Chapter 75: Staying Calm in the Face of Danger

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The atmosphere in the court dropped to freezing point.

The General of the Qianniu Guard gripped the hilt of the long blade at his waist, veins bulging on the back of his hand. This book is first published at Tiantiankan Novel Library, 𝔱𝔱𝔨𝔰. 𝔱𝔴 your choice, offering you a flawless-chapter, no-out-of-order reading experience

He stared at the kindly-faced woman on the Sky Screen, fury blazing in his eyes, wishing he could draw his blade and slash the Sky Screen open, chopping the woman into mincemeat.

Most child-kidnappers in the Great Tang are a club in a dark alley, or a blow in the dead of night.

The methods are despicable, but easy to guard against.

Just send more guards, and keep doors unlocked at night.

But this trafficker from the later age on the Sky Screen, in broad daylight, wears the most ordinary of skins.

No snatching, no brute force.

She exploits the names of familiar people, exploits a child's instinctive worry about the safety of their kin.

No blade is seen, yet every word cuts the heart.

This kind of deception that exploits flaws in human psychology is like a venomous snake flicking its tongue—impossible to guard against.

"Vile scoundrel!" Li Shimin slammed his fist heavily onto the pure-gold carved armrest of the dragon throne.

The emperor's heart clenched tight.

Psychological manipulation at this level could easily ensnare even an adult, let alone a little girl under six.

Fengtian Hall of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes.

The temperature inside the great hall seemed to plunge instantly into the dead of winter.

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was like ice shards, "Fine moves."

"Feigning kindness, borrowing a name, unsettling the heart—all in one breath."

"If such a thief fell under Ming law, I would flay her alive and stuff the skin with straw!"

The Commander of the Brocaded Guard knelt outside the hall.

He had spent half his life working the Imperial Prison, yet even he felt his heart chill at this kind of deception with such acute counter-surveillance awareness.

This would require an extremely tight organization and long-term experience in the trade.

……

The modern age, a bench at Yuleyuan.

Seeing that Xiao Sizi said nothing, the woman sighed.

She unzipped the eco-friendly cloth bag and pushed aside the scallions and radish inside.

From the very bottom she fished out an unopened bottle of mineral water.

"Come on, child." The woman held the mineral water out, her tone growing more urgent, even carrying a hint of an elder's reproach, "Your brother's still bleeding over there, we need to get to the medical room to bandage him."

"Auntie will hold your hand as we walk."

She extended her right hand.

The palm was covered in yellow calluses built up from years of farm work.

Not a single violent motion of dragging or pulling.

Every bit of body language and micro-expression was sending out signals of safety, familiarity, and urgency to the outside world.

Occasionally tourists with families in tow passed by, glancing at the bench.

In the eyes of bystanders, this was nothing more than the most ordinary scene imaginable.

A warm-hearted granny, anxiously coaxing her own tantrum-throwing granddaughter.

No one would stop to meddle.

Xiao Sizi, sitting on the bench, lowered her head.

Her gaze fell on that outstretched, callused hand.

It was indeed a pair of hands long accustomed to rough work.

This getup was enough to fool the vast majority of unguarded city children.

But it could not fool Xiao Sizi.

In Taiji Palace of the Great Tang, the one thing never in short supply was smiles that hid daggers.

Those palace servants bearing poisoned wine or white silk always wore the most deferential, most gentle smiles on their faces.

The disguise of the woman before her was, in the eyes of the Great Tang's senior princess who had seen her fill of imperial power struggles, far too clumsy.

Brother Lin Xuan had told her not to talk to strangers, and on top of that the woman before her was riddled with suspicious points.

This world is so vast,

and most importantly, Brother Lin Xuan had been staying with Xiao Sizi all this time.

The two had been inseparable.

The woman was Lin Xuan's former colleague—he had never even met her, so how could she possibly know Xiao Sizi?

At the same time Xiao Sizi also realized that panic would only provoke the other party, driving her to resort to violent abduction.

Xiao Sizi pressed her right heel against the iron frame beneath the bench and shifted her body back half an inch.

Putting a safe distance between them.

