Chapter 16 A Scheme Within a Scheme He pondered that as soon as it was light, he would catch a pheasant to roast...
The group of men in black didn't chase Yu Nie to the left or right. As if they had a purpose, the leader waved his knife, and the thieves split into two groups. One group rushed towards the alchemy room, and the other crashed into the medicine room on the right.
With two loud crashes, the door was kicked to pieces, and dark figures filed in. With swift movements, they wielded knives, their cold glint flashing as they chopped the bedding on the bed, sending the cotton wadding flying.
A moment later, the leader paused, suddenly feeling the blade slip beneath him. He quickly threw back the tattered blanket to check. The bed was a mess, but there was no one there. His heart tightened, and he whispered, "We've fallen for their trap! Retreat!"
Upon hearing this, the bandits tried to leave.
Suddenly, a soft chuckle echoed from the roof beam, as if mocking them for being fools.
The group of thugs looked up in alarm at the sound.
The young man, in a leisurely mood, casually changed his posture, sitting diagonally on the beam with one leg dangling in the air.
The leader said, "Even though we thought you had gotten wind of the situation and run away, we never expected you to still be here. Tonight, we will make sure you have nowhere to escape!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man leaped into the air, more than ten feet off the ground, his long sword carrying a chilling aura, aimed straight at Zi Jing's face. The wind from the blade whipped his black hair into the air.
In the face of death, he calmly turned to the side, and the blade just barely grazed his ear, splitting a very deep gash in the wooden pillar behind him.
The thief landed on the other side of the beam and continued his attack without pause, each strike aimed to kill, his moves tight and precise. With a light touch of his toes, he pounced down on him again.
This man's swordsmanship was ruthless, each move aimed directly at vital points. The remaining two thieves instantly followed suit, each brandishing their weapons and surrounding him.
Zi Jing was surrounded and attacked from both sides, but he remained calm and even smiled.
Bare-handed, he swept one man down with his left leg like an iron mace, while his right hand swiftly grabbed another thief by the collar. The thief reacted with lightning speed; unable to wield a knife, he drew a dagger from his waist and thrust it forward. Zi Jing, however, was a fraction faster, his fist carrying a chilling force, striking the thief squarely in the Adam's apple. A cracking sound rang out, and the thief spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering Zi Jing's body crimson.
Upon noticing the bloody stains on his sleeve, his face instantly turned cold. Just then, a blade suddenly attacked from behind. Without turning his head, he simply tilted his head to dodge the cold blade from behind. He reached out and grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it forcefully. The man screamed as his entire arm bone was crushed, and he screamed in agony like a pig being slaughtered.
Zi Jing showed no mercy and pressed the thief's upper body onto his accomplice. With the two piled on top of each other, he calmly said, "Your friend dirtied my sleeve, and I haven't even settled the score with him yet, but you're in such a hurry to come and die."
Before he finished speaking, he kicked the thief squarely in the waist and abdomen: "Get lost!"
Screams overlapped as the two thieves tumbled headfirst from the roof beam, smashing the long table below with a loud thud before rolling to the ground.
Seeing that things were going badly, the leader quickly followed suit and jumped down.
The two thieves on the ground trembled and helped each other to their feet.
The leader, with eyes like copper bells, said to Zijing, "Consider yourself lucky. Don't fall into my hands later!"
Seeing that they were about to escape, Zijing also flew down from the beam and landed lightly, startling the three people opposite him who took several steps back and stared at him as if facing a formidable enemy.
He stretched his limbs, pressed his fingers to the back of his neck, twisted his neck left and right, and chuckled lightly: "Don't worry, I won't kill you. This is a monk's place; bloodshed is not good." He looked very compassionate: "Go back and tell your master that if he wants to kill me, he should send someone with good skills. You lot are too inexperienced."
The bandits gripped their long swords tightly, adopting a defensive stance.
The leader remained defiant: "If you know what's good for you, leave Huaiyuan immediately and don't meddle in things you shouldn't, or you'll regret it next time."
After exchanging harsh words, the thieves exchanged glances and quickly retreated, only to run into their accomplices who had escaped from the pharmacy as they came out.
Upon hearing the news, Lang Xi rushed over with her sword drawn. Seeing the assassins in front of her, she tried to stop them. Zi Jing stopped her and let the group of thieves leave.
