Jiaohua

There were three people opposite them, two women and one man.

They were slightly startled, not noticing at all that someone had come down from upstairs.

Afterwards, they carefully examined the boy to investigate the depth of his skills.

From his different perspectives, he could tell at a glance that the three of them were pretending to be poor.

They tried to dress modestly and shabbily, but their boots betrayed them.

Although it is the simplest style, the sole of the boot is fine, soft and supple, with a subtle oily sheen.

See? No matter how much you pretend to be poor, you can't really make yourself suffer. Walking and riding horses both ruin your legs.

Zhili glanced at them, then continued walking with an indifferent expression.

The three of them walked slower and slower.

As they passed each other, a woman suddenly twisted her ankle and fell towards Zhili.

Good manners and a deep-seated willingness to help others made Zhili instinctively reach out to help.

The woman leaned against her tattered arm and said sweetly, "...Thank you, young master."

Zhili quickly shook the person off.

The woman's hand was about to grab his money bag, just inches away.

She let out an "Ah!" and lunged at Zhili again.

Zhili didn't hold back this time and kicked him.

The woman, supported by two companions, angrily shouted, "You!"

The male companion was about to lash out when another female companion secretly grabbed his wrist.

They shouldn't cause trouble right now, and the female companion has a vague understanding of Fragment's identity.

Zhili coldly said, "Ugly people are always up to no good."

Then, with a flick of his robe, he went downstairs.

Upon leaving the small inn, Zhili was overjoyed. He first went to the carriage shop to ask if the letter from the previous night had been delivered. After learning that it had, he went to a small money exchange at the post station to find out if his master had sent a letter.

This small money exchange belongs to Shen Lie.

After Shen Lie captured Qian Fengrong in Yushuiyuan Town, he felt that there were many people and a lot of information at the post station there, so he ordered Du Xuan to secretly open an inconspicuous small money exchange there.

The master still did not believe it.

If there's nothing, then so be it. I'm off to the street to buy some food.

When he returned, still munching on a meat bun, he looked at the guest room where the two women had stayed the previous night and found that the markings he had left had been touched.

However, it was impossible to determine whether the three people had entered this room.

After thinking it over, he turned around and went downstairs in a daze.

Inside the room, Li Xinya looked at the three people standing in front of her with wide eyes, filled with fear.

Across from her, Chen Yunqi sat with a cold expression, also watching the three people.

After a brief standoff, Chen Yunqi said, "...Don't kill her. She doesn't know anything. Don't kill her."

The woman who had bumped into Zhili earlier said, "But now that she sees the three of us, how could she not have some guesses in her mind?"

"Even if there are suspicions, who can she tell? She is my maid, and she is loyal to me."

Li Xinya had just woken up and, before she could even figure out what was happening, was about to face a life-or-death situation.

Upon hearing the word "maid," she looked at Chen Yunqi and realized that Chen Yunqi was saving her.

“Miss,” Li Xinya said cleverly, “who… are they?”

The man standing inside the doorway, upon hearing her accent, stiffened and strode over: "You're from the Northwest?!"

Li Xinya looked at him and was frightened by his fierce appearance.

Chen Yunqi hurriedly said, "She's not! She's from Youzhou, my fellow townsman. She was captured by people from the Northwest and made a slave!"

Chen Yongming did not mention the origins of these three men in his letter to Chen Yunqi, but based on the man's reaction to the words "Northwesters," Chen Yunqi vaguely guessed that they were most likely from the Northern Yuan Dynasty...

She was quick-witted, and that's how she came up with this explanation.

She couldn't live without Li Xinya now. She was fed up with being a lonely wanderer. Li Xinya was wonderful; she kept her company, took care of her, helped her with chores, and never cried. She was full of energy every day. Chen Yunqi couldn't lose such a good companion.

The woman who had bumped into Zhili earlier said, "Never mind, just kill him. Better to kill the innocent than the guilty."

Another woman nodded, took a few steps over, picked up the pillow behind Li Xinya, and was about to cover her face with it.

Just then, there was a knock on the door: "Guests, are you awake?"

The room fell silent.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Xinya shoved the woman aside and rushed outside, yelling, "Help!!"

The people inside were instantly shocked, and the two women pounced on Li Xinya and held her down.

"Help!" Li Xinya didn't get a chance to cry out before they covered her mouth from behind.

Chen Yunqi was not as agile as them and lagged behind a few steps in catching up. On the way, she was grabbed by the man and forcefully pushed back onto the bed.

"If you cause trouble, your life will be in danger too!" the man hissed in a low voice.

"Sir? What happened?!" The waiter exclaimed in alarm outside, banging on the door. "Who's calling for help, sir?"

Hiding at the bottom of the stairs, he heard the cry for help and, without hesitation, rushed over, shouting, "I'll help!"

Li Xinya struggled violently on the floor, unable to breathe through her mouth and nose, when the woman grabbed a pillow and smothered her mouth and nose.

Upon hearing the words "I'll come," they knew something was wrong. The next moment, the door was kicked open from the outside.

Upon seeing the state of the room, Zhili's eyes widened in disbelief: "What are you doing!"

The waiter exclaimed in alarm, but he dared not rush in. He ran to call for help: "Manager! Manager!"

"Mind your own business!" shouted the woman who had bumped into Zhili earlier. "Kill him!"

The man drew his dagger and rushed over.

Now that things had come to this, the two women no longer intended to smother Li Xinya with pillows; instead, they took out daggers.

He nimbly dodged the man's attack, and seeing the two women draw their daggers, he moved with lightning speed, kicking the stool at them before pulling Li Xinya up.

"You're asking for it!" the man lunged at him.

Li Xinya was almost suffocated. Her vision went black, her mind went blank, and her muscles were completely unable to cooperate.

He dragged her along as if she were a sack weighing nearly 100 pounds.

The man's dagger and the two women's daggers came at the same time. Zhi Li had to protect Li Xin Ya on one hand and deal with them on the other, so he couldn't unleash his full power.

In the chaos, Li Xinya was stabbed, and her severed hand was also injured.

Zhili shoved Li Xinya out, then turned to defend himself: "Run downstairs, quick! Run as far as you can, I'll hold you off! Let others go too!"

These three men are extremely skilled, top-notch experts. It was obviously useless for the waiter to run downstairs to call for help; no matter how many people he called, they would only be sent to their deaths.

Fortunately, Li Xinya didn't hold back. After realizing what was happening, she immediately turned around and rushed downstairs.

Upon encountering the waiter and manager who were calling for someone to come up, Li Xinya said, "Don't go up! Let's go! Let's go quickly!!"

After running downstairs, she looked up and shouted back upstairs, "I'm down! Young hero, I'm down!"

Relieved by this, Zhili turned and fled in an instant, leaving behind the words: "Hmph! Three against one, and you even have knives, and you still can't take me down? You're trash!"

A man and a woman flew into a rage and chased after them outside.

The remaining woman walked towards Chen Yunqi, who was cowering in the corner of the bed, and slapped her hard across the face: "Is this what you call loyalty?! I told you to kill her, but you didn't. If anything unexpected happens today, it will all be your fault! Not only will you die, but your father will die with you!"

Chen Yunqi's ears rang, and her whole body trembled.

A scream suddenly came from downstairs.

The woman had sharp ears and immediately recognized the voices of her two companions.

She immediately went to the window and exclaimed in surprise, "It's Ali!"

Upon hearing the name, Chen Yunqi looked up and exclaimed, "Who?!"

She quickly got up and ran.

He was pushed away by the woman: "Take your important things and leave with me immediately!" (End of Chapter)