"You mean, your men can't even catch a lone mother and daughter?" Wei Ci said slowly, toying with a white jade chess piece.

His eyes were full of disdain. This is supposed to be the elite of the Xiongnu? The priest's right-hand men? This is it? Didn't he say his men were useless just a few days ago? How come they've come here looking so pathetic today?

Hash's left eyelid twitched as he tried his best to suppress the dissatisfaction the man in front of him caused him.

Once the Grand Preceptor's great cause is about to be accomplished, the first thing he will do is kill Wei Ci!

"Why didn't you capture them, General?" Wei Ci placed a piece on the chessboard and asked the bearded man in front of him.

Hash looked up at him and said

"My men are dead."

"He died in broad daylight?"

Hash nodded. He himself couldn't understand how a child who was barely taller than a cartwheel and a frail woman could die after just a brief encounter between two warriors of the grasslands.

"They should have bodyguards around them," Wei Ci said.

The same thing happened to the secret guards he sent; they died mysteriously. Wei Ci was puzzled. How could a few江湖草莽 (jianghu caomang, meaning rough and unruly people) kill more than twenty of his secret guards? It was utterly absurd!

"Lord Wei, may I ask who can afford to maintain secret guards?"

Wei Ci spun the chess piece in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then said...

"Aside from the wealthiest imperial merchants, only the forces in the capital remain."

In the capital, there are only a handful of people who can afford to maintain secret guards, but they can't possibly come to the border cities unless they are imperial relatives.

Could it be the missing person?

Wei Ci threw the chess piece on the ground and said...

"Hash, no matter who is seriously injured, the Huo family and Fengyue Tower must never utter a word. I don't care whose faction they belong to. If they don't die, neither I nor your High Priest will benefit!"

Hash nodded and said

"Then I'll personally lead a group there tonight."

"Aren't you afraid of making too much noise this time?" Wei Ci mocked.

The bearded man finally couldn't hold back and overturned the table in front of him.

White jade chess pieces were scattered all over the ground. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, falling on the pieces and casting shadows on them.

Hash strode out of the county government office. The deaths of the two men had already alarmed the county magistrate, and if he didn't act quickly, it might be too late.

Tonight!

It's been a long time since the border town has seen such heavy snow. The whole place is covered in white, with thick snow everywhere you look.

"The snow is falling heavily outside today. I'll put another mat on the girl's bed, and we'll need to add another basin of charcoal tonight."

Looking at Ping'er, who was busy and never idle, Chunying poured her a cup of tea and said...

"Alright, alright, you're such a little kid, why are you worrying so much?"

"We must take good care of ourselves, girl. Didn't we agree to send Long'er off to her wedding together?" Ping'er still remembers this and is thinking about saving money for the girl's dowry.

Chunying nodded. Yes, now there's hope for the future.

She doesn't have to deal with all sorts of men; she interacts with wealthy ladies every day. Besides, those ladies are much more generous than the male customers; lately, everyone in their establishment, from the girls to the waiters, has had their wallets full.

The girl smiled, pushed open the window, and wanted to see the snowflakes fluttering outside.

"Girl! What kind of weather is this, why are you still opening the window?"

Just as Ping'er reached out to close the window, Chunying raised her hand and stared at the back door.

It snowed all afternoon, and the brothel was closed today; no one was going in or out of the back door. So where did those footprints next to the back door come from?

The girl's expression tightened as she spoke.

"Wake up all the girls!"

"Huh?" Ping'er hadn't reacted yet.

"Go now!" Chunying said sternly.

"yes"

The little girl had a loud voice, and she looked at each door one by one.

"Girl, girl, get up quickly! There's a fire!"

You always need a reason to call someone, and this is the best way to do it, plus it doesn't offend anyone.

"Where's the fire?!" The girls, dressed and getting up, left the room and immediately asked.

Chunying had already changed into her night clothes, pulled out a three-pointed double-edged knife from under the bed, and left the room.

The girls glanced at Chunying, and the courtesan returned their gaze and nodded. All the girls then returned to their rooms to change.

"Stay with me and don't wander off," Chunying said to Ping'er.

These young girls are not very old, and although they don't consume as many spiritual medicines as the ladies, they have the advantage of being young, which is the time for them to lay a foundation. They practice basic skills with Madam Ye every day.

Ping'er, unaware of what was happening, clutched the dagger Madam Ye had given them and followed behind her young mistress.

Cen Ang was holding Huo Xiaolong as they slept soundly when they suddenly heard the rustling of snow outside. The woman and the little dumpling opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

"mom……"

Before she could finish speaking, Cen's mother covered her mouth and put her index finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.

Miao Cuifang came back today and delivered a message that someone else went to see Wei Ci.

Cen Ang hadn't expected the group to arrive so quickly. He opened the hidden door, intending to conceal Huo Xiaolong in the secret passage until he was dealt with. If things weren't handled properly, Madam Hua would come looking for Long'er's body even if she didn't find it; she knew where it was.

Her idea was good, but Huo Xiaolong disagreed. The child refused to go in and clung to Cen Ang's thigh.

"Be good, Long'er. Those people who came back this time are definitely very powerful. What if Mom and your sisters can't beat them?"

"Impossible!" Huo Xiaolong said firmly.

Unless it's the army, they definitely can't beat the adults at home!

"What if you get hurt? Won't your mother and I worry?"

Mother Cen had given all her patience to the little one in front of her, but the little one didn't appreciate it and wouldn't listen.

————Bang

Hash was aiming for a swift victory, and he arranged for more than fifty cavalrymen to accompany him from the deep mountains, determined to wipe out the Huo family and the Fengyue Tower today.

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