a family tradition of learning since childhood, has been properly trained for several years, and has completed no less than a hundred missions without a single failure. She will definitely be able to ensure that Li San Niangzi is safe and sound."

"That's good. According to the scouts, Li San Niang has only been moving around in the streets and alleys lately and hasn't gone out. Once she recovers from her injuries, she should be going to the clinic to work again. We'll call our people out in a little while and take them to the Li family so that Li San Niang can get used to it."

"yes."

"Alright, let's talk about the little mouse in our house. How's the search going?"

"Sir, we have identified twelve people so far, and two more in the case files..."

Changshoufang, the Li family.

After dinner, Li San Niang held Lu Zhu'er and peeled walnut kernels for her and Xiao Si Lang as snacks.

The walnuts were sent by Li Ersao's family last time. The walnuts were not big, but the kernels inside were thick.

The one cracking the walnuts was Li Dalang, who was squatting in the yard using a small hammer. Originally, Xiao Silang wanted to crack them himself because he thought it was fun, but Li Dalang dared not let him do it. If he didn't hit them accurately, it would be fine if the walnuts were damaged, but it would be troublesome if he hurt himself and cried.

That injury is one thing, but coaxing Xiao Silang is really difficult, extremely difficult.

Even Li Ersao said that there are now five sons and one daughter in the family. She herself has given birth to three sons, and she has never seen a son who cries more than Xiao Silang.

Once Xiao Silang starts crying, he won't stop, and no amount of coaxing can soothe him. He only calms down when he's exhausted from crying.

What was supposed to be a joyful family scene was suddenly interrupted by an unbelievable sight witnessed by Li Dalang, who was cracking walnuts in the yard.

Because Li Dalang wanted to be able to crack walnuts in the yard without carrying a lantern, he left the main hall door open to let in some light.

Therefore, everyone sitting in the main hall saw Mr. Bu Ke sitting in a wheelchair, being pulled by the four corners of the wheelchair by four men in black using long whips or ropes, and descending from the sky into the Li family's courtyard.

This scene before her eyes cleared up Li San Niang's confusion. She had always been puzzled by the fact that Mr. Ke always appeared quietly in a wheelchair whenever he came to the Li family.

Great, I've solved this puzzle tonight.

As soon as Mr. Ke's wheelchair was smoothly placed down, the four men in black moved their hands, and the rope that looked like a long whip was "whooshed" back by the four men.

Then, without a sound, the four disappeared, vanishing into the darkness.

Li San Niang believed they were definitely in the Li family's courtyard, but you really couldn't see them with the naked eye. Of course, in the dead of night, you couldn't see anything anyway.

Li San Niang closed her eyes, trying to hear where they were.

I couldn't find it!

It should be noted that Li San Niang's senses were far more acute than those of ordinary people; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to survive two separate encounters with the mastermind behind the scenes.

However, when Li San Niang listened attentively, she did not hear any different heartbeats!

It seems that the bodyguards who can protect Mr. Bu Ke, the leader of the Bad People, are not ordinary martial artists; they must be masters among masters.

When Li San Niang opened her eyes, she saw Mr. Bu Ke's hunchbacked servant, who was inseparable from him, pushing Mr. Bu Ke's wheelchair toward the main hall.

When they were almost at the door, the female guard who had been carefully selected from behind the servants and was to be sent to Li San Niang's side came out and helped the hunchbacked servant carry the wheelchair over the threshold and into the house.

When Li San Niang saw the girl dressed in black as a warrior, who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, with no jewelry and only a high ponytail, enter the room, she suddenly remembered that when they were in the capital, Mr. Bu Ke had said that he wanted to find a female warrior for him. It seemed that this was the girl.

Sure enough, after Mr. Ke came in and drank the red bean porridge that Sister-in-law Li brought, he explained the purpose of his visit.

"This is Qiu Xiang. She is skilled in martial arts and can take on ten men at once. She should be able to protect Third Madam and keep her safe."

With a single glance from Mr. Ke, Qiu Xiang stepped forward and bowed to Li San Niang, saying, "Qiu Xiang greets Li San Niangzi."

Li San Niang quickly stood up and returned the greeting, "Greetings, Lady Qiu Xiang. It is kind of you, sir, to send someone to protect me, but sir, under what pretext will Lady Qiu Xiang come to my side to protect me closely?"

Mr. Ke put down the red bean porridge he had half-eaten and looked at Li San Niang, saying, "Why don't you pretend to be a distant relative who has fallen on hard times and come to seek refuge? Since you know some martial arts, why not keep you around as a servant?"

Li San Niang glanced at Qiu Xiang, who was still standing straight to the side, staring straight ahead with her eyes fixed on one spot. She thought for a moment, wondering if this reason was good enough. So she turned her gaze to her father, mother, and second brother, Li, to ask for their opinions.

Seeing that his parents didn't seem inclined to speak, Li Erxiong continued, "That's possible. After all, our family doesn't really have any relatives in Chang'an besides Uncle's family. Using distant relatives as a pretext would be fine. However, if we really want to protect Third Sister closely, wouldn't Qiu Xiang have to go with her when she goes to work at the clinic?"

Mr. Bu Ke nodded in agreement with what Li Er said.

"That's hard to say. If a relative comes to seek refuge, we should help them find a job or help them get married. But if they want to stay by your side to help Third Sister and do her bidding, then the pretense of being a relative won't work. Our Li family is just a small family, not some high-ranking noble family that needs to be served by servants. Besides, it's not appropriate to keep a relative as a servant."

Li San Niang thought Li Er Xiong's words made sense, so she nodded. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind, "Why don't Qiu Xiang Niangzi learn medicine from me? I can take a distant relative who came to stay with me as an apprentice, teach her some skills, and keep her by my side. That should be reasonable, right? That way, she'll have a reason to follow me closely and protect me, right?"