The boat floated on the water, and the fireflies gradually hid in the depths of the forest.
The young girl leaned on the young man's shoulder and unknowingly fell asleep. The boatman stood up from the bow and was about to speak when Xiao Jue shook her head slightly. The boatman understood and did not wake her up. He did not paddle and let the boat float.
Xiao Jue just sat there and looked at the water. The water was calm, and occasionally the wind swept past, creating layers of ripples. He turned his head and looked at the young girl sleeping on his shoulder. She was not like ordinary girls who liked to be beautiful. She slept without caring about her image. There were traces of tears on her lips, and she even drooled.
He turned his head away in disgust and looked at the water in the distance. Not long after, he lowered his head and smiled helplessly.
In the end, he did not push her away.
He Yan rarely had a good night's sleep, and vaguely had a beautiful dream. But as for what the dream was, he forgot when he woke up.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the soft bed on the boat, covered with a thin layer of mattress. She sat up and saw Xiao Jue sitting at the bow. She called out, "Young Master!"
He looked back at He Yan and said, "Wash up, it's time to go back."
He Yan was surprised for a moment, and then he found out that they had stayed at the Falling Firefly Spring for an entire night. The surrounding fireflies had all left, and only their boat was left. He Yan yawned and used the clean water on the boat to wash up. When he combed his hair, because Cui Jiao and Hong Qiao were not around, he randomly tied his hair into a man's bun.
She washed up and came out of the bow, and heard the boatman talking to Xiao Jue, "Young Master, go directly to the spring. Walk a few steps forward and there is a relay station. You can hire a carriage at the relay station. Young Master and Miss can take the carriage back. The canal does not allow fireflies to pass during the day. "
Xiao Jue paid the money to him and walked to the shore. She said to He Yan, "Let's go."
He Yan also thanked the boatman and quickly went to the shore.
It was early in the morning, and the wide leaves of the grass and trees were covered with sparkling dew, bringing with it some cold morning dew. He Yan yawned again and asked Xiao Jue, "Commander in Chief, did I fall asleep last night? Why didn't you wake me up? Why did you stay here all night? "
Xiao Jue sneered, "I wonder who was the one who snored so loudly last night that no one could wake her up."
"Are you serious?" He Yan was suspicious. "Are you lying to me?"
"I'm not you."
As the two of them chatted, they didn't get far before they saw a relay station, just as the boatman had said. There was also a noodle shop next to the relay station. The lady boss was cooking noodles in a big iron pot, and the aroma assailed his nostrils.
He Yan didn't eat much in the morning, so he was already hungry. He said, "Let's eat something first before taking the carriage." Without waiting for Xiao Jue to reply, he waved to the lady boss and said, "Two bowls of noodles and a tray of steamed buns."
She had a good appetite, so she pulled Xiao Jue to a table outside the straw hut and sat down. The steamed buns that had just come out of the oven were steaming hot. He Yan held them in his hands and blew on them to cool them down.
Xiao Jue wasn't as impatient as her. After the noodles were served, she ate very slowly. Seeing He Yan's mouth full of oil, she only felt that it was funny.
"Don't look at me and laugh," He Yan said, "It's as if I'm embarrassing."
This person replied neither quickly nor slowly, "It's embarrassing. Look around, how many people eat as ugly as you?"
He Yan looked around sneakily. It was still too early, and those who came to eat were probably people who were rushing on their way, or people who were resting here on their way.
Sitting beside her was a pair of grandmother and granddaughter. The old woman had white hair and a kind face. The little girl beside her was about 11 or 12 years old. She wore a dirty cloak, and half of her face was buried in it. She lowered her head and ate silently.
Both of them were dressed very plainly, probably because they were rushing here and didn't have time to tidy themselves up. Seeing He Yan look over, the old woman was startled. She smiled and asked, "Miss?"
"It's nothing." He Yan smiled.
Xiao Jue raised her eyebrows, "Even the little brat eats more elegantly than you."
What she said was true. The little girl's clothes were dirty, but the way she ate was very decent and elegant. She didn't look like an ordinary person. He Yan asked himself, even when he was He Rufei and Mrs. Xu, he couldn't have done better than her. No wonder Xiao Jue laughed at him … However, were the people in Jiyang all crouching tigers and hidden dragons? Looking at the old woman, he didn't feel that way.
She turned her head and smiled at the old woman, "Auntie, is this your granddaughter? She's so pretty. "
"Yes." The old woman was surprised at first, but then she smiled.
