Chapter 10 Human-Faced Dog: Human Face
Instead, it has a... human face.
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.
The children's faces turned deathly pale, and they instinctively shrank back into the tattered mat. The faint warmth under the candlelight seemed to be instantly drained away at that moment.
After a long while, a child finally spoke in a trembling voice: "They...have human faces."
After saying that, as if he had committed some great taboo, he shakily crawled into the tattered mat and buried his head deep in it.
“We were all taken away by it…” another girl added softly.
The three exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious. Seeing the children's fear, they hesitated to press for answers.
After a long silence, the older girl took a deep breath: "It has white fur and a pair of blood-red eyes on its human face... It can neither laugh nor cry."
Her teeth chattered. "It moves as fast as the wind. When it gets close, if you hear a ghostly 'ding-a-ling' sound... that means it's coming to steal the child's soul."
Before he could finish speaking, a sudden gust of wind blew in from outside, making the dilapidated temple door creak and cold air rush into the room.
Several children in the corner screamed in fright, huddled together, and dared not cry out loud.
"Have you... seen it before?" Tang Yu asked cautiously.
The girl shook her head violently and shrank into a corner.
At this moment, Bing'er loosened her tightly clenched lips, and for the first time, the fear and vulnerability that one would expect at this age appeared in her eyes.
"...I've seen it before."
The three of them were startled, and their gazes toward her changed instantly.
I thought it was just a ridiculous folk tale, but to my surprise, some people actually saw the so-called "human-faced dog".
Tang Yu pulled the two of them to sit on a pile of straw nearby. Wang Shanyue took off his outer robe, folded it into two layers, and laid it out for Xiao Fangliang. He looked slightly disgusted, but eventually sat down expressionlessly.
The three of them stopped asking questions and waited quietly for Bing'er to slowly reveal the past that was buried deep in her heart.
It turned out that most of the other children were drugged and knocked unconscious when they were alone, or were tricked and abducted like Zhizhi. Only Bing'er's experience was different.
From the way she taught her children to praise people, it's clear that she came from a well-off family. Although not powerful or wealthy, she could be described as a scholarly family.
“That day was just an ordinary night,” Bing’er said softly, her expression dazed, as if telling a distant story. “I should have been sleeping at home.”
In her sleep, she vaguely heard a crisp bell sound, very delicate and clear, clearly reaching her ears in the silent darkness.
After being startled awake, she whispered her parents' names and tried calling the servants, but no one answered.
The entire house was eerily quiet, as if everyone except her was still fast asleep. No one heard the bell, except her.
"The ringing grew louder and closer... so close it felt like it was right next to my ear. I... I don't know where I got the courage, but I just threw on a coat and went out."
She licked her dry lips, her fingertips trembling slightly, as if she were back in that night.
There was no one in the courtyard, so there was no mention of bells. At that moment, a thin mist rose eerily from the corridor not far away, spreading towards her, making even the moon overhead appear hazy.
"That night, the scene before me seemed unreal. I heard the bell ringing again... Following the sound, I took a few more steps forward. In the distance, I saw what looked like a faint light in the corner of the corridor."
"I peered closer and saw that the figure suddenly flash by, like a fleeting shadow in the wind, and disappeared in an instant."
Bing'er swallowed hard, her eyes filled with undisguised fear, her teeth chattering uncontrollably. "I heard a strange noise behind me, and I turned around abruptly, but all I saw was swirling mist... Then, for some reason, my whole body went weak, and everything went black before my eyes, and I fainted."
“But before I lost consciousness, I saw in the fog…” Her pupils contracted sharply, and her face turned pale, “there were several white dogs. They weren’t ordinary dogs, but rather, they had… human faces.”
After she finished speaking, the children on the straw mats shrank even tighter involuntarily. Some were already sobbing secretly, but dared not make a sound, covering their ears and trembling silently, unable to bear listening any longer.
The wind outside continued to howl, as if some unseen force was guarding the temple...
Tang Yu frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed her brow.
She had many questions in her mind, such as the fog, the bell, and the figure. But figuring out these mysteries wouldn't solve the children's immediate predicament.
So she put aside her thoughts, pointed to Wangshan Yue, and said gently to Bing'er, "This brother is from Wangyuan Escort Agency, and he is returning to Zhongjing now. If you are willing, you can come with us, and we will escort you home safely."
Upon hearing this, Wang Shanyue immediately straightened his back, patted his chest with a righteous expression, and said, "Don't worry! What human-faced dog or ghost shadow? I can cleave them in two with a single sword strike!"
A glimmer of hope suddenly appeared in the children's innocent eyes, shining like stars in the night sky; they were clearly very moved. But before that light could spread, it was shattered by Bing'er's words.
Her eyes trembled slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, she shook her head. "I am very grateful that you saved Zhizhi... but I can't trust you easily."
Tang Yu wasn't surprised by this wariness. She was still thinking about how to persuade him further when she heard Xiao Fangliang speak slowly and deliberately: "Then how about this?"
He lightly tapped his palm with his folding fan and proposed a compromise: "Since you've pooled your money to have the Quzhou government escort you home, then let's grant your wish and have the government escort you, how about that?"
"Are you going to pay for our expenses?" Bing'er asked.
"No." Xiao Fangliang's lips curled into an ambiguous smile. "It should be the government that pays for it."
*
Quzhou truly lives up to its reputation as one of the most prosperous places in Jiangnan.
