Disease rights policy

The dilapidated temple fell silent. The broken altar in front of the statue was rudely overturned, and dust sprayed into her mouth and nose. Qiao Ran gritted her teeth and listened to the "bang bang" of swords hitting behind her, her heart pounding.

At the critical moment, sweat beaded on her temples.

"There's no one here!" one of the Imperial Guards said impatiently. "Stop working and take a break."

The hilt of the knife, which had just brushed past his body, slowly retracted.

"It is always best to be cautious in everything."

"You're being too cautious. The General has already sealed off the city. There are people all over this vast capital. As long as they're still in the city, they won't be able to escape."

Someone snorted and chimed in, "That's right! Anyone who dares to hide in the capital right under our noses, ha! In less than a day, all sorts of demons and monsters will be caught. Besides, they don't even know whose capital this is."

"Watch your words." Someone interrupted, took a breath, and said, "Don't rest, keep searching. No one in this capital can escape the watchful eyes of the Imperial Guards."

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Qiao Ran collapsed, her body going limp.

The Grand General of the Golden Guard?

Qiao Ran vaguely recalled the deep voice from last night's massacre. It seemed that the power of the Imperial Guards was greater than she had thought, and staying here would only lead to her death.

Without anyone she knew to take her in or provide cover, and being a stranger in a strange land, coupled with her strikingly beautiful face that could bring ruin to a country, she was too conspicuous. Alone and vulnerable, she would face certain death if discovered.

To die right after being reborn is just too unlucky.

Qiao Ran decided to leave Kyoto first.

With her exceptional skills and daring spirit, she temporarily distanced herself from this place of trouble.

The Imperial Guard searched the city for three consecutive days, but claimed to have found nothing. General Yao Yuze took the blame and was punished with a hundred lashes, almost dying as a result. The court was shrouded in gloom and deathly silence, and no one could quell the emperor's anger. Qiao Xiuqi's death made the Privy Council even more chaotic. Military and political affairs piled up like mountains, and military commanders from all directions sent urgent letters to the capital to question him. The political situation changed drastically.

Three months have passed since the massacre of the Qiao family. The Imperial Guards have sealed off the city and its surroundings, causing widespread panic in the court. His Majesty has severely punished a large number of people as a result. With one court official after another being imprisoned, the palace is deathly silent every day.

With a loud "bang," the Tianhe Hall witnessed yet another inkstone being struck by an undeserved calamity this month. Immediately afterward, Yao Yuze, the Grand General of the Golden Guard, emerged from within, followed cautiously by the eunuch behind him. The eunuch seemed about to speak when Yao Yuze suddenly turned around, causing the eunuch to stop in his tracks.

"Father-in-law, please don't see me off."

The eunuch dared not make another move, bowing his head and retreating. Yao Yuze descended the dragon-patterned steps, and General Pu Jing immediately came to greet him. He glanced at the handsome face that had been stripped of its black armor and adorned in an official robe, and followed closely behind, asking in a low voice, "Is His Majesty angry again? But we just can't find him. What can we do?"

Yao Yuze, who always wore an iron mask, looked very pale in the sunlight. His eyebrows were high and aloof. He lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "The orphan of the Qiao family, I want to see her alive or dead."

Pu Jing pursed his lips and said, "Yes."

One person was missing from the Qiao family's corpses. Yao Yuze clearly remembered that during the chaos in the Qiao family, the beautiful woman who chased after Madam Qiao fell into a pool of blood before she could even utter a word of "Mother." It was too heartless.

He glanced at her briefly and left, but the beautiful woman was indeed nowhere to be seen.

For three whole months, there was no trace of them.

Along with it, the map of the Great Liang military fortress also disappeared, causing the emperor great anxiety day and night.

As they left the palace, Yao Yuze lowered his eyes and said, "Expand the search area and continue looking."

-

By the end of the first month of the lunar calendar, the capital city was gradually returning to normal. The Qiao family tragedy was still under investigation, and what progress had been made was beyond the knowledge of ordinary people.

There wasn't much snow this year, only a few snowfalls in total, and in central Sichuan, there wasn't even a single snowfall. But the rain kept coming on and off, making the place damp and gloomy.

Under the tea stalls along the road, you can see people from all walks of life in the martial arts world. Half of the martial arts gangs have gathered in Sichuan, supposedly to fight against bandits.

The teacups on the table were smashed with a loud crash, and the "heroes" cursed, their spittle flying everywhere.

Qin Huai was splashed with stale, cold tea for no reason. He chuckled and made a gesture of spreading his legs and raising his eyelids, but the man who had knocked over the teacup apologized rather rudely.

"I'm sorry."

"..."

