Chapter 205 Being nice to her is my instinct
Hearing Qin Ke mention Shangguan Hong in such a strange way, Zhong Min immediately realized that he might know something, so he nodded repeatedly and said affirmatively: "Yes, he said his name is Shangguan Hong. I think he should be true. He even said he wanted to kill me, so there is no need for him to lie about his name."
Although Zhong Min hated Shangguan Hong, she honestly felt there was no need for him to lie about his name. It would have been better to just not tell her. To him, she was completely harmless, like a piece of fish on a chopping board, ready to be slaughtered. But now she had somehow escaped his clutches. He must be livid.
Thinking of this, Zhong Min felt very happy. That nasty guy had made her very angry before, and now he was finally getting his revenge. "Brother Qin, have you heard of him?"
Looking at Shangguan Hong's appearance, it was obvious that he must have an extraordinary family background and a prominent status. Qin Ke might actually know such a person. After all, Qin Ke's identity and the things he had done in the past destined him to have the opportunity to know or come into contact with such a person.
But Qin Ke didn't say anything, neither confirming nor denying. After a moment, he turned to Zhong Min and said, "Do you know what's so special about the surname Shangguan?"
"Shangguan? Isn't it just a double surname?" Zhong Min naturally didn't know this, but since Qin Ke asked this, it must mean that there must be something special about him: "Brother Qin, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me, I don't think that brat is an ordinary person. Could he really have some special identity?"
"Min'er, Shangguan is the surname of the Xirong people!" Qin Ke said word by word, "From what you've said, I can't confirm Shangguan Hong's true identity, but he should be a member of the Xirong royal family, so his status must be high."
"The royal family!" Zhong Min suddenly realized and blurted out, "No wonder, this guy is so young, yet he has such an imposing aura. You can tell at a glance that he lives a life of luxury. But I never thought he could be a member of the Xirong royal family!"
After hearing Zhong Min's words, Qin Ke thought for a moment and said, "It's not difficult to get to the bottom of this matter. With names and surnames, we can quickly find out. But why did Shangguan Hong want to kill you? And with his status, why would he do it personally? Min'er, do you have any clues about the reason?"
"How would I know? I'm still upset. When did I actually offend such a master? Also, Ah San and the others are also from Xirong, so the master they are talking about should also be some temple figure or people from Xirong. I don't understand why these people are all looking for trouble with me?"
Zhong Min was helpless. She was still feeling incredibly aggrieved. Either it was Li Jin'er's debt, or those bastards had gone mad. She couldn't understand why they were targeting her like this. They were either out to kill her or to arrest her. Either way, it was all bad luck.
Seeing Zhong Min's helpless and annoyed expression, Qin Ke stopped asking her about it and said with a smile, "Forget it, don't think about it. When we return to Muzhou, we will find out everything."
Zhong Min naturally understood what Qin Ke meant. With Xiao Mingzheng's intelligence network in various places and these clues, if she put in some effort to investigate, she would definitely gain something. But when she thought of Xiao Mingzheng, she felt a little uncomfortable. Now that she had almost finished talking about her side of the story, shouldn't Qin Ke also start talking about the situation in Muzhou?
She was too embarrassed to ask again, but Qin Ke could tell what she was thinking at a glance from her expression. They had been together for most of half a year, and based on Qin Ke's understanding and observation of her, a look from her could mean nothing wrong.
"Do you want to know what happened when I went to Muzhou?" He took the initiative to tell her, and he didn't want her to have any worries at any time.
Zhong Min nodded slightly and smiled in praise. She was extremely grateful for Qin Ke's understanding and consideration.
"After I arrived in Muzhou, I returned the things to Prince Mu as you requested, and relayed everything you said at the time." He said calmly, "The prince didn't say anything. I think he knows you very well. He did that before because he was worried about you. Before leaving, I unexpectedly ran into Xiaowu who came back with the news that you had been kidnapped by a group of men in black. Upon hearing this, Prince Mu and I reached a consensus and decided to rescue you immediately."
