After Pei's side yard was rented to the two sisters, Pei Yanli never set foot inside.
Recently, he has been overwhelmed by the busy affairs in the government office.
The haunted incident at Old Man Wang's house hadn't been resolved yet, and now another letter had arrived from the higher-ups, saying that a mysterious force from Xiyuan Country was lurking in the northwest border.
Xiyuan and Anyang have always been hostile countries. The infiltration of a mysterious force clearly means that there is a spy in their Dong'an City!
To get from the Pei family's front yard to the side yard, you have to pass through an oval archway.
When you arrive at the archway, the first thing that catches your eye is the decades-old hibiscus tree, with its green leaves and red flowers, full of vitality.
Turning right is the main house in the side yard. The double wooden doors of the hall are open, and sunlight shines into the house from the side.
Li Nian was reading a book on a high chair in the hall. He seemed a little sleepy and dozed off with his head nodding.
"Miss Nian Nian," Pei Yanli stood outside the door and shouted in a louder voice.
Li Nian looked up sleepily and glanced outside the door. After realizing it was someone he knew, he rubbed his eyes and stood up. "It's Brother Pei. What's going on?"
"Come in and sit down?"
Pei Yanli walked in with an expression that didn't show any emotion, lifted the corner of his robe and sat down.
Li Nian bent down to pour tea and handed it over with both hands.
Pei Yanli nodded slightly: "Thank you."
His slender fingers took the teacup and used the lid to stir the green tea leaves. He didn't drink, but instead watched the tea leaves absorb the boiling water and sink to the bottom of the bowl. The water gradually turned a crisp green. Then he spoke coldly and bluntly, "Recently, spies from the enemy country were discovered in Dong'an City."
He looked up at Li Nian and asked, "My mother told me that you don't have any identification documents?" Although it was a question, his tone was full of certainty.
Li Nian was shocked. Did Pei Yanli suspect that she and Sisi were spies?
She hurriedly said, "It's not that there are no documents."
She lowered her eyes to ponder for a moment, then looked up again with a look of bewilderment and helplessness on her face. She hesitated and said, "I wonder if Aunt Pei has told you in detail about our life stories? My husband's family took my identity documents and wanted to sell me off. I couldn't bear to see me accept that fate, so I came here with me."
Li Nian was unsure. Pei Yanli exuded a fierce aura that kept strangers away. He didn't look like someone who could be easily fooled. He didn't know if his words could be used to deceive him.
It was all her fault for being too careless. She thought he didn't say anything before because he trusted their identities. She didn't expect that just when she was about to settle down, he came to question whether she and Sisi were spies.
Li Nian met Pei Yanli's scrutinizing gaze with an honest look, her soft voice filled with helplessness and grievance: "The world is so unfair to women these days. If there were no other way, who would be willing to leave their hometown and come to this strange city to make a living?"
"We've been staying at your house for a few days. You should be able to tell that we're honest. If we were spies, how could we have known you were working for the government and yet still live in your house so openly?"
Pei Yanli listened to her in silence, his sharp eyes observing her subtle movements and expressions, as if trying to see something from them.
After Li Nian finished speaking, he spoke sternly, "Judging from the temperaments of these two young ladies, they must be from wealthy families. Now that they have come to a remote place like Dong'an City under disguise, they must be either guilty of a crime or spies for the enemy country." Pei Yanli's eyes suddenly sharpened, and his tone was pressing, "Why don't you be honest, young ladies? What are your identities?"
Li Nian didn't expect that he didn't believe it at all. She tightened her fingers around the teacup, and her palms were already sweating slightly.
Now that Sisi hasn't come back yet, we can only calm this person down for the time being and discuss countermeasures after Sisi comes back.
As if he was losing patience, Pei Yanli suddenly asked, "Some time ago, two officials in the capital were convicted and exiled. Are you the daughter of one of them?"
Li Nian was shocked. How could this involve imagination?
"No, my sister and I are ordinary people, how could we possibly be the daughters of a high-ranking official in the capital?"
Pei Yanli took in her expression. During his many years as an official, he had interrogated many suspects and had developed a good ability to distinguish the true from the false.
He asked in a threatening tone, "Well, in that case, then tell me where you lived before? What is your household registration and name? If there is no such person, please come with me to the government office to cooperate with the investigation."
Li Nian felt that although she was at home at the moment, she felt like she was in the police station, and she was like a suspect being interrogated. She suddenly felt panicked that she was about to be convicted.
Don't be afraid, she still has the system. If things really don't work, she can use her health points and the system to exchange for something that can help her escape.
Li Nian lowered her eyes and thought. After she and Sisi left the capital, they had been on the road non-stop. Apart from saving a stranger, they did not stop at all.
The only excuse I can use is...
Li Nian suddenly remembered that when they were in Jingxi City, they had stayed at an inn owned by an elderly couple. She told the address to others temporarily to buy time. When Sisi came back, they would immediately find a way to leave.
"Can't tell? Or maybe there's nothing at all?" Pei Yanli's eyes were sharp, and his attitude was even more stern and aggressive than before. "To avoid being considered a spy, you'd better tell the truth, young lady!"
Li Nian tensed up and tried his best to calm his chaotic emotions. The teacup in his hand became colder.
She reported the address of the inn where she had stayed before.
But I didn't feel relieved at all. Instead, I felt like there was a huge rock pressing on my heart, and it would fall down at any time.
Pei Yanli was still suspicious, but since she had already told him her registered place of residence, he would be able to find out by checking at the government office.
He stood up and said indifferently, "Please stay in the room for a while, young lady. I will investigate and make a judgment later."
After saying this, he stood up and strode away, leaving two officers guarding the door of the hall.
Li Nian breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Pei Yanli leave.
Pei Yanli's sharp and all-seeing aura really frightened her.
No, we can't stay in this place anymore.
[System, what can I exchange to resolve this situation?]
She had previously wanted the system to exchange identity documents, but the system said that it could not interfere with the normal operation of this world, and the items to be exchanged could not be items that did not exist in this world.
[Given the host's current situation, he can use Qinggong to escape.]
Li Nian was delighted that the system could actually exchange skills!
How to exchange?
[One day of lifespan can be exchanged for one minute of Qinggong]
Hearing the system's mechanical answer, Li Nian couldn't help but complain, "You're too dark, aren't you?"
[We are a fair trade, there is no forced buying or selling, the choice is always in the hands of the host]
Li Nian was choked by the system's cold answer. She pursed her lips helplessly and said nothing more.
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