Chapter 39 Inside the well-arranged mansion…
Inside the well-arranged mansion, guards hurried through the corridors toward the main courtyard.
Stepping over the threshold into the main courtyard, apart from a few clear bird calls, no other sounds could be heard.
The servants in the courtyard were like living puppets, each performing their duties without uttering a sound.
His steps slowed after he stepped over the threshold, and his gaze swept across the courtyard before finally settling on a figure in fine clothes in the shadows under the eaves.
He immediately lowered his eyes and respectfully knelt down in front of the person.
"master."
Before me, wide sleeves embroidered with gold thread swayed up and down, and a birdcage hanging under the eaves was wide open, with sparrows hopping around inside, occasionally chirping for food.
Fingers extending from beneath the wide sleeves embroidered with gold thread held a silver spoon, adding birdseed to a porcelain bowl. Only after the caged birds stopped chirping and buried their heads in their food did another voice come from above his head:
"Speak."
He composed himself, stopped peering at the caged birds, and lowered his face even further:
News has come from the capital that the young master of the Marquis's mansion has been kidnapped.
"Those guys were pretty quick," the person in the shadows commented casually, then added another spoonful of birdseed to the porcelain bowl in a very good mood. The mixed grains of rice fluttered and fell on the birds' heads, startling them into a chirping cry.
“Tell them that I don’t want to hear the name Xie Baoqiong in this world anymore.”
The caged bird was startled and flapped its wings to escape through the open cage door, but just as it was about to fly out, no matter how much it flapped its wings, it could not fly even a little distance.
A thin silver chain peeks out from the bird's delicate toe, reflecting a shimmering light.
“But…” His pupils dilated slightly as he lowered his head.
A calm, even voice sounded from above:
"Um?"
Despite the sweltering heat, a cold sweat broke out on his back out of nowhere.
"However, when that group was operating in the capital, they not only arrested the person from the Marquis's mansion, but also caused trouble and arrested some other children."
The small silver spoon was twirled in the hand with its distinct knuckles, reflecting a spot of light that shone onto the floor tiles in front of him.
There was no sound from above for a long time, and his heart pounded in his chest, the sound of his heartbeat gradually becoming louder in his ears.
The courtyard grew increasingly quiet, making even the sound of flapping wings stand out.
"How is it causing trouble? They did a good job; with so many people around, people won't focus their attention on us."
Only after the person in fine clothes spoke did the oppressive air in the courtyard begin to move.
The person kneeling at the foot of the steps suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and recounted the rest of the information:
"Their commotion was so great that it attracted the attention of the Anti-Evil Division."
"Oh? Is that so?" The person at the head of the table still sounded like they were in a good mood, their fingers lightly stroking the bird's head that had just been hit by a grain of rice.
"Tell them to cover up their whereabouts." The sparrow under his command suddenly struggled and pecked at the man in brocade robes' hand in a panic, but was suddenly grabbed by the throat: "If you can't handle it, have someone get rid of them."
His tone remained calm, as if the person he was about to get rid of was merely a lifeless sparrow that he had casually tossed aside.
The lifeless birds were carelessly tossed onto the paving stones. The man in the brocade robe leisurely added another spoonful of grain to his porcelain bowl and casually called out to the servants in the courtyard, "Go and catch that bird on the wall and put it in its cage."
Above the green tiles, a bird with eyes as bright as the sunset opened its eyes and quietly took in what was happening in the courtyard.
The people in the courtyard moved at the command, and the birds perched on the wall were startled and flew away, leaving not a single feather behind.
—
As dusk fell, the red fox that had been seen in the mountains during the day had long since darted into some bushes and disappeared.
As Xie Baoqiong walked further and further into the familiar scenery, she decided it was time to release the unrelated individuals.
"Ah-Jung".
The person who called him was Amei. Ever since Amei heard Qi Gui address him that way, he felt that the name was excellent, and it was exactly the same as the name Amei. So he simply gave up calling him by his full name.
"I'll be able to see my master soon." Amei leaned against him and continued, "If you stay with me, I'll have my master teach you some magic so you can stay with me longer."
Xie Baoqiong pondered her next move, replying half-heartedly, "Even if I become a sorcerer, my body will still be that of a mortal, and my lifespan will be whatever it is meant to be..."
“My master is amazing,” Amei interrupted him. “He has ways to prolong life, and he said he would stay with Amei forever.”
Distracted by the words "extend lifespan," Xie Baoqiong snapped back to reality: "Your master is a cultivator, so of course he can live longer than ordinary people." Hearing the information in Amei's words, he naturally assumed that Amei's master was a cultivator.
"Even if he really has a way, he should give me some magic pills and elixirs, which might allow me to live a few more years." He's never taken any pills before, so he doesn't know what they taste like.
"Anyway, my master has the magic to prolong people's lives." Unable to argue with Xie Baoqiong, Amei angrily threatened, "You'd better keep listening to me, and then I'll let you live a few more years."
Xie Baoqiong shut up. One of the biggest reasons he didn't like talking to Amei was that the latter always had threatening words on his lips, even though he wasn't threatened by them.
