Severed ties and living in a dilapidated house? No worries, the poor thing has a space.

Xiao Jingqi dealt with the black bear effortlessly. After it lay motionless on the ground, Xiao Jingqi closed his folding fan and appeared beside Fang Yu in a flash.

Without asking any questions, he simply put his arm around Fang Yu's slender waist and landed on the ground, just like before.

Fang Yu excitedly walked over to the black bear and squatted down, wondering how to cook it.

Lin Wu's mouth grew wider and wider from the moment Xiao Jingqi kicked the black bear. The scene he had imagined of Xiao Jingqi being pounced on by the black bear and having his neck bitten off did not appear.

When he came to his senses, he heard Fang Yu muttering to himself.

"You can use it to make steamed buns, stew soup, braise, make pancakes, or bake it. But making mooncakes would be the most delicious..."

Seeing how intimate their eyes were just now, Lin Wu would be a fool if he didn't understand.

No wonder Sister Yu always kept him at arm's length; this pretty boy was far superior to him in hunting alone.

He sighed, tightened his grip on the bow and arrow, said no more, and turned to leave.

"he's gone."

Xiao Jingqi gave a special reminder.

Fang Yu didn't turn around, but simply replied, "It's good that you're gone. You cooperated quite well just now."

She called Yu'er so naturally, though she didn't say it aloud.

"Miss Fang is a straightforward person. I didn't expect that there would be things she couldn't solve on her own. He probably won't bother you anymore in the future."

Fang Yu stood up and said, "Yes, it's all thanks to Lord Xiao. We're from the same village, I couldn't very well kill him, could I? By the way, what brings Lord Xiao here?"

"I..." Xiao Jingqi was about to make an excuse when Fang Yu waved his hand and said, "I know, Lord Xiao must be here to catch some remnants."

He had just nodded when Fang Yu added the other half of his sentence: "I thought Lord Xiao had come specifically to see me."

Xiao Jingqi's dark eyes suddenly brightened; he could sense a hint of disappointment in Fang Yu's tone.

Fang Yu teased him and then changed the subject: "Lord Xiao should be fine, so why don't you help me get this thing down the mountain?"

Without saying a word, Xiao Jingqi tucked the fan into his waistband, rolled up his sleeves, and started working.

Fang Yu originally thought that he was of noble status and would not do such things, but she did it quite skillfully.

As they descended the mountain, halfway down, Fang Yu walked ahead of him and said, "Wait a minute."

She took out a newly made handkerchief from her waist and touched his jade-like forehead to wipe away his sweat: "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Xiao. Let's go."

Her curled eyelashes were beautiful, especially when she blinked; they seemed to possess a special magic that attracted him.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Xiao Jingqi stopped, somewhat hesitant: "Miss Fang, going any further will be quite inconvenient..."

"It's alright!" Fang Yu interrupted him. She knew what he meant; he was worried about her reputation. After all, she was still an unmarried woman, and traveling with a strange man would always attract gossip.

"I don't care about reputation, and besides, Lord Xiao, you are an official, so they wouldn't dare to do anything to you."

As they walked back, not only did the appearance of Xiao Jingqi, a stranger, attract the attention of the villagers, but the sight of such a large black bear had already shocked everyone.

The villagers love a good show, and sure enough, a few of them followed behind them all the way to the Fang family's house.

Li happened to be standing at the door when she saw a large group of people walking towards them, but she immediately recognized that the one walking in front was Fang Yu.

Li didn't recognize the person whose face was half-obscured by the black bear, but seeing his tall stature and the fact that Lin Wu hadn't come to work for the past two days, she assumed it was Lin Wu.

Fang Xin ran out even faster than Li Shi. When she saw the black bear, she swallowed hard and looked greedy: "Sister, we're going to have meat to eat, right?"

When Xiao Jingqi threw the black bear to the tent entrance, Madam Li's gaze froze. Just as she was about to ask who this man was, Fang Xin exclaimed in surprise, "Lord Xiao... Lord Xiao, it's you!"

"My lord?!" When it was Li's turn, she was breathless and dared not look at him. She was about to kneel down and pay her respects.

Xiao Jingqi didn't even have time to wipe his hands before he immediately reached out to support Madam Li, saying, "Madam Fang, there's no need for such formalities."

He glanced at Fang Yu beside him and continued, "I am acquainted with Miss Fang. We met by chance on the mountain while we were tracking down a fugitive. I saw that Miss Fang was having difficulty bringing this prey down by herself, so I offered my help."

“Yes, Mother.” Fang Xin helped Li up. “Lord Xiao is a good official. Last time, I injured Lord Xiao’s eyes with the medicine powder my sister gave me for self-defense, but Lord Xiao didn’t hold it against me. Lord Xiao is a good official.”

"Yes, Mother, I'll fetch some water for the good official to wash his face!" Fang Yu suddenly said.

Li realized what was happening and quickly made way for him: "Lord Xiao, you flatter me. My humble abode is simple. Please come in and have a drink of water."

The tent was indeed simple, but Xiao Jingqi never showed the slightest sign of disgust as he stepped inside.

The people who were chatting excitedly at the entrance were stunned and started discussing it in hushed tones.

"Is this man an official? He doesn't look like one. What kind of official would condescend to help a village girl?"

"Exactly, he doesn't look like it to me either. Judging from his clothes and appearance, he's a rich young master. Who knows what shady things he's doing up in the mountains."

"That's right, that's right. I heard that these two sisters go to Qingshan City every day, saying they're doing some kind of business. Women can do business and make money? It's hilarious."

"I think she's just trying to seduce some rich young master. She's shameless."

They kept talking, one sentence at a time, and their voices grew louder and louder.

Fang Yu was fetching water. She listened to every word, but did nothing and had no intention of doing anything.

"shut up!"

Mo Jiu, his face dark, walked out from the crowd and hissed, flashing his token: "You audacious commoners! My master is of noble status, a fifth-rank official in the court. If you dare to speak disrespectfully again, you will be severely punished and made to suffer the consequences!"

The group of people who toiled in the fields had never seen such a token before. They thought that the golden one must be very valuable, but they were too intimidated by Mo Jiu's imposing aura to speak.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Honor, please forgive us. We are from a poor, remote village and have never seen a high-ranking official before. That is why we have offended you. Please forgive us."

The man kept kowtowing as he spoke, and the others looked at each other in dismay.

The man whispered a reminder: "This token is genuine. I saw a similar token when I delivered firewood to the governor's mansion before."

Upon hearing this, the onlookers realized they were in trouble and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

"Alright, if any of you dare to speak ill of my master again, you will all have your tongues pulled out and be thrown into prison. Disperse, and watch your mouths."

After the villagers dispersed, Mo Jiu turned around. Fang Yu was still standing there and said leisurely, "Lord Mo Jiu, what a spirit you have."

Mo Jiu's expression softened, and he glanced around, locking onto Fu Ju's location.

Fang Yu then said, "Lord Mo Jiu, please come in."