Xie Cheng, A Hui, and Lang Xi were worried about Aunt Liu's safety, so the three of them quickly went to the backyard to check on her.
Fortunately, the sudden assassination attempt ended without serious harm. Apart from the tables and chairs in the medicine and pill rooms being either chopped into pieces or turned into a pile of junk, and the medicinal herbs being overturned and damaged, everyone else was safe and sound.
Since its establishment, Lingbao Temple has experienced many storms and disasters, but it has never encountered anything like this before.
When someone came to their door demanding their lives in the middle of the night, Yu Nie and the others dared not think of sleeping. They all sat around the stone table under the old soapberry tree. The oil lamp on the table was burning brightly. After the dangerous situation they had just experienced, all the lanterns in the temple were lit, making the place brightly lit.
Aunt Liu and Ah Hui brewed a pot of calming tea and brought it to the front yard for everyone to drink.
Sipping hot tea, Yu Nie was still shaken. He took a small sip and couldn't help but glance at Zi Jing beside him. Compared to the solemn expressions on the others' faces, he looked lazy and sleepy, propping his chin up with one hand, his eyelids half-closed, yawning as if he could fall asleep at any moment.
Seeing how easily he could remain so composed after being assassinated, Yu Nie couldn't help but ask, "Isn't the captain afraid?"
Hearing her ask that, he looked at her and smiled: "I'm afraid. Someone wants to kill me, how can I not be afraid?"
Despite his words, she couldn't detect a trace of fear on his face.
Lang Xi sat upright, pondered for a long time, and looked at Zi Jing and Xie Cheng: "Do you two know who ordered the assassins who came tonight?"
Xie Cheng turned his gaze to Zi Jing, who shook his head: "Probably an enemy I've made."
"An enemy?" Lang Xi frowned, her face showing doubt. "You are so kind and gentle, how could someone harbor such deep hatred towards you?"
"Maliciousness arises without reason. It's perfectly normal for someone to resent me, hate me, and want to kill me," he said nonchalantly, finishing his drink and then refilling it.
Yu Nie nodded repeatedly, shaking his head like a chicken pecking at rice, feeling that what he said made sense: "Then how could the captain tell which of your enemies, who made it impossible for you to even get a peaceful night's sleep, was behind this scheme?"
“That’s a lot.” He looked at her, his eyes sparkling. “I really can’t guess it in a short time.”
"But that's not important." With that, Zijing turned to the crowd, slightly apologetic. "What's important is that it was all my fault that I disturbed you all tonight. I will have someone repair the damage to the temple. If you don't mind, I would like to invite you all to a banquet at Saibei Tower tomorrow. I hope you will do me the honor."
"Your Excellency is too kind. The donations you have made are enough to cover the temple's expenses for a year. The repairs are really nothing to worry about. Besides, what disturbance is there? Those thieves came to our Lingbao Temple to commit crimes, and that is Lingbao Temple's business." Lang Xi, usually gentle and mild-mannered, became more stern when she spoke of her hatred of evil: "At dawn, I will go to the yamen to report to the authorities and ask the magistrate to send officers to thoroughly investigate this matter."
Xie Cheng's hand, which had been resting on his thigh, unconsciously stopped, and he glanced sideways at Zi Jing. The latter said, "I am deeply grateful for your righteousness, Daoist Master. But this is a small matter, and Guard Xie and I can handle it. We are officials in the court, and we are colleagues with those in the county government. It is always easier to talk to colleagues, so there is no need to trouble you, Daoist Master."
Then, he added with a smile, "However, if we manage to catch those scoundrels, I would be grateful if you could come to the government office and bear witness for me."
Yu Nie thought to himself that since they were all government officials, his words would definitely carry more weight, so he chimed in, "Junior Sister, the Captain is right. Even if you go, the people in the county government might not immediately open a case. They might even send someone over to see if what you said is true or false."
Langxi pondered for a moment and felt that what they said made a lot of sense. If she, an outsider, were to go, those yamen runners would inevitably put on airs and make a fuss. But if Zijing and the other officials went in person, the yamen runners would not dare to make excuses.
She nodded slightly and said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble you two."
With the matter of reporting to the authorities settled, the group chatted idly in the courtyard for a while longer.
