Li Xi blushed slightly at his sudden sweet talk.
She gently brushed Qin Xiaolin's hand away, pretending not to understand: "Brother Qin, then remember to ask His Majesty for more."
Qin Xiaolin couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Li Xi's serious expression.
He reached out and gently pinched Li Xi's nose, his eyes full of doting: "You little money-grubber, I just can't do anything with you."
Li Xi felt a little embarrassed by his nose-flicking gesture.
She turned her head away, avoiding Qin Xiaolin's gaze, and muttered under her breath, "Who doesn't like money..."
The largest carriage in the middle of the procession belonged to the Empress Dowager.
At this moment, Hong Gu and Meng Zhelan are sitting in this spacious carriage.
At first, Hong Gu felt quite embarrassed to ride in the Empress Dowager's carriage, after all, she knew that she was of low status and how could she dare to ride in the same carriage as the Empress Dowager?
However, the Empress Dowager insisted on traveling with the two women and ordered that a spacious carriage be prepared, large enough to accommodate many people to rest at the same time.
Faced with the Empress Dowager's warm invitation, Hong Gu simply could not refuse.
To pass the time on their journey home, the Empress Dowager enthusiastically pulled Meng Zhelan and Hong Gu to play Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), chatting and laughing while playing cards and eating melon seeds.
Inside the carriage, laughter and cheerful conversation filled the air.
In the game of Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), the Empress Dowager's card skills have been honed to perfection, even earning the admiration of her former "master," Li Xi.
However, Li Xi's interest in Dou Dizhu has greatly diminished.
Because her "disciple" has surpassed her, causing her to "lose money" in the game every time, she can't help but feel a little "heartache" for her wallet.
In order to reach Kyoto as quickly as possible, the guards all chose to ride horses, while the others sat in carriages.
They were all exhausted from their journey.
But when they saw the vast and boundless grassland of the Tiele tribe in front of them, their mood immediately became joyful.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that as long as they crossed this vast grassland, they would be able to return to the border of Jingyuan.
They quickened their pace, hoping to reach their destination as soon as possible.
However, just then, a noisy sound suddenly came from afar, as if a large group of people were rushing towards them.
Everyone was startled and stopped in their tracks, looking warily in the direction from which the sound came.
In the distance, billowing dust rose, and figures could be vaguely seen moving about, clearly indicating that something had happened.
Someone asked nervously, "Could it be an enemy attack?" The others also frowned, speculating to themselves.
Li Xi and Qin Xiaolin exchanged a glance and tacitly decided to go and investigate the situation themselves.
The guards acted swiftly, protecting everyone as they retreated to a nearby valley to hide in case of any accidents.
As they drew closer, the chaotic sounds became clearer, mixed with shouts and the clashing of weapons.
The two approached cautiously, sensing that a conflict had broken out between two tribes, and a fierce battle was taking place.
They hid behind a huge pile of stones, observing the battle.
On the battlefield, the two sides fought back and forth, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.
Shouts, roars, and the clash of weapons rose and fell, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood.
Li Xuan and Zhao Qinxiao exchanged a glance. In the current situation, the only way to cross this grassland was to wait until they all left.
At this moment, Li Xi heard a familiar voice. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Ali from the Tiele tribe.
Ali was now surrounded, with enemies closing in from both sides, and his situation was extremely precarious.
He fought with all his might, trying to find a glimmer of hope amidst the enemy's siege.
Seeing this, Li Xi and Qin Xiaolin could no longer sit still.
Although they had only met Ali a few times, they already considered each other friends.
How can they stand idly by when their friends are in danger?
Li Xi quickly took out a face mask and covered most of her face to conceal her identity.
Then, she and Qin Xiaolin, swords in hand, charged into the enemy's camp without hesitation.
These two were highly skilled in martial arts and worked together seamlessly. For a time, no one could withstand their fierce attacks.
Before long, the enemies who had been besieging Ali were all defeated or killed.
Ali was pleasantly surprised to see the two arrive.
He fought with all his might, leading his people to resist the enemy's attack.
Before long, the enemy was either killed or wounded, and they all surrendered.
After settling everything in, Ali finally had a moment to talk to Li Xi.
"Thank you both for your great help. We are extremely grateful!" Ali knelt down before Li Xi and Qin Xiaolin.
Seeing this, Li Xi and Qin Xiaolin quickly stepped forward to help Ali up.
“Brother Ali, there’s no need for such formalities. Now that we’ve met, we certainly won’t stand idly by,” Li Xi said with a smile.
Qin Xiaolin nodded in agreement.
Ali looked at the two of them with emotion and said solemnly, "Our Ancient Wolf Clan will never forget your kindness."
Afterwards, Ali led Li Xi and Qin Xiaolin to the clan's council hall.
Inside the hall, the patriarch and other elders of the Ancient Wolf Clan had been waiting for a long time.
Upon seeing Li Xi and Qin Xiaolin, they all stood up to thank them for their help.
The clan chief himself came forward to express his heartfelt gratitude to the two.
"Our two heroes will forever remember your kindness today. From this day forward, you will be our most honored guests!" the clan chief said excitedly.
Li Xi said modestly, "Clan leader, you're too kind. We only did our part."
The chieftain sighed, “Since the beginning of winter, the people of the Nageri tribe have frequently come here to plunder. In the past, the patrol team could handle them, but I don’t know why they are so fierce today. If it weren’t for the help of the two heroes, our Ancient Wolf Clan would probably have suffered unprecedented losses.”
Ali, standing to the side, said indignantly, "The people of the Nageri tribe are becoming more and more arrogant. They often bully the surrounding tribes because of their frequent interactions with the people of Xuan Yue Kingdom."
Is it related to the Xuan Yue Kingdom? There must be some conspiracy involved.
Li Xi frowned slightly, a sense of unease rising in her heart.
She glanced at her companion beside her and saw the same doubt and wariness flashing in his eyes.
Seeing the solemn expressions on their faces, the chieftain seemed to have guessed their thoughts and continued, "My two heroes, I know you are no ordinary people. Please be careful. The Gerri tribe is probably after your Jingyuan. It is said that they often go to the border to provoke the city's garrison."
Qin Xiaolin bowed to the clan chief and said, "Thank you for the reminder, clan chief. We will be more vigilant."
Ali escorted the two to the border of the tribe, looking worried. He seemed to have something to say, but hesitated.
Seeing this, Li Xi took the initiative to ask, "Ali, is there anything you want to say to us?"
Ali sighed, finally mustering his courage to say, "Actually, the chieftain wants to join forces with Jingyuan to drive the Geri tribe out of this grassland..."
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