Chapter 435: Where is Little Ancheng?

Chapter 435: Where is Little Ancheng?

The wind was biting and fierce, with a hint of dampness.

Cen Yueyi leaned against the carriage wheel, the cold wind hitting her face, her mind growing sharper.

Cen Yueyi, still visibly shaken from earlier, her face pale, spoke with a voice rough from the earlier stress: "...Xingxing, are you alright?"

Xingxing wiped the sedative off her fingertips with a handkerchief. Hearing this, she turned and smiled at Cen Yueyi, her silver fox collar accentuating her delicate face. Though young, she was strikingly beautiful.

She spoke calmly, without rush, even in the strong wind: "Sister Cen, don’t worry, I’m fine. The sedative I used should keep them out until tomorrow."

Xingxing paused, muttering to herself, "Wait, what if one of them wakes up sooner?"

Before Cen Yueyi could speak, Xingxing clapped her head, having found a solution—she freed the maids and had them help tie the bandits’ hands behind their backs.

Between the sedative and the ties, they shouldn’t escape.

Xingxing checked the household retainers for injuries.

She didn’t have a medical kit, so she used the emergency medicine from her sachet to treat their wounds.

Once done, Xingxing told the maids to look after Cen Yueyi and the injured. She pulled her cloak tight and headed for the main road.

Luckily, Xingxing soon spotted a convoy on the main road.

Xingxing’s eyes brightened as she approached them.

The guard captain was startled to see a girl by the roadside. He signaled the convoy to stop.

This wasn’t new to him. Bandits sometimes used vulnerable people as bait, then ambushed them when unprepared.

But that usually happened in the mountains.

We’re near the capital, aren’t we?

And...

The guard captain studied the girl closely.

Her silver fox cloak was finer than anything in their convoy.

And then there was the girl’s appearance…

The guard captain couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

If this was bait, it was an extravagant investment.

Before the guard captain could say anything, a horse galloped up from behind. The woman riding it was heroic and beautiful, her eyebrows sharp. She asked the guard captain, "Why did we stop suddenly?"

The guard captain gestured somewhat helplessly towards the front: "...Boss, there’s a child blocking the road."

The woman looked closely and suddenly exclaimed, "Huh?" She dismounted and walked forward, calling out, "Xingxing?"

Xingxing, seeing the woman, widened her eyes slightly and also stepped forward, exclaiming in surprise, "Sister Gong?"

The woman was none other than Gong Qingniang, dressed in a green riding outfit, her hair tied high, looking very heroic.

Gong Qingniang looked behind Xingxing and saw that there was no one else on the long official road except for her. She also sucked in a breath, pinched Xingxing’s cheek, and asked, "Where is your family? How could they let a little girl like you go out alone?"

As soon as she said this, Gong Qingniang knew it probably wasn't the case. She was concerned, "Did something go wrong?"

Xingxing nodded eagerly, telling about the danger they faced to Gong Qingniang, and finally said, "Sister Gong, could you help us report this to the authorities?"

Gong Qingniang was very smart. Although Xingxing only narrated the incident without mentioning anything else, she quickly realized that robbing people near the capital’s main road wasn’t just about money!

Gong Qingniang quickly took Xingxing's hand, her face serious, and instructed the captain of the merchant convoy's guards, "First, send someone on horseback to report this to Shuntian Prefecture."

The guard captain quickly sent someone to do it.

"Pick ten skilled men and get a carriage ready to follow me," Gong Qingniang further commanded.

The guard captain was surprised for a moment, but since the boss said so, he quickly got it done.

"Don’t worry, Xingxing, I’ll bring some people with me to go with you," Gong Qingniang held Xingxing's hand.

"Sister Gong, but don’t you have things to do here?"

"It’s not urgent. I was just escorting these goods to the capital, and we’re almost there. There’s no danger now," Gong Qingniang pinched Xingxing's tender cheek again, "Your delicate skin is almost windburned—it’s heartbreaking."

Xingxing blushed a little.

Gong Qingniang, being decisive, didn’t wait for Xingxing to object and made the decision.

Xingxing took Gong Qingniang, who brought ten skilled guards, back to where they were ambushed.

Xingxing had given them a strong sedative and had the maids tie the bandits up tight. When Gong Qingniang’s people arrived and saw the scene, they were shocked to find the girl in the silver fox cloak had done all this.

With more hands, things went smoothly. Gong Qingniang’s men helped carry the injured onto the carriage and took them to the capital for treatment.

"Would you and Miss Cen like to take the carriage back first?" Gong Qingniang discussed with Xingxing, "I’ve already sent someone to report to the authorities. They will take them to the yamen for questioning, and we should have a result soon."

The wind was getting stronger, and it looked like a heavy snow was about to fall.

Xingxing said, "Wait a moment," and walked up to the unconscious scar-faced man, "...This person, I always felt he looked familiar, yet I don’t think I've seen him before… Just now I suddenly remembered, his nose and mouth look just like Xiao Ancheng's."

Gong Qingniang was a bit confused, who was Xiao Ancheng?

But these questions weren’t important at the moment, so Gong Qingniang didn’t ask. Seeing Xingxing take out a packet of powder from her pocket that would make one's muscles go limp, she poured some into the scar-faced man's mouth, then took a water pouch and poured some water on his face to wake him up.

The scar-faced man woke up, and seeing the situation before him, he understood that they had been outsmarted.

He growled, "Kill or cut, do as you please!"

Xingxing asked, "Who hired you?"

The scar-faced man's eyes were cold, and he remained silent.

Xingxing said, "We’ve already reported to the authorities. If you don’t speak now, you’ll have to speak in prison."

The scar-faced man still kept a cold face and didn’t speak.

The wind was getting stronger now, and Xingxing didn’t want to waste any more time with the scar-faced man, so she directly asked, "Then, where is Xiao Ancheng?"

The scar-faced man finally didn’t maintain his previous demeanor, a look of shock flashed across his face.

"How do you know—"

He growled halfway and didn’t continue.