The two chatted for a while, and Luo Wanqing gave him some medicine, then said: “This humble woman is also skilled in massage. You seem to suffer from headaches, sir. If it would be of use, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“That would be too much trouble for you, Miss.”

The other politely declined. Luo Wanqing sensed his wariness and didn’t insist.

Nine Frost’s identity as the foremost expert of Jiangnan was known throughout the world, but when traveling the martial world, they all used their martial nicknames, while in prison, they used their real names. To prevent revenge killings, the authorities would only address prisoners by their real names. This meant that as long as Nine Frost was willing, he could keep his identity hidden.

Now that he was actively concealing his identity, he was probably also afraid of people seeking revenge. What he didn’t know was that once his identity became known to more people, those like her who had advanced knowledge of the Supervision Department’s team examination format would swarm toward him.

The journey had just begun—this was the perfect opportunity for her to bind herself together with Nine Frost.

She needed to ensure as few people as possible discovered Nine Frost’s existence, while also making Nine Frost more dependent on her.

Currently, Nine Frost was still too guarded against her. She needed an incident to break the deadlock, to make Nine Frost realize his predicament and actively bind himself to her. When they reached the Eastern Capital in the future, even without considering obligation, just based on the feelings developed along this journey, Nine Frost should not abandon her once his body recovered.

Luo Wanqing’s thoughts raced, and she formed a plan, then said: “You want to eat meat, sir—I’ll find a way immediately. It’s late winter now, cold and damp. Let me also try to get you a pillow and blanket.”

“You have a way?”

The young man seemed surprised. Luo Wanqing smiled and said gently, “A small matter. There is one thing—I’m being presumptuous, but I must still remind you, sir.”

“Please speak.” The young man’s tone was very humble, as if he took her words extremely seriously.

Luo Wanqing’s expression became serious: “You’ve traveled the martial world for a long time, sir. While there are admirers like me, there are also those with ill intentions. On this journey to the Eastern Capital, people’s hearts are unpredictable. I hope you will never reveal your identity, lest those with ulterior motives take advantage and kick you when you’re down.”

“You’re right.” The young man thought for a moment and nodded: “Then I’ll use the alias A’Heng from now on. Just call me Young Master.”

“That would be best.”

Seeing that he listened to her advice, Luo Wanqing relaxed considerably, then said: “I’ll go find the guards to see about getting some things.”

“Thank you.”

The young man nodded. Luo Wanqing stood up and went to find the guards.

During her time in prison, she had thoroughly figured out these jailers and guards. This kind of work was mostly “dirty work” done by common people without official titles, but because this work was extremely crucial, most people who could become jailers and guards had to spend money to secure these positions. Having spent money, they naturally needed to earn it back, so in prison, as long as you had money, everything could be arranged.

During her days in death row, Luo Wanqing had defeated others and ransacked their belongings, accumulating quite a bit of silver, just waiting for this moment to use it.

She skillfully approached a guard and said quietly: “Sir, I have a friend here who’s severely injured. The weather is too cold—he probably needs a pillow and blanket, plus some meat. I hope you’ll do us this favor.”

She slipped a piece of broken silver from her sleeve. The guard saw it, glanced at the person resting with closed eyes in the distance, said nothing more, silently accepted it, and said flatly: “There are extra blankets. Follow me. But for meat, we’ll have to wait until we reach a town—wait until tonight.”

Luo Wanqing didn’t dare say more and quickly thanked him. The guard led her to the cart storing luggage and took out a set of bedding for her.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Luo Wanqing returned to the cart with the bedding. Soon, everyone became agitated—those with money rushed to bribe guards to buy things, while those without money just watched silently from the side.

Luo Wanqing spread the bedding and pillow at “Nine Frost’s” seat in the prison cart. Just as she finished, rest time ended. The guards called everyone back to the prison carts, and Luo Wanqing returned to the tree to help the young man into the cart.

As soon as he entered the cart, he saw the blanket and pillow. Luo Wanqing helped him sit down, and the young man showed gratitude: “Liu Xiniang’s great kindness and virtue—I have no way to repay you.”

“You… Young Master needn’t thank me. When traveling away from home, helping each other is only natural.”

As she spoke, Luo Wanqing supported him with one hand while reaching around him with the other to place the soft pillow behind his back.

This motion made the young man stiffen slightly. He couldn’t help but look up, his gaze falling precisely on Luo Wanqing’s slender, pale neck.

Her face was extremely hideous, yet her neck was completely different from her face.

The skin of this neck was very delicate with beautiful curves. When Luo Wanqing lowered her head, she perfectly displayed its most beautiful arc. Every movement, though simply natural care for an injured person, inexplicably carried an alluring quality that made one unconsciously want to lower their guard and soften considerably.

