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The moonlight, like a ribbon, shone on the bluestone path of Hutou Village, casting long, slender shadows of the two figures.

Ah Qi made a hand gesture, then turned and walked forward.

Tao hesitated for a moment, but still followed Aqi through the winding courtyard, though she remained somewhat wary.

In this mountain stronghold, anything unusual could be a deadly trap, and she had to be constantly vigilant.

Tao walked for a while, wondering where this guy was taking her.

Finally, Ah Qi led her to an abandoned woodshed, where the only sounds were the chirping of insects.

Ah Qi stopped and turned to face Tao'er.

In the moonlight, his face was much clearer than in the daytime; it was a face with distinct features, very young, with exceptionally bright eyes.

Tao'er skillfully used sign language to ask, "Why did you stop me at noon today?"

Unexpectedly, Ah Qi actually spoke!

"What you're doing today is far too reckless, young lady."

"If the second-in-command, Hu Biao, really dies, do you think the boss won't suspect you?"

His voice was deep and clear, with a hoarse quality to it, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Tao'er was so startled that she took a half step back, forgetting to use sign language, "You..."

"You can talk?"

Ah Qi nodded, "Yes, I'm sorry, I lied to the young lady, but pretending to be mute was a last resort."

Tao'er composed herself and felt annoyed that Ah Qi had ruined her plans for the day. "I poisoned the Second Master because he had Chef Wang harm me first!"

I was simply giving them a taste of their own medicine.

The medicine Chef Wang administered can naturally be pinned on him.

"You think it's that simple?"

The leader, who can dominate this area with several hundred men, is no fool.

Your little tricks can't fool him at all.

If you really poison the second-in-command, I'm afraid none of the three of you will live to see tomorrow.

Ah Qi's words were not a joke at all; his tone was very serious.

Tao'er's heart skipped a beat, but she still stubbornly asked, "Are you saying the chief will take the lives of the three of us?"

"Mmm..." Ah Qi nodded calmly.

Tao'er's breathing suddenly stopped for a moment.

"You and your sister, no, the little prince..."

Her first instinct was to reach for the dagger hidden in her sleeve, pressing it against his waist. "Who...who are you?"

Seeing her movements, Ah Qi did not back down. "I'm here to protect you, or more precisely, to protect the young master of the Xiao family."

Why are you helping us?

Also, how did you know Ayan's identity?

Tao'er's tone became stiff and distant.

Under the moonlight, Ah Qi's eyes became deep. "To tell you the truth, I was originally the deputy general under General Xiao Yi, and we were sworn brothers."

"I was recuperating from my injuries away from home and only returned to Shengjing yesterday, when I heard about the Xiao family..."

His voice lowered, his expression tinged with sorrow, and his Adam's apple bobbed. "I heard..."

The entire Xiao family was executed, with only one young son escaping, who was carried away by a cook.

Later, I went to see Butler Zhou, and he told me some things, which were similar to what I had heard about the young master.

When I returned, I spent a lot of money and made inquiries from various sources before I finally found out that you had been captured by the second-in-command of Tiger Head Stronghold.

Tao listened quietly, her heart churning with turmoil.

She inexplicably arrived in this dynasty and has now become the older sister of the young master of the Xiao family, inexplicably being dragged into this escape.

The system only told her that she had to protect Ayan.

If Ayan dies, she won't survive either.

Now that Ayan has someone protecting him, can he leave and live his own carefree life?

Anyway, she has a lot of things in her space, and a lot of money too.

Why live such a life of constant danger, never knowing what tomorrow will bring!

But even if Ayan follows this person, there's no guarantee he won't be in danger!

After all, he's all alone, and an accident could happen any day.

Or if Ayan develops a high fever or something else, he might die.

Medical conditions were limited in ancient times.

Tao'er shook her head, still feeling uneasy.

If the young master isn't by her side and he suddenly dies, she'll still die. How will she ever get back to the modern world?

Thinking of this, Tao'er immediately abandoned the idea of ​​leaving alone.

Besides, there was also her sister Dongkui, who had been kind to her. Although she was a bit slow, she was loyal and hardworking.

And young master Ayan is quite a cute and handsome guy.

I'm still a little reluctant to part with it.

Let's forget it. At worst, we'll just have one more person protecting the young master. That doesn't seem like a bad thing.

However, it remains to be seen how much of what Ah Qi said is true and how much is false.

Although he hasn't harmed them so far, she'll ask him for more details.

"You claim to be General Xiao's man, what proof do you have?"

Tao'er continued to ask, her hand still resting on the dagger.

Ah Qi took out a jade pendant from his bosom.

Under the moonlight, the white jade gleamed with a warm luster. The front was carved with the character "Xiao" and the back with the character "Yi".

"Every son of the Xiao family has such a jade pendant."

When General Xiao Yi went on his last campaign, we were relentlessly pursued by the enemy. He gave me this jade pendant, saying that if he didn't return, I should give it to his mother.

Tao'er took the jade pendant and examined it carefully.

She had indeed seen a similar jade pendant; Xiao Yan wore one around his neck, except one side had the character "Xiao" engraved on it and the other side had the character "Yan" engraved on it.

Xiao Yan once told her that each of his uncles possessed a piece of such white jade.

She had seen it too; Ah Qi hadn't lied.

"The general himself lured away the enemy so that I could escape."

Unexpectedly, I was chased on my way back to report the news. I lost my footing and fell off a cliff, but was rescued by a deaf and mute couple.

I learned sign language from them, and after recovering from my injuries, I pretended to be mute to make it easier to travel around.

Tao'er returned the jade pendant, her guard slightly lowered. "Here's your jade pendant. Since it was given to you by the Fifth Master of the Xiao family, you can give it to the First Madam when you see her."

"So your name is Ah Qi, is that also a fake name?"

Ah Qi nodded. "You can call me Ah Qi, my courtesy name is Shi Qi."

I just made up a whole bunch of stuff, but I don't know how much of it this Peach Girl believed.

I can't very well tell him my true identity, can I?

If I told her, would she just run away with that fake husband and go live her carefree life?

She can't bear to abandon Ayan now, can she?

Thinking of this, Ah Qi asked again, "Your name is Tao'er, right? I'll call you Miss Tao'er when there are no outsiders around!"

By the way, you won't abandon the young master just because there's another one, will you?

Then you and your fake husband can go live a carefree life together, right?

Tao'er was stunned. Could this guy have mind-reading abilities? Did he guess what she was thinking just now?

She chuckled, "No, Brother Shi Qi, I won't abandon Ayan."

And how did you figure out my husband was a fake?

Is this guy's eye that sharp?

"She has pierced ears, and her movements and behavior are not quite like a man's."

Ah Qi said it very casually.

Tao'er was startled. This person's observation skills were really impressive. No wonder he was Xiao Yi's deputy general.

"Miss Tao'er, please keep this jade pendant for the Xiao family for now. I'm a rough guy and I might lose it."

"The young master of the Xiao family is still young, so don't give it to him. It wouldn't be good if someone found out."

Ah Qi put the jade pendant back into Tao'er's hand.

At that moment, the door to the woodshed was pushed open, and footsteps could be heard.