As soon as they stepped into the prefect's residence, they were struck by its extraordinary grandeur. Walking through the corridors and courtyards, they were paved with the unique bluestone slabs of Jiangnan, surrounded by lush bamboo and clusters of precious plants, their sparse shadows exuding elegance and sophistication.
Even the maids they encountered along the way were all beautiful, dignified, dressed in gorgeous clothes, and behaved in a proper manner.
Stepping into the front hall, the furnishings are exquisite and refined, with tables and chairs made of rosewood that exude a light woody fragrance, making one feel relaxed and happy.
This scene seems particularly out of place with the demeanor of two of the three people.
Tang Yu glanced down at her own clothes, feeling out of place like a country bumpkin, and then looked at Wang Shanyue next to her.
She was indeed less pleasing to the eye than she was.
He sat down casually, picked up the fruits and snacks on the table, and started munching on them, praising them as he did so: "Not bad..."
Tang Yu was both amused and exasperated, and then looked at Xiao Fangliang.
He unusually didn't pay attention to Wang Shanyue and sat calmly in the hall. Although he was dressed in a plain robe, his elegant and refined demeanor, which shone like cold jade, was so handsome that he seemed to be a figure from a painting, as if he was born to belong to this scene of waterside pavilions and deep courtyards of flowers and trees in Jiangnan.
At this moment, the person who seemed even more uneasy than them was the owner of this mansion—Li Lian, the prefect of Quzhou.
He stood cautiously to one side, not daring to sit down, holding the white-glazed teacup and adding tea for the younger Xiao Fangliang.
"I wonder if Young Master Xiao has come to your residence on some important matter?"
Xiao Fangliang gently picked up the teacup, took a small sip, and remained silent, his expression indifferent.
But this seemingly unintentional act of drinking made Li Lian's heart tighten.
He quickly smiled apologetically: "My daughter offended me yesterday, and my son told me as soon as he returned home... It was truly rude, truly rude! I have already punished her by making her stay in her room to reflect on her mistake, and I will have someone summon her later so that she can apologize to you all in person."
Xiao Fangliang smiled faintly and put down his teacup. "But the one who should apologize is not us. It is that child who was whipped. Shouldn't someone give her an explanation?"
His tone was gentle, yet it caused cold sweat to break out on Li Lian's forehead.
He nodded hurriedly, agreeing repeatedly, and said with a fawning smile, "Of course, of course!"
Although this man was the prefect of a prefecture, he was almost humbled in his respect for this young man who had no official position or title.
This is because this "Young Master Xiao" is the only son of Xiao Gong, a Grand Secretary of the Imperial Cabinet. Even disregarding his family background, Xiao Fangliang has been renowned for his talent since childhood. At the tender age of ten, he won first place in the poetry competition at the Spring Banquet in the capital, earning him the title of "child prodigy" and the emperor's favor. Now, barely twenty, his future career is sure to be smooth sailing.
How could Li Lian dare to be negligent in the slightest?
He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Young Master Xiao, is your trip... perhaps for that... little beggar?"
"I heard that after those children were abducted, they escaped here and sought help from the Quzhou government." Xiao Fangliang spoke in a calm and unhurried tone, then suppressed his smile, slightly bent his knuckles, and gently tapped the table.
The sound was not loud, but it seemed to strike Li Lian's heart, making his heart skip a beat and his back stiffen.
“An official should relieve the people’s worries.” Xiao Fangliang slowly raised his eyes, his tone gentle: “What has this child done wrong? He fled thousands of miles, only seeking a way home. How could he be so openly charged with a price tag? Does the Quzhou government only serve the powerful and wealthy? Where does that leave the laws of the Great Xia?”
His resounding words, delivered in a lazy tone, revealed his inherent nobility and arrogance to the fullest extent, making Li Lian almost breathless and increasingly terrified.
"I, I..." Li Lian's fingers trembled, almost knocking over the teacup. He quickly bowed and apologized, "It was my oversight! I didn't inquire about the details at the time, thinking it was just children talking nonsense. Now that I know the truth, the Quzhou Prefecture government must naturally take responsibility. I will immediately send people to find the children, properly settle them in the prefecture, and send someone to escort them back to their hometowns on a chosen day. I will not dare to be negligent!"
His words sounded grand and dignified, but given his previous actions, they were truly laughable.
Xiao Fangliang suddenly chuckled, and the fan ribs abruptly pressed down on Li Lian's hand, which was wiping away sweat.
She looked at him calmly and asked in a gentle tone, "Then will you still ask them for money for their trip home?"
Li Lian immediately broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly shook his head, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! Young Master Xiao is right... I will never dare to do it again!"
Seeing that their goal had been achieved, the group relaxed slightly and decided not to make things difficult for the time being. After all, the government was still responsible for the follow-up resettlement and repatriation, and it was not appropriate to force them to do anything more now.
At this moment, a maidservant hurried into the hall and whispered, "Master, Miss has arrived."
Li Lian nodded repeatedly and hurriedly ordered, "Quickly, let Wanying in!"
Then, a young girl dressed in a crimson-purple dress entered gracefully, her gait delicate yet undeniably haughty.
When her gaze fell on Tang Yu, her eyes suddenly turned cold, filled with hatred.
Before she could speak, Wang Shanyue stood up, chewing on a pastry, and said in a drawn-out, sarcastic tone, "Oh, isn't this the arrogant and domineering young lady who beat the child yesterday?"
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