Qiao Zhao spoke with difficulty through her pain: “No need… It’s nighttime now, I… I can return without drawing attention…”

“Without drawing attention? Do you know that Li Guangshu is dead?”

Qiao Zhao nodded lightly.

“With Li Guangshu’s death and your disappearance, the Li residence is already in chaos. There are probably few people sleeping right now. How can you see anyone in your current state?”

Knowing that the girl in his arms had a stubborn temperament, Jiang Yuanchao patiently persuaded: “I’ll first take you to a safe place to apply medicine and change clothes. I’ll send you back before dawn. Besides, if your family suddenly sees you covered in wounds like this, how could they bear it?”

Only then did Qiao Zhao nod lightly: “Thank you for the trouble.”

The carriage moved steadily through the night. Having received Jiang Yuanchao’s instructions, the driver drove slowly, trying to minimize the carriage’s jolting.

Looking at the girl’s pale, bloodless face, Jiang Yuanchao’s heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible large hand, squeezing tighter and tighter.

Why was the girl he liked so disaster-prone? Whether as a daughter of the Qiao family or the Li family, her suffering was far greater than that of ordinary girls.

“Does it hurt?” Jiang Yuanchao finally couldn’t help but ask.

Hearing his gentle inquiry, Qiao Zhao, nestled in his arms, felt particularly uncomfortable.

She had always felt they were people from two different worlds, yet they always seemed to have intersections between life and death.

“It doesn’t hurt.” Qiao Zhao closed her eyes, appearing to have no energy to say more.

Jiang Yuanchao was observant as silk, how could he not understand this was Qiao Zhao’s tactful rejection? He curved his lips in a self-mocking smile and said no more.

He lowered his head, gazing deeply at the girl in his arms.

Her eyebrows and eyes were as exquisite as a painting, gradually taking on a stunning appearance, but what attracted him was never these things.

He loved watching her calm, unperturbed gaze, loved seeing her light, breezy smile, even her distance and wariness toward him, because these were what made her the Miss Qiao he knew.

He had known her even earlier than Shao Mingyuan, but if he had been the powerful Commander of the Jinlin Guards back then, would things between them have been different?

Unfortunately, there were no “what-ifs” in this world, and he could never return to the past.

At this moment, Jiang Yuanchao suddenly hoped time would stop, so he could deceive himself into thinking he could hold his beloved girl like this until their hair turned white.

The carriage stopped in front of a private residence. This residence was not far from the Grand Commander’s mansion and was bought by Jiang Yuanchao when he moved out of the Jiang residence. Compared to the Jiang residence with its many rooms but no human warmth, he preferred this place.

“Carefully apply medicine to the young lady, and prepare a set of clothes similar to what she’s wearing.” After giving instructions to the servant woman, Jiang Yuanchao stood waiting in the corridor outside the room.

Exclamations of shock came from inside the room. The servant woman was frightened by the numerous wounds on Qiao Zhao’s body.

Hearing the sounds from inside, Jiang Yuanchao became increasingly agitated, wishing he could go in to see for himself, but could only endure it forcibly.

“My lord—” Jiang He appeared at some point.

“How are things over there?”

“Everything has been cleaned up.”

“What about those two who attacked?” When asking this question, Jiang Yuanchao wore a cold smile at the corner of his mouth, making Jiang He involuntarily shiver.

“Following your orders, my lord, we cut out those two men’s tongues and tied them up.”

“Have them sliced alive with a thousand cuts, then chopped up and fed to the dogs.”

“Yes.” Jiang He secretly glanced at Jiang Yuanchao and couldn’t help asking: “My lord, is Miss Li alright?”

Jiang Yuanchao glanced at him indifferently: “So many words. Do you also want to taste having your tongue cut out?”

Jiang He quickly tucked his tail between his legs: “This subordinate wouldn’t dare!”

The lord was scaring him again. He scared him seven or eight times every day, really exhausting.

“Get lost!”

“Yes, this subordinate is getting lost.”

“Wait—”

“What other orders does my lord have?”

“Tell them to keep their mouths shut.”

“Yes!”

Jiang Yuanchao withdrew his gaze to look toward the door. Not long after, the room door opened, and the servant woman came out carrying bloodstained clothes.

“How is she?”

The servant woman’s face was pale: “That young lady is truly tough. She has dozens of whip marks all over her body, and her back is swollen from the beating. When this old servant applied medicine to her, she didn’t make a single sound—”

“Stop talking.” Jiang Yuanchao interrupted the servant woman. “Go prepare clothes. Remember, make the color and style as similar as possible.”

The servant woman looked troubled: “My lord, we don’t have clothes suitable for young ladies in our residence.”

Jiang Yuanchao’s face darkened: “Call two Jinlin Guards and have them figure something out!”

Qiao Zhao’s whip marks were mainly on her sides and back. She lay prone on the bed, able to smell the clean fragrance of the freshly washed bedding.

Listening to the faint sounds coming from outside, Qiao Zhao gently closed her eyes.

She could probably sleep for a little while. She was too tired.

When Qiao Zhao woke up again, she found herself already in the carriage.

“There’s still some distance to the Li residence. You can sleep a little more.” Jiang Yuanchao said gently.

When asleep, there was no pain.

Qiao Zhao smiled: “I won’t sleep anymore.”

Jiang Yuanchao was slightly stunned.

“What’s wrong?” Qiao Zhao felt his expression was somewhat strange.

“Nothing.” He had thought she would never smile at him again.

The carriage moved slowly forward, making the regular sound of turning axles. The carriage interior fell silent for a moment.

“There’s something I’m very curious about.” Jiang Yuanchao suddenly spoke.

Qiao Zhao looked at him, her eyelashes trembling lightly, indicating for him to continue.

“Time and again, when you encounter danger, he doesn’t know where he is. What’s good about having such a person as your husband?”

Jiang Yuanchao was truly curious, and beneath his curiosity lay deep unwillingness.

Why was it so? Just because that person was well-born, naturally possessing what he had dreamed of his entire life but dared not have? That person could even destroy the most precious thing with their own hands and then regain what was lost.

Qiao Zhao calmly met Jiang Yuanchao’s gaze. Seeing he asked seriously, she answered seriously: “In my heart, he is naturally good in a thousand and ten thousand ways, even when he’s not by my side.”

She could now be certain that she was deeply enamored with that man. Just thinking of him filled her heart with joy. This was truly a wonderful and fortunate thing.

“Good in a thousand and ten thousand ways…” Murmuring these words, Jiang Yuanchao’s face remained unmoved, but his heart ached sharply. He laughed lightly: “I hope you can always think this way.”

“Lord Jiang, this topic is inappropriate for us to discuss.” Qiao Zhao slightly closed her eyes, adopting a distant attitude.

Jiang Yuanchao gazed at her for a moment, then looked away.

The carriage interior fell quiet again.

The sound of urgent hoofbeats echoed through Xingzi Alley. Shao Mingyuan dismounted and kicked open the courtyard door next to the Li residence.

“General—” Unexpectedly seeing the general, two personal guards couldn’t help but kneel on one knee.

The non-stop traveling left Shao Mingyuan barely able to stand steady, but he couldn’t care about catching his breath and immediately asked: “Third Miss is alright, isn’t she?”

The two personal guards exchanged glances. One of them lowered his head and said, “General, Third Miss has disappeared!”