The little girl whispered, “Just now… your and Zhao Kuo’s reactions…”

Then Jia Xu smiled and said, “Of course, you are not wrong.”

He truly believed Ying Yue hadn’t made a mistake.

Earlier, when he mentioned Bai Qi, it was just a test to see how Ying Yue would respond and to confirm some things.

Red Hare is rare and deserves a hero, but it needs to fit the person who rides it.

In his heart, Jia Xu didn’t think Red Hare was right for Bai Qi.

He had said it belonged to Bai Qi to reflect a common view, but he was not just anyone.

Suddenly, he heard Ying Yue murmur softly, “I think… Red Hare isn’t suitable for Bai Qi either…”

Though she spoke quietly, Jia Xu clearly heard her.

He realized the girl had a hidden ability to judge character.

So, the scholar in green couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “My lord, don’t doubt your judgment.”

“Because, to me, thunder, lightning, rain, and dew are all blessings from the emperor.” 

While Jia Xu shared some “theoretical knowledge” with the girl, Huo Qubing and Zhao Kuo finally stopped arguing.

Zhao Kuo was the first to notice. He turned and saw that Ying Yue and Jia Xu were gone, which scared him. He started to look around in a panic.

Huo Qubing, confused, said, “There’s no one else around here.”

If he hadn’t spoken, he wouldn’t have felt so anxious. The disappearance of Ying Yue and Jia Xu made him feel uneasy, and he ignored Huo Qubing’s comment. But as soon as he spoke, Zhao Kuo snapped, “This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have lost Ying Yue and Jia Xu!”

Huo Qubing was incredulous. “Isn’t it because you didn’t respect them?”

Then the two young men, both short-tempered, started arguing again.

_

After leaving Zhao Kuo, Ying Yue and Jia Xu went to the weapons warehouse to count the supplies.

Not long after, they ran into Bai Qi, who was followed by a line of strong men.

The leader of the group, who had been with Ying Yue before, shouted when he saw her, “Big Sister!”

His loud call startled the little girl, and Jia Xu stepped in to help, saying, “Brave man, call the lord with us.”

Seeing Ying Yue frightened, the man felt embarrassed and awkwardly replied, “Okay, okay…”

He looked at Ying Yue and asked, “By the way, who are you? A few days ago, you weren’t at the big…” He started to call her ‘big sister’ but corrected himself awkwardly. “Beside the lord.”

Hearing this, Jia Xu told a story about his life, sounding sincere:

“My name is Jia Xu, a scholar who travels the world. I was robbed when I passed through here a few days ago. I thought I would die, but my master rescued me from the back mountain two days ago. I was lucky to survive, so I stayed with my master.”

“Oh,” the man said, nodding and looking at Jia Xu with sympathy. “I see.”

Jia Xu then noticed the group behind him, estimating about thirty strong men. Except for one who looked thin, the others were all strong and intimidating.

Most of them looked at Ying Yue and Bai Qi with admiration, especially when they looked at Bai Qi, as if he were a divine being.

At this moment, Ying Yue felt a little surprised. What surprised her was that the progress bar for Task 2 had changed. According to the numbers on the panel, everyone here should be included.

She wondered what the man said to them after he returned.

_

After a noisy conversation with Huo Qubing and feeling lost about where to find Ying Yue and Jia Xu, Zhao Kuo finally found them about two hours later.

When he found them, there were many other people around.

Seeing the huge crowd for the first time made him almost feel like he couldn’t breathe.

—Could his weak master and fragile younger brother have been kidnapped by the Hu people? 

However, he quickly dismissed this thought when he spotted Bai Qi, the God of War of the Qin Dynasty, not far from Ying Yue. Seeing Bai Qi made him feel reassured.

On his third look, Zhao Kuo recognized the man who had led them to Bianchun Mountain before. This man had volunteered to be their brother after Bai Qi dealt with some bandits in Black Wind Village.

Zhao Kuo understood the situation: the man had returned quickly with his younger brother. It took them about four days to get here, but the man came back on a fast horse, reducing the time needed.

He brought about 30 people with him, showing he was eager to visit this mountain.

