Chapter 13

At this moment, Qin Xiao looked closely and saw that the girl had skin as fair as snow, exquisite and beautiful, and was about the same age as him, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. He shook his head and smiled, saying, "Don't worry about it, it's just a small matter. Watermark GG test Watermark GG test"

"This is not a small matter," the girl looked around and slightly raised her neck, "Among all these people, only you came to my aid. You are much more righteous than them."

As soon as she said this, many people around them showed displeasure.

Qin Xiao inwardly smiled bitterly, thinking that the girl was trying to act like a person of the world, but she was still very naive. Just as the conflict with the noodle shop had ended, her words had offended a large group of people. Afraid that she would say more and make things worse, he hurriedly said, "Alright, alright, you've finished eating, go home quickly."

"I'll wait for you here, I'll go get the silver."

"Really, there's no need," Qin Xiao said, "Look, it's already dark, I need to go back and rest. I can't wait for you here."

"Then tell me where you live, I'll bring it to your house." The girl insisted, "I owe you, and I will definitely pay you back."

Qin Xiao was thinking about getting some information about Qiao Leshan from the man at the gambling den. The girl's incessant talking made him somewhat impatient, and he frowned, saying, "I said there's no need, just go."

The girl was about to speak, but the man from the gambling den had already stood up and said to Qin Xiao, "Thanks for the meal today, I'll treat you next time." He glanced at the girl, half-smiling, "She's eager to pay you back, you should talk to her about it." Without another word, he walked away, and Qin Xiao quickly said, "Uncle, the dishes aren't all here yet, finish eating before you go."

"There are many things to do at the gambling den, I can't afford to delay," the man said without turning back, and walked out the door.

Qin Xiao finally had a chance to talk to the man, but the girl's delay ruined it. He was somewhat angry and glared at her, saying, "I was having a good meal and chat with my friend, and you interrupted us, so we can't even eat properly."

The girl was taken aback. She naturally didn't know that Qin Xiao and the man were meeting for the first time, and thought they were old friends whose gathering she had disturbed. Feeling apologetic, she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to pay you back the silver." She looked outside and said, "Your friend hasn't gone far, I'll help you catch up with him."

Qin Xiao found it amusing, thinking that although the girl's eyes were bright and she seemed quite clever, her actions were very naive. He deliberately put on a serious face and said, "He's already gone, what's the point of catching up with him? If you really want to help, go away, the farther the better."

"But... the silver hasn't been paid back, I...!"

"If I had known this, I wouldn't have helped you in the first place," Qin Xiao sighed, "I said there's no need to pay it back, and I don't have time to wait for you. How about this, if we meet again, you can pay me back then. If we never meet again, it's fine."

The girl's eyes lit up, excitedly saying, "That sounds fun, let's do it that way. If we meet again, I'll pay you back."

Qin Xiao said, "Alright, can you go now?"

The girl smiled and walked to the door, turned back to look at Qin Xiao, smiled again, and then left quickly.

Qin Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the girl's skin was so delicate, she clearly wasn't from an ordinary family, and was likely pampered.

She didn't carry any money with her...

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... and dared to walk into a noodle shop to eat without paying. Perhaps she wasn't really trying to eat for free, but rather had no habit of carrying money, and her daily expenses were arranged by others, so she didn't have to worry about money.

Xiling was located between the Tang Empire and the Wutuo Han Kingdom, and Gui City was a must-pass place for travelers. Almost every day, Tang people from the east would enter Gui City.

Qin Xiao thought that the girl might be the child of a wealthy merchant, traveling with a caravan to Xiling to broaden her horizons. Since she didn't usually carry money, it was reasonable that she had no money on her today.

After a full meal, when Qin Xiao walked out of the noodle shop, it was already completely dark, and the shops and residences on both sides of the street had already lit up.

After walking a short distance down the street, Qin Xiao suddenly stopped, seemingly looking at a nearby shop, but his peripheral vision had already caught sight of the girl stealthily following him. As soon as he stopped, the girl quickly found a place to hide.

Qin Xiao never expected her to follow him and became alert.

Although Qin Xiao was young, he had spent many years in prison and understood the dangers of human nature. He was always cautious around strangers.

Pretending not to notice, he walked a bit further and turned into a side alley, quickly disappearing into it.