He Yan looked at the little girl again. The little girl didn't react to her and only lowered her head to eat. The old woman explained, "Nini is shy with strangers. Miss, please don't mind her."
He Yan smiled, "Why would I mind? She's just too cute. Are you going to the city? "
"No." The old woman said, "There's a funeral at home. We're bringing Nini back to attend the funeral."
He Yan nodded and said, "My condolences." Then, he turned around and ate. As he ate, he felt that something was wrong. He couldn't figure it out, but he felt that he had overlooked something.
He looked at Xiao Jue again. She had stopped eating and was looking at the grandmother and granddaughter beside He Yan. She seemed to be deep in thought.
He Yan leaned closer to him and whispered, "Commander-in-chief, why do I feel that something is wrong?"
Xiao Jue glanced at him and suddenly stood up. Then, she walked to the grandmother and granddaughter.
He Yan's question just now had already made the old woman unhappy. She hurriedly finished eating and was about to leave with the little girl. However, as soon as she stood up, she was blocked by someone.
A handsome young man stood in front of her. His posture was straight and his expression was calm. He looked at the little girl under the cloak and said calmly, "Speak, little brat."
The old woman pulled the little girl into her arms and said protectively, "Young master, what do you want?"
"I didn't know that the kidnappers of Jiyang were so bold." Xiao Jue raised her eyebrows, "They dare to kidnap people in broad daylight."
Kidnappers? He Yan was stunned.
Yes, she felt that something was wrong. It was because there seemed to be a barrier between the little girl and the old woman. They did not look like a grandmother and granddaughter at all. From the beginning to the end, the old woman did not ask anything when the little girl was eating. If they were really an ordinary pair of grandmother and granddaughter, as a grandmother, she would probably ask her granddaughter if it was hot and if it was to her liking. No matter how cold and unsociable a girl was, as an elder, she should be more tolerant and not leave her to fend for herself.
She looked kind, but her actions were not kind at all. She did not seem like a grandmother. Instead, she seemed like a kidnapper who was eager to deceive others.
"You … What nonsense are you talking about?" The old woman stared at Xiao Jue and said, "This is my granddaughter! Don't make false accusations! "
"Whether she is your granddaughter or not, we will know once we ask." Xiao Jue said, "Speak, little brat."
The little girl did not move.
"You!"
The old woman was about to take the little girl away. In the next moment, the whip in He Yan's hand moved and rolled towards the other party's cloak. In an instant, the cloak was lifted up by the whip and fell to the ground, revealing half of the little girl's face.
He Yan weighed the purple jade whip in his hand. This was the whip that Xiao Jue had won for him. Fortunately, he always had it with him. It was quite useful.
The little girl under the cloak had a clean and beautiful face. Her eyes were full of tears and her mouth was silent. Her acupoint was sealed.
"You don't seem to treat your granddaughter very well." Xiao Jue sneered slightly.
The old woman saw that the situation was not good and shouted, "Mind your own business!" A sharp and high-pitched whistle came from her mouth. In the surrounding post stations, there were people feeding the horses, eating breakfast, washing their faces and resting. Suddenly, a few people pulled out their swords and stabbed towards He Yan and Xiao Jue!
"Assassins!" He Yan said. He could not hide his surprise. There were so many people, they could not be considered kidnappers. Kidnappers were afraid of being discovered, so they had to keep a low profile. If they were discovered, their first reaction would be to run away. This old woman not only did not run away, but also had so many accomplices. It was obvious that she had nothing to fear. She looked at the little girl whose acupoint was sealed, or who was drugged … What was the background of this little girl? Why did they need to use such a formation?
When Xiao Jue came out, she did not have a sword. Seeing that the group of people were close to her, she used the teacup on the table as a hidden weapon and knocked down the swords that were coming towards her face.
He Yan threw the whip in his hand to her, "Use this!" He picked up an iron rod from the ground.
The lady boss of the noodle station was already scared and hid under the table. For a moment, the sound of metal clashing could be heard. When He Yan fought with them, he knew that this group of people were not ordinary kidnappers. Otherwise, how could they be so skillful and ruthless? It was obvious that they wanted to silence them. The little girl was still standing in the same place. When the old woman saw that He Yan and Xiao Jue were being surrounded by other people, she rolled her eyes and directly grabbed the little girl. She jumped onto a horse at the entrance of the post station. She was so agile that she did not look like an old person. With a wave of the whip, the horse galloped straight ahead.
