Chapter 253 Wang Xiangui
The winter wind was biting cold. Hu Zi followed the man with his neck hunched, but he seemed to have no weight, and the soles of his shoes made no sound when they stepped through the puddles.
His gaze was like an ice-hardened blade, fixed on the back of Wang Xiangui's gray robe. This allowed him to keep his eyes on his target without letting the target feel that he was being watched, achieving the best of both worlds.
Wang Xiangui walked all the way to the end of the alley before stopping.
Hu Zi surveyed the house from afar. The red paint was peeling, the doorknob covered in cobwebs. While Wang Xiangui was knocking, he took a few steps forward. Using the shadow of the crooked locust tree beside the door, he tapped the wall with his toes and leaped onto the top.
The wet moss scraped against his feet, and he nearly slipped. Fortunately, he was skilled in light combat and quickly regained his balance. But he still held his breath as he looked down at the courtyard.
The weeds sprouting from the cracks in the bricks had turned yellow and dry, frozen in place by the winter rain. The grape trellis in the courtyard was now only left with withered branches, shivering in the cold wind. Fallen leaves littered the courtyard, a sign that it hadn't been cleaned in ages.
"Oh, is it you, Xiangui? Are you here to see your master again?" Just as Wang Xiangui raised his hand to knock on the door, an auntie came out from next door carrying a basket of vegetables.
Her sideburns were neatly combed, and fine wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes when she smiled. "Your master is so lucky to have such a good disciple like you in his life."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiangui turned around, his eyebrows curved into a gentle arc.
He raised his hand and bowed. "Aunt Zhao, I heard that Master is ill, and I came to bring him some medicine." His voice was as gentle as jade, and he looked like a well-educated man.
But Hu Zi, who was squatting on the wall, did not miss the flash of disgust in his eyes.
He doesn't like this aunt!
"Auntie, are you going to buy vegetables? You'd better hurry. Fresh vegetables are scarce in winter. If you go by now, they will be gone." Aunt Zhao, who was about to exchange a few pleasantries, slapped her thigh when she heard this. "Oh, that's right. Yesterday, I was only a quarter of an hour late, and the vegetable vendor had already closed his stall."
"I have to go quickly, my dear, please stay for dinner later."
Wang Xiangui smiled and said, "Don't bother me, Auntie. I'll just visit Master and leave. Business in the store is quite busy."
"Okay then, the aunt is leaving."
The two separated and Wang Xiangui pushed open the closed door.
Creakâthe sound of the wooden door opening startled the sparrows taking shelter from the rain under the eaves.
Wang Xiangui acted as if he didn't see it and walked in with his head down.
But when he walked into the yard, he threw the medicine bag in his hand to the ground with force.
The medicine bag, which was not tied very tightly to begin with, came loose, revealing the contents.
Hu Zi curled his lips, what a pretentious boy.
What kind of medicine is in here? It's just wood residue and soil.
Wang Xiangui patted the corner of his clothes, looked around, and walked towards the room on his left.
After a while, the creaking of an old bed board and a painful cry were heard from the inner room.
Hu Zi knew something was wrong when he heard it, so he quickly jumped down from the wall and moved along the wall with his back bent.
"You old bastard, you still don't say anything even at this time?" The furious roar broke through the paper-covered window frame.
Hu Zi hurried to the windowsill and saw an old man in his sixties being pulled off the bed, his empty sleeves making a crackling sound as they dragged on the ground.
The old man was so thin that his bones were visible, and the hideous scar on his collarbone was coiled like a snake, obviously caused by a burn last year.
The veins on Wang Xiangui's forehead bulged, and there was a crazy fire dancing in his pupils.
He grasped the old man's sparse white hair and pressed it to the ground, a few drops of blood foaming between his fingers. "I'm telling you, my patience has run out! If you don't tell me, I can't guarantee that you'll be alive to see the sun tomorrow."