As Zhao Kuo walked in, everyone turned to look at him. The man quickly moved a stool for him and said, “Second brother, please sit down.”

Zhao Kuo was surprised. So much had happened that he almost forgot the man treated him as the second in command of the mountain stronghold.

The timing of this group’s arrival was clever; they came during the days when they planned to take over Beidi County.

Though he thought they probably wouldn’t be of much help.

Seeing Zhao Kuo, Bai Qi prepared to leave because he still had unfinished work. But before leaving, he glanced at Zhao Kuo, which made Zhao Kuo feel guilty. 

His main priority was to protect Ying Yue. He felt he had been unreliable for not finding her for two hours.

Although Jia Xu was with Ying Yue, could a scholar really handle danger?

_

After Bai Qi left with the group of strong men, Zhao Kuo quickly approached Ying Yue to apologize and accept his self-imposed punishment. He knew Ying Yue would not punish him, but he didn’t want her to blame herself.

Zhao Kuo asked Ying Yue, “Sister, what was with the looks they gave Jia Xu?”

He recalled how the strong men looked at Jia Xu with sympathy. He was confused. Why did things escalate so quickly?

Hearing his question, Ying Yue explained, “Wen He said he was a wandering scholar. He was robbed by bandits in Black Wind Village, and they beat him badly. I saved him just before he died.”

Ying Yue felt embarrassed saying this. Although Jia Xu made up this story, saying she saved him felt strange.

She didn’t notice that her words stunned Zhao Kuo.

Jia Xu added to his own story, “He also lost his beloved wife. He travels because he can’t bear to see memories of her in his hometown.”

Zhao Kuo felt shocked, not understanding why Jia Xu created this character.

_

Soon after Bai Qi took Han Zi and his brothers away, Ying Yue had dinner with Zhao Kuo, Jia Xu, and a girl named Shen.

Before dinner, Miss Shen handed Ying Yue a stack of papers. This was the map she had prepared of the five counties harmed by the bandits in Black Wind Village, including the troop distributions in Beidi County and Longxi County. 

Of course, the details were most complete for Beidi County.

Ying Yue took the map, intending to look at it out of curiosity, but she unexpectedly found it easy to understand, unlike before.

Suddenly, the little girl felt like all seven holes in her body opened up.

Then, Ying Yue gently tugged on Jia Xu’s sleeve, lowered her voice, and asked him with bright eyes, “Wenhe, do people’s brains get better as they get older?”

Wanting to be kind, Jia Xu answered seriously with a small lie, “I heard that happens.”

_

After dinner, Ying Yue went to find Bai Qi with several useful maps of Beidi County to give to him. Zhao Kuo and a girl named Shen went with her. Zhao Kuo was there to protect her, while Shen was there to explain things.

When they found Bai Qi, he quickly looked over the map of Beidi County and set it down. The brave young man, who liked to act fast, said to Ying Yue, “I want to go to Beidi County tonight to see what’s really happening.”

“If there are no major problems, I plan to leave tomorrow night,” he said, wanting to handle things early to avoid complications.

“Ah?” Ying Yue was surprised and opened her beautiful eyes wide. “Isn’t this a bit sudden?”

Bai Qi replied, “It’s better to act after dark.”

Ying Yue thought for a moment and asked, “Do you need someone to go with you?”

He shook his head. “No. We just need to scout tonight. Too many people will make it hard to move.”

The little girl nodded as if she understood, then said softly, “Then… Bai Qi, please be careful.”

Bai Qi nodded, “I will.”

As he stood up to leave, a clear but faint voice came from outside, “What are you doing?”

It was Huo Qubing, dressed in bright red clothes.

Bai Qi ignored him and looked at Ying Yue. The little girl squinted and smiled faintly. Then Bai Qi left.

After he was gone, Ying Yue turned to Huo Qubing.

Suddenly, she heard Miss Shen ask, “Miss Ying… who is this?”

Zhao Kuo, trying to maintain Jia Xu’s character, blurted out, “He is our master’s distant cousin who is poor and came to stay with our master!”

Huo Qubing was confused.

You are the one who is poor, Zhao Kuo, and your family is also struggling!

Although Huo Qubing looked only fourteen, he was actually seventeen, so he should be the older brother!