Chapter 175 A Yao's Pouting
Qingqiu and Ningdong were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they exclaimed, "Madam!"
Meng Jinyao subconsciously turned her head to look, only to see a sharp sword piercing towards her. She was so frightened that her pupils suddenly contracted, and her blood seemed to freeze. She felt a chill spread through her limbs and bones. She regretted her impulsive actions and closed her eyes resignedly, thinking that she would be more careful in her next life.
At this critical moment, another sword shot out like an arrow, striking the blade of the sword in Hua Lingxiao's hand with lightning speed, producing a "clang".
Hua Lingxiao was so shocked that his hands went numb, and his long sword fell to the ground. He was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to his senses and was about to bend down to pull Meng Jinyao up as a hostage.
However, Gu Jingxi moved with lightning speed, appearing in front of him in a flash. He had no choice but to temporarily abandon using Meng Jinyao as a hostage as a shield and deal with Gu Jingxi first. He immediately raised his hand to catch the palm strike that Gu Jingxi was about to deliver.
Unexpectedly, Gu Jingxi was just feinting. The next moment, he was kicked in the stomach and fell into the wishing well with a splash.
Hua Lingxiao groaned, clutching the bleeding wound on his chest. He had committed countless crimes yet remained at large. The usually arrogant man finally felt fear, but he immediately struggled to get up, thinking of continuing to escape.
Upon seeing this, several constables rushed forward, jumped into the wishing well, and captured the man. To save time, one of the constables used a knife to knock the man unconscious.
At this moment, Qi Yunwen arrived with several constables. He was stunned to find that the criminal had been subdued. He thought to himself, "He's fast. I wish he hadn't come. He must have been exhausted from rushing over like this."
Gu Jingxi glanced at him and said calmly, "You're too late. Be earlier next time. If you're late in catching this kind of criminal, innocent people may suffer."
Qi Yunwen laughed and replied, "Hey, you don't know, I was tricked by this flower thief. I came up empty-handed. Luckily you arrived in time, otherwise I don't know when I would have been able to find out his whereabouts next time."
As he spoke, he moved to the side of Hua Lingxiao, who had already fainted, and kicked him lightly. "Tsk, weren't you supposed to be a good runner? Why don't you keep running?"
Gu Jingxi said calmly, "Take him back to the jail first and interrogate him properly. I have some personal matters to attend to, and I will return to Dali Temple tomorrow morning."
After saying this, Gu Jingxi helped the audacious little girl up. He was about to scold her, but when he saw that the little girl's face was pale, her eyes were misty, and she looked like she was about to cry, as if she was still in shock, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Upon seeing this, Qi Yunwen noticed Meng Jinyao and her two maids were present and asked in surprise, "Yaoling, what's wrong with my sister-in-law?"
As he spoke, his gaze lingered between Meng Jinyao and Hua Lingxiao, a bad premonition rising in his heart. Hua Lingxiao was a notorious womanizer; he would not let go of anyone who was beautiful, whether a young lady or a married woman.
Hua Lingxiao was skilled in martial arts and hid his abilities well, so the authorities had no way to deal with him. Because Hua Lingxiao had escaped time and time again, he became increasingly arrogant. He would leave traces when he committed crimes and even came to the capital to commit crimes. It was only tonight that he was finally arrested and brought to justice.
Gu Jingxi met his gaze and knew what he was thinking. Since it concerned the young girl's reputation, she couldn't allow others to think too much. She immediately explained, "We chased Hua Lingxiao to Lingyun Temple and happened to meet A Yao. He was already injured at that time and knew he couldn't escape, so he took A Yao hostage. Fortunately, A Yao used a trick to escape and was unharmed."
Hearing this, Qi Yunwen breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that your sister-in-law is alright. You should comfort her and we'll go back first."
The commotion had alerted the monks in the temple. Just as Qi Yunwen was about to take the prisoner away, he saw the abbot leading more than a dozen monks over.
Upon seeing people dressed as constables and another person who had fainted and was being carried by two constables, the abbot quickly stepped forward and asked Qi Yunwen, "Amitabha, may I ask what has happened, benefactor?"
Qi Yunwen said, "The arrest of criminals by the Dali Temple has disturbed the abbot. I am truly sorry."
Upon hearing that it was a government case, the abbot didn't ask any further questions. Seeing Meng Jinyao and her two maids, he was somewhat surprised that a case handled by the Dali Temple was related to women. After asking a few more questions, he learned that they were pilgrims who had stayed overnight at the temple and had encountered a case handled by the Dali Temple. Seeing Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao standing together, he assumed that Gu Jingxi was also a pilgrim staying overnight. The abbot comforted Gu Jingxi and the three of them, and seeing that they were alright, he left with the monks who had come to help.
After everyone left, only Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao, along with their servant, remained by the wishing well.
Gu Jingxi said calmly, "Madam, let's go back to our guest room."
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao came to her senses, nodded in response, and tried to leave, but her legs were weak and powerless. Just as she was about to lift her leg, she collapsed into Gu Jingxi's arms, her small hands tightly gripping his shirt, afraid of falling.
Gu Jingxi quickly reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace, and asked with concern, "Madam, what's wrong?"
A blush crossed Meng Jinyao's face, and she cowardly managed to stammer out, "Husband, my legs are weak."
Although she had escaped danger, the feeling of brushing shoulders with the King of Hell still left her with lingering fear. She had never been so close to death before; she almost lost her life. If Gu Jingxi had reacted even slightly slower, she wouldn't be standing here speaking now.
Gu Jingxi rarely saw the usually calm and composed girl show such weakness, and his heart softened. However, when he thought of the girl's audacious behavior just now, his face darkened again.
Even someone as experienced as him was still terrified, his heart pounding in his throat. He said, both amused and annoyed, "Weren't you quite bold just now? Right in front of me, you were making a scene about running off with other men and even ordered me to prepare horses for you."
Meng Jinyao was speechless. The way she was being spoken made it sound as if she really wanted to elope with another man. She laughed awkwardly and said, "What I was doing just now was just a temporary measure. I was just trying to divert his attention and find a chance to escape. My husband treats me so well, how could I run away with someone else?"
After she finished speaking, she raised her head slightly and saw that Gu Jingxi had a stern face and did not speak. She felt a little uneasy and loosened her grip on his clothes. She called him softly, "Husband."
The way she called him "husband" was soft and gentle, with a long, drawn-out ending, as if she were being coquettish.
Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, thinking to himself: Is this little girl trying to charm him?
A moment later, he looked down at the girl in his arms. He saw that the little girl was looking up at him with longing eyes. His image was reflected in her bright eyes, which were full of him. Her eyes were filled with dependence, and there was also a hint of unease that was hard to detect.
Looking into those eyes, Gu Jingxi's heart skipped a beat, and a strange feeling welled up inside him, prompting him to bend down slightly, putting one hand around her back and the other around her legs.
By the time he realized what was happening, the little girl had already been lifted up by his waist and held firmly in his arms.
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