A Jiu's steps were light and unsteady, for it turned out Magistrate Li had coincidentally run into the officers investigating the case.
"Brother, I... do you have any evidence for arresting them?"
"Evidence of the merchant firm's deposits has been found on Meng Cai Shi. It seems their situation is dire. Once we return to the yamen and the higher authorities confirm it, they can be convicted."
"Giddy up!"
A Jiu lowered her eyelids, her eyeballs darting around, utterly bewildered.
What should I do? After enduring over two months of life-and-death trials, just as they were about to settle in Nanming City, this happened.
A long time after the constables left, A Jiu hadn't snapped out of it.
"Little Sister A Jiu..."
Two figures emerged from the dark woods.
Tuoba Yan and Zhao Kun, their faces were disheveled and their expressions panicked.
"Little Sister A Jiu, I..." Tuoba Yan remembered A Jiu had instructed him not to kill anyone, otherwise, he would have gone on a killing spree.
"I know everything," A Jiu murmured.
But the sadness on her face was evident to all.
Tuoba Yan and Zhao Kun exchanged glances, how could they not see their mistress's distress:
"Mistress, please don't worry. I think these officers were quite reasonable. They even listened to Brother Meng's words and returned to deliver a message."
"And then?" Tuoba Yan asked in a deep voice. Seeing A Jiu like this, he felt he shouldn't have let them go.
But he was torn.
"Then we travel day and night. Once we arrive, I'll inquire about the situation. Perhaps there's a way. Mistress, since we've come to this world, we must abide by its rules to survive."
"The best way is to kill Magistrate Li."
Tuoba Yan's words were chillingly cold.
A Jiu suddenly looked up at Tuoba Yan, "You can't kill people."
What the constables said earlier was too obvious; that peculiar case involved several corpses on Qi Ming Mountain with no external injuries.
The more it was like this, the more she couldn't let Xiao Yan Yan act.
"I..." Tuoba Yan's face showed suppressed resentment, but upon meeting A Jiu's flickering eyes, he softened instantly.
"If you say no killing, then no killing."
A Jiu turned to tell her Grandma and Aunt Li about this, her mind racing with information.
The receipt had been found on her mother, which was physical evidence.
Before, her mother had mentioned that Magistrate Li's hands had been bound for so long that they hadn't been untied, resulting in bruises. This was also evidence.
If Magistrate Li insisted that her parents had kidnapped him for ransom, then it would truly be over...
A Jiu shook her head, but she knew her mother hadn't understood these things initially, nor did she know that the order in Nanming City was so strict.
"Grandma, let's set off," A Jiu said feebly.
"But it hasn't grown yet?" Wang Shi looked at the plum tree, which was a little over a meter tall, bearing only green fruits.
"Let's set off. We won't take it," A Jiu's eyes welled up with tears.
Seeing this, Wang Shi also sensed something was amiss, "What's wrong? Where are your parents?"
"They've been arrested." A Jiu finished speaking and walked towards the carriage.
Mao Junlan, holding one child and leading another, quickly followed, "A Jiu, did something happen?"
"Yes," A Jiu didn't explain further.
Mao Junlan put her son into the carriage.
Wang Shi, completely bewildered, also got into the carriage.
"Zhao Kun, you drive the horse," A Jiu's face was expressionless, much of her usual innocence gone.
"Little Sister A Jiu, don't worry. As soon as we reach Liu County, I'll go inquire immediately," Tuoba Yan's voice called from outside the carriage.
"What happened to your parents?" Wang Shi had never seen such worry on her granddaughter's face.
She was so young, yet she looked so mature.
A Jiu glanced at Wang Shi, tears quickly welling up in her large eyes, and she buried herself in Wang Shi's embrace.
"Grandma... Daddy and Mommy were arrested."
Wang Shi felt a strange warmth, a feeling she experienced for the first time, her heart feeling warm.
The little girl sobbed uncontrollably, making the old woman flustered.
"Don't be afraid, my good granddaughter. Grandma will do everything in her power to get your parents out. Be good!"
As Wang Shi spoke, she hugged her granddaughter and suddenly felt something was not right, raising her hand as if to slap herself.
What business is it of mine?
Noticing her granddaughter's shoulders shaking with sobs, she couldn't bring herself to slap herself. Her hand landed on her granddaughter's back, gently stroking it.
"Don't be afraid, be good."