Chapter 16 Suspicion: He vaguely sensed something was different about her, and he wished…
After the heavy rain, the weather became increasingly hot.
Unlike the dry heat of the Central Plains, the Liyue Village is humid and sultry, with sticky heat clinging to the body, making people uncomfortable and with nowhere to escape.
Sweat dripped from the faces of the guards standing watch around the inn. Even so, they remained motionless in their original positions.
It has to be said that these outsiders do have admirable qualities. Regardless of their pay, the extent to which they serve their employer is truly remarkable. However, this overly responsible work ethic occasionally causes her some trouble. For example, right now, she has to put in some effort to get into the place she wants to go.
Xiao Jiang squatted in an inconspicuous corner, thinking to himself.
She threw a stone toward the woods, making some noise.
The mine has resumed operation in the past few days, but after the accident, the people who originally helped in the village all quit and were replaced by Qin's own people.
During the day, the Qin family's people were working at the mine, and Xiao Jiang thought there would be no one in the inn at this time. She thought that choosing this time to sneak in would be the right thing to do, but she did not expect that the place was heavily guarded even in the daytime.
Sure enough, one of the guards immediately went to check the woods, and the nearby guards also turned their attention to the woods.
Right now.
Xiao Jiang rose from the hidden corner, silently leaped over the nearest window.
She moved swiftly and almost silently, and the guards did not notice anything unusual.
Because of the injury on his face last time, coupled with the hot weather, Qin Yuqi did not go out for a long time.
Only after the torrential rain that day did news of the mine collapse come, and he and Jia Qianyang went to the accident site.
The piled-up rocks and clods of earth almost filled the entire mine shaft, and several figures were clearing them away bit by bit below. A group of people had gathered at the entrance, but he couldn't see who was inside. He only watched from a distance from a high place for a while. There was no need for him to show himself; someone else would take care of the rest.
Needless to say, the people he brought were soldiers of the Great Yong Dynasty who were prepared to sacrifice themselves from the moment they enlisted, and the empire would take good care of their families.
These barbarians are the real challenge.
The accident happened so suddenly that no one expected that a rainstorm would take several lives. The group of people no longer cared about their money and silk; they just kept causing trouble and demanding that the mine be shut down, making it impossible for anyone to have a peaceful time.
He sent Liu Dan to comfort the bereaved families in the village. This relative was the most shrewd and charming, adept at understanding people's hearts. Sure enough, he managed to reason with each of them, appealing to their emotions.
Life and death are inherently unpredictable, and the troublemakers gradually calmed down.
There was only one person he hadn't expected: the father of the white-haired girl, who also disappeared in the mining accident.
Jiang Yuhuo, he always remembered her name, and he also remembered her clear yet stubborn eyes.
After hesitating for a while, he decided to personally visit her to comfort her. If her father was really gone, he could take her back to Dayong after this matter was settled and find a wealthy family to take care of her for the rest of her life.
For her, this should be the best arrangement.
But the other party did not give him that chance. When he got ready and went to the door, he found it empty. The gate was locked and no one answered when he knocked.
Knowing she was in the village, but unable to find her, Qin Yuqi realized that apart from the silver bracelet she had lost, he and she hadn't had much contact. Even the scars on his face from when she hit him were gradually fading away.
A person who dares to ride on him and beat him is not worthy of his pity.
But I think of her from time to time.
Occasionally, people from the village would cause trouble in front of the inn. The servants could handle these situations, but he would still go over to take a look. However, he never saw the person he wanted to see in the crowd.
Qin Yuqi pressed hard on the corner of his eye, and the scabbed wound immediately sent a pang of pain through him.
Sure enough, the wounds here are the hardest to heal. She was so cruel to him; he should get revenge on her.
It's hateful, it's all her fault!
The cicadas chirping loudly outside the window made Qin Yuqi increasingly irritable, and he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word of the book in front of him.
Qin Yuqi was just thinking about what to do with her later when suddenly, a dark shadow attacked him from above. He felt everything go black, and something pressed down on him.
Who dares to be so bold!
Before he could even call for help, a hand covered his mouth.
The shadowy figure moved a little distance away from him, and Qin Yuqi's angry gaze met a pair of golden eyes.
He froze for a moment, then struggled even more fiercely.
"If you don't want to get beaten up again, behave yourself." Xiao Jiang pinned him down firmly and threatened him in a low voice.
No wonder she said there was nothing to guard in an empty room; it turns out it was because this young master was there. What bad luck she has! Of all the windows, she had to open the one where he was sleeping downstairs. How unlucky!
What she didn't know was that Qin Yuqi had specifically asked someone to move the bed to the window yesterday because he found the room stuffy. A day earlier or later, she wouldn't have bumped into him directly.
But in his eyes, she came prepared and deliberately chose this time to find him.
The young master stopped struggling, and Xiao Jiang felt that her intimidation seemed to have worked, but the other party's gaze seemed to want to kill her.
Ignoring his opinion, Xiao Jiang quickly looked around and realized that he was the only person in the room.
He's just a defeated foe; he's nothing to fear.
Even though she only glanced at it briefly, the opulence of the place still struck her.
The once simple wooden cabin has been transformed into an exquisite and luxurious place, with soft silks spread on the couch, food casually piled on the table, and weapons lined up in the corner...
