Chapter 103 "So this is the kind of person I am in your heart..."
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When Jiang Ling'er opened her eyes, it was already late at night.
In her sleepy haze, she felt as if someone touched her head, seemingly... a form of comfort. Jiang Ling'er frowned, opened her eyes, and turned her head to look at Pei Xuan, who was still fast asleep beside her.
She must be so sleepy...
She dozed off for an hour or so with just a blink of her eyes, how silly of her!
How foolish!
Jiang Ling'er quickly reached out and placed her hand on Pei Xuan's forehead. Finally, the fever subsided, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Pei Xuan's fever had gone down, but she herself was covered in sweat.
It was already late at night, the night was deep and quiet, and dawn would break in a few hours. Pei Xuan was still unconscious and unable to move. She couldn't delay any longer.
She was unwilling to sit idly by and wait for her fate; continuing to hide would be tantamount to walking into a trap, leaving her at the mercy of others. But Pei Xuan…
Suddenly, those gray-blue eyes flashed into my mind again.
Although she had Ma Qingmei's help this time, she could not trust Ma Qingmei, who had a somewhat golden appearance. Even if she said that she was indebted to the old镖头 (bodyguard), the old镖头 had done favors for all, so who knew if it was a lie to make her lower her guard?
Thinking back on everything that happened tonight, although Ma Qingmei was a bit eccentric and had a sharp tongue, she was very helpful and didn't fear the Jurchens' threats even in the midst of the tense atmosphere. This shows that she was a kind-hearted person.
At least he's not a bad person.
...Shall we take a gamble?
Jiang Ling'er was hesitating when suddenly her ears twitched. She used the elusive footwork to leap outside in a few moments, silently hiding in the shadows, watching the two people approaching from afar, their arms around each other's shoulders... looking very intimate.
It wasn't until the two stepped into the moonlight that their faces were finally clearly visible—
It was Ma Qingmei and a Jin soldier!
Jiang Ling'er's eyes trembled, she gritted her teeth, and used her light footwork to silently get closer to the two of them.
The Jurchen man affectionately embraced Ma Qingmei's waist, and the pot-bellied Jurchen man even playfully stuffed a silver note into her chest.
The girl immediately smiled, her fingertips hooking around the golden statue's belt, leading the golden statue towards her:
"Come with me."
And the direction we're heading—
It was the woodshed where Pei Xuan was fast asleep!
Seeing that Ma Qingmei was about to lead the Jurchen soldiers into the woodshed, Jiang Ling'er angrily used the Mysterious Steps to appear behind the two of them, raising her right hand to strike Ma Qingmei's back just as—
But Ma Qingmei, who had been smiling obsequiously at the Jin soldiers just moments before, suddenly changed her expression after the Jin soldiers entered the woodshed. She drew a dagger that she had prepared in her sleeve with her left hand, and with a swift motion, stabbed it straight into the Jin soldier's back!
"you……!"
As the Jin soldier turned to glare at her, Ma Qingmei swiftly drew the dagger from his back and swiftly slit his throat. Her skill was unbelievable; the pot-bellied Jin soldier didn't even have time to utter a single word before he collapsed like a small mountain!
Without the Jin soldiers as a shield, Jiang Ling'er and Ma Qingmei looked at each other, bewildered, especially Jiang Ling'er, whose raised right hand remained frozen in mid-air.
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
Ma Qingmei was also taken aback when she saw her: "What are you doing here...?"
Jiang Ling'er awkwardly lowered her hand: "Um...I..."
Ma Qingmei realized what was happening, her gray-blue eyes turned cold, and she lifted one of the Jin soldier's legs, coldly interrupting her:
"...Give me a hand!"
Jiang Ling'er quickly lifted the other leg of the golden statue, and the two of them worked together to drag it deeper into the backyard, while Da Huang was responsible for licking the blood off the statue from behind.
When they arrived at the crooked tree in the backyard, they saw Ma Qingmei clear away the thick haystack under the crooked tree and find a deep pit as tall as an adult, with the bodies of several golden figures lying inside!
Jiang Ling'er was stunned, and Ma Qingmei glanced at her:
"hurry up."
