âWhere have you three been?â
Madam Liâs expression was slightly displeased as she looked at Daohua, Wentao, and Wenkai returning together.
Daohua smiled and said, âMother, we just went for a casual stroll.â
Madam Li frowned and said, âWhat about Manman?â As she spoke, she turned to Wenkai, âAnd what about both of your servants?â
Daohua stepped forward, took Madam Liâs arm, and smiled, âMother, I saw the camellias behind the temple bloomed exceptionally well, so I had Manman go pick some. But I was worried about her being alone, so I sent the servants with her too.â
âMother, donât be angry. Once the camellias are picked, I will make some lip balm and bring you the first one.â
Madam Li glanced sideways at her daughter with displeasure: âLook at you all, grown people already. Even if you want to go out and about, you should at least inform your elders beforehand. Suddenly disappearing like that, doesnât it make people worry?â
Daohua shook Madam Liâs arm, âMother, we wonât dare do it again next time.â
Madam Li looked at the three of them and said, âAlright, come with me to the courtyard, your grandmother must be anxious by now, and the templeâs novice has also delivered the vegetarian meal.â
At mealtime, Daohua said to the old Madam Yan and Madam Li, âGrandmother, Mother, itâs peak season for pears now, Iâm planning to stay in Taohua Village for a while to pickle some, so Old Madam Gu wonât run out.â
Old Madam Yan asked, âHas Old Sister Guâs cough improved?â
Daohua nodded, âMuch better.â
Madam Li was silent for a moment, then glanced at her daughter, ââ¦Yunyan and Yunxi are still at our place, so make sure you come back early and donât neglect our guests.â
Daohua nodded repeatedly, smiling, âMother, rest assured, Iâll head to Taohua Village this afternoon and promise to come back as soon as Iâm done.â
Madam Li was surprised, âToday? Whatâs the rush?â
Daohua hesitated, âItâs just that I ran out of the preserved pears I had before, so Iâm in a hurry.â
Madam Li was about to say something more, but old Madam Yan chuckled and interjected, âAlright, the girl knows what sheâs doing, you donât need to worry so much. We rarely get to go out, so let yourself relax a bit.â
Madam Li had no choice but to nod and smile, âYes, Mother.â
â¦
The docks at the outskirts of Ningmen Prefecture.
Qin Xiaoliu, along with Qin Xing, Qin Wang, Tieshou, and Tietou, exhausted themselves carrying two heavy boxes onto the ship.
Wang Manman stood to one side, keeping watch.
âThese five lads are really heavy!â
Qin Xiaoliu wiped the sweat from his forehead, then opened the chests to check and seeing all five unconscious, he said, âThereâs no need to close the boxes, we wouldnât want to suffocate them.â
Having said that, he led the other four out of the cabin.
No sooner had they left, Wei Qi and Wu Jingyi swiftly opened their eyes.
The two were often in contact with sleeping powders and had developed some resistance.
Wei Qi struggled to sit up, poked his head out of the box to look around, and after determining there was no danger, he breathed a sigh of relief.
At this point, Wu Jingyi also popped his head out, panting, âEunuch An should think about losing weight, his bulk nearly suffocated me.â
Upon saying that, he exchanged a look with Wei Qi.
Then both of them revealed a bitter expression.
To think, one a dignified leader of the Imperial Guards, and the other a commander of the five armies, had been knocked out and tied up by a few youngsters, it was downright embarrassing.
Wu Jingyi grumbled, âTo spend all day hunting geese only to be pecked by one, itâs really absurd.â
Wei Qi didnât speak, he tried to shrink back, careful not to bump into the Fifth Master in the same box.
Wu Jingyi looked around, âWhat do we do now?â
Wei Qi said, âThe Imperial Guards will notice weâre gone and surely search for us.â
Upon hearing this, Wu Jingyi heaved another sigh, âWe shouldnât have sent all the Imperial Guards out to gather intelligence on Jing Cao. We should have kept a couple of them behind.â
They had been a bit too confident. Had they left two people by their side, would they have been captured?
Wei Qi remained silent without joining in the conversation. He never indulged in futile regret over things that had already happened, but instead, he silently adjusted his internal breath to quickly dispel the drugâs effects from his body.@@novelbin@@
Wu Jingyi stopped talking as well, and began to meditate, but after a short while, he spoke again, âI must say, the potency of this Sleeping Powder is really strong. After this ordeal, we need to get some for ourselves.â
Wei Qi nodded, âThis Sleeping Powder is indeed better than what we have.â
Not much later, the other three also opened their eyes.
âFifth Master!â
As soon as the eunuch An woke up and saw that he, along with Wu Jingyi and Yang Chenghua, had been captured, his face changed drastically with fear as he shouted frantically, âFifth Master, whereâs the Fifth Master?â
âCough cough~â
Only when the coughing sound came from the neighboring crate did Eunuch An breathe a sigh of relief. His already slumped body relaxed even further, and he muttered under his breath, âYou scared me to death.â
Once he had calmed down, Eunuch An immediately looked at Wu Jingyi with blame, âCommodore Wu, how did you protect the Fifth Master? How could you let the Fifth Master be captured?â
Wu Jingyi was somewhat speechless, âEunuch An, werenât you the first one to fall? If you had given a timely warning, would we have ended up like this?â
Eunuch An was stunned for a moment, then said with righteous indignation, âI am responsible for attending to the Fifth Masterâs food and drink, and you are in charge of his security. The Fifth Master was captured; you are the primary person responsible.â
âEnough, stop talking. Do you want to embarrass us even more?â
The Fifth Masterâs slightly depressed voice sounded.
In an instant, both Wu Jingyi and Eunuch An fell silent.
The Fifth Master looked at Wei Qi, âPeople from the Yan Family?â
Wei Qi nodded.
Seeing this, the Fifth Master wasnât too worried. At worst, he would lose some face when brought before Yan Zhigao.
Yang Chenghua, seeing the atmosphere growing too tense, joked, âWhen Lord Yan sees us later, he will probably be scared to death. Once he gets back home, he will surely avenge us.â
Eunuch An immediately said, âDefinitely, especially that young girl. A girl from a good family, yet she uses Sleeping Powder as soon as she makes a move, and quite massively at that, not giving me any time to react.â
Wu Jingyi nodded, âSheâs also quite skilled with the slingshot, aiming straight for my face. Have a look, did it bruise?â
Just then, footsteps were heard outside, and the five men quickly closed their eyes again.
âBig Sister, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, youâve finally come!â
âStart the boat!â
âBig Sister, where are we going?â
âTo Taohua Village.â
âWhat are we going there for?â
âXiao Yeyang said not to publicize his search for someone. If we directly deliver the people to his residence, what if the news leaks and causes him trouble? Weâll transport the people to Taohua Village and then let him come and fetch them himself. That way, we can avoid any leaks.â
Upon hearing this conversation, the five men inside the crate couldnât help but open their eyes.
The Fifth Master looked at Wei Qi and whispered, âDoes Yangâer have a good relationship with the siblings from the Yan Family?â
Wei Qi replied, âFifth Master, have you forgotten? The Little Prince was saved by the eldest daughter of the Yan Family.â
The Fifth Master nodded, said nothing further, and closed his eyes again.
Daohua and the others had already come inside and checked the five people still unconscious in the crates.
âBy the way, you didnât get seen by anyone else while you were moving them, did you?â
âDonât worry, Miss, no one saw us.â