Qin Yao felt she might have been infected with the brain damage syndrome by a couple of people, so she stuck that Heart Clearing Talisman on the bedroom door.

But don’t say anything, really don’t say anything!

This Taoist mysterious red talisman truly looks quite mysterious.

Suddenly, the entire house felt impervious to ghosts and evil!

Ah Wang floated over quietly, "Madam, I have something to report."

The sudden voice almost made Qin Yao throw a punch.

Feigning calmness, she turned her head, "What’s the matter?"

Ah Wang pointed to the dark woods at the backyard’s foot and swiftly flew out.

Qin Yao raised an eyebrow suspiciously and stepped forward to follow.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, under the faint moonlight, Ah Wang stood on the tree top, observing the surroundings while whispering to Qin Yao below:

"Ever since you and the master returned, I’ve felt someone watching from the shadows."

"At first, I thought I was overthinking, but yesterday when I escorted the master to the county government, I felt that gaze again upon leaving the village. After returning today, I specifically went to fetch water by the river and indeed found two unfamiliar faces."

Qin Yao frowned slightly, "There have been many people building houses lately, and many new workers coming from outside. Could they be new workers?"

Ah Wang shook his head confidently, "No!"

Having undergone professional training, recognizing faces is a mandatory skill for a Death Warrior; he never forgets someone he’s seen.

And those two did not come in with the construction crew.

Moreover, the footsteps of typical workers aren’t that light, nor would they purposely appear by the river and constantly watch the happenings in their courtyard.

Initially, Ah Wang thought they were targeting him.

But after confirming again this evening, he found their focus was Madam and the master, not him.

Those two didn’t even realize he possessed martial skills.

"Madam, did anything happen on the way back from the Prefecture?" Ah Wang ventured.

In fact, yesterday and today he heard some news on the road, regarding the Imperial Censor and the bandit heads.

Combined with some casual words spoken by the master on the way to the Daoist Temple today, he roughly guessed the situation.

Qin Yao was a bit startled inwardly; if not for Ah Wang’s reminder, she wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual.

"We did encounter some trouble on the way back."

Qin Yao recounted the incident of escorting Imperial Censor Wang Jin and killing thirty assassins in one go to Ah Wang.

Thinking about it from another perspective, if she had well-trained assassins wiped out, she would likely pursue this matter too.

Qin Yao spoke in a deep voice, "We might...have offended some factions."

As she said this, a spark of anger arose within Qin Yao; Wang Jin had assured her this wouldn’t cause trouble, and yet this happened?

Ah Wang understood the cause and relaxed a bit instead.

According to their Death Warriors’ standards, this kind of trouble is resolved through killing.

Thus, Ah Wang said, "Madam, I’ll go kill those two scouts."

Qin Yao shook her head, "That’s just a temporary measure and doesn’t fundamentally solve the problem. If we provoke them, it might bring trouble to the village."

"The urgent matter is to find out their purpose: why send scouts over? What do they want to know? What do they intend to do?"

But how to figure out their purposes?

Capture and interrogate the two scouts?

No!

Doing so would expose their awareness of the scouts, making them more passive.

Ah Wang: "Perhaps we should just kill them."

He could guarantee to kill them quietly, ensuring their superiors couldn’t even find their corpses.

Qin Yao rolled her eyes at Ah Wang, "Don’t be rash when encountering problems; sometimes we need to try thinking things through."

Raising a hand to signal Ah Wang not to speak, she wanted some quiet to think.

Three seconds later.

Think what? It’s useless!

Qin Yao angrily said through gritted teeth, "Whoever caused the trouble will fix it!"

Ah Wang stalled for a split second, wasn’t there talk about thinking it through?

Qin Yao beckoned him to come down; don’t stay perched on the tree — mastering Qinggong isn’t that amazing. Doesn’t he know looking upward when speaking is tiring on the neck?

Besides, she hadn’t anticipated their fast moves, which made her inattentive.

Now aware of the scouts around, she could detect their presence immediately with her senses, eliminating the need for Ah Wang to watch from the tree.

Ah Wang uttered an "oh" and lightly jumped off, his footsteps softer than a cat’s, leaving just a barely audible rustling sound.

Qin Yao instructed, "You go pack your luggage later and head to Yingtian Prefecture with Liu Ji."

Even though their main target might be her, she couldn’t ensure they wouldn’t target Liu Ji as well.

Qin Yao wouldn’t want her investment to be wasted just as it started paying off, without reaping the significant benefits.

Ah Wang hesitated at first to agree, furrowing his brows slightly in displeasure.

He voiced his concerns, "What about the cattle and chickens at home? I’ve just planted some cucumbers; the watermelons in the field have started to form small fruits too. With this hot weather, the fields need watching; too much or too little water will ruin the crops..."

Qin Yao didn’t realize Ah Wang could be so long-winded, she was quite taken aback.

But she soon regained composure and silenced him with a firm punch.

Unable to dodge, Ah Wang received the iron punch solidly, flying back over ten meters, leaving a long mark on the sandy ground before stabilizing against a large rock.

Seeing Qin Yao strolling calmly from the mountain base, Ah Wang gritted his teeth — this troublesome lethal force!

She continued advising, "Keep an eye on Liu Ji; don’t let him mix with those idle youngsters, ruining his character."

If not for the fear of another punch, Ah Wang really wanted to say: with the master’s character, how could others lead him astray; it’s enough he doesn’t corrupt them!

Unfortunately, he didn’t dare argue back, or he wouldn’t be able to go home, leaving no one to care for the vegetable seedlings turning yellow or rotten...

"Are you listening to me?" Qin Yao narrowed her eyes dangerously, coldly questioning.

Ah Wang respectfully bowed, "Madam, rest assured, I’ll protect the master thoroughly and ensure he doesn’t corrupt others!"

"No, he absolutely won’t let others corrupt the master," Ah Wang corrected seriously.

Qin Yao chuckled, "You’ve got quite a sense of humor."

"Get ready; I’ll take care of things here, your seedlings won’t turn rotten or yellow."

Ah Wang heard this but wasn’t very convinced inwardly; however, since Madam said so, his seedlings could probably endure till his return, right?

With deep worry and reluctance, Ah Wang went to pack his things.

Standing in the backyard, enjoying the refreshing mountain breeze, Qin Yao’s gaze suddenly turned unusually cold.

If Wang Jin broke his word, she wouldn’t hesitate to twist his head off and give it to others in exchange for peace!