Jiang Ling'er then came to her senses, and the two of them worked together to throw the Jin soldiers' corpses into the pit. Ma Qingmei sprinkled some kind of powder into the pit to mask the strong stench of the corpses, hastily covered it with a thin layer of soil, and then laid a thick stack of straw on top of it before it was done.
After licking the blood off its tail, Big Yellow came begging for a reward, circling around Ma Qingmei and biting its own tail until Ma Qingmei dropped a white steamed bun on its tail, at which point it obediently stepped aside.
Jiang Ling'er watched in astonishment; clearly, they had done similar things countless times to be so skilled.
"You don't trust me? Because of my appearance?"
Suddenly, Ma Qingmei's cold voice rang out.
Jiang Ling'er paused, then looked up and met Ma Qingmei's eyes.
Those grey-blue eyes under the moonlight held anger, but even more so, heartbreak.
"If I really wanted to use you for a reward, I wouldn't have saved you. Or..." Ma Qingmei smiled coldly, tossing the dagger stained with the blood of Jin soldiers in front of Da Huang, letting Da Huang lick it clean, "Are you afraid I'll reveal your whereabouts and want to kill me?"
Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment, then suddenly stood up: "Absolutely not! I have my concerns, but I never intended to kill you!"
"You never thought of killing me? But I wish I could kill myself!"
As soon as Ma Qingmei finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er stood there stunned.
Ma Qingmei's eyes were bloodshot, and her grey-blue pupils gleamed with hatred under the silver moonlight.
"My mother was forcibly taken by the Jurchens and gave birth to me with resentment. My father raised me despite his past grievances and killed the thieves to avenge her! Unfortunately, they never heard from her again. In their search for my father, my mother eventually died of grief... And I was born a bastard child of the despised Yellow-Headed Slave! Worse than a dog bastard! My tragedy was all caused by the Jurchens! I hate the blood flowing in my veins more than you do! I wish I could cut my flesh and bleed myself dry of the Jurchens' filthy blood! But I can't die..."
Tears streamed down her grey-blue eyes, like falling ice crystals. No matter how strong Ma Qingmei appeared, she was still just a young woman of sixteen. Her hand, which had just gripped the sharp blade, was still trembling. She clenched her trembling fist, and each word she spoke was firm and resolute:
"I haven't avenged my mother yet, I haven't seen my father again, I haven't been able to fulfill my filial duty to him. How can I die? I can't die! As long as I live, I will drag the Jurchens down with me! I will use the blood of the Jurchens to pay tribute to my mother!"
Jiang Ling'er was so stunned that she stood there, completely dispelling her doubts, and sincerely apologized:
"It's my fault, I shouldn't have doubted you..."
Jiang Ling'er was most afraid of others crying. She used to be afraid of Yuan Zao crying, and now she was equally afraid of Ma Qingmei crying. Especially since Ma Qingmei was about the same age as Yuan Zao but carried so much burden, Jiang Ling'er, while hating the Jurchens, felt even more sorry for her.
He couldn't help but step forward and embrace her, grasping her still trembling fists. His gaze fell on the dagger, stained with the filthy blood of the golden man and licked by Big Yellow. His voice was calm, but his eyes were unusually bright:
"Don't be afraid, we'll kill the Jurchens together from now on!"
Ma Qingmei's long eyelashes trembled, her mouth pursed, and she burst into tears in Jiang Ling'er's arms, as if she wanted to cry out all the hardships and hatred of her life. Jiang Ling'er let her cry and let her clothes get wet.
It took Ma Qingmei a while to stop crying. Suddenly remembering something, she awkwardly broke free from Jiang Ling'er's embrace, turned her head away, sniffed, and her voice was still sharp and sarcastic. Only her slightly reddened earlobes betrayed her emotions.
It's disgusting.
"Few people treat stable boys like this... You don't need to pretend..."
She had never been so close to anyone as she was today, not even her mother... who hated her because of her origins and her appearance, and rarely spoke more than ten words to her.
Jiang Ling'er paused upon hearing this, then smiled:
"How much better am I than you? Even though you're a stable boy, you're still better than me, a sinner despised and beaten by everyone, right?"