He kicked the old man out with force. The old man's thin aunt bumped into the desk, and the celadon brush washer on the table was knocked over, and the wolf-hair brush rolled to the side of the old man.
It's a mess.
Hu Zi's back was pressed against the damp brick wall. Through the broken window, he saw the faint blue tattoo on the old man's wrist.
Isn't this the same mark as the heir of the Tang Kiln written in Jiangshan Changxin? He is the one the young lady is looking for!
We can't let him die.
The old man was curled up like a shrimp, making a deathly hoarse sound in his throat but not saying a word. His cloudy eyes blazed with a stubborn light, like the old horse in the stable of the marquis' mansion, whipped and bruised but refusing to bend.
"Oh, okay, okay." Wang Xiangui suddenly let go of his hand, and with a sinister smile, his canine teeth were exposed. "Then let me see whether your words are tougher or my stick is tougher."
He turned around and tried to leave the room to look for something.
Hu Zi quickly dodged and slipped into the room after Wang Xiangui left.
What should I do now?
If he went back to report to the young lady now, he would not be able to hold out until Wang Xiangui found the murder weapon; but if he took action without authorization, what if something happened and it would cause more trouble for the young lady...
His eyes swept across the old man's clenched teeth and saw blood oozing from between his teeth, dripping onto the debris on the ground, like a sad and beautiful flower blooming.
"Bang!" There was a crashing sound coming from the woodshed not far away. It should be Wang Xiangui hitting something with a wooden stick.
We can't wait any longer.
Hu Zi turned around and hid in the shadows, watching Wang Xiangui walk in carrying a wooden stick as thick as his wrist and a bundle of hemp rope.
He squatted in front of the old man and hit him on the back with a wooden stick. "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me the secret recipe for firing the finest celadon, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, today will be your death!"
His voice was cold and bloodthirsty, like a demon who kills without blinking an eye.
The old man closed his eyes tightly and did not respond.
"Hahaha, okay, okay. You have guts! Then I will grant your wish today!" Wang Xiangui stood up, holding one end of the wooden stick with both hands, and smashed it down hard.
His target is the old man's head!
A low growl rolled from Hu Zi's throat, and with a flying kick, he kicked Wang Xiangui away.
The wooden stick fell to the ground, making a rumbling sound.
Wang Xiangui covered his broken shoulder and looked at the man who suddenly appeared in the room. His pupils shrank as fast as needles.
"Who are you? Who asked you to come?"
Hu Zi didn't answer, but raised his foot and gave another side kick, with the sole of his boot accurately rolling over the opponent's shoulder.
Wang Xiangui rolled to the corner with a muffled groan. A sweet and fishy taste welled up in his throat, but he still stiffened his neck and roared, "Where did this scoundrel come from? I have someone above me that you can't afford to offend!"
Hu Zi squatted down, pinched the man's chin with his fingertips, and forced him to look up. "Look carefully, it's you, Uncle Hu, who's going to hit you today!"
Hu Zi's hand was like an iron rake holding Wang Xiangui's chin, and Wang Xiangui was so scared that he dared not move.
Seeing that he understood, Hu Zi let him go and turned to check the old man's injuries.
He shook the old man gently. "Old man, how do you feel now? Do you need me to take you to see a doctor right now?"
The old man opened his eyes slightly, then closed them again. He even turned his face away, as if refusing to communicate.
Hu Zi scratched his head, what should he do?
He could only carry the old man to the bed and then make a quick check to see if there were any bleeding wounds.
After some fiddling, Hu Zi breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, apart from a two-centimeter gash on the back of his head, there were no other bleeding spots. Although there seemed to be multiple fractures on his body, this kind of injury would not cause death in the short term.
Seeing that Hu Zi ignored him, Wang Xiangui, who was sitting in the corner, wanted to stand up and run away.
Just as he was about to leave stealthily, the copper bell on the eaves suddenly rang again.
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