Shen Ningning puffed her cheeks and glared at Wang Qiao’er.

Xie Mingxu caught the little one’s expression out of the corner of his eye. He said to Wang Qiao’er, "Lead the way. Let’s go have a look."

Then, he turned and called to Shen Ningning, "You come with me too. When this is over, there’s something I need to ask you."

A guilty look immediately appeared on Shen Ningning’s fair, rosy cheeks.

She nodded obediently. "Okay~"

Wang Qiao’er told Deng Fugui to wait in the carriage, then eagerly led the group of people into the village, heading straight for Granny Chen’s house.

Sister-in-law Liu was returning from washing clothes when she saw a huge crowd of soldiers.

She took a closer look and saw that the one leading them was none other than Wang Qiao’er!

"Why are you back again? Are you trying to stir up trouble in our village?" Sister-in-law Liu stepped forward, directly blocking Wang Qiao’er’s path.

But to her surprise, Wang Qiao’er tilted her chin up smugly and said in a bossy tone, "I wouldn’t come to your Xiangyun Village even if you begged me. This time, the officer needs to investigate Chen Ye, and I’m just showing them the way. Now, you’d better move aside and stop holding up official business."

Sister-in-law Liu was pushed aside, watching in astonishment as Wang Qiao’er led the group of soldiers to Granny Chen’s house.

"Granny Chen, come out! Your son has committed a crime, and the soldiers are here to investigate him!" Wang Qiao’er pounded on the door, convicting Chen Ye before he was even questioned.

Beside her, Xie Mingxu frowned. "We are merely conducting a routine investigation," he said in a cool voice.

Wang Qiao’er smiled obsequiously and nodded. "I was just worried she wouldn’t open the door, so I thought I’d give her a little scare."

Shen Ningning pouted. "Granny Chen is old. What will you do if you frighten her so badly something happens to her?"

Just then, the door opened. Granny Chen stood there, her hair completely white and her face haggard. She looked helplessly at the group of strangers outside.

"Officers, what has my son done?"

Seeing it was an elderly woman, Xie Mingxu’s expression softened a little. He asked calmly, "Is your son, Chen Ye, at home?"

Granny Chen shook her head. "No, he’s not. He left on a long trip several days ago."

With that, she stepped aside to let Xie Mingxu enter and inspect the house.

But before Xie Mingxu could move, Wang Qiao’er, eager to take credit, immediately squeezed through the doorway.

"How could he not be here? I saw him driving Shen Ningning’s carriage just a few days ago." Wang Qiao’er muttered as she searched every nook and cranny of the house, both inside and out.

Sure enough, Chen Ye was not there.

Xie Mingxu’s expression turned grim.

Wang Qiao’er’s heart skipped a beat, and her gaze shifted to the pretty, delicate little girl beside them.

She blurted out, "Officer, you should question Shen Ningning more thoroughly! Before he disappeared, Chen Ye was working for her."

"You can ask around in the Capital City. Lots of people saw him helping her build a tea shed. For all we know, she’s the one who’s hiding him!"

Granny Chen grew frantic. "Wang Qiao’er, my family and yours have never had any quarrel. Why are you so fixated on my son? Ningning has a kind heart and just gave Chen Ye a job. It’s not at all like what you’re suggesting—that she’s harboring him!"

Wang Qiao’er sneered. "What are you so worked up about, Granny Chen? I haven’t said anything improper. True or not, we’ll find out as soon as the officer searches Shen Ningning’s home, won’t we?"

Shen Ningning lifted her gaze to Xie Mingxu and found him looking down at her, his eyes dark and cold.

Xie Mingxu said, "Then let’s go have a look at your home."

Shen Ningning froze for a moment before lowering her head. "Alright."

’Chen Ye left a long time ago, so they won’t find anything at my house anyway.’

But for some reason, Shen Ningning still felt a pang of guilt.

’I don’t want to lie to Brother Xie, but I really don’t know where Chen Ye is right now.’

Shen Ningning told Granny Chen not to worry and left her a pile of snacks. Xie Mingxu quietly observed all of this.

