"This is a secret plan written by the Xiongnu regent. If the prime minister thinks it is suitable, then let's proceed accordingly!"
Sima Lie took it, glanced at it, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes before handing it to Qiu Beiming.
The latter, with the same reaction, couldn't help but nod.
"What a golden opportunity!"
at the same time.
A figure moved along with the flowing water.
After an unknown amount of time, the current slowed down, and the figure was washed ashore.
Her vision was blurred; she could only see two figures, one large and one small, slowly approaching, each holding a torch.
A sense of unease immediately gripped her, but having been sucked into the lake's undercurrents, Sima Jing stubbornly resisted. By now, she was utterly exhausted, her consciousness blurred, and she didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
Only when the figures came very close did she realize that the two figures were an old woman with a limp and a little girl, who seemed to be the old woman's granddaughter.
"Grandma, she seems to still have a faint breath."
"Xiao Ning, quick, let's help her back into the house. If we act fast, she might still survive!"
Listening to their conversation, she finally felt completely relieved, and her heavy eyelids drooped down.
After an unknown amount of time, Sima Jing, who had been unconscious, woke up.
The wooden bed beneath him creaked and groaned. Looking around, he saw a dilapidated thatched hut with bare walls.
"You're finally awake! Have some hot soup first!"
The old woman gently helped Sima Jing up and fed her hot soup.
Glug glug.
Sima Jing felt so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back, and she almost drank the hot soup in one gulp.
I finally ate something, and my strength has recovered a lot.
With a long sigh and a feeling of relief, Sima Jing forced a smile.
"Thank you so much for saving my life, my lord. I... have no way to repay you."
"As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. As long as you are alright, that's all that matters."
"By the way, benefactor, where is this?"
"No need to call me benefactor. I am known as Aunt Liu. If you don't mind, you can call me Grandma, just like Xiao Ning does. This is Yunxia Valley."
Yunxia Valley!
Upon hearing the place name, Sima Jing was secretly alarmed.
If I remember correctly, this place is already over a hundred miles away from the capital!
I never imagined that I would drift so far away with the current.
It's truly a miracle that I'm still alive.
Of course, most importantly, this should be the place where I was born!
Her master had previously mentioned that Yunxia Valley was the place where her parents were killed by government soldiers.
Seeing that she looked dazed, Aunt Liu asked her directly.
"Judging from your elegant demeanor, young lady, you must be of noble status. But I wonder what you've been thinking about?"
"Well, my parents were rice merchants in the capital. I was with them when we left the capital and encountered bandits and thieves. Unfortunately, I fell into the water and ended up here."
Of course, she couldn't tell the truth, so she made up a lie to appease him.
Just then.
Suddenly, a chaotic commotion arose outside the door.
"There's another house up ahead, let's go search it!"
Liu Gan Niang's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly grabbed Sima Jing's arm to urge her on.
"Quick, girl, the people from the Northern Darkness Sect are here. Hide well first."
The Northern Darkness Cult?
Before she could react, she had already been hidden inside the closet by Aunt Liu.
Just as I was wondering what was going on, there was a loud bang, and the door was kicked open.
Several men with wolf head tattoos on their arms looked fierce and spoke sternly as soon as they entered.
"We are searching for any lone government soldiers. Old woman, have you seen any figures?"
Sima Jing, hiding in the closet, couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Are they hunting down government officials and soldiers?
What's going on?
Isn't the imperial court constantly hunting down the remaining followers of the Northern Underworld sect?
Why did things turn out the other way around when we got to Yunxia Valley?
Just as he was pondering this, several men began to curse and swear.
"I didn't see them, I didn't see them again! They were clearly running this way. They're getting old, their eyesight isn't what it used to be!"
These thugs didn't seem to expect the dilapidated hut to be hiding someone. They only searched halfway around before stopping. Before they even found the cabinet, they suddenly discovered some loose silver hidden by the old woman in the hut.
"Hehe, old woman, let's borrow some money to spend!"
Liu Gan Niang was so angry that her face turned ashen, but she did not resist. She just glared at them with hatred, because she knew that resistance would only bring greater retaliation.
Her little granddaughter was clearly more impulsive. Seeing the men stuffing the silver into their pockets, she looked up and immediately stepped forward to stop them.
"This is my mother-in-law's life savings, accumulated over most of her life. How dare you take it away like that! Give it back to us!"
Upon hearing the crisp sound, the villain shuddered.
At first glance, his granddaughter's cute and delicate face came into view, and a wicked glint immediately rose in his eyes.
After putting the silver away, the villain grinned wickedly.
"Hey, I hadn't even noticed you were so quiet until now. Turns out you're a beauty in the making! Your figure has already developed quite a bit!"
As he spoke, he stepped forward, his wicked hand reaching out to defile the young girl.
"brute!"
Bang!
Aunt Liu picked up her cane and struck his hand hard.
"Xiao Ning is only a teenager, what do you want? Take the money, but don't touch Xiao Ning!"
The cane was made of solid wood, and Liu Gan Niang hit it with all her might. The thug cried out in pain and immediately cursed, "Your silver coins are worth very little! Get lost! Don't block my way!"
Pushing down Liu Gan Niang who was trying to stop him, the villain once again reached out his evil hand to Xiao Ning.
The latter stood frozen in place, terrified, and then burst into tears.
At this critical moment, Sima Jing, who was inside the cabinet, could no longer stand it. She suddenly stepped out and struck the villain with a palm. The villain groaned and fell to the ground.
He tripped and fell face-first into the mud. Enraged, the thug immediately turned around and yelled, "Who! Who dares to hit me!"
moment.
The man was stunned!
He had never seen such a stunningly beautiful woman!
With her hair flowing down her back and bathed in soft light, she looked like a fairy who had descended to earth.
Not only him, but also the other villains were attracted, looking at Sima Jing with excited and lewd expressions.
"Hehe, beauty, where did you come from? Let the brothers have a look at you."
Sima Jing frowned in disgust. Seeing their reaction, she immediately wanted to kill them.
But as soon as he raised his hand, he realized that this was still the old woman's home, and if he did this, wouldn't he expose himself?
After a moment's pause, she smiled charmingly.
"My lord, this place is so inconvenient. There's a small grove of trees just ahead. Why don't we go there?"
With just a gentle smile, the dilapidated hut instantly became radiant, and the villains were completely captivated. Listening to the suggestion, their smiles became even more lewd.
"Okay, okay!"
Liu Gan Niang immediately became anxious, knowing that Sima Jing wanted to sacrifice herself to save them.
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