154. You Are Different

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"Jie Er are you alright? You didn't look good", QiQi is preparing lunch as usual. Jie Er has been going in and out of the forest making her concerned.

"Erm... I have stomachache ", Jie Er couldn't believe that he fell in his own scheme. It was just a matter of serving food with laxatives so why is he the one ended up ingesting the laxative? 'That man has such a good luck!', thought Jie Er.

"Here it is. Some medicine for you", QiQi handed a bottle of pills to Jie Er.

"There is no need to be this concerned about me. Really...", although Jie Er is saying such words, his hand is already grabbing that small bottle.

"...Yes ... then I'll be going first", said QiQi while she watched Jie Er gulping down the pills. 'If only you knew that the madam is concerned that with you going to and from the forest will delay our journey, you might be heartbroken. Although that was clearly a lie', thought QiQi. Often times, the madam could be dishonest as well especially when it's a matter about her own feelings. The madam is clearly very concern about Jie Er but she use a roundabout way to say it.

That evening, they arrived at the nearby town, Anren. At this time of turbulence, the once bustling town was now seems like a ghost town. "Isn't this Anren? Are we in the right town?", QiQi asked the soldier guarding the gate.

"Yes, here is Anren", the stoic soldier answer.

"Oh... It is more deserted than I thought", said QiQi as she glanced at the town barely filled with people.

"Most of the people had flee and only some are left", the soldier replied. "May I know for what business do you come here for?", the soldier asks. Most people wouldn't come to the town near the border at this time. Rather than fleeing away, this group of people are doing the opposite.

"We are the second prince's people. I believe you could guess what we are doing here?", Jie Er answered. He is doing an excellent job imitating chief Jie Yi. Intimidating the soldier would be an easier choice rather than explaining everything. The soldier might not let them enter the gate.

"Greetings. I'm sorry for my rudeness daren!", the two soldiers guarding the gates bow their head and stayed at that position for a moment.

"Enough! We are here in an important mission. Are there any people here that we could use while we're here?", Jie Er asks. For what he knows, they will only be there for a short while. But in the end, it all depends on the madam's decision.

"My brother might be of use. I could send my brother to the county magistrate's townhouse", the soldier spoke politely. Wasn't that the obvious thing to do? A guess with a high status should be directed to the county magistrate's townhouse. In a small town of Anren, there are no proper establishment that could accommodate guests with high status.

"Is there no one else?", QiQi intervened. To not have enough soldier guarding the town, it shows how desperate the situation in this town.

"The soldiers here have been dispatched to the army camp. Except for a few of us, everyone else is fighting at the border under the crown prince's order", answered the soldier. He didn't dare to say anything excessive about his superior.

"We understand. Then, we will be going to the county magistrate's house. I guess the county magistrate's house will be at the centre of this town?", Jie Er asks.

"Yes daren", the soldier nodded.

"The biggest house?", Jie Er asks again.

"Yes daren", the soldier nodded once again. The state of the mayor's house is already speaks volume about the mayor. Truthfully, a county magistrate's salary is not that much. If the magistrate has no side business l, the only possible answer would be corruption. "We will head there by ourselves!", Jie Er headed to the centre of the town. Even from afar, the magistrate's townhouse stick out like a sore thumb.

"Yes daren!", the soldiers had wanted to ask who is in the carriage. But as the troupe's identity is several times above them, they didn't dare to ask more.

"Hey, why didn't you say that the county magistrate had flee?", the first soldier asks the second soldier.

"Have you seen the daren? His eyes are bloodshot, the colour of death! Even if you dare to die, I wouldn't dare to invite death at my front door!", the second soldier is very scared.

"I'm afraid, either way, everyone will be affected", the first soldier look at the entourage disappearing figures.

Contrary to Jie Er's bloodshot eyes, inside, he is very please with himself, 'See, I could also be very serious. That soldier couldn't even look at me directly!'. He is feeling smug.

***

The county magistrate's townhouse~

*Knock*

*Knock*

*Knock*

"Madam, it seems like there is no response", Jie Er reported. "I'll see if we can climb the wall", Jie Er have to settle with using a typical method like climbing the wall. With his ability, jumping the high wall is easy but due to the presence of someone, he has to limit the usage of his abilities. 'Such a nuisance', Jie Er complaints.

After several seconds, Jie Er opens the large front door, "Madam, this house is empty". Judging from the mess left inside the house, the owner of the house must have leave in a haste.

"We're going to settle down here for tonight. Clean several rooms for us to sleep", Li Xi Rui's voice could be heard from inside the carriage. It is not her intention to stay at the town for long. 'But how can a magistrate abandon his own ruling district just to flee? He has responsibility to his people and that town! Really, almost nothing could amazed me more', inside, Li Xi Rui express her dissatisfaction to the county magistrate; whoever he might be.

Stepping down from the carriage, Li Xi Rui hold on to QiQi's hand. Looking up at the gaudy house, Li Xi Rui almost 'tsk' with contempt. The magistrate's townhouse didn't look like a 'house' at all! It actually looks like a brothel and we all knew how Li Xi Rui feels about brothels.

"One could only wonder how the county magistrate could afford these kind of house. And its even more of a wonder on why no one come here to steal the valuables", Mr. Mu voices out his opinions. For a moment, no one speaks.

But when Mr. Mu decided to give up waiting for any kind of replies, Li Xi Rui answered, "That kind of thing is not a mystery. If it's not through a legal way, it must be the opposite. As for why no one come here to steal, either they didn't think the things here worth stealing or the magistrate flee when most of the people had left the town. Such is not an uncommon occurrence". For Li Xi Rui, this kind of thing is easy to decipher. She didn't want to be involve in fake sympathy and kindness. If she didn't care, then why bother at all? Bringing trouble to oneself will eventually causes more damages to other people, particularly her own. So this is not her place to be investigating things that doesn't involve her.

"Indeed, if that were the case, why don't madam do something about it?", as if reading Li Xi Rui's reluctance, Mr. Mu probe into it further.

"Why bother? If you wanted to do something, then do it yourself! Just don't try involving my people!", Li Xi Rui replied with a harsh tone. 'If you want to be someone good, then you just have to do it by yourself', Li Xi Rui scolded him in her mind.

"You are different", Mr. Mu replied before walking off to a different direction.

Maybe it was the way Mr. Mu had said that sentence, Li Xi Rui could only stares at the man's back. She herself know how indifferent she is to other people she didn't know particularly well. Maybe that's why she was that miserable before. But she doesn't want to change. Not anymore. As long she doesn't inflict any pain to someone else intentionally, then she is fine with the way she is.

Through the verbal exchange of Mr. Mu and Li Xi Rui, QiQi could just watch on. This is the first time she began to regret bringing someone. Saving him is enough, she didn't have to bring him along. Mr. Mu has been polite with QiQi but in the presence of Li Xi Rui, his politeness is nowhere to be found. 'I should talk to him', thought QiQi. If only she could persuade Mu Gu Heng to be more polite, Li Xi Rui might not dislike him as much.

P/s: Happy new year everyone!!!!

Anyone recognise this? I usually do some kind of momento for each of my works.

Yay!!! A good news for everyone. I will be publishing a new work next year. I took a very long time to come up with the title. I might change the title according to the storyline in the future though.

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net