The door swung wide open. Ye Haoxuan lowered his head to look at the little loli and asked with a smile, "Little girl, are your parents at home? I have something to discuss with them."
"Wowsers!" The little girl didnât even know if sheâd heard what he said; she just stared at Ye Haoxuanâs face, stars shooting from her eyes. "Waoh, so handsome!"
Her two little hands were propping up her chin, making it hard not to laugh.
"Little sister, are your parents at home?"
The little girl finally reacted. "What do you want with my parents? Donât tell me youâre here to propose to me?"
"..."
"Pfft..."
Li Luru couldnât hold it in and burst out laughing, and San and the others behind her were shaking their shoulders.
"Little sister, Iâve got something to ask your parents."
"Oh..." The little girl gave him a slightly disappointed look before shouting inside, "Dad, Mom, someoneâs here for you!"
After shouting, she looked back at Ye Haoxuan with starry eyes. "Pretty big brother, come in."
"Many thanks!"
"No need to thank me," the little girl said shyly.
Li Luru followed him in and sighed inwardly. When you look good, you can charm them all, young and old.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, the little girlâs parents came out. When they saw Li Luru as well, they immediately understood why these people had come.
They hurriedly said, "The people have already left. You came too late."
"There really were people here just now?" Li Luru asked urgently.
"Yeah!" the little girlâs father said. "Two days ago, a few young ladies suddenly barged into my house, tossed down some silver, and stayed here, right up until you came looking for them. When you showed up, one of them was in the back holding a knife to me, so I didnât dare say anything. But once you left, those girls left too."
The little girlâs mother asked, "Miss, are those your enemies? Weâre just ordinary folk; we donât know anything."
Li Luru quickly waved her hands. "Theyâre not enemies; weâre looking for someone. Auntie, may I ask, among them was there a woman around forty years old?"
The little girlâs mother thought for a moment, then shook her head with certainty. "No. They were all young girls about your age."
"I see." So it wasnât Master.
But it was strangeâif it wasnât Master, why would Xiaobai stop there?
After leaving the little girlâs house, Li Luru kept frowning, turning this question over in her mind.
That night, a subordinate dressed all in black appeared in Ye Haoxuanâs room.
"Well? Have you found out anything?"
"Those girls seem to have headed toward Capital City," the subordinate reported. "As for their background, we havenât figured that out yet."
"And there really wasnât an older woman among them?"
"None!"
"Got it. You may go."
As it turned out, after leaving the little girlâs house, Ye Haoxuan had already sent people to pursue and investigate those girls.
But he hadnât told Li Luru any of this.
Around midnight, Si came in again to report on the search for Ye Rongyue. The results were the same, so Ye Haoxuan sent Si away as well.
They didnât stay long in Liyang County; early the next morning they set off in the carriage.
But after they had gone only a few dozen li out of the county, a fierce wind suddenly kicked up, and before long a torrential rain poured down. If Ye Haoxuanâs carriage hadnât been a large one drawn by two horses, it probably would have been blown over.
"Master, what should we do? Do we head back to Liyang County, or keep going?"
"Letâs go back," Li Luru shouted. "In a storm like this, Xiaobai canât fly over either."
"All right, turn around!"
"Ai..."
Strangely enough, by the time they made it back to Liyang County, the rain had already stopped.