Chapter 196 Let Me Protect You
"Xiang'er, don't be anxious. Tell me slowly what happened." Zhong Min patted Xiang'er hurriedly to calm her panic. It seemed that the little girl was obviously scared.
Xiang'er took a few more breaths, trying to calm herself down, and finally spoke coherently, "Sister Min, a group of men in black suddenly came to the village. They were extremely vicious, and as soon as they entered, they grabbed Fourth Uncle and kept asking about your whereabouts. My mother said they were definitely not good people, so she asked me to come here immediately to inform you. Uncle Qin is not here now, so she told you to hide in the mountains first."
"Men in black?" Zhong Min's brows furrowed even deeper upon hearing this. No wonder she'd been feeling uneasy these past few days. It seemed her ability to foresee danger was truly remarkable. "Xiang'er, how many men in black are there?"
"There were about twenty people, all holding knives and swords. Two of them were riding horses, and they also drove a carriage over." Xiang'er said as she recalled, "Sister Min'er, don't ask so many questions. Hurry and hide in the mountains!"
Xier was so frightened when she heard this that she dropped what she was holding aside and grabbed Zhong Min's hand, wanting to run out. However, Zhong Min stood there motionless, only to suddenly glance outside and say quietly, "It's too late, they're already here."
Just as she finished her words, she saw six or seven men in black dragging a man from the Li family in the village up and heading straight towards their courtyard.
Soon, the men in black entered the yard, but they did not make any big moves. They stopped when they were five or six steps away from Zhong Min. The two men in front looked quite familiar. Zhong Min suddenly remembered where he had seen these two men before, no, to be precise, twice.
"It's you!" She said to them in a cold voice, "Let him go. This has nothing to do with the villagers."
He was naturally referring to the villager that the men in black had forced to lead the way. Upon hearing this, the man immediately said to Zhong Min with a bitter face, "Miss Min'er, I'm so sorry, I have no choice."
Seeing this, the leading black-clad man pushed the man away and said to Zhong Min with a smile, "Don't worry, young lady. Our mission this time is just to bring you back safely. As long as you cooperate, the others will naturally not touch them at all!"
"Take him back? From the way you speak, it seems as if we knew each other before, right?" Zhong Min asked, "But why can't I remember ever having any connection with the Xirong people? You've been trying to capture me time and time again. Why is it that? Where are you taking me?"
"There's no need to ask any more questions, young lady. You'll understand everything once you get there!" The man in black said, "Let's go. There are many people in the village waiting to see you. Even the carriage is ready for you. Let's not waste time."
"You bad guys, you are not allowed to take Sister Min away!" Xiang'er didn't know where she got the courage from when she heard it, but she stood in front of Zhong Min and stared at the men in black angrily, as if she wanted to protect Zhong Min.
"Oh, this little girl is quite impressive, isn't she? Why, you want to go with her too?" The man in black laughed, his face looking extremely proud. "Forget it, my master wouldn't be interested in a little girl like you. You'd better stay where you want to be!"
"You!" Xiang'er cursed angrily, "Don't be so complacent. When Uncle Qin comes back, he will definitely arrest all of you bad guys. Uncle Qin is very powerful. Even if you have more people, you can't beat him!"
"Qin Ke? Ha, I'm afraid he won't be back for a while!" The man in black snorted coldly and said to Zhong Min, "Not only Qin Ke, but also all the spies that Xiao Mingzheng had planted nearby have been taken care of by us. Young lady, don't harbor any unrealistic fantasies anymore!"
Zhong Min was stunned upon hearing this. She had anticipated this outcome. Otherwise, these men in black wouldn't have arrived without warning. It seemed they had a plan and were thoroughly prepared. Not only did they know Qin Ke's whereabouts, they also knew the movements of Xiao Mingzheng's men. This was truly extraordinary.
She thought for a moment, then pulled Xiang'er, who was still trying to resist, and half squatted down and said to Xiang'er, "Okay, Xiang'er, you can handle Sister Min's problems yourself. Xiang'er, go back with Uncle Heizi now. Your mother and home are waiting for you."
"Sister..." Xiang'er's face was full of worry. Although she was still young, she could see that these men in black were not good people, and taking Zhong Min away was definitely not a good thing.
"Be obedient and leave quickly!" Zhong Min pressed Xiang'er's Shuangying button lightly, and warned Xiang'er with her eyes that these men in black were not good people. It was already very good that she could protect other people from being implicated by her, so she didn't want to create any more trouble.
