CMWKSD -Chapter 266 Don’t Pick Up Men by the Roadside

Ji Youqin walked ahead, fingers pinching the strap of her small pouch, glancing at Jiang Xunan with words clearly on the tip of her tongue, yet holding them back.

How could someone’s skin be this thick?

Jiang Xunan followed behind her, face calm, heart steady.

As long as she didn’t speak up, then nothing had happened.

After a moment, Ji Youqin let out a sigh.

Forget it, forget it. Having him follow behind her was still better than going home and ending up with chickens flying and dogs jumping in chaos.

She’d just treat it as having an extra pair of hands for hard labor.

With that thought, Ji Youqin finally persuaded herself and moved her gaze away from Jiang Xunan, no longer staring at him.

Seeing that Ji Youqin had finally stopped looking at him, Jiang Xunan let out a long breath.

He hadn’t expected himself to lose his head earlier and blurt out those words.

Just thinking about it made him want to slap himself.

But now there was no room for regret.

After all, he had already followed her out, tail wagging like an idiot.

Still, it was fortunate that he had come along this time.

Jiang Xunan gained a much deeper understanding of the Ji family.

He had thought that having a Jiu Yue in the family was already surprising enough.

But Ji Youqin’s abilities were just as eye-opening.

The seemingly slender, petite young girl held a list in her hand, moving back and forth among various pharmacies.

She sparred verbally with shopkeepers, quickly judging the quality of medicinal herbs and whether they had been adulterated.

When encountering those shopkeepers who relied on seniority to bully others, her clever tongue rattled on nonstop, never losing ground.

Jiang Xunan watched in stunned amazement. Saying he was there to protect someone wasn’t quite right—he was really there to broaden his horizons.

Ji Youqin was completely different from those sheltered young ladies he had seen before, who could only whimper when trouble arose.

Brisk without being shrewish, vibrant without being vicious.

Jiang Xunan’s mouth hadn’t closed once the entire time.

Ji Youqin drank a bowl of tea at a roadside stall and, without even lifting her eyes, said to Jiang Xunan, “There’s just one last place. It’s a bit out of the way. Once we’re done there, that’s it.”

Jiang Xunan saw that Ji Youqin didn’t even look at him. It didn’t feel like she was talking to him at all.

It was more like she was reporting to herself.

He could only respond with a dazed “Oh.”

The two of them were about to pass through a narrow alley.

Halfway through, they saw a man lying on the ground.

He was dressed in tattered clothes, hair disheveled, his face completely unrecognizable.

Jiang Xunan wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s affairs, but thinking that Ji Youqin was studying medicine—

Doctors were supposed to be benevolent.

He thought Ji Youqin would step forward to help.

Instead, Ji Youqin was even more indifferent than he was, walking straight past as if she hadn’t seen the man on the ground at all.

This made Jiang Xunan glance at her several times.

Ji Youqin, feeling helpless under his gaze, let out a long sigh. “Don’t pick up men by the roadside. They’ll easily repay you with their body.”

Jiang Xunan: !!!

No—he understood every single word, so how did they stop making sense when put together?

Jiang Xunan was speechless and about to argue back when his peripheral vision caught sight of the man’s boots.

He immediately stepped in front of Ji Youqin, blocking her.

Ji Youqin looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xunan’s face was solemn. “The boots he’s wearing are the standard issue for a Great Qi fifth-rank military officer.”

Ji Youqin looked at the lump on the ground.

You could still barely tell that it was a person.

“So…”

Recently, Great Qi had been anything but peaceful. Coupled with the earlier incident of fifth-rank military officers being replaced, Jiang Xunan’s conspiracy-minded instincts flared up.

Perhaps Prince Hui had replaced another fifth-rank officer.

And the one on the ground was silenced.

With that thought, Jiang Xunan lightly rested his hand on his sword, ready to draw it at any moment.

Behind him, Ji Youqin decisively glanced around.