"Auntie." Xiao Sizi looked up.

She controlled the muscles of her face, and a layer of moisture welled up in her eyes.

Her voice took on the trembling and anxious tone unique to a child.

"Is brother hurt badly? Are any of his bones broken?"

The picture of a child completely drawn into the other party's script, worried for her family.

The woman's heart leaped with joy.

This "Familiar Injury Method," which had worked a hundred times out of a hundred, took effect once again.

"It's heavy. The bone is sticking out, and it's been bleeding nonstop."

"Your brother asked me to take you to the infirmary to find him right away."

The woman withdrew her hand, pretended to wipe a tear from her eye, and leaned in closer once more.

"Come on, Auntie will hold your hand. If you're late, your brother won't be able to bear the pain."

In those few seconds while the woman spoke and let her guard down.

Xiao Sizi's left hand slipped behind her back along the fabric of her skirt.

Her right hand fumbled behind her back.

Her fingertip touched the pink rubber strap of the watch on her left wrist.

She slid rightward along the smooth glass face until her finger brushed the raised red physical button.

Lin Xuan had instructed her: three seconds.

Xiao Sizi's right thumb pressed the button down hard.

She held it down, refusing to let go.

She counted silently in her mind.

One.

The woman picked up the eco-bag from the ground, preparing to grab Xiao Sizi's arm.

Two.

Xiao Sizi sniffled, pretended to lose her balance, took a small step backward, and dodged the woman's fingers.

Three.

In front of the cold drink cart fifty meters away.

Lin Xuan held up his Mobile Phone, the screen displaying a payment QR code. The cashier's scanner was just about to press down.

Lin Xuan's Mobile Phone screen instantly turned a blinding blood red.

This sound drowned out the surrounding speakers and chatter, piercing the eardrums of the tourists in line.

Lin Xuan's scalp tingled with shock.

A huge red box popped up in the center of the screen: 【SOS EMERGENCY DISTRESS! COORDINATE SYNCHRONIZING!】

Below it was a miniature map of the Yuleyuan, with a red dot flashing wildly on the map.

Lin Xuan didn't hesitate for half a second.

He directly smashed the two cups of iced water he had just bought onto the ground; the plastic cups burst, and the iced water splashed everywhere.

He shoved past the stunned passerby in front of him, turned around, and sprinted against the flow of the crowd.

At the same time.

In the Yuleyuan Zhongkongshi.

Amidst a cluster of liquid crystal surveillance screens that covered an entire wall, the main Personal Computer emitted an urgent "beep-beep" sound.

The on-duty security guard snatched the microphone from the desk.

"Received a one-button alarm location!"

"Coordinate, Bench Number Twelve on the main road of A-qu!"

He gripped the Mouse and quickly boxed in the coordinate area.

In the center of the large screen, the feeds from the three high-definition cameras at Bench Number Twelve were instantly magnified and locked.

The alarm signal had already been sent.

Xiao Sizi stopped pretending.

Seeing Xiao Sizi retreat again and again, refusing to extend her hand.

Her peripheral vision caught sight of commotion appearing in the crowd in the distance.

In the direction of the line, a tall figure was pushing through the crowd and sprinting toward them.

A hurried low growl came through the tiny earpiece from her accomplice: "We've been spotted! The target is tough; grab her by force!"

The woman's expression changed abruptly.

The feigned kindness tore apart instantly, revealing the sinister ruthlessness of someone who had long skated on the edge of crime.

She dropped the eco-bag.

She spread her arms, curled her ten fingers into claws, and lunged fiercely at Xiao Sizi.

Attempting to directly cover her mouth and clamp her under her arm.

Xiao Sizi had been prepared; her body crouched down as low as possible.

Using her height advantage of less than one meter and ten centimeters, she slipped out through the empty space under the woman's armpit as the woman lunged.

Breaking free from the grip.

According to common sense, when children encounter danger, they often instinctively hide in a corner or shrink backward.

But Xiao Sizi did not.

The education of the Great Tang Imperial Family and Lin Xuan's legal knowledge lessons over these past few months came into play at this moment.

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