Ma Qingmei paused, and the two laughed simultaneously, finally dispelling their misunderstanding. Jiang Ling'er entrusted Pei Xuan to Ma Qingmei's care, instructing her that she would definitely return before dawn.
Ma Qingmei pressed further, "Where are you going?"
"Do what I have to do." Jiang Ling'er paused, then added, her almond-shaped eyes shining brighter than the silver moon in the sky, "Drive out all the Jin traitors!"
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The city gate of Jinling.
Meanwhile, Yuan Zao, Gan Zishi, and Lian Sheng successfully captured the patrolling Jin soldiers without alerting others, changed their clothes, and entered the city.
The young man, fearless and reckless, was unlike Yuan Wenkang and the others who were still deliberating. While everyone else was still looking back and forth, the three of them had already slipped in.
Of course, they also benefited from the fact that their small number of people made it easier for them to move around.
Upon entering Jinling City, despite the Jin soldiers conducting thorough searches throughout the city, the group, taking advantage of their convenient attire and Yuan Zao's thorough knowledge of Jinling City, smoothly made their way to the Xuanwu Hall's detached courtyard.
Yuan Zao: "This is the intelligence office of Xuanwu Hall, which is extremely well hidden. No one will find it for a while. You can stay here without worry."
Gan Zishi hurriedly asked, "Where are you going?"
"Hiding here indefinitely is not a long-term solution. I'll go somewhere and come right back."
Gan Zishi replied without hesitation, "I'll go with you no matter where it is!"
Unsure why this young hero from the Lingxiao Sect was suddenly so agitated, Yuan Zao was at a loss for words after being rebuked. He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
Seeing Yuan Zao stunned, Gan Zishi cursed himself in frustration, coughed twice, and said casually:
“There are Jin soldiers everywhere right now, and you’re a young lady alone…” Seeing Yuan Zao frown, Gan Zishi immediately changed his tune, almost biting his tongue, “I meant it’s not safe for you to go alone! Since… since we came in together, shouldn’t we look out for each other?”
Unexpectedly, when it was Yuan Zao's turn, she refused without even thinking: "No, you can't come with me."
Gan Zishi was taken aback: "Why?"
"Didn't you promise Sister Ling'er that you would protect the little monk?"
Yuan Zao looked at him with displeasure, her gaze filled with suspicion, wondering if this kid was really reliable...
Gan Zishi: "..."
Gan Zishi, whose wishful thinking had failed, was speechless. He glanced at Liansheng, who had been silently lagging behind them. Ever since he parted ways with Jiang Ling'er and the mysterious foreign youth at the city gate, the little monk had been silent and taciturn, either muttering something to himself or closing his eyes to rest, seemingly lost in thought, as if everything around him was completely irrelevant.
Looking at Yuan Zao again, he was already adjusting his clothes, seemingly determined to leave. Gan Zishi was still unwilling to give up:
"We...we can go together!"
Yuan Zao shook her head again: "No."
Seeing Gan Zishi's visibly crumbling expression, Yuan Zao smiled:
"The place I'm going to... would attract too much attention if there were too many people. Besides, Master Liansheng doesn't know martial arts, while you, young hero, are highly skilled. It would be best if you, young hero, protected Master Liansheng. Don't worry, young hero Gan, this is where I grew up, I know it better than anyone else, I'll be right back. I'll leave Master Liansheng in your care."
After saying this, Yuan Zao cupped her hands in a gesture of respect to Gan Zishi, indicating that Ling'er's affairs were her affairs as well.
Moreover, Master Liansheng has a special status, and Yuan Zao sincerely asked him for help.
Now that things had come to this, Gan Zishi could say nothing more. He tightened his grip on his hands behind his back, and nodded under Yuan Zao's clear and sincere gaze.
"……nature."
Yuan Zao felt relieved, put on his large felt hat, and was about to hurry eastward when a voice suddenly came from behind him:
"One hour."
Yuan Zao was stunned for a moment, then turned around to see Gan Zishi's cheerful face staring steadily at her:
"If you don't return within an hour, I will come looking for you."
An attitude that leaves no room for refusal.
After saying that, he sat down under the tree with his sword in his arms. On the other side of the tree was Lian Sheng, who was resting with his eyes closed and muttering something to himself.