Fortunately, he figured out how to deal with it: just let Amei continue talking.
The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Cai Shun's voice came from outside the carriage:
"Sir, there is a dilapidated temple here. Let's rest here for a few hours before continuing our journey."
Aside from the night they first left the capital, the carriage had been traveling almost non-stop, with him and Ji Fei taking turns driving. Now, as they got closer to their destination, the two relaxed and decided to take a break.
Amei got up and said, "I'll go find you something to eat." Before lifting the carriage curtain, he turned back and said fiercely, "If you run away, I'll kill you."
"Don't worry, I won't run away." Of course he wouldn't run away; he just wanted to let the others escape.
After everyone left, he carefully lifted the bamboo curtain to check the movements of the two people outside the carriage. Ji Fei was jumping off the carriage and walking into the dilapidated temple.
Cai Shun, who remained, sat on the steps at the entrance of the dilapidated temple, his gaze lingering on Ji Fei and the departing carriage.
Lowering the bamboo curtain, Xie Baoqiong quietly moved to Qi Gui's side and whispered, "Qi Gui, are you still awake?"
Qi Gui sensed his approach and opened his eyes: "Ah Qiong, I heard you. They're all gone. Let's escape."
"There's another person guarding nearby, and the other person hasn't gone far either. They'll be back soon after hearing the commotion," Xie Baoqiong explained the current situation.
“I…” Qi Gui’s eyes lit up, and his gaze gradually hardened. “I can lure them away. Ah Qiong is so capable, she will definitely be able to escape and find someone to save us.”
As they spoke, Qi Gui's robes billowed without any wind.
A young snow goose peeking its head out from under a garment.
Noticing his gaze, the snow goose chick withdrew its head back inside.
"Arjun, I don't look good right now."
The white adult feathers on the body of the snow goose juvenile are not yet fully grown, and are interspersed with gray downy feathers.
"It's just molting." Xie Baoqiong reached out and dug the baby bird out of the pile of clothes, holding it in her palm and examining it curiously.
Although he had previously suspected that Qi Gui was the snow goose he had met at the hunting grounds, he had never had the chance to confirm it. He never expected that one day Qi Gui would reveal her true form right in front of him.
"I've been molting for a long time, but I still haven't completely shed my downy feathers. My brother always says I look dirty and ugly now," Qi Gui said sadly.
The snow goose nestled in her palm, a warm little ball. Xie Baoqiong thought to herself, "It's still a rough stone, but now is not the time to discuss that."
"Can you fly?" Xie Baoqiong asked.
Xueyan in her palm stood up and nodded her duck-like head: "I can fly over and stop the pursuers. Ah Qiong, you have to run fast."
"Then why don't you run away?" Xie Baoqiong's voice rang out at the same time as Qi Gui's.
When Amei wasn't in the carriage, Qi Gui clearly had plenty of opportunities to escape, and no one would suspect a bird flying in the mountains.
Qi Gui pressed her head against his fingertips, her voice soft and sincere: "Ah Qiong saved me, and I want to help Ah Qiong too."
Xie Baoqiong was stunned, never expecting that Qi Gui's answer was only because of this.
During the spring search, if Xie Rongjing hadn't asked to save the baby snow goose, he probably wouldn't have intervened to save the dying bird.
"I know Ah Qiong is very powerful. Although I don't know why Ah Qiong didn't take action this time, I will. I will protect Ah Qiong."
As the warmth from my fingertips faded, the fledgling in my palm trembled and flapped its wings, taking flight and wobbling as it tried to fly out of the carriage.
Xie Baoqiong quickly reached out and grabbed the fledgling bird, which was struggling to fly steadily, and held it in her palm:
"I have a plan, don't rush out yet."
...
"Later, you'll move everyone else in the car to another location and hide them, understand?"
Xie Baoqiong stuffed the baby bird back into the pile of clothes, then turned and lifted the car curtain.
Cai Shun, who was sitting on the steps, stood up as soon as he came out and walked towards the carriage:
"Don't think you've really pleased Amei and can leave the carriage without being tied up. Hurry back."
"I need to relieve myself." Xie Baoqiong, unfazed by Cai Shun's menacing appearance, jumped off the carriage, holding onto the frame.
Upon hearing this, Cai Shun turned around and glanced at Ji Fei, whose shadow was no longer visible as he entered the dilapidated temple. He said impatiently, "Call the other kid inside with you too, lest he cause trouble again."
“He’s asleep,” Xie Baoqiong said.
Cai Shun walked to Xie Baoqiong's side, lifted the carriage curtain and saw Qi Gui lying in the carriage with his back to him, tightly bound by hemp rope.
But Cai Shun was still uneasy. He went up to the carriage to check the ropes binding Qi Gui before jumping down and spitting out a curse.
"I don't know what's wrong with you two kids, you woke up so quickly, and now I have to take care of your food, drink and toilet needs."
Xie Baoqiong took a step forward, avoiding the splash of saliva, and turned to look at Qi Gui, who had opened his eyes in the carriage.
...
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