Chapter 49: Reality or Delusion?

The night was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. At this time, not only were the words on the notices illegible, but even the words on the plaques, which were much larger than the mulberry paper, were difficult to decipher.

A cold gaze swept over them, unmoved as always, and Inuyasha led the group forward again.

Both the patrol routes and the layout of the target houses were completely known to Inu-Akuta. The former could be obtained by sending someone to scout the location at night; as for the latter, all that was needed was to go to the house's main entrance.

Those two mansions had been listed for sale. Even though the real estate agent had nothing and no drawings, it wouldn't be difficult for him to draw out the layout based on his verbal description.

About two cups of tea later, Inu-Akuta arrived in front of the mansion. As before, he chose the outer wall near the tree, first scaling the wall to enter the mansion, and then nimbly climbing the tree.

After listening for a moment, and hearing no footsteps around, Inuyasu was in no hurry to call anyone in. Like a leopard lurking in the forest, he lay motionless in place, waiting for the most opportune moment to appear.

A quarter of an hour passed, then another quarter of an hour...

He didn't know how much time had passed, until he saw two groups of night watchmen pass by and then walk away. After cautiously waiting for another fifteen minutes, Inu-Akuta blew a bird whistle.

The people outside the wall moved in unison upon hearing the noise.

...

As the commander of the southern garrison of the Xuanxiao Cavalry, Bai Jianping is not only highly skilled in martial arts and command, but also has other outstanding qualities.

Perhaps because he grew up in the deep mountains and forests, he was particularly sensitive to the sounds of all kinds of animals and could roughly judge the emotions in the sounds of birds and beasts.

The above is Bai Jianping's personal opinion, and Mo Yanyun and the others were all skeptical, sometimes even mocking him for getting lucky. Of course, this didn't stop him from rarely making mistakes.

Bai Jianping has an excellent alcohol tolerance; he can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. However, when he drinks too much, he will fall asleep and then remember to go to the toilet at night.

He grabbed his hair and got up from the couch, muttering complaints that even though he could hold his liquor, he sometimes felt unwell. When he got off the couch, he accidentally kicked the low cabinet next to the couch because the room was dark.

That kick really hurt his toes.

Bai Jianping shuddered, his sleepiness instantly vanishing by nine-tenths. Before he could even rub his toes, he suddenly heard a bird whistle.

Bai Jianping stopped what he was doing and turned to look out the window.

He hadn't closed the window before going to bed, and now the night wind was howling in, with the occasional rumble of thunder.

It looks like it's about to rain.

Before the rain, birds return to their nests to avoid the rain, but he had visited this mansion before, and it was very clean everywhere, with no bird nests under the eaves or by the windows.

Not to mention that bird whistle just now...

Bai Jianping frowned, immediately grabbed the knife from beside his pillow, and walked out with the knife in his hand.

The mansion was large and had many rooms. Bai Jianping was used to living alone, so he had a room to himself after entering the mansion. At this time, there should have been no one in the outer room, but when he walked to the corner leading from the inner room to the outside, he was met by several dark figures.

Caught completely off guard, both sides were taken aback.

"Who are you? Guards! There are assassins!" Bai Jianping shouted. His voice was as loud as a bell, like a pot exploding, and immediately carried far and wide.

Without saying a word, the leader stepped forward with his sword.

Seeing this, several men in black around him, with the young man at the center, attacked Bai Jianping from both sides in a pincer movement.

In the darkness, sharp blades whipped up a gust of wind, each move revealing deadly intent.

Alarm bells rang in Bai Jianping's mind. He dared not do two things at once and could only shut up and concentrate on dealing with the attack in front of him.

"Clang clang—"

In the darkness, the clanging of metal produced a chilling sound that sent shivers down one's spine.

In the darkness, facing multiple opponents with excellent teamwork and being more adapted to the darkness than he was, Bai Jianping was at a significant disadvantage.

When he felt a sharp pain in his arm and clearly felt a sticky, wet liquid running down his arm, Bai Jianping cursed under his breath.

The situation is dire; if things continue like this, he will be long gone by the time reinforcements arrive.

No, we need to change our strategy.

