Chapter 55

In the city of Jiangdu, within a rather luxurious residence, the air still lingered with the smell of oil and blood.

A man in brocade, clearly not the owner of the place, was receiving reports from several companions.

"A new development has occurred..."

"We surrounded four routes, but at the last one, something went wrong..."

"We didn't expect them to have a hidden move..."

"A whole squad was wiped out... This can't be blamed on carelessness or underestimating the enemy."

In the aftermath, all the bodies found in the ruins were from our side. The temporary target and the suspected accomplices had vanished without a trace.

This small courtyard itself wasn't a major issue; it was a private property of a powerful family in the city, used for personal profit. It had been a temporary lodging for traveling merchants for over a decade, and the main family had turned a blind eye to it.

The real problem lay with the new large and small residents.

The traps set by the unknown residents were clearly more vicious and imaginative than these seasoned killers could anticipate. In the end, only one person managed to escape, and that was only because he was on guard at the outermost window.

The survivor, burned and blistered, only managed to reach the backup location before collapsing from dehydration and exhaustion. He was revived with strong medicine, but even if he survives, he will likely be a cripple.

The powerful family whose estate was burned, along with the local government's attention, required extra effort to suppress the situation, to prevent it from becoming a sensational story of bandits robbing and killing.

Suddenly, a report came from outside.

"Huang Yuhou has arrived..."

A moment later.

"According to our prior agreement, the assistance I provide does not include these things..."

A local military official walked in, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Don't push your luck..."

"If you cause something that can't be cleaned up, you can just leave..."

"But we have to stay and bear the consequences..."

"Rest assured, it's just a temporary delay... After these two days, everything will be fine."

"You can just find someone to blame and hand it over..."

...

At the mule market, I bought a small gray mule at twice the price, and requested a full set of harness and saddle as a backup mode of transportation. After some thought, I renamed it "Gray Panda."

Then, using a mixture of ash, realgar, madder, and turmeric from the pharmacy, I dyed the Red Tiger's body, turning it into a large indigo-spotted horse.

I originally wanted to leave the Gray Panda for Bao Tou Dun to ride, but she refused to give up the chance to ride with me, so the Gray Panda was temporarily used to carry our extra luggage.

Thus, we continued our journey, with the large and small of us riding the Red Tiger and leading the Gray Panda, heading towards the city. We bought many local products and a certain amount of medicine, and had the shop prepare some decoctions for colds and coughs, taking the dregs and the medicine broth with us, sprinkling some on the collars, cuffs, and corners of our clothes.

We then arrived at the next safe house. The backup hiding place was a temple within the city, called Puning Temple.

Although it was a small, obscure temple with little land, it still maintained certain traditions, such as providing simple guest rooms for lodging and accepting traveling scholars. Despite the decline in incense offerings, it remained a cheap and convenient place, attracting some seasonal visitors.

By paying a small amount of incense money, we could stay for a while. The conditions were somewhat simple, and we had to bring our own bedding and food, but this was not a big problem for us.

The temple housed about a dozen monks, and I had already inquired about them. The youngest had lived in the area for over a decade, so there were no unfamiliar faces. Their daily routine was quite simple, with morning and evening prayers, and a limited range of activities.

After burning the travel merchant's lease for the small courtyard, I took out the credentials of a Xuzhou scholar and changed my appearance, donating a small sum of money as a way to stay for a while, citing the need to recuperate from a journey.

The temple was close to a small training ground, and on days without chanting, the sounds of drills could be heard. The guest rooms were surrounded by vegetable plots tended by the monks, and behind the temple were crisscrossing canals and wooden bridges, with boats shuttling back and forth. The temple also had its own small boat, making it easy to escape and hide.

Although we didn't know who the enemy was, their covert actions suggested they were wary of the local military and government, providing some indirect protection.

We began to clean the slightly musty guest room, rearranging the items we brought. We used old paper to seal any gaps where the wind might blow through, and used yellow clay and broken tiles to plug two small holes where rain might leak.

Then I heard Bao Tou Dun's scream and dropped the mud ball I was holding, running into the inner room separated by a broken wall.

"Rats..."

Seeing me, she, who was crouched in the corner, paled and lunged at me, hugging me like a koala. Then she remembered something and, facing the corner where the rustling sound came from, drew her short blade, ready for battle.

Well, even when we encountered wild dogs or vultures in the wild, she never looked so pale. Perhaps this is the true nature of a young girl.

I gently moved the old cabinet that had fallen over, and in the choking dust, I saw a large rat struggling in a crevice, its body stuck, and a few plump pups rolling around in a pile of debris.