During a casual conversation, Yu Nie learned that Zi Jing and Xie Cheng, who hadn't returned all night and had only come back today, had gone. It turned out that He Renzhi had hosted a banquet for them at his home, but they had gotten drunk and stayed at He's house. During the day, Magistrate He had led them in music, dance, acrobatics, dice games, and archery, and before they knew it, it was midnight, at which point the two of them finally managed to slip away and return home.
Seeing that there was still more than an hour before dawn, Aunt Liu urged Yu Nie and the others to go and rest.
Knowing that the bedding in the two rooms on the east side was no longer suitable for sleeping, Ah Hui quickly replaced the bedding for the two of them with brand new ones and burned some calming sandalwood incense.
To prevent the thieves from returning, Yu Nie gave up her room for Aunt Liu to stay in, so they could look after each other if needed, while she herself went to share a bed with Lang Xi. With her junior sister by her side, she finally drifted off to sleep.
After everyone had gone to bed, Xie Cheng quietly pushed open Zi Jing's door.
When he entered, the candlelight was still burning in the room. The boy was lying on his back on the bed, with a corner of the mattress at the foot of the bed lifted up. His boots were on the smooth bed board. He had one hand behind his head and the other on his waist, sleeping with his eyes closed.
Xie Cheng knelt down immediately, lowered his head and said, "Your subordinate was wrong."
The boy remained silent and continued to sleep. Xie Cheng didn't dare to lift his head: "That maid... I disobeyed the commander's orders and let her go on my own. She accidentally saw us secretly investigating the letters at the He family's house. I'm afraid she leaked our whereabouts to He Renzhi, arousing his suspicion, which led to tonight's assassination attempt."
Xie Cheng bowed his head deeply: "It was my soft heart that affected the overall situation, Commander. I hope the Commander will punish me."
The candlelight flickered inside, casting its glow on the boy's half-lit face—a face that, though strikingly handsome, inexplicably inspired fear.
After an unknown amount of time, the person lying on the bed spoke in a low voice: "Too much kindness will inevitably lead to chaos. I warned Guard Xie long ago that if you can't bring yourself to kill her, at least you should keep her from ever speaking again until the big fish is caught. It's a pity that Guard Xie only learned to disobey orders, but not how to clean up the mess."
Amidst the rustling of the quilt, the boy sat up, the candlelight casting a shadow over his eyes: "Guard Xie has been by my godfather's side for many years, doesn't he understand that being soft-hearted only harms others and oneself?"
"I know that being soft-hearted will lead to trouble, but that maid looks so much like my sister who died young..." Xie Cheng stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, then knelt down with his forehead pressed against the cold ground: "I deserve to die, and I can only atone for my sins with my death. I only hope that the commander can spare my brother's family."
The Xuan Ce Army's military regulations state: Anyone who disobeys military orders will be executed. If a disobedience causes a delay in military operations, the punishment will be doubled, and the entire family will be confiscated. This is an ironclad rule that no one can change. Even if Xie Cheng was his adoptive father's man, and he killed him according to military regulations, his adoptive father would at most reprimand him a couple of times and that would be the end of it.
He always followed the rules, and everyone around him knew that.
The young man lowered his eyes to look at the kneeling figure's back, his fingers lightly tapping the bed board. He wasn't surprised at all by Xie Cheng's words. He even had a plan for how to deal with Xie Cheng.
Before half a cup of tea had been brewed, he finally spoke up with a laugh: "If Guard Xie dies here, I'll have to explain to this group of people at the Taoist temple."
He said slowly, "Guard Xie, you should keep this life. I will need it in the future."
Upon hearing the news, Xie Cheng was shocked. His expression, which had been one of resignation to death, suddenly froze, and he couldn't believe that he had been let go like this.
Ignoring his reaction, Zi Jing turned around and lay down again, closing his eyes: "Guard Xie's injuries are not yet fully healed, so you should rest as soon as possible."
The person kneeling on the ground did not get up immediately. After a long while, Zi Jing heard a sentence: "Thank you, Commander, for sparing my life. Xie Cheng will serve you to the death."
Having achieved his goal, he felt much better upon hearing those words.
After Xie Cheng left, he thought about catching a pheasant and roasting it as soon as it got light.
Where is the best place to bake?
He thought of the stand that someone in the backyard had specially set up for boiling pigments.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Fight scenes are so hard to write! Writing them makes my head spin.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
