I smiled and said, "You're overpraising me."
Qi Ziyue looked at me and asked, "Are you also going to Chuan Prefecture for disaster relief?"
I nodded, "Yes."
Qi Ziyue exclaimed, "That's great! Let's go together!"
I smiled faintly and replied, "Sorry, I have a task to attend to and can't go with you."
Qi Ziyue looked puzzled and asked, "You have a task?"
I nodded again, "Yes, my task is to protect you and ensure that you and the Disaster Relief Funds reach Chuan Prefecture safely."
Qi Ziyue was surprised, "Protect me? Did you hear something?"
I said solemnly, "Yes, I received intelligence that someone is planning to hijack this batch of Disaster Relief Funds."
Qi Ziyue gasped, "What?"
I looked at him and whispered, "So we must be extra careful."
After a moment of silence, Qi Ziyue said, "In that case, I'll head out first. See you in Chuan Prefecture!"
I nodded, "Alright, you go ahead; I'll follow shortly."
Qi Ziyue cupped his hands in farewell and turned to walk out of the city.
I watched his figure disappear into the night before turning down another street.
I had not walked far when I suddenly saw several men in black approaching from ahead; they were the same group that had just attacked Qi Ziyue.
I frowned and quickly turned to leave.
The group of men in black saw me trying to escape and immediately shouted, "Don't let that kid get away, chase him!"
With that, they all took off after me.
I snorted coldly and quickened my pace, heading towards a narrow alley.
My lightness skill was exceptional, and in the blink of an eye, I had left them far behind.
However, I did not leave Nanjiang; instead, I hid in the depths of the alley in a nearby house.
The owners of this house were an elderly couple. When they saw me burst in covered in blood, they were terrified.
I pulled out a few banknotes and handed them to them, saying, "Don't be afraid. I'm just hiding here for a while; I'll leave soon."
The elderly couple accepted the money, and their attitude changed immediately. They said, "Alright, alright. You can hide here; we guarantee no one will find you."
I replied, "Thank you."
The elderly couple tidied up a room for me to hide in, then closed the door and went outside.
I lay down in the room, closed my eyes, and rested for a while.
After some time, there was a knock on the door from outside.
The elderly couple opened the door and asked, "Who is it?"
A strange man's voice replied, "We are Yamen Constables. A murderer has escaped here. We are ordered to search the place; open the door!"
The elderly couple hesitated and said, "Well..."
The voice roared back, "Open the door quickly, or we'll arrest you!"
With no other choice, the elderly couple had to open the door.
A sound of footsteps approached, and several Constables rushed in, searching everywhere.
One Constable spotted the carriage and shouted, "Whose carriage is this?"
The Elderly Couple trembled and replied, "It's ours."
The Constable said, "We suspect there is a murderer in this carriage. Open it up!"
The Elderly Couple hesitated, saying, "Well..."
The Constable impatiently urged, "Hurry up and open it, or we'll arrest you!"
With no choice, the Elderly Couple opened the carriage.
The Constable held a torch and glanced inside, only to see it filled with hay.
He poked the hay with a stick, found nothing unusual, and waved his hand, saying, "Let's go."
With that, they turned and walked out.
Once they were far away, I peeked out from the haystack and let out a long sigh of relief.
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