Jingzhao Prefecture.
Feng Jinchan had originally planned to sneak away after leaving the manor, but Qi Xuan was too quick. Before he could even be given a chance to be poisoned, he was directly driven to Jingzhao Prefecture by carriage.
By the time he was carried out of the carriage, his young heart was still numb.
"Uncle Xiao Qi, aren't we going to find Mother? What are we doing here?"
He didn't know what kind of place Jingzhao Prefecture was, but seeing so many people guarding it, he immediately felt that escaping would be even harder.
He sighed, his small face full of dejection.
Qi Xuan had originally intended to correct his form of address, but before he could speak, a figure rushed towards them.
The sound of panting instantly interrupted him.
"Qi... Guard Qi!"
Turning his head, Zhao Yong, panting heavily, placed his hands on his knees, his eyes fixed on Feng Jinchan in Qi Xuan's arms, his surprise evident.
"Guard Qi, this, this, this..."
From afar, he had seen the carriage of Prince Mo's manor. Recognizing Qi Xuan as the driver, he had assumed Prince Mo himself had come, and had rushed over without daring to delay.
Who would have thought that halfway down the road, he would see him turn around and carry a child out of the carriage.
A child...!
When did Prince Mo have a child?
And so old!
It was simply shocking!
He had "this" for a long time without saying anything, but Qi Xuan knew from his expression that he had misunderstood.
He straightened his expression and quickly explained.
"Lord Zhao, I am acting under the Prince's orders today, to help this young gentleman find his family."
"Family?"
Zhao Yong was startled.
He looked at Qi Xuan's face for a couple of turns, then at Feng Jinchan's face for a couple of turns, and suddenly understood.
"Oh, this isn't Prince Mo's son."
He had thought that... seeing the situation just now.
Qi Xuan muttered inwardly, the Prince might want him, but how could the child be so easily obtained?
"Lord Zhao, you've misunderstood. We met this young gentleman on the road yesterday. He got separated from his mother and was wandering the streets. The Prince took pity on him and brought him back to the manor."
He glanced at Feng Jinchan's reddened cheek, felt a pang of guilt, and almost stumbled over his tongue.
Yes, the Prince took pity on him, absolutely not because he was cute.
He swore it!
"So that's how it is."
Zhao Yong hadn't expected this either. He nodded and immediately led them inside.
"Guard Qi, please wait a moment. I will order someone to check recent reports of missing persons."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Zhao Yong was quick. In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he returned, holding a case file.
"I've kept you waiting. I've ordered the information on missing children to be compiled. Guard Qi, please take a look and see if any of them match this young gentleman."
It was just children who had gone missing in the capital in the past half month, but the case file, when handed over, was more than ten pages thick.
Qi Xuan was slightly taken aback, then heard him sigh and explain.
"Guard Qi, you may not know this, but this is only within the capital. The lower regions are less vigilant, and such incidents are even more common."
He subtly glanced at Feng Jinchan beside him and lowered his voice, "To be honest, Guard Qi, I suspect this matter might not be easy."
Qi Xuan's expression tightened, and he nodded.
"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Lord Zhao."
After flipping through the case file, they found no matching cases for Feng Jinchan's situation. The little one's attitude was also very firm, and he refused to reveal any information about his background.
Helpless, Qi Xuan asked Zhao Yong to keep an eye out and inform him if anything new came up.
Throughout the entire time, Feng Jinchan kept his little face down, his spirits low.
Thinking he had overheard his conversation with Zhao Yong, Qi Xuan pursed his lips and tried to comfort him.
"Young gentleman, you don't need to be too sad. You can stay in the Prince's manor until your family is found."
He paused and added, "The Prince will surely be happy about it too."
If his family could never be found, it wouldn't be bad to let this little one stay in the Prince's manor and be a godson to the Prince, he thought.
He thought his words would put the child's mind at ease, but unexpectedly, after hearing this, the little face creased even more.
Who was sad? Who wanted to stay there!
He was just worrying about how to get rid of this guard.
His little mouth pouted. Looking at Qi Xuan's concerned expression, he suddenly had an idea.
"Uncle Xiao Qi, I'm hungry. Can you take me to buy something to eat?"
Qi Xuan was stunned.
Hadn't they just finished breakfast before leaving? How could he be hungry again so soon?
But looking at that little face, he couldn't say a single word of "no."
He immediately nodded, "Please get into the carriage, young gentleman."
The place Feng Jinchan wanted to go was the busiest market in the capital.
It was morning, and two wide alleys, one vertical and one horizontal, intersected. The crowd was so dense that the carriage couldn't squeeze in at all.
Qi Xuan looked at the impenetrable crowd and hesitated. "Young gentleman, why don't we go somewhere else? How about that restaurant from yesterday?"
With so many people, he was truly afraid that the child would be lost a second time if he wasn't careful.
Feng Jinchan, of course, refused.
He furrowed his brows, and his little face fell.
"But that uncle just now said that all the good food is here..."
Qi Xuan was getting a headache. As he hesitated, he heard him say again.
"Uncle Xiao Qi, don't worry, I'll wait obediently in the carriage and I promise I won't run around anywhere."
Since the carriage couldn't go in, it had to be parked outside. But compared to the crowded situation inside, there was at least some space in the carriage.
Qi Xuan estimated the distance to the stalls and nodded.
"Alright, you wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."
He then strode away, and as the carriage curtain fell, Feng Jinchan reached out his small hand and took out a packet of powder from his chest.
The distance from the carriage to the stalls was not far. Qi Xuan was worried and kept looking back at the carriage, glancing back every few steps.
While talking to the vendor, a cargo carriage passed behind him, and his vision was immediately blocked.
The carriage blocked the way. Qi Xuan frowned at the sight and strained his neck, only to see the carriage curtain being lowered.
His heart tightened, and he immediately used his Qinggong skill to fly back.
He roughly lifted the carriage curtain, and a strange aroma rushed into his nostrils.
Not good!
It was a sleeping potion.
At the entrance of an alley outside the bustling market, a small figure squeezed out of the crowd, panting. Just as he wiped the sweat from his brow, he was suddenly enveloped by several shadowy figures.
He tilted his head up, and three coarse, bizarre faces came into view.
At a glance, he couldn't help but tut.
"Yuck~ So ugly."
Such direct insult made the other party instantly lose their composure.
The leader, with a scarred face, glared at him fiercely and directly grabbed him.
"You little bastard, what nonsense are you talking about! Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"
The other two immediately chimed in.
"Big brother, how dare he call us ugly? Let's get rid of him!"
The three of them, menacingly, grabbed him and dragged him into a nearby alley.
As if realizing the danger, Feng Jinchan's little face turned pale at the sight, and he immediately started crying out.
"Help! You... you're bad guys!"
Before he could finish speaking, his mouth was forcefully covered by the one with triangular eyes.
Another one with big yellow teeth grinned, his face bulging with flesh.
"Now you know fear, huh? Humph, you little brat, we're here specifically to teach you a lesson!"
Feng Jinchan cried, but he didn't miss the word "specifically" in his words.
He was slightly taken aback, and his pupils immediately darted.
They appeared here at this exact moment. Could it be that someone had deliberately arranged this?