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

Tao'er held onto Ayan's little hand, not caring about anything else, only knowing to run forward with all her might.

With so many pursuers behind her, and now on the official road, even if she used the items from her spatial storage, she couldn't possibly deal with so many of them.

Getting caught means certain death.

So the only option was to run forward and see if there was anywhere to hide.

The two, one big and one small, stepped across the puddles on the bluestone slabs, splashing up the murky water in the puddles on the bluestone path, wetting their cloth shoes but not stopping.

No, it's not that I can't care, it's that I can't stop, otherwise I'll be dead.

The shouts of the pursuers behind them surged like a tide, almost engulfing the seemingly calm but actually turbulent Shengjing.

"Quick! Ah Yan, hang in there a little longer!"

Tao'er's voice was broken; each breath felt like a blade scraping her throat.

Two words: It hurts. Three words: It hurts so much!

She knew her strength was almost gone; sweat blurred her vision, and her legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

The original owner of this body was, after all, a teenage girl, and without any training, her body was not as good as her previous one.

"Sister Tao'er..."

I……

Keep going!

Tao'er sensed something was wrong with the voice and glanced at Ayan, whose condition was even worse.

Ayan's cheeks were flushed from running, and he was panting heavily. Although it was hard to see clearly, you could clearly hear him breathing heavily.

She was about to stop and check on him when she saw Ayan fall down. She didn't have time to catch him and felt extremely annoyed.

I scolded myself: I'm so stupid!

"thump--"

Ayan fell to the ground, scraping his palm and drawing blood.

Tao'er hurriedly squatted down and helped him up. She looked at his eyes, which were full of tears but stubbornly refused to cry, with heartache, and gently patted the dust off his clothes.

I quickly took out the ointment I had with me and applied it to him.

"Sister Tao'er, you should go now."

Ayan was breathing slightly heavily, his voice barely audible, but his gaze was unusually firm.

Tao'er froze, looking at An Ayan in surprise, "Ayan, what did you say?"

"Tao'er... Sister, I... can't run anymore. You go quickly, I'll be a burden to you."

Tao'er instantly understood Ayan's thoughts, and a wave of sorrow welled up in her heart.

He didn't want to drag himself down with him, afraid of being arrested and causing her death.

Tao'er was surprised that Ayan would say such things at such a young age, and felt both touched and gratified.

This child is only five years old, but seems to have grown up all of a sudden.

As expected of the Xiao family, even though the family fortune has collapsed, the family tradition remains.

The old lady's words and deeds have played an indispensable role in teaching and guiding students!

She recalled that just a few days ago, Ayan was still a child who would beg her to make him delicious candied sweet potatoes.

"Don't talk nonsense." Tao'er gritted her teeth, forcibly suppressing the sob rising in her throat.

"The old lady entrusted you to me, so I will take you to a safe place."

Tears still streamed down my face uncontrollably.

"But if they catch up, we'll all die." Ayan's voice carried a calmness rarely seen in a child.

"Sister Tao'er is not a member of the Xiao family, so she doesn't need to die with Ayan."

"You should leave now. You are no longer a maid or servant of the Xiao family. You should leave immediately..."

Ayan nudged Tao'er, but silently said in his heart: Sister Tao'er, I'm sorry, Ayan didn't mean it.

In his heart, Ayan was actually thinking about whether his father, second and third uncles, and mother would also die after his grandmother died.

If they die, he'll die with them, which is fine too!

We can't drag Sister Tao'er down with us anymore; Sister Tao'er is a good person.

Ayan's words were like a dull knife, cutting into Tao'er's heart.

She took a deep breath, no longer hesitated, and took out an old suspender from her personal space.

It happened when she was traveling in Yunnan. She saw women carrying their children in baby carriers and bought one out of curiosity. Then, when she was hoarding things, she casually tossed it into her storage space.

Tao'er wasn't angry at all; she knew that Ayan had done this on purpose.

She knelt down in front of Ayan and said gently, "Come on up!"

Ah Yan, since you call me sister, I will not abandon you.

Don't forget, only by living can you see your parents again and avenge the Xiao family!

Giving up now makes you a coward, a wimp!

