After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

The golden-topped carriage that came out of the capital headed towards Liucheng, carrying Xue Xiqiong and Luo Xuemei.

To make things easier, the two changed into men's clothes. The further north they went, the colder it got. They carried two hand warmers in their arms and wore two fox fur hats on their heads to protect themselves from the wind and cold.

Luo Xuemei kept looking at the map the whole way, and the two didn't exchange any words.

Xue Xiqiong, shivering from the cold, said impatiently, "Ugh! How much longer do we have to walk?"

Seeing Luo Xuemei's calm demeanor, Xue Xiqiong's eyes darted around, and she tried to make conversation, "Xuemei, we've been walking for so long, why don't we take a shortcut?"

Luo Xuemei shook her head, disagreeing with Xue Xiqiong's suggestion.

"Although the side road is faster than the main road, it is not safe. It is not safe for the two of us women."

"We're at war right now, and with supplies scarce, bandits are bound to cause trouble. This carriage of ours looks like it's from the capital."

“But we’ve been walking for so long, when will we get there? Why don’t we take a shortcut and walk during the day?” Xue Xiqiong tugged at Luo Xuemei’s sleeve.

"Let's stay at the post station today, change horses, and set off at dawn tomorrow. It's cold now and it gets dark quickly, so we need to hurry!" Luo Xuemei thought for a moment; she also wanted to get to Liucheng as soon as possible.

Xue Xiqiong nodded vigorously, a wicked thought forming in her mind: "When we get to the post station, I'll go ahead and let her take the back path. If she runs into some bandits and her innocence is ruined, the position of the matriarch of the Fan family will be mine."

They arrived at the post station just as it was getting dark.

"Please come in, guest officer!"

"Give me two superior rooms!"

"I'm sorry everyone, there's been fighting in Liucheng recently, and many people who have settled here are already out of rooms."

Xue Xiqiong pouted. How unlucky! Was she going to have to walk the path with her again?

Upon hearing the waiter's account of Liucheng's current situation, Luo Xuemei asked worriedly, "Do you know how the battle is going in Liucheng right now?"

"According to the people who escaped from Liucheng, the city is currently being evacuated. It looks like the situation is dire!"

"Are you two heading to Liucheng? Liucheng is currently engulfed in war and smoke, and the situation is quite turbulent! You two would be better off not entering the city!"

Upon hearing this, the two men's expressions instantly changed.

Luo Xuemei's brows were furrowed, her face full of worry; Xue Xiqiong, on the other hand, had her eyes darting around, as if she were plotting some wicked scheme.

"Xuemei, what should we do now?" Xue Xiqiong said softly after a moment's thought, "How about... we head back home?"

Xue Xiqiong shook her head and retorted firmly, "How can that be! We've already come this far!"

Luo Xuemei gritted her teeth, then breathed a sigh of relief as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart, and said, "Fine! Since things have come to this, let's just travel tonight! As long as we can reach Liucheng sooner, we can see Qingli sooner."

So the two hurriedly boarded the carriage and, under the cover of night, continued their journey towards Liucheng.

Xue Xiqiong asked the driver to change course and take a side road.

The night passed peacefully. After a night's journey, they would arrive in Liucheng in half a day. The three decided to rest for a while before continuing their journey.

After the group tidied up, the two women rested in the carriage.

Xue Xiqiong slowly woke up, gently opening her eyes to adjust to the morning sunlight. She moved her body quietly and carefully got off the carriage, afraid of making the slightest sound.

After getting off the bus, she quickly scanned her surroundings and tiptoed to Luo Xuemei's side.

After stealing the map, Xue Xiqiong began to cautiously observe her surroundings.

She decided to relieve herself first and think about her next move. So she quickly walked to the haystack, hid inside, and squatted down.

Just then, a commotion came from not far away.

"There's a carriage up ahead, it looks like the style of the capital! It must belong to a wealthy family!"

Another man chimed in, "Let's go take a look!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Xiqiong's heart tightened, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, barely daring to breathe. She nervously waited for the footsteps to gradually fade away, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she could no longer hear any sound.

After confirming it was safe, Xue Xiqiong slowly stood up and tiptoed out of the haystack. Out of curiosity and caution, she decided to quietly follow and see what was going on. In the distance, she saw a group of burly, fierce-looking men surrounding the carriage, seemingly discussing something.

Xue Xiqiong was secretly delighted, "Great! Once they get rid of her, I'll go to Liucheng and tell Qingli myself!"

"What are you doing! In broad daylight, under the clear sky!" Luo Xuemei kept struggling to break free from their restraints.

"Give us the money!"

Luo Xuemei knew she couldn't withstand so many people here, so she had no choice but to pay money to resolve the situation.

"Let me go, and I'll give it to you all!"

Luo Xuemei took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and carefully took a bundle out of the carriage.

She threw the bundle at them and shouted, "It's all here, you can have it all!"

Upon seeing this, the fierce-looking bandits swarmed forward and began rummaging through the bundle. Soon, they excitedly discovered two heavy bags of silver hidden inside.

One of the bandits, a burly man with a fierce look in his eyes, raised his head and stared intently at Luo Xuemei, saying menacingly, "Is that all? Humph! You're dressed quite well; you must have more valuables on you! Hand them over now!"

She forced herself to remain calm, straightened her back, and met the bandits' gaze without fear, raising her voice as she replied, "We've already given you the money, there's no extra money left!"

Although her voice still sounded strong and didn't reveal any fear, her legs were actually trembling slightly.

One of the bandits approached Luo Xuemei, who hugged herself and backed away, saying, "What do you want? I've given you all the money, I have no more on me!"

Upon seeing this, Luo Xuemei turned and tried to run away.

The bandit reached out and yanked the hat off her head.

Luo Xuemei's long hair fell out of her hat, scattering behind her. Luo Xuemei froze on the spot, her whole body stiff with fear. If she fell into the hands of these bandits, they would surely skin her alive.

"woman?"

"She's a woman!"

"Take her back to our boss and deal with her!" one of the bandits said with a wicked grin.

Xue Xiqiong covered her mouth and crouched in the bushes; she had really encountered bandits.

"Luo Xuemei, it's all your own fault for being unlucky!"

Just as Xue Xiqiong was feeling smug, a dark shadow loomed over her.

The man grinned wickedly at Xue Xiqiong, and before she could react, he grabbed her by the collar and dragged her away.

"Boss, are there two women here?"