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

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, wisps of smoke were already rising from the small kitchen in Hutou Village.

Tao'er placed the last steamer of steamed buns on the stove, lifted the lid, and the white steam instantly blurred her delicate profile.

The hot meat buns have just come out of the oven, and the rich aroma of meat wafts out.

Tao'er gave one meat bun to each of Ayan, Dongkui, and Shiqi, and all three praised how delicious the meat bun was.

Tao'er smiled and said that if it was delicious, she could eat two more.

"Little sister Tao'er, weren't we supposed to go over there to find the Third Master Ma Jiakang this morning?"

Aren't you going now?

After finishing a meat bun, Dongkui asked in a low voice, her eyes scanning the small kitchen warily.

Fortunately, apart from Shi Qi, who was tending the fire, and A Yan, who was eating steamed buns, there was no one else around.

Tao'er wiped her hands with a cloth and shook her head, saying, "I won't go for now; the situation has changed."

She gently placed the steamer lid on and then divided it into several portions, packing them into food containers.

The movements were fluid and steady.

"Now that this has happened, the Second Madam will not let this go easily."

Those three assassins are dead, and they've also cost her the boss's favor. She'll soon guess it was us.

Dongkui frowned slightly.

The morning light cast dappled shadows on her round face.

Then she asked, "Little Peach, what are your plans?"

"Sister Dongkui, we'll deal with whatever comes our way and act accordingly."

There are no definite plans yet.

Go and deliver breakfast to the First Madam.

Then he secretly watched the second wife to see what their next move was.

It's not busy here in the morning; it's enough for me and Brother Shi Qi.

After thinking for a while, Tao'er spoke again.

Winter Okra nodded.

She had practiced martial arts since childhood. Although she was not a highly skilled martial artist, she was more than capable of dealing with the second wife's few female relatives who were weak and helpless.

She tightened her cuffs, picked up the food box, and disappeared in a flash.

Next to the stove, Shi Qi added some firewood, and sparks crackled and popped.

He looked up to make sure no one was around before lowering his voice and saying, "Miss Tao'er, this Tiger Head Stronghold is fraught with danger. You all need to get down the mountain quickly."

It's really not safe to be stuck here.

In a few days, some of the village guards will come down the mountain to buy supplies. We can take advantage of that opportunity…

His voice was a little hoarse, probably because he didn't get enough rest last night.

Shi Qi felt that they needed to be sent down the mountain as soon as possible.

Tao'er picked up a meat bun and started eating. Her cooking skills were still as good as ever, without any rustiness.

"Brother Shi Qi, Tiger Head Stronghold is guarded every day. We are quite a target, so it will be difficult for us to escape smoothly."

She raised her head, her eyes flashing with a sharp light unlike that of ordinary women.

"We're safe for now. Once we gain the boss's trust, our chances of escaping will be much higher."

She had other plans in mind.

These days, she has carefully observed the terrain of Hutou Village.

With cliffs on three sides and a treacherous path on one side, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Behind the village, there are large tracts of uncultivated hillside land. If these could be terraced, they could support hundreds of people.

More importantly, the cause of General Xiao Yi's death points to the leader of Tiger Head Stronghold.

There are some secrets she must uncover.

"Since that's what you think, then I'll stay with you."

Seeing her resolute expression, Shi Qi knew he couldn't persuade her, so he said no more.

He added more firewood, and the flames leaped in the stove, illuminating his angular face.

Meanwhile, in a side courtyard on the west side of Tiger Head Village, the Second Madam was gritting her teeth at a dilapidated room.

"How can anyone live in this godforsaken place!"

She kicked aside the broken wooden stool blocking her way, sending up a cloud of dust that made her gag again. "Ugh..."

"How on earth did those three dead women, Xiao Cui, end up in my bed?!"

She then remembered that she had slept with three dead people, and her vomiting became even more severe.

Xiao Cui helped her up cautiously.

The second wife pushed her away, her resentment evident in her eyes.

Xiao Cui fell to the ground, scraped her hand, and the wound bled, making her wince in pain.

"Madam, I don't know either..."

But those three people were the three assassins I arranged last night.

They might have been discovered by that young cook, and then…

She explained in a low voice, not daring to say the rest.

"You mean that young cook killed three men?"

The second wife seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, her shrill laughter echoing in the empty room.

"She's a frail woman?"

Three men were killed?

Haha ...

Even a ghost wouldn't believe that!

"Madam, it's possible she didn't do it alone."

"You forgot that there was also that mute man with her, a tall and strong man."

You forgot about last night…”

Xiao Cui knelt on the ground and carefully reminded him.

She even massaged her master's legs with her hands, one stroke at a time.

The second wife's laughter finally subsided.

She narrowed her eyes, her fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, gripping the hem of her dress tightly. "You spent so much money, and all you got were a few useless people?"

She suddenly turned around and kicked Xiao Cui, who was squatting on the ground massaging her legs.

Caught off guard, Xiao Cui fell backward, her palm scraping against the rough stone slab on the ground, instantly turning into a bloody mess.

The injury on her hand had gotten worse, and Xiao Cui was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face.

She gasped in pain, but dared not utter a sound. She could only grit her teeth and kneel down, saying, "Madam, please calm down. I didn't expect them to be so powerful... I deserve to die!"

Please forgive me, Madam!

Although the second wife usually had a bad temper, she had never hit her like this before.

She felt a bit resentful.

The second wife sneered, "Forgive?"

I'm barely able to take care of myself, how can I possibly look after you?

She paced around the room a few steps, the old floorboards creaking and groaning.

"Please calm down, Madam. The head of the household dotes on you so much. He'll still dote on you even if you forget what happened today."

Xiao Cui could only appease her master.

"I can't stand being in this awful place for even a day."

I can't swallow this insult.

Go and call the Third Master over; tell him I have something important to discuss with him.

Xiao Cui quickly got up, blood dripping from her fingertips.

Just as she was about to leave, the second madam stopped her again: "Go at night, don't let anyone find out during the day."

The second wife waved her hand, as if shooing away flies, "I'm hungry, go to the small kitchen and find some food."

Then have someone prepare a bucket of hot water; I want to take a bath.

The second wife felt filthy.

Xiao Cui endured the pain and withdrew.

As she walked through the overgrown courtyard, she didn't notice the corner of a yellow shirt that flashed by against the wall.

Dongkui watched Xiaocui's departing figure, a cold glint in her eyes. She had originally intended to kill the Second Madam in the courtyard with a single blow, but she held back, remembering what her sister Tao'er had said.

She quickly jogged back and told Tao'er what she had just heard.

Tao'er gave Shi Qi a wink.

Before long, the three of them followed Dongkui to a detached wooden house.

As they approached the house, they heard voices coming from inside.

As usual, Dongkui and Ayan pretended to be digging for wild vegetables not far away, but were actually keeping watch.

This way, if someone comes, it can be concealed.