The young man imperceptibly averted his gaze. Feeling the soft pillow adjusted to a suitable position, Luo Wanqing stepped back and smiled: “Try it.”

The young man leaned against the soft pillow as instructed. The pillow separated him from the hard wooden bars, making it indeed much more comfortable. He covered himself with the blanket and couldn’t help saying: “It’s really warm. Meeting Miss Liu on this journey is truly the greatest fortune of my life.”

Luo Wanqing’s expression remained unchanged, only saying: “As long as you can rest and recover well.”

As she spoke, her gaze fell on three people walking toward their prison cart in the distance.

Those three had nothing in their hands—they probably didn’t have money to exchange with the guards.

Zhao Yuyan was one thing, but the other two brothers were not good people. Having gained nothing while seeing the blanket on “Nine Frost,” they would most likely try to steal it.

She had prepared such conspicuous items for “Nine Frost” precisely to let him be robbed.

Nine Frost, being such a top expert, had probably been heaven’s favored child since young. He would find it hard to realize that when he had a reputation and martial skills, everyone would respectfully yield to him—a pillow, a blanket, were no big deal. But when he fell on hard times and encountered random thugs, forget blankets—even a dry steamed bun would make others bully and humiliate him.

Initially, she worried that “Nine Frost,” having already experienced the cold realities of human nature in prison, wouldn’t dare accept the items.

But he accepted them without any reservations, showing that perhaps because his martial arts were too high and he was held in solitary confinement, he hadn’t truly realized his situation.

Then she would make him see this situation.

These random thugs certainly couldn’t harm Nine Frost, but he needed to heal and rest. Given his physical condition, every fight would be an enormous drain on him, so he urgently needed a reliable helper.

As long as he realized this, he would know he needed her.

Then, instead of her seeking to attach herself to him, Nine Frost would actively want to recruit her.

As Luo Wanqing contemplated this, she saw the three people successively board the prison cart. Seeing the blanket and pillow in the cart, everyone’s expressions varied.

Zhao Yuyan just glanced once and quickly looked away, hiding to one side.

The other two brothers, however, exchanged glances. The thin, small man walked up to “Nine Frost,” tugged at the blanket, and smiled: “Pretty boy, where’d this blanket come from?”

The young man covered himself with the blanket, closed his eyes, and turned his head away as if he heard nothing.

“Not talking?” The thin man sneered, then reached to pull the blanket: “Then this blanket belongs to grandpa…”

Before he finished speaking, Luo Wanqing grabbed the man’s hand and said calmly: “I gave him this blanket.”

“Oh?”

The man looked up, his rat-like bright eyes staring at Luo Wanqing: “You gave it? Then could you give it to me?”

“No.”

“Why not?” The thin man frowned.

Luo Wanqing said coldly, “He’s sick and needs the blanket. You’re two grown men—what do you need it for?”

“Whether we need it isn’t for you to say.”

The other looked back and said flatly: “Second brother.”

As soon as he spoke, the tall man who had been sitting obediently suddenly stood up and threw a punch straight at Luo Wanqing!

The punch came too fiercely. Luo Wanqing instinctively crossed her arms in front of her body and took the opponent’s fist head-on.

But the man’s strength was extraordinarily great. Even though Luo Wanqing used her entire body’s strength to resist, she was still heavily struck by his punch and crashed into “Nine Frost” behind her.

The young man cried “Ouch!” and Luo Wanqing immediately felt all the force on her body dissipate. She still felt bloody qi surging in her chest. She instinctively charged forward, wanting to fight back, but was grabbed by the person behind her.

“Forget it, forget it,” the young man held her and pulled the blanket off himself, handing it to the other party: “These two are the famous Black and White Twin Demons of the martial world—Big Brother White Rat, Second Brother Black Bear. One excels in lightness skills, the other has the strength to lift a cauldron. Miss Liu, you’re delicate and weak.” The young man pulled Luo Wanqing to sit down and comforted her, “Why get angry with these rough men?”

“The pretty boy knows what’s good for him.”

Hearing this, the two brothers laughed loudly, took the blanket, covered themselves with it, sat across from them in the cart, and looked at the furious Luo Wanqing with amusement: “Night demon woman, if you’re looking for a man, find a useful one. Now you know, right?”

“You…”

Luo Wanqing pretended to want to charge forward again. The young man quickly held her back while the other party fanned her with their hands, grinning: “Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Our Miss Liu is magnanimous.”

“Young Master!” Luo Wanqing called out urgently: “Are you just going to let them humiliate you like this?!”

