The man narrowed his eyes and hummed, "Once we're on the boat, we'll be safe!"
Xiao Xi Tian was very curious. Where would a dock be in such deep mountains?
Did this mean there was a small village nearby?
"Have you been here before?" Xiao Xi Tian asked crisply.
The man glanced at her and nodded, "I have..."
He didn't say anything more after that, as it was highly classified.
Xiao Xi Tian exchanged a look with Xiao Jin Heng, very curious about the man's identity.
Why was he wandering alone in the mountains?
And why were those assassins chasing him so desperately?
Had this guy stolen someone's wife?
Seeing the two little dumplings whispering to themselves, the man said, "Are you suspecting I'm a bad guy?"
Xiao Xi Tian shook her head repeatedly, "No... no, I'm just curious why big brother is wandering in the mountains. Are you here to gather mountain goods?"
"Gather mountain goods? Hahahaha..." The man laughed heartily.
How many years had it been since he last gathered mountain goods?
Ever since he left home, he hadn't gone foraging for mushrooms, monkey heads, and wood ear fungus with his family for a long time.
That feeling must have been warm and beautiful...
"Hey, the people behind us seem to be catching up!" Xiao Jin Heng reminded him.
The sound of footsteps crunching through the grass became more obvious. The man dared not be careless any longer. With a tap of his toe, he leaped into the air and sped towards the dock in the river valley...
"Oh my goodness, does that kid have wings? He runs so fast, huff, huff!"
The two secret guards were almost puking their guts out from exhaustion.
They couldn't keep up with such high-intensity exercise.
Kong Xing Zhuo stared intently ahead, "That guy seems to be leaving by boat..."
"Is he?" Guard A stopped and patted his chest. "But he hasn't done anything wrong, why is he running so fast? It's as if he's afraid of being seen!"
Kong Xing Zhuo also stopped, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly looked up, "Did he capture the young master and Sweet Baby?"
Otherwise, what was he holding under his armpits?
"Oh no, that's terrible!" Guard B slapped his thigh. "It was already difficult enough to find the young master in the mountains, but if he takes them outside, what will we do..."
"Chase him! Even if we die of exhaustion, we have to catch him!" Kong Xing Zhuo issued a death order.
With that, he shot forward like a sharp arrow.
Since he had a lead, he had to pursue relentlessly and bring the scoundrel who dared to hold the young prince hostage to justice...
The two secret guards looked desperate.
Were they even allowed to live?
There was no choice but to chase. If they couldn't find the young master, they would surely die upon their return.
By the big river.
The man put Xiao Jin Heng and Xiao Xi Tian down, leaped onto the boat, and pushed off with a bamboo pole...
This small, dilapidated boat was one he had prepared long ago.
He was very proficient in using it.
"Come up!" The man waved.
Xiao Jin Heng, holding Xiao Xi Tian's hand, suddenly didn't want to get on the boat. "Where are you taking us?"
If he hadn't met the man, he and the village child could have walked out of the mountains and returned to Da Shui Village...
It would have just been slower.
The man sighed helplessly, "At this point, you two still don't trust me?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Did he look like a human trafficker?
The man touched his face.
"It's not that we don't trust you. So many people are chasing you, what if you lead us into a bandit's den?" Xiao Jin Heng retorted.
The village child was so timid, he couldn't handle too much fright...
The man glanced into the distance, ensuring no one was following, before jumping ashore. "If you stay here, those assassins will surely tear you apart!"
"Even if you don't die, you'll be taken away and sold for a good price in the city!"
"We've been running since morning. Do I look like a bad person? If I wanted to sell you, I would have just knocked you out. Why would I carry you all this way..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of footsteps could be heard again.
Xiao Xi Tian tugged at Xiao Jin Heng, "Let's leave here first!"
She felt the man had a point.
Staying here was waiting to die. It was better to go with him for now and find a way back to Da Shui Village later...
"Have you decided? Those people are catching up!" The man said calmly.
Xiao Jin Heng hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, we'll go with you!"
The man smiled, picked up the two little dumplings, and leaped onto the boat. "Hold on tight. The current here is quite strong, don't fall off..."
After speaking, he pushed hard with the bamboo pole, and the small, dilapidated boat slowly drifted downstream under the force of the current.
Kong Xing Zhuo and the two secret guards rushed to the bank and saw the man fleeing with Xiao Jin Heng and Xiao Xi Tian.
"Damn it! You scoundrel, you've infuriated me..." Kong Xing Zhuo was furious and kicked a wooden stake on the dock, breaking it.
Who was that person?
Even human traffickers wouldn't come into the mountains to snatch children, would they?
"Commander Kong, I just saw clearly. The young master and Sweet Baby are indeed on that boat. What should we do now?"
The two secret guards were completely disheartened...
They were already exhausted. Chasing a boat now was simply wishful thinking.
Kong Xing Zhuo clenched his fists tightly and asked, "Where does this big river lead?"
"Oh, it's very far. I heard there are many bandits lurking along the river, so there are no villages in this area..."
Kong Xing Zhuo frowned, "I asked where the river leads?"
Who mentioned bandits?
Guard A pondered for a moment and murmured, "It should flow towards the prefectural city!"
"Which prefectural city?" Kong Xing Zhuo asked.
"Shuo'an City..."
Upon hearing this, Kong Xing Zhuo's head buzzed, and he almost fainted.
Shuo'an City was within the jurisdiction of Governor Qin, wasn't it?
If the young master and Sweet Baby were sold to Shuo'an City, Governor Qin would be in trouble.
"Quick, return to the village immediately!" Kong Xing Zhuo turned and ran back into the mountains.
He had to write a letter as quickly as possible and send it to Shuo'an City, asking Governor Qin to arrange for personnel along the river to apprehend the wanted criminals...
However, once the letter was delivered, Governor Qin would surely report the young prince's disappearance to the palace.
At that time, officials including Prefect Chen would be waiting to be dealt with.
Meanwhile, on the small, dilapidated boat.
Xiao Xi Tian and Xiao Jin Heng sat side by side, like two adorable little bunnies, staring intently at the man...
"Hey, why are you two always looking at me?" The man was getting unnerved.
Xiao Xi Tian couldn't hold back her laughter and pointed at the man's shoulder, "There's a bug on you!"
The man was dismissive. This little girl was quite amusing.
At a time like this, she was still joking.
A moment later, hysterical screams echoed through the river valley.
"Ahhh... there really is a bug!"