Chapter 37: Southern Hero
With the order in hand, Hua Nong had errands to attend to. Xiao Yi stood by the parapet, gazing into the distance, contemplating how to find Guo Xin.
He hadn’t considered abandoning Guo Xin and leaving the city first. If Guo Xin hadn’t acted rashly, they might have left the city yesterday. However, acting rashly also had its advantages. Saving Guo Xin would greatly benefit his and Hua Nong’s future prospects with Guo Wei.
Moreover, he had made a promise to Chai Shouyu.
Patrol soldiers occasionally ran panting onto the city wall, passing behind him.
Suddenly, a statement caught Xiao Yi’s attention.
“Report! Traces of suspicious individuals have been found near the South City Market. Patrol inspectors request our rapid support for the encirclement!”
The South City Market?
Xiao Yi knew that was Guo Xin.
He quickly found Hua Nong and said in a low voice, “That’s my missing guard, Zhan Zhao. I need to find him.”
“Alright.” Hua Nong didn’t try to dissuade Xiao Yi from sacrificing his guard. Instead, he immediately nodded and said, “Please give your orders, young master.”
“You volunteer with Leader Sun. We’ll go to the encirclement. Get a talisman, and don’t bring too many men.”
“Yes.”
Hua Nong hurried back to the city tower. After a while, he emerged with a burly man who had a general’s belly.
Xiao Yi hid in the shadows, looking at him. He saw a face full of coarse flesh, fierce and menacing, looking like a butcher.
Soon, Commander Sun assigned eight soldiers to Hua Nong’s command to provide support, and sent for more soldiers.
Xiao Yi quickly followed Hua Nong’s group, descended the horse ramp, and headed towards the South City Market.
The torchlight illuminated the path, but the unlit areas were even darker.
He kept his head down, trying to stay in the shadows.
An old soldier in the troop chuckled, “You softie, your brother-in-law is such a quiet one, doesn’t open up at all.”
“He’s always like this, don’t mind him.”
“I didn’t even get a good look at his face.”
Hua Nong didn’t reply, appearing preoccupied. He suddenly said, “We shouldn’t bully the innocent tonight. Soldiers should be about stabilizing the realm…”
“Heh, stupid bird.”
Several soldiers chuckled, and the topic abruptly ended.
He hurried north along the city wall, then turned west, stepping onto the street south of the Bian River. He navigated through a dense network of warehouses, dilapidated houses, and sheds, the alleys as intricate as a spider’s web, and the night was pitch black.
Arriving at the South City Market, the torchlight ahead grew brighter. Patrol soldiers holding torches ran by intermittently.
Occasionally, patrol soldiers could be seen roughly kicking open the doors of houses along the street, barging in to search, with shouts, cries, and dog barks intermingling, creating a chaotic scene.
It was like a busy spider weaving a vast net.
Xiao Yi paid special attention. The patrol soldiers had captured quite a few people and extorted a lot of money and belongings, but he saw no blood.
It was clear that searching for important items was the key.
Reaching the street corner, Hua Nong went to pay his respects to the patrol inspector in charge of the search.
“Commander, we are from the Left Wing of the Imperial Guard Infantry, Section…”
“The seventh alley to the east! Secure both ends of the alley! Replace my men, go!”
“Understood.”
“The fugitive is highly skilled in martial arts and has already killed three people. Don’t go alone.”
“Understood…
That seventh alley to the east was quite deep, with tall earthen walls of warehouses on both sides, and the ground was covered with old baskets.
Their group of eight split into four on each side to guard.
Hua Nong instructed, “Stay sharp, everyone. Keep a close eye.”
“Haha, look at this softie, trying to act the part.”
“Be polite. This time, our brother Softie intends to show off his skills. Tell everyone to stop bullying the innocent.”
The soldiers in the same squad responded with playful mockery, laughing heartily.
Hua Nong didn’t know what to do next and looked at Xiao Yi again.
Xiao Yi observed the surroundings, thought for a moment, clutched his stomach, and moaned softly.
“Brother-in-law, my stomach hurts terribly. I need to relieve myself.”
“Ah?”
With that, Xiao Yi headed into the middle of the alley.
“You… I told you not to go alone, you rascal!”
Hua Nong was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized and hurried after him.
The two quickly slipped into the darkness of the deep alley, their figures soon swallowed by the shadows.
Having shaken off the soldiers, Xiao Yi immediately straightened his back and headed straight for the snack stall where he had arranged to meet Guo Xin.
