Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

"Did the imperial court really issue an obituary for the death of Xiao Yi, the fifth son of the Xiao family?"

"The Xiao family has no suspicions, right?"

Zhang Fei's voice lowered.

Hu Biao said confidently, "Brother, don't worry. This has been going on for three years. No one in the entire capital doesn't know about it. Even a three-year-old child knows that Xiao Yi, the fifth son of the Xiao family, fell off a cliff and died while fighting with the enemy."

He must have died jumping off such a high cliff. I heard that when he was found, he had been half-eaten by wild animals, but the jade pendant and clothes on his body confirmed that he was Xiao Wulang.

So, brother, you don't need to worry. What happened back then will definitely not come to light.

Besides, you later disfigured yourself, so no one recognizes you anymore.

And nobody remembers me anymore.

Tao'er's heart began to pound.

Xiao Yi?

She knew that name all too well!

She often heard the old lady mention it, and she also heard rumors and stories about various storytelling tea parties.

At this moment, she wondered if Xiao Yi hadn't died in battle, but rather...

And isn't this leader a bandit chief?

Or does he have another identity?

"Xiao Yi can only blame himself for offending the wrong person."

I had no choice back then!

And that damned King Cheng, he promised back then...

Unexpectedly, they went back on their word, not only refusing to give us the money but also threatening to kill us to silence us!

Now I'm stuck in this cramped place, living like a bandit leader.

The leader, Zhang Fei, grew increasingly angry.

Tao'er became more and more confused and alarmed as she listened.

She strained her ears, trying to hear more clearly, but the sounds inside the room grew fainter, as if the two people were talking close together.

Tao'er unconsciously took a step forward, but her toe kicked something, making a soft "clang".

The room fell silent instantly.

"Who goes there?" Zhang Fei, the leader, shouted sharply, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Tao'er was terrified and turned to run away, but in her panic, she tripped over a stone on the ground and was about to fall.

In that instant, a hand reached out from the shadows, grabbed her arm, and pulled her deeper into the village.

The man was as fast as lightning, and Tao'er was almost dragged forward, the wind whistling in her ears.

She glanced back and saw that the chief, Zhang Fei, had already rushed out the door, holding a lantern and looking around.

The person who pulled her was clearly very familiar with the village. After a few turns, they entered a narrow path and hid behind a pile of firewood.

The two held their breath, listening to the sounds outside.

Zhang Fei circled around outside but didn't see anyone. Only a wild cat darted past his feet and meowed twice.

"You little beast, die!"

That scared the hell out of me!

Zhang Fei cursed, kicked the stray cat, and then his footsteps faded into the distance, as if he had gone back into the house.

The kitten made a few faint sounds, and then fell silent.

After a long while, Tao'er, still shaken, finally had the mind to look at the person who had saved her.

Moonlight shone through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the man's face. It was none other than the mute boy he had seen in the kitchen during the day!

During the day, she was only worried about her own situation, Dongkui's and Ayan's situation, and how to get past the head of the gang, so she didn't take a good look at the man's appearance.

Under the moonlight, she realized that the mute man was actually such a handsome young man.

He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate features and slightly rough skin, yet he couldn't hide his innate nobility.

What's most special are those eyes, which shine amazingly in the darkness, like a hidden flame.

The boy released her arm, made a "shush" gesture, and then pointed in the direction they had come from, indicating that she should go back.

Tao'er nodded, about to thank him, when she suddenly remembered the conversation she had just overheard.

She stared at the boy's face, a bold guess rising in her mind.

She lowered her voice, "What...what's your name?"

The boy shook his head and pointed to his mouth, indicating that he couldn't speak.

"I'm sorry, I forgot."

Thank you for saving me just now.

Tao smiled sheepishly, then gestured apologetically, indicating that she hadn't meant to, and had forgotten that he couldn't speak.

Then he used gestures to tentatively ask, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

A smile flashed in the boy's eyes, he shook his head, and gestured that it didn't matter.

He then made a shoveling motion with his rice, and Tao'er instantly understood that he was thanking her for the meal she had cooked during the day.

Tao'er shook her head and told him with a smile, "From now on, he will help her with things like chopping wood and starting a fire."

When asked if he was willing, the mute man nodded happily, then took out a piece of paper and a calligraphy brush from his pocket, and wrote the three words "I am willing".

Tao'er was pleasantly surprised; it turned out that he could not only write, but he wrote very beautifully.

He felt the word looked familiar, but couldn't quite place it.

Tao'er then urged him to go back quickly to avoid being discovered. He nodded and then turned to leave.

Tao looked around and, finding no one there, quickly slipped back to their room.

Back inside, she found a small oil lamp lit up, and Ayan and Dongkui sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), as if they were waiting for her.

She pretended to be nonchalant and asked with a smile, "Sister Dongkui, Ayan, why are you two awake?"

Those two were clearly asleep when she left.

Could it be that they were pretending to be asleep, and weren't actually asleep?

Dongkui shook her head and explained, "Sister Tao'er, I was actually awake when you went out, but I was worried about the young master, so I didn't go out with you."

A short while later, Ayan also woke up.

She was relieved to see that her little sister Tao'er had returned safely.

Suddenly, Tao'er remembered something, quickly got into bed, blew out the oil lamp, and then covered their mouths to prevent them from speaking.

Just then, they heard footsteps outside the window. Tao'er and the other two heard them, so they deliberately started snoring.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for people outside to hear.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the sound of footsteps gradually fading away came from outside.

Tao'er was relieved; the crisis was temporarily averted.

It seems the leader and his men still have suspicions about them. Hopefully, the snoring just now will dispel their doubts.

This leader looks big and burly, but he's not your average ignorant brute.

Although this second-in-command is bad, he is not shrewd and is easier to deal with.

This leader is the most difficult to deal with.

It seems they should be more careful from now on.

We have to take it one step at a time.

Although this second-in-command was foolish and easily angered, he was extremely loyal to the leader.

It seems he's still the boss's right-hand man.

To deal with the leader, you must first cut off his right and left arms and get rid of the second leader.

"Little Peach, what were you doing just now?"

Has something happened?

Dongkui asked with concern.

Tao replied, "It's nothing, I just came to an unfamiliar place and went out for some fresh air."

Sister Dongkui, remember, I didn't go anywhere last night; I stayed with you all the whole time.

Dongkui replied, "I understand, Peach Sister."

"It's getting late, Sister Dongkui, Ayan, go to sleep!"

Tao'er closed her eyes, still unable to fall asleep, her mind filled with the words she had just heard.

Because she had too many mysteries in her heart, but she couldn't tell Dongkui about them. Firstly, it would be dangerous, and secondly, it wouldn't be of any use.

On the other side, a figure slipped into the second-in-command's room.

"Reporting to the head and second-in-command, the cook and the others are already asleep, and they're sleeping quite soundly."

"This is none of your business, go to sleep!"

Zhang Fei waved his hand and said.

The man responded, turned around, and left the house, closing the door behind him.

"Brother, look at you, it's just a cat, yet you're still so cautious."

This is Tiger Head Stronghold, that bitch doesn't have that kind of guts!

The second-in-command, Hu Biao, laughed dismissively.

"Yes, it's good to be cautious. Second brother, you should rest well. Leave the affairs of the village to the third brother these few days. You should get some rest."

I went back to my room to sleep.

I'm sleepy...

"Brother, take care..."

After Zhang Fei walked out of the house, he looked in one direction, his eyes darkened, and then he turned and left.