Baili Jingxuan, unable to find the two children outside the carriage, was frantically searching through the crowds on the street. However, there was no sign of them. These two little rascals were truly too cunning.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Yihao and Baili Mengran, having just boarded, believed they were safe. They hadn't anticipated the carriage's spacious interior and had assumed it was empty. To their surprise, a man in white was seated inside, holding a folding fan. He appeared to be a scholar, seemingly harmless.
Little did they know, this man was Song Wuji, the elder brother of Song Yu'er.
"Two young friends, what is this?"
Song Wuji had merely instructed his servants to buy some pastries for his sister, who had a fondness for them. He was waiting inside the carriage for the servants when, instead of them, two children appeared, much to his surprise.
"We're playing hide-and-seek with people outside and came in to hide for a bit. Big brother won't mind, will he?"
Xiao Yihao, observing that Song Wuji didn't seem like a bad person, didn't reveal whether they had snuck out or not. He told a lie with practiced ease, his face unblushing, his heart unfaltering, projecting an air of indifference.
Coupled with his adorable and charming appearance, and his sincere expression at that moment, Song Wuji didn't harbor any suspicion.
At that very moment, the coachman outside, having bought the pastries, resumed driving, and the carriage slowly proceeded down the crowded street.
As if by a telepathic connection between siblings, Baili Jingxuan soon sensed something amiss with the carriage. It was a Song family carriage. Why would a Song family carriage be here at this time?
He pondered for a moment. Only this carriage had passed by nearby earlier. Perhaps those two little ones had hidden inside this carriage. However, he had no idea who was inside!
Despite this, Baili Jingxuan used his Qinggong to catch up to the carriage and blocked its path with his sword.
"Whoa..."
The coachman was startled by the sudden obstruction and barely managed to rein in the horses, bringing the carriage to a halt.
Xiao Yihao and Baili Mengran, inside the carriage, were thrown into Song Wuji's embrace due to the inertia.
The moment they touched Song Wuji, they shivered. This person felt so cold. It was the height of summer, yet he was so chilly.
However, he had no time to dwell on this. Baili Jingxuan was likely blocking the carriage outside, and he needed to act quickly.
Song Wuji calmly caught the two children, adjusted his robes, slowly stood up, lifted the curtain, and stepped out of the carriage.
Outside, Baili Jingxuan was indeed standing there.
"Hand over my sister!"
Song Wuji was the eldest son of the King of the Western Regions, and Baili Jingxuan was a renowned chivalrous figure in the Western Regions City. As both were from prominent families, it was natural that they had met before. Song Wuji had recognized Baili Mengran as Baili Jingxuan's sister from the moment she appeared.
"Your sister is not in my carriage. You must be mistaken!"
Song Wuji continued to speak with a smile.
However, he hadn't anticipated that his opponent was a military general, crude in his speech, and in no way comparable to refined scholars.
"I won't waste my breath with a hypocritical and shameless scoundrel like you. Hand over my sister quickly, or I'll chop up your carriage!"
Upon hearing this, Song Wuji's expression turned grim. While not a paragon of virtue, he wasn't a bad person either. Being lectured in such a manner naturally displeased him.
He looked at Baili Jingxuan before him, his face growing cold. He believed in courtesy before resorting to force. If dealing with someone amenable to negotiation, he would negotiate to reach a mutual understanding. But it was clear that this approach was ineffective against Baili Jingxuan, who was unyielding.
"You'd best improve your own abilities. You have martial prowess but no brains. If you learned even a little from your sickly younger brother, my father would have married his daughter to you!"
Song Wuji was indeed a refined young gentleman, but he was also formidable in his retorts.
As expected, upon hearing this, Baili Jingxuan's face darkened, and the atmosphere between them grew increasingly tense.
The surrounding citizens, witnessing the peculiar atmosphere, quickly dispersed, fearing trouble, as neither of these individuals was ordinary.
"Big Brother!"
Just as the two were at an impasse, Song Panyang arrived, accompanied by several people.
Upon returning to his residence, he had heard that his sister was staying at the Baili Manor, and he couldn't rest easy.
Hearing that Song Wuji had gone to fetch her back, he couldn't sit still any longer and set off with a large group to follow Song Wuji.
He hadn't walked far before he saw the two of them at a standstill.
"What's going on?"
He asked, but no one answered him.
"Reporting to the Second Young Master, Young Master Baili insists that his sister is not in our carriage and is forcing us to hand her over!"
The coachman, acting as Song Panyang's lackey, seeing that no one was answering Song Panyang's question, loosened the reins and replied sarcastically.
"Oh? He actually suspects us so directly and dares to block the carriage? The Baili family now shows no regard for our Song family!"
Song Panyang said coldly, looking at Baili Jingxuan with displeasure. After all, in this Western Regions City, it was their Song family that called the shots.
No matter how wealthy the Baili family was, they had to obey them. If they resisted, they wouldn't hesitate to deal with this bothersome man.
But Baili Jingxuan had lost patience. He directly drew his sword, pointed it at Song Wuji, and asked again in a cold voice, "Are you going to let her go or not?"
"Who do you think you are, pointing at my Big Brother like that? You have no brains, just brute strength, you big idiot."
Song Panyang naturally couldn't stand seeing Baili Jingxuan pointing at Song Wuji like that, and an inexplicable anger surged within him.
"Guards, attack him!"
He had just returned from the training grounds, bringing many soldiers to support Song Yu'er. He hadn't expected them to be put to use so quickly. Now was the perfect time to test how well his soldiers had been trained.
"Panyang, do not cause further trouble!"
As if sensing that they were about to get serious, the usually level-headed Song Wuji frowned, his star-like eyes filled with worry. He reached out to stop Song Panyang.
However, Song Panyang, accustomed to his own way, paid no heed to his words. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his personal guards behind him to attack Baili Jingxuan.
"Panyang, no!"
Song Wuji called out again to stop him. But strangely, the personal guards behind him didn't listen to him and ran directly towards Baili Jingxuan.
The surrounding citizens and merchants, seeing the commotion, had already packed up and left.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Yihao and Baili Mengran, hearing the commotion outside, felt as though they had done something wrong. However, for the moment, they dared not go out and cause more trouble for Baili Jingxuan, so they could only huddle in the carriage, minimizing their presence.
Listening to the sounds outside, Xiao Yihao felt for the first time that he had made a mistake and implicated Young Master Baili. His mother would probably scold him when she found out.