Afterward, he followed the little one out of the village to the foot of Wolf Mountain.

A gloating expression was hidden in Wang Qiao’er’s eyes. "Officer, you’ll have to go up the mountain. Just be warned, it’s full of wolves and tigers, and they all listen to Shen Ningning’s commands. You must be very careful."

Xie Mingxu ignored her, simply instructing his soldiers, "All of you wait here at the foot of the mountain."

He brought his horse along, considering the mountain’s complex terrain and the risk of getting lost.

Wang Qiao’er watched the figures of Xie Mingxu and Shen Ningning enter the mountain, one after the other. Smiling triumphantly, she returned to the carriage.

Deng Fugui, who had seen everything, quickly asked, "Mom, they aren’t going to give Little Wolf Sister a hard time, are they?"

"Hmph, it would be for the best if they did!" Wang Qiao’er scoffed.

’Xiangyun Village has definitely made an enemy of me now. I can’t count on them for anything in the future.’

’Since we can’t be friends, I hope they all suffer!’

’Xiangyun Village’s backbone is none other than Shen Ningning. Once she’s in trouble, we’ll see if that bunch of savages can still manage a smile.’

Deng Fugui felt conflicted. "Mom, I want to go home."

Wang Qiao’er refused. "Not yet. We’re going to wait right here in the carriage and see how Shen Ningning talks her way out of this one!"

「In the mountains.」

Shen Ningning led Xie Mingxu along a level path.

Xie Mingxu was a little surprised. "There are actual paths this deep in the mountains?"

In his time marching and fighting wars, he had traversed his share of mountain roads. They were always either covered in thorns or choked with weeds, and a single careless step could earn you a snakebite.

Shen Ningning, walking ahead of him, replied in her sweet, soft voice, "Yup! The wolves were afraid I’d trip on overgrown vines, so about three months ago, they started walking this path back and forth. Little by little, it formed! Now, whenever I see this path, I just have to follow it all the way to the end, and I’m home!"

Xie Mingxu recalled seeing the pack of giant wolves in the main hall that day. He never imagined they could be so intelligent.

"You seem to get along well with them, just like a family," he remarked.

Shen Ningning glanced back with a pure, innocent smile. "They are my family. No one wanted me when I was little. It was Granny who took me in and raised me. Later, when my aunt tried to beat me to death, it was the wolves who showed up and saved me."

Xie Mingxu had heard bits and pieces of Shen Ningning’s story before. He was deeply moved; though young, she was remarkably resilient.

Suddenly, Shen Ningning cried out in delight, "There’s fruit!"

She ran to the base of a large tree. Xie Mingxu looked up and saw reddish-green persimmons hanging from its branches.

The little one couldn’t reach, so he reached up and picked one for her.

To his surprise, Shen Ningning just wiped it on her clothes before handing it to him with a beaming smile. "Brother Xie, you eat it!"

Xie Mingxu paused for a moment, then took it and had a bite. The persimmon was only half-ripe, its flavor a mix of sweet and sour.

"Is it good?" Shen Ningning asked.

Xie Mingxu nodded honestly. "It’s quite good."

But he wasn’t just praising the persimmon in his hand; he was praising the entire environment of Wolf Mountain.

Xie Mingxu had been observing his surroundings carefully ever since they entered the mountain.

The great drought had only just ended, and most places were only now beginning to recover.

But Wolf Mountain looked as if it hadn’t been affected at all.

Not only were the trees tall and verdant, but wildflowers were even blooming in profusion among the tufts of wild grass.

Lush green shrubs were everywhere, and though they had only been walking for a short time, he had already spotted two small streams.

As they had passed one, Xie Mingxu had even seen a doe drinking from the bank with her fawn.

Squirrels could be seen scampering through the trees at every turn.

This wasn’t just a mountain; it was Shen Ningning’s personal paradise.

Xie Mingxu made a decision.

He stopped walking and said to Shen Ningning ahead of him, "We don’t need to go to your home."