Qin Ke paused, but didn't hide anything. He said frankly, "Prince Mu originally wanted to come and rescue you personally, but I stopped him. I can understand his feelings, but the situation in Muzhou is too dangerous now. If people knew that Prince Mu had left, it would definitely attract the attention of the court, which would not be good for him or for saving you, so I didn't let him come. But I promised him that no matter what, I would definitely rescue you safely and send you back to Muzhou safely."
"Do we have to go to Muzhou?" Hearing that Xiao Mingzheng cared about her so much, to be honest, Zhong Min had an indescribable complicated feeling in her heart. She deliberately avoided what Qin Ke said about Xiao Mingzheng, and mentioned the most important issue of where they were going now.
Although she knew that Qin Ke said this out of consideration, and knew that under the current circumstances there was no place safer than going to Muzhou, there was always a knot in her heart. She didn't know what position she would have to return to Muzhou, and what kind of things she would face after she got there.
Hearing Zhong Min's words, Qin Ke naturally understood what she was thinking. He paused slightly, and his gentle eyes swept back and forth across the somewhat bewildered face. Finally, he said, "Min'er, I know you still can't let him go. Although you have never mentioned him on your own initiative these days, there are some things that I see more clearly than you. If I'm not mistaken, even in this situation, you have been carrying the plain hairpin he gave you in your clothes from beginning to end, right?"
As soon as these words came out, Zhong Min subconsciously reached out and touched the place where she had put her things, but her expression turned gloomy. For so long, she had been carefully hiding her feelings, but she didn't expect Qin Ke to find out. She didn't want to deny anything. Although she didn't want to develop a relationship with Xiao Mingzheng anymore, she often couldn't control her feelings.
"It's just a little fun when I have nothing to do. It's nothing." In front of Qin Ke, she didn't want to say anything more: "Maybe, I can go to the south, or go to someplace farther away."
"Under the whole heaven, there is no place like the emperor's. Now that so many people want to find you, where do you think you can hide?" Qin Ke sighed slightly and said patiently: "Min'er, I know what you are thinking. To be honest, if possible, I don't want you to return to Muzhou. However, at the moment, only King Mu has enough power to protect you."
"But I don't want to receive his favor anymore. I can't afford to owe him." Zhong Min frowned stubbornly, but he didn't know whether this was said to Qin Ke or to himself, or perhaps neither.
"If you insist on not returning to Muzhou, I will naturally listen to you. I will follow you wherever you go, and I will protect you even if it means sacrificing everything. However, if you are in any danger, he will definitely not stand idly by. You may feel that you owe him, but for him, it is an instinct. The manpower and material resources consumed will only be greater, and you will owe him more."
Qin Ke felt extremely uncomfortable when he said this, but he had to say it because he didn't want this silly girl to keep deceiving herself and suffering. Since they would never have the chance to be together again in this life, he hoped that she could be happy, and he only needed to watch her live a good and happy life silently.
"So, Min'er, let's go back to Muzhou first. Firstly, it's the best way to protect your safety. Secondly, some things must be truly concluded. No matter what, just think of it as giving your heart another chance. Even if you still choose to leave in the future, at least you can truly let go of everything by then."
Every word Qin Ke said pierced Zhong Min's heart. She had to admit, she had no way to refute it. Well, if that was the case, Muzhou seemed like the only suitable place for her right now. She didn't want to constantly cause trouble, but it wasn't something she could decide. Instead, it would be better to do as Qin Ke suggested and resolve this matter thoroughly first. As for what would happen in the future, and what would become of her and Xiao Mingzheng, perhaps letting things take their course and taking things one step at a time was the best approach.
Zhong Min nodded slightly and said nothing more. She had heard Qin Ke talk about some things before, but he didn't say them in detail. For example, what did Qin Ke say to Xiao Mingzheng in Muzhou at that time? Qin Ke only mentioned these briefly but didn't explain them in detail. Although she was curious and wanted to know, she still endured it.