Darkness surged like a tide, engulfing everyone. As the battle progressed, and with Bai Jianping constantly dodging using his hearing and attempting to blend in with the others, the battle gradually became indistinguishable between friend and foe, resulting in a stalemate.

Just then—

"Sizzle."

A sudden burst of light appeared; it turned out that the young man in the lead had lit the candles in the room.

The firelight wasn't strong, but it was enough for the people in the room to discern their surroundings. Bai Jianping got up in the middle of the night without wearing any outer robe; he was only dressed in a white shirt, which stood out starkly against the uniform black of the others.

The men in black were immediately energized and stepped forward again.

Bai Jianping looked at his two bloodied arms, gasped, and without hesitation fought his way back from the inner room door to the bedside. Beside the bed was a low table with openwork at the bottom. He raised his hand to block the side blade with his knife, and at the same time used his long leg to quickly hook the table up, and then swept it sharply to the opposite side.

The other party immediately raised his knife and slashed it open.

The long table shattered into several pieces in an instant, falling to the ground like scattered flowers.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Bai Jianping quickly ran to the small window next to him, braced himself on the windowsill, and jumped out of the window.

Bai Jianping ran barefoot with disheveled hair.

Just as he was about to shout again, he suddenly saw a group of people rushing into the courtyard. Bai Jianping let out a long breath, not forgetting to curse, "You bunch of drunkards have finally arrived. If you had come any later, you might as well not have bothered to save me and just collect my body."

Feng Feng laughed immediately: "Don't worry, evil deeds live on for a thousand years, you won't die."

Seeing them about to rush into the house, Bai Jianping shouted a warning: "There are at least six of them, they work together very well, and they are all very skilled. Be careful."

"Alright, you don't need to show off here."

Bai Jianping's lips twitched.

*

inside the house.

From the moment Bai Jianping escaped through the window, Quan Jie knew the mission had failed.

As for why the target didn't sleep late at night after drinking heavily, why he was wearing only a thin shirt but had a knife in his hand, and why the attack failed...

None of that matters anymore; the priority now is to evacuate this place.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Feng Feng and Kuang Ye rushed in, just in time to see them escaping through the window on the other side. A ruthless glint appeared in Feng Feng's eyes, and he immediately pulled out a short dagger from his waist and threw it.

The white blade flashed through the air, piercing the back shoulder of a man in black not far away.

The man jolted in pain, his movements momentarily frozen. Just as he slowed, Kuang Ye's long sword arrived instantly, and amidst a splatter of blood, his round head was severed and sent flying.

A headless corpse collapsed to the ground in an instant.

There were still two men in black inside who hadn't escaped through the window. One of them had just reached the window and was about to get up and climb out when a small chair flew from behind him with excellent aim, hitting him precisely on the head.

With a loud bang, the man was hit and felt dizzy.

Feng Feng darted up from the side and blocked the window.

Inside the house, there were several men fighting against two others. One of the men in black was injured. Before long, one of them was killed by Kuang Ye's knife, and the other was captured alive.

"Commander Feng, six people have been killed outside, and two escaped," a guard outside reported.

Feng Feng's brow twitched. "They escaped? Two of them escaped too? Have you chased them? We have to catch them!"

"We gave chase," the guard said in a lower voice, "but it's raining, so we might not be able to catch up..."

"Boom!"

After a clap of thunder, the initial raindrops quickly grew larger, and in an instant, they became a torrential downpour.

Heavy rain can wash away and hide many things, such as traces and the sound of footsteps.

Feng Feng frowned in annoyance. "We're doomed. If the Marquis finds out about this, we'll definitely get a scolding."

Not only was Bai Jianping injured after being sneaked into the mansion in the middle of the night, but two of them also managed to escape.

Kuang Ye asked, "Were the two who escaped injured?"

“They changed positions too quickly during the fight, and with the rain washing away the blood from their blades, we can only confirm that at least one of them is injured. However…” The guard hesitated for a moment, “both of them are highly skilled in martial arts, and even if they are both injured, they are not fatally wounded.”

"It's really over. Not only did they escape, but the two who escaped are still full of energy." Feng Feng looked at Kuang Ye beside him with a sense of dejection. "They came to Yun County, so they certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to stay in one place. They must have been scattered. It won't be easy to find them in a short time. How should we report this to the Lord?"

