Mistakenly recognized as a cousin, thousands of pampered

The boat sails slowly on the vast water, the waves ripple and spread out in all directions, like the gentle caress of nature.

This boat was chartered by Shen Zhiyi, and it was extremely quiet.

A breeze blew, bringing with it wisps of fresh air, as if isolating the hustle and bustle of the world outside the ship's side.

"Are we going to dock today?"

Tao Jiuxi sat lazily on the large recliner specially made for her by Shen Zhiyi, nestling beside him like a docile kitten.

The three sides of the lounge chair are carefully woven with highly flexible rattan, with thick cushions sewn inside. Lying on it, you feel comfortable and private, as if you are in your own little world.

"I need to investigate along the way, and I'll take you there so you don't have to stay stuck on the boat."

"Don't you need to rush to find your mother?"

"My mother has lived in her ancestral home in Jiangning Prefecture for a long time. It doesn't matter if you go earlier or later." Shen Zhiyi looked at Tao Jiuxi lovingly, his eyes full of love.

"Then let's stop more often on the way. I'll go eat at every place I think of. Okay?" Tao Jiuxi's eyes flashed with excitement.

Shen Zhiyi raised the corner of his mouth slightly, gently pointed at his face, and said coquettishly: "Kiss me and I will agree."

No one could tell from his appearance that he was actually a first-rank duke of the current dynasty.

"Shen Zhiyi, how dare you threaten me? Do you know that the last person who threatened me had grass three feet high on his grave?" Tao Jiuxi sat up suddenly, his eyes fierce, staring at Shen Zhiyi like an enraged beast.

"Three meters? The land where he was buried must be fertile. Why not grow crops instead?" Shen Zhiyi was not afraid at all and still teased with a playful smile.

His eyes were full of smiles as he deliberately teased Tao Jiuxi.

"How dare you act rashly." Tao Jiuxi shouted angrily.

She was not angry at all, but just enjoyed flirting with Shen Zhiyi.

"I wouldn't dare. It's just that the last person who threatened you was me, and I'm still here." Shen Zhiyi looked at Tao Jiuxi with burning eyes, and felt that every day with her was full of fun.

Tao Jiuxi stretched out her soft little hand and flicked Shen Zhiyi's forehead like lightning, grinning and saying, "I'll give you a head pop."

Shen Zhiyi waited until she finished playing before slowly grabbing her hand.

He knew Tao Jiuxi's mischievous nature. If she didn't get the upper hand now, she would suddenly playfully scratch herself even when they were kissing passionately.

Although Tao Jiuxi was so childish, Shen Zhiyi found her extremely cute.

He gently hugged Tao Jiuxi to his body, put his hand gently on her neck, and slowly moved forward to kiss her.

Tao Jiuxi understood, closed his eyes and waited quietly.

Tao Jiuxi only felt that Shen Zhiyi's kissing skills had reached perfection after these few days of training, and he could kiss her to the point of being confused and ecstatic every time.

There was open water ahead, and bamboo chairs surrounded them on three sides, creating an exclusive private space for them, allowing her to enjoy Shen Zhiyi's kiss with peace of mind.

Just as their lips were getting closer and closer, suddenly, with a "whoosh" sound, a sharp arrow sounded from the deck. The sound was like a sharp blade piercing the sky, tearing the peaceful atmosphere apart.

Shen Zhiyi's reaction was as fast as lightning. As soon as the sound of the arrow rang out, he immediately protected Tao Jiuxi behind him without hesitation.

His eyes suddenly became extremely sharp, and he looked straight at the shore like a sword.

"Jiang Qu, chase!" Shen Zhiyi roared, his voice full of anger.

Jiang Qu, inside the cabin, heard the command and sprang into action without hesitation. His movements were fluid and seamless. He quickly threw several wooden planks into the water, then, using their buoyancy, stepped on them a few times and reached shore. Once ashore, he dashed after the figure without hesitation.

Jiang Shun had already walked out of the cabin, but stood beside the rattan chair, not daring to take a step forward.

"master."

Shen Zhiyi looked at Tao Jiuxi, who was frightened by this sudden change, and asked softly, "Are you scared?"