"I………

I'm not a coward!

"If not, hurry up and get up here! Don't waste any more time!"

"Sister Tao'er..."

"Hurry up!" Tao'er's tone left no room for argument.

After a moment's hesitation, Ayan finally climbed onto her back.

Tao'er tightly bound Ayan to her body and used some effort to stand up.

A five-year-old child is not light for a thin woman.

She gritted her teeth and adjusted her posture, the straps digging painfully into the skin of her shoulders.

The pursuers' torches could already be seen at the corner of the alley, and their voices were getting closer and closer.

Tao'er dared not delay any longer and continued running forward on her back with Ayan on her back.

The baby on her back was very well-behaved, not crying or fussing, but just holding tightly to her clothes with his little hands, breathing rapidly against her neck.

"Sister Tao'er, I will definitely protect you from now on."

Ayan silently recited in his heart.

"stop!

"If you run again, I'll shoot you!"

The Imperial Guard's threat came from behind, growing ever closer.

Tao'er was startled. Did they bring bows and arrows?

No, she noticed they were carrying swords and daggers.

But she knew this couldn't go on; she was exhausted and couldn't run fast with a child on her back.

But the streets and alleys of Shengjing are intricate and complicated. How could a mere cook in the Prime Minister's mansion know any hidden places?

"Sister Tao'er, put me down, or neither of us will survive!"

Please!

Ayan's voice was choked with sobs.

"Shut up!" Tao'er growled, her voice trembling.

Have you forgotten what I just said?

Have you forgotten what your master taught you?

"Men of the Xiao family shed blood, not tears!"

"Waaaaah..."

Sister Tao'er, I haven't forgotten...

But the officers and soldiers…”

Ayan glanced back at the approaching soldiers, feeling extremely anxious.

"Since you haven't forgotten, don't say those things again!"

You have to live to prove the Xiao family's innocence and clear their name, understand?

Even if you die, you shouldn't die at the hands of these Imperial Guards. Instead, you should die on the battlefield like your fifth uncle. That's what makes a true hero!

Ah Yan, remember this, sister: death can be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather!

It wouldn't be worth dying at the hands of these Imperial Guards!

Dying like your fifth uncle is a death heavier than Mount Tai, and therefore very meaningful.

Ayan stopped talking, but tightened her grip on her little hands.

She bit her lower lip tightly, tears streaming down her face.

Sister Tao'er's words seemed difficult to understand, yet they were very profound.

What she said seemed different from what her grandmother and father had said.

Tao'er said this intentionally because she knew that Ayan had always admired his fifth uncle, Xiao Yi.

"You bitches, stop running! We're catching up with you soon!"

The pursuers behind them were also exhausted from running and cursed angrily.

It's unbelievable that this girl could run so fast while carrying a child on her back.

Tao'er didn't stop or speak; she needed to conserve her energy.

As she ran, she noticed a group of people approaching them from not far ahead.

Could they also be here to surround and block them?

That damned emperor really went all out!

However, Tao'er soon noticed that their clothes seemed off, wondering if they were from another faction.

However, the only certainty is that they also wanted the young master dead.

Tao'er thought she might as well just bang her head against the wall and die.

Just how many people hate this prime minister to the bone and want to wipe out the Xiao family?

This is truly a situation where there are obstacles in front and watchdogs behind – it's deadly!

Could it be that she and the young master are destined to die here?

She's so young, she doesn't want to die!

What?

She desperately wanted to enter the space, but damn it, people couldn't enter it.

"Sister Tao'er, there are a lot of people coming this way. Are they here to arrest us?"

Ayan, who was lying on his back, also noticed.

"Ayan, maybe so!"

Are you scared?

There's no better way now; we have to fight tooth and nail.

"Sister Tao'er, I'm not afraid with you here!"

Ayan nodded like a little adult.

Just when Tao'er was almost in despair, a hand suddenly reached out from the shadows of the dark alley next to her and pulled her in!

Tao'er screamed in surprise, and before she could react, she was covered by a large basket.

Then, a heavy object was placed on top of the basket, and darkness instantly engulfed everything.

"It's over..."