Chapter 51 I'm sorry
Inu-Akuta walked alone down the street, heading toward his next destination.
He just visited the Feng residence in Guoyun County.
The Feng residence was the mansion of Prefect Feng. As a local strongman in Guoyun County, Prefect Feng's family was naturally more wealthy than the local high-ranking families. He sneaked in, glanced at Prefect Feng's principal wife from afar, and then went to find the favored concubine who had recently become the most popular woman in the mansion.
He came silently, and he left silently as well.
Unable to find the Feng family, Quan Jie changed course and went to the Zhang family. He spent the entire day visiting several prominent and influential households in the county.
Nothing was gained.
We checked almost everyone who met the requirements, except...
Inu-Akuta looked at the two large houses not far away, one of which he had sneaked into yesterday, and the other which he had not yet explored.
After scanning the area twice, Inuyasha fixed his gaze on the one he hadn't yet infiltrated.
As the sun sets in the west, it paints the vast sky a brilliant orange-yellow, the sunset spreading for thousands of miles before gradually disappearing along with the sunlight.
Night falls, and darkness descends upon the earth once more.
Inuyasu patiently waited until the night was deep and quiet before scaling the wall again under the cover of darkness. He had seen the maps of both mansions, and this time he deliberately chose the most secluded courtyard in the mansion as his foothold.
But to his surprise, as soon as he landed, several footsteps came from the direction of the courtyard entrance.
"Ah Hu, get up and take over!"
After that shout, there was a rustling sound inside the house.
Inuyasu immediately went around to the side of the house and stood against the wall. A moment later, he heard the door open, and then several figures came out of the house.
Someone yawned, "The shift has changed, it feels like I haven't slept for long."
"There's nothing we can do. The Qin residence next door was attacked yesterday, so we in Nangong Qingzhou are taking this as a lesson and increasing patrols, right? Besides, I heard that one of those assassins was captured alive last night, and they even said he was acting on orders from Qingzhou. That's utter nonsense!"
"A bunch of demons and monsters are causing trouble in the shadows, it's disgusting. By the way, did those assassins who sneaked into the neighboring house last night hurt any of the people from the North?"
“I don’t know anything about this. I only heard that in the middle of the night last night, someone suddenly shouted ‘There’s an assassin!’ outside the two walls, and then, like a thunderclap, things suddenly became lively.”
"A night raid, and it was a gang operation at that. If they manage to sneak into the house, it'll be tough. Lord Qin even brought his female relatives with him on this expedition; isn't he afraid that a single mistake could lead to the tragic death of one of his beauties?"
"You're overthinking it. How could she have died so tragically? I heard that three women got out of the carriage, two of whom were her maids. Besides, after Qin Junhou entered the city, he dared to leave our Nangong Qingzhou aside and go to his mansion first, most likely to settle his female relatives. A concubine who receives such treatment is definitely a favorite. She doesn't even allow herself to share a room with Qin Junhou at night. If an assassin manages to sneak into his room, ha, I doubt there will be enough to send him away."
"I've never heard of Lord Qin taking a lady with him on a campaign before. Why is he setting a precedent this time? Is the lady some kind of stunning beauty that he can't bear to leave her behind even when he goes to war?"
"I've heard that she is indeed stunningly beautiful, surpassing all others. But more than that, she must be truly capable. Have you heard of the dragon bone waterwheel in the North? I've heard that it was brought out by this Lady Dai from a hermit. What a wonderful thing it is! The self-cultivating farmers and tenant farmers are overjoyed."
"I suddenly felt an itch in my heart; I wanted to see that Lady Dai."
The soldier nudged his comrade, who was clutching his chest, with his elbow. "Come on. Back then, Lord Qin single-handedly entered a pack of wolves and took the head of the Wuhuan Langye from among 20,000 men. Taking your head would be a piece of cake for him."
"Hey, why are you boosting others' morale while diminishing your own?"
"It's not really about others, after all, our two armies are allied."
...
One group of people chatted as they walked away, while another group went inside to rest; it was a normal handover between the two groups.
No one noticed that a figure was clinging to the side of the house like a gecko.
Inu-Akuta tried his best to calm his breathing, but the heart inside his chest, which had been dead for many years, was pounding more and more violently.
The information he had previously ignored now came back to the center of his field of vision like startled butterflies fluttering in the air.
Ying County was originally occupied by a salt smuggler surnamed Li. A few months ago, Ying County was captured by the Northern Army, and this county, surrounded by salt lakes, changed hands again. From then on, the vast area of the Northern Lands became entirely connected and became the territory of Qin Shaozong.
