The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

On the carriage, Gu Qingwan and her entourage began their leisurely journey towards the town.

Due to the hot weather, this carriage was quite nice. The carriage door was divided into an upper and lower section. Because of the hot weather, the upper section of the door was open from the inside, and a bamboo curtain was hung at the entrance.

Ning Er leaned against the carriage, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and said, "Miss, I went in under the pretext of going to the toilet to check, but there was nothing suspicious. There is a courtyard behind this post station that is said to have been abandoned for a long time and no one has been in it. I secretly peeked inside, and it doesn't look like it has been uninhabited for a long time."

Gu Qingwan nodded. This post station was definitely not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. The courtyard in the back might be a place with other uses. Since Xishan was a place where weapons were sold privately, they must have a place to rest after such a long journey. This post station was interesting.

"Okay, let's go into the city. We'll find out when we get there."

Siqi wanted to take out a handkerchief to wipe Gu Qingwan's face, which was covered in makeup, but Gu Qingwan refused, saying, "Forget it, don't bother anymore. It's fine as it is. It will save us trouble when we get there tonight."

"Miss, you know what, this powder in the makeup shop is quite good. The main thing is that it doesn't come off much when you sweat."

"Indeed, my second younger sister does know a bit about makeup. However, since this stuff is applied to the face, it's good for preventing makeup from smudging in the summer due to sweat and water. But it also has drawbacks. Removing makeup is very inconvenient, and it might cause problems over time."

"Miss, let's wipe it off first. I also feel a bit uncomfortable on my face. I'll put on makeup for you when we get there."

Gu Qingwan thought about it and agreed; feeling sullen on her face was indeed uncomfortable.

"Miss, you were really good at pretending just now. Even I thought you were a sickly, delicate young lady."

"Hehe, what's so difficult about that? We have plenty of them in our household. Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run, right?"

"Pfft." Siqi couldn't help but laugh. "Miss is talking about the Second Miss, right? Indeed, the Second Miss is sickly all the time, her body is like she has no bones, it makes people uncomfortable to look at her. Sometimes when I see her, I want to slap her back. If she continues like this, she'll become bent."

"The Second Miss has her own style, and this has actually helped us. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for my young lady to suddenly pretend to be like that."

"Hehe, Miss is right. So, shall we continue in this identity forever?"

"That's the way it is for now. Let's say we're going to stay with relatives, and we'll see how things go along the way."

Gu Qingwan appeared calm and collected on the surface, but inside she was more anxious and nervous than anyone else. She hoped that once she entered the city that night, she could meet with the people the prince had left behind and find out at least what the prince's current situation was. Otherwise, even if she wanted to save him, she was like a headless fly, not knowing where to go.

Xiao Jingchen, you call yourself the God of War, the Prince, and the Living Yama. If you can't even handle this little thing, then don't blame me for looking down on you from now on.

Far away in the cave, Xiao Jingchen couldn't help but sneeze. After he and Xiao Yi arrived here, Xiao Bing, who had been here once before, knew how to get in. During the shift change, they easily slipped in. It was really as complicated as Xiao Bing had said. The three of them didn't dare to separate at the fork in the road.

It's safer to stay together, but if they're separated, they'll be picked off one by one. Besides, this place could be the enemy's lair. The prince is so noble and precious, and they, as his bodyguards, would never dare to leave his side.

Just then, Xiao Bing heard his master sneeze and asked with some concern, "Master, are you feeling alright?"

"It's nothing, just a little itchy nose." Xiao Jingchen casually touched the tip of his nose, looking thoughtfully at the surrounding walls. The inside was winding and twisting, which had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that they could hide if they encountered patrolling people, but the disadvantage was that they also got confused.

“Master, the man who brought us in was a young man. He originally came to apply to be a conscript to repair the official road, but after signing the contract and receiving the money, he was brought here. All we know is what he told us. He said he had a wife and daughter and hoped we could take him out, but unfortunately…” Xiao Bing said.

"The king knows."

Xiao Jingchen discovered that the structure here was complex but not without a pattern. Indeed, as Xiao Bing described, the path leading in was like an ancient tomb, full of traps and mechanisms.

When they first entered, they were faced with a wide and clean passage. According to Xiao Bing, there were hidden weapons in this place, and they had to use special footwork to step on specific bricks to pass through safely. When he, Xiao Jia, and Xiao Ding entered, an insider went over first and pressed the mechanism on the opposite wall. Only after the mechanism was deactivated could people walk on it.