The girl, following behind, saw Qin Xiao enter the alley and hurriedly quickened her steps. When she reached the alley entrance, she looked inside. The alley was dark and silent. She hesitated for a moment but eventually walked in slowly.

The alley was not long, and she reached the end without seeing Qin Xiao.

Stepping out of the dark alley, the girl took a deep breath, but her eyebrows furrowed. She crossed the alley to another street, which was even busier than the previous one. She looked around, but saw no sign of Qin Xiao.

The girl stomped her foot lightly and walked to the other end of the street.

Qin Xiao, hidden in the crowd, saw the girl being left behind and a smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips. He thought, "I know the streets and alleys of Gui City very well. It's easy to lose you."

It was getting late, and he was about to turn and leave when he suddenly saw another figure emerge from the alley. The person was dressed in black, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and in the dim light, his face was not visible.

Qin Xiao frowned. The girl had just come out of the alley, and the black-clothed man was stealthily following her. This made him suspicious.

Gui City was busy with people, and although the commandery maintained order, there were still many unsavory characters.

Seeing the black-clothed man about to disappear into the crowd, Qin Xiao no longer hesitated and followed him closely.

The black-clothed man, apparently unaware of the "sparrow" behind him, was only focused on the girl's movements and did not notice Qin Xiao following him.

After turning several streets, Qin Xiao was initially just suspicious that the black-clothed man was following the girl, but he was now certain.

The girl would stop at fur shops, cosmetic stores, and jewelry shops, perhaps because of her experience at the noodle shop, she didn't buy anything, but the black-clothed man would always find a place to hide and watch her.

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... but he would always keep an eye on the girl. Qin Xiao, like a sparrow, also kept an eye on the black-clothed man, wanting to see what he was up to.

A few years ago, there was a case of a flower thief in the city, where several girls were attacked. The flower thief was later caught and confessed to finding targets in the market, following them, and then attacking when the opportunity arose.

Could the black-clothed man be a flower thief?

While thinking, he followed the black-clothed man to another street and suddenly realized that the black-clothed man, who had been in his line of sight, had vanished.

Qin Xiao was startled. He had clearly seen the black-clothed man turn onto this street, and he had only paused for a moment at the corner. How could he have disappeared?

The street was quite deserted, with few pedestrians. The black-clothed man's attire was very noticeable, but now there was no sign of him among the few people on the street.

Qin Xiao frowned and walked forward slowly, looking around. Although he didn't see the black-clothed man, he saw the girl in a nearby art shop.

"Why are you following me?" A cold voice suddenly came from behind Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao's body stiffened. The voice was very close, and he could even feel the person's breath.

He took a deep breath and turned around, only to see the black-clothed man standing just a few steps away. He could now see a knife hanging from the man's waist, and the brim of the hat obscured most of his face, revealing only thin lips.

"I'm following you?" Qin Xiao tried to stay calm. The man had appeared behind him without him noticing, which showed that he was not an ordinary person. He forced a smile, "When did I start following you?"

"You've been following me since you left the noodle shop, for four streets," the man said coldly, without lifting his head, "What do you want?"

Qin Xiao laughed, "This street isn't yours, anyone can walk on it. Why do you say I'm following you?"

"Oh?" The black-clothed man's lips curled into a strange smile, "Whose side are you on? The Imperial Heaven Platform or the Northern Courtyard?"

Qin Xiao was taken aback. He didn't know what the Imperial Heaven Platform or the Northern Courtyard were, but they sounded like places. He shook his head, "I'm from Gui City, I've never heard of those places."

The black-clothed man finally lifted his head slightly, and under the hat, his eyes were like cold stars, staring intently at Qin Xiao. When their eyes met, Qin Xiao felt a chill down his spine. The man's eyes seemed to pierce through his soul, sharp and sinister, like a blade, making him feel a chill.

"If you're not one of them, don't follow me. If you are, don't follow me either," the black-clothed man said calmly, "You will die!"

Qin Xiao frowned and said, "Are you planning to kill someone in Gui City? This is not a place where you can do as you please."

The black-clothed man's lips still carried a cold smile, but he didn't speak.

"As long as you don't cause trouble in Gui City, I won't follow you," Qin Xiao thought about the girl being followed by such a terrifying person and was genuinely worried about her, "Don't harm anyone in the city, or the authorities won't let you off."

"The authorities?" The black-clothed man looked Qin Xiao up and down, "Who are you?"