Mr. Jia stood still and did not respond.

After Chun Niang took Xia Gu to change her clothes and wash her face, Xiao Qiao asked, “Why does Mr. Jia not follow my orders?”

Mr. Jia said, “Don’t blame me, Lady. It’s not that I’ve been disobeying orders. My only priority is to guard the Lady, as the Lord had ordered. If I left you to chase a Qiang boy and anything happened to you, I would be too shame to die. And also ……” He hesitated.

“That Qiang woman is alone. Although it is only more than a hundred miles from Yangqu to here, it is still doubtful for her to go alone. And those words are only her side of the story. If there is dishonesty, I am afraid it will be disadvantageous for the Lady if I leave.”

Xiao Qiao smiled faintly and nodded: “Mr. Jia’s concern is not without reason. I wonder if Mr. Jia has noticed Xia Gu’s feet. When she left a few days ago, she had shoes on her, but when she returned, her hair was dirty, her feet covered with scratches and blisters, and a nail in one of her toes was detached. She has indeed experienced some difficulty on the journey. I also paid attention to her expression. She looked anxious and did not seem to be faking. Her eyes were not averted, so there was no sign someone had threatened her. That’s why I believe her.”Mr. Jia shouted. “I see! Lady is very careful while I had neglected this matter. Even if the girl was lucky enough to escape and come back to report, the boy is only a grandson of a Qiang clan leader, far less valuable than you. I will send my men to chase after him and bring him back. How about that?”

Xiao Qiao shook her head: “He is far more valuable than you think. I am not convenient to say more. Whether what that Qiang’s girl said is true or not, you must go there yourself. If it’s true, get him back at any cost!”

Xiao Qiao’s last words, ‘get him at any cost,’ were loud and clear.

Mr. Jia was stunned.

“Mr. Jia didn’t know. This matter is important. I was going to send a message to the Marquis and let him deal with it personally. But when Diao Mo knew Xia Gu escaped, he would have accelerated his journey, and I was afraid of missing the opportunity. I heard Mr. Jia was not only an excellent martial artist in the Huben army but also known for his long-tracking skills, so I would like to ask you to go after him. I hope Mr. Jia can successfully rescue the boy! I’ll credit Mr. Jia when I report this to the Marquis!”

When Mr. Jia met Xiao Qiao’s gaze, he said, “Don’t worry, Lady! I will risk my life! I will take one hundred men and leave four hundred soldiers to my deputies to stay here. Don’t go out if you have nothing to do. Wait for the news from me!”Xiao Qiao smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Jia. I’ll wait for the good news!”

Mr. Jia’s blood was boiling. He immediately gave orders. He summoned his deputy and informed him to guard the Lady. Then he immediately took the Qiang girl, Xia Gu, and went to Shang County.

……

Two days ago, early in the morning, when Xia Gu escaped, Diao Mo immediately sent his men back to look for her but to no avail. He decided to take the shortcut instead and bring Yuan to Shang County as soon as possible.The group walked until midnight, found a place to settle down, but after taking a short rest, they continued the journey.

With Diao Mo’s perseverance, the difficulties of this road were nothing. But his companion, Chen Rui, a general under Feng Zhao’s command, could not help but start cursing. Diao Mo knew something about Chen Rui. He was the son of Chen Xiang, the former ruler of Bingzhou, known as the Jade-faced Rakshasa. Last year Chen Xiang lost Bingzhou and went south to join Cao Jin in Hedong, and this year, he borrowed troops to return to Bingzhou, but Wei Shao defeated him in Shangdang.

Chen Xiang completely lost the possibility of a counterattack. He died of depression and illness soon after. Chen Rui took a remnant of less than a thousand people and went to join Feng Zhao in Liangzhou.

Liangzhou was adjacent to Bingzhou, and there was friction between Feng Zhao and Chen Xiang in the past. Chen Rui joined Feng Zhao, saying that he and Wei Shao do not share the same fate. Feng Zhao accepted him but only conferred him an insignificant General title. Chen Rui felt depressed and combined with the previous humiliation from Wei Shao, his temperament inevitably became more eccentric.

Diao Mo forced Chen Rui to travel hard in the past few days, and now he was hungry. Once he remembered his former days as a noble son in Bingzhou, he was even angrier. Cursing as he walked, he suddenly stopped his horse and turned back to Diao Mo, and said: “Why do you have to protect this little lamb? As I said, kill him and ask someone to throw his head at that bad old man in the name of Wei Shao! Deceive him! That bad old man naturally sent troops! Why do you have to travel so hard?”

Su Ehuang