Kuang Ye immediately looked away and kicked the man bound like a dumpling to the ground: "Where is your hideout?!"

The man remained silent.

"Don't kick him to death, buddy. The priority now is to report... Alright, I've figured it out. Kuang Ye, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You're deliberately changing the subject at this moment! Fine, I'll leave this matter to you and Lord Junhou."

*

Main courtyard, side rooms.

The side room was dimly lit. From a distance, the owner seemed to be fast asleep, but upon closer inspection, one could hear noises coming from inside.

The two plain curtains on the bed in the inner room were tightly closed without any gaps. The wind blew in through the window that was not closed tightly, occasionally causing the two plain curtains to ripple like waves.

But no matter how the wind blows, it cannot make it open up even a sliver.

until……

A long, slender, fair leg slipped out from behind the white curtain. After the knee slid down to the side of the bed, the leg, marked with rosy bruises, naturally bent, and the toes lightly touched the footboard on the side of the bed.

Looking through the small gaps in the plain curtain, one can see large areas of dark and white.

The dark color above almost rode on top of the snow-white below, and with the slight vibration of the bed, heavy breathing and low moans blended together.

The pale pink toes on the pedal curled slightly, and the heel had just rubbed against the board when a rough, large hand with distinct knuckles reached out from the tent and grabbed the lower leg.

A little bit of soft, white flesh spilled out from between his fingers. His large hand rubbed it with his thumb before scooping it back.

Suddenly, some noises came from outside, as if someone was shouting.

Qin Shaozong paused slightly, then casually buried his head in his work.

Dai Li didn't hear the first sound, only the rumble of thunder and the patter of heavy rain. Whether it was a hallucination or not, she seemed to hear other sounds mixed in with the rain, like... someone calling "Lord Jun" from next door.

"It sounds like someone is talking outside," Dai Li muttered. Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of languor and a slight hoarseness, like a peony leaf wrinkled by dew.

"My Lord!" the neighbor not only called out, but also knocked on the door.

Dai Li shuddered, instantly snapping out of her daze.

Qin Shaozong raised his head from her plump and voluptuous figure, the veins on the side of his neck bulging and then disappearing. "Madam, relax."

Dai Li ignored him and stared nervously outside the tent.

Qin Shaozong reached out and pinched her chin, making her turn her head back, and kissed her red lips, while suddenly speeding up his movements.

...

"My Lord".

Kuang Ye stood under the eaves of the main house and raised his hand to knock on the door again. The heavy rain blurred other sounds, making it impossible for him to hear what was happening inside.

Kuang Ye thought to himself, "That's strange."

Lord Junhou wasn't the kind of person who wouldn't wake up even if a flood were raging outside while he was asleep. He had knocked on the door three times and called out several times, but Lord Junhou didn't answer.

Could it be that Your Excellency is not inside?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard a click-opening sound from the side.

Kuang Ye's first reaction was that he had accidentally woken Madam Dai. He turned around to apologize, but then saw a tall and imposing figure walk out of the side room.

It was the person he was looking for.

Kuang Ye blinked his gentle dog-like eyes, concealing all his emotions, appearing completely innocent and naive.

"My lord, an assassin has broken into the manor..."

*

Passing through the city of Yun County.

After shaking off their pursuers, Inu-Akuta and his only remaining companion did not immediately return to the inn; instead, they stood under the eaves to shelter from the rain.

"How will we explain this failure to our benefactor?" one person asked.

Inuyasha coldly replied, "Tell the truth."

The man chuckled coldly, “Fine, then I’ll leave it to you to tell the truth. Anyway, you’re the adopted son of our benefactor. Others are either going to succeed or die trying, but you’re taking it all on and putting it down easily. It’s most suitable for you to go and report back.”

Inuyasu asked in a flat tone, "You asked me to stay a moment, just to say this?"

The man retorted, "Why not?"

Inu-gaku walked straight into the rain, and his figure quickly disappeared.

The man remained where he was, gritting his teeth and saying, "What's with the arrogance? Do you really think your benefactor treats you like a son?"

Inu-gaku returned to the inn silently, removed his wet clothes, changed back into his daytime clothes, and mechanically lay down on the couch to rest.

...

The next day, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.

