Liam Xiao's response caused Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian to freeze for a moment. When they recovered, they smiled faintly.
What kind of grudge would make someone impersonate Lü Changhe from a thousand miles away?
The young girl squatting on the ground stopped crying when she heard Liam Xiao's reply, then resumed sobbing.
"Lü Changhe?"
The burly leader's brow furrowed as he scrutinized Liam Xiao. "Hurry and hand over our Third Young Lady, and we can let bygones be bygones!"
"What happened to her?" Liam Xiao asked.
Just as the burly leader was about to reply, he saw the girl in the plain skirt make a throat-slitting gesture at herself. He panicked. "She, she..."
The girl choked out, "Their family's eighty-year-old patriarch wants to take me as a concubine! What Third Young Lady? This is a common trick used by human traffickers, don't believe them! If I were the Third Young Lady, why would I run away instead of enjoying a good life?"
Liam Xiao looked down at the girl, speechless.
These burly men, unarmed and looking honest, didn't seem like villains abducting innocent women. They were more like servants from a wealthy household.
This might be trouble, or it could be an opportunity for him to discover talented individuals in Jiangnan on a large scale.
"She's your Third Young Lady? Then you guys pay for it!" some vegetable vendors, agitated, grabbed the burly men, their faces tear-streaked.
The burly leader, unable to extricate himself, took a money pouch from his waist and threw it to a vendor. "Pay up! Split the money yourselves, and don't get in the way!"
The vendor took out a handful of silver shards. The other vendors were both shocked and delighted. "That's enough! That's plenty!"
Liam Xiao observed the burly leader's reaction. Seeing the girl in the plain skirt continuously inching towards him, he made up his mind and subtly signaled to the guards from the Liam Estate in the distance.
A large number of Liam Estate guards pushed through the crowd and positioned themselves protectively in front of Liam Xiao, exuding an imposing aura.
"Lü Changhe! What do you mean by this? Aren't you afraid of being scorned by scholars all over the world?" the burly leader exclaimed in distress.
Liam Xiao replied proudly, "I, Lü Changhe, have always stood up for justice. You should leave. Seeing that you can't do anything about this young lady, I, Lü Changhe, will ensure her safety!"
Hearing Liam Xiao emphasize "I, Lü Changhe" twice, Yue Lian and Jian Qinwan could no longer hold back. They quickly covered their mouths, fearing they would burst into laughter.
The burly man looked conflicted. He glanced at the girl in the plain skirt, then at Liam Xiao and the guards from the Liam Estate.
The girl in the plain skirt finally spoke again, her voice choked with emotion, "If your master continues to pressure me, and you utter any more nonsense, I, I will truly hang myself at the gates of Luzhou City. Then, it will be your master who will be scorned by scholars all over the world..."
A drop of cold sweat appeared on the burly leader's forehead. He stared at Liam Xiao, angered, "Lü Changhe, if you dare to harm her, we will not rest until it's over. The current Emperor himself will surely sentence your entire clan to death!"
Liam Xiao grew even more bewildered. Watching the burly men depart dejectedly, he pondered.
The onlookers, seeing Liam Xiao's large entourage, dared not offend him and dispersed.
"Big Brother, have they left?" the girl in the plain skirt asked.
"They've left!"
Upon hearing Liam Xiao's reply, the girl in the plain skirt leaped up, lowering her hands to reveal a face full of smiles.
Exquisitely beautiful!
Liam Xiao's brow twitched. "You really tricked me?"
"I didn't trick you. They were really pushing me to my death..." The girl's eyes welled up with tears again.
Liam Xiao's scalp tingled. He had to marvel at her control over her tears and quickly said, "Alright, alright, stop crying! What's your name?"
The girl in the plain skirt then wiped away her tears, her mischievous smile returning, her eyes sparkling. "Just call me Miss Xun!"
Liam Xiao nodded, dismissed the guards from the Liam Estate, and surveyed Miss Xun, a sense of caution rising within him.
Counting Ye Qingyi, Yi Rou, and Yan Jun, this was the fourth woman who had actively thrown herself at him. He couldn't help but suspect something.
