Wei Dongling leaped into the backyard where Qi Jinlan and her mother lived. From afar, she heard a woman's panicked screams. Wei Dongling quickly found the location, lifted the tiles, and looked inside. She saw three yamen soldiers grabbing a girl's smooth calf, with lewd smiles on their faces as they tore at the girl's clothes.
Rage welled up in Wei Dongling. "You're supposed to raid the house properly. How could there be such scumbags in the yamen doing such despicable things as taking advantage of the chaos and lusting after women in broad daylight?"
Wei Dongling fixed her eyes and saw that the half - naked girl crying on the couch was none other than Qi Jinlan.
Wei Dongling was anxious. Her Qi Jinlan was only fourteen years old!
Qi Jinlan and Qi Jinxuan looked somewhat alike. At just fourteen, she had grown into a beautiful and charming girl. Having been raised in the backyard since childhood, she had an air of coldness as if she were untouched by the mortal world.
No wonder these yamen soldiers were so captivated by her beauty that they couldn't resist making advances while on the mission of raiding the house.
The anger in Wei Dongling's heart boiled over. Without hesitation, she leaped down.
Li Bo and Pin Hao followed suit. Pin Hao waved his sword and instantly beheaded two of the soldiers. Their blood - stained heads rolled far away in Qi Jinlan's small boudoir.
The remaining soldier was shocked and was about to shout for help when Pin Hao stepped forward and stabbed his sword into the soldier's heart. The soldier slowly collapsed.
Qi Jinlan, huddled on the bed, saw the blood for the first time. She turned pale with fright and was about to scream. Wei Dongling quickly pulled off her mask and called out to her, "Jinlan! It's me. Don't be afraid!"
Qi Jinlan stared fixedly at the man's face. It took her a long time to recognize Wei Dongling. She threw herself into Wei Dongling's arms and sobbed, "Cousin..."
Wei Dongling felt a pang in her heart. She quickly took off her outer garment and put it on Qi Jinlan. Then she hugged her and comforted her in a low voice, "Jinlan, don't be afraid. Cousin will take you away now. Quickly tell me, where are your father and mother?"
Hearing this, Qi Jinlan cried even harder. Nestled in Wei Dongling's arms, she sobbed, "They said that when my parents were protecting Uncle, they were both... hacked to death by the swords..."
Hearing this, Wei Dongling's nose twitched, and tears welled up in her eyes.
The kind and righteous Second Master Qi! How could he end up in such a miserable situation!
There was a commotion outside the yard. Pin Hao called out urgently, "Miss Wei! Someone is coming. We can't stay here any longer!"
Qi Jinlan tightly wrapped her arms around Wei Dongling's neck, as if Wei Dongling was her last straw.
Wei Dongling hugged Qi Jinlan tightly, climbed onto the beam, and ran quickly along the eaves.
Just as they got into the carriage, some government officials came to investigate. Without saying a word, Li Bo knocked down the officials who came to question them and drove the carriage away at full speed.
In the carriage, Qi Jinlan was wearing thin clothes. Cold and scared, she shivered in Wei Dongling's arms. Pin Hao saw that her small bare feet were frozen red. He silently took off his outer robe and covered her feet.
Qi Jinlan's face was still streaked with tears. She timidly looked back and then shrank back into Wei Dongling's arms.
Wei Dongling leaned back in the carriage, lost in thought. Her heart was filled with sadness. When she first entered General Qi's mansion at the age of eight, Second Master Qi had led her by the hand, smiled at her, and given her a bunch of candied haws. The sweet - and - sour taste was still unforgettable to her.
Later, Second Master Qi always took care of her. He always saved the delicious food for her and taught her to read and write stroke by stroke... At that time, the young Wei Dongling thought that Second Master Qi was the second most reliable elder besides her father, Wei Jiang. She secretly made up her mind that when she grew up, she would take good care of Second Master Qi and never let down his careful teaching.
Who would have thought that before she could repay Second Master Qi's kindness, his family would encounter such a catastrophe!
A raging fire burned in Wei Dongling's heart, making her feel uncomfortable all over. She gritted her teeth tightly, filled with anger and hatred.
Murong Yunqian! Even if I were to torture you ten thousand times, it wouldn't be enough to relieve my hatred!
The carriage stopped shaking and pulled up at the back door of the Su Mansion. Wei Dongling comforted Qi Jinlan in a low voice, "Cousin may have to do something dangerous. I can't take you with me."
Qi Jinlan was stunned. She thought Wei Dongling didn't want to take her in. Her gentle eyes were filled with panic, and tears rolled down her face. "Cousin, don't leave me! I'm very obedient. I can do everything! I can wash clothes, cook, chop wood, and embroider..." Before, she was an unfavored concubine's daughter in the Qi Mansion. Hardly anyone had ever really treated her as a mistress. Now, after the house was raided, she was penniless. Having just lost her parents, she didn't even have a place to stay.
Seeing that Qi Jinlan had misunderstood, Wei Dongling quickly explained, "Don't cry. I'm not leaving you. You can stay at my place first. No one will bully you in the Su Mansion. By the way, Luokou is here too."
Hearing that Luokou was also there, Qi Jinlan tremblingly wiped away her tears and asked with a sob, "Really?"
Wei Dongling nodded vigorously.
Qi Jinlan looked at her with teary eyes and asked, "When will you come back?"
Qi Jinlan was still just a fourteen - year - old child! Wei Dongling smiled bitterly. She gently stroked Qi Jinlan's soft hair and said in a muffled voice, "I'll come back to find you when I'm done."
Qi Jinlan nodded seriously. With tears in her eyes and biting her lips, she said, "Then be careful. I'll stay here and wait for you to come back!"
Wei Dongling nodded and smiled. Qi Jinlan's profile looked very much like Qi Jinxuan from a certain angle. Looking at her with such expectant eyes always made her think of the eight years she had spent with Qi Jinxuan.
It was a pity that things in the world were so unpredictable!
Luokou, who had heard the news, was waiting outside the carriage. Seeing Qi Jinlan tremblingly getting off the carriage with Pin Hao's support, wearing a man's outer garment and shoes, and walking unsteadily, Luokou was a little surprised but didn't ask anything. She quickly stepped forward to help Qi Jinlan into the house.
Qi Jinlan looked back. Seeing the carriage speeding away, she frowned and looked down at the warm shoes on her feet. A strange feeling flashed through her heart.
There were some things she had never said to Wei Dongling.
That year on the cliff, eleven - year - old Qi Jinlan had reached out her sinful hand and pushed Wei Dongling, causing her to fall from the tree. When she was found and carried back, she had a high fever for several days before finally waking up.
Qi Jinlan had never told anyone that she had regretted it the moment she pushed Wei Dongling off the cliff! She had cried all the way as she tremblingly rushed to the bottom of the cliff to look for her. Finally, she found Wei Dongling, bleeding profusely and almost dying, in a gully. Qi Jinlan had grabbed Wei Dongling's feet and dragged her out. She had dragged her all the way to a place where passers - by might pass, and then collapsed on the side, gasping for breath. Not long after, hearing the voices of people passing by, Qi Jinlan was both scared and surprised. She quickly hid and secretly watched as several kind - hearted old men rescued Wei Dongling.