Chapter 6: Even the ghost dog knows the truth, but it can't stop the one who can only...
"Boss, she's dead." Zhuang Gu hung his head, his voice was low, and his expression was a little sorry.
Fang Yilan was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke and ordered, "Wrap the body in a straw mat and take it to the wasteland at the edge of the city and bury it."
The unconscious boy was carefully helped to the street by several people. Fang Yilan winked at Zhuang Gu, who had no choice but to obey her orders and took out the only bottle of pills they had.
He pinched the boy's cheeks, put the pill into his mouth, and patted his back to make him swallow it.
Fang Yilan asked several enthusiastic people on the street to help look after the place, and then he took a few people and walked quickly into the alley.
In a flash, the figure disappeared into the winding alley and disappeared without a trace.
As night fell, the few scattered lights in the city gradually dimmed.
Only the lights in the Wen Mansion were still on, and from time to time, unbridled laughter could be heard coming from the mansion.
In the extremely luxurious hall, Wen Wanshu was lying on the couch with his round belly, his eyes closed, and his hands tapping the rhythm from time to time.
In the open space in the center of the hall, the graceful actors danced lightly, their skirts lifted up, and their singing was gentle and melodious.
No one noticed as several figures scurried past the back wall of the mansion.
Wen Wanshu was drunk and staggered towards the bedroom.
Suddenly, a biting cold wind blew towards me.
The flickering candlelight in the corridor was extinguished by the cold wind, and the surroundings were instantly plunged into thick darkness.
His originally chaotic brain suddenly stopped because of this sudden change, and Wen Wanshu's drunkenness also dissipated a little in an instant.
Something seemed to flash behind him, and he turned around suddenly to see a strange white figure with long, inky hair hanging down in front of him, covering his facial features tightly.
Wen Wanshu rubbed his eyes hard, trying to dispel the strange scene before him, wondering if it was an hallucination caused by being drunk.
But no matter how hard he wiped his eyes, the ghostly figure continued to approach him. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead and slid down his cheeks.
Seeing that the strange shadow was about to float in front of him, Wen Wanshu woke up as if from a dream, grabbed his robe, and ran forward as if his life depended on it.
The dark shadow followed him like a shadow, and the eerie aura lingered around his ears like a snake's tongue, sending a chill straight into his heart.
After finally rushing into the bedroom, Wen Wanshu used his bloated body to hold the door tightly, breathing heavily.
A cold and sad female voice suddenly sounded strangely from inside the house.
"Wen...Wan...Shu, you've made me suffer so much...The underworld is so cold, why don't you come down and keep me company?"
Wen Wanshu was so frightened that he fell to the ground, shivering uncontrollably, and stammered, "Who...who are you? I have no grudge against you, why are you scaring me like this?"
That cold voice echoed in the house again, "I died because of you. You stole the remaining food, and I was tragically killed by the sharp blades of your yamen runners. Today is the day you die. Even if my soul is shattered and I become a ghost, I will take your life."
"No!! Ah!!" Wen Wanshu was terrified to the extreme, his eyes were wide open, veins bulged on his forehead, cold sweat soaked his clothes, and he looked like he had just been fished out of the water.
His body was shaking violently and uncontrollably. In extreme fear, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Zhuang Gu and his companions jumped down from the beam and glanced with disdain at Wen Wanshu who was lying unconscious on the ground.
Fang Yilan lifted her hair, took out a dagger from her waist, and slashed it with a quick movement.
Zhuang Gu, who was standing by, was so frightened that he trembled all over, his heart almost jumping out of his throat: "General, you are so brave..."
Fortunately, Fang Yilan only cut off Wen Wanshu's messy hair.
Fang Yilan:?
Zhuang Gu: “…It’s okay.”
Wen Wanshu, who already had a face full of flesh, now had uneven hair on his head, as if it had been bitten by a wild dog. He looked funny and ridiculous, which matched his ugly face that usually showed his arrogance.
It’s not that Fang Yilan doesn’t want to chop, but her psychological defense makes it difficult for her to cross the line.
Suddenly a dark shadow flashed outside the window.
Several pairs of eyes met in the dark night.
"Retreat first," Fang Yilan commanded. Without hesitation, everyone fled the mansion and slipped back into the nearby streets and alleys.
Just as he had burned the black clothes, he saw a singing girl with bright makeup and wearing a long silk dress at the entrance of the alley. She was leading her maid to distribute the untouched dishes that had been taken away from the prefect's banquet to the people around her.
The maidservant beside the singing girl was the first to notice Fang Yilan and her group, and her eyes suddenly became sharp. The singing girl seemed to sense something and coughed lightly while looking over.
The moment their eyes met, she was stunned for a moment, then she smiled gently, nodded to them, and turned her attention back to the matter at hand.
"General, that maidservant should know martial arts. Could the one outside the door just now be her?" Zhuang Gu reported in a low voice.
Fang Yilan also noticed it, her eyes locked on the two people not far away, and she whispered, "Don't act rashly."
After distributing the food, the singing girl didn't stay for long and got on the carriage waiting on the street with her maid.
As the car drove away, a man in coarse linen clothes spat out the bone left in his mouth onto the ground with a "Pooh" sound. The bone hit the stray dog on the side of the road.
The wild dog was concentrating on gnawing on the food scraps on the ground when it was suddenly hit by a flying bone. It was so frightened that its hair stood on end and it barked non-stop.
The man curled his lips, his face full of undisguised contempt: "She's just a singing prostitute, and she's imitating the style of those young ladies from official families. She expects others to look up to her just by giving her some food? She doesn't even consider her own status."
"Even dogs know that one should be grateful for what one has done to one's neighbor. Even if some people's mouths are stuffed full, they can't stop their rotten mouths that can only spew shit." Fang Yilan took off the cloth bag from his waist, tilted his head back to take a big gulp, and sneered.
