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Xie Sui'an was eating in the lobby of the inn when a group of people came in cursing.
The leader, whose face was as black as charcoal, was followed by another fawning follower. This was the scarred man Qin Sang had spoken to in the tea garden that morning, the one who called himself Three Sheep.
The group ordered wine and meat from the waiter and began to chat loudly, oblivious to their surroundings.
San Yang flattered, "Sir, you'll be fine. That little girl wouldn't dare. Although Constable Qin is a capable man here, he can't disregard the law, can he? Besides, he has the county magistrate above him. We're just giving him face so we can bring Steward Li back safely, which will save us a lot of trouble. You don't know, Constable Qin here... tsk, his martial arts are like this." San Yang raised his right thumb, his tone full of awe.
The dark-faced man's fingers twitched, and Xie Sui'an then noticed that his left thumb was wrapped in a clean white cloth, suggesting a fresh wound, likely inflicted by the "Officer Qin" they had mentioned.
The boy quickly brought out the wine, and Sanyang diligently poured it for the dark-faced leader.
The dark-faced youth remained silent, picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. Finally, he said, "I'll only give him two hours. If he doesn't show up after two hours, don't blame me for being impolite."
As he spoke, he ordered one of his men, "Go and bring out the backup plan that the manager left behind. We can't just sit here and wait to die."
The subordinate immediately stood up and went out to carry out his duties.
Xie Sui'an tapped the table and gestured to Jinyun to follow.
The dark-faced man's expression finally softened a bit. He drank two more cups of wine and suddenly grinned wickedly: "A mere constable from the county government dares to talk to me about business? Hmph, when the manager comes out, I'll make that girl and that constable surnamed Qin kneel down and call me grandpa!"
Although his thumb was still throbbing as he said this, he seemed to have already made a plan, and his sinister smile was extremely irritating.
San Yang hurriedly chimed in, "That's right, our Commander Sun and Steward Li are both under Grandpa Wu's command in Quzhou Prefecture. How can our shrimp soldiers and crab generals from Li County compare to you? No matter how arrogant they are, they still have no choice but to obediently hand over the people!"
Xie Sui'an, who was standing to the side, popped a peanut into his mouth, his face looking frighteningly pale.
***
Earlier, San Yang led a group of men with dark faces to cause trouble at the entrance of the Qin residence. Qin Baoyun calmly broke the left thumb of the most ferocious-looking dark-faced man, and then knocked down several skilled fighters who rushed at her. Then, she calmly revealed a "generous" smile: "Give me face, take your men and leave first. Two hours later, the person will be safely delivered to the Chaotianmen Inn, how about it?"
What else could they do but make peace? They couldn't even beat one against ten. Since the other side had given them a way out and said they would release the person, San Yang quickly coaxed and persuaded the dark-faced leader away.
At this moment, Qin Baoyun returned to the courtyard. Qin Sang reluctantly told Qin Baoyun the location where Fatty Li was being held. Qin Baoyun then patiently advised, "Stay home and relax. I'll handle the rest. I guarantee they won't dare to come back."
After saying that, he left.
Qin Sang ground her molars, rolled up her sleeves, and went to the kitchen.
Old Master Tang and Tang Zi'an were innocently injured because of him, and now they have no choice but to make some medicinal food to atone for their sins.
That's life; there are always many things we can't help but feel helpless about, and many things that don't go as planned.
What can I do? I'm just a mere mortal.
She carefully selected the medicinal herbs, then the vegetables, washed and chopped the meat, put it in the pot and started the fire. Finally, she sat by the stove, propped her chin up, and muttered, "Nanyin, Nanyin, it's still a loss. She should have received 100,000 merits."
The water was boiling, and the smell of medicine wafted through the steam. Suddenly, Mother Han Jing rushed in, saying in a panic, "Sang Sang, Yue'er is missing."
"Um?"
“Someone brought a letter just now, saying it was from Feng’er. Yue’er took the letter and left, but I feel something is wrong. Feng’er came to the house this morning, and she’s been gone for a long time…”
Qin Sang wiped her hands, then, with Ying'er looking grim, stormed out the door.
Very well, that fatso is indeed a talent, he really did leave Qin Yue as a backup plan.
Qin Baoyun is the same; trying to reason with a bunch of thugs is a waste of all her years in the underworld. She needs to rush to the paper and pen shop in the north of the city to stop Qin Baoyun from releasing the person; she must find Qin Yue first before making any further decisions.
Qin Sang lived in the south of the city, while the paper and pen shop was in the north. She wanted to go north along the river, but it was already dark, and her home was not in a bustling commercial area. Although there were occasional lanterns lit in front of other houses, the lighting was very limited.