Yuan Zao: "..."
Yuan Zao was somewhat puzzled. She blinked, and after a long while, she said softly:
"……good."
He turned his head and used his light footwork to disappear into the darkness.
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This is at the easternmost part of Jinling City. If you walk along the downstream of the moat, there is a small waterfall.
Unbeknownst to outsiders, there is a secret passage behind this waterfall, which is also the long-sealed secret passage of the World's Number One Escort Agency.
The other side of the secret passage is just outside Jinling City.
The world's number one escort agency has stations all over the country, but this one is the only one built underground, leading directly outside the city. Many years ago, it was used to exchange letters during wartime, and then for a long time, the people lived in peace and prosperity, so this secret passage remained unused.
Furthermore, due to long-term neglect, it was abandoned many years ago.
Jiang Ling'er was behind the waterfall, holding a tinderbox in her hand. She walked down the dark passage little by little. Suddenly, she extinguished the tinderbox with two fingers, and with her feet moving like a ghost, she hid behind the jagged rocks. She turned to the side and quietly peeked out her eyes.
There is someone.
They were still Jurchens dressed in military uniforms.
Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth, never expecting that the Jurchens' henchmen had already found their way here.
Fortunately, there was only one Jin soldier.
The road ahead seemed to be a dead end. The Jin soldier, like her, was holding a tinderbox and looking around.
She used her light-footed skill to approach him silently and struck him directly in the back of his back with a palm strike!
Unfortunately, the water behind the waterfall was so clear that Jiang Ling'er was noticed as soon as she made her move. The Jin soldiers turned aside, and Jiang Ling'er struck the boulder behind the waterfall with her "Thunderclap" palm!
The tinder in the Jin soldier's hand fell to the ground and went out.
Instantly, a crack appeared in the boulder, but at the same time, she felt a piercing pain in her right palm, and the cloth tied around her right wrist turned red in an instant.
The two wounds inflicted by the yellow dog reopened.
Jiang Ling'er dared not linger and gritted her teeth to swallow the painkillers. The two began to spar in the narrow passageway!
For a moment, the "Thunderous" Palm, with its intertwined blue and purple electric currents, clashed with the "Miraculous Lotus Palm," which was as delicate as a willow swaying in the wind yet concealed a strong resilience!
The moment their palms touched, both of them realized what was happening:
"Xiaozao?!"
"Sister Ling'er!"
Yuan Zao's kung fu was no match for Jiang Ling'er's. He was struck by a palm strike and his back slammed heavily against a boulder!
Jiang Ling'er, due to the injury on her wrist, was instead devoured by the "Thunder," and her back slammed against the boulder cliff! She was even more severely injured than Yuan Zao.
Yuan Zao gasped and scrambled to her feet, not even bothering to straighten her clothes, before helping Jiang Ling'er up.
"Sister Ling'er, are you alright?"
Jiang Ling'er was both surprised and angry: "Didn't Pei Xuan say...didn't he say Chunyu Hun took you out? Why are you back?!"
Yuan Zao paused, bit her lower lip, and released her hand from Jiang Ling'er's support. She bit her lower lip repeatedly, finally unable to swallow her anger, and glared at Jiang Ling'er with red eyes:
"Sister Ling'er, it's fine if Father doesn't believe me, but don't you believe me either? This isn't just your home, it's my home too! Are you allowed to protect your own homes, but I'm not allowed to protect mine?!"
Jiang Ling'er was stunned by the shout, and it took her a while to come to her senses. She laughed and stood up by herself, leaning against the cliff.
"I forgot, I forgot that Xiaozao has grown up too."
Yuan Zao was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward to help Jiang Ling'er up, and said urgently:
"Sister Ling'er, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get angry with you... Sister Ling'er, how did you get hurt?"
"It was just a bite from a puppy, it's nothing."
Jiang Ling'er shook her head, indicating that she was fine.
But Yuan Zao wouldn't let her get away with it so easily. She quickly untied the cloth wrapped around her wrist and gasped when she saw the two bloody, mangled skull-like wounds: "Such serious injuries and you say you're fine!" She was both heartbroken and angry, but her movements were incredibly gentle as she cleaned the wounds and then tore off a piece of her own clothing to re-wrap the cloth around her wrist. "How did you get bitten by a dog like that..."
