Chapter 20 Mountain Stream "Girl, this is in the mountains, outside..."

Chapter 20 Mountain Stream "Girl, this is in the mountains, outside..."

“Miss, we’re in the mountains, it’s not safe outside.” Qingfu looked at Xiao Yan’s expression and had already guessed what she was planning to do.

“Although it’s in the mountains, you can see that vegetables and fruits are still growing outside. I’ve also seen young nuns carrying buckets of water out before. This section of the road to the stream must be a frequent route for people from this nunnery. There are gravel paths, so it’s not exactly unsafe.”

Xiao Yanhui stood at the back door of Jing'an Hall and looked out. Her gaze met that of a young nun who was weeding the vegetables. The two exchanged a smile.

“The nuns are working outside too. We’ll just walk towards the stream. I’ll pick up some pretty pebbles and gather some flowers and then come back,” Xiao Yan said to Qingfu in a somewhat consultative tone.

Qingfu turned her gaze to the person next to her, and then saw that Zhu Yue's eyes were just as bright as the girl's. She forgot that Lü'e had a bit of an upset stomach, and that it was Zhu Yue who accompanied the girl out with her. This little one looked like she wanted to go out for a walk even more than the girl, so she obviously couldn't help with Quan.

"Qingfu~" Xiao Yan called out Qingfu's name in a soft, melodious voice.

"Well, we agreed to only pick some flowers by the stream and the big tree, and not to go far." Qingfu's tone still carried some hesitation.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I have a good reputation, I definitely won't go far." He readily agreed, his feet already happily stepping out.

"It's so comfortable here, completely different from the garden at home." Under the big tree by the stream, Xiao Yanhui opened her arms and took a deep breath, her nostrils filled with the scent of the mountains and forests.

A stream flowed gently in front of her, a large tree leaned against her back, and thick shade blocked the sunlight from her head. A mountain breeze brought a cool breeze. If she hadn't just woken up from a nice nap, Xiao Yan Hui would have wanted to take another nap.

"Miss, look how pretty these flowers are!" Zhu Yue smiled and handed Xiao Yan a small bunch of unnamed wildflowers.

In such a relaxed and natural environment, not only Xiao Yan Hui, but also Qing Fu and Zhu Yue were free from the fatigue and pressure that had accumulated since last night, and were in a relaxed state.

“It’s beautiful. You don’t need to give it to me. You can pick another bunch for your Green Moth Sister and Cat to take back. I’ll pick it myself.” Seeing that Zhu Yue was even hopping around when she walked, Xiao Yan’s smile deepened.

Even the usually composed Qingfu took a few steps forward and carefully scooped up several particularly round and uniquely patterned pebbles from the shallow stream. Holding these pebbles under the tree, Qingfu emphasized, "Although they are far inferior to the little fish-shaped stone that you have, they are quite good for weighing down flowerpots."

"Oh right, I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. Qingfu, when you get home, remember to remind me to take that little fish-shaped stone to the gold and silver shop. See if there's a skilled craftsman who can make a gold-wrapped cage for it, or add buttons to the ends and a chain to make a necklace."

Thinking of the unique little fish in her jewelry box at home, Xiao Yanhui thought of several necklace styles. Perhaps she could discuss with the goldsmiths at the jewelry store about making several different necklaces to go with the fish pendant.

"Yes, I've noted it down. Your jewelry box is overflowing with all sorts of gems, yet you seem to cherish that stone so much." Qingfu picked out a stone shaped like a cat's head from the pile she had chosen.

"We've got the fish, young lady, would you like to add a cat as well?"

"Pfft," Xiao Yan laughed immediately: "This piece is perfect for you to take back and coax the cat. It would be a waste to give it to me. I'm going to go find rare stones myself."

"How refreshing." As I gently slid my hand into the stream, a cool sensation slowly spread from my fingertips, completely washing away the heat that had been radiating from my body.

......

"My lord, just as you predicted, the person is on the other side." In the dense forest on the other side of the stream, several figures were lurking under the trees, and a short, thin man was climbing on a tree, looking towards Xiao Yan and the others with a cylindrical object in front of him.

If Xiao Yan were present, she would have noticed that the thing the man was holding up was a rather primitive but extremely precious telescope.

Beside another large tree, Qin Ji, who was observing through binoculars under the cover of bushes, also spotted the group of people by the stream.

"My lord, I have inquired and found that the people here in Jing'an Hall today are female members of the Xiao family. The one opposite..." The skinny monkey observing from the tree silently jumped down and walked a few steps to Qin Ji's side.