"Not good!" He Yan said, "She wants to run away!"
He turned his head to look at Xiao Jue and saw that Xiao Jue was surrounded in the center of the group of people. He Yan was a man and was very skillful. For a moment, everyone ignored him. He Yan said, "Young Master, you delay them. I will chase after her!"
What the relay station did not lack the least was horses. He Yan also flipped onto a horse and chased in the direction that the old woman had fled.
The road out of the city was the main road, but the old woman did not take the main road. Instead, she chose a bumpy path. He Yan chased after her and thought to himself. The fight just now was very intense, but the little girl did not move at all. It seemed that she was either drugged or had her acupuncture points sealed. Even if they had to delay Xiao Jue, they still wanted to take the little girl away. It seemed that the little girl was very important to this group of people.
Her horse-riding skills were superb, so even if the old woman took advantage of the loophole, she couldn't get rid of He Yan, who had been following her the whole way. She became anxious and scolded, "Stinky girl, don't court death!"
"Put her down and I can still spare your life." He Yan was not afraid. "But you, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"
The old woman snorted and used her whip to whip the horse. He Yan saw this and stepped on the horse's back. He slapped the horse's butt hard. The horse jumped forward and almost caught up with the old woman's horse. He Yan's eyes were sharp and his hands were fast. He used the whip in his hand to wrap around the old woman's horse's head. The distance between the two horses was very close. The horse was frightened and kicked its hooves. He Yan took the opportunity to jump off the horse and snatch the little girl from the old woman's hands. The two of them rolled on the ground together.
As soon as they landed, He Yan realized that the little girl was really drugged. She could only make very slight movements. No wonder when they were in the noodle house, no matter how they talked, she did not respond.
He Yan only had time to unseal her mute acupoint. Before he could ask what the little girl's name was and where she came from, the old woman sneered. She pulled out a soft sword from her waist and coldly said, "Meddling in other people's business!" She thrust her sword towards He Yan.
He Yan pushed the little girl away and faced the attack himself. She was bare-handed. She had lost her iron rod in the chaos. She could only rely on her nimble body to avoid the opponent's sword.
"Who are you people?" He Yan asked while dodging. He was secretly shocked by the old woman's skills. "Why did you take this little girl?"
The old woman put on a fake smile and waved her sword towards him. "So much nonsense. Go to hell and ask the King of Hell!"
He Yan raised his eyebrows. "You want me to go to hell with this little skill? You are too arrogant." She suddenly turned over from the ground and ducked to avoid the sword above her head. She moved her feet and was already behind the old woman. She punched the old woman's back and took the sword from her hand.
"Damn it!" The old woman angrily said.
Since the sword was already in her hand, although it was not as good as Qing Lang, it was still barely usable. At this moment, there was no one else around. He Yan was best at swordsmanship other than arranging troops. In just a moment, he forced the old woman to retreat. It seemed that she was about to lose.
He Yan said, "If you surrender now, you still have a chance to live."
"Eyesore!" The old woman shouted. Suddenly, she pulled out a silver hairpin from her hair bun. The silver hairpin had some unknown mechanism. It immediately grew three inches. It was a dagger. She did not use the dagger to deal with He Yan. Instead, she faced He Yan's sword and threw the dagger accurately towards the girl on the ground.
The girl was already drugged and could not move. She could only watch as the dagger was about to pierce her chest. He Yan wanted to withdraw his sword to save her, but it was too late!
"Bang!" a loud sound was heard.
Just a little bit more and the dagger would have pierced the girl's heart. Something hit the dagger and the handle was deflected. In an instant, the dagger lost its ferocious strength and slowly rolled to the side.
He Yan's sword pierced the old woman's chest at the same time. The old woman widened her eyes as if she could not believe that someone could deflect her dagger. She spat out a mouthful of turbid blood and breathed her last.
Someone walked out from the depths of the forest. It was a thin man, about forty years old, but he was very elegant and outstanding. He was dressed in white and his long hair was tied up with white silk. He looked like a swordsman, but also like a zither player. His eyebrows were bright and his long beard did not look sloppy. Instead, it added to the elegance of a Jianghu person.
When He Yan saw this person, he was stunned. The man in white walked closer and helped the trembling girl up from the ground. Then, he looked at He Yan.
He Yan muttered, "… Master."
He did not look surprised, but he was a little surprised, "A He?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
