Chapter 42 Fearless of Death
The old lady stared at the greasy corner of Yongqing's mouth: "Does the Earl still want dinner?"
Yongqingbo waved his hand: "No, I ate several flatbreads and I'm full."
The old lady: "..."
You unfilial brat!
You greedy old man!
Qiu Heng, who was resented by the old lady, waited until late at night and skillfully climbed over the courtyard wall.
As she explored the capital city day and night, she became more and more familiar with it.
Yuan Chenghai was born in the southeast. His parents, wife and children all lived in his hometown. He only had one house in the capital, which was where he would stay when he returned to the capital. His two beautiful concubines lived there normally.
Qiu Heng visited the Yuan residence before Yuan Chenghai returned to Beijing.
As night fell, the Yuan residence, nestled within the high walls of the Mo Gate, was eerily quiet. It was unclear whether Yuan Chenghai was still shaken by the assassination attempt during the day or simply had gone to bed early.
Qiu Heng watched quietly, watched quietly, and saw several furtive figures slowly approaching. She silently counted in her mind: one, two, three, four, five…
A figure leaped and scaled the high wall. The next moment, the sound of tiles being stomped on filled the air, and several people suddenly appeared on the roof, surrounding the person who had climbed over the wall.
They were Yuan's residence guards who had been lying in wait all along!
It was too late when they realized what was happening; with a scream, the man fell to the ground.
Several companions took off running.
More guards from the Yuan residence jumped down: "Chase!"
Under the cover of night, Qiu Heng's complexion was not good.
Previously, when she sneaked into the Yuan residence at night, although there were guards patrolling, she had never lurked in the shadows like this. That must have been a deliberate arrangement by Yuan Chenghai, who valued his life.
In just a short while, Qiu Heng saw the patrol inspectors who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, as well as the Imperial City Guard.
It seems that Yuan Chenghai's daytime attack has caught the attention of more than one government department.
Without further hesitation, Qiu Heng lightly followed, her toes barely touching the ground.
She measured this land with her feet almost every day, especially the area where the wealthy lived, which was like a map unfolding in her mind.
Instead of following these people, she turned a corner and went into a long alley, taking a shortcut to get to the front.
The group of people who were running for their lives were rushing in this direction, and a group of people were chasing them a dozen or so feet away.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from one side and grabbed the person running in front.
"Who!" The man immediately made a move, then heard a voice say, "Come with me."
Then the hand let go, and the owner of the hand ran into an alley.
The group exchanged glances and instantly reached a tacit understanding: follow them!
They've alerted so many people, and since they're unfamiliar with the capital, they obviously can't escape. They might as well take a gamble; if they lose, they'll accept it, and at worst, they can team up and kill this kid who tricked them before those people catch up.
The group followed the figure ahead and soon found themselves at the end.
dead end!
"You're lying to us, kid!"
The person in front turned around and suddenly disappeared.
The group exclaimed in shock: "We've seen a ghost!!"
They didn't stop, and the next moment they discovered that the dead end wasn't a dead end after all. There was a narrow gap between the left wall and the wall at the end, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
There was no way out at this point, so the group gritted their teeth and squeezed in, following the figure in front of them as they ran and circled around before jumping over a high wall.
What came into view was a desolate wasteland.
Overgrown with weeds and dilapidated houses, the place looked like a place that had been abandoned for a long time.
"Where is this place? Who are you?"
The person who led them here said in a nonchalant tone, "This is a haunted house."
The group all took a step back.
There was no moon in the sky, only a few stars adding some light to the haunted house, making the grass, trees, and walls appear even more eerie.
“I am just like you; I want Yuan Chenghai dead.”
Upon hearing this, the group visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but their eyes remained fixed on the mysterious person who had saved them.
Judging from his build, he was still a teenager, and his face was covered with a black cloth, so he looked similar to them.
"Go over there and talk."
Qiu Heng turned around first, led the four to a more secluded shed, and sat down directly on the ground: "Are you four from the south?"
"How did you know?" one person asked.
"Rumors have already spread in the capital."
Qiu Heng's calm tone made the four of them feel relaxed, and at the same time, she controlled the rhythm of the conversation.
Why did you kill Yuan Chenghai?
The response was silence.
Qiu Heng waited for a moment, then stood up: "Fine, don't tell me then, let's go home."
She saved several people because she believed that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and that we could perhaps cooperate.
As the sixth daughter of the Yongqing Marquis's family, Qiu has very few capable people. Qingluo and Granny Wang can occasionally provide cover, but it's not appropriate for them to get involved.