He felt very nervous and troubled at this moment, because on the other side there were only three girls, a young woman and her servant, and judging from their ages, the young woman was likely his master's fiancée. However, there was another person hiding in the tree less than ten meters away from them.

A person they've been tracking for days and is finally close to being caught.

So, should they take action or not? If they did, they might implicate the three of them. If they didn't, they would not only miss a good opportunity, but that person was ruthless and might not let the master and servant escape unscathed.

"The third young lady of the Xiao family, how clever." Watching the woman deliberately flick the stream water at her maid, her prank succeeding and her smile as bright as a cat that had just tasted blood, Qin Ji's face remained as gentle as ever, but his eyes lingered on that overly bright smile for a moment longer.

This third daughter of the Qin family always gave him a vague sense of familiarity, but he could never quite put his finger on what it was that felt familiar.

This was quite interesting, Qin Ji thought, feeling his curiosity piqued.

"So she's not the master's fiancée, then we can rest assured." Upon hearing that the master was referring to Miss Xiao the Third, knowing that his master had betrothed Miss Xiao the Second, the skinny monkey deftly drew the knife hidden in his sleeve, revealing a glint of cold light.

He was about to sneak over when Qin Ji slightly raised his hand to stop him.

"My lord?" the skinny monkey asked, puzzled.

"No rush, he's still useful." She was still useful, but she didn't need to tell her subordinates that.

"Wei Shiwu, from now on you will be my servant, and your name will be Qin Xi. Now change your clothes." Qin Ji suddenly called out a name.

"Yes, young master." Wei Shiwu was also very clever. He knew that since his new name was Qin, he was Qin Ji's man, not his master's man, so he immediately changed his address.

Then, in the blink of an eye, his hairstyle was changed, his beard was shaved, and his clothes were put on and taken off. His shoulders were turned inward and his waist slumped down a bit. At this moment, he was a typical servant boy, and there was no trace of the sharp and capable appearance of Wei Shiwu.

"My lord is going there personally? That person..." Skinny Monkey wanted to say that the person was dangerous, but thinking about his lord's skills, he knew that even if the person was injured now, he wouldn't be a match for his lord in his prime. In addition, there was Wei Shiwu by his side, oh no, it's Qin Xi now. With the skills of these two, dealing with that person would be no problem at all.

But with so many of them here, the fact that the Lord himself has to do this dangerous job is extremely unsettling.

Qin Xi changed her clothes, while Qin Ji only needed to tone down her imposing aura, then shrink her binoculars back to about half the size of a fist and put them in her purse, and then take out a folding fan from her bosom, and she was all set.

Naturally, the two couldn't just leave the dense forest and cross the stream like that, so they went in another direction.

"If he makes any unusual moves, shoot him." Qin Ji left with these words before departing.

"Hehehe." After the person had walked away, the skinny monkey chuckled softly.

It's said that there are no wrong nicknames in the world, and this guy is usually the kind of person who's more cunning than a monkey when it comes to nicknames. This time is no exception; he feels like he's discovered something.

......

"Young Master, here, here, here is a way out." A slightly carefree boy's voice rang out from behind the bushes not far away.

By this time, Xiao Yan had already walked a short distance along the stream. As she walked, she picked flowers, slowly gathering a handful of wild and charming blossoms. She then wove a small flower bracelet to wear on her wrist and carefully selected several brightly colored or adorably shaped stones.

Feeling that she was already full, Xiao Yan was wondering if she should go back when she heard someone walking over.

Upon hearing the sound, Qingfu and Zhuyue immediately stopped what they were doing and quickly walked back to Xiao Yanhui's side.

"Girl, shall we go back directly?" Qingfu whispered beside her. At this moment, they could already see two figures emerging from behind the trees not far away.

Xiao Yan was about to nod, after all, she came out to relax, not to avoid trouble.

She took a step, but her foot froze.

Just now, out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to have caught a glimpse of red on a blade of grass under a tree not far away.

"Since someone's here, let's go back." Xiao Yan resumed her steps without making a sound, speaking to Qing Fu as if she hadn't seen anything.

But her gaze couldn't help but drift back to the reddish grass.

The "tick-tock" was actually silent, but at this moment, Xiao Yanhui's mind had subconsciously added a sound. He saw a perfectly round drop of blood fall from the sky, land on the grass, and then stain half of the leaf tip red.

Her gaze moved quickly upwards and then quickly downwards without making a sound. There... there seemed to be a figure in the tree, and she seemed to see the cold glint of a melee weapon.

A note from the author:

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