"Alright, then stay," Qingyao helped him up. Since he wished to stay, so be it. However, since Yi Shuang'er recognized him, their group could no longer stay at this inn.
"Thank you, Master."
Mo You breathed a sigh of relief, genuinely afraid that his Master would no longer want him. If that were the case, he wouldn't know where to go. In any case, he would never return to the palace, and he certainly didn't want to deal with the Yi family because they had merely treated him as a bargaining chip. He was not like that Yi Shuang'er who truly believed her father's talk of benevolence.
"Alright, call Mo Chou in."
"Yes," Mo You pulled the door open. Mo Chou and Yin Xuan were standing outside.
Qingyao looked over, seeing the understanding on Yin Xuan's face, she knew he had overheard their conversation. Smiling, she asked, "Why are you here?"
"Well, it was too noisy earlier, so I came to see what was happening."
As Yin Xuan spoke, he walked in, followed by Mo Chou and Mo You, who closed the door behind them.
Qingyao's expression turned grave, a coldness radiating from her. She said faintly, "We're in trouble now. I'm afraid we can't stay here any longer, and we won't be able to leave the city anytime soon. Once Yi Shuang'er reports back, the Yi family will likely come soon. As soon as the Yi family makes a move, those people in the imperial family will know that Mo You is not dead at all."
"Indeed. How about I arrange a place? I believe no one will be able to find it."
Yin Xuan spoke with a steady arrogance. Qingyao paused. Honestly, she still felt a bit indebted to him for the incident at the Spring Breeze Pavilion, and he had saved her again. The debt of gratitude was growing larger and larger.
"That might not be good. Do you have a good place? Please don't implicate others again."
Qingyao voiced her concern. Yin Xuan chuckled, his smile as warm and gentle as a clear spring.
"Don't worry. Let's go. If we delay any longer, they might already be here."
This was indeed true. Qingyao no longer had time to hesitate and immediately said in a deep voice, "Alright, let's go."
Yin Xuan led the way out, and Qingyao followed behind him. Mo You led the more than a dozen young beggars. The group walked out, heading straight downstairs. The innkeeper behind the counter saw them and his expression faltered, his eyes flickering. Yin Xuan's subordinate walked over and settled the bill. The group exited the inn.
The innkeeper waited until the group by the door got into the carriage and slowly departed. He immediately beckoned the waiter over and whispered a few words.
The waiter's eyes widened, and he exclaimed in alarm, "What are you doing? Those people look like they're not to be trifled with."
"What are you afraid of? This isn't my idea; it's what Miss Yi ordered. If you dare not obey, you won't have peace."
As soon as the innkeeper finished speaking, the waiter dared not say another word. He immediately darted out, fetched a horse, and followed the group ahead to see where they would settle.
Ahead.
Inside the carriage, Yin Xuan and Qingyao immediately knew they were being followed. As the carriage moved, Yin Xuan spoke with a steady, stern voice, "Someone."
A subordinate immediately rode his horse closer to the carriage and respectfully asked, "Sir."
"Someone is tracking us from behind. Be careful and eliminate him," his voice was cold and bloodthirsty, devoid of any emotion.
The subordinate dared not say more and respectfully accepted the order. He slowly blended into the crowd. After the carriage had gone far, he saw the person following on horseback. It was the waiter from the inn. His expression immediately darkened. He flicked a stone, and the waiter on horseback suddenly tumbled headfirst to the ground, motionless for a long time. The people on the street immediately gathered around, and soon they heard someone say,
"Why is he dead? How frightening."
"Yes, why did he die when he was fine?"
The subordinate pulled on the reins and followed the carriage ahead. The group weaved through streets and alleys for a long distance before arriving at a quiet place.
An unoccupied courtyard, silent and still. Although there were no servants, the courtyard was spotless, clearly indicating it was cleaned regularly. The environment was serene, truly quite suitable for them to live in. But where was this place?
Qingyao looked around curiously. Rockeries, fractured stones, small bridges, and flowing water – it was truly an exquisite residence.
"Yin Xuan, what is this place?"
"This is where I live. Normally, no one comes here. You can rest assured and stay here." Yin Xuan spoke with restraint and composure. Qingyao nodded. Since he said so, there shouldn't be any trouble, right?
She turned and instructed Mo You to settle the more than a dozen young beggars. Although there were only a dozen or so, they were still being trained. In the future, all of them would be under Mo You's responsibility. From now on, they would train here every day. She would quickly devise a plan for him. In the future, as long as Mo Chou took care of her.
With all matters arranged, Mo You led the people away.
Mo Chou attended to her as she entered a side courtyard. Next door was Yin Xuan's main courtyard, while Mo You and the young beggars resided in the back courtyard, allowing them to practice martial arts with peace of mind.
The group settled down, and indeed, no one found them.
As Qingyao had expected, the outside was in an uproar. The imperial capital of Huang Yuan, Li Jing, was searched from top to bottom. Every inn, teahouse, and even the pleasure houses and brothels were searched. One group consisted of people from the imperial family, and the other was from the Yi Mansion. Both groups wanted to find Mo You.
Consequently, the entire city of Li Jing was in a state of panic, with no one knowing what had happened. The authorities were making such a grand fuss.
This commotion was no different from searching for court fugitives, yet there had been no reports of any major cases recently.
Qingyao instructed her subordinates that none of them were allowed to go out, including the young beggars, because Yi Shuang'er had seen them. If she inadvertently recognized them, it would cause immense trouble.
She did not want to cause any more trouble for Yin Xuan. However, since they moved into this courtyard.
Yin Xuan became like a phantom, appearing and disappearing without a trace, busy with unknown matters. Of course, when he returned at night, he would play chess with Qingyao and talk to her, but he never mentioned what he did outside, and Qingyao did not ask. Such simple interactions were better.
In the blink of an eye, another half a month passed.
The search in Li Jing finally returned to some semblance of normalcy, no longer as terrifying. Qingyao and Mo Chou were almost bored to death. Mo You was slightly better off, as he at least had something to do.
Qingyao devised a plan for them and had him train the young beggars according to it.
Mo You first gave them names and then explained their future roles and the kind of people they would become. The young beggars, having no parents and struggling to even find enough to eat daily, were now well-fed and free from worry. Everyone studied very diligently.
Moreover, Qingyao gave them a lesson every day regarding future development trends and the roles each person needed to play. The young beggars were all delighted, and therefore, they studied even more earnestly.