At midday, the main street of BaoZhi Town was always bustling with activity. The lively atmosphere of the market made it seem like just another busy day for the merchants and their customers.
Among the crowds, a young man wandered around with keen interest in his eyes. Beside him, his companion wore an entirely different expression—nervousness and fear were written all over her face.
The two looked completely different from each other, yet they shared one thing in common: despite their attempts to disguise themselves as men, their mannerisms still appeared rather feminine.
The nervous companion pulled her friend aside.
"XiaoJie... XiaoRue doesn't think this is a good idea! Why must we go out dressed like this?!"
XiaoRue had changed into ordinary men's clothing. A cloth hat covered her long hair, while an oversized brown robe concealed her slim figure.
The young man standing in front of her was none other than TanTan, who had also disguised herself as an ordinary traveler. She wore bluish clothing, and her hair was tied up and rolled into a bun. Like XiaoRue, her oversized clothes covered most of her feminine figure, although their small frames still made their disguises less convincing.
"Shh! Call me XiaoGe, not XiaoJie. And you are XiaoTi, understand? We're in disguise!" TanTan explained. "Dressing like this will make it easier for us to move around."
She continued, "Last time, when I went out with Prince FengEr, people seemed hesitant to tell me anything. Now I'm wondering... If we dress like this, perhaps we can gather more information."
The two of them now looked like ordinary travelers.
"But, Xiao..."
TanTan shot her a sharp look.
XiaoRue immediately corrected herself. "XiaoGe... where does XiaoGe want to start?"
Good question...
TanTan looked around the street until her eyes landed on a restaurant with an open balcony.
"Well, why don't we have lunch first? Come on!"
She pulled XiaoRue towards the restaurant.
Although TanTan had been the one to suggest their disguise, she still felt a little nervous about entering the restaurant dressed as a man. After all, this was her first attempt at such a disguise.
A young waiter cheerfully welcomed them.
"Welcome, young masters! Is it just the two of you?"
TanTan nodded, then deliberately cleared her throat and coughed to make her voice sound deeper.
The waiter didn't seem to care about their appearances.
No matter who comes in, they're still customers! That was apparently his motto.
He led them towards an empty table on the first floor, but TanTan shook her head and deliberately lowered her voice.
"We want to sit upstairs."
The waiter raised an eyebrow slightly at her voice, but he didn't question it. Instead, his smile grew wider when he heard her choice. After all, the upstairs seating came with an additional charge.
"Certainly! Please follow me."
The waiter cheerfully guided them upstairs. TanTan immediately chose an empty table near the balcony.
Once they had settled down, the waiter approached to take their orders.
As a woman from the future who had spent most of her time confined to Li Mansion, TanTan wasn't familiar with the dishes served in a large restaurant like this.
She glanced at XiaoRue.
XiaoRue can't disguise her voice. It's too soft. If I let her order, our identities might be exposed immediately.
So TanTan turned to the waiter.
"What do you have here?"
The waiter seemed delighted to be asked. He immediately began explaining the restaurant's menu while pouring tea into their cups.
"And our signature dish is roast chicken with honey. Young Masters would surely regret it if you left without trying it!"
The waiter did his job remarkably well. By the time he finished describing the dishes, both TanTan and XiaoRue's stomachs were practically demanding food.
"All right. We'll have the roast chicken with honey and some vegetables."
TanTan made her decision.
"All right! Please wait a little while. Your food will be ready soon!"
After the waiter left, XiaoRue finally dared to speak in a soft voice.
"XiaoGe... This is the biggest restaurant in town, and the dish you ordered is one of the most expensive. Isn't that a little wasteful?"
"It's fine. Let's just enjoy ourselves for a while."
TanTan had brought some of HuaMuTan's money, which she believed would be more than enough to cover their expenses. Besides, why shouldn't she enjoy herself for once?
Whether inside Li Mansion or outside, she rarely had the chance to enjoy a meal in peace. There was always something happening to interrupt her.
The reason TanTan had chosen a table near the balcony was simple: it gave her a wide view of the street below.
As she sipped her tea, she continued thinking about where to begin her search for clues—or perhaps how to contact the silver-masked man.
If the silver mask is really watching over me, should I create a little commotion to force him to show himself?
While she was lost in thought, a sudden commotion erupted from the street directly below their balcony.
It seemed that a confrontation was taking place.
Three large, fierce-looking men had surrounded a skinny woman. None of them looked friendly. Their threatening gestures made it clear that they had no intention of resolving the matter peacefully.
Yet the woman didn't seem frightened.
Even when the biggest of the three men grabbed her by the collar, she remained defiant.
"Don't think we'll let you go just because you're a woman!"
The other two men, who were slightly slimmer than their leader, kept watch to make sure no one interfered. They also encouraged their big brother.
