Liu Ji’s defense value was already maxed out, and he continued to refine his lamb soup, hoping that a good bowl of soup would spare him a beating.

After all... if he hadn’t gone looking for ingredients, if his curiosity hadn’t been so strong, and if he had noticed something wrong in time, his wife wouldn’t have had to take action.

Liu Ji, the Scholar, was excellent at self-criticism!

The end result was that the lamb soup without seasoning wasn’t very tasty.

Fortunately, Qin Yao was considerate enough to drink more than half a bowl.

Liu Ji let out a long sigh of relief. After finishing this unexpected lunch, he hurriedly took the bowls to the river to clean them, and strictly instructed Song Yu not to interfere, making a grand display.

When the pots and bowls were all washed, the trio set off again.

The sun was already westward, but there was no worry about sleeping under the stars tonight; Qin Yao had calculated the time and distance.

At this pace, they would reach the vicinity of the posthouse by evening.

If they were lucky and there were no officials staying at the posthouse tonight, they might snag a couple of safe rooms.

However, it was clear that since Liu Ji’s blunder during lunch had exposed an assassination attempt, today’s journey was destined not to go smoothly.

The carriage had traveled less than five hundred meters when a dark red figure suddenly rolled down the slope by the roadside.

Yes, rolled.

Perhaps exhausted, the person lay horizontally on the carriage’s path and only managed to prop himself up after a while.

To prevent chaos, Song Yu promptly stopped the carriage, looking surprised at the master beside him, "Master, someone is blocking our way!"

Liu Ji: "I’m not blind."

Song Yu: "..."

"Should we go down and have a look?" Song Yu asked worriedly, seeking instructions from Qin Yao inside the carriage.

The person didn’t look well, but he was dressed in fine, brocade-patterned satin, suggesting his identity was not simple.

Qin Yao poked her head out for a glance. It was the same man who had just been attacked by the man in black.

He staggered up from the ground, barely standing in the middle of the road, his eyes fixed intently on their carriage.

Qin Yao frowned slightly, realizing this was a big trouble, and decisively ordered, "Go around."

Her voice was not loud, but it was enough for the person to hear clearly.

The man was visibly startled, probably not expecting to be so despised.

But recalling the scene when the man in black took poison to commit suicide and how the woman remained unaffected, he realized she wasn’t someone to be judged by common sense.

Song Yu, detecting a hint from his mistress and master, nodded, obeyed, and attempted to steer the carriage around the man.

Unexpectedly, as the carriage passed by, a large hand suddenly rested on the carriage shaft.

"Could you give me a ride?" he asked in a deep voice, looking not at the two men on the shaft but at Qin Yao inside the carriage.

Qin Yao lowered her eyes to the hand on the shaft. Unlike ordinary people, its palm was exceptionally wide, fingers slender and somewhat deformed.

Such a hand only belonged to someone who had used weapons for many years.

A flicker of suspicion crossed Qin Yao’s eyes. This person had almost been killed by the man in black? That shouldn’t be.

But what did it matter to her!

"No." She said coldly.

Liu Ji, being Qin Yao’s most loyal follower, immediately pointed at the hand on the shaft and fiercely repeated, "We said no, now let go of the hand!"

With a dull thud, the man pulled out a token and, with a hint of helplessness, tossed it into the carriage.

Qin Yao stepped on it, bent down to pick it up, and spread it open to reveal a hefty metal token inscribed with the words "Imperial Censor."

Oh ho~ Turned out he was an official!

"Wife, what’s this? Be careful not to fall for his trick..." Liu Ji leaned in with concern, but when he saw the four characters on the token, he choked back his warning, his tone changing, "Imperial Censor?!"

He quickly lifted his head to look at Qin Yao, and seeing her nod in confirmation of the token’s authenticity, he turned back to the man clinging to their shaft, pale-faced, clothes stained with blood, hair disheveled.

Liu Ji asked in disbelief in a low voice, "Are you the Imperial Censor?"

Seeing the man nod heavily, Liu Ji’s heart skipped a beat, and a thought suddenly flashed in his mind—if the man in black died because he was caught by me, then rounding off, didn’t I actually save this official’s life?

The man, seeing the couple fall silent, felt a glimmer of hope rise in his heart.

He released the carriage shaft, took a half step back, forced himself to remain standing, and cupped his fists in a salute, "I am a resident of the Capital..."

However, just as he began to introduce himself, the woman inside the carriage interrupted sharply:

"No need for introductions, I don’t want to hear it nor do I care, get in the carriage, we’ll take you to the posthouse, the rest is up to you."

The thought of an Imperial Censor, acting on the Emperor’s behalf, being almost assassinated made Qin Yao’s scalp tingle at the implications.

Moreover, this Imperial Censor knew martial arts, indicating that those who sent him were aware of the dangers and therefore chose such a person.

So, it’s best to act as if she knew nothing!

Deliver him to the posthouse manager and let the officials handle it.

Signaling to Liu Ji and Song Yu with a glance, the two got off the carriage and helped the disheveled Censor aboard.

Qin Yao moved to sit by the carriage door, giving him space to lie down inside.

Moments ago, Liu Ji, who had been brusque towards him, now played the concerned host, offering him water and dry food and advising him to speak up if he felt unwell so they could slow the carriage down.

When Liu Ji attempted to inquire about the reason for the assassination attempt, Qin Yao, who had kept a watchful eye, kicked him out of the carriage.

Liu Ji rubbed his nose sheepishly, muttering silently to himself about not wanting to know anyway.

But they should at least leave their names; how else would this Censor seek out his saviors to repay them in the future?

Qin Yao could easily see through his little scheme and made a throat-slitting gesture, instantly making him behave.

The Censor, having eaten and drunk, fell into a drowsy sleep.

Qin Yao shoved his token back to him as if it were a hot potato and added, "I’ll wake you when we reach the posthouse."

The drowsy man, hearing her words, forced his eyes open again and weakly, almost pleadingly, said:

"Madam, you must have noticed that I too am a practitioner of martial arts. To be honest, my skills aren’t lacking; I nearly died today because of acclimatization issues."

"My recovery will need a few days, but the assassination attempts surely won’t stop here....."

Seeing Qin Yao’s strong urge to cover his mouth, he paused and then continued:

"Madam, your martial arts are impressive. I would like to hire you to escort me to the government office in Kaiyang County. Would Madam be willing to assist?"

He vowed earnestly, "I will reward you handsomely! And ensure no trouble finds you!"

Qin Yao unexpectedly narrowed her eyes. Was it a coincidence that he was also heading to Kaiyang County?