The Female Assistant of Wei Yuyan Shuangfei

The bandit leader was executed, and all his accomplices were also captured. Together with the ones killed by Li Shixian before, according to their confessions, there were a total of twelve or sixteen people, not one less.

Among them, only seventeen people were left alive in the courtyard. Xie Tingwen waved his hand, shackled all the prisoners, and took them back to the county town.

Another twenty or thirty yamen runners followed, carrying dozens of boxes, and the remaining yamen runners protected the rescued children.

At this moment, the girl came back to her senses in a daze. Looking at the manor getting farther and farther away, the fear in her heart finally dissipated.

She ignored the uniformity of the team and quickly ran forward, holding Haodi's hand. It was not until the team became chaotic that the people in front noticed something was wrong.

The moment Xie Shuting turned around, her thighs were instantly hugged by a pair of dirty hands.

Seeing this scene, everyone couldn't help but sigh and said, "How pitiful."

The girl stared at Xie Shuting with her bright eyes wide open, fearing that if she let go she would wake up from her dream.

Lian Xi seemed to have returned to the past. He ignored the filth on the girl's body and gently took her into his arms and said, "Don't be afraid! We are all here, and the young lady is already here."

In the end, the girl couldn't suppress the grief in her heart. From the time she was arrested to the time Haodi was tortured, she had never shed a tear, but at this moment she really couldn't suppress it.

As the sobbing sound came out, a desolate feeling came over the wilderness. The girl seemed to have opened the door, and the children cried without any scruples.

"Hey!~"

Xie Shuting sighed, patted the girl on the shoulder and said, "It's all in the past, forget about it!"

Hearing this, the girl raised her eyes and looked at Xie Shuting who was slightly bowing. With the moonlight shining, her whole body was covered with a layer of holy moonlight.

Her thoughts inadvertently returned to the time before the incense stick burned.

“Squeak!~”

The cellar door opened instantly, touching the hearts of everyone in the cellar.

The children opened their eyes drowsily, and with the moonlight shining on them, they could vaguely see the person standing at the door of the cellar. They suddenly realized it was the fairy Ling Chen.

Xie Shuting took a quick glance in the moonlight, and her face looked as if she had fallen into an icy cave. She took the torch handed to her by the yamen runner and walked slowly into the cellar.

Under the firelight, Xie Shuting's face was now clearer. The girl's heart was pounding as she looked the person up and down.

The woman in front of me had bright eyes, white teeth, a clear and moving look, and a green dress fluttering in the wind, like a banished fairy descending to earth.

"You are all safe."

The woman's voice was like the sound of nature, ringing in everyone's ears: "Follow me."

The children hesitated for a moment, but finally stood up and followed the woman out of the cellar.

Outside stood a crowd of yamen runners in uniform. With the illumination of countless torches, everything in the manor appeared before the children.

Taking the children's emotions into consideration, Xie Tingwen arranged for people to lock all the prisoners outside the yard early, for fear that the children would be frightened again by accident.

Xie Shuting squatted down, smoothed the hair around the ears of the girl who came out first, and asked, "What's your name?"

The girl looked tense. She held Haodi's hand tightly and dared not speak.

Xie Shuting also noticed the other party's abnormality and soothed him softly, "Don't worry. We are from the government and we are here to rescue you."

The girl remained silent until a child next to her started whining and the girl's tense heartstrings relaxed a little.

When Xie Shuting heard the whimpering sound from the child's mouth, her heart tightened, and a trace of pity appeared on her face as she said, "It's all my fault that I found out too late, and you have suffered."

Seeing the sadness in Xie Shuting's eyes, the girl also spoke up, "Thank you."

There were only two words, but Xie Shuting was unusually happy. She waved away the sadness in her heart, stroked the girl's cheek and said, "What's your name?"

"My name is Zhao Fangyu, and this is my younger brother Zhao Fanghao." The girl said expressionlessly.

Xie Shuting's heart tightened when he heard this. Just as he was wondering where he had heard this name before, Xie Tingwen slowly walked towards him.

"I am Xie Tingwen, the magistrate of Laigu County, and this is my daughter Xie Shuting."

Xie Tingwen's tone softened as he spoke: "Shu Ting! Let's go back to the city first. If they stay in the cold night for too long, I'm afraid they won't be able to bear it."

"Father is right."

Xie Shuting nodded, glanced at the children and said, "Take out all the blankets that can keep out the cold in the room. We will go back to the city first."

The yamen runners worked quickly, and they finished the work in just half a cup of tea. They draped the quilts in the room over the children, and hugged them like dumplings.

Xie Shuting tucked in the corners of the quilt for Zhao Fangyu and Zhao Fanghao, and then followed Xie Tingwen to the front, while the yamen runners protected them on both sides and led everyone back to Laigu County in a mighty manner.

Seeing that the team was blocked, Xie Shuting was quite helpless and took Zhao Fangyu's hand, saying softly: "Can I hold your hand?"

Zhao Fangyu nodded repeatedly. She felt that only by staying with Xie Shuting would she feel safe and would not wake up from this dream.

The group walked for another half a quarter of an hour and finally stopped in the grove ahead.

The guard who had stayed behind hurried forward and leaned over to say, "Sir! I have already checked everything out. There are eight bodies of girls in the woods."

Xie Tingwen suppressed the anger in his heart, glanced at the bound criminal, suppressed the anger in his eyes and said softly: "Find some trees in the woods to make a few stretchers and carry them back to the city."

Upon hearing this, the yamen runners immediately rushed into the grove and began to make simple stretchers. Fortunately, there was strength in numbers, and after just one stick of incense, the eight bodies were lying steadily on the stretchers.

Xie Tingwen straightened his mind and walked slowly forward, saying loudly to the eight corpses: "I am late, but I will definitely seek justice for you."

The children were a little frightened when they saw eight corpses, but when they heard Xie Tingwen's powerful words, the righteousness of the official instantly dispelled the darkness in their hearts.

Xie Shuting also noticed that the pair of small hands she was holding were particularly nervous, so she gently touched Zhao Fangyu's head and said softly, "Don't worry, everything will be over."

It’s no wonder that Xie Shuting was so worried. It was just that it took Lian Xi more than a year to come out of the shadow, and Lian Xi was still young and couldn’t remember anything at that time.

Looking at the more than 30 children, the only older one is Zhao Fangyu. If Xie Shuting does not give her proper guidance, this memory may accompany her for the rest of her life.

After a simple memorial ceremony, Xie Tingwen led everyone back slowly. Several other yamen runners had already left the team and quickly returned to the city to prepare.

The eight bodies were carried like this at night without any harm, but if they were carried into the city openly, it would probably cause considerable panic.

Xie Shuting glanced at the prisoner behind her, frowned, and leaned over to Cao Zhen. She just whispered a few words in Cao Zhen's ear, but Cao Zhen's expression changed again and again.

"Miss! This..."

Before Cao Zhen could finish his words, Xie Shuting stopped him with a look and said, "Don't let others know. The smaller the area, the better. Go!"

"Yes!" Cao Zhen replied in a low voice.

He deliberately slowed down his pace until he was at the back of the team. He gave a few instructions to the runners carrying the corpse, and then there was nothing else.