"That's right! You ruined our business!"
"Big Brother, teach her a lesson!"
"Please, calm down... We can talk about this peacefully," the woman pleaded.
She tried to free herself, but the man's grip was too strong. Meanwhile, the people surrounding them were too afraid to step in.
TanTan, who couldn't stand watching others being bullied, immediately became upset.
"Look, XiaoTi! That woman is in danger!"
She stood up and hurried towards the balcony, wondering whether she should jump down. It didn't look too high from where she was standing.
"Now, give our money back, or you'll face the consequences!" the big man continued threatening her.
The woman merely smirked.
"How can I return money that doesn't belong to you? You're the ones who cheated other people with your tricks!"
Her words only made the big man angrier. He raised his fist, preparing to strike her face.
But before he could do so—
Thud!
A roast chicken suddenly landed squarely on the back of his head.
"Ouch! What the...?"
Confused, he looked down and saw the roast chicken lying on the ground.
"A roast chicken?! Who's the idiot daring enough to throw this at me?!"
He turned around, searching for the culprit. His grip loosened, and the woman fell weakly to the ground.
"How dare you three big fools bully a helpless woman?!"
TanTan's angry voice rang out from the balcony, announcing her intervention.
XiaoRue tried desperately to calm her down, but her efforts were completely useless. All she could do was stare around anxiously, nearly on the verge of tears.
"XiaoJieee..."
TanTan ignored her companion's distress and studied the three men below.
They're nothing but a bunch of scumbags. I can handle them!
"Don't worry, XiaoRue. I can handle this. You stay here!"
Having spent much of her life enjoying heroic stories, TanTan couldn't help feeling unusually brave now that she was disguised as a man. Somehow, she was even enjoying the thought of playing the hero herself.
Without another thought, she jumped from the balcony.
Her landing wasn't particularly graceful, but after a brief stumble, she managed to steady herself.
Now she stood directly in front of the three men.
"Who do you think you are, you little rascal?! How dare you interfere in my business?!"
The big man looked even more intimidating up close.
"You attack a helpless woman. That makes it my business! I could sue you for violence!"
"Sue me? Ha! Ha! Ha! Hahaha!"
The big man burst into laughter. His two followers joined him.
Then, without warning, he shouted—
"SUE THIS!"
He swung his fist straight at TanTan.
"Watch out!"
The woman suddenly pushed TanTan aside, narrowly helping her avoid the punch. At the same time, she grabbed the man's leg.
The big man lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground.
His two followers immediately rushed forward to help their leader back onto his feet.
Taking advantage of the confusion, the woman grabbed TanTan's hand before she could even react.
"Run!"
She pulled TanTan away, and the two of them hurried into the crowd.
Seeing them escape, the big man became furious.
"WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR?! CHASE THEM!"
"Right away, Big Brother!"
The two followers immediately took off after them.
Meanwhile, XiaoRue, who had been left behind, hurried downstairs, hoping to catch up with TanTan.
Unfortunately, the waiter stopped her to settle the bill for the roast chicken. It took her a while to complete the payment.
By the time she finally rushed out of the restaurant, she could only see the two men chasing after her XiaoJie and the unfamiliar woman.
"XiaoJieee!!!"
XiaoRue tried desperately to call out to them.
But without her noticing, the big man was still there, standing right behind her.
"Are you a friend of that little rascal? Hah?!"
He stepped closer.
"I... I..."
XiaoRue was shocked. His intimidating presence frightened her so much that her legs suddenly froze. She couldn't move, let alone run away.
"I saw you just now, standing beside him on the balcony. Now you'll pay for what your friend did!"
The big man grabbed XiaoRue by the collar.
"Kyaaa!"
A distinctly feminine scream escaped her lips, immediately exposing her real gender.
"What?! Is this some kind of joke? You're not a man—you're a girl!"
The big man's eyes suddenly changed as he noticed a glimpse of the inner clothing beneath XiaoRue's robe.
"Perhaps you can repay me in another way, pretty boy! Hahahaha!"
He forcefully pulled XiaoRue into his arms and attempted to harass her.
"No! Let me go!"
XiaoRue struggled desperately, terrified by his actions.
BAM!
A sudden, powerful blow struck the big man from behind.
He immediately lost consciousness and collapsed.
Freed from his grasp, XiaoRue stumbled back. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw ManQi standing in front of her.
ManQi gave her a playful smirk.
"What a nice outfit you're wearing, Mr. XiaoRue!"
"ManQi!"
XiaoRue felt more relieved than surprised to see him.
Without wasting another moment, she grabbed his hand and urgently gestured for him to follow her.
"XiaoJie is in danger! Hurry! We have to help her!"
XiaoGe (小哥): Little Big Brother
XiaoTi (小弟): Little Brother