Chapter 119 The Shackles on Ajiu
Ever since that day when she first arrived in Xincheng County and met Qiao Jingyao, Ajiu had kept herself completely withdrawn. After settling into her accommodation, she locked herself in her room, refusing to leave even for a moment. She maintained a blank, indifferent expression towards anyone who came.
She would only give a slight response when Madam Min came to visit her.
But whenever Madam Min suggested that she go out for a walk, she would shake her head like a rattle drum.
In order to coax her out, Ah-Qi, who shared a room with her, even stopped being stingy and offered to use his monthly allowance to treat her to delicious food on the street.
In the end, it was all in vain.
When Qiao Jingyao arrived, Ajiu was still locked in her room, as quiet as usual.
However, as Qiao Jingyao pushed open the door, a three-inch-long throwing knife shot towards his face, followed closely by a gust of wind from a fist, which struck his vital points.
With a slight movement, Qiao Jingyao easily caught the flying knife with one hand and quickly grabbed the attacker's neck with the other, subduing him effortlessly.
Without a doubt, the one who launched the sneak attack was Ajiu.
Qiao Jingyao grabbed Ajiu by the neck and lifted him off the ground. "Your skills haven't improved at all! With this, you still want to ambush me?"
He used a throwing knife to leave a bloody mark on Ajiu's face. "This is a small punishment for your overestimation of your abilities."
With that, he flicked his wrist, and the flying knife grazed A-Jiu's ear, cutting off a few strands of hair that were firmly fixed to the bedpost behind A-Jiu.
The entire blade was submerged, leaving only a wisp of red tassel swaying precariously.
A chill ran down Ajiu's spine, her eyes filled with terror. "How did you get here? What do you want?"
Qiao Jingyao's lips curled slightly. "What do you think?"
Ah Jiu clenched her fists, her whole body trembling with fear, but she still stubbornly stated her position: "Even if I die, I will not harm the Grand Madam!"
Qiao Jingyao scoffed, "What's so scary about death? A living hell is the real terror! Want to experience it?"
"For me, hurting Madam is truly worse than death!"
At this moment, Ajiu's eyes were filled with determination.
She once thought she had truly escaped the assassin organization. But it wasn't until that night when she sneaked into the Zhao residence and encountered another assassin from the organization that she realized it was all part of the organization's plan.
However, she still clung to a sliver of hope, believing it was all due to her good fortune! Because of this luck, she escaped the organization. And because of this luck, she was able to come to the Grand Madam's side and live a normal life.
It wasn't until she followed the Grand Madam to Jiangnan, witnessed the omnipresence of the assassin organization, and encountered the demon from her memories... that she realized she had never escaped the demon's clutches!
Upon hearing Ajiu's words, Qiao Jingyao gave a barely perceptible smile and released Ajiu.
Ajiu collapsed to the ground with a thud, staring at Qiao Jingyao with terrified eyes, at the "master" who had personally taught her, awaiting his verdict.
"Remember what you said today!" Qiao Jingyao warned in a low voice, "Don't let me down!"
Ajiu was stunned, staring at Qiao Jingyao in disbelief. "What, what did you say?"
Qiao Jingyao looked down at him coldly, "Remember, your only mission is to protect the Dowager Lady of the Xuanping Marquis's Mansion! You are free to ignore everything anyone in the organization says, except for me!"
The surprise came so quickly that it took A-Jiu a long time to react. She stared blankly at Qiao Jingyao: "So, your purpose in placing me next to the Grand Madam was not to harm her, but to protect her!?"
Qiao Jingyao snorted coldly: "From this moment on, it is."
As for the past, well, who can say for sure?
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Ajiu burst into tears of joy, "That's wonderful! Waaah, that's wonderful! Waaah, I will definitely protect Grandmother! Thank you! Thank you, thank you!"
Qiao Jingyao frowned in disdain and said to Ajiu, "If you really want to protect the Grand Madam, then you should learn more skills and practice your abilities. You can't even handle Cui Hao, you're just a piece of trash! You dare to say you want to protect others? Useless thing!"
Hearing Qiao Jingyao's sarcasm, Ajiu wasn't angry at all; instead, she felt a deep joy welling up inside her.
She cried and laughed at the same time, nodding frantically at Qiao Jingyao, "You're right! I'm so useless now! I can't beat Cui Hao, I can't defeat Steward Wu of the Painting Corner Tower, and I'm no match for you! I will definitely hone my skills in the future! I will become the most powerful person in the world! I will definitely protect the Grand Madam!..."
Listening to Ajiu's incessant rambling, which was filled with both crying and laughing, Qiao Jingyao curled her lips in disdain, turned around, and left the room.
A ten-year-old girl dares to spout such nonsense, wanting to be the best in the world. Tsk tsk, isn't she afraid of biting off more than she can chew?
No sooner had Qiao Jingyao left than Min Qiaoshi returned.
"Madam!"
As soon as she entered, Ajiu rushed over and knelt at Min Qiao's feet, reaching out to hug her legs, "Grand Madam! Grand Madam!..."
Ah Jiu's eyes were red as she called out "Grandma" again and again, her voice filled with uncontrollable excitement and joy!
Madam Min Qiao's heart softened as Ah Jiu called her "Grand Madam" repeatedly.
She reached out and stroked A-Jiu's head, saying gently, "It's alright, sweetie!"
Although Ayi and the others didn't understand what had happened, they all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Ajiu had returned to normal.
***
Having resolved Ajiu's problem, Min Qiao's next step was to prepare to bring Qiao Yuanyao back from Qiushui Nunnery.
"Is everything ready?" Madam Min Qiao personally watched as Ayi and the others packed the things they would take to Qiushui Nunnery.
“Everything is ready,” Ayi replied with a smile.
Ajiu hesitated before speaking, "Madam, Sister Ayi and I will take a few people to Qiushui Nunnery. You don't need to go, do you?"
A Shuang nodded in agreement: "Although Qiushui Nunnery is not far from here, the mountain road is difficult to travel, and Qiushui Nunnery is built on the mountain. Why does Madam make things difficult for herself?"
“Madam, perhaps you shouldn’t go? Ah Jiu and I will go and invite Miss Yuan Yao back.” Ah Yi also changed her tune and began to help Ah Jiu and Ah Shuang persuade Madam Min Qiao.
Madam Min waved her hand with a smile, "I know you're worried about my health. But this time, I have to go in person."
“If Yuanyao were so easily persuaded, the Qiao family wouldn’t have let her stay at Qiushui Nunnery for so many years.”
The others thought it made sense, so they stopped trying to persuade him. They simply checked their belongings several more times to make sure nothing was missing.
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