Jiang Ling'er, however, was still immersed in the joy of discovering that Yuan Zao had grown up:
“You’re right, Jinling is our home. If we ignore it, who else can we rely on?! We should drive the Jin dogs out the way they came!”
As he spoke, he aggravated the wound on his wrist, letting out a soft hiss and instantly breaking out in a cold sweat.
Yuan Zao glared at her: "Be careful!"
"Let's not talk about this..." Jiang Ling'er shook her head, refusing Yuan Zao's help, and instead leaned against the cliff, slowly saying, "I never thought we'd come to the same conclusion. To safely evacuate tens of thousands of people from Jinling City, we must open the world's number one secret passage for escorting goods. It's a pity..."
Jiang Ling'er and Yuan Zao both looked into the secret passage, at the sealed dead end.
"All the communication points of the Number One Escort Agency are managed by the Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall. It's a pity that Master Ye Ranqiu, the Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall, has never been seen..."
Yuan Zao continued, "Moreover, the mechanisms in the secret passage can only be opened with the chief镖头's (chief镖头's) written order..."
Jiang Ling'er's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito: "We still don't know where Zhao Xiao is..."
Yuan Zao suddenly paused, stunned for a moment, and then said:
"Sister Ling'er, I...may know."
"You know?" Jiang Ling'er asked in surprise, then suddenly remembered something and shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, Zhao Xiao... he's not the same Zhao Xiao he used to be. He's treacherous, cunning, and has a fickle personality. I can't let you take such a risk..."
“Sister Ling’er, have you forgotten? Zhao Xiao… his kung fu has been crippled, he can’t hurt me. Besides, there are more important things for you to do. Since we need to coordinate the safe evacuation of all the people in the city, we need someone’s help with this.”
Jiang Ling'er picked up the conversation, for she knew all too well: "The Prefect of Jinling."
“That’s right.” Yuan Zao nodded. Sure enough, they had thought of the same thing. “There’s still no news from the Prefect of Jinling… He must be under house arrest by the Jin soldiers. The Prefect’s residence is probably in even greater danger…”
As Yuan Zao was speaking, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the bandage on Jiang Ling'er's right wrist was soaked with blood again. Startled, she quickly changed her words:
"Sister Ling'er, the Prefect's Mansion is still..."
"I'll go." Jiang Ling'er interrupted her without room for argument. "Only I can go to the Prefect's residence, but Zhao Xiao's place... I can only leave it to you. Remember, this Zhao Xiao is no longer the Zhao Xiao we remember! You just need to remember to use brute force to snatch the edict directly, don't waste your breath arguing with him, understand?"
Under Jiang Ling'er's gaze, Yuan Zao slowly nodded:
"I've got it."
The two sisters agreed on a time and place and then went their separate ways. Yuan Zao only remembered after she left, "Oh no, I forgot to mention Master Lian Sheng!"
But when they looked back, they could no longer see Jiang Ling'er's figure.
I could only think that I would talk to Sister Ling'er next time we met.
Yuan Zao then used his light-footed skill to quickly leave.
Shortly after they left, a figure emerged from behind the waterfall, glanced in the direction the two had gone, stroked the whisk on his wrist, chuckled coldly, and took out a tiny, grayish-brown insect the size of a grain of rice from his wide sleeve. He placed it on the forest path, and the insect immediately burrowed into the soil and disappeared without a trace.
"Good boy, go."
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Under the Qinhuai River Bridge in Nanjing.
Yuan Zao used his lightness skill the whole way, not stopping for even a moment. But he stopped when he got close to the bridge arch.
As if feeling apprehensive about returning home, he hesitated and slowly walked over.
Sure enough, in the distance, I saw a person curled up in a ball, sitting dejectedly under the dark bridge arch.
When the news of Uncle Zhao Ji's death came... he felt the same way.
Yuan Zao's breath hitched, and she whispered, as if afraid of disturbing him, in a voice only she could hear:
“...Zhao Xiao”.
Senior brother.
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Jiang Ling'er is on her way back at this moment.