Qin Huai sniffed, pulled his fluffy fox fur hat down a bit, rolled his eyes and muttered, "He knows what's good for him."

"Ah."

Her voice sounded light and clear, yet slightly swayed, and a little flamboyant.

Qin Huai glanced at his deskmate, "What are you snorting about? A whole bunch of people are cursing you, and you're just sitting there?"

This group of self-proclaimed righteous martial arts practitioners rushed to Sichuan in the cold, dark moonlight, all to punish the rising "Number One Bandit of the Great Heaven." They dragged out the ancestors of this bandit den for eighteen generations and gave them a good beating. Little did they know that the real culprit was right in front of them.

It's like a bear that wraps itself up tightly in layers of clothing.

Qin Huai glanced at the woman again; half of her pretty face was visible under her hat, and her eyes were captivatingly alluring, making him hesitant to stare at her too closely.

"Qiao Ran?" Qin Huai felt a little embarrassed to sit with her, and said, rubbing his forehead, "Do you have to be so serious about going out? Are you afraid of being recognized?"

It's like asking who knows you.

Qiao Ran glared at him, and after a long while, she managed to stammer out, "I caught a chill, I'm afraid of the cold."

Qiao Ran caught a chill last night and has been feeling unwell all day, alternating between hot and cold, feeling like she's visiting a rival's grave.

Qin Huai said, "I told you to take your medicine, but you kept dawdling and wouldn't drink it. You knew we were going out, but you still wouldn't drink it. Whose fault is that?"

"Bitter." Qiao Ran sniffed and mumbled, "My sister's picky about food."

Qin Huai: “…”

They really know how to pick things.

The person next to him got so enraged by cursing the thief that he overturned a table, making a loud noise.

"Tsk tsk, why don't you step forward and let them beat you up?" Qin Huai said with a sly smile, "Good man, I can't stand it anymore."

Qiao Ran tapped the table with her index finger and said nonchalantly, "Insulting my ancestors? Too bad, I don't have any ancestors."

Qin Huai: “…”

“A true man can bend and stretch,” Qiao Ran said. “Sister is even more of a man than a true man. Get up and get to work.”

Qiao Ran got up and started to walk out, moving like a shuffling dumpling. Qin Huai picked up the showy foil and followed her in a few quick steps, patting Qiao Ran on the shoulder. "You've been getting a bit too much attention lately, aren't you going to stop?"

Even the greatest thief in the world can't work every day.

Moreover, Qiao Ran is truly picky; she doesn't want any cheap junk. The treasures stolen by her self-proclaimed "Godly Ghost Hands" are all priceless, otherwise she wouldn't have offended so many people in the martial arts world.

Because those who can make a ruckus in Sichuan today are all people whose backgrounds have been investigated by Qiao Ran, and some heroes even had their underwear ripped off in the middle of the night.

...It was a terrible sight.

Qiao Ran walked quickly, arms crossed, and said, "Let's steal something big today. We're moving locations soon anyway, so let's do one last big one."

"You old man, when have we ever done anything small?" Qin Huai was speechless.

Qiao Ran seemed to pause for a moment, unable to refute it.

"What? Don't you want to do it?" Qiao Ran asked.

Qin Huai dared not. Ever since he recruited "Qiao Xiancai," his status as the leader of the bandit den had plummeted. Now, "Qiao the Second Leader" was in charge of the stronghold.

Qin Huai smiled and said, "What are you saying, Second Master?"

Qiao Ran scoffed.

It got dark quickly; after an hour, it was pitch black. Qin Huai followed Qiao Ran all the way, taking several detours, and only when they arrived did he learn what Qiao Ran had stolen this time.

"Are you crazy!" Qin Huai looked at his brothers who had been waiting on the road, then stared at Qiao Ran in shock. "You're cheating on me!"

"..." Qiao Ran rubbed her hands together, rolled her eyes, and said, "Why are you so mean? Who's cheating?"

A burst of laughter came from behind.

Qin Huai gritted his teeth and said, "Shut up, all of you." He then asked Qiao Ran, "Are you really going to kidnap someone this time? We've never stolen from a living person before. Can't you have some professional ethics?"

"What good is manners?" Qiao Ran felt warmer and her cold was better. She casually took off the fur on her body and shrugged, "Why can't I steal a living one? The pampered young lady of the Prime Minister's family in the capital, a high-ranking official."

Qin Huai shuddered. "You know she's the prime minister's daughter, and you still dare to steal from her. This isn't just theft; it's kidnapping and robbery."

Qiao Ran remained calm, raised her eyelids and said, "Isn't what we're doing just robbery?"

Qin Huai: “…”

Speechless. "Xiao Jiu's back~"