Tao Jiuxi nodded woodenly. At that moment, she was indeed very scared.

But now, she has recovered a little.

"This is... too exciting..." she murmured.

Shen Zhiyi was relieved when he saw that Tao Jiuxi was no longer so scared: "I was careless."

"Hey, there's a letter on the arrow." After saying that, she came out from behind Shen Zhiyi and walked towards the location of the arrow.

Just as he was about to reach out to pull out the arrow, he heard Shen Zhiyi say, "Don't move. Be careful, the arrow is poisonous."

Tao Jiuxi was so scared that he retracted his hand.

Afterwards, Shen Zhiyi said to Jiang Shun, "Gain trust."

Jiang Shun: “…”

Hey! The cousin is the one he loves, and he is the one who serves him.

While he was guarding in the cabin, he could vaguely hear the intimate conversation between his master and his cousin. Because of this, he did not dare to go forward without permission, for fear of disturbing the two of them.

Otherwise, he would have gone over to gain the trust long ago, so why would he be hurt by the master's words?

Jiang Shun carefully pulled out the arrow, opened the letter, and after reading it, he replied, "Master, the letter says 'something strange has happened in the city, wait patiently for an old friend'."

"Old friend?" Tao Jiuxi saw that Jiang Shun was not poisoned, so he took the letter from Jiang Shun's hand. Sure enough, there were only these two lines of words on the letter.

"I don't have any old friends here." Shen Zhiyi explained.

“They’ve all come to my door…”

"Really not!"

Shen Zhiyi thought to himself that he had originally planned to go into the city, but he didn't expect to receive such a letter before he arrived at the dock.

Obviously, the archer didn't know who was on the boat. His action was simply to lure people into the city.

He just found it a little funny when he saw Tao Jiuxi staring at him with suspicion.

"What are you thinking?"

"Shen Zhiyi, your handwriting is quite elegant."

"so what?"

"Who is this old friend?"

Shen Zhiyi smiled and ignored her, instead instructing Jiang Shun: "Jiang Shun, take your men to the city to investigate the situation later."

"Yes, master."

Not long after, Jiang Qu hurried back, looking a little annoyed, and said, "Master, I lost the archer. From the back, it looks like a woman."

When Tao Jiuxi heard that it was a woman, he immediately pricked up his ears to listen.

"Since he dared to act alone, he must have made thorough preparations. You go down and rest first." Shen Zhiyi frowned slightly, but did not blame Jiang Qu.

Two hours later.

Jiang Shun returned after some investigation and reported to Shen Zhiyi: "Master, I have carefully checked the city and found nothing unusual."

Shen Zhiyi turned to look at Tao Jiuxi and said, "Jiuxi, are you afraid to go into the city? If you are afraid, I will leave Jiang Shun and the two teams of guards to you, and I will bring Jiang Qu into the city tomorrow."

"I'll go too." Tao Jiuxi said without hesitation.

"We haven't found any clues today. Since this person wants to lure us into the city, he will come again."

"It says 'old friends' above, but I don't have any old friends. So the target is definitely not me. Jiang Shun can look after me in the city. He said there's nothing unusual in the city. You just need to go about your business." Tao Jiuxi blinked his lively eyes and looked straight at Shen Zhiyi.

"In that case, I'll feel more at ease if I take you with me. The others can go ashore for supplies."

Entering the city, the streets are bustling with people. The shops on both sides are doing a booming business, with shouts and bargaining sounds echoing one after another.

At first glance, this city is no different from other cities and is full of a strong sense of life.

However, Shen Zhiyi and others did not take it lightly.

Shen Zhiyi walked in front with Tao Jiuxi, while Jiang Qu and Jiang Shun followed closely behind.

They carefully observed the people around them, not missing any details, and tried to find clues from people's expressions and movements.

Tao Jiuxi looked at the lively scene around him and didn't seem nervous at all.

"This city is so lively, I didn't notice anything unusual. Has Lord Shen seen his old friend?" Tao Jiuxi said softly, with curiosity glittering in his eyes.

"I..." Shen Zhiyi was about to speak when his eyes suddenly fixed, as if he had discovered something.