“What’s strange about it?” Shao Mingyuan asked.

“Miss Xie said the door to the room where they were imprisoned was left open. It sounds as if someone was secretly helping them.”

Shao Mingyuan wasn’t surprised in the slightest: “For Miss Xie to be able to lead those young ladies to escape from the pirates’ den, it would be surprising if no one had helped them.”

Mingfeng Island was home to both real and fake pirates. The combat ability of the fake pirates surpassed that of Great Liang’s regular soldiers, and as for those real pirates, they had already experienced their prowess at Haimen Ferry—saying they could fight three men at once would not be an exaggeration.

In such a den of wolves and tigers, how could a few young girls easily escape with their lives?

“Who could have helped them? Could it be that among the pirates on Mingfeng Island, there are still some with consciences?” Qiao Zhao murmured.

A large hand fell on top of her head, gently rubbing: “Don’t rack your brains over it. Whatever mysteries lie on Mingfeng Island, we’ll find out when we investigate for ourselves, won’t we?”

“Mm.” Qiao Zhao nodded, then suddenly thought of something and said reproachfully, “Shao Mingyuan, you’re quite good at keeping secrets. I felt those boatmen and laborers were somewhat suspicious—turns out they’re all your men.”

“I didn’t deliberately hide it from you. I just thought they might not be needed, so I didn’t mention it.” His large hand moved down to rest on the young girl’s cheek, his voice becoming even more gentle: “Are you angry?”

Qiao Zhao dodged his hand and smiled: “It’s not worth getting angry over. With your guards here, we’ll have confidence when we go to Mingfeng Island. To be honest, I’m quite eager to go.”

The room fell silent for a moment before Shao Mingyuan asked: “Do you want to pay respects to Physician Li?”

Qiao Zhao sighed: “Yes. Grandpa Li was buried at sea, and in the capital, there’s only an empty tomb. Thinking about this makes my heart ache. Now that we’re here, being able to pay respects at the place where he last stayed would fulfill some of my heartfelt wishes.”

Shao Mingyuan’s eyelids lowered slightly: “Zhaozhao, I failed to protect Physician Li. I’m very sorry—”

“Don’t take all the responsibility upon yourself. This was probably heaven’s will. If we really must dwell on it, it’s our Qiao family who owes Grandpa Li.”

“Good girl, don’t think about these unhappy things anymore.”

Qiao Zhao raised her eyebrows: “Shao Mingyuan, have you forgotten? We’re the same age.”

The man chuckled softly: “Is that so? In my heart, you’re just a little girl.”

Before, when he didn’t know she was Zhaozhao, he always felt that interacting with the still-young Miss Li was very much like being with someone his age. But now that she had become his Zhaozhao, perhaps even when her hair turned white, he would still think of her as a little girl.

Miss Qiao looked at the gentle smile playing on the man’s lips and couldn’t help but frown, saying coolly: “That’s because you unconsciously think of me as the little girl Li Zhao, isn’t it?”

She had been reborn because of Li Zhao and was willing to shoulder Li Zhao’s responsibilities, but with this man before her eyes alone, she hoped he would be fond of her original self.

Hearing Qiao Zhao say this, Shao Mingyuan was stunned for quite a while.

“What, did I hit the mark?”

The man beside her seemed somewhat at a loss: “Well… Zhaozhao, we only met once in Yan City…”

“So are you fond of Li Zhao?”

The young general was struck speechless by the question. After a long while, he asked in return: “But isn’t Li Zhao you?”

Qiao Zhao opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Such a straightforward truth left one speechless.

So he still liked Li Zhao. In less than a year after her death, he had already developed feelings for another young lady.

Although she was that “other young lady,” what if she hadn’t been reborn? This man had personally shot his wife to death, then immediately fell for another little girl!

The more Qiao Zhao thought about it this way, even knowing she was being somewhat unreasonable, she still felt extremely depressed and found the man before her increasingly disagreeable.

“Zhaozhao, are you angry?”

“Mm.” Miss Qiao was angry, and the consequences were serious. Did this fool even realize it?

“Let me explain—” The man was somewhat anxious.

“Mm.” Miss Qiao calmly responded.

Go ahead and explain—she wasn’t shouting “I won’t listen, I won’t listen.”

The young general was so troubled he rubbed his face: “I don’t know why you’re angry.”

Qiao Zhao pressed her lips together.

She hadn’t been that angry originally, but now she was truly angry!

Seemingly sensing something was amiss, Shao Mingyuan grasped Qiao Zhao’s hand: “Zhaozhao, the one I’m fond of is you. Whether you became Miss Li, Miss Wang, or Miss Zhang, I’m fond of you—it has nothing to do with your outward appearance.”

“Are you saying you don’t care about Li Zhao’s appearance?”

Shao Mingyuan smiled helplessly: “Zhaozhao, if I were moved by a girl’s looks, then I promise you, I absolutely wouldn’t be interested in a little girl who doesn’t even reach my shoulder.”

Doesn’t even reach his shoulder, doesn’t even reach his shoulder…

Miss Qiao, having received a fatal blow, felt a vein throb at her temple: “Shao Mingyuan, I wasn’t much shorter than Miss Xie before!”

She had now become a short-legged person who didn’t even reach someone’s shoulder—all because of that bastard’s doing? And he had the nerve to find fault with it.

The poor general was already dizzy with confusion, so he blurted out: “So the previous appearance was still better.”

Qiao Zhao: “…”

“Shao Mingyuan, so you’re saying you’re not satisfied with how I look now?”

Shao Mingyuan opened his mouth to explain when he suddenly remembered Chen Guang’s words: When a girl is angry, never try to reason with her—just find a way to shut her mouth.

Shut her mouth? That’s simple!

The man applied slight force to lift the young girl’s chin and lowered his head to kiss her.

Savoring the young girl’s sweetness, the young general thought happily: This method is indeed excellent.

The young girl pushed hard but couldn’t break free, her face flushing red with anger.

Starting to kiss at the slightest disagreement—was this bastard going to be reasonable or not?

“Shao Mingyuan… you, you let go immediately…” Her fragmented protests were stuck in her throat, and the young girl could only tightly grip the man’s shoulders to keep from sliding down.

In her dizziness, she heard the man’s low, hoarse voice mixed with rapid breathing: “Zhaozhao, I want to return to the capital quickly…”

“You… in your dreams…” Qiao Zhao wasn’t truly a young girl after all. Hearing the words of the man holding her tightly, images from the little booklet her mother had given her before marriage flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.

Damn it, having a perfect memory was annoying!

The man suddenly released the young girl’s lips, continuing downward, his burning lips falling on her fair neck, blooming peach blossoms there.

“Shao Mingyuan, don’t push your luck!” Qiao Zhao suddenly felt somewhat panicked.

She didn’t care much about those worldly rules and regulations, but this bastard was being far too bold.

The man forcefully pulled the young girl into his embrace: “Zhaozhao, don’t be angry anymore. I, I’m feeling terribly uncomfortable.”

Chen Guang’s method was somewhat problematic—he wouldn’t dare use it next time…