Chapter 77 You Still Keep This Purse

The night was dark, windy and silent.

One after another, burly black shadows sneaked into the village and headed straight for the house where Tianbao lived.

The first night after leaving Nanqiao, Xu Laiqing couldn't sleep. Tianbao slept next to him. To protect his sister's safety, he brought a chair and stood guard outside Tianbao's room like a door god.

Hearing the sound of footsteps outside, he alertly hid in the shadows.

Two men were seen holding gleaming daggers, reaching into the crack of the door, trying to remove the bolt little by little.

"Who are you?!" The young boy was as fast as lightning and picked up the chair and smashed it over.

One of them grabbed the chair in time, his eyes wide as if they were bulls: "Your Highness, we have been entrusted with the task of rescuing you and the princess!"

Xu Laiqing opened his mouth and then closed it thoughtfully: "Who entrusted you with this?"

A tyrant emperor, an empress, Prince Jing, and Prince Gong all seem possible.

"Don't say that. Let's go without further delay." Another strong man winked.

"Okay. But...how can you two handle so many of them? Will Tianbao and I be a burden to you?" Xu Laiqing said as he slowly approached him.

The first man was a little impatient: "There are more than thirty brothers in total. It's no problem for them to protect you two... Uh..."

Before he could finish his words, he felt a sharp pain in his chest!

A sharp dagger actually pierced through his back and into his chest. His heart was torn with pain, blood splattered all over the ground, and it felt like the blood in his body was flowing backwards. In an instant, he felt as if his soul was being sucked out of him.

The man turned around in disbelief, but before he could even look at Xu Laiqing again, the thirteen-year-old boy indifferently pulled the dagger out of his body and slashed it across the neck of another strong man with lightning speed.

"Puff~" The sharp blade left the flesh, the sound was cold and ruthless.

Blood gushed out, covering Xu Laiqing's head and face.

Without waiting for the two strong men to say anything, he stabbed each of them again without hesitation, and each blow was fatal.

He did not linger too much. After dealing with the two men, he wanted to find someone to protect Tianbao as quickly as possible. Only then did he realize that there was already a sound of fighting outside.

The head of the village and his family were awakened and screamed in fear.

Xu Laiqing's brows were twisted into a knot. After a moment of thought, he continued to hide in the dark outside Tianbao's house with the dagger in his hand.

A black shadow rushed in from outside, with a bloody smell on his body. Xu Laiqing attacked him from behind without thinking.

The man's ears twitched, and he bent down and turned around to avoid the fatal blow.

It was Qin Huo. In the dim light, a cold smile flashed in his eyes: "Want to kill me?"

Xu Laiqing let out a long breath and said calmly, "So it's you."

Qin Huo then noticed the two dead burly men at Tianbao's door. He immediately understood the murderous aura he exuded and couldn't help but look at Xu Laiqing with new eyes. He sized him up from head to toe and asked, "Did you take care of two of them?"

Xu Laiqing nodded: "They said there are about thirty accomplices. I heard that their accents sound like those of the barbarians. I guess they are the remnants of the Manghuang forces."

He is neither humble nor arrogant, acts decisively, and has extraordinary skills.

The barbarian remnants who arrived tonight were all brave and skilled in fighting. Qin Huo glanced at them with a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Indeed, his accomplices have all been killed. I might have missed them during the fight just now. Fortunately, you are not stupid."

Xu Laiqing sneered and didn't answer, but he couldn't help but feel a strange admiration for Qin Huo in his heart.

At such a young age, he led such a large army to march and fight, yet he was busy but not chaotic. He did not relax his vigilance even during the night rest period, and he was able to capture all these extraordinary barbarians. If it were him, he admitted that he could not do it so perfectly.

Nan Qiao has always been content with the status quo and has never had the opportunity to gain experience on the battlefield.

Daqi is different. Over the years, Daqi has conquered at least eight small countries, big and small, and will soon unify the world.

Qin Huo ordered people to clean up the strong man and the blood outside the house. Xu Laiqing saw that there were blood in the corners, on the door frame, and on the wall...

He silently brought a basin of water and began to wipe it carefully.

Qin Huo glanced at Tianbao's room, found a rag, and wiped it with him. He also asked someone to burn incense to dispel the smell of blood.

Xu Laiqing paused and said, "Thank you very much."

He originally wanted to use some incense to drive away the odor, but his identity restricted him. He didn't expect Qin Huo to be so thoughtful.

Qin Huo habitually raised the right corner of his mouth, smiling a bit roguely: "If you want to hate someone, you should hate my father. It was he who wanted to annex Nanqiao, and I was just following orders. When you are in that position, there are always many things that are beyond your control, you know. You are Tianbao's third brother, so I will not have any hostility towards you, unless you insist on going against me."

Xu Laiqing frowned: "You are so mean to Tianbao...she is only seven years old."

"Tsk..." Qin Huo rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Old men are really dirty."

Xu Laiqing was speechless. He was only thirteen years old, how could he be old...

The two were wiping vigorously when they heard a noise in the house.

They both looked up and saw the door creak open, revealing a cute little head.

Seeing the two of them, Tianbao smiled awkwardly: "Hey, brother, what are you doing?"

Xu Laiqing glanced at the wooden basin. Fortunately, he changed the water in time, so there was no blood in it. "I accidentally spilled some tea just now. Wipe it up."

Tianbao touched her belly. She originally wanted to buy some sweet potatoes from the village head to roast and eat.

After thinking it over, she decided not to disappoint her mouth and stomach: "I saw a lot of sweet potatoes piled up at the headman's house tonight. Do you, brother Wangye and brother San, want to eat some roasted sweet potatoes? They must be delicious."

Xiaowu used to do this often. Although it’s not delicious, it’s always more fragrant when you bake it yourself than when you buy it ready.

"Okay, I'm starving." Qin Huo laughed so hard that Xu Laiqing got goosebumps, and then he asked someone to bring a stove.

Tianbao went to the woodshed herself and picked out a dozen sweet potatoes of medium size. While Qin Huo was not paying attention, she quietly took out a piece of silver from her purse and placed it on the most conspicuous big sweet potato.

But Qin Huo still saw it.

He picked up the silver coin, feeling both amused and helpless. Just as he was about to put it into the little girl's palm, she suddenly put her hands behind her back. Qin Huo was stunned for a moment, so he had no choice but to bend down, pick up her small purse, and stuff the silver into the koi's mouth.

He rubbed his fingers over the word "fairy" on the koi purse, a smile spreading from the corner of his mouth to the bottom of his eyes: "You still keep this purse? Don't worry, I won't eat for free, I will pay for it."

Tian Bao cautiously took two steps back, covering her small purse, afraid that Qin Huo would snatch it away: "Did Fairy Sister tell you about the purse? I treasure this purse very much. It's my favorite one."

A strange feeling flowed through Qin Huo's heart: "Yes, he did. Let's go and roast some sweet potatoes."

Tian Bao followed behind, skipping and hopping. When she got close to Xu Laiqing, she stood on tiptoe and whispered to her brother, "Did Third Brother see that? I remember what you said about men and women not being able to touch each other. I didn't let him touch my hand just now, so you can rest assured."