The little black dog, blinking its tiny bean-like eyes, had no idea it was being used as a scapegoat by its little master, and obediently curled up in Xiao Yu’er’s arms.
Qiao Yan’s face was covered in black lines—talk about fearing something and having it come true!
She gently patted the little one’s bottom, her tone slightly stern: “I’ll deal with you when we get back!”
Meanwhile, all of Mu Qinzhen’s attendants were stunned when they heard Xiao Yu’er call Qiao Yan “Mother”!
This child calling the princess consort “Mother”—could it be the prince’s offspring? Or had the prince been cuckolded?
Mu Qinzhen was also taken aback for a moment, recalling the strange feeling in his heart when he first saw Xiao Yu’er. His tone carried a hint of shock: “Is Xiao Yu’er this prince’s daughter?”
When Qiao Yan heard him ask this, she felt a headache coming on. Should she admit it or not?
She forcibly changed the subject: “You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”
Mu Qinzhen, now eager for an answer, no longer cared about the woman’s attitude toward him: “This prince has been ordered to escort you back to the capital.”
Qiao Yan heard this and refused without a second thought: “Hah! I’m not going back to the capital. Goodbye, no need to see me off!”
With that, before anyone could react, she slammed the door shut and bolted it.
Go back to the capital?
Was her baby not cute enough, or were her crops not growing well? Why would she go back to that den of trouble?
Xiao Yu’er had never seen her mother this angry before. To protect her little bottom, she quickly acted cute and clingy: “Mama~ Baby was wrong. Can you forgive baby just this once? Please~”
Qiao Yan got her face covered in kisses and helplessly rubbed her little daughter’s head: “You, how many times have you said the same thing, hmm?”
Outside the door
Mu Qinzhen had been shut out, his face dark enough to drip water as he recalled the woman’s arrogant and insolent attitude just now.
Hah! Fine! She had added another debt to her account with him!
But now, more than the woman’s attitude, he was more concerned about whether Xiao Yu’er was truly his child.
He looked up at the wall, which wasn’t much taller than him, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.
If she wouldn’t open the door, he naturally had ways to get in!
He lightly tapped his toes, using the corner of the wall for leverage, spun around, and executed Qinggong, flipping over the wall with clean, effortless grace.
Seeing this, the attendants also climbed over the wall after him.
Qiao Yan was carrying Xiao Yu’er back when she thought about whether she should go hide her son. As long as she kept his existence a secret and firmly denied that Xiao Yu’er was his child, she should still be able to fool him.
But before she could take more than a few steps, she saw men dropping off her courtyard wall like dumplings falling into a pot—thud, thud, thud—and leading them was none other than that scoundrel Mu Qinzhen!
Mu Qinzhen landed steadily and looked at Qiao Yan with a mocking gaze, a hint of provocation in his eyes.
Qiao Yan stared coldly at the man, unable to suppress the fury in her heart.
You dog of a man! Fine, just fine!
She bent down and set Xiao Yu’er on the ground, whispering a warning: “Go back and find your brother. Don’t come out.”
Xiao Yu’er looked at her mother with worry, but still obediently ran inside clutching the little black dog, her footsteps pattering away.
Mu Qinzhen saw the little girl run off, and a barely perceptible sense of loss welled up in his heart. He then furrowed his brows and asked coldly: “Is Xiao Yu’er this prince’s child?”
Qiao Yan planted the hoe in her hand firmly on the ground, producing a dull thud: “If you want to know, you’ll have to get past my hoe first!”
Little Milk System saw its host’s stance and knew there was another show to watch. It immediately lay back in its chair, crossed its legs, and grabbed a bucket of popcorn to munch on.
[Host, go get ’em! Little System is with you all the way!]
Over the past three years, there had been those without eyes who thought its host, a widow with an orphan, was easy to bully, but they’d all been soundly beaten by the host and thoroughly put in their place.
