The Zhang Mansion.
Second Master Zhang had just got out of bed. A severely injured and dying woman was still lying prone on the bed.
A young servant handed over a lit opium pipe from the side. Second Master Zhang took the pipe and gave the servant a kick. His flabby flesh jiggled.
"Another useless one. She started making a fuss after just a few rounds. Well, have you found another one? If this one is the same, you can go lie on that bed yourself."
The servant trembled in fear. "Master, this one is definitely a real beauty. I saw that she was dressed in fine clothes. She should be a pampered young lady from some family. She's nothing like those rustic villagers who do manual labor."
Second Master Zhang blew out a puff of smoke and shot him a sideways glance. "Dressed in fine clothes? If this kind of young girl has a family background, it'll be a huge hassle if we're found out. Do you want to ruin me, huh?" Second Master Zhang gave another kick, sending the servant sprawling.
The servant quickly got up on his knees. "I saw that she was alone. Although her clothes were made of expensive fabric, she was in a sorry state and had injuries on her body. I haven't heard any news about a missing young lady from any family. I thought that if we could hide her away secretly..."
Second Master Zhang understood the rest without the servant having to say it. He had done such things before.
"What if this girl was kicked out by her family? Isn't she a gift from heaven for the master?"
The servant swallowed hard. He was determined to send this girl to Second Master Zhang's bed, or else it would be him lying there.
"Go and make sure it's done cleanly." Driven by lust and temptation, Second Master Zhang immediately ordered the action.
Second Master Zhang walked back to the bed. Looking at the dying woman on the bed, he frowned and his face was full of disgust.
The servant let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't even closed the door when he heard a voice from inside. "After you've arranged it, come here."
His face turned pale instantly. He still couldn't escape this fate.
Shi Muyuan followed Aunt Qiu's instructions and found a place where several ox - carts and carriages were parked. She pushed back the loose strands of her hair and walked towards them. Suddenly, a man rushed out and blocked her way.
"Miss, are you looking for a carriage?" The man had an obsequious look on his face.
Shi Muyuan saw that he was dressed in coarse cloth clothes. She thought he must be trying to sell his carriage. Before she could refuse, he led her over.
"Miss, look. My carriage is the cleanest one here. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
His carriage was indeed quite exquisite and eye - catching among the ordinary ox - carts and carriages. Shi Muyuan had a bad feeling. The carriage was so refined, but the owner was dressed in coarse cloth clothes. It felt very out of place.
Moreover, there were so many people here, but only this man came forward to promote his carriage. It was a bit too strange. Even if others thought they couldn't compete, their eyes should have been full of expectation when looking at her.
But in the eyes of those people, there was only evasion.
Shi Muyuan remembered what she had just heard. She held the dagger hidden in her sleeve, and her fingertips trembled slightly with nervousness.
Was she just out of the jaws of the wolves and into the clutches of the tigers?
"No, I'm not used to riding in a carriage. I'd rather take an ox - cart. It's more comfortable," Shi Muyuan said.
The man's smile froze for a moment and then he said, "My carriage is very comfortable too. There are soft cushions inside. I'm sure you'll like it, miss."
"Thank you, but no." Shi Muyuan walked around him towards the ox - carts. As expected, none of the drivers dared to take her business.
Taking her business would mean offending Second Master Zhang. Who would dare?
The man's fake smile disappeared instantly, and he showed a sneering expression.
"Miss, you'd better take my carriage. Those country bumpkins don't dare to steal my business," he sneered.
Shi Muyuan didn't want to listen to his nonsense. She simply turned around and walked towards the horse dealer. Riding a horse wasn't a big deal. She had ridden a horse before. What she was afraid of was that it would be too late if she didn't leave soon. Moreover, she didn't know where Huo Qizhou was and whether he had broken through the assassins' siege. She had to go back quickly to call for reinforcements.
Seeing her turn around and leave, the man thought to himself that something was wrong. He had thought that these delicate young ladies would pursue comfort and had deliberately brought out a nice carriage. He didn't expect her to be so vigilant.
It was all the fault of that talkative person by the tea stall. He would tell the master another day to smash the tea stall and take Aunt Qiu in.
Aunt Qiu was known as a beauty. She wasn't bad at all. But Aunt Qiu's husband was from a security agency. Second Master Zhang had been severely beaten when he was just a hooligan, so he didn't dare to act rashly.
But times had changed. It was only a matter of time before he took Aunt Qiu in. Moreover, her husband hadn't been back for a long time.
There were too many people here, so it wasn't a good place to act. The man watched Shi Muyuan lead the newly - bought horse out of Qingshui County with a gloomy face before leading his carriage away.
The others looked at the two of them with complicated expressions in their eyes.
After leading the horse out of Qingshui County, Shi Muyuan was still trying to boost her confidence. She had once watched a brainless short drama where the female protagonist learned to ride a horse by dancing. She decided to imitate that.
Taking a deep breath, Shi Muyuan carefully stepped on the stirrup.
Fortunately, when she was choosing the horse, she had tested that the horse wouldn't move around. But as soon as she sat on the horseback, the horse was startled. The carriage driver she had just refused actually brought a group of people to surround her. Sure enough, her guess was right. He was one of Second Master Zhang's men.
"Little girl, you're being stubborn. If you had gotten into the carriage obediently just now, you could have been comfortable. But now you force me to bring people to catch you. It's not worth it, little girl."
Shi Muyuan was sitting on the horseback and couldn't get off for a moment. She thought it was bad.
"I advise you to get out of the way. If my family finds out, I guarantee that the whole Qingshui County will suffer."
This place was really rotten. She didn't know how Aunt Qiu could stay here.
"Yo, you can scare people too. Hahaha. You're really different from those village girls," the man said.
The man clenched his fists and led the people to slowly surround her. Shi Muyuan slapped the horse and tried to rush out. But after running a few steps, the horse fell to the ground. Shi Muyuan was thrown off and landed on the ground, feeling dizzy. The horse got up and ran away.
"Hahaha. Do you really think I'm that stupid to let you ride away on a horse like this?" The man picked up the rope he had set up earlier and walked closer to Shi Muyuan to tie her up.
"Alright, let's go. Hurry up and take her back. The master must be waiting impatiently. A few of you stay behind to clean up the traces here and warn those who have come into contact with this girl."
The master had said that this woman should be treated carefully. He was afraid that Shi Muyuan would shout, so he stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth.
...
Shi An guessed that Huo Qizhou might take Shi Muyuan to stay nearby. He was searching along the road when he suddenly saw a frightened horse rush out. He felt strange. Why would there be a horse here, and it even had a saddle. It should be a specially - raised horse.