Yan Yunning watched the palm coming toward her face and quickly tilted sideways, half-lying down in the dead grass. The blow Xiao Shi brought down landed on her shoulder instead.

The impact threw Yan Yunning off balance where she lay in the dead grass, and her forehead knocked against a stone hidden beneath the grass.

“What are you dodging for?” Xiao Shi grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up from the ground.

She hadn’t even used her full strength!

Yan Yunning, who was wincing sharply from the pain, stared at her as if she were an idiot. “…??”

If she hadn’t dodged, it would have hit her right in the face, wouldn’t it?

A dense, pricking pain radiated from her forehead — she didn’t need to look to know it had swollen.

“Older Sister, look at me — my hand is hurt, and my head is hurt now too.” Yan Yunning curved her brows into a gentle smile. “Can you undo my ropes now?”

The girl scooted forward a little and lifted her bound hands up in front of Xiao Shi.

Xiao Shi stared at Yan Yunning’s swollen forehead for a moment, then glanced down at her hand, and untied the ropes binding her wrists.

Yan Yunning raised her brows slightly and flexed her wrists.

“Go back yourself.”

Xiao Shi tossed the rope to the side, stood up, and walked toward the door.

Yan Yunning kept her head down, busy untying the ropes around her ankles, and made no reply.

Xiao Shi pushed open the worn wooden door. Hearing no movement, she glanced back — before she could speak, two men who had been waiting outside the door knocked her unconscious. She lost her footing and fell to the ground.

“Boss, should we take the one inside too?” said the man in the brown tunic.

Yan Yunning reached into her pouch and gripped the incense tightly.

It was fortunate that when Xiao Shi had knocked her out back in Yuan Jing Manor and brought her here, she hadn’t searched her pouch.

The other man gave Yan Yunning a look of mild disdain. “She looks pretty stupid — how else would she have gotten herself tied up and dragged here? Madam wants clever ones. Madam wouldn’t bother with her type.”

Madam wanted clever maids. They had been looking for several days, and today, seeing this purple-robed woman carrying the girl with the swollen forehead to the wooden shack, he figured the purple-robed woman must be clever enough.

How else could she have tied up the girl with the swollen forehead and dragged her all the way here?

At these words, the incense in Yan Yunning’s hand nearly snapped in two.

What do you mean she looks stupid??

“Boss, but she’s good-looking. Madam might not want her, but I do.” The man in the brown tunic gave a sly chuckle.

If he brought her back and Madam punished him again with washing the servants’ stinking socks, at least he’d have someone to share the burden!

“Bringing her back would only be trouble. One look at her and she’s the delicate, pampered sort — bring her back and you’ll probably end up waiting on her yourself. Too much hassle.”

The man in the brown tunic paused at the mention of waiting on her, and his brow creased.

Having to wash stinking socks as punishment every day was already annoying enough — and now he’d have to wait on her too?

“Forget it, Boss. Let’s hurry and report back to Madam.”

“Mm.” The man sniffed at the air. “What is that smell? It’s so fragrant…”

“Bo… Boss, it’s the one you were talking about, that stu—”

Before he could finish speaking, both men collapsed unconscious to the ground. Xiao Shi, losing her support, also tumbled down.

Yan Yunning tucked the incense and fire starter back into her pouch, stepped forward, and gave the man lying next to the brown-tuniced man several solid kicks.

“You’re not stupid — so how did you end up flat on the ground?!”

“And you’re a hassle!!”

After a round of kicking, Yan Yunning glanced over at Xiao Shi lying on the ground, pushed up her sleeves, and tried to lift her up. She crouched down and draped Xiao Shi’s arm over her own neck, and tried several times — she couldn’t manage it at all.

Was Xiao Shi too heavy, or did she simply not have the strength?

Leaving an unconscious Xiao Shi here was too dangerous.

Yan Yunning simply sat down on the ground, patted Xiao Shi’s face, and pressed on her philtrum.