She knew Qin Ke's personality well. He could tell her things without her asking, just like what he had just said. Although he could have kept it to himself and it would have made him feel bad, he still said it without hesitation as long as it was good for her. Similarly, he would not tell her things even if she asked. For the same reason, he was also thinking about her and doing it for her own good.
Sitting there quietly, Zhong Min stared in a daze at the night sky that was darker than ink. Seeing this, Qin Ke said nothing more, but signaled Xier beside him with his eyes to take good care of Zhong Min, and he stood up and walked towards Xiaowu.
Asking Xiaowu to fetch some writing materials, Qin Ke quickly wrote a letter and handed it to Xiaowu, asking him to send someone to rush back to Muzhou and hand it to King Mu. The situation was complicated, so he had to inform King Mu of what had happened in writing so that he could prepare in advance.
It is definitely impossible for them to return to Muzhou peacefully along the way, so they don’t know how long the delay will last. Therefore, sending someone to deliver a message first can also make Xiao Mingzheng feel more at ease, and the agreement between them can also be more solid.
Back by the fire, Zhong Min seemed to have regained her usual composure. This girl was truly the best in that regard; no matter what happened, she could quickly adjust her mood and recover. Qin Ke couldn't help but smile. It seemed that discussing the journey with her wouldn't be a problem.
"Min'er, we'll be leaving for Muzhou tomorrow morning. The journey won't be peaceful. We're a large group, and if we travel together, we'll easily attract attention, making it easier for them to find us." Qin Ke said, "So, I want to separate the people we have now. Firstly, this will make us less conspicuous, and secondly, Xiaowu and the others are secret guards. They're not only better at providing covert protection, but it's also safer."
"You're right. I have no objection to these. You've already discussed it in advance, so just do as you said." Zhong Min had no other opinions.
"Xier will also go her separate ways from you starting tomorrow. If you two are together, it will be a bit eye-catching. Let Xiaowu take her with him." Qin Ke said again.
Zhong Min still did not object and nodded obediently. Xier on the side seemed to have something to say, but seeing that Zhong Min had already nodded, she had no choice but to shut up and said nothing more.
"Nothing, go to bed early. You know you have to get up early." Qin Ke took off his cloak and put it on Zhong Min. Zhong Min did not refuse his kindness. After all, she knew in her heart that even if she refused now, she would still be wearing the cloak when she woke up in the morning.
The night grew darker and darker, and gradually everyone fell asleep, leaving only a few secret guards who took turns to guard and stand guard over there.
At dawn the next day, Zhong Min was awakened by a very slight noise. When she woke up, she found that she had escaped from Shangguan Hong and was with Qin Ke and the others.
"Did I wake you up?" Qin Ke originally wanted to let Zhong Min sleep for a while longer, but he didn't expect the girl to wake up like this.
Stretching, Zhong Min said playfully as he stood up, "I'm about to wake up. This isn't a good place to sleep in."
She stood up and stretched a bit, and her stiff body gradually felt better. Qin Ke woke up Xier who was still dreaming, and the group quickly packed up, ate something, and then set off in batches as originally planned.
Two secret guards led the way, and Zhong Min, Qin Ke and Xiao Liu each rode a fast horse and set off. Xiao Wu took Xier on the road alone, and the other secret guards also secretly contacted each other for protection.
For two days, Zhong Min and her companions encountered no trouble. As dusk fell on the third day, they finally reached a small town and found the only inn there to stay. The advance guards had already scouted the area and found nothing amiss. Furthermore, since they had been camping outdoors for the past few days, Qin Ke naturally wanted to make Zhong Min's stay a little more comfortable.
They requested two rooms and had the waiter bring some food and hot water to the rooms. Xiaoliu and Qin Ke stayed in one room, while Zhong Min stayed in another. The two rooms were next to each other and were safe after checking.
However, Zhong Min suddenly discovered that there seemed to be no other guests in the inn except them, and there was not even anyone eating there. He couldn't help but feel suspicious for a moment.
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