"Xier, please take good care of Xianger for me, okay?" Zhong Min winked at Xier, who was already at a loss, implying that the girl must stay calm and save herself first.
But Xier kept shaking her head. Ignoring Zhong Min's hint, she stepped forward, grabbed Zhong Min's hand, and said, "No, I won't leave. I said I'll follow you wherever you go!"
Before Zhong Min could say anything, Xi'er shouted to the black-clad men beside her, "I don't care who you are or where you're taking Jin'er. I'm going to follow her wherever she goes. Otherwise, even if I know I'm no match for you, I'd rather die than let you take her away!"
"Xier, what nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and go down the mountain with Xianger and the others!" Zhong Min was a little anxious. How could this silly girl not understand the current situation? These men in black wanted to catch her, so why did Xier follow them and jump into the pit?
But it was obviously too late for her to finish her words. Seeing this, the leading man in black said to Xier, "Since you want to follow us, that's fine. Someone has to take care of the girl along the way anyway, so we don't have to look for anyone else!"
Zhong Min was furious, but the situation was beyond her control. Seeing Xier's willingness to risk it all, she was deeply moved. After all, someone was willing to treat her this way in a life-or-death situation, so she had no regrets.
Xiang'er and Hei Shu were released by the men in black. Zhong Min suggested that they go into the house first to pack up their things. The leading man in black disagreed at first, but after thinking that the journey would take more than a day or two, he agreed. However, he did not let Zhong Min go in to pack up, but sent someone to follow Xi'er in to hurry up and pack up.
Seeing this, Zhong Min had no choice but to secretly glance at Xier, hoping that this girl could be smart enough to take advantage of the opportunity to enter the house and take as many "useful" things as possible without being discovered while being watched.
Xier was quite smart. Although Zhong Min didn't say anything, she still had some tacit understanding and brains. When she came out, she nodded suggestively to Zhong Min, and then looked at the bag in her hand. Seeing this, Zhong Min breathed a sigh of relief and followed the men in black down the mountain.
The leading man in black was quite trustworthy. When he went down to the village, Zhong Min saw that although the villagers looked frightened, no one was injured or in any accident. The man also briefly introduced himself and asked Zhong Min to call him Asan. His attitude towards Zhong Min did not seem to be bad, and he seemed to be a little cautious.
However, these people no longer gave Zhong Min any chance to talk or communicate with the villagers. Zhong Min could only smile at everyone soothingly, and then was forcibly invited to get on the carriage parked at the village intersection.
The carriage wasn't too large, but it was comfortably furnished. Everything needed for a long journey was stocked, clearly a meticulous plan had been made. Furthermore, all the curtains were secured, and Ah San had instructed them not to leave or peek outside without permission. If they were caught, they would be immediately tied up and blindfolded.
Having been threatened so clearly, Zhong Min and Xier naturally would not overestimate their own capabilities. At the moment, they had no ability to resist at all. Instead of being tied up and not even having the freedom to move, it would be better for them to remain calm and be honest for the time being and look for the right opportunity.
The carriage started, slowly leaving the small village. Xi'er, who had been holding onto Zhong Min's hand, finally relaxed a little, but she still looked extremely flustered and opened her mouth to speak to Zhong Min. Zhong Min quickly raised his other hand to signal Xi'er to be quiet for the moment, and then he listened intently to the noise outside again.
Based on her feeling, she judged that the carriage was not heading towards the capital, but she still couldn't figure out where it was going.
After a long while, she finally sighed deeply, turned to look at Xier, and whispered, "Xier, why are you so foolish to follow me? Even if these people haven't done anything to me yet, I can tell at a glance that they have no good intentions. I'm afraid that if you follow me..."
"Don't talk about that. No matter what, I'm going to follow you. I may not be able to help you in any way, but more people means more strength." Xier interrupted Zhong Min and said, "Besides, when Brother Qin comes back, Xiang'er and the others will naturally tell him our whereabouts. Then Brother Qin will definitely find a way to find us and rescue us. So before Brother Qin comes to rescue us, I will do my best to protect you and take good care of you!"
Xier spoke with extraordinary firmness, as if a powerful and special power was erupting in her heart, which made people feel moved.
"I don't know what to say!" Zhong Min hugged Xi'er and patted her on the back. "But don't worry, no matter what, I will do my best to protect you! Let's be careful along the way. We will definitely find the right opportunity to escape."
PS: Thanks to Xiao Wan and yingying1979 for the rice dumplings, they tasted good, haha~~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
