Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

At 3:45 PM, after having dinner at home, he took the sword wrapped in an oilcloth, glanced at Chang Ying who was cleaning up the dishes, and said that he would go out for a while that night, telling her to lock the windows and doors.

Chang Ying nodded silently, and after a moment's thought, she knew it must be related to the letter that had arrived that afternoon.

"Big brother, be careful!"

Before Gao Yuan left, Chang Ying gave him earnest instructions, acting like a little adult.

"Don't worry, your brother is just going out for a walk to digest his food. He'll be back in a bit."

"Do I need to carry a sword to aid digestion?"

Gao Yuan's fingertips had just touched the door latch when he was asked a question and paused. When he turned around, a smile had already appeared on his lips.

This little girl is very thoughtful.

"Stay put and I'll bring you some Zhang's sweet cakes from the street corner when I get back."

Junle Street is located south of Kainan Prefecture and is not considered a bustling area. Qingfeng Tea Shop is just an ordinary street-front shop and doesn't even have a second floor.

The tea served here is mainly loose-leaf tea, with a small amount of ordinary quality tea also available.

Qingjing Street and Junle Street are located to the north and south, respectively. It takes about three or four quarters of an hour to walk down from the courtyards and alleys.

It was still early, so Gao Yuan strolled away at a leisurely pace, not rushing, allowing enough time to consider things carefully so that he could act more conveniently later.

Where does the north wind come from? It rustles through the bamboo groves. I knock on the thatched door this morning, and the lonely traveler is the first to hear it.

At dusk, Gao Yuan, dressed in a white shirt, stopped in front of the teahouse.

The blue cloth banner in front swayed gently in the wind, and the wooden sign above the door that read "Qingfeng Tea House" was polished to a shine. Two strings of dried hawthorns hung below the sign, making a soft "tap-tap" sound when the wind blew.

The Cangshan Mountains are cold, where can one rest? Along the way to Dali, tea and incense smoke abound.

Entering the small teahouse, the interior was simply furnished. On the stove were two rough earthenware jars, one containing loose tea and the other containing roasted soybeans. The tabletop was worn smooth.

The water in the iron kettle bubbled and churned, the steam carrying a faint aroma of tea that filled the shop.

Looking around, there were only seven or eight tables and chairs, with only two or three tables having a few tea drinkers chatting.

"Please come in, sir. Please make yourself at home."

This small shop is not as sophisticated as a large teahouse; there is no one to guide you or attract customers, and you can only sit wherever there is an empty seat.

Seeing that he remained standing still and did not sit down, the young shopkeeper spoke to Gao Yuan again: "What would you like, sir?"

"Looking for someone."

The young shopkeeper paused, holding the copper kettle, and gestured towards the innermost small pavilion near the curtain.

Gao Yuan frowned slightly, gripped his sword tightly, and walked inside.

He had no idea whether the person was male or female, old or young, or what their intentions were, so he became wary and knew he would draw his sword if things went wrong.

But he couldn't show weakness right away, so he calmed himself down and adopted a posture of adaptability.

In a moment of thought, it was only about ten steps away.

Qingfeng Tea House has a few small rooms with no doors, covered by curtains, which can be used as private rooms.

Lifting the curtain, the small pavilion had no windows on either side, and the space was cramped.

Looking left and right, he still didn't see anyone, until...

His eyes shifted downwards.

Ok?

Gao Yuan stared blankly at the figure opposite him, his eyes filled with disbelief.

On the other side, someone was watching him with a smile.

"no..."

"Whose daughter are you? Was it you who sent that letter during the day?"

But then a figure in a white jacket and white shirt suddenly stood up, showing no fear of strangers, and bowed down to Gao Yuan.

"Greetings, my benefactor!"

The crisp voice echoed in Gao Yuan's ears. Seeing her joyful expression, Gao Yuan was still completely confused.

He hurriedly helped the little girl up, scrubbing her face repeatedly, but he couldn't recall her at all.

She looked to be about ten years old, wearing a white jacket and skirt, with a pink and white ribbon tied in her hair, which swayed gently as it fell.

Her temples were tied into a small bow with a ribbon of the same color, her skin was snow-white, and her face was delicate and pretty.

Her face flushed slightly as she was stared at from afar.

"My benefactor, please have a seat."

Gao Yuan was filled with mixed feelings; he never imagined that the person who had asked him out was a young girl.

"Little girl, who sent you? Where are your parents?"

