Xiao Lili looked at the man in front of her with pity. It turned out to be An Qi's biological father. What a waste of such a handsome face.
"Daughter, you are my Xiaoqi, you are Xiaoqi... Waaaaah..."
Xiao Lili struggled a couple of times in disgust; even the most handsome man would feel repulsive when he cried.
"Dad, are you my dad? I've never had a father or mother since I was little, I'm so pitiful. I finally have a dad, waaaah..."
The two embraced and wept bitterly, while Xiao Li sat on the rooftop watching the scene unfold.
Tsk tsk tsk~
This female lead is too ruthless. No wonder the original owner was killed by her. Otherwise, why would she make way for others?
Xiao Li decided that she would also go and acknowledge her father later to see how she would choose one.
After the two finished expressing their feelings to each other, Xiao Li followed Xiao Lili back to the Xiao residence. Once back, she did not show herself but instead went to find Ye Xiuyan.
"Who do you say you are?"
Ye Xiuyan was dumbfounded. He had been searching for his daughter for fifteen years, and suddenly he had found two of them. Which one was the real one?
He examined the wooden plaque closely; it was the one his daughter wore around her neck, the one he had carved himself, and he recognized it.
"You said you're a secret guard from the Prince of Anping's mansion? Now protecting Xiao Lili? So she saw your wooden plaque and impersonated you?"
He's a bit confused now; he doesn't know which one is the real daughter, especially since both girls look just like his wife.
“I grew up in a dilapidated temple. I’ve worn this wooden plaque for over ten years. My name is Xiaoqi because of the number seven. I also have a younger brother named Xiaoba. We grew up together. You can go to that area and ask around. Someone must have seen us.”
Xiao Li gave him a deep look, then got up and left.
Ye Xiuyan gripped the wooden plaque tightly in his hand. Thinking of Xiao Lili's disappointment when she said the plaque was lost, he would find out. If she dared to lie to him, he would make her pay the price.
Xiao Li wasn't afraid of being investigated, but Xiao Lili was anxious. She had to make An Qi disappear quickly so that she could take his place and use her status in the Ye family to marry into the royal family.
When Xiao Li returned to the Xiao residence, she saw Xiao Lili standing at her door, seemingly waiting for her.
"Where have you been? How could you run around like that as a bodyguard? What if I were in danger? I'm going to tell the Prince to punish you for your incompetence."
Xiao Lili had a good plan: when An Qi begged for mercy, she would make her hand over the wooden plaque.
Xiao Li pushed her aside, opened the door, went inside, grabbed her personal belongings, and left without even glancing at her.
Now that the matter of recognizing her father has been stirred up, it's time for her to leave the Prince's mansion. Most importantly, she just broke through to the Martial Arts Grandmaster level last night.
Martial arts masters are rare in this world, and their status is extremely high. There are only two martial arts masters in the entire royal family.
If it's almost impossible for a secret guard to break away from their master's household, then for Xiao Li now, it's an easy matter.
When Xiao Lili saw that Xiao Li was about to leave, she panicked and quickly ran over to stop her.
"You're not allowed to leave. I haven't finished talking yet. Why are you leaving?"
Xiao Li looked at Xiao Lili, wanting to hear what she had to say.
"I heard you have a wooden plaque. Show it to me. If I'm satisfied, I'll plead with the prince on your behalf and let you off the hook for your mistake today."
After Xiao Lili finished speaking, she raised her head, looking arrogant and haughty.
Xiao Li gave her a look as if she were an idiot, then lightly touched the tiptoe and flew away.
Xiao Lili was so angry she jumped up and down, but she was also helpless. She had never been so envious of other people's martial arts skills before. They could come and go without a trace. She was really envious.
Xiao Li arrived at the Prince Anping's residence and found Xiao Ba.
"Xiao Ba, I want to leave here. Do you want to come with me?"
Xiao Ba was startled at first, then quickly pulled Xiao Li to check on her. She was relieved to see that nothing was wrong.
"Xiao Qi, what's wrong? Why do you suddenly want to leave? Didn't you say it was great here before? We did missions together, drank and ate meat together."
"Xiao Ba, that was when we were little. Back then, we had no one to rely on, so having a place to stay was always a good thing."
Now that we're all grown up, it's time to think about the future. What will we do when we're old and can no longer wield a sword?
Xiao Ba frowned and thought for a moment, then realized that Xiao Qi was right.
"Wherever you go, I'll go. Xiao Qi, don't leave me. We'll be together forever."
Xiao Li knew that Xiao Ba would agree. The two packed their things, told Xiao Ba to wait at the door, and went to the main courtyard by herself.
"What? You're saying you want to leave the Prince's Palace?"
Jiang Youxi stared at Xiao Li in astonishment. Everyone knew that the secret guards had no freedom. If they wanted to leave, they could only die and be carried out.
Xiao Li stretched out her hand and slowly released her inner force. With a gentle wave, a corner of the table was neatly cut off.
Jiang Youxi stared at her in shock; she had actually...
No wonder she had the confidence to ask to leave the palace; his attitude immediately changed.
"Please do as you wish. The Prince of Anping's residence is willing to provide for you. What do you think?"
This attitude is very good, but Xiao Li will never be their support.
"No need, I'm taking Hachi with me."
Jiang Youxi readily agreed and handed over the antidote to the poison in the body of the bodyguard. Xiao Li, of course, didn't need it; it belonged to Xiao Ba.
He was actually quite heartbroken. Training a secret guard required a lot of effort, and losing two of them was something even the wealthy royal family couldn't bear.
But he had no choice but to agree; besides, giving a martial arts master face was a worthwhile deal.
But Xiao Li wouldn't give him that chance. She took out a luminous pearl as ransom and turned to leave.
Jiang Youxi was truly heartbroken now.
Xiao Li took Xiao Ba to the inn to settle down. They would make further plans after things in the capital were settled.
Ye Xiuyan also arrived at the dilapidated temple where Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba had stayed. It was near a bustling street, and the residents were quite kind; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to support the two children as they grew up.
"You mean Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba? We've watched them grow up."
"Yes, yes, this is the wooden tag that Xiaoqi is wearing around her neck. Xiaoqi asked me what the characters meant, and I told her..."
"This child is pitiful. Everyone used to call her 'little girl,' but she gave herself the name Xiao Qi..."
"..."
Ye Xiuyan finally realized that his bodyguard Xiao Qi was his daughter. He was furious, as he had almost been deceived by that girl.
What angered him most was that he had actually been fooled. If his daughter hadn't been so clever, he might have mistaken the thief for his daughter, been used by her, and even indirectly harmed her.
After Ye Xiuyan found out Xiao Lili's identity, he took action against Xiao Jijiu.
Although the Ye family is a martial arts family, their family businesses are spread throughout the country, and they have many informants in the capital. Dealing with a minor official would be a piece of cake for them.
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