There were two trees in the courtyard of this inn. Last night, a heavy rain fell, and the courtyard was covered with fallen leaves.

Besides the leaves, there were also many other things blown in by the wind in the yard, such as someone's underwear and undershirt, wildflower petals, and... mulberry paper blown onto the porch.

As the maid tidied the yard, she muttered to herself, "The rain last night was so heavy; anyone who didn't know better would have thought the sky had broken. This is going to be busy. Hopefully, I can get everything done within half an hour. Whose pants blew in here? Oh dear, these pants have four big holes in them! How long have they been wearing them?"

She chattered on and on until all the fallen leaves in the yard were swept into the bamboo basket and the tattered clothes and linens were sorted out separately. The maid, holding the broom, turned around and prepared to call it a day.

"Huh? What's this?" The maid looked at the mulberry paper not far away.

Unlike other clothes that lay completely in the courtyard, this mulberry paper was half in the corridor and half outside.

The exposed parts had been soaked for a long time, and the ink stains on the paper had become blurred. The part hidden under the corridor had also been wet by raindrops, but it had dried in the wind.

It was just a piece of scrap paper, and the maid was about to sweep it away with a broom when she glanced at it casually and couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

The servant was poor and had no opportunity to go to school. All the characters he knew were ones he had learned on his own, but he didn't know many, just a few scattered ones.

The character “赏” (shǎng) contains the character “钱” (qián) within it.

"A reward? There's a reward?" The maid's eyes lit up, but as she looked down, she couldn't understand what she was reading.

The maid immediately panicked and hurriedly picked up the mulberry paper, but...

The mulberry paper, soaked in water, separated the corpse from its body. The corpse lay motionless in the courtyard, while the one that had hidden under the eaves ended up in the hands of a maid.

"Oh dear, how did it get torn?" the maid said regretfully, but after glancing at the half-sheet on the ground with barely legible writing, he stopped lamenting. "Never mind, the words on it are already illegible."

He returned to the hall with half a piece of mulberry paper and called to the shopkeeper, who was also his distant cousin, "Uncle Ping, I just saw the words 'reward money' on this. Could you help me see what is written on this paper?"

He might get a reward.

"Go tell the kitchen that the customer wanted a chicken egg added to his soup noodles," the innkeeper instructed as he took the mulberry paper.

The servant answered and hurried off. When he returned, he saw the shopkeeper with a grave expression. "Uncle Ping, what exactly is written on this paper?"

The shopkeeper said, "This is a notice offering a large reward for information leading to the arrest of a nine-year-old boy with short hair. The boy's name is Qin Yan... Chuan? It doesn't seem to be the character 'Chuan,' it's 'Zhou,' oh right, it's 'Zhou.' Although the ink has faded, it is still the character 'Zhou.' The boy's name is Qin Yanzhou."

A startling sound came from inside the hall: a bench sliding and then falling to the ground.

The shopkeeper and the maid were both startled and looked up at the same time, only to see a person standing alone in the hall, staring blankly in their direction.

Faced with that hideous face covered in what looked like hypertrophic scars, the maid turned pale with fright and whispered, "Uncle Ping, that person's face is terrifying, and his eyes are so strange."

The maid was very impressed with this guest because his face was so ugly; the old scars that had been there for years looked like maggots, covering a large area of ​​his face.

He hadn't dared to look at this person too closely before, fearing he'd have nightmares. This ghostly figure was staring at him; could it be that it had overheard his earlier whispered conversation...?

The worm twitched, and the servant was terrified, but he didn't seem to make exaggerated facial expressions often, and the surface of his shock gradually returned to calm.

Those eyes remained blank, like an endless void, yet strangely, they gave the impression that something was trying to stir and emerge.

The maid saw him walk briskly towards them and silently raised her hand.

He clearly wanted to take the mulberry paper from the shopkeeper's hand, but when his fingertips just touched it, he pulled back as if his hand had been slapped hard.

Inu-gaku stood rooted to the spot, his eyes blank.

Was it a dream?

Could it be that, like the thousands of times before, it was all a lie, nothing more than his delusions after years of struggling in the mire? A pitiful illusion, an unattainable ephemeral, and a delusion born before he finally went mad.

-----------------------

Author's note: Please give me some nutrient solution! [shy]