Then, without looking back, she bolted out of the alley.

From a bustling part of the street, she peeked over from afar toward Jiang Xunan’s direction.

Jiang Xunan gripped his long sword and slowly approached the vagrant on the ground.

His attention fully focused on the man.

After taking two steps, he remembered Ji Youqin behind him and said slowly, “Later, you hide behind me. Don’t poke your head out, no matter what.”

He finished speaking.

No one answered.

Jiang Xunan froze for a moment.

He turned his head.

There was no one behind him.

Looking toward the entrance of the alley, far away, a small head peeked out from beside the wall.

If that wasn’t Ji Youqin, who else could it be?

Jiang Xunan: …

That was… really unnecessary.

But then he thought about how she was Jiu Yue’s sister-in-law.

Suddenly, it felt like nothing that happened around the Ji family was surprising anymore.

Since Ji Youqin was not only capable of preserving her own life but also wouldn’t hold him back, Jiang Xunan advanced forward without the slightest worry.

He squatted down and was immediately hit by waves of stench.

Jiang Xunan frowned.

Just as he reached out to brush aside the vagrant’s hair, the man’s eyes suddenly flew open.

His five fingers clawed forward, fiercely aiming for Jiang Xunan’s eyes.

Jiang Xunan had already been on full alert and immediately leaned his head back.

The vagrant flipped up and staggered.

His matted hair swayed, revealing his brows and eyes.

Jiang Xunan’s pupils shrank.

“Shen—”

Before he could call out the full name, perhaps from excessive exertion causing his qi and blood to reverse, the vagrant spat out a mouthful of blood.

His body went limp and collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Xunan lunged forward and caught him in his arms. “Shen Liu!”

Once he truly held the man, Jiang Xunan’s heart jolted violently.

No other reason—he had never touched a human body that felt so uneven and full of hollows.

This…

What on earth had happened?

Jiang Xunan quickly lifted his head toward Ji Youqin’s direction. “Miss Ji!”

Hearing Jiang Xunan call her, and seeing him holding the vagrant in his arms, Ji Youqin confirmed that this was someone Jiang Xunan knew.

Only then did she jog over from the corner.

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Xunan held the man tightly. “He’s Shen Liu—the sixth son of General Shen, Shen Zongyan.”

Ji Youqin immediately reacted.

After all, she had helped boil the medicinal ointment Jiu Yue used to treat Shen Zongsheng’s legs.

“Wasn’t he missing?”

Jiang Xunan’s expression was grave. They were close in age and had known each other.

He wanted to lift Shen Zongyan onto his back, but when his hands touched the man’s limbs, he didn’t even know where to place them.

Ji Youqin had just checked Shen Zongyan’s pulse.

Turning her head and seeing that Jiang Xunan still hadn’t carried him up, she frowned. “What are you waiting for? His breathing is too weak. He needs to go to a clinic.”

Jiang Xunan’s eyes reddened. “The princess… no—there seems to be a lot of flesh carved off his body. Can an ordinary clinic treat this?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized Jiu Yue’s status was noble—how could she possibly be asked to treat someone like this?

Ji Youqin thought for a brief moment, then immediately lifted her head. “Wait for me here.”

Before Jiang Xunan could react, Ji Youqin had already run back the way they came.

Not long after, two strong, sturdy men followed Ji Youqin back at a run.

Ji Youqin didn’t dare use acupuncture lightly—her skills weren’t refined enough yet.

She had the men lift Shen Zongyan onto their backs.

Then, facing Jiang Xunan, she spoke at lightning speed: “Go to General Shen’s residence. Tell them everything that happened. Have them prepare more silver notes—make sure it’s silver notes. Second Sister-in-law isn’t the type to watch someone die without helping.”

With that, Ji Youqin and the two men vanished into the alley in an instant.

Leaving Jiang Xunan standing there, dazed.

Not the type to watch someone die without helping…

Then why prepare silver notes?