Everywhere you look, you see a luxury that feels foreign to Xiao Jiang—a lifestyle that the people of Liyue Village could never achieve in their entire lives.
This was the first time Xiao Jiang had such a direct experience of the difference between the village and the outside world.
In the blink of an eye, the person beneath her tried to struggle, but she pressed him down with her knee again.
She glanced at Qin Yuqi and gestured for him to be quiet.
Qin Yuqi's anger was tinged with humiliation. This was the second time; the second time he'd been pinned down and unable to move. Just what kind of monster with superhuman strength was she?!
Those captivatingly beautiful eyes were staring at him, threatening. Her face was above him, even closer than it had been in the woods a few days earlier. The slanting sunlight made her left ear appear translucent red, and from his angle, he could see a small mole on her earlobe, swaying as she struggled.
The hand covering his lips tightened its grip.
Qin Yuqi wanted to speak to warn her, but could only make "woo woo woo..." sounds.
Afraid that he would shout, Xiao Jiang dared not let go of his hand and leaned closer to try to hear what he was saying.
A round, full earlobe suddenly appeared before his eyes, and the small mole was almost within reach. Qin Yuqi suddenly felt a strange urge to bite it.
But he quickly realized that this was absolutely a wrong thought, and should never have appeared in his mind! Filled with shame and anger, Qin Yuqi used all his strength to break free from Xiao Jiang's grasp and bit her palm.
"Hiss..." Xiao Jiang pulled his hand back in surprise, noticing a deep ring of teeth marks around the base of his thumb. "Why do you bite people too?"
"I..." After being accused like that, Qin Yuqi immediately felt guilty and for a moment forgot that she was the one who had barged in first.
"No, you were the one who climbed in through the window first. If you hadn't suddenly barged in, I wouldn't have bitten you."
Did she just say "also"? Could it be that someone else bit her besides him?
Qin Yuqi unconsciously raised his voice, attracting the attention of the guards.
"Young master, is something amiss inside? Would you like us to come in and attend to you?" the guard outside asked through the door.
Xiao Jiang heard the sound of weapons clashing as the guards walked.
The guards outside were all armed, and there were many of them. She had never fought anyone in a real fight before, and if they found her, she wasn't sure if she could beat them. She would probably have to run away first.
As Xiao Jiang was pondering an escape route, Qin Yuqi suddenly spoke up, "I said it's too noisy outside, can't you understand?" Qin Yuqi's eyes followed Xiao Jiang closely.
Xiao Jiang also came to his senses and looked at the angry young master beneath him. Their eyes met, and both of them saw a hint of trust in each other's gazes.
The next moment, Qin Yuqi's irritable voice rang out, "Go and chase away those damned cicadas outside the window! If you can't, get out of here!"
There was another burst of sounds, mixed with the clash of weapons and footsteps. Xiao Jiang could hear the guards outside the door gradually moving away.
With the shackles on her body loosened a bit, Qin Yuqi let out a long breath, but her gaze unconsciously fell on Xiao Jiang's face. She quickly looked away just as Xiao Jiang's gaze was about to turn away.
There's always a sense of guilt, like I've done something wrong.
Qin Yuqi suppressed his racing heartbeat and forced his gaze to move from her face to her disheveled hair.
"Jiang Yuhuo, don't you know how to comb your hair?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiang's eyes, which had calmed down, suddenly ignited with fire again.
Why doesn't she comb her hair? Is it because she doesn't know how?
Yes.
But more importantly, the person who combed her hair was gone.
Just as Qin Yuqi was about to get up and sit up, Xiao Jiang pressed him back down onto the bed. The bed in the guesthouse wasn't very soft for him, and the impact made his back ache.
"Be gentle..." Qin Yuqi frowned, not understanding why Xiao Jiang suddenly changed his expression, and complained somewhat, "I'm not even going to hold it against you for breaking and entering my window in broad daylight, and you still treat me like this."
"Speak, what do you want from me?"
"I'm not looking for you, I'm looking for my father."
As expected, what was bound to happen will happen.
Qin Yuqi sat up, composed himself, and said solemnly, "I am very sorry about what happened to your father. I know you must be very sad, but no one wants to see something like this happen. Please accept my condolences. If... you are worried about your future, you can leave here with me and return to Dayong. In Dayong, I can..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Jiang suddenly grabbed Qin Yuqi by the collar, "What nonsense are you talking about? My father is not dead!"
With a stubborn anger in her eyes, the girl continued, "He disappeared in the mine you dug out. Only you know best what's inside that mine."
For a moment, Qin Yuqi felt a little sorry for her. He had been through military training and had seen many people who were unwilling to face loss, living in their own world and stubbornly refusing to let others shatter their illusions.
He finally understood why she had come, and followed up with her question, "So you think we hid him?"
Xiao Jiang looked at him without saying a word.
She suspected him—
Qin Yuqi had considered the possibility of her coming to him. Whether she cried and made a scene or demanded compensation, he would try his best to meet whatever conditions she set.
He vaguely sensed that she was different, and he was willing to treat her specially. But he didn't expect that she would suspect that they were behind her father's disappearance.
A note from the author:
----------------------
This is about to burst! Does anyone actually read this? Can anyone who's read this far say something?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
