At the Tongfu Inn, Lu Qianning and Luo Ling finally enjoyed a good rest.
After waking up, they originally planned to find a restaurant for a nice meal, but thinking of Xi Qingyue and her sister, Lu Qianning changed her mind.
"Your Highness, we might not even run into them. Besides, they mean us no harm and won’t make a move against us."
Luo Ling wanted the Princess to go out and eat something decent. The food at the inn was average at best, just enough to fill their stomachs.
But Lu Qianning shook her head firmly. "No. They might not mean any harm, but I’m afraid you’ll get scared again."
She knew her own people well. Luo Ling had nearly been frightened out of her wits by those two kids, and the worst part was that when Luo Ling got scared, she was the one who ended up suffering.
She stood up and walked toward the door of the room. "Come on, let’s grab a quick bite in the main hall downstairs. Tomorrow morning, we’ll buy some dry rations and keep traveling. We still don’t know what’s happening in the capital."
When she had left the Northern Mountains, she was severely injured and spent a long time recovering. Her internal injuries weren’t fully healed when Xi Weilan accidentally shot her in the mountains. So much time had passed now—other than those hunting her, most people probably thought she was dead.
The notices she had ordered posted everywhere wouldn’t reach the capital anytime soon, probably needing more time. She had to go back first and collect some interest.
As soon as they reached the main hall, they overheard people talking, and only then did they learn that something had happened at the yamen of Jingcheng County.
"Have you heard? The ground inside the county office was stained red. No one knows who did it. The magistrate, the deputy magistrate, and the county captain are all dead. The magistrate’s wife and their only son died too. That son had a huge bloody hole in his forehead."
An old man snorted upon hearing this. "Good riddance. Those officials spent all their time bullying us common folks. Just today, they were still running around arresting people. Guess someone couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to deliver some justice."
"Shh! Grandpa, keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone hear you."
The old man shrugged indifferently. "So what if they hear me? It’s not like dead men can come after me, right?"
Not knowing the details, Lu Qianning and Luo Ling listened as Luo Ling sat down and took the initiative to ask.
"Grandpa, you said they were still arresting people today. Was it the county office? Why were they making arrests?"
The old man, seeing the question, kindly explained. "That magistrate’s son was a lecherous beast. I’m from a village near Jingcheng. I occasionally come into town to sell goods, and if I can’t make it back in time, I stay here, so I hear a lot. A girl from our village caught his eye once, and she ended up killing herself by bashing her head against a wall rather than give in. I’ve witnessed such things several times."
"The most recent was about half a month ago. I was at a fabric shop buying cloth for my granddaughter. A mother and her daughter were there picking fabric too. That magistrate’s son spotted the young woman right away. He barged into the shop and tried to drag her to the back. The girl was sharp—she shoved her mother out of the shop door. I thought she was just telling her family to run, but before I knew it, a whole crowd showed up."
As he spoke, the old man grew animated. "Let me tell you, every one of them was holding a stick. They beat the magistrate’s son’s men half to death. Those men lay on the ground twitching, like they’d been struck by lightning. The leader looked like a scholar. That man was ruthless. After saving his daughter, he castrated every one of them—made sure they could never father children."
Words like this, the old man would never have dared say before. But with the magistrate’s whole family dead now, he could say whatever he wanted. Such good news shouldn’t be kept to himself; everyone should get to share it.
"Huh? Castrated? Grandpa, why didn’t you tell us this before?" The waiter looked surprised. They had no idea the magistrate’s son had been neutered. That old man could keep a secret.
The old man shook his head. "If I’d said this yesterday, I wouldn’t be sitting here today."
The others found this reasonable. Luo Ling asked again, "Does this have anything to do with today’s arrests?"
"Yes, it does—a lot. Today, they were rounding up people based on portraits, arresting anyone who looked similar. The person in the portrait was the one who castrated the magistrate’s son. It was clearly just random arrests to vent their anger. They don’t treat the common folks like human beings. The magistrate, the county captain, and the rest were all accomplices. There was hardly anyone good in that county office. They deserved to die."
The old man spoke disdainfully of them, but he still came into town every few days, not just to sell some mountain goods for money but to keep an eye on the city's situation and grain prices, ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
After listening, Luo Ling smiled and handed a piece of silver to the waiter. "This old man helped satisfy our curiosity. Use this to get him a nice room for the night."
"Sure thing, Young Master."
The waiter was happy for the old man—tonight, no more sleeping in the woodshed.
The old man quickly stood up to refuse. "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master, but it was just a few words. There’s no need for you to spend money on my account."
Luo Ling waved her hand. "No need to be polite, Grandpa. It’s just one room. Feel free to stay."
Hearing this, the old man stopped protesting and thanked them again.
Outside on the street, Xi Qingyue’s mule cart was parked not far to the left of the inn.
She had just been passing through, but when she overheard the old man’s words—especially when he mentioned "half a month ago"—Xi Qingyue became curious and stopped to listen.
To her surprise, when she used her powers to probe the inn, she discovered two familiar faces inside.
But she had no intention of greeting them. She urged the mule cart forward and kept going.
As the cart passed the inn’s entrance, Xi Weilan, eating a lollipop, glanced inside. Her eyes met Luo Ling’s startled gaze, and she flashed a bright smile.
Even after the cart had moved on for a while, Luo Ling was still dazed. "Young Master... that mule... they’re driving the mule cart."
Lu Qianning nodded thoughtfully. "I saw it. That is indeed that mule."
She simply couldn’t figure out how two people driving a mule cart had managed to catch up to them on horseback.
Suddenly, Luo Ling said excitedly, "Young Master, they travel fast! If we go with them, we’ll definitely get back quickly. Little Lan'er wanted to learn light-footed martial arts, right? You could teach her."
By now, she had set her fears aside. Her mind was entirely focused on tagging along with those two little rascals to reach their destination faster.
Lu Qianning flicked her on the forehead. "Are you sure you won’t be silenced? Use your brain—how could a mule cart go that fast? There must be another secret. No wonder Little Lan'er said you were stupid."
Luo Ling fell silent. Maybe her mind really wasn’t that sharp.
Meanwhile, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan drove the cart into a small alley and turned.
"Sis, I saw poor Sister Lu just now. Are they still being hunted?"
Xi Qingyue shook her head. "I don’t know. From the look of it, no one has recognized them yet, so for now, they’re safe."
Xi Weilan tilted her head, thought for a moment, then asked, "Sis, if they saw the two of us, would they suspect how fast we’ve been traveling?"
Hearing this, Xi Qingyue was quite surprised—so her sister was actually thinking about things now.
She nodded. "Definitely, but it doesn’t matter. We’re not from the same world as them, and they won’t come up and ask. We’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning, and this time we’ll be well ahead of them."
