“Chen Guang, accompany Miss Li over there,” Shao Mingyuan instructed.

“Third Miss, this way.”

Qiao Zhao followed Chen Guang to where the women were settled.

As soon as they reached the door, soft weeping could be heard from inside.

A young woman’s helpless voice came from within: “I’m telling you, stop crying. We’ve brought such big trouble to the people on this ship, and we don’t even know if they can handle those Japanese pirates. If we’ve brought deadly disaster upon them, how can we have the face to cry?”

As soon as the woman finished speaking, the crying in the room grew louder.

Qiao Zhao stood at the door and smiled, signaling for Chen Guang to wait outside while she entered with Binglu and A’Zhu.

Hearing the door open, the room immediately fell silent as several women looked toward the entrance.

Qiao Zhao spotted Xie Shengxiao at first glance.

Among these women, Xie Shengxiao stood out conspicuously—not the kind of conspicuous that came from stunning beauty, but her unique temperament immediately distinguished her from the other girls.

Qiao Zhao walked over and smiled gently: “Please rest assured, those Japanese pirates have been eliminated by our people. You are safe now.”

Though she spoke to all the women, her gaze remained fixed on Xie Shengxiao’s face.

In her memory, she had never seen Xie Shengxiao in such a disheveled state. It seemed her friend had suffered quite a bit these past days.

Xie Shengxiao likewise stared intently at Qiao Zhao.

This girl gave her a strange sense of familiarity, as if she had seen her somewhere before.

Staring at the girl’s plain-colored skirt hem, Xie Shengxiao had a flash of inspiration.

No, it wasn’t that she had seen her somewhere—this girl somewhat resembled A’Chu.

The way she had just entered and walked gracefully forward was very much like A’Chu.

In their youth, she had asked A’Chu many times why she walked so beautifully. A’Chu had smiled and said this question should be asked of her grandmother. She had indeed gone to ask, and A’Chu’s grandmother had even taught her for several days. After that, she was no longer envious…

Memories of getting along with her good friend in childhood flashed through her mind. Xie Shengxiao’s eyes filled with warmth as she bowed: “Thank you, Miss, for saving us.”

She was quite ashamed: “We’ve caused you trouble. I wonder if anyone was injured?”

“No one was.” Qiao Zhao helped her up and asked with a smile: “How should I address you, Miss?”

Xie Shengxiao straightened up and said openly: “My surname is Xie, given name Shengxiao—’ sheng’ of the reed pipe, ‘xiao’ of the bamboo flute.”

Qiao Zhao smiled slightly: “My surname is Li, single character Zhao.”

Xie Shengxiao was startled and couldn’t help asking: “Which ‘zhao’?”

“The ‘zhao’ from ‘the wise use their clarity to make others clear.'”

Xie Shengxiao’s eyes suddenly widened. Even though she was in an unfamiliar place, her expression, which hadn’t changed before, now altered as she murmured: “The ‘zhao’ from ‘the wise use their clarity to make others clear’?”

“What’s wrong?” Qiao Zhao asked without changing expression.

She couldn’t help but feel close to her old friend, but she also understood that the fact that she had once been Qiao Zhao must never be known by anyone else in this world.

“Nothing.” Xie Shengxiao’s face was somewhat pale. “I have a good friend with the same name as Miss Li, so I was a bit surprised.”

“Are any of you injured or feeling unwell?” Qiao Zhao asked.

Xie Shengxiao quickly pointed to a woman lying on the bed: “She has a fever.”

Qiao Zhao walked over, and the women quickly made way, watching her carefully.

Qiao Zhao examined the feverish woman’s condition and consoled: “It’s not serious. Chen Guang, arrange another room for this young lady. A’Zhu, go prepare medicine.”

“I thank Miss Li on her behalf,” Xie Shengxiao expressed gratitude again.

Qiao Zhao smiled: “No need for courtesy. Miss Xie, why don’t you tell us how you all fell into the hands of those Japanese pirates?”

This question made Xie Shengxiao’s expression change, hatred flashing in her eyes. Her hand hanging at her side quietly clenched into a fist. Looking at the women whose faces showed terror, she sighed: “Miss Li, may we speak outside?”

Qiao Zhao nodded: “Miss Xie, come with me. Binglu, you stay and look after these young ladies.”

Qiao Zhao directly led Xie Shengxiao to her room.

Xie Shengxiao hesitated at the doorway.

For some reason, she felt this Miss Li, whom she was meeting for the first time, was being too kind to her. Not only had she rescued them and offered kind comfort, but she was also bringing her to her private chamber.

Such kind-hearted young ladies were truly rare.

“Miss Xie, please come in.”

Xie Shengxiao patted her dirty, disheveled clothes: “I’m in such a sorry state, I’m afraid I’ll soil Miss Li’s quarters.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re going to Mingfeng Island, so I’d like to ask Miss Xie about the situation there.”

“Miss Li is going to Mingfeng Island?” Hearing Qiao Zhao say this, Xie Shengxiao no longer worried about such trivial matters and stepped inside.

Qiao Zhao poured a cup of water and handed it to Xie Shengxiao: “Miss Xie, moisten your throat first before speaking.”

Xie Shengxiao wasn’t polite. After expressing thanks, she picked up the cup and drained it in one gulp.

“Miss Xie, first tell me how you fell into the hands of the Japanese pirates?”

Xie Shengxiao held the cup and smiled bitterly: “I was originally having a meal at a tavern in White Fish Town. Who knew that when I woke up, I found myself on a ship with those other young ladies? We were locked in a large room, and only after hearing their tearful accounts did I learn that we were to be sold to Japanese pirates by those bastards…”

“After staying like that for several days, those bastards couldn’t restrain themselves and dragged away two young ladies to violate them. Those two girls couldn’t bear it and found an opportunity to jump into the sea and die. Fearing the other girls might do the same, those people didn’t act recklessly again. Not long after, they met up with the Japanese pirates, and we were taken onto the pirates’ ship and brought to Mingfeng Island…” The further Xie Shengxiao spoke, the paler her face became.

She had left home to go south, wholeheartedly believing she was no less capable than men. Who would have thought that before she could kill a single Japanese pirate, she was sold to them like merchandise—it was an utter humiliation.

Seeing this, Qiao Zhao reached out and patted her hand, gently consoling: “It’s all in the past now.”

Xie Shengxiao bit her lip and continued: “Those people on Mingfeng Island are no different from beasts. They directly took away three young ladies to violate them, while the rest of us were locked in an airtight room.”

“How did you escape?”

Xie Shengxiao’s eyes flashed with confusion: “I’m still not clear about what happened. I heard commotion outside and tried pushing the door—it was unlocked, so we quickly snuck out. That building was constructed on the back island facing the sea, and not far away in the bay was a small boat. I killed several patrolling Japanese pirates and took them aboard. Fortunately, most girls who grew up by the sea know how to row, which is how we escaped here.”

Speaking of this, Xie Shengxiao sighed with lingering fear: “Those people discovered us very quickly. If we hadn’t encountered Miss Li and your group, we would certainly have been recaptured by now.”

“Does Miss Xie know approximately how many Japanese pirates are on Mingfeng Island?”

Xie Shengxiao shook her head: “I was only focused on escaping at the time and had no opportunity to observe such things. Miss Li, why are you going there?”

“We’re going to gather medicinal herbs.”

At this moment, a voice came from outside the door: “Miss Li, the General requests your presence.”