He didn't rush to reply to Gao Yuan.

The little girl looked up at him: "My benefactor, do you remember what you did in the capital?"

"What's up?"

Gao Yuan was completely bewildered; all he did in the Jingzhao Prefecture was kill people.

"At the Tianyi Gang's base, you led several women, fighting your way out. In the heat of the moment, I wanted to stay, but I was afraid of being a burden to you, so I didn't dare to stay any longer..."

The little girl's face was full of happiness:

"My younger sister was afraid of being captured and taken back, so she followed an older sister all the way south, which saved her life. The day before yesterday, she saw her benefactor on the streets of Kainan Prefecture. After asking around, she dared to send a letter through someone."

Gao Yuan's mind went blank: "So you were one of the girls kidnapped by the Tianyi Gang that day!"

The memory resurfaced at that time; there was indeed a very young girl. I looked her over carefully and she did look somewhat similar!

To save them, I fought my way out, and it was dark, so I didn't really remember their faces.

I never expected this...

"Yes, it's indeed my little sister!"

Seeing her delighted expression, Gao Yuan couldn't help but smile with relief.

All my doubts vanished in an instant.

"Is this your home?"

"No, my sister's family is long gone." As she said this, the little girl's expression suddenly turned forlorn.

"Sister Pei Ling's home is in Xingzhou. Seeing that her younger sister had nowhere to go, she took her back with her, but unexpectedly... unexpectedly..."

Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

"Unexpectedly, we encountered bandits on the way. To protect me, Sister Pei Ling lured them away by herself and never returned."

As soon as she finished speaking, the little girl's tears finally fell onto her clothes, wetting the fabric of her white coat.

As she sobbed, the pink and white ribbon swayed, as if it were about to fall along with her grievances.

"The younger sister waited for her at the same spot for three days, only to hear from a few passersby that they had seen the bandits heading east..."

As Gao Yuan listened, his knuckles unconsciously gripped the edge of the table, feeling as if something was blocking his heart, making him feel suffocated.

As the little girl Chang Ying said, life is hard, and it's even harder being a woman!

He could guess what would become of that woman named Pei Ling.

But he still had doubts...

"So, who are you here?"

The little girl looked up into the distance and stopped crying.

"Thanks to my mother-in-law and sisters, they took me in because they saw that I was pitiful and homeless."

"Mother-in-law? Sister?"

"Yes, the grandmother is called Grandma Yu. The sisters came with her. They said they would take the little sister back to the palace after they finished their work."

Gao Yuan, who had just relaxed, choked upon hearing this and immediately sat up straight again.

What's going on, Granny Yu!

Was the little girl rescued by people from Lingjiu Palace?

"My name is Gao Yuan. You can just call me Brother Yuan. There's no need to call me 'benefactor' or 'benefactor'."

"Yes! Yes, Brother Yuan, my surname is Fu and my given name is Minyi. You can also call me Minyi."

Fu Minyi?

The name sounds familiar!

and many more...

Lingjiu Palace's Fu Minyi, Gao Yuan's brain started working wildly, so it was her.

"Minyi".

Gao Yuan read it aloud, and the little girl responded with an "Mmm".

"You mean, Granny Yu and the others are in Kainan Prefecture?"

"Yes, my mother-in-law and the others are staying at Heyang Restaurant, the largest restaurant in Kainan Prefecture. My younger sister slipped out while they were out picking people up in Kainan Prefecture."

Could it be that Sikong Xuan wasn't here today, which is why they didn't come knocking immediately?

Wait a minute, who would it be that Grandma Yu would personally pick up?

"hiss!"

Gao Yuan gasped. Could it be? The Shennong Gang is just a small fry. How could they possibly warrant Grandma coming here in person?

impossible!

Does the Shennong Gang even deserve to have a grandmother?

He shook his head, stopping his random thoughts.

Anyway, it's good that Grandma Yu is here; we can act accordingly then.

In the evening, Gao Yuan bid farewell to Fu Minyi and returned to his residence, in a very good mood.

We're finally about to make contact with the organization!

But what the two didn't know was...

They had just left the teahouse when, in another small room separated by a wall, the curtain was suddenly lifted by the wind.

A small table was revealed inside, and a short girl was sitting in front of it.

Her hair was adorned only with an antique jade hairpin, and she wore an exquisitely made palace gown, yet her overall demeanor was completely devoid of any childlike innocence or naivety.

......