As Qin Sang crossed the third bridge over the river, she paused, because she suddenly heard girls arguing coming from the dock below the bridge.
Just as I was about to quietly walk over to check, I heard a short, startled cry and a muffled splash as someone fell into the water.
Qin Sang ran a few steps and sure enough, she saw a familiar, slender figure and splashing water on the surface of the water.
Qin Yue's pink dress floated on the water as she frantically thrashed about. Although they both lived by the river, Qin Yue had been afraid of water since childhood and couldn't swim. She rushed down the steps, bumped Su Qingyan to the side, and then jumped into the water alone.
Su Qingyan was probably caught off guard by the sudden appearance of someone and took two steps back in fright. He immediately tried to run away, but Ying'er held him tightly. Ying'er couldn't speak, so if she held onto Su Qingyan, she couldn't call for help. She nervously gripped Su Qingyan, glancing at the two people in the water and looking around, hoping to find someone to rescue them.
In her panic, Su Qingyan ran blindly. The fugitive was incredibly strong. Gritting her teeth, she decided to go all the way and, taking advantage of Ying'er's momentary distraction, pushed her into the river as well.
Then, he picked up a large rock from the riverbank and frantically hurled it at the three people in the river.
Just as Qin Sang was about to grab Qin Yue, her leg was hit by a rock, and she suddenly sank down.
Qin Sang never expected that the seemingly weak woman would become so crazy. She sighed inwardly, thinking that the malice of the world is often unexpected and omnipresent.
She held her breath for a moment, letting herself slowly sink. Once the stinging pain in her leg subsided, she began to struggle upwards again. Meanwhile, Qin Yue thrashed about, sinking lower and lower. After Qin Sang grabbed her, she frantically thrashed about, kicking Qin Sang's leg again…
Qin Sang: "...!"
Fortunately, the struggle finally attracted attention. A dark figure swept across the water, and Qin Yue was lifted out of the water like a chick. Then, the person quickly returned to the surface and lifted Ying'er, who was about to sink, with a light touch of their toes on the shore. When it was Qin Sang's turn, she hurriedly waved her hand and said, "No need, I can do it myself."
She swam back to shore on her own.
Xie Suian was leisurely squatting on the dock, waving a useless folding fan. He stretched out his hand to Qin Sang: "This is the third time, Miss Sang Sang. Don't thank me too much. This young master doesn't need you to repay me with your body."
Qin Sang ignored him and didn't grab his outstretched hand. She silently climbed ashore, dripping wet.
Her legs suddenly gave way, and she staggered, but Xie Sui'an caught her just in time.
A boy's chuckle and clear, magnetic voice came from above Qin Sang's head: "Be careful, don't be so reckless."
Qin Sang looked up and saw the boy's well-defined profile illuminated by the pale moonlight. His features were sharp and distinct, and his lips were also quite sharp. However, he usually appeared in front of Qin Sang with a smiling face, so this detail was often overlooked.
Then I looked into his eyes and found that his eyes were so clear and distinct, with black pupils as black as ink and whites as white as jade... they were really beautiful.
He is very good-looking.
Ying'er and Qin Yue were coughing desperately next to her. Qin Sang looked over and saw Su Qingyan standing motionless next to Jinyun, tears streaming down his face.
Qin Sang helped Xie Suian stand up straight and said to Jinyun, "Come, relieve her acupuncture."
Jinyun gave an "oh" and obediently patted Su Qingyan hard. Su Qingyan tried to plunge into the water as soon as he moved, but Jinyun grabbed his sleeve.
The young man stood with one hand behind his back, looking calm: "Miss, please have some self-respect."
Qin Sang walked up to Su Qingyan and then, without any mercy or warning, slapped her hard across the face. The crisp sound of the slap stunned everyone around.
Su Qingyan turned her head to the side, covering her face, and glanced at Qin Sang. She gritted her teeth and swallowed back the sound of her tears.
Qin Sang's voice was remarkably gentle in this environment: "Just how much did you take from that fat man that you were capable of murder?"
Su Qingyan remained silent.
Xie Sui'an, who was standing to the side, became impatient and kicked Su Qingyan in the back of the knee. Su Qingyan groaned and knelt down on the ground.
Xie Sui'an smiled at Qin Sang: "There's no need to be merciful to murderers, is there?"
"I'm a murderer!" Su Qingyan finally couldn't hold back anymore. Her voice trembled slightly as she broke down and said, "I'm a murderer, but all I wanted was to live! Everyone looks out for themselves, what did I do wrong!"
Qin Sang: "...?"
Qin Yue had finished coughing by then. Seeing Su Qingyan break down, she subconsciously said, "Yanyan didn't push me on purpose..."
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