In the Great Qian Kingdom, talent was far more important than looks. There was no shortage of handsome and strong men on the streets. Why would Miss Xun choose to seek his help for no reason?
Miss Xun took a hundred-liang silver note from her sleeve and handed it to Liam Xiao. "This is all my fortune. Take it!"
Liam Xiao smiled and asked, "Then what will you do?"
"Of course, you'll have to take care of me for a while! A hundred liang is enough, right? I'm very easy to take care of!" Miss Xun adopted an air of arrogance.
Liam Xiao smiled and shook his head. "You keep it."
"But you publicly promised just now to ensure my safety. You're not going back on your word, are you..." Miss Xun's eyes welled up again.
"I will ensure your safety, but stop with the tearful tactics, or I'll heartlessly abandon you here..." Liam Xiao slapped his forehead with a "snap."
Princess Ningshuang had cried because she was moved; this Miss Xun was clearly a professional fake cryer!
Miss Xun's smile returned, her face beaming with a victorious expression. "I knew you would save me!"
Liam Xiao scoffed. "Aren't you afraid that I'm lusting after your beauty and have ulterior motives?"
Miss Xun was startled. She bit her lower lip, then glanced at Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian before relaxing and smiling. "You're definitely not!"
"How can you be sure?" Liam Xiao asked.
Miss Xun lowered her voice and said, "Don't think I can't see it. The two ladies behind you are both beautiful girls. The way they look at you is like how a lover looks at her beloved. That's how my sister-in-law looks at my brother!"
Caught off guard, Yue Lian and Jian Qinwan blushed simultaneously, unable to deny it.
Liam Xiao was speechless.
They had disguised themselves quite well, but this young girl was simply too intelligent and sharp-eyed!
"Therefore, you are a good person! This is my intuition, and I'm telling you, my intuition is always accurate!" Miss Xun's cute face showed a triumphant smile.
Liam Xiao was exasperated.
What had he done wrong to suddenly be given a 'good person' card?
Suppressing his inner resentment, Liam Xiao led the three of them away from the scene.
The burly leader who had just left, watching from a high building in the distance as Miss Xun followed Liam Xiao to the inn, was furious. He gripped the railing and angrily said, "Quickly send someone back to Jinling to inform the master that someone has kidnapped the Third Young Lady and is impersonating Young Master Lü!"
At the inn, after the four of them were seated, Miss Xun finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you really named Lü Changhe? How can you have the same name as the Marquis of Anbei from our Great Qian Kingdom?"
Liam Xiao stared at Miss Xun and smiled. "I can see that you know him."
"We don't exactly know each other, just met once!" Miss Xun vaguely replied.
Liam Xiao said with a serious expression, "My name is Lü Changhe. Didn't you say I was a good person? Why would I lie to you? Look at my eyes, they hold nothing but sincerity."
Jian Qinwan couldn't help but cast a resentful glance at Liam Xiao.
This guy just loved deceiving young girls!
Miss Xun was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Regardless, you are my savior."
"Saved you from what? Those people were clearly your family's servants," Liam Xiao pointed out.
Miss Xun's heart skipped a beat. She huffed, "But they really almost forced me to death! My family suddenly wants my second sister and me to get married, but we don't want to! Then my second sister fled to the Great Liang Kingdom, and I fled from Jinling to Luzhou..."
Seeing Liam Xiao and the other two looking confused, Miss Xun added, "I'm not lying to you this time! However, the people our sisters are supposed to marry are someone you absolutely cannot afford to offend. You don't need to ask, just don't get involved in this mess."
"Then what are your plans? You can't possibly rely on me forever, can you? But if I'm not here, I'm afraid no one will be able to protect you," Liam Xiao said with a smile.
Miss Xun's eyebrows shot up. "I fled to Luzhou to find my master! You just need to escort me to find her. My master hates men the most, she will definitely help me!"
"Then where is your master?" Liam Xiao asked again.
Miss Xun lowered her head, looking sheepish. "I haven't seen my master in two years. She has no fixed abode, only saying she's in Luzhou."
Liam Xiao had to admire the girl's courage and sighed. "You dare to run around without even knowing where your master is? Then what does your master do?"
"She's a painter, and her calligraphy is also excellent..."