Qi Yuan noticed her pale face and raised a brow. “Scared?”
For some reason, although she clearly should be afraid, Lihua really didn’t find it that hard to accept.
She shook her head and said softly, “If you hadn’t saved me, a few days from now I’d be just another corpse thrown carelessly into a pauper’s grave, not even leaving behind a name.”
So no, she wasn’t afraid.
Qi Yuan was such a good person—anything she did must have had her reasons.
If it weren’t absolutely necessary to kill those people, Lihua believed Qi Yuan wouldn’t have made a move.
Seeing her say that, Qi Yuan gave a small smile, reached out to pat her head, and said “Mm.” Then she added, “Good. I’m going to tell you something important now—you must remember it, all right?”
Lihua immediately perked up. “Yes! Don’t worry, miss. Even if I have to crawl through fire or repay you in the next life, I’ll return your kindness!”
That must have been a line she picked up from the escorts, and now it had finally come in handy.
Qi Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not that serious. I just need you to go to the capital and pass along a message for me.”
Lihua didn’t even know where the gates of the capital were, but since Qi Yuan had said so, she suddenly found boundless courage rising in her. She didn’t even ask what the message was—she simply nodded fiercely.
Qi Yuan let out a sharp whistle. Soon, a few black-clad figures emerged and began disposing of the corpses.
Then Qi Yuan and Lihua changed clothes. The garments and shoes they’d worn before were thrown into a fire and burned. They washed their faces and hair by the river.
Watching Qi Yuan dunk her entire head in the freezing river in the middle of winter, Lihua blinked in a daze and said, “Miss, girls shouldn’t wash their hair in cold water…”
It would cause lingering headaches later in life. Her mother had taught her that.
But her mother was gone now.
She sniffled.
Qi Yuan didn’t care. She was covered in blood, head to toe—even her hair was stained. If she went out looking like this, she wouldn’t get ten steps before being arrested and handed over to the authorities.
She had to erase every trace.
Once they were clean and dressed, Qi Yuan tied up her still-damp hair and brought Lihua to a nearby town. She found an inn, got Lihua a room, and said softly, “I’ve left a signal. Someone should come looking for you today or tomorrow. Just go with them, meet their master, and deliver my message.”
She asked, “Can you do it?”
Without missing a beat, Lihua recited the message Qi Yuan had taught her word for word. Her eyes sparkled. “Miss, I can do it!”
“Good girl.” Qi Yuan took out a banknote worth a hundred taels of silver, and then placed two five-tael silver ingots on the table. “Keep these for protection. I can’t give you too much, or you’ll attract attention and that’ll only cause more trouble.”
Lihua wanted to refuse, but Qi Yuan raised a hand to stop her. “Don’t turn it down. I’ll feel more at ease if you take it.”
Hearing that, Lihua nodded. She watched as Qi Yuan left the room, then ran to the window. Looking out, all she could catch was the sight of Qi Yuan’s back, which quickly vanished from view.
Lihua bit her lip, struggling to hold back tears.
That night, when someone knocked on her door with three long and two short raps, just as Qi Yuan had described, she immediately flung it open.
Moonlight sank low as the sun rose—it was a new day.
***
Huang Wenjun packed his things and rushed home to see his wife and son.
In the warm sunlight, clothes and blankets were drying in the courtyard. His wife was airing herbs under a rack, while his son was toddling by a stack of bricks, learning to walk.
Seeing the scene, his eyes curved into happy crescents. Laughing heartily, he called out, “Son!”
The little boy, just over a year old, let out a few excited sounds and tried to waddle over—only to fall with a plop and burst into tears.
Huang Wenjun rushed over and picked him up, teasing his nose with a grin. “A real man doesn’t cry over one fall!”
His wife scolded him, “What ‘real man’? He’s barely been walking for a few days!”
Huang Wenjun chuckled and set the boy down, then pulled out two banknotes from his clothes and handed them to her.
His wife looked at him in surprise. “What’s this?”
When she saw the amount, her eyes widened in shock and she gasped. “Heavens! That much silver?!”
Huang Wenjun was technically a security head escort, but there were five or six other heads in their firm.
He wasn’t the standout one—he’d only earned the position through seniority.
Normally, he only earned slightly more than a regular escort. A good year might net him about a hundred taels.
And that was already living comfortably.
But now, he’d brought home two thousand taels in one go!
Seeing her stunned joy, he squinted with pride. “Just keep it. I earned it fair and square. And really—this is nothing!”
His wife stared at him, speechless. “You…”
“This is nothing!” he cut her off. “There’s more where that came from!”
He set down the baby. “I’ve got business to attend to—will be gone a few days. Take care of the boy. Buy whatever you want—don’t skimp!”
His wife was stunned speechless. When he turned to go, she called out, “Where are you going?”
“Capital!” Huang Wenjun grinned. “I’m gonna earn ten thousand taels for you!”
…
His wife’s eyes went round. Ten thousand?!
That would be enough for generations!
She clutched the silver notes and burst into joyful laughter.
***
Huang Wenjun entered the capital by afternoon. This time, he didn’t head for the gambling dens by the City God Temple, but instead went straight to the outer gates of Duke Chu’s residence.
He approached the gatekeeper with respectful words.
The man glanced at him with disdain. “Who are you? Got a calling card?”
“I’m a head escort from the Dongping Escort Agency…”
Before he could finish, the gatekeeper cut him off with a sneer. “Scram, scram! We don’t have time for the likes of you! This isn’t a place for commoners!”
Annoying little thug.
Huang Wenjun grew anxious. “I really do have urgent business for someone in your house! It concerns your own family!”
The gatekeeper scoffed and laughed. “You, a broke nobody, have business with us? What could possibly concern us? Get lost before I rough you up!”
Huang Wenjun grew frantic. “It’s news about your shizi! Don’t you want to hear it?!”
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