“Tonight, stay alert. Don’t fall asleep completely. Keep an eye on the younger children—they must never leave your sight. I had a rather unsettling dream… I feel like something might happen at the Fanyang relay station tonight.”
Tang Qingluo hadn’t forgotten her mission: protect Xie Lanyi. And the mission was strictly limited to one day.
The system never set time limits without reason.
Any danger was likely to occur during this time, so she needed to warn everyone.
“Big sister-in-law, did you hear something? Or notice something unusual?”
Fifth young master Xie Wenrui furrowed his brows, lowering his voice. “It’s just that… I was coming back from the latrine, and I overheard Miss Song Shishi from the Song family telling her relatives almost the same thing.”
The implication was clear: he suspected something was amiss. It was too much of a coincidence for Tang Qingluo and Song Shishi to both have a bad premonition about the relay station at the same time.
“Qingluo, did you accidentally hear someone planning something? Tell us. Don’t be afraid—we can face whatever comes together as a family.”
Xie Bozhi thought it best for Tang Qingluo to reveal the truth, so everyone could unite and prepare.
But Tang Qingluo couldn’t reveal the real reason—it had to do with her system.
She had no choice but to offer a partial truth.
“Alright, if you really want to know,” Tang Qingluo began, “I overheard a stranger speaking to the relay station steward about something. I was a bit far away, so I couldn’t hear clearly. But I did catch some words… they mentioned the Xie family, my husband’s name, and some kind of plan or operation.”
Her words were half-truth, half-fabrication. She continued, “I thought… it couldn’t be good. So I just wanted to warn you, in case anything happens. If nothing happens, even better. But if something does, we’ll be prepared and able to handle it.”
“That makes sense, Qingluo. Sir, we should make some preparations.” Wang Shi began rifling through the luggage, looking for anything useful.
Jiang Shi and Ruan Shi also started going through their belongings.
Aside from money, the luggage mostly contained clothes, food, and some medicinal bottles. The only things likely useful were the medicines.
“My mother prepared three vials of poison—very potent. Even a little could kill an elephant,” Ruan Shi said, pulling them from her luggage. “And some knock-out powder—we should be able to use it.”
“Then I’ll take a vial of poison,” Tang Qingluo said. She had her antidote perfume and wasn’t afraid of any poison.
“The only problem is we don’t have ready weapons. If we get ambushed, being unarmed would be a big disadvantage,” Xie Bozhi said thoughtfully. “If necessary, we can take the guards’ swords.”
“Father, don’t worry about weapons. I’ve already prepared some,” Tang Qingluo said. Before taking on this mission, she had retrieved all the rewards she had earned and stored them in a single bundle.
She untied the bundle. Inside were daggers, a battle axe, a wrist crossbow, and a full set of armor optimized for both offense and defense.
“Father, I’ve thought it over. You have the highest combat skill among us, so this battle axe is for you.”
The axe was heavy, and Tang Qingluo hesitated to hand it over herself.
Xie Bozhi picked up the axe, weighing it in his hands, swinging it experimentally.
Finally, he slammed it down on the ground. The earth split open with a deep, wide crack, drawing gasps from everyone present.
Xie Bozhi’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Qingluo, this battle axe is a true weapon! Excellent, simply excellent.”
“Then I’ll take this dagger,” said Xie Wenzhang. He picked it up and drew it across the corner of the table; the edge was cleanly sliced off and fell away.
“A fine dagger. Let me try a little more.”
Xie Wenzhang, like a child with a new toy, poked and sliced here and there with the dagger, finally concluding that it could cut through iron as easily as mud.
Seeing this, Xie Wenrui tried to grab the dagger. “Brother, let me use it. My skills are better—I’m more suited for this dagger than you are.”
“Respect your elders, understand?” Xie Wenzhang said firmly, pocketing the dagger. “Little brother, forget it.”
“Then I’ll have to use—” Xie Wenrui reached for the sleeve crossbow, but Tang Qingluo stopped him.
“This outfit and this sleeve crossbow are for your elder brother,” she explained.
“This armor is even better than golden-thread soft armor. It can protect while allowing you to attack. It’s perfect for safeguarding Lanyi, since he’s the main target—the danger he faces is far greater than any of yours.”
“And the sleeve crossbow—I thought carefully about that too. Lanyi was already skilled with arrows, so it’s perfect for him. When the enemy makes their move, they’ll likely underestimate him. But if Lanyi strikes at the right moment, it will be a devastating counterattack.”
More importantly, she admitted to herself, she had personal motives.
She had to ensure Xie Lanyi’s life. If he died, she might not survive either.
So from head to toe, she wanted him fully protected, leaving no chance of death.
Tang Qingluo smiled at Xie Lanyi, handing him the fully equipped combat outfit and sleeve crossbow. “Lanyi, here.”
Xie Lanyi accepted them silently. Then he suggested, “Father, Mother, I propose to take tonight’s watch. I’ve rested much of the day in the carriage. Staying awake tonight won’t be a problem. I can sleep again in the carriage tomorrow.”
“Alright, that works. Everyone, get some rest,” Xie Bozhi agreed without objection.
Everyone was satisfied—except Xie Wenrui.
“Big sister, do you have any other powerful weapons?” he asked Tang Qingluo. “I won’t be greedy—I just want a dagger, like my brother’s.”
“Fifth brother, I don’t have any weapons left right now. If I did, I’d have already given them to you.” Tang Qingluo didn’t want him to be disappointed, so she offered him a consolation.
“When we reach Ya Prefecture, I’ll write to that master swordsmith. Then he can forge a weapon for you, alright?”
“Alright! That’s a deal,” Xie Wenrui said, satisfied, and went to rest.