Chapter 36 The Storm is Coming
Wen Yao opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, there was a sudden noise outside the yard.
She shut up, put down her chopsticks, and looked outside. She saw several people in dark linen clothes hurried past. The one in front was an elderly man with gray hair wrapped in a messy coarse cloth. He was carrying a person wrapped in a robe on his back.
The person had a slender figure and messy hair, and it was vaguely visible that she was a girl.
They were heading towards Xiaodao's yard.
A moment later, there were urgent shouts and knocks on the door. Wen Yao had a bad feeling in her heart. She stared outside, stood up, pushed open the fence and strode out.
The door to the neighboring courtyard had already been opened. The small courtyard, which usually only housed Xiaodao and Ayin, was now crowded with five or six people. Aside from the woman who clung to the old man, the other residents were men with withered, frail figures. They were all quite old, their cheeks dark, their fingers dangling at their sides swollen and gnarled. They looked like they'd grown up in the mud, earning a living by carrying a hoe.
The old man knelt on the ground, holding someone in his arms, his wrinkled face covered with glaring, muddy tears. The old woman, who had already cried out loudly, clutched the edge of Xiaodao's clothes tightly and knelt on the ground, her face buried deep in the dust.
Wen Yao's heart beat faster and faster, until it was almost like a drum. She quickly stepped forward, passing through the crowd. The girl lying on the ground, her face covered in stains, purple bruises, and blood, suddenly caught her eye.
A few days ago, the owner of this face had shyly handed her a water bag filled with clear water. Wen Yao had leaped from the high treetops, carrying her and her younger sister, and personally stuffed their arms with handfuls of fragrant, crispy osmanthus candy. The girl stood before Wen Yao and shyly looked up at her, the fear in her eyes fading, a soft, clear glow in hers.
Now the girl lay on the yellow mud, with her father and mother beside her, but she looked lifeless. Her lips were gray and her hair was messy, and her ears, neck and cheeks that were exposed were all covered with bloodstains and scars.
Xiaodao's expression had never been so solemn. The joy he had felt in the alley, along with his usual enthusiasm and cheerfulness, was now completely gone. He pulled the old woman up and hurried back into the house to retrieve a purse.
As he stepped out of the door, he saw Wen Yao standing beside him. After a brief hesitation, Xiaodao quickly stepped forward, lowering his eyes and speaking in a hoarse voice, "Sister-in-law, I need to go to the clinic now. Ah Yin is in the house. Please take care of her for a while."
Wen Yao's gaze, which had been fixed on the girl's face, suddenly withdrew and turned to look at Xiaodao's face, nodding.
