The little heroine investigates a mysterious case

Chapter 317 Sworn Brotherhood or Wedding Ceremony

Gu Zhanghua grabbed Hao Xiong's arm with great force, his expression urgent.

"Hao Xiong, are you telling the truth?"

Hao Xiong grinned.

“It’s absolutely true! Although I can’t get close to the military camp, I can see a lot of soldiers from a distance! And the people in the border town are all saying in private that war is coming, and they are all very worried!”

"No, I must go to the palace immediately."

Gu Zhanghua released Hao Xiong and walked towards the door. Shi Shu, who had become increasingly silent, followed closely behind.

"What can't wait until after dinner?"

Zhao Xuan called out to Gu Zhanghua, but Gu Zhanghua simply waved back and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Hao Xiong craned his neck to look in the direction the two had left, then turned to Zhao Xuan with a puzzled expression.

"Sister, Shishu doesn't seem right. She used to be a very lively and cheerful person, but suddenly she's become mute?"

Zhao Xuan put her arm around Hao Xiong's shoulder and walked towards the table.

"You noticed too? I wonder why you two had a falling out!"

"Haha," Hao Xiong chuckled dryly, "Love makes people stupid."

Little Fairy Doctor had already set the food on the table.

"Xuan'er, eat it while it's hot, and I'll show you something good after you finish!"

"What good stuff?"

Just as Little Fairy Doctor was about to answer, Qin Tietie strode in.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! I've finished today's work! Have Master Huang check it out, and then..."

Qin Tietie was speaking when he suddenly saw Hao Xiong standing next to Zhao Xuan. His voice stopped abruptly, his eyes widened in surprise, his eyebrows twitched, and he leaped forward.

Hao Xiong also saw Qin Tietie, and with a look of disbelief, he suddenly took two steps back.

Qin Tietie missed his target.

"Brother Xiong! Don't you recognize me?"

The little girl's shyness and immense disappointment were on full display, and even the burly Qin Tietie was almost in tears.

Hao Xiong finally came to his senses.

"Qin Tietie?!"

"It's me! It's me! It's definitely me! You've made me search so hard for you!"

"No, you, this..."

Hao Xiong looked Qin Tietie up and down. He was dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt, with an apron around his neck, sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, and a red, oily face. He was smiling at him with a mournful, infatuated expression.

Hao Xiong even stuttered a little when he spoke.

"You, have you come all the way to Xia Kingdom to forge iron? Are you here to exchange experiences?"

"No... I ran away from my wedding..."

Qin Tietie spread her arms and hugged Hao Xiong, bursting into tears.

Hao Xiong's body trembled, but even after three tremors, he couldn't shake Qin Tietie away!

Zhao Xuan and Little Fairy Doctor stood aside with their arms crossed, watching the show with glee.

"You tell me, these two brothers are so good together, why don't we just have Hao Xiong recognize Miss Qin as his sister!"

Zhao Xuan tilted her head and spoke to Little Fairy Doctor.

"She ran away from her arranged marriage and came to find Hao Xiong. I think it would be better to let Hao Xiong marry Miss Qin. It would be the best of both worlds."

Little Fairy Doctor spoke with a calm expression, saying the most gossipy things.

Zhao Xuan glanced at the two people who had separated and were sitting on chairs whispering to each other not far away, and grinned.

"You're right, they really are a perfect match!"

Over here, Hao Xiong finally managed to coax Qin Tietie and heard the whole story of how she ran away from her arranged marriage. He kept clicking his tongue, looking very troubled.

"You ran away from the wedding without saying a word, and so far away at that. Aren't you afraid your parents will worry?"

"Before I left, I left them a letter, telling them that I had come to Xia Kingdom to find you."

"you you you……"

Is this considered running away from a marriage? This would likely be mistaken for elopement, okay? Qin Tietie's parents would beat him to death if they saw him; he's definitely the culprit!

Hao Xiong's romantic luck came too fast and too fiercely, leaving him at a loss. He scratched his head and looked at Qin Tietie, who was wiping away tears, before turning to Zhao Xuan and Little Fairy Doctor with a pleading look.

