After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

The man looked at Xie Xing in surprise: "Miss, you know these things?"

Before Xie Xing could reply, he added, "The Yama Palace trains assassins, but it doesn't sell them."

"Don't worry, as long as you pay enough, your assassins will only listen to one person."

Xie Xing looked at the man hesitantly: "Really? You're not trying to scam me out of my money, are you?"

man:"……"

"I'm honest and fair, young lady. I've been in business for so many years, would I dare to mess up this deal with you? Judging from your clothes, you must be someone of high status. If I were to cheat you, you'd probably kill me!"

Xie Xing believed half of it.

She asked, "When can we find them?"

The man replied, "Tomorrow, tomorrow will be fine."

Having finalized the time, Xie Xing planned to leave the slave market.

Just then, the Miao boy changed his clothes and stood cleanly in front of Xie Xing.

After washing up, the boy looked to be no more than eleven or twelve years old. He was wearing simple coarse linen clothes, and his black, sparse hair hung down his back in uneven layers, like an extended version of a wolf's tail.

Xie Xing glanced at the boy and found that he had fair skin and a handsome appearance. The only flaw was the huge slingshot on his neck.

Under Xie Xing's gaze, he shrank back, looking somewhat helpless.

Xie Xing quickly looked away and gave the boy a sweet smile: "Now that I've bought it, that person is mine, so you don't need to be afraid anymore."

"Come back to the manor with me."

The boy timidly looked up at Xie Xing, then lowered his head again and obediently followed behind Caiyue.

Caiyue hadn't spoken since entering the slave market. When she saw the boy following behind her, she shared some of what she had with him.

"Now that Miss has bought you, you must listen to her from now on."

Caiyue was three or four years older than him, so she spoke to the boy with the care and concern of an older sister.

The boy took the item and nodded slowly.

……

After leaving the slave market, Xie Xing planned to return to the General's Mansion.

But on the way, he spotted Xie Mingzhu.

She hurried past Xie Xing, looking anxious, as if she was in a rush to do something, and quickly passed by him.

Xie Xing was surprised.

[Xie Mingzhu? What's she doing there?] Xie Xing wondered for a moment, but soon she decided to follow her.

Caiyue, who was behind her, also saw Xie Mingzhu and asked in confusion, "Isn't that the Fourth Miss? Why is she there?"

Xie Xing hurriedly followed, but upon hearing Cai Yue's words, he turned to her and said, "You go back and tell my brother and the others first, I'll go first."

Caiyue hesitated.

Xie Xing immediately said, "Hurry up, or the Fourth Miss will miss it."

Upon hearing this, Caiyue immediately ran towards the mansion.

Xie Xing chased after Xie Mingzhu.

Seeing this, the boy behind him immediately followed Xie Xing.

Xie Mingzhu's figure remained neither too close nor too far until she entered a courtyard in the back alley, where she finally disappeared completely.

Xie Xing stood at the courtyard gate, frowning.

[What is she going in there for?] Xie Xing asked the system in his mind.

The system said: [This looks like a brothel?]

Xie Xing stood at the door, hesitant, unsure whether to go in or not.

She now had a vague suspicion that Xie Mingzhu had deliberately led her into this place.

The system said: [Host, you should go check it out. The plot is changing rapidly, and the butterfly effect is causing many events to deviate from the original storyline.]

Just in case.

After hearing what the system said, Xie Xing gritted his teeth and prepared to push open the door.

She had just pushed open the door and gone inside when she discovered that the Miao boy she had bought at the slave market had followed her.

Xie Xing met his gaze with some surprise.

The boy looked at her with his clear, black eyes.

Xie Xing: "Why didn't you go back to the manor with Caiyue?"

Xie Xing was so worried about Xie Mingzhu that she didn't notice the Miao boy following behind her.

The boy obediently replied, "Master, you didn't ask me to come back to the manor with you."

Xie Xing felt extremely uncomfortable being addressed as "master." She pursed her lips and said, "From now on, you'll just call her whatever Caiyue calls you. Whatever she calls you, you'll call her that."

"Since you've already caught up, you'll stay behind me from now on."

The boy nodded obediently, being extremely compliant.

Seeing his expression, Xie Xing asked again, "What's your name?"

The boy said, "Qi Yi."

Qi Yi?

This name sounds nice.

Xie Xing asked the system in his mind: "Does Qi Yi, who's supposed to be starving, have any role in the book?"

The system replied: [I don't recall her. She should be an insignificant nobody, right?]

Xie Xing felt relieved after the system said that.

She immediately stopped talking to the boy behind her and entered the brothel from the backyard.

Brothels are generally busier at night; although there are customers during the day, there are relatively few.

Xie Xing entered through the back garden, where he could faintly hear the sounds of men and women laughing and joking—sounds that were utterly unbearable to hear.

Xie Xing, considering that the boy behind him was still a child, told him to cover his own ears.

Qi Yi obediently covered his ears.

After passing through the back garden and entering the brothel, Xie Xing was immediately confronted by the brothel's guards.

Xie Xing was startled and immediately turned to run away.

As soon as the guard saw a woman enter the brothel, he glared at her and shouted, "Stop!"

"who are you?"

It would have been better if he hadn't drunk it, because as soon as he did, Xie Xing ran outside as fast as the wind could carry him.

Qi Yi, who was behind her, ran alongside her.

"Stop!" The guards immediately gave chase to the two.

Xie Xing rushed forward headlong, not paying attention to what was in front of him, and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh dear!" A sweet cry rang out.

Xie Xing staggered two steps after being hit, and kept backing away until he bumped into Qi Yi behind him, which helped him regain his footing.

Ahead stood a charming beauty, covering her forehead and looking up at Xie Xing.

Upon seeing the person, Xie Xing's eyes lit up: "Yue'er?"

The person she bumped into was Yue'er, the courtesan she had saved on the ship that day.

The knife wounds on Yue'er's body had not yet healed, and she was wearing much more layers of clothing than before. When she heard a familiar voice, she looked up at Xie Xing and said with some surprise, "Why is it you?"

Seeing that the guards were about to catch up and capture the two, Xie Xing immediately hid behind Yue'er, clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Please help me."

Yue'er glanced back at her but didn't say anything.

"Miss Yue'er." The guard became much more subdued in front of Yue'er.

He glanced at Xie Xing, who was hiding behind Yue'er: "This person?"

Yue'er said calmly, "She's a young lady from a wealthy family, not someone as clueless as you can catch. Now get down here."

Upon hearing this, the guard's expression changed slightly, and he quickly replied, "Yes."