This made the young man pause, showing some helplessness on his face: “But there’s nothing I can do. I can’t beat them if I fight, and it’s just one blanket—forget it.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing understood “Nine Frost’s” meaning. He couldn’t conveniently fight and didn’t want to expose his identity, so he completely showed weakness.

But while he could show weakness, she couldn’t. She had to show loyalty. She immediately said: “Young Master needn’t worry. I take full responsibility for my actions. I will get this blanket back for you. With me here, I absolutely won’t let anyone bully you!”

“That’s not good, is it?” The young man hesitated: “They have backing. If you fight them for my sake, we’ll be bound together from now on. I heard the Supervision Department preliminary test requires teaming up with others. If you want to team up with someone else later, it might be difficult.”

Hearing that “Nine Frost” also knew about the preliminary test teaming, Luo Wanqing’s heart sank slightly, wondering if he had seen through her intentions.

These words were advice, but more so a test. Luo Wanqing immediately said: “Then I’ll just team up with you, Young Master.”

“My martial arts are now weak—I can’t beat many people.” The young man looked puzzled: “You want to team up with me?”

“Young Master needn’t test me anymore,” Luo Wanqing said seriously: “I confirm I want to team up with you, absolutely without any intention of going back on my word!”

“Then fine.”

The young man immediately let go, crossed his legs, and pointed at the two across from them: “Then go ahead and fight. Make them sit in the corner—I want to lie down and sleep.”

“Black Bear,” the White Rat beside them, having listened to their back-and-forth for so long, sneered: “Give them a little color and they open a dye shop. Brother, give you ten moves—throw this night demon woman out for me!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Wanqing saw the tall man suddenly stand up and throw a punch at her.

Luo Wanqing tensed her body, about to take it head-on, when the person behind her kicked her body sideways and reminded: “Attack the openings, don’t take hits directly.”

As soon as he spoke, the opponent’s punch wind swept past Luo Wanqing’s side. The person behind continued reminding: “Duck down!”

Luo Wanqing instinctively crouched, the punch wind passing over her head. The opponent’s abdomen was now right in front of Luo Wanqing’s eyes. She raised her hand to strike at the opponent’s abdomen. The opponent immediately retreated. The young man behind her continued: “Straighten up three inches, take the center of his brow.”

Following the young man’s words, Luo Wanqing raised her hand toward the opponent’s brow center. Seeing her attack, the opponent didn’t dodge but simply threw a punch, meeting force with force.

The young man immediately said, “Bend backwards, then take the brow center again.”

Luo Wanqing complied and then saw the opponent’s brow center come before her eyes.

She didn’t know how the young man did it. All his commands seemed to be given after predicting the opponent’s movements. She just had to follow them, and she was always waiting ahead of time for the opponent to deliver themselves to her.

She continuously pondered the techniques the young man spoke of in her mind. The two fought intensely in the narrow prison cart. The White Rat’s expression grew increasingly ugly. After dozens of exchanges, Luo Wanqing suddenly understood something.

This Black Bear in front of her had too much strength. Every time he punched with full force, he found it very difficult to truly control his body’s momentum. As long as she attacked suddenly when the opponent’s strength was difficult to control, she would have almost an absolute advantage.

Understanding this, she began using this person’s oversized frame to constantly evade the opponent. The young man beside her softly said, “Oh?” then made no more sound.

Luo Wanqing no longer paid attention to anything around her. She focused entirely on the opponent’s every punch, calculating the opponent’s every bit of force. This tall man, repeatedly unable to hit her, became angry. Finally, he used all his strength to throw a vicious punch at Luo Wanqing. Luo Wanqing immediately saw that he had exposed his back. Without hesitation, she drilled up from under the opponent’s armpit, then raised her elbow and struck down hard at the opponent’s arched spine!

If that strike landed, the person in front of her would probably be finished for life.

Seeing her strike, the White Rat who had been watching finally spoke up, shouting in alarm: “Stop!”

Black Bear immediately froze his movements. Seeing this, Luo Wanqing also halted her momentum and kicked the opponent’s back. The opponent crashed hard into the wooden bars.

These wooden bars were specially made, extremely sturdy. When someone of Black Bear’s build crashed into them, the entire prison cart shook, and the whole wagon nearly overturned.

The guards rushed over frantically, shouting angrily: “What are you doing?! Do you want to die?!”

“Sir,” White Rat immediately said when the guard came over, “my brother and I can’t sit still. We want to walk.”

“Walk?”

The guard was somewhat surprised. Riding in a prison cart at least meant being pulled by horses, while walking would be much more tiring.