Qiu Heng was very clear about one thing: the identity of Qiu Liu Guniang (Sixth Miss Qiu) could not be exposed to the world. Qiu Liu Guniang was straightforward, simple, and somewhat talented.
But since they were just strangers who had met by chance, they were unwilling to let their guard down or force the issue.
"Stop!" One person stepped forward and blocked Qiu Heng's way.
Qiu Heng chuckled: "So you're going to repay kindness with enmity?"
The man covered his face with a black cloth, revealing only his eyes. After hearing what Qiu Heng said, a hint of embarrassment appeared in his eyes.
How can we be sure you won't turn around and report it to the authorities?
Qiu Heng shook her head: "I was surprised that you would carry out an assassination during the day, when the Yuan residence would obviously be under increased security. Why would you do it at night? Now it seems that you were not very smart."
"What do you know!" The person blocking Qiu Heng seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and became agitated. "So many of us are dead, all dead, only a few of us are left! If we don't act quickly, we'll have no chance in this unfamiliar capital city!"
“Chen San, don’t say that. Young brother has been kind to us.” Another person cupped his hands to Qiu Heng. “Young brother, don’t hold it against him. He has a quick temper.”
"Should I leave or not?" Qiu Heng asked.
"Young man, please have a seat." The man introduced himself, "My surname is Tao, everyone calls me Tao Da. This is Chen San, this is Liu Er, and this is Nie San Niang."
Qiu Heng noted everything down, then glanced at the veiled woman again.
"For many years, Yuan Chenghai has been extorting and plundering in the southeast, forcing countless people to lose their homes and families, and leaving them homeless. Gradually, some righteous people have gathered together, vowing to take this scoundrel's life..."
Tao Da's account of Yuan Chenghai's numerous atrocities in Southeast China was far more shocking than any brief account in the book.
"But he has more and more guards around him, and his protection is becoming increasingly tight, leaving us with absolutely no chance in the south. A group of us secretly followed him north, looking for an opportunity to strike along the way, but by the time we reached the capital, there were only a few of us left. Today, seeing that he finally had fewer guards around him, we decided to fight to the death..."
As Chen San listened, he simply ripped off his black cloth, revealing a very young face. He exuded a dejected and reckless air: "I'm not afraid of death, but I'm afraid that scoundrel won't die! He made my whole family homeless, and my three-year-old sister froze to death on the street... I hate him, I'm not reconciled!"
The young man slammed his fist on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
Nie Sanniang was the only woman among the four. She wrapped her arms around her knees and said in an icy tone, "If this scoundrel doesn't die, I'll haunt him even as a ghost!"
Tao Da whispered, "Third Sister has a younger sister. At the beginning of the year, Third Sister took her sister out to play and they encountered a scoundrel. The scoundrel kidnapped Fourth Sister and brought her with him to the capital this time..."
"It's my fault. I relied on my skills and insisted on taking my sister out to play, which resulted in her falling into the tiger's den..." Nie San Niang raised her hand to cover her face.
The most silent one was Liu Er, who remained completely silent throughout.
Tao Da tried his best to suppress his emotions and said, "The one who was just left behind is called Liu Da... Liu Er's older brother."
"Please accept my condolences." Hearing these words, Qiu Heng's heart was heavy, yet surprisingly calm.
I already knew, and I already saw it.
The people of Xia, after their country was destroyed and their homes were destroyed, were reduced to pigs and dogs.
"Young man, what is your name?" Tao Da asked.
He didn't truly trust this mysterious young man completely. But what could he do if he didn't trust him?
The grand and reckless assassination operation, at this point, was less about being determined to take the traitor's life and more about being like moths drawn to a flame, willing to die without regret.
So many comrades have died; they should have died alongside us for our common goal.
"You can call me Magpie."
"magpie?"
"Yes, the 'magpie' in 'magpie'."
"The harbinger of good news—" Chen San suddenly laughed, a sarcastic laugh.
Is this boy deliberately trying to disgust them?
Tao Da, on the other hand, was much more composed: "It seems that you have very loving parents, little brother."
"Yes, but they're all dead." Qiu Heng said softly, as if talking about something insignificant, "They died at the hands of a scoundrel like Yuan Chenghai."
She looked at the four of them and suggested seriously, "How about we cooperate?"
Since they are not afraid of death and are not afraid of dying, let's try again with her, Aheng.
(End of this chapter)
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