Qiao Yan didn’t give Mu Qinzhen a chance to refuse. She charged forward with her hoe over her shoulder. Seeing this, the attendants drew their blades and rushed forward to protect their master, but Mu Qinzhen raised a hand, signaling them to stand down.
This woman—the surprises she gave him were certainly not few!
He drew his longsword to meet Qiao Yan’s attack. Qiao Yan swung her hoe like a great blade, advancing and retreating with perfect timing, moving with effortless control.
She spun her arm and swept the hoe toward Mu Qinzhen’s shoulder and neck. Mu Qinzhen’s expression was icy as he raised his sword to block the hoe’s strike, the two locked in a stalemate—Qiao Yan pressing down with force while Mu Qinzhen struggled to hold her back.
Qiao Yan curled a cold smile, her eyes glinting with cunning. In an instant, she withdrew her hoe and changed her angle of attack, this time putting all her strength into it. Mu Qinzhen’s pupils contracted as he quickly raised his sword to block, but he had underestimated Qiao Yan’s power and was knocked back several steps.
This woman was actually this formidable!
Mu Qinzhen’s heart churned with shock as he took another look at Qiao Yan. Her appearance was still the same as before, with no signs of disguise, but her skills were utterly baffling.
Who exactly was she?
Qiao Yan let him stare, showing no fear at all—after all, who would ever guess that her soul was a visitor from beyond this world?
She withdrew her hoe, unwilling to continue fighting. She had struck out just now partly out of anger and partly to test the man’s skill.
There was no denying it—he was strong. He hadn’t used his full power just now. If he did, she, as the heir of an Ancient Martial Arts Clan, would at best fight him to a draw.
She was not one to hide her abilities. To raise a child without being bullied by them, the first thing was to make the other party feel that you were strong and not easy to deal with!
Just now, she wanted to give Mu Qinzhen a sense of the bottom line—she was not the Qiao Yan of the past. Wanting to gain favors from her was impossible!
The attendants nearby saw Qiao Yan’s skills and were secretly shocked. The princess was so formidable; no wonder she had managed to overpower the prince back then!
Little Milk System munched on popcorn, eyes sparkling, looking a bit reluctant to stop.
[Host, why not keep fighting? This is the strongest opponent you’ve faced so far. This fight scene is way more exciting than the previous ones!]
Qiao Yan looked at Little Milk System, whose mouth was stuffed like a hamster’s, and the veins on her forehead bulged: “Xiao Tongzi, do you think this is a martial arts movie?”
Little Milk System smiled foolishly, gave Qiao Yan a little heart, and tried to get by with cuteness.
Not bothering to argue further with Xiao Tongzi, Qiao Yan looked at Mu Qinzhen, whose face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and said, “You go back. I’m doing just fine here, and I don’t want to return to the capital. Xiao Yu’er is not your child; I picked her up on the mountain.”
After finishing, Qiao Yan turned and walked into the house with a pleased mood, but when she saw the two little ones walking out hand in hand from inside, she was instantly on the verge of tears!
It really was true—fear not an opponent like a god, but fear a teammate like a pig. Her two little piglets were really setting their mother up for disaster!
Xiao Chuan’er, who looked like a miniature version of Mu Qinzhen, held his sister’s hand with one small hand and a dagger in the other, his little face stern, staring at Mu Qinzhen and the others with a fierce, babyish expression.
When Mu Qinzhen saw Xiao Chuan’er, his mind went blank for a moment, then he burst out laughing and said teasingly to Qiao Yan, “Woman, you still say the child isn’t this king’s? Then what’s the explanation for him?”
The attendants were all stunned. That little boy looked so much like their prince; if they were told he wasn’t the prince’s biological son, they wouldn’t believe it even if beaten to death!
Qiao Yan slapped her forehead and glared at him in annoyance: “Whatever you want to think, think that!”
With that, she picked up her hoe and headed into the house. It seemed she needed to give those two little bottoms a good lesson!
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