Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

They didn't wait downstairs for a while before Ji Nuan and Song Jinbai brought Song Huai downstairs together.

When Ji Chuan saw them, he immediately stood up with a smile on his face and waved to them enthusiastically: "This way, come and sit."

They all walked over to the table and found a seat. Ji Nuan sat next to Ji Chuan, while Song Jinbai and Song Huai sat across from her and on her side, respectively.

After a while, the shopkeeper personally brought breakfast to the table.

"Dear guests, please try the rice cakes that are unique to Shuangxi County." The shopkeeper brought a plate of white, steaming square cakes with a smile on his face and enthusiastically introduced this local specialty.

"Thank you, shopkeeper!" Upon hearing this, Ji Nuan and others thanked the shopkeeper.

Ji Nuan picked up a piece of rice cake and took a light bite. The soft and glutinous texture melted in her mouth instantly. The sweet taste was mixed with a hint of rice fragrance, which made people linger in the aftertaste.

She couldn't help but nod and exclaimed, "It's so delicious! Shuangxi County's rice cakes are really as famous as they are."

The others also took a bite and showed satisfied smiles on their faces.

Seeing how much the guests enjoyed their rice cakes, the shopkeeper quickly brought out another plate, fearing they wouldn't have enough. He also enthusiastically asked about their upcoming itineraries and took the initiative to introduce other specialties and attractions in Shuangxi County.

After dinner, the three Ji brothers decided to go to the market. Before leaving, they reminded Ji Nuan to rest well in the inn and not to go out alone. Ji Nuan smiled and nodded in agreement, watching her brothers leave.

After the three figures disappeared outside the door, Song Jinbai turned around, his eyes gleaming. He softly invited Ji Nuan, "Miss Ji, the shopkeeper just mentioned that there's a Chaofeng Mountain outside the city. The Chaofeng Temple on the mountain is said to be very effective. Why don't we go to the Chaofeng Temple? I heard the marriage tree there is the most effective."

Ji Nuan thought that she was free anyway, so she gladly accepted Song Jinbai's invitation and said, "Let's go and take a look."

The three of them rode their horses and arrived near Chaofeng Mountain in more than half an hour.

"Please, Manager Luo, my brother is still breathing. You can't just burn him like this. Please, please get a doctor to take a look!"

There was a dusty carriage in front, and a little girl of about thirteen or fourteen was kneeling on the ground, begging desperately to a middle-aged man with tears in her eyes.

The middle-aged man, known as Steward Luo, covered his mouth and nose with a white handkerchief, frowning and speaking impatiently, "Miss, it's not that I'm cruel, but the young master's illness is chickenpox, which is very serious. He's been ill for so many days, and I haven't reported it to the authorities, which is already a great mercy. He's on the verge of death. If we don't deal with it quickly, I'm afraid the entire village will be in danger. By then, I'm afraid my life will be in danger too."

The little girl clenched her fists, tears welling in her eyes. She tugged at Manager Luo's robe tightly, her voice tinged with tears, "Manager Luo, you were the person my mother trusted most when she was alive. She gave you many good things before she died, and she even entrusted my sister and me to you. How could you be so cold and indifferent to my brother at this critical moment?"

Steward Luo tugged at the corner of his clothes, and with such force, he actually knocked the little girl to the ground. He looked at her coldly, without any sympathy: "Miss, at this point, haven't you faced reality? The Qu family is now under the master's control! We servants can only do what the master tells us to do."

"No... this is impossible! We are his biological children!" The little girl fell to the ground, tears streaming down her face, trying to use this blood relationship to awaken a possible trace of warmth.

"How is it impossible?" Manager Luo's words were like a sharp blade in the cold wind. "Don't forget, you all have the surname Qu, just like Madam. The master's son's surname is Cao, Cao Youcheng. He is the true heir of the Cao family, the eldest son!"

Ji Nuan and the other two watched this farce quietly from a distance.

She took out three handkerchiefs from her bag and handed them to Song Jinbai and Song Huai respectively, and then she tied one of them around her face skillfully.

"Lend me your knife." Ji Nuan extended her hand to Song Huai.

Song Huai took off the long knife from his waist without hesitation and handed it to Ji Nuan steadily.

Afterwards, Ji Nuan swiftly dismounted from the horse, shouldered his sword, and strode towards the people beside the carriage.

She stood still, one hand on her waist, and said in a lazy and calm tone: "Robbery!"

Upon hearing this, Manager Luo and the driver were stunned for a moment. Then, they looked at the seemingly frail girl before them and couldn't help but sneer, "Where did this ignorant little girl come from? She's imitating bandits and robbing people like that?"

Faced with the ridicule, Ji Nuan didn't say much. He just picked up the knife, turned around, walked to a thick tree on the side of the road, and kicked it.

With two loud "cracks" and "cracks", the tree, which was as thick as a thigh, broke in half and fell to the ground with a loud bang, raising a cloud of dust.

This scene completely shocked Manager Luo and the driver. They were stunned, their faces pale and trembling with fear.

Is this still a little girl? I'm afraid she's really a little bandit!

Ji Nuan turned around, his eyes sharp as a torch, and spoke again, his tone adding a touch of unquestionable coldness: "Now, if you don't want to die, leave the silver and the carriage on you, and get out!"

Manager Luo and the coachman looked at each other and chose to surrender.

With trembling hands, they took out the silver they had on them and put it on the car seat, then crawled away from the scene.

Ji Nuan put down the knife, walked to the little girl who was still kneeling on the ground, and said softly, "Get up, I'm a doctor, let me check on your brother first."

A glimmer of hope flashed in the little girl's eyes. The person who could save her at this time should not be a bad person. She nodded quickly and took Ji Nuan to the carriage.

Song Jinbai, who was waiting not far away, couldn't help but get anxious when he saw this. He had just heard that the little girl's brother had chickenpox. Ji Nuan was undoubtedly putting herself in danger by rashly approaching the patient.

He drove his horse closer without hesitation, jumped up, and landed steadily beside the carriage. Then he lifted the curtain and looked inside anxiously.

After carefully examining the little boy lying in the car, Ji Nuan frowned slightly and said solemnly, "This isn't chickenpox. He's been poisoned. Once the toxin enters the body, it causes a rash all over the body, followed by a persistent high fever. The rash gradually develops into blisters. On the surface, it looks very similar to chickenpox, but in reality, it's completely different."

Upon hearing this, the little girl's eyes instantly filled with endless hatred, her body trembling slightly with anger. "That woman... she's so cruel! It wasn't enough to kick us out of the house, she even went so far as to do this to my brother! Cao Hehong, how could you be so cruel!"