"Xiaobai, the success depends on you," said the master.
Xiaobai seemed to understand the master's words and responded with a soft call.
Fifth Elder Brother and Sixth Elder Brother didn't understand Ninth Younger Brother's actions. They didn't believe that Xiaobai's response was merely a single call.
They were even more skeptical that Xiaobai, who was originally Mr. Si Meng's beloved pet, could become Ninth Younger Brother's companion just by being tamed by Fan Tuan.
After all, Xiaobai had spent more time with Mr. Si Meng, and if they were to meet the original owner, there was a possibility that Xiaobai would recognize him as the master again.
Mo Jiuye was unaware of the concerns in the minds of his two older brothers. At this moment, he was calculating the time.
They had rushed from the northwest to the capital city, using fast horses and pushing themselves for half a month.
If those two men from the southern border successfully arrived in the northwest and found Xiaobai, they would undoubtedly make their way back to the capital city at the fastest speed.
Of course, Mo Jiuye was calculating for the shortest possible time.
Even if those two men from the southern border reached the northwest, it was unlikely that they would immediately find Xiaobai. Therefore, he planned to delay the time a little further so as not to arouse suspicion.
"Fifth Elder Brother, Sixth Elder Brother, let's temporarily suspend our actions these few days. We'll find a place to settle down and observe the situation at the Ninth Prince's residence."
Sixth Elder Brother obviously didn't consider as much as Mo Jiuye did.
"Ninth Younger Brother, since we've already found a clue, why don't we go to the Ninth Prince's residence to search for the person?"
Mo Jiuye explained his calculations to his two older brothers, and Fifth Elder Brother agreed, "Ninth Younger Brother makes sense. We finally have a lead, so we mustn't act rashly."
In the end, the three brothers decided to hide temporarily in the courtyard of those two men from the southern border.
After all, they were already dead and would never be able to return. It was much safer than exposing themselves by going to inns or renting houses.
Of course, they also had to be cautious of Mr. Si Meng's spies discovering their location, so they would minimize going out or engaging in other activities.
Mo Jiuye and his brothers had handsome features and were tall and robust, making them very conspicuous in a crowd.
Moreover, many people in the capital city recognized them, so it was necessary for them to keep a low profile.
Of course, they could send someone out to buy some food ingredients.
When Mo Jiuye left home, He Zhiran had prepared some makeup tools for him. Although his skills were not proficient enough to completely change a person's appearance, he could still manage a simple disguise.
The three brothers didn't use the main entrance but instead used light footwork to leap over the walls into the courtyard.
Under the moonlight, they could see that the courtyard was not large but very tidy. In the center, there was a water well, and in front of the main entrance, there were two main rooms.
There were smaller rooms on the east and west sides, one empty and the other a kitchen.
Fifth Elder Brother and Sixth Elder Brother simultaneously pushed open the doors of the two main rooms. The layout of the rooms was basically the same, with a bed facing the door, a round table in the center, and wardrobes on either side.
Because they were afraid of being discovered, the three brothers didn't plan to light the oil lamps. Instead, they relied on the moonlight to feel their way in.
After making sure there was no danger, Fifth Elder Brother spoke, "Ninth Younger Brother, you can have one room to yourself, and Sixth Brother and I will stay here."
"Okay."
After days of traveling, Mo Jiuye was indeed tired. He responded and each of the brothers went to rest.
Mo Jiuye lay in bed, unable to fall asleep immediately. He was carefully considering the matter of investigating the Ninth Prince's mansion.
According to the confessions of the people from South Jiang, they had not encountered Mr. Si Meng, which means they were not familiar with his appearance.
However, since Mr. Si Meng arranged for two people to do things in secret, it was inevitable that he would observe them closely. Therefore, there was a high possibility that Mr. Si Meng knew what these two individuals looked like.
If that was the case, even if they sent Little White to the Ninth Prince's mansion, their identities would likely be exposed.
Even if he tried to disguise himself, the physique of him and his brothers was completely different from those two people from South Jiang.
Since that was the situation, there was no need for them to conceal their identities.
If someone from the Ninth Prince's mansion came to take Little White, they could seize the opportunity to sneak into the mansion. If it happened to be Mr. Si Meng himself who came to retrieve Little White, they would do whatever it takes to capture him on the spot.
Of course, they also needed to be cautious of the power of the Ninth Prince's mansion. If the Ninth Prince could collude with Mr. Si Meng, it must not be as simple as it seemed on the surface.
However, there was also the possibility that the Ninth Prince, like Nan Rui, had some leverage that Mr. Si Meng held, which made him willingly cooperate.
Regardless, these were all matters concerning the court of the Dashun Dynasty, and as long as it didn't harm the interests of the people and the Mo family, Mo Jiuye wouldn't care about the struggles between those in power.
Perhaps it was due to not having a good rest for a long time, Mo Jiuye's mind became more and more chaotic as he thought, and he gradually fell asleep without realizing it.
Mo Jiuye was always a light sleeper, so when a faint light seeped in through the window paper, he sensed the slight sound of footsteps.
He sat up abruptly and asked in a deep voice, "Who's there?"
As he spoke, Mo Jiuye quickly pushed open the door.
"Ninth Brother, it's me."
"Fifth Elder Brother, why are you up so early?"
Fifth Elder Brother raised the bucket in his hand.
"I couldn't sleep, so I got up to fetch water and cook. I saw that there's still some food in the kitchen, so let's have a simple meal."
Mo Jiuye had originally wanted to sleep a little longer, but seeing that Fifth Elder Brother had already woken up, he dismissed that thought and helped prepare breakfast together.
In the Mo family, Mo Jiuye was the youngest son, and his older brothers always took great care of him, never letting him do any work.
Fifth Elder Brother was still accustomed to this.
"Ninth Brother, you don't need to bother. I can handle it alone."
It wasn't that he looked down on Mo Jiuye, but now that Mo Jiuye was married, it was fine for him to take care of some external matters. As for these household chores, he was afraid that Mo Jiuye would only become busier the more he helped.
Mo Jiuye didn't know Fifth Elder Brother's thoughts. Instead of obediently going back to rest, he entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
There was quite a bit of food stored in the kitchen, but the few large cabbages piled up in the corner had completely rotted. Apart from that, there were no other vegetables.
Fortunately, there were several pieces of dried salted meat and a string of dried radishes hanging from the ceiling beams.
Mo Jiuye had become very cautious now. Before cooking, he took out the miniature toxin detector his wife gave him and checked all the ingredients to make sure there were no problems before starting to cook.
Fifth Elder Brother thought that Ninth Brother was just being polite by entering the kitchen and wouldn't do much.
As he entered carrying the firewood, he found that Mo Jiuye had already washed the rice and put it in the pot, while the dried radish and salted meat were soaking in water.
Without waiting for him to say anything, Mo Jiuye took the firewood he had chopped and quickly placed it inside the stove, igniting it.
"Fifth Elder Brother, I'll prepare breakfast," he said.
Fifth Elder Brother was somewhat astonished at his skilled movements.
However, in order to not discourage Ninth Younger Brother's enthusiasm, he had already prepared himself to consume a meal of dark cuisine.
Regardless of whether the dish Ninth Younger Brother made was edible or not, he was determined to finish it...