Xiao Yi had also asked if they could just use their lightness skill to get across, but Xiao Bing rejected that idea. They had thought the same thing, but there was a stone in front of the opposite door. If the mechanism was activated and they didn't step on the bricks one by one according to the route they had set, then not only would the mechanism not open, but landing on the stone in front of the door would also trigger the final mechanism.

In other words, this special route is designed to close the gate mechanism. If you force your way through, you will trigger the second mechanism, at which point the stone gate will open and you will be met with a barrage of arrows.

Xiao Yi felt a chill run down his spine after hearing this; if they had barged in unprepared, they would have been riddled with holes.

Now they arrived at the same place again. Xiao Bing took the lead, squatted down to observe, and tried to follow the previous path by stepping on the special bricks. After passing through, they found that this time the route was the opposite of the previous passage, so the group quickly passed through as well.

Every so often, Xiao Yi would leave a secret mark in a well-hidden place, partly so he could find his way when he escaped, and partly so that Xiao Jia and his group could find him if they saw the mark.

Along the way, they did encounter the people wearing helmets that Xiao Bing had mentioned, but some of them walked very clumsily, while others were as agile as normal people. Xiao Jingchen was somewhat puzzled by these people.

Xiao Bing didn't walk past. Just as they were at a loss, they heard people talking ahead. Xiao Jingchen and the others quickly hid in the shadows.

"Sigh, how are these people supposed to eat while they can walk? They're wearing those helmets."

"This thing is said to be very evil, you must never touch it. My brother-in-law said that if you wear this thing, you will be no different from a walking corpse."

"My God, these guys all seem to be really good at martial arts, and they're doing this willingly..."

"Shh... Keep your voice down. Come on, come on. We just captured two new recruits a few days ago. I heard they're pretty good at martial arts, but no matter how good their martial arts are, they're doomed once they come here. Let's hurry and take them to eat."

"Locked up? What did he do?"

"Why are you asking about this? My brother-in-law said those two are very stubborn. If they don't talk, they'll be put in this helmet too. In time, they'll become one of us. What's the use of them talking then?"

"Brother, I'm a little scared. Can you find a way to take me home?"

"Go home? You've come all this way and you still want to go home? You're the one who said you wanted to make a lot of money."

"I said it, but if this continues, I'm afraid I'll lose my life."

"Don't worry, with my brother-in-law here, as long as you follow me obediently, your wages will be delivered to your mother by someone. After a while, once you've gained his trust, I'll put in a good word for you with my brother-in-law and promote you so you can come and go as you please, just like me. Then you can go home to see your mother."

"Hehehe, then I'll have to rely entirely on your help, brother."

"I was drawn to your quick wit back then. Come on, let's get going, don't let things get delayed."

Hearing their conversation from the shadows, Xiao Jingchen guessed that the two newcomers they were talking about were most likely Xiao Jia and his group. He gave Xiao Yi and Xiao Bing a look, and the two of them quietly followed behind. Taking advantage of their inattention, they suddenly covered their mouths and dragged them to the corner where they had just been hiding.

Xiao Yi took out a knife and placed it against the neck of the man who was leading the attack. "Don't you dare make a sound, or I'll decapitate you the moment you open your mouth, understand?"

The man was so frightened that he nodded hurriedly, and Xiao Yi then let him go.

"Hero, spare us! We're just employees, we don't know anything, we really don't know anything."

"Take us to where you want to go."

The man's eyes flickered, as if he knew something. "Heroes, are you here to rescue those two heroes?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Xiao Yi tightened his grip on the knife even more.

"I won't move! I won't move! Good sir, watch your knife! I don't want to die!"

"Lead the way if you don't want to die!" Xiao Yi threatened.

"Good men, I'll take you there, but I advise you to leave quickly. This is a dangerous place, and even the most powerful person can't withstand the sheer number of people here."

"If you can help us save people, not only will your life be saved, but these gold bars will also be yours." Xiao Jingchen threw out four gold bars from the shadows. The glittering gold bars scattered on the ground, making him unable to look away.

"Don't worry, my lord, don't worry. I can not only help you rescue people, but also take you out of here." He didn't care about his own life and quickly squatted down to pick up the gold bars.

"That's good. If it's really as you say, I'll give you four more."

"Yes, yes, yes, what I said must be true. Don't worry, sir."