Liu Teng looked at Xi Daniu before him and said irritably, "Since you came to pick up Little Yue and the others, why didn't you even ask about them or send anyone to look for them? Instead, you trailed behind us all sneaky-like. Are you sure those men are even yours?"
He wasn't afraid of Xi Daniu. So what if the man had made something of himself now? He hadn't come back when his own mother and wife died, and now he sends people to fetch the kids without even asking a single question. What kind of father does that?
The moment those words left his mouth, Xi Daniu's expression shifted. He cast a cold glance at the man in black robes.
The man in black quickly lowered his head. When he'd arrived, the girls were already gone. Where was he supposed to look for them? And whether they were alive or dead, no one knew.
Xi Daniu bowed respectfully to Liu Teng. "Uncle Lizheng, could you tell me what happened to them?"
As angry as Liu Teng was, he also wanted Xi Qingyue and her sister to have someone looking after them, so he told Xi Daniu about the sisters' circumstances.
He recounted everything that had happened to the Xi family over the past three years, including how Xi Erniu had tried to sell Xi Weilan and then stole the mule cart, only to meet his own miserable end. He also told him when Xi Qingyue and her sister had left the village.
But he said nothing about the electric batons and other items Xi Qingyue had gifted the village. He hadn't even told all the villagers; only Scholar Han and a few others knew about it.
Back then, he'd claimed they were gifts from a hermit in the mountains. After all, holding a treasure invited trouble. He knew how valuable those things were, and if word got out that Xi Qingyue was the source, it would only bring danger to her door.
As for Xi Daniu—a man who disappeared for three years and suddenly reappeared—he had no credibility in Liu Teng's eyes.
After hearing everything, Xi Daniu remained silent for a long time.
Suddenly, Liu Teng asked the most important question on behalf of the people of Liushu Village: "Since you're alive, why didn't you show up for three years? Were you too sick to get out of bed? But surely your men here could have moved."
The blunt question made Xi Daniu's face stiffen. A young guard beside him glared fiercely. "How dare you! Cursing our Hereditary Prince!"
At that, Liu Teng and the gathered villagers were all shocked.
Xi Daniu waved off the guard and smiled at Liu Teng as he explained, "Uncle Lizheng, I had my reasons for this too. But I truly didn't stay away on purpose. I came back to pick up Da Ya and the others, didn't I?"
Liu Teng said no more. At the end of the day, it was another family's private matter.
"Fine, since you're here for Little Yue and the others, go find them. Don't waste time here. The roads aren't safe. Find them and take them home as soon as you can."
"Uncle Lizheng, if you and the others are willing, I can arrange a place for you near the capital."
Hearing Xi Daniu's offer, Liu Teng shook his head without a moment's hesitation. "No need. We're thinking of heading south. The capital is packed with nobles and officials. Living too close to that lot wouldn't sit well with us."
No sooner had he spoken than Cheng Dingxiang's loud voice rang out, "Daniu, we'll go to the capital with you! We don't mind it there!"
Liu Teng looked over. Cheng Dingxiang was being held back by the guards, tugging Xi You along and gazing at Xi Daniu with longing.
Just when everyone in Liushu Village expected Xi Daniu to refuse, he actually smiled and nodded. "Alright, then you can come along too."
Liu Teng and the villagers were dumbstruck, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Xi Erniu had died by Xi Qingyue's hand, and Xi Daniu was still willing to take them back? Had he been kicked in the head by a donkey?
Liu Teng shook his head, called for the villagers, and left. He couldn't be bothered to watch any longer.
As Li Wanqiu walked beside him, she sighed heavily. "Little Yue and Little Lan have such bitter fates!"
Aunt Wang said bluntly, "A father like Daniu is worse than none at all. If Little Yue and the others ever get found, seeing Dingxiang and her boy tagging along will only break their hearts."
"Exactly. I used to think Daniu was a decent man, but now I see I misjudged him."
The villagers of Liushu Village chatted away as they walked, thoroughly pleased this time without the Cheng family villagers trailing behind them.
As for the people of Chengjia Village, they all wanted to go with Cheng Dingxiang and the others, hoping to get settled near the capital.
Cheng Dingxiang tearfully recounted the dire state of their village to Xi Daniu. Looking at the mere thirty-odd households left, he readily agreed.
And so, Xi Daniu and his party set off back to the capital with Cheng Dingxiang and the Cheng family villagers, while Liu Teng and his people happily continued on their way, free of their burdens.
Xi Daniu sent his guards to ask the refugees along the road if they'd seen the two girls, but no one had laid eyes on them.
"Your Highness, could they have gotten ahead of us?" one guard guessed.
Xi Daniu shook his head. "Probably not. You few, head back and check the road behind us. Ask the refugees if anyone's seen them."
"Yes, Your Highness. We'll go at once." The guards took their orders and rode off.
As for the man in black and his group, Xi Daniu didn't punish them, but he also stopped assigning them tasks.
Try as they might, Xi Daniu's guards would never encounter the two sisters.
The girls rested inside their hidden space during the day and drove out at night for at least an hour and a half at a stretch. Even riders galloping day and night couldn't catch up to their speed.
Whoever saw the glow of their headlights saw it only briefly. No one would ever suspect two little girls behind it.
Finally, when the villagers of Liushu Village stopped to rest for the night, they too saw the blinding light in the distance.
"Heavens! What is that thing? I've never seen light so bright—and it's nighttime!" Aunt Wang couldn't help exclaiming.
The rest of the villagers were equally fascinated, amazed to see such brilliance in the dark.
"Could it be a ghost?" a little girl muttered. "That light moves, you know."
"Don't talk nonsense! Would a ghost dare come out in the open like that? It's just some newfangled thing the nobles made up to scare us common folk."
Everyone was too excited to sleep, chattering away, even the Lizheng's wife and daughter-in-law joining in the lively discussion.
In this way, Xi Qingyue left everyone she knew and didn't know far behind, including Xi Daniu and his men.
She and Xi Weilan reached Yuncheng, the city closest to the capital, in seven days.
They had arrived the night before. She had stowed the mule cart away, picked up Xi Weilan, and flown over the city wall to enter—she wasn't sure whether entering through the gates would raise questions.
"Sis, Sister Lu said Yuncheng makes the best peach blossom pastries. Even the young ladies in the capital send people here to buy them."
Xi Weilan's little face was full of delight. She was going to taste those peach blossom pastries at last!
Xi Qingyue was all smiles too. Of course she loved good food.
She took Xi Weilan's hand and headed straight for Wang's Bakery. "Come on, sis is taking you to eat something delicious."