On the way, his eyes sharply scanned every corner where someone might hide: behind firewood piles, under broken baskets, atop low walls.
He couldn’t shout, and he didn’t have much time. There were many patrol soldiers nearby. How could he contact Guo Xin?
Xiao Yi had been thinking of a way on the way here and had come up with a rather poor plan.
He might as well give it a try.
“Cough, cough, the sun shines brightly—”
A song with a strange melody suddenly rang out in the silent alley, startling Hua Nong.
“Ah! Young… young master?”
“Hua’er smiles at me, the little bird says, ‘Chirp, chirp, chirp, why are you carrying your little schoolbag?”
Xiao Yi ignored him and continued singing.
The unpleasant singing echoed faintly in the quiet, narrow alley, breaking the surrounding tense atmosphere, appearing exceptionally abrupt and bizarre.
The searches in the distance and nearby seemed endless. Sometimes, squads of patrol soldiers would run by from adjacent alleys, the torchlight briefly illuminating the alley entrance, and the sounds of footsteps and urgent commands made one’s heart involuntarily race.
“Who’s howling like a ghost?!”
Suddenly, a squad of patrol soldiers, holding torches, rushed to the fork in the road. The junior officer at the front, a hot-tempered man, drew his saber and pointed it at Xiao Yi.
“Who told you to sing? If you alert the fugitive, what will we search for?!”
Xiao Yi replied, “This subordinate believes that in the dark of night and the complexity of the roads, with the enemy hidden and us exposed, it will be difficult to find him. It’s better to startle the snake and scare him out.”
The junior officer frowned, perhaps intimidated by his use of two idioms. He didn’t retort but looked Xiao Yi up and down and asked, “Which battalion are you from?”
Hua Nong quickly said, “This subordinate is a banner leader from the third command, left wing, of the Imperial Guard Infantry. We are under Commander Sun. This is my brother-in-law, here on official orders to search.”
“Damn it, that’s awful.”
The junior officer spat on the ground, dug in his ear, and walked off in another direction.
The soldiers behind him pointed at Xiao Yi, made a slicing motion across their ears, and gave a mocking smile.
“Stupid bird.”
Xiao Yi remained unfazed, believing he was still on key.
He continued to weave around the snack stall, even raising his voice.
Time passed slowly. Hua Nong tugged at Xiao Yi and whispered, “It’s been too long. They’re going to get suspicious.”
“Let’s go back.”
Xiao Yi guessed that Guo Xin was no longer here. Making a final effort, he continued singing on the way back.
“Love to study, love to labor, grow up to contribute merits to the people—”
“Cough, cough… Stop singing…”
Ahead, from behind a pile of broken wooden barrels emitting a fishy odor, a faint but disdainful grumble suddenly came.
The wooden barrels were pushed aside with a clatter, and a person, fanning their nose, stumbled out.
It was Guo Xin.
“It’s so awful, I’m going to throw up…”
Guo Xin’s hair was disheveled, his face covered in dirt. Only his eyes shone in the darkness, filled with lingering fear and the surprise of a chance reunion.
“I heard you when you passed by earlier. Just then, a team of those damned patrol soldiers came by, and I didn’t dare come out. That tune is so strange. Who is this? Huh, are you injured?”
“Hua Nong, he’s one of us. You go out with him and swap clothes with me.”
Xiao Yi lowered his voice, speaking rapidly, and quickly took off his old military robe.
Guo Xin retorted, “Then what about you?”
Xiao Yi said, “They are searching for you, not me. I have my ways of escaping.”
“But your leg…”
“Stop the nonsense. Only I can handle this by staying.”
“No, I can’t leave you…”
“Shut up!” Xiao Yi grabbed Guo Xin by the collar and reprimanded him, “If you don’t listen obediently, I won’t help any of you.”
“I’ll listen, really. I haven’t done anything this time. I’ve been hiding here waiting for you, I’ve been very obedient. You must come find me alive, otherwise, this life of mine is still for you to claim.”
“Stop talking nonsense. I will live.”
“My clothes smell awful.”
“Stop the nonsense, hurry.”
“Okay.”
“Your weapon? Where did you hide it?”
“I don’t have any weapons.”
“You killed three people, what did you use?”
“I didn’t kill anyone.” Guo Xin was stunned and said urgently, “I was really well-behaved this time…”
Xiao Yi put his bamboo hat on Guo Xin’s head, pushed him, and said, “Hua Nong, take him and leave. Get out of the city tonight.”
“Young master, we’ll wait for you at Wa Po Village…”
“No, don’t wait. Take your wife and children. Don’t delay for a moment. Cross the Yellow River, and wait for me for two days in Liyang Town. If I’m not there, go to Ye Du first.”
After speaking, Xiao Yi directly wrapped himself in Guo Xin’s foul-smelling outer robe and slipped into the shadows.
Looking back, the two figures carrying lanterns in the alley turned their heads repeatedly and gradually moved away.
He was left alone.
Without luggage or a personal sword, he was fortunate to still have his jade pendant and some silver in his hair. He could get by for the night and buy new gear tomorrow.
He hid in a corner of a warehouse at the end of the alley for a while. Sensing the encirclement tightening, Xiao Yi walked deeper into the alley.
Suddenly, he stopped, listened intently, then hid by the wall and peered out.
In the moonlight, a small figure walked stealthily.
Another fugitive.
Xiao Yi calculated in his heart. This person knew the terrain well, so he could follow her, find a hiding place, or use her to make a clean getaway.
He followed, but after a while, he lost track of her.
He looked around. Not far away, there was a pile of firewood, which seemed suitable for hiding.
“Hoo—”
The cold glint of a dagger flashed, and Xiao Yi instinctively dodged.
“Shh, a fellow traveler.”
“Wu Lehe!”
Xiao Yi finally recognized her. It was the Khitan female captive.
“Bang!”
The pile of firewood was knocked over by her, making a loud noise.
The next moment, accompanied by dense footsteps, the alley entrance was instantly illuminated by torchlight.
A large squad of patrol soldiers quickly surrounded them.
Xiao Yi’s heart sank, but he showed no panic. Instead, his face revealed joy.
“The officers are here!”
He casually stuffed the jade pendant he was holding into the pile of firewood, raised his hands, and shouted, “I’m here to help the authorities catch the thief.”
“Who are you?!”
“I am a law-abiding citizen with a passionate heart. This Khitan woman killed three officers. I’m here to help capture her.”
“Wu Lehe! She is not your law-abiding citizen, Hagiqa! She is one of the Guo family who deserves to die!”
“Khitan people are cunning, officials cannot trust her.”
“You Han people are the cunning ones…”
“Everyone stay still!”
A junior officer shouted and stepped forward, knife in hand, and asked the Khitan woman, “Did you kill the officers?”
“So what?”
“Take her down!”
Xiao Yi stepped aside, watching coldly as the Khitan girl was apprehended.
Afterward, the junior officer looked at him, and a series of quick questions and answers followed, remarkably smooth.
“Who are you? State your name!”
“Zhan Zhao, courtesy name Xiongfei, nicknamed the ‘Southern Hero’.”
“Where are you from?”
“I’ve wandered the jianghu since childhood. My ancestral home is Yujie Village, Wujin County, Changzhou Prefecture.”
“What is your occupation?”
“Guard.”
“Whose guard?”
“My employer is surnamed Bao, given name Zheng, courtesy name Xiren, from Hefei, Luzhou.”
“Bao Zheng? What is his status?”
“He is the son of a Vice Minister. He is twenty-nine years old, recently passed the imperial examination, and was appointed as a judge in the Grand Court of Revision. He is a divine solver of cases, known as Bao Qingtian.”
“Where is he now?”
“He resolutely resigned his official post due to his elderly parents and returned home to care for them. He left the city the day before yesterday.”
“Why are you here then?”
“I was handling miscellaneous affairs for Lord Bao, selling off property and housing. I intended to follow him out of the city, but encountered the lockdown.”
To each question, Xiao Yi answered without hesitation, as if reciting from memory, speaking at an extremely rapid pace.
He had played Zhan Zhao, or rather, “stood in” for Zhan Zhao. Although only his leaping and soaring back was shown on screen, he had meticulously developed a detailed backstory for the character.
He never imagined that the lines he had memorized would be spoken in such a manner.
“Why did she say you are from the Guo family?”
“Half a month ago, Lord Bao and I were walking on the main street when suddenly officers shouted, ‘Don’t let the Khitan captive go!’ I intervened and captured her.”
“You are indeed enthusiastic and upright.”
“When one walks in the jianghu, if one sees injustice on the road, one should act.”
After Xiao Yi spoke, even the Khitan girl believed him and spat, “Zhan Zhao, you’ve foiled my plans twice. You’re dead.”
The junior officer’s wariness lessened, seemingly no longer suspecting him, yet he still waved his hand and shouted.
“Take them all away!”