"It's just a few rats..."

I casually used a stick to pin the rat down, tied its tail, and dragged it outside to set it free. I have no special fondness for rat meat, but if used well, this rat could serve as a good biological alarm.

I then threw the rat pups into the feed trough, where the Red Tiger and the Gray Panda, who were already eating the hay, quickly devoured them.

After settling Bao Tou Dun, I went out to scout the surroundings.

Then I remembered that although I had spent a lot of money, I hadn't yet used the gifts from Liu Dongzhu and Li Shiniang.

I thought for a moment, took out the silk brocade given by Liu Dongzhu, and threw it on the Red Tiger's back. I then led it to the nearest pawn shop, where I exchanged it for a note saying "80% new, 15 strings of coins," and immediately threw the note into the river.

I then went to the adjacent shop selling unclaimed items, spending half of what I had, and bought a variety of things, placing them in the Red Tiger's saddlebags. I slowly wandered through the market, buying steaming sesame buns and stuffed steamed buns for food, a bag of salted fruit and candied fruit for Bao Tou Dun, and some clothes suitable for her age.

But what I was more concerned about were the various canals and waterways, which I mentally mapped out as simple routes.

Then I felt the crowd in front of me being obstructed, forming a circle at the street corner.

"What a grand display..."

"Who is this luxurious person..."

"The city's commander and the water gate inspector have come to welcome and see off..."

I curiously joined the crowd, muttering to myself, "Bad luck."

"Damn it..."

The cursed probability that I didn't want to encounter, but it happened again.

I saw Li Shiniang, dressed in men's clothing, wearing a cloak and a hat, looking like a weak young nobleman, being escorted by a dozen familiar faces, including the young steward, into a deep alley, which clearly belonged to a prominent official's residence.

I turned and walked away with a complex mood, but before I had gone far, a sudden commotion broke out.

"Murder!"

Such shouts, accompanied by a panicked crowd, quickly scattered the street, leaving behind countless shoes, headscarves, and people lying on the ground, moaning or lifeless.

The crowd also pushed me and the Red Tiger to the side of the road. I clung to the wall with one hand and held the Red Tiger with the other, avoiding being trampled.

A moment later, I stood on the wall of an empty teahouse and used a homemade simple telescope to look over. This device was actually a pair of convex lenses of different sizes, fixed in a cardboard tube, bought from the pawn shop.

But it provided some vision, so I saw a chaotic courtyard where Li Shiniang, holding two sharp blades, moved like quicksilver, weaving through the shadows. With each graceful and intense movement, someone would spray blood or clutch a body part and retreat in pain.

As the attackers were cut down and forced back, they charged out onto the street, only to be met by more enemies, armed and rushing to block them.

The attackers were clearly more organized and disciplined, and despite the brutal casualties, they forced Li Shiniang and her group back to the alley entrance.

I struggled with my conscience for a while, then decided to stop watching and turned to leave.

After walking down a street, I heard a lament and curse, and saw a vendor jumping and cursing, his cart broken by the fleeing crowd. I was moved and approached him.

When I turned back, although the swordplay in the street was still fierce, the people around her were mostly lying in pools of blood.

Then a person stepped forward, seemingly someone she knew, and she responded with a fierce scolding.

I saw a red ribbon suddenly fly through the air, and the person, with an expression of disbelief, touched the large bloodstain on his chest and fell softly to the ground.

But this was her last effort. Her face was as pale as if the wound had just reopened, and she lacked the strength to retrieve the flying short sword, which became a trophy for the attackers.

I saw the attackers take out nets and hooks, and she, in despair, used her remaining short sword to slash at her own neck, but was knocked down from behind, falling to the ground, covered in dust and mud, with an expression of disbelief.

The attacker, one of her remaining companions, dropped his weapon and knelt, loudly pleading.

Then I took action, pouring a can of fish oil over the Red Tiger and stabbing it a few times.

The Red Tiger, in pain, started a frantic gallop, charging through the empty street, and, in the stunned expressions of onlookers, crashed into the attackers from behind, trampling and knocking down several people, disrupting their formation.

Then, as it was stabbed and kicked, the broken oil can spilled oil over a large area, and some of it splashed onto the attackers' torches, turning the scene into a chaotic fire-fighting effort.

This is all the help I can give you.

As the vision was gradually obscured by smoke and flames, I silently recited these words, turned the corner, and slowly walked into a canal.

Then I heard the late-arriving soldiers running down the street, the sound of weapons and armor clashing, and the noise of a large group of people.