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Ye Feng wasted no time chitchatting. He grabbed the woman and jumped out the window. It was still dark outside, and soon they were nowhere to be seen.

Jing Chen asked: "You didn't sleep at all last night. Do you want to rest a bit?"

Qibao replied: "I'm okay. I'm not sleepy. If you are, you should go back and catch up on sleep!"

Jing Chen shook his head.

Qibao shrugged and said: "I think you should go back! Otherwise, if my brother sees you, he won't scold me, but he'll probably give you a hard time."

Jing Chen couldn't help but laugh, still shaking his head: "It's fine!"

Qibao had rarely seen Jing Chen's full-blown smile before. She had to admit that this sight made him seem more approachable than usual, and gave him an overall sunnier appearance.

"That's better!" Qibao said: "You should smile more often! Don't go around with that grumpy face all the time."

Jing Chen blinked, then asked: "Is that so? You like me better when I smile?"

Qibao looked surprised.

"Never mind." Jing Chen rushed to explain: "What I mean is...do I really look like a grumpy old man most of the time?"

Qibao nodded earnestly: "At your age, you should be full of energy and cheer. Look at my grandfather, who grins from ear to ear every day. He looks much younger because of that."

Jing Chen recalled how Grandpa Xu always flashed a mouth full of crooked teeth when he laughed. Yeah, he does look a bit younger than his age.

"You seem younger than me! I'm just used to this way of showing myself. If I revealed my true feelings, I'd risk exposing myself to my enemies."

Understanding Jing Chen's unusual status, Qibao relaxed and suggested: "Mm-hmm, just be yourself around those who care about you the most. It's fine to smile and laugh. Don't force yourself to be serious all the time."

Jing Chen nodded

Tap-tap...

Before Jing Chen could finish, there was another knock at the door.

Qibao got up and opened it to find her brother, Xu Wenwu, standing outside.

Xu Wenwu noticed Jing Chen inside the room. The woman on the bed had vanished, it seemed as if Jing Chen hadn't left since he first entered, staying alone with his sister the whole time.

"Jing Chen, this isn't right." Xu Wenwu said: "My sister is still young and doesn't understand these things. It's fortunate we're in Xuanyang where no one knows us. If this were Xujia Village and others saw you like this, who knows what they'd say about my sister!"

Jing Chen smiled: "Sorry, Big Brother Xu, it was my mistake! I got too caught up talking with Qibao and lost track of how much I was saying."

Xu Wenwu was taken aback. Why did Jing Chen seem different? He remembered that when he'd said this before, Jing Chen usually just nodded and left. Why was he now smiling and apologizing? Something wasn't right!

Seeing his sincere attitude, Xu Wenwu decided not to say anything else.

"Did Ye Feng say where we should meet?"

"It's near the village where we stayed before."

The three of them chatted while waiting for the sun to rise. Just as the sky was beginning to lighten, the street suddenly became lively.

"What's going on? It's still early. Why is it so noisy?" Su Chenyu yawned as she walked in.

They exchanged glances: "Let's go outside and see!"

When they stepped out of the inn, they found soldiers everywhere on the street, sabers at their hips. It was clear something had happened—the soldiers looked panicked.

"They must have found out!" Xu Wenwu said.

Wen Yuan immediately went up to a passing soldier: "Brother officer, what happened? Why are you mobilizing so many troops?"

The official was already worried, and when he saw that someone had delayed his search for someone, he was about to get angry, but he suddenly felt something in his palm. He squeezed it, and immediately relaxed his expression and whispered: "We're searching for a criminal, if we don't find this person, the governor will make life hell for us! We still haven't found a single trace!"

"Is this criminal that scary?" Wen Yuan feigned surprise: "Could they really escape from a heavily guarded prison?"

"The criminal is just a peasant woman." The officer replied: "What could she possibly pull off? The governor thinks she must have been taken by someone else!"

"Ah! Who would have the guts to do something like that?!" Wen Yuan asked, playing along.

"Who knows, right?! Must be a pretty big deal, or how would we not even know when this happened? I gotta go keep searching. If you see anyone suspicious, come tell us at the Prefectural Office right away, okay?"

"Will do! Absolutely!" Wen Yuan smiled in response. Watched the officer walk off before heading back to the inn's entrance.

He then shared what he'd learned with everyone inside.

"I told you! These good-for-nothings didn't even know when the person was lost! I guess Ye Feng is getting impatient now!" Su Chenyu said with a smile.

Xu Wenwu agreed: "Let's pack up and leave quickly!"

The group nodded, returned to their rooms, packed their belongings, and checked out. They rented a cart and headed towards the town gate.

Already paying close attention because of the missing prisoner, security at the city towns had been tightened up. Guards now held portraits and checked every person leaving against the image.

Qibao's group passed through easily, after all, they looked nothing like the woman in the portrait.

"It's not like she's facing the death penalty! Why all this fuss?"

"Even if it's not a serious crime, Magistrate Feng only has one son. If that thing gets castrated, it means the Feng family line will end. I bet Magistrate Feng would even want to chop her into pieces. Do you think he's happy that she's escaped?"

"You don't know? Feng Zheng deserves this! He thought he could get away with ruining the lives of innocent girls just because his father is the Magistrate. Now, at least the pretty girls are safe. No one will be after them anymore!"

"Hey! You really have some nerve! If the people from the prefectural office heard that, they'd haul you back there for sure!"

"I'm not from Xuanyang. They don't know me at all! I've just been hearing these things while I've been here!"

From the chatter around them, it seemed like everyone in Xuanyang knew about Feng Zheng's situation now.

Qibao and the others quickly caught up with Ye Feng, with the woman tagging along.

After settling the woman inside a carriage, they set off towards Qingyun City without a moment to lose.

This time, the trip took them half a day longer than before.

When they returned to Wen Manor, everyone was visibly exhausted.

Madam Wen was surprised to see them back so soon: "What happened? Why are you all back so quickly?"

Wen Yuan explained: "It's complicated. We couldn't get revenge on my father, but the Feng family won't live long now!"

Madam Wen asked: "Do you really think Feng Zheng had something to do with it?"

Wen Yuan replied firmly: "It's not just that—he ordered the assault! He wanted to get revenge because Father didn't arrange a marriage between him and my sister."

Madam Wen's temper flared at the news: "How utterly despicable! Who does he think he is? Does he really believe everyone will give him whatever he wants? What nerve!"

Wen Yuan tried to calm her: "Mother, please don't get angry. How has Father been doing these past few days?"