Chapter 455 - 453: Watching Him Makes Her Want to Kill Someone (Part 1)

Chapter 455: Chapter 453: Watching Him Makes Her Want to Kill Someone (Part 1)

The crowd in the main hall waited for a long time, but the tavern doors remained closed. Meanwhile, the sound of fighting outside grew weaker and weaker until it eventually ceased altogether.

Outside suddenly became calm and peaceful, as if the unsettling noises earlier were merely their illusion.

Chen Hu waited for a while and couldn’t help but whisper to Xu Jing, "Miss Xu, should we send someone outside to check the situation..."

Before he could finish speaking, the tavern door suddenly swung open. Upon seeing the familiar figure standing outside, Xu Jing was momentarily stunned. In the next second, a wave of surprise and relief surged through her heart.

The visitor was none other than Xiao He!

It seems the imperial reinforcement finally arrived.

It was only then that Xu Jing realized it was already dark outside; they had been waiting in this hall for an entire day.

Beside Xiao He was Governor Zhang. As he entered, he quickly scanned the room and paused briefly when his gaze landed on Song Qingyun, before finally resting on Xu Jing. He walked straight up to Xu Jing and asked in a deep voice, "Are you all okay?"

Xu Jing looked at him with a slight smile, "We’re fine. How come you’re here?"

The reason why Xiao He came, she had somewhat guessed.

Xiao He faintly smiled, "You’re my cousin-in-law. If you’re in danger, I have an undeniable obligation to be here."

They didn’t know how close they were to peril mere moments ago.

He arrived with troops in Xinzhou around 3:00 PM; at that time, Governor Zhang and the others were barely holding on. The Jiang family was about to break into the tavern.

If he had been a step later, the situation might have spiraled out of control.

Xu Jing’s gaze was fixed on a bloodstain on his right cheek. She took out her Detoxification and Muscle Regeneration Ointment and handed it to him, frowning slightly, "Now that the situation has stabilized, you should first tend to your injuries. Other matters can wait."

Xiao He knew which injury she was referring to and, seeming unconcerned, raised his hand to wipe away the blood on his face, "Although the Jiang family’s main force has temporarily retreated, I doubt they’ve given up. We should make arrangements as soon as possible."

Xu Jing: "..."

It made her feel like killing someone.

He just had a fight, doesn’t he know how dirty his hands are, filled with hidden bacteria and viruses?!

Oh right, he indeed doesn’t know. No wonder there are so many cases of wound infections in ancient times!

She laughed coldly, "This cut on your face may not be deep, but if you don’t treat it soon, it will scar. You’re not married yet. If future prospects look askance at your scar, don’t say I didn’t warn you."

Xiao He: "..."

He wanted to tell her that after all the battles he’s been through, he’s sustained injuries far worse than this. He is well aware of whether such a minor cut will scar.

But inexplicably, he glanced at Song Qingyun behind Xu Jing and said nothing more, taking the ointment from Xu Jing and turning to discuss the next arrangements with Governor Zhang.

When Song Qingyun saw that the visitor was Xiao He, she was also momentarily stunned but soon lowered her gaze, and started chatting with Xu Jing as if nothing had happened.

In no time, Xiao He returned and said, "We should leave as soon as possible, but it’s too dangerous to travel at night now. We’ll set off early tomorrow morning, so let’s rest well tonight."

Xu Jing nodded and said, "Alright, you make the arrangements."

As she spoke, she stood up and looked toward Governor Zhang not far away, "Governor Zhang, I’ve thoroughly understood the case details. If you’re available now, I can explain it to you."

Governor Zhang needed to compile the case details into a dossier to present to the Holy Emperor, so he naturally needed to understand everything clearly.

He nodded immediately, glanced at the silent Princess Consort Ling and others nearby, and moved with Xu Jing to a corner of the hall to discuss the situation.

Song Qingyun was left alone, with Xiao He right beside her.

She thought for a moment, turned toward Xiao He, and curtsied, "Xiao Erlang, since everything’s settled, I’ll return to my room."

After a pause, she added, "Jing was right; you should tend to the wound on your face promptly."

Xiao He looked at her and suddenly asked, "What’s the case Jing was talking about earlier?"

Song Qingyun was slightly taken aback, "You don’t know?"

Jing said that the case was personally assigned to her by the Holy Emperor. She assumed Xiao He, being sent here, would know something about it.

Xiao He calmly placed the broadsword in his hand onto the table, opened the ointment given by Xu Jing, and said, "The Holy Emperor mentioned some aspects, but I’m in charge of the troops, so he didn’t elaborate too much..."

Song Qingyun saw him reach with a blood-stained finger to scoop the ointment, and her eyebrow twitched abruptly.

Recently, she had been helping out in Jing’s workshop, and although she mostly did clerical work, she gained some basic knowledge about healing and medicine.

She quickly said, "Hey! Your hands are still dirty; you can’t dig into the ointment directly!"

Xiao He’s action paused, and he seemed to frown in slight dilemma, "But, both you and Jing told me to treat my face injury quickly. There’s no one else to help me apply the ointment."

Song Qingyun helplessly looked around. Jing and Governor Zhang were talking in a corner, and Chunyang was naturally sticking by Jing’s side.

And she couldn’t possibly ask Princess Consort Ling and the others to help apply ointment to Xiao He.

Now it seemed there were only Chen Hu and some guards left on their side...

Unconsciously, she looked at Chen Hu, only to find, to her astonishment, that someone was staring at her and Xiao He with unusually bright eyes. When he noticed her gaze, he turned his head nonchalantly and started whistling.

Tsk tsk tsk, look at how General Xiao looks at Miss Song. There’s definitely something unusual about their relationship!

No affair under this sky can escape the discerning eye of Chen Hu!

After the affair of Vice Minister Xiao and Miss Xu, he’s even more certain of this rationale.

Hey, he won’t be fooled again into thinking there was nothing between them, only to realize his oversight!

Song Qingyun: "..."

Although Mr. Chen appeared quite idle, she inexplicably felt that asking him to help Xiao Erlang apply the ointment wasn’t appropriate.

Before she could continue to deliberate, Xiao He suddenly smiled gently, "No worries, I’ll wash my hands clean afterward and then apply the ointment."

Song Qingyun sighed quietly in relief, "Then you should hurry, Xiao Erlang."

"Speaking of which..."

Xiao He gazed steadily at the woman in front of him, "I’m very curious about this case. Perhaps Miss Song could explain it to me later?"

Song Qingyun paused, eyeing Xiao He suspiciously.

How had she not noticed before that he had an interest in such case matters?

"Recently, I’ve been reading some crime-solving books and found the process of uncovering evidence and finding the culprit quite intriguing."

Xiao He said slowly, "Besides, since I’m responsible for escorting Prince Ling back to the capital, I should understand the details of the case.

I initially wanted to ask Jing, but she seems quite busy."

Song Qingyun was momentarily speechless.

It made a lot of sense, but why hadn’t he followed Jing to hear about the case details?

However, she didn’t think much about it, only assuming Xiao He hadn’t thought of it earlier.

Moreover, this was her first time following a major case from start to finish, and she had a strong desire to share. After a brief hesitation, she nodded, "Alright, go treat your wound first, and I’ll tell you afterward."

Xiao He couldn’t help but smile slightly, "Then I’ll trouble Miss Song."

Not far away, Xu Jing, who was talking with Governor Zhang, glanced their way and subtly raised her eyebrows.

She had given Xiao He an opportunity.

Whether he could seize it or not was up to him.