The young man selling jade looked like he had some power. He put his index finger and thumb in his mouth and blew a loud whistle.
Soon, the jade vendors all around pulled out several bright broadswords from the boxes.
"6."
Qiao Qingqing swallowed, but then she thought about it. It would be difficult to sell expensive items like jade in a busy market without two brushes.
At the same time, the strong man grabbed Qiao Qingqing with his thick palms, with a fierce look on his face:
"I don't care about your housework or not. I'll pay you the money first!"
"He has money, ask him for it!"
While Qiao Qingqing was holding Qiao Lianyi, she motioned with her chin to the vendor to keep a few big men.
Seeing that the official was close at hand, the big man hurriedly dropped Qiao Lianyi and ran into the alleyway as if he was running away. Finally, he jumped on the carriage and disappeared at the end of the road.
Qiao Lianyi's knees went weak and she couldn't care less about the salted fish pieces on the ground. She immediately prostrated on the ground and cried with a trembling voice:
"Third sister, if it weren't for you, I really don't know what to do..."
Only then did everyone realize that this sharp-tongued young man was actually a woman disguised as a man.
They finally realized, "It turns out those ugly monsters are really human traffickers!"
Those who deserved compensation had to be accompanied. In this way, the three of them took out all their belongings, which barely calmed down the anger of Mr. Xianyu and Jade Master.
Freedom was gained, but property was lost.
The three of them could not stay in the inn and had to live on the streets.
But Qiao Lianyi had no intention of stopping.
She may not have closed her eyes for a long time, and the bruises under her eyes are no less than Qiao Qingqing's, but she still shows off her words:
"I'm going to find brother Su Mo. I heard that he disappeared at sea. Let's go to the fishermen first and borrow a fishing boat."
It was already noon. Although it was early spring, the weather in southern Xinjiang was warmer than in Kyoto. Qiao Qingqing trotted behind Qiao Lianyi, sleepiness already sweeping over her body:
"Then what? You paddle a fishing boat to find your brother Su Mo? This is the sea, not Nuanlin Lake outside Kyoto. No, sister, what do you think?"
"Then what should I do?" Qiao Lianyi suddenly stopped, "Do you want me to watch Brother Su Mo die?"
"Shouldn't we find a place to have a meal and sleep first, and then think about it in the long term?"
Qiao Qingqing sat slumped on the ground regardless, with a look of despair on her face.
"I can't eat and I can't sleep."
As he said that, Qiao Lianyi's eyes turned red.
Qiao Qingqing sighed and was about to comfort her when she heard an old call from behind:
"Girls, girls, wait a minute!"
Qiao Qingqing turned around and saw an elderly couple trotting towards each other, supporting each other.
The two approached, already out of breath.
The grandma among them looked at Qiao Lianyi and then at Qiao Qingqing, with a satisfied smile on her face.
She winked mysteriously:
"My husband and I saw everything at the market just now. It's strange to say that my wife and I went to pick herbs just now and found an abandoned carriage. Guess what?"
"Everyone is dead?" Thief Lu shrugged nonchalantly.
"How do you know?" The old man raised his voice in surprise.
"Heh...heh..." Thief Lu scratched his head in embarrassment, "I guessed it."
"You guessed it right!" Grandma pointed at the thieving deer with her index finger, then turned to look at Qiao Qingqing:
"I see that the three of you have also lost a lot. Do you have no money? Hey, you are poor people too. In this case, you can come home with me. My home is by the sea, and my wife makes a living by fishing."
Qiao Qingqing felt that something was wrong and couldn't bear it. Qiao Lianyi agreed quickly:
"Then thank you, second brother!"
In this way, several people walked from day to night.
Just when Qiao Qingqing lost consciousness in her legs, she finally saw a village in a low place surrounded by mountains and rivers.
"Master, grandma, you live here in a hidden place. Even if the Japanese pirates come in, they may not be able to find their way back."
Grandma listened and laughed loudly:
"Although it's secretive, if the Japanese pirates come, they can't escape."
As soon as she finished speaking, Grandpa sighed softly:
"Some time ago, the second prince of the imperial court had a battle with Japanese pirates at sea. Although he repelled the gang of heavenly killers, there was no trace of him as a result. I don't know whether he is dead or alive..."
After Qiao Lianyi heard this, her eyes turned red again.
"Why don't you open which pot and pick up which one..."
Qiao Qingqing muttered and started to smooth things over with her brain:
"It's normal to get lost at sea. Grandpa, you make a living by fishing. You must have encountered storms and lost your way. In a few days, the weather will clear up, and it is not impossible to find the way back..."
After hearing this, grandpa and grandma looked at each other, and they were silent for a long time without answering.
The village was surrounded by circles of palm trees. The moment she stepped into it, Qiao Qingqing felt a chill all over her body.
It was almost midnight, and the lights of thousands of houses in front of us illuminated the night sky without any sign of being extinguished.
Qiao Qingqing was a little confused, "Do you sleep with lights on?"
Grandma laughed a few times and said, "The sea has not been peaceful recently."
Qiao Qingqing didn't think much about it and just followed the old couple. When she entered the village entrance, she found that the villagers were all looking forward to it. They were all happy when they saw the figures.
"Chief, you are finally back!"
One of the uncles was shaking with excitement.
"Get some food for the three kids."
The old man winked, and the uncle responded happily, "Dele, Yao'er, go kill a chicken, mother, go get some rice..."
Qiao Qingqing looked around, always feeling something strange, but she couldn't tell where it was.
Not long after, the three of them sat down at the patriarch's house, and a table of wine and food was placed on the table.
Thief Lu looked at the shiny roast chicken and reached out to tear the chicken legs, but Qiao Qingqing raised her hand and knocked down the bamboo chopsticks.
"Qiao Qiao~"
He remembered the recipe and told him to eat less meat and fish, but he couldn't stand being hungry for so long, and his gluttony was unbearable.
Qiao Qingqing glanced at Thieving Deer, tore off a few pieces of chicken breast for him with her bare hands, controlled the amount of rice, and finally covered it with a large piece of green vegetable leaves. She said without a doubt, "That's it!"
Thieving Deer reluctantly took the small bowl, her eyes filled with resentment like an abandoned wife.
Qiao Lianyi still didn't eat a drop of rice, she just shed tears silently.
Qiao Qingqing didn't care about comforting her. She put a large chicken drumstick into her mouth unceremoniously and said vaguely:
"By the way, patriarch, my eldest sister and I are going to sea tomorrow. Do you have a larger fishing boat at home? Don't worry, we just don't have money for the time being. When I finish the work, I will definitely send someone to deliver it to you two elders, ten times the amount!"
After hearing this, the clan leader was stunned for a moment, then shook his head decisively:
"No, the King of the Sea has become angry recently and even attacked the princes of the imperial court. Do you still dare to take risks?"
Sea...Neptune?
With a "Pfft" sound, the corners of Qiao Qingqing's mouth twitched, trying her best to resist the urge to laugh.
"How bad is this? You have given yourself such an unconventional title..."
Although the patriarch didn't understand what she was talking about, he could hear the mockery. He immediately let go of his hand and clasped his hands facing the sea not far away, "Children's words are unbridled. I hope Lord Neptune won't blame her."
Qiao Qingqing was stunned and forgot to chew for a moment.
"Could it be...a water ghost?"
As soon as the question came out, the clan leader quickly corrected him, "It's a god!"
"Oh~"
Qiao Qingqing snarled angrily and listened intently. In a daze, a familiar ringing sound came to her ears again.
