After being reborn with my scumbag ex-husband, I became his sister-in-law.

Although Song Xizhi offered these words of comfort, he also sensed something was amiss.

So she instructed Siqin to ask the owner of the tea stall to see if she could find out anything.

Siqin followed Song Xizhi's gaze and saw the old man bustling about in front of his stall.

Located on the main road into the city, this place is a popular stop for tourists and travelers who often choose to rest here. His stall is clean and the tea is delicious; sometimes he even receives a lot of tips.

Logically speaking, this tea stall should be doing well, and the owner should be living a prosperous life.

But looking at the boss in front of me, who was not yet sixty, his face was bitter, his expression was sorrowful, his brows were often furrowed, and he was slow to respond when others called him.

He was wearing coarse cloth that had been starched until it was stiff, and the cloth was patched.

It was clearly a cold winter day, and people were breathing heavily when they spoke, but the boss was dressed in thin clothes and was as thin as a bamboo pole.

After Song Xizhi said that, Siqin also noticed the boss. She observed him for a moment and knew that there must be something wrong with him.

But when Siqin walked up to the old man and asked him a couple of questions about the strange things in Fengning County, the old man suddenly became wary and hurriedly waved his hand at Siqin, refusing to say anything.

Seeing that he was about to leave on his own, Siqin hurriedly stepped forward and blocked the shopkeeper's way.

Siqin was about to ask another question when the old man, with faltering steps, walked directly towards Song Xizhi and his group.

He clasped his hands together and bowed to the group, his attitude humble, his eyes showing a hint of caution, before urging Song Xizhi and his entourage to leave:

"Distinguished guests, you have had your drinks and rested enough. Would you please leave now?"

"This is just a small business; there are a lot of people waiting to rest here!"

Everyone slowly stood up from their seats because of the old man's words.

Despite being humiliated by others, Pei Yunyi remained calm. He merely frowned slightly and then placed his hand on the old man's arm.

"Sir, is there some problem with your business?"

The old man withdrew his hand as if he had been burned, then shook his head hurriedly: "No problem! No problem!"

"It was originally a small business, and we are already extremely grateful to have General Zeng's protection, which has allowed us to live a peaceful life."

Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi looked up and exchanged a glance with Pei Yunyi.

The group then picked up their bundles and went outside.

The horses of the group were tethered in the woods opposite the tea stall, separated by a country dirt road, where people and horse-drawn carriages passed by constantly.

As soon as they reached the other side, Siqin suddenly felt the ground beneath her feet tremble, as if galloping horses were rushing towards them.

Siqin was taken aback, and then she saw several men dressed in fine clothes laughing and galloping on horseback.

Right in front of these galloping horses, a chubby-faced little boy was so frightened by the scene before him that he fell to the ground.

The group wasn't particularly fast to begin with, but when they saw the child in the middle of the road, they said something and suddenly brandished their long whips, increasing their speed and rushing straight towards the child.

The sounds of laughter and playful banter echoed through the woods.

"Let's see who can make a killing today! I'll bet fifty taels of gold!"

"Then I'll wager the beautiful new maid I've acquired in the courtyard!"

The dust kicked up by the horses' hooves filled the sky, and they moved so fast that the human eye could not even catch their shadows.

At the same time, a hoarse scream was heard:

"Erniu! Erniu!"

"A horse is coming! Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

Upon hearing this, the child burst into tears and stood there motionless.

Seeing the merciless iron hooves about to crush the child's head without hesitation, the old man who was brewing tea shouted, and the scalding tea spilled all over his body, but he seemed to be oblivious and rushed over without hesitation.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, leaving many people present without time to react. Her body's conditioned reflex made her take a few steps back, instinctively protecting Song Xizhi behind her.

The next moment, Siqin could feel Pei Yunyi beside her leap into the air, lightly touching the treetops with his toes, and then rushing towards the child in the middle of the road like an arrow.

Immediately afterward, Qing Tong used his light-footed skills to stop the old man who was rushing towards the middle of the road.

Everything happened too fast and too fast. By the time Song Xizhi came to his senses, he only saw the person on horseback slowly run a short distance before tightening the reins again.

They slowly brought the horses to a stop.

The horse's hooves pounded twice in place, and the people on its back slowly turned the horse's head, their faces showing a bored and disappointed expression.

One of the men looked at the group of people in front of him with disdain, his eyes filled with regret and mockery.

"Why are you hiding? You're ruining my temper!"

"You're lucky this time. If there's a next time, I'll raze your tea stall to the ground!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Tong's chest heaved violently, and his hands clenched into fists.

Riding a horse on the official road and hitting civilians is a crime in itself. But these people are laughing and joking while riding their horses, deliberately speeding up and rushing forward. They are simply taking pleasure in the lives of civilians!

He looked anxiously at Pei Yunyi beside him.

The sound of a child crying reached his ears, but before Pei Yunyi could speak, the old man hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to the man on horseback: "Please forgive me, young master! Please forgive me, young master!"

"I'll never dare to do it again! I'll never dare to do it again!"

Upon hearing this, the madman on horseback snorted coldly, "It's good that you know you're wrong. What a spoilsport!"

After saying this, he raised his whip again and lashed it down. The young masters rode off in groups of three or five, their speed even faster than before.

Song Xizhi silently witnessed everything, then walked to the tea stall again, fed the child a calming pill, and then gently helped the old man up from the ground.

The old man was so frightened that he was trembling all over.

Song Xizhi also gave him a calming pill.

She placed the pill in the old man's hand, met his gaze, and then asked, word by word, "The world is like this, and even your grandson has suffered greatly. Now... shouldn't you answer our question?"

"Who on earth is it? General Zeng's tomb is right here, so who would dare to be so audacious?"