Fafa: “Master, go a little easier — Xiao Shi’s face is turning red.”

It didn’t dare say what it was really thinking — was she taking revenge for those two pats Xiao Shi had given her earlier?

Yan Yunning: “?”

She was rescuing someone, wasn’t she?

Wasn’t it perfectly normal to accidentally press a little harder than intended?

The unconscious Xiao Shi felt a faint numbness in her cheeks — she wanted to open her eyes, but couldn’t.

After patting her for a while, Yan Yunning suddenly remembered that Xiao Shi might be unable to wake because she had been hit by the incense fumes too. She unhurriedly fished the antidote from her pouch and administered it to Xiao Shi.

Half a quarter-hour later, Xiao Shi opened her eyes and struggled to sit up.

“Older Sister, it was I who saved you.” Yan Yunning blinked, her expression earnest.

Xiao Shi rubbed her aching cheeks, shot a glance at the two men sleeping unconscious on the ground, and gave a nod.

This irritating girl might actually have a bit of…

“Older Sister, you don’t believe me?” Yan Yunning suddenly pulled away the hand Xiao Shi had pressed against her own cheek, bent down, and blew gently on it. “It couldn’t be helped — otherwise you wouldn’t have woken up.”

Xiao Shi: “…”

Whatever the case, she hadn’t abandoned a girl on her own.

“You… does your forehead hurt?” Xiao Shi asked, fidgeting awkwardly.

“It does.” Yan Yunning carefully touched the swollen spot on her forehead.

How could knocking into a stone not hurt?

Her hand hurt too.

Xiao Shi stood up and brushed the dead grass from her clothes. “I’ll take you to find a physician.”

“No need — a hot compress will be fine.” Yan Yunning wasn’t overly concerned.

“See a physician!” Xiao Shi crouched halfway down. “Get on quickly. Don’t waste time.”

“I can walk on my own.”

“Stop dithering. I’m only worried you’ll slow me down — I still need to come back and deal with these two.” Xiao Shi said with cool detachment.

Since Xiao Shi was willing to carry her, Yan Yunning said no more.

They found the nearest clinic in the town, had Yan Yunning’s hand and forehead tended to, and when they made their way back to the dilapidated wooden shack, the two men were already gone.

Xiao Shi frowned. “Never mind. I’ll take you back to Yuan Jing Manor first.”

“What about you? Where do you plan to go after this?” Yan Yunning asked offhandedly.

With the Fifth Prince’s household fallen, would she seek a new master going forward, or find herself somewhere to live alone?

Xiao Shi gave a small smile. She had originally planned to settle her score with Yan Yunning first, then find a way to settle scores with Yan Shiyao at the Third Prince’s manor, and after that find somewhere far away to hide.

But things had gone wrong with Yan Yunning!

Hearing no reply, Yan Yunning bent down and picked up a fallen flower petal from the ground, turning it over in her palm.

“One day I’ll open a pastry shop,” said Xiao Shi, who had been silent the whole walk, smiling as they arrived in front of Yuan Jing Manor. “Yan Yunning, if you ever have the chance, come and eat there — I won’t charge you.”

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.” Yan Yunning narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Xiao Shi patted her hair lightly, the corners of her lips faintly curled. “Don’t forget to come.”

For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, watching her smile made something ache inside her chest.

“I will, I will.” The girl laughed softly.

Xiao Shi stretched out her hand. “May I have that flower petal in your hand?”

Yan Yunning looked down at the petal she had idly picked up and asked, puzzled, “You want it? It’s already wilted.”

“Yes.” Xiao Shi nodded.

Not understanding why she would want a wilted petal, Yan Yunning held it out to her palm all the same. “Here, it’s yours.”

“This flower petal shall count as payment.” Xiao Shi smiled. “Now go inside. I’ll watch until you’re in.”

“Okay.” Yan Yunning waved to her, walked backward a couple of steps, then turned and ran into Yuan Jing Manor.

“Yan Yunning!” Xiao Shi called out.