"You!" The rough man was obviously not expecting someone to dare to challenge him in person. His neck stiffened and he subconsciously wanted to explode. He looked around and saw condemning and disgusted eyes everywhere.
Looking at Fang Yilan's stern face, he felt that this person was not easy to deal with, so he gritted his teeth in hatred, turned around without saying a word, and walked away in shame.
*
For some unknown reason, the yamen runners in Ningqiu have restrained their behavior and stopped doing whatever they want these days.
Rumor has it that the prefect was seriously ill and bedridden, unable to manage affairs.
When the people heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief, and were able to find some peace and respite in these difficult times. However, they didn't know how long this brief peace would last.
Sure enough, the good times did not last long. After only three days, Wen Wanshu walked on the street with his fat belly. Even with a tall hat on his head, it could not cover his messy hair like grass.
He led a group of yamen runners, cursing at the top of his lungs: "I want to see who on earth is this fool who dares to play tricks on me, the prefect! If I catch you, I'll make sure you're in big trouble!"
The guards were even more like vicious dogs. Whenever they saw someone with long hair, they would rush up without saying a word and beat the person up with their fists. Their behavior was extremely brutal and rude.
The streets were suddenly in chaos.
Wen Wanshu was not surprised at all and sneered, "Humph! If anyone reports this and helps me bring the perpetrators to justice, I will reward them with a bag of corn."
The man in rough clothes who was speechless after being rebuked by Fang Yilan that day took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and sneaked into the Wen Mansion.
Little did he know that all this was seen clearly by Zhuang Gu who was stalking in front of the prefect's residence.
After receiving the news, Fang Yilan immediately led a few people to change their hiding place.
A figure suddenly appeared in the narrow and long alley. It was the maidservant beside the singing girl.
She glanced at the group and said coldly to Fang Yilan, the leader: "If you don't want to be caught by the soldiers, follow me."
Fang Yilan frowned, listening to the gradually clearer footsteps of officers and soldiers behind him, without time to think, he took his men to follow the maid's footsteps.
Inside the Yihong Tower, the air is warm, fragrant and sweet, with layers of gorgeous silk and gauze hanging from the beams.
The back of a woman in front of the table was disturbed by intermittent coughing, her shoulders shrugged slightly, and her handkerchief covered her mouth and nose, as if she was going to cough out her heart and lungs.
Fang Yilan clasped her hands together and greeted him loudly, "Thank you for taking me in, young lady. What should I call you, young lady?"
Hearing the voice, the woman turned around, gracefully stood up and saluted: "Ahem, General, you can just call me Chudie."
Before she finished her words, with a few "swish" sounds, the scabbard was already half pulled out, and a flash of cold light appeared in the hands of several people behind Fang Yilan.
The maidservant beside Chu Die took a step forward and stood firmly in front of her. She drew the short knife from her waist with her right hand and pointed it at the person who came, her eyes full of vigilance.
"How did Miss Chudie find us?" Fang Yilan was surprised at Chudie's intelligence. He raised his hand slightly and signaled the people behind him to put away their weapons.
The Chu Die in front of her had an outstanding temperament, without a trace of vulgarity. Her every move was dignified, and in her opinion, she behaved like a proper young lady from an official family.
"Xunyun, don't be rude." Chudie scolded the maid softly, then looked at Fang Yilan with a faint smile and told the story.
"The world is not at peace these days, and seeing civilians dying in the streets is nothing new. Ningqiu City is such a small place, and you strangers are too conspicuous, and you even helped collect and bury the bodies of the civilians. You can't be from Xiling, you must have sneaked in from Ruining."
She looked up at Fang Yilan's features, as if she saw an old friend. Her eyes curved, "I've heard for a long time that the leader of Ruining's Fang family army is a remarkable woman. A few days ago, they sent troops to surround Ningqiu, but the army hasn't been dispatched yet. It's not hard to guess."
"Miss Chudie is extremely intelligent." Fang Yilan raised her eyebrows and praised.
The autumn wind, bringing with it a cool breeze, blows gently through the carved window lattices.
The violent coughing sounded again uncontrollably, each sound rapid and short.
"Miss!" Xun Yun walked quickly to the window and slammed it shut. "The doctor has long advised that you should not open the window to let in the wind after autumn." He then quickly walked to the table, poured a cup of steaming warm tea and handed it to Chu Die.
Chu Die smiled and shook her head nonchalantly, then looked at Fang Yilan with a sincere look on her face: "General, to be honest, I have been keeping an eye on you all these days because I have something in mind."
"Chu Die has been ill for a long time and knows that he doesn't have much time left, but he is worried about his sister who has been with him since childhood. She also has some skills and I think she can help a little." After saying that, he pulled Xun Yun and pretended to kneel down in front of Fang Yilan.
Fang Yilan hurriedly stopped Chudie.
Xunyun also looked incredulous: "Miss, what do you mean? Why would I separate from you?"
Chudie's eyes were filled with tears, but her words left no room for negotiation: "Xunyun, don't forget what you promised me. This blood feud must not be forgotten. When I burn incense and offer sacrifices one day, if you live up to my trust, I will rest in peace in my grave."
Fang Yilan recalled what happened that day, and doubts welled up in her heart. So she asked, "May I ask if the man in black that I saw outside Wen Wanshu's bedroom at the Wen Mansion that day was your man?"
Chu Die frowned upon hearing this, then said sternly, "To be honest, I did intend to arrange for Xun Yun to take action that day. However, Xun Yun informed me immediately when you entered the mansion. In order not to alert the enemy, we ultimately did not take any action."
If what Chudie said is true, then things are really strange.
In addition to them, there were other people who had sneaked into the city and were well aware of their actions.
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