Zhao Xuan and Little Fairy Doctor sat down at the dining table at the same time, burying their heads in their food as if they hadn't seen each other.

Hao Xiong turned around in disappointment, racking his brains to choose his words carefully, so as not to hurt Qin Tietie's innocent girl heart.

"Tie Tie, how about this? You've been out for quite a while now. I'll take you home first thing tomorrow morning, okay?"

"I'm not going back!" Qin Tietie said firmly. "I like it here; I can make a lot of money here!"

So she's a money-grubbing girl? Fine, as long as she doesn't focus on herself, Hao Xiong decided to go all out.

"How about I pay you a month's wages for free, take you home, and cover all your travel, food, and accommodation expenses? What do you say?"

Qin Tietie looked at Hao Xiong, and a thin layer of mist in her eyes gradually gathered into droplets that dripped down.

"Are you in such a hurry to get rid of me? Do you hate me that much? You were the one who told me to come visit you when I had time, and you even drew me a map!"

Qin Tietie's face instantly streaked with tears.

Zhao Xuan and Little Fairy Doctor silently raised their heads and looked at Hao Xiong at the same time, their eyes filled with accusation. Scumbag!!!

Hao Xiong shuddered. He had two fierce older sisters at home, and Hao Xiong knew he couldn't afford to mess with them!

“You’re right. I genuinely considered you a good friend and sincerely invited you, but I was worried about your parents.”

Qin Tietie suddenly wiped away her tears, her eyes shining as she looked at Hao Xiong.

"If they're worried about me, they'll come looking for me. Then you can take the three of us out for a stroll, wouldn't that be nice?"

Zhao Xuan and Little Fairy Doctor exchanged a glance. This girl is really a simpleton, so heartless!

Hearing Qin Tietie say this, Hao Xiong felt even more pressured into marriage.

"Tie Tie, listen to me..."

"How about this!" Qin Tietie grinned. "If you feel it's not proper to bring the whole family of three along, then we can..."

Qin Tietie pressed the tips of his two index fingers together and grinned at Hao Xiong.

Hao Xiong's heart jumped into his throat, just as he heard Qin Tietie continue speaking.

"We can become sworn siblings!"

Zhao Xuan and Little Fairy Doctor, who had been listening intently to the gossip, suddenly lost interest. What was going on? Wouldn't it be better to become husband and wife? Why did they have to become sworn siblings?

Hao Xiong took a deep breath. Becoming sworn siblings? Not impossible…

Suddenly, Hao Xiong thought of something, and his face changed color drastically.

"Can't!"

"Why? Are you younger than me? You don't look younger. But if you are younger than me, we can become sworn siblings."

Qin Tietie was puzzled. Looking at Hao Xiong's baby face, she took a step back and said...

"younger sister……"

This word is a taboo in Hao Xiong's mind.

He watched helplessly as his younger sister starved to death on the road of fleeing famine. Later, he rescued a wounded girl named Xiangcao from the clutches of the King of Hell, adopted her as his sister, and she eventually contracted sepsis and died in front of him.

There's also Tian Shiliu, which is even more complicated!

If Tian Shiliu hadn't been delirious with a high fever, murmuring "brother," how could he have disregarded everything and brought her back to Jiaoyang Valley, only to cause such a huge mess?

He was destined to never have a sister in this lifetime.

All of them are painful memories.

He didn't want Qin Tietie to be his sister.

"Being my sister will never end well..."

Hao Xiong looked bitter and lowered his head, speaking in a low voice.

"What did you say?"

Qin Tietie didn't understand, but Zhao Xuan and Xiao Yixian, who were sitting next to her, heard it clearly and understood Hao Xiong's thoughts perfectly.

Zhao Xuan slammed her hand on the table, causing the bowls and chopsticks to bounce twice.

"What sworn brotherhood? How boring! Hao Xiong, I think you two should just get married and consummate your marriage. That way, it won't be in vain that Miss Qin traveled all the way to Xia Kingdom to find you!"

Hao Xiong shuddered; his sister really knew how to play matchmaker!

"I do not want to!"

Qin Tietie stood up abruptly, his face full of rejection.