Chapter 67: An Accident
The sky had completely darkened.
A Wu pulled Wang Yuting’s hand and followed a guard dressed as a porter, hurrying through reeds taller than a person.
The reeds in winter were already dry, and the ground was occasionally muddy, with puddles of water.
The guard wore oilcloth rain boots that reached his knees, while A Wu and Wang Yuting’s lower trouser legs were soaked through, and their bodies were covered in mud. Yet, neither of them felt any cold.
The two of them had been following the guard for half an hour, traveling at a brisk pace, and had worked up a sweat.
“We’re here.”
The guard in front stopped, pushed aside a patch of reeds, and gestured to A Wu and Wang Yuting.
A Wu and Wang Yuting emerged from the reeds and stopped.
Under the clear light of the full moon, Gu Yan stood with his hands behind his back, facing the surging river. The golden crown on his head gleamed faintly, and his silver-white plain fox-lined cape fluttered in the wind.
Wang Yuting squeezed A Wu’s hand tightly, pressing closer to A Wu, and closer still.
She was a little scared.
“It’s… it’s nothing,” A Wu’s throat felt tight.
Around noon, the guard who brought them found them, took them to eat a meal, then put them into a cart and rode at a gallop for over two hours. After getting out of the cart, they entered the reeds and walked for half an hour, arriving at this desolate place. It didn’t seem like a good thing no matter how they thought about it.
A Wu even felt that the noon meal was a last meal, a farewell feast!
“Come here,” Gu Yan turned around and beckoned A Wu with a finger.
A Wu withdrew his hand from Wang Yuting’s and walked towards Gu Yan.
Wang Yuting subconsciously took a few steps, then stopped, twisting her hands together, her heart in her throat.
“You know kung fu, how good is your kung fu?” Gu Yan turned to face A Wu.
“It’s alright,” A Wu was tense all over.
Gu Yan was half a head taller than him, and this condescending pressure from the inside out made him involuntarily tense up.
Gu Yan grunted and drew a folding fan from its cover, “Let’s spar a few moves.”
A Wu quickly retreated two steps and got into a stance.
Seeing him ready, Gu Yan stepped forward half a pace. A Wu moved his feet accordingly and lunged at Gu Yan with a punch. Gu Yan, with one hand behind his back, casually swung his folding fan, hitting A Wu’s fist. A Wu stumbled, then naturally dashed two steps to the side and kicked at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan unfurled his folding fan with a swish, blocking the muddy water splashing from A Wu’s shoe, then immediately closed the fan and struck A Wu’s shoulder.
A Wu’s face contorted in pain, but he charged forward, swinging a fist at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan spun his folding fan back and struck A Wu’s elbow as he swung.
A Wu staggered two steps and fell to his knees.
Gu Yan unfurled his folding fan, looked at the mud spots on it, then looked down at the two or three mud spots on his silver-white fox fur cape, and grunted, “Not bad.”
“You have a weapon!” A Wu looked up, somewhat unconvinced.
“Not only do I have a weapon, but I also have the advantage of being well-rested.”
Gu Yan’s words surprised and silenced A Wu.
“At Beixing Wharf, you can take any job you want, ask for any price you want, and no one dares to provoke you or bully you. Why have you repeatedly sought out the villa, and even gone to Miss Li’s place?”
Gu Yan looked down at A Wu and asked.
“I can manage Beixing Wharf,” A Wu replied after a moment’s hesitation.
“If you want Beixing Wharf, go and seize it according to the rules of the martial world. Why did you go to the villa? Do you want the Prince’s Estate to help you seize the wharf?” Gu Yan bent down slightly, looking at A Wu kneeling on the ground.
A Wu swallowed and subconsciously looked at Wang Yuting.
Gu Yan straightened up, followed A Wu’s gaze to Wang Yuting, and beckoned her with his finger.
Wang Yuting rushed forward, knelt beside A Wu, and looked up at Gu Yan, “A Wu has excellent kung fu, and we have over a dozen good brothers. We want to serve the Young Lord.”
Gu Yan’s eyes narrowed. He looked from Wang Yuting to A Wu, then was silent for a moment, “If you want to join me, then tell the truth first. There is no Yao Wu in Dongshun Township, Laiwu County, Yanzhou.”
A Wu tightly pursed his lips, his hands on the ground trembling slightly.
Wang Yuting subconsciously reached out and tightly gripped A Wu’s arm. After a moment, she suddenly looked up at Gu Yan, “If we tell the truth, no matter what the truth is, can you accept it?”
“No. If you don’t want to say it, then don’t. Go back to Beixing Wharf and live your life well.” Gu Yan started to walk away.
“We’ll talk!” Wang Yuting said urgently.
“Sister!” A Wu called out, his voice trembling.
“If he can’t accept it, can’t accept…” Wang Yuting steeled herself, “What can be done? On the way here, we were prepared to die!”
Gu Yan looked at Wang Yuting, his eyebrows slightly raised.
This young couple, the wife was the backbone.
“You can’t find Yao Wu in Dongshun Township because, in Dongshun Township, she wasn’t called Yao Wu, she was called Yao Pianxian. We are cousins, not husband and wife.”
Wang Yuting finished in one breath, her shoulders slumping, her body shrinking, as if she had exhausted all her strength.
A Wu hung his head, curled up into a ball.
Gu Yan froze for a moment before reacting, took a step back, and carefully examined A Wu.
“Do your brothers know that you are not A Wu, but Pianxian?” Gu Yan asked.
“No, they only got to know us after we escaped.” A Wu replied.
“Is your voice naturally like this?”
“I took medicine.”
“Why? For your cousin?” Gu Yan frowned slightly.
“No. I just didn’t want to be confined to home. I hated doing housework, I hated supporting my husband and raising children. I originally wanted to die, but my cousin persuaded me…” A Wu’s throat choked.
“Her mother died in childbirth when she was born. Her father was a bodyguard, so he carried her around the country. For convenience, he always dressed her as a boy. The other bodyguards and porters traveling with them all thought she was a boy.”
“When she was fifteen, her father fell ill on the road while traveling. Before he died, he entrusted her to my family. My mother was her aunt.”
“She couldn’t get used to it. After living at my home for a year, the two of us ran away.” Wang Yuting continued.
“Why did you run away with her?” Gu Yan asked Wang Yuting.
“When she came to my home, my mother had been dead for almost a year, and my father remarried and arranged for me to marry a man over sixty years old as a second wife.” Wang Yuting lowered her head.
Gu Yan looked them over back and forth, and let out a cold snort, “A pair of audacious scoundrels.”
Wang Yuting and A Wu huddled together, heads lowered, silent.
“Do you still plan to return to Yanzhou?” Gu Yan asked.
The two of them shook their heads together.
“Take your brothers and go to Linhai Town. Find He Chengzhe, the Head Shopkeeper of He Ji Old Brand, and have him find you work in Linhai Town.” Gu Yan ordered after a moment of silence.
“Then?” A Wu looked up sharply at Gu Yan.
“Hurry and kowtow to the Young Lord!” Wang Yuting slapped A Wu on the back.