She dodged the Jin soldiers' spies all the way, using her light-footed skills to leap across the rooftops until she finally reached the woodshed. Before she even went inside, she heard a hurried cry of surprise.
It was Ma Qingmei's voice.
Jiang Ling'er was slightly taken aback, but without further hesitation, she climbed through the window and went inside!
“Ma Qingmei! Pei…”
Jiang Ling'er paused, then looked up to see Da Huang growling, while Pei Xuan, who had just woken up, was pinning Ma Qingmei against the wall...
Enraged, he grabbed the mortar and pestle that Ma Qingmei used to grind medicine powder from beside him and smashed it over there!
"You shameless, scoundrel Taoist priest!"
Ma Qingmei exclaimed in surprise, "Wait...wait a minute!"
Unfortunately, it was too late. The mortar and pestle struck the young Taoist priest squarely on the back, and Pei Xuan, who had barely regained consciousness, fainted again.
——
Fifteen minutes later.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness no bones were damaged..."
After examining the young Taoist's back injury, Ma Qingmei breathed a sigh of relief. She then explained to Jiang Ling'er, whose face looked pale:
"You...you're too impulsive! It's not what you think at all! Dahuang often picks up and eats the leftover dregs of medicine that I don't want. Today, it accidentally ate some dregs that would drive livestock mad. This Taoist priest was trying to save me, which is why there was this misunderstanding..." After saying that, she couldn't help but ask doubtfully, "How could the Taoist priest be such a...so blinded by lust? He's clearly so understanding and polite..."
Jiang Ling'er exclaimed incredulously, "Him? He's so understanding and polite? He has a criminal record!"
Pei Xuan, standing to the side, sighed and smiled wryly, "So that's how you see me."
Jiang Ling'er narrowed her eyes and sneered: "Tell me next time this guy dares to lay a hand on you!"
Jiang Ling'er said this, but her actions showed her concern. She placed her palm on his injured back and used her internal energy to heal him.
Pei Xuan gave a wry smile, but her eyes revealed her satisfaction. Her beautiful phoenix eyes sparkled with a faint smile.
Ma Qingmei silently observed the two for a long time, then suddenly uttered a startling statement:
"May I ask, Elder Daoist... how did the young master of Sun and Moon Fortress suddenly turn to Taoism?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling'er and Pei Xuan both froze, exclaiming in unison:
"ah???"
Jiang Ling'er almost stuttered:
"What did you say? He... he's not the young master of Sun and Moon Fortress, he's not Ji Yunshu! Besides, who am I deeply in love with?"
Only after she finished speaking did she realize that, apart from them, very few... no, almost no one knew about her divorce from Ji Yunshu.
Pei Xuan also looked disgusted and indignant: "I have no grudge against Miss Ma, how can you compare me to such a person?"
Jiang Ling'er: "..."
To their surprise, Ma Qingmei was even more astonished than they were. She looked at Jiang Ling'er with some apology, but mostly with incomprehension. She scratched her head, seemingly unable to understand, and muttered, "Who in the entire Jinling City doesn't know how deeply in love you and the young master of Riyue Fortress are? I saw you searching the streets and alleys for a doctor for this Taoist priest, kneeling before me for him, and even getting bitten by Dahuang. I thought he was your husband..."
Unwittingly, Pei Xuan's long eyelashes trembled, and he lifted his eyelids. In an instant, the mischievous smile vanished from his pale, almost bloodless, handsome face.
He stared intently at Ma Qingmei, his voice still a little hoarse, his phoenix eyes strikingly dark:
"……What did you say?"
Each word he spoke was uttered in a deep voice that seemed to have been honed by wind and sand.
Before Ma Qingmei could even reply, Pei Xuan caught a glimpse of blood seeping from Jiang Ling'er's wrist. Instantly, he seemed to transform into a different person. In the blink of an eye, before anyone could react, Pei Xuan had already grasped Jiang Ling'er's hand, leaned forward, and asked her in a low but clear voice, brooking no refusal:
How did you get hurt?
The vicious dog that had been raging suddenly whimpered for some reason, hid behind Ma Qingmei, buried its head, and trembled all over, not daring to look out.
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Author's note: Goodnight~
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