The coachman finished unhooking the harnesses and led the horse toward a water vat to begin grooming it.
Gu Jiao seized the opportunity to slip out of the stable unnoticed.
She wanted to find the quickest way out, but as soon as she looked around, she froze in shock.
What kind of place was this?
There was no wall in sight!
"Over there!"
Suddenly, a man’s voice, filled with a deadly seriousness, rang out, and Gu Jiao sensed a familiar and daunting presence.
Dragon Shadow Guard!
Or to be precise, the Yan Country’s dead soldiers.
While the Zhan Country’s Dragon Shadow Guards were trained from the Yan Country’s dead soldiers, there was a significant difference: the Dragon Shadow Guards of Zhan Country were mute and couldn’t communicate, serving merely as tools for the late emperor to carry out tasks.
Not all of the Yan Country’s dead soldiers were like that, however.
Had she been discovered?
With the stable at her back and the Yan Country’s dead soldiers approaching from the front and right, Gu Jiao had no choice but to flee to the left.
A wall!
Her eyes lit up; with a tip of her toes, she leapt, supporting herself on the wall’s crest and vaulted over it.
However—
She didn’t end up outside the estate but entered a small courtyard within a large one.
This luck!
Was she possessed by Xiao Hen?
Could it be that because she used his name, she was also sharing his bad luck?
"Don’t forget the things I told you to prepare. If madam finds out you’ve been lazy, I won’t be able to protect you."
"Sister Lianqiao, rest assured, we won’t slack off!"
Several maids were about to turn the corner down the corridor and head in Gu Jiao’s direction. With no other choice, Gu Jiao closed her eyes and impulsively pushed open the door to a room.
A warm fragrance of incense and medicine hit her; Gu Jiao was a doctor and was particularly sensitive to such smells.
There was an ill patient.
"You lot, come with me and check!"
"Stop! What are you doing?"
"Madam, it seems someone from outside has broken into our residence just now; we are searching."
"Why has the search come here? Is this a place where you can just barge in?"
"Madam, please forgive us."
"I’ll go in and take a look. You wait outside."
The man was thin and was exuding a faint cold fragrance mixed with the scent of medicine. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Gu Jiao could feel the woman’s gaze cast in her direction.
The woman complained, "Why do you have the quilt so thick?"
Gu Jiao thought, No way, you’re not about to lift his quilt, are you?
"The doctor ordered it," Lianqiao said.
The woman came to the side of the bed and extended her hand under the quilt, touching the man’s hand.
Gu Jiao also subtly touched the man’s other hand with the tip of her finger.
It was very cold; not covered heavily.
The woman sighed, put the man’s hand back under the covers, and asked, "Nothing strange happened in the courtyard, right?"
"Nothing at all, madam," Lianqiao replied.
After that, the woman asked a few more questions about the man’s diet and daily routine. Lianqiao largely replied that it was the same old pattern, the same as yesterday, without any notable changes.
Then the woman left.
"Whew, that scared me to death," Lianqiao exhaled in relief.
The woman had instructed Lianqiao to watch the man carefully, but the girl named Lianqiao slipped away again after less than a moment’s vigilance.
Gu Jiao lifted the quilt, sat up, took a few deep breaths, got off the bed, and covered the man with the blanket again.
Then she turned and left the room.
In the twilight, the man’s fingertips suddenly moved.
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