But seeing the earlier commotion in the prison cart, if these two stayed, they would probably continue making trouble. The guard didn’t want complications and said, “Get out then.”

After the guard spoke, he called for the horses to stop, opened the prison cart door, and let the two out.

Seeing the two brothers leave, Zhao Yuyan also called out urgently: “I… I want to walk too!”

She quickly followed them out.

Suddenly, only two people remained in the prison cart. The young man glanced at Luo Wanqing and smiled: “Well, now it’s spacious.”

He spread the bedding across the prison cart and lay down completely, leaning against the pillow with his eyes closed: “Didn’t Miss say she was skilled in massage? My head hurts—please help me with a massage.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing knew this was the other party’s acknowledgment of her. She quickly moved forward, kneeling at the young man’s head and reaching out to massage his acupoints.

Her fingers touched the opponent’s acupoints. Before long, the young man opened his eyes and looked up at Luo Wanqing. He pondered: “Miss must have been a beauty in the past?”

“Average,” Luo Wanqing said flatly. “A few people have complimented me occasionally.”

“Then they didn’t know good goods,” the young man smiled with curved eyebrows. “Miss has the bones of a beauty—you must be an unparalleled beauty, very lovely indeed.”

“Appearance is external—not worth mentioning.”

“With Miss’s perspective, I’m at ease.” The young man smiled and closed his eyes. “It seems Miss isn’t motivated by lust. We can cooperate long-term in the future.”

Motivated by lust?

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing couldn’t help but take another look at the other party’s face.

This face was reasonably regular, but compared to Jiang Shaoyan, it was indeed far too ordinary.

Even if one were motivated by lust, it wouldn’t be for him.

But she couldn’t show disdain. Luo Wanqing focused her thoughts on that phrase “long-term cooperation,” her mood stabilizing somewhat, understanding that her efforts had finally borne fruit.

She conscientiously massaged his forehead. At first, he was obviously extremely wary, but before long, he relaxed completely and then drowsily fell asleep.

When evening came and they entered the city, Luo Wanqing gently called: “Young Master, we’ve arrived.”

The young man instantly opened his eyes, a flash of cold sharpness passing through them, but quickly he calmed down, confusion appearing on his face.

Luo Wanqing observed him, her heart settling somewhat as she assessed this person’s character.

This was an extremely alert and suspicious person who lived constantly in life-threatening situations.

“We’ve arrived?”

The young man came to his senses and turned to look at the inn ahead.

The guards opened the cages one by one, releasing the prisoners from the prison carts, shouting: “All go to the back courtyard! Choose your rooms to sleep in. If even one person is missing tomorrow morning, I’ll send you all to the Supervision Department’s imperial prison. Get in there!”

The guards herded everyone into the back courtyard and closed the main gate.

After the gate closed, the group of prisoners looked at each other. After a long while, everyone spontaneously went to choose rooms. Luo Wanqing led the young man to select a medium-sized room. Just as they entered, they heard a male voice behind them: “We want this room. You two go sleep in the woodshed.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing turned around coldly and saw a burly young man with a scar on his face standing at the door, followed by White Rat and Black Bear.

White Rat and Black Bear stood behind the young man, arrogant and looking like they came with ill intentions.

Luo Wanqing immediately understood that these two had brought reinforcements. She glanced at the young man sitting at the table calmly pouring tea, saw that he remained unmoved, guessed that this person probably wasn’t worth fearing, and said coldly: “What if we don’t leave?”

“Liu Xiniang, I advise you to be smart!” White Rat immediately jumped out, pointing at the scarred young man beside him: “Do you know who my big brother is?”

“Oh,” the young man behind Luo Wanqing poured two cups of tea, brought one to Luo Wanqing’s side, leaned against the door, and said leisurely, “Who is he?”

“Big brother, tell them who you are!”

White Rat stepped back to make room for the scarred man. The scarred man drew a sword from behind his back, placed it in front of him with a “clang,” and said in a low voice: “I am the foremost swordsman of Jiangnan, Nine Frost.”

Hearing this, the young man beside Luo Wanqing spat out his tea, spraying it on the other’s face.

Luo Wanqing looked at the scarred man in shock, then at the young man who was quickly apologizing and wiping the water off the other’s face, and instinctively blurted out: “You’re not Nine Frost?!”

“This…” the young man hesitated as he turned back: “Did I ever say I was Nine Frost?”

“Then who are you?!”

Luo Wanqing asked in shock. The young man smiled, coughed lightly, placed his teacup on the small table beside him, and raised his hands respectfully: “I forgot to introduce myself. I am Qin Jue, the third son of the Qin family of Jiangnan. Pleased to meet you, Miss.”