The salt merchants were in Ying County, and the person who issued the missing person notice must have been under the command of Qin Shaozong.
Could the "Lady Dai" mentioned by those Qingzhou soldiers just now be...?
The soldier who had finished his night watch returned to the house and slammed the door shut. The sound of the door closing overlapped with a soft call, completely drowning out the latter.
Inujika waited cautiously for half an hour before leaving the secluded courtyard.
Return by the same route and leave the mansion.
The dark clouds obscuring the moon have not yet moved away; there are neither moon nor stars today, and a cold wind blows intermittently under the heavy sky. The weather is just as bad as yesterday.
The young man looked at the mansion next to him, and with the agility of a cat, he quickly vaulted over the wall.
If Wang Jiang were here, he would be astonished, because the spot where Quan Jie climbed over the wall was exactly the same as yesterday, and they even chose the same foothold.
That's undeniably arrogant.
Bai Jianping was wounded last night and can't sleep tonight. The pain from the wound is secondary; after all, he's used to fighting on the battlefield, so that injury is nothing to him.
The main reason was that after hearing that he was injured, Feng Feng took the initiative to come to his room and insisted on sharing a room with him, saying it was in case anyone attacked again tonight.
As a result, this guy snored so loudly, like a cow mooing, that you could hear him even through a wall. It was incredibly noisy.
Unable to sleep, Bai Jianping got up and walked outside, intending to chase the guy away.
Hurry up, go back to where you came from.
As soon as he went outside, before he could wake anyone up, Bai Jianping happened to see through the open door that a figure flashed quickly past in the courtyard.
Bai Jianping was stunned. He subconsciously ran towards the courtyard entrance, thinking incredulously: Good heavens, can someone really be this arrogant?
When he arrived at the courtyard entrance barefoot, he saw the figure ahead turn into another corridor. Bai Jianping gasped in shock, never expecting that someone would actually have the audacity to come here!
What, does he think that yesterday's attack failed and today's martial law in the manor is just for show?
"There's an assassin!" Bai Jianping shouted at the top of his lungs.
This shout caused quite a stir. After a moment's hesitation, the patrolling guards nearby rushed over in a swarm.
Inuyasha deflected several groups of people, and for those he couldn't avoid, he first drew his sword to block, then raised it to the side. After dissipating most of the opponent's force, he kicked them away.
In the darkness, the young man moved as nimbly as an eel, passing several people in succession and continuing to approach the main courtyard, which made Bai Jianping and Qiao Wangfei, who were rushing from the front and back, furious.
Well, there really are people who aren't afraid of death!
"Step aside, let me have a go at him." Bai Jianping drew his sword and stepped forward.
Bai Jianping held a long sword, while Qiao Wangfei held a curved knife in each hand, and the two attacked Quan Jie from both sides.
As the flashes of blades and sword shadows came into view, Inuyasha's expression remained unchanged. He swiftly produced another short sword from somewhere, holding the longer one in his right hand and the shorter one in his left.
"clang--"
The knives clashed violently, producing a piercing metallic sound.
On the other side, the longsword and the short knife clashed, sparks flying as the blades slid, becoming the only bright spot in the center after the surrounding flames had grown stronger.
Inuyasu was attacked from both sides, and in their first close-quarters encounter, both sides paused for a moment after their swords clashed.
Taking advantage of this moment, Inuyasha said, "I have come to your residence to find someone, Dai Li."
At this moment, the guards holding torches arrived and swiftly formed a circle, surrounding the three. The torchlight illuminated Quan Jie's features, and Qiao Wangfei, who was about to launch a second attack, froze.
The young man's face was uneven, with scars resembling worms clinging to his cheeks, but his eyes were exceptionally striking.
The inner corners of the eyes are deep-set, and the outer corners are slightly curved and upturned, making them very classic peach blossom eyes. He had seen a pair of similar eyes yesterday.
Recalling the strange "ten-year" story that Hu Bao had told him in private, Qiao Wangfei took a step back in a daze.
Bai Jianping flew into a rage, "Don't try to fool me with such despicable tricks, you brat, prepare to die!"
As he swung his sword with all his might, aiming straight for his opponent's vitals, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Qiao Wangfei, who was wielding two swords, had retreated a bit. His body changed from a bent-over posture with outstretched arms to a normal upright posture, and even the tips of his two swords slowly drooped downwards.
Bai Jianping asked incredulously, "Old Qiao, what are you doing?"
Could it be that Old Joe's old injury is acting up again? Well, that's not entirely incomprehensible.
"Old Bai, wait a minute," Qiao Wangfei called out.
Bai Jianping couldn't hear anything; his mind was completely focused on taking the head of the man before him. He recognized him now—this was the man who had lit the lamp in his room last night. He had let him escape last night, and today he would surely make him die here.
Bai Jianping used a longsword, and only had one. Seeing this, Quan Jie sheathed his other short sword and fought with only one sword.
"You arrogant brat!" Bai Jianping sneered.
The blades clashed, deflected each other, and then slashed again, producing several clanging sounds in the blink of an eye.
Chop, slash, thrust, stab... In just a few breaths, the two exchanged blows, their moves changing in an instant. The more they fought, the more Bai Jianping's fighting spirit was ignited, thinking to himself that this young man, despite his young age, actually possessed some real skill.
They were no longer limited to fighting with weapons; occasionally, they exchanged blows with their fists and feet, the clashing of their bodies producing dull thuds.
However, after a short while, Bai Jianping soon noticed that the person in front of him was gradually only defending and not attacking.
"Old Bai, wait a minute!"
Watching from the sidelines, Qiao Wangfei grew increasingly uneasy and couldn't resist rejoining the fight. However, this time he focused more on mediating and stopping Bai Jianping from continuing to beat Quan Jie.
Bai Jianping got angry after being stopped a few times. "Old Qiao, what's wrong with you? If you're not feeling well, go stand aside and don't stop me."
Qiao Wangfei stepped aside, his back to Bai Jianping, facing Quan Jie, and asked, "What brings you here, Madam Xun Dai?"
Inuyasha turned his head to look into the distance. The night was dark and he couldn't see anything clearly, but his gaze softened slowly, and he whispered something.
Qiao Wangfei's pupils narrowed, his extreme astonishment mixed with a sense of "as expected."
Bai Jianping was completely stunned and blurted out, "Stop talking nonsense! How is this possible? Madam Dai's son is only nine years old!"
Seeing their expressions, Inuyasha felt relieved, knowing he hadn't come to the wrong place. "You can find a room to lock me up first, and report back tomorrow."
Qiao Wangfei stared intently.
With such a commotion tonight, it's unlikely we'll be able to postpone it until tomorrow...
*
Tonight, Dai Li and Qin Shaozong will share a bed. Mo Yanyun's return is imminent, and certain things will soon be forbidden. Qin Shaozong is like a tiger about to hibernate, opening his belly to store up fat so that he won't become skin and bones from hunger in the days to come.
After finishing her business, Dai Li was so tired that all she wanted to do was sleep, but she still didn't forget one thing.
"Change the blankets." Dai Li nudged the person next to her.
She'd rather sleep on a wooden board than sleep under this dirty blanket again.
The satisfied man was easy to talk to. He didn't go outside to call the maid. Instead, he got off the bed and went to the corner cabinet to get a new set of bedding. When he returned to the bedside, he found that the person on the bed had gotten off and was walking out.
Qin Shaozong grabbed her arm. "Madam?"
"I'm going to wash up." Dai Li slapped his hand away and continued walking weakly toward the side room.
Qin Shaozong chuckled, "Is your wife a fish in disguise?"
Dai Li turned a deaf ear.
Water was prepared in the side room, and fortunately, it was summer, so the hot water was still warm and not cold to wash in. Dai Li quickly tidied up, and when she came out again, she felt that she could fall asleep the moment she closed her eyes.
But in fact, it didn't.
She had just closed her eyes when there was a knock on the door.
"My lord, a night traveler has come to our manor." It was Qiao Wangfei's voice.
Qin Shaozong, who had just closed the white curtain, raised his eyebrows. "Someone else has come? Since he's got guts, then interrogate him properly."
Qiao Wangfei outside hesitated noticeably. "My lord, this man claims to have been adopted by Fan Yanzhou many years ago and renamed Quan Jie. But he is not without parents. He says his mother is Dai Li, and his real name is... Qin Yanzhou."
Dai Li, who was on the couch, suddenly opened her eyes.
Qin Shaozong was stunned.
Dai Li, who was sleeping inside, got up and hurriedly tried to get out of bed. The room was dark, and Dai Li was too hasty. She took big steps and only stepped on half of the footrest. She tripped and fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Qin Shaozong was startled and quickly scooped the person up. "The person isn't going to run away, Madam. Why are you in such a hurry? Where did you fall?"
Dai Li brushed his hand away. "It's nothing. Light the lamp and get dressed. I'm going to go take a look."
Qiao Wangfei stood outside the main room and was surprised to hear a familiar female voice coming from inside. But when the door opened and the two people inside came out, his expression had changed.
"Where is he?" Dai Li asked hurriedly.
Qiao Wangfei: "For now, please stay in a courtyard. Please follow me."
The mansion was brightly lit, and the long corridor was illuminated by the firelight. Dai Li's gaze followed the long corridor and came to a pavilion that was heavily guarded by soldiers.
"Slow down, even if he had wings, he couldn't fly away." Qin Shaozong noticed that she was walking strangely and guessed that she had just fallen and hurt herself.
Dai Li remained deaf to his words.
Upon entering the courtyard, Dai Li paused at the doorway, took a heavy breath, and unconsciously clenched her fists.
Qiao Wangfei stepped forward and pushed open the tightly closed door.
"Creak." The door opened.
A figure with its hands bound behind its back completely filled Dai Li's eyes. The moment the other person looked up at the sound, it felt like something exploded in her mind.
It was an incredibly ugly face, with large areas of scars covering his cheeks, so horrifying that it could give a child nightmares.
However, those eyes... those eyes that looked at her were very gentle, like those of a newborn lamb, exactly the same as those in her memory.
In Dai Li's world, a fierce wind raged around her. She could hear nothing and see nothing but the figure not far away. The wind carried countless tiny blades, cutting her until she bled profusely and her bones were exposed. Every nerve and piece of flesh screamed in excruciating pain.
Countless invisible saw blades pierced her heart, tearing it to pieces.
The color drained from her face, and Dai Li staggered slightly.
Qin Shaozong reached out and supported her waist in time. But the next moment, the woman in his arms stumbled forward, and even though her steps were unsteady and she looked like she was about to fall to the ground at any moment, she still moved forward firmly.
Dai Li had wondered many times if, ten years later, her child had grown up and she would recognize him at a glance when she saw him again.
Now she has an answer: Yes!
How could she not recognize her child?
She had grown taller, and her face had changed; she was completely different from how she remembered her. But she knew, she knew it was a piece of flesh that had fallen from her own body…
"Zhouzhou!" Dai Li cried out in anguish.
She staggered to his side, raising her hand to touch the young man's face, but when she was less than an inch away, his jade-white fingertips twitched violently, making her dare not go any further.
In Dai Li's eyes, the large scars receded little by little, back to the time when they scabbed over, and before they scabbed over, they became wounds oozing bright red blood.
Tears welled up in Dai Li's eyes, completely blurring her vision, "Zhouzhou..."
How painful that wound must be! What kind of mistreatment did her child suffer here?
The young man then lowered his head and pressed his face against that fair hand.
The softness was exactly the same as he remembered, making him want to smile. However, the gesture was so unfamiliar to him that he did it slowly and stiffly, with an awkward and discordant quality. "It's not real, you don't need to worry."
Dai Li couldn't hear those words, or perhaps subconsciously she found them comforting. The rough texture on her fingers caused her unbearable heartache, and she wept uncontrollably.
Ten years ago, he was only nine years old, an age when he needed to report to her wherever he went.
Such a young child, he is learning about civilization, harmony, freedom and equality at school, but in this era, exploitation and cannibalism are everywhere.
With his mother gone and everything around him unfamiliar, how many times must he have secretly cried at night to grow into the person he is today?
Dog, mustard.
It is a domestic dog, but also a piece of trash.
Anyone can bully him, anyone can trample on her child. The candy she held in her palm has turned into mud that others can trample on at will!
Just thinking about it made Dai Li feel heartbroken. "It's not Quan Jie, it's Qin Yanzhou, and the state is Qin Yanzhou!"
Qin Yanzhou suddenly felt the bindings on his hands loosen, and he knew that someone behind him had untied him. He raised his arms and gently embraced Dai Li.
The pendulum of time seemed to stop for a moment, the hour hand rapidly turning backward, spinning round and round. Those precious memories he had once relived again and again now materialized, as if reappearing beside him—
The beautiful woman escorted the little boy with his schoolbag to the school bus, gently straightening his clothes. "Zhouzhou, when you get to school, listen to Teacher Lin. If anything happens, call your mom. Mom will pick you up after school. Good boy, go on your way."
Tears welled up in the young man's eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Mom, I'm sorry, I can never be a good boy again."
His hands were stained with blood; he could never go back to the past.
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Author's note: Mom's here, Zhouzhou has a close relative now! [pat on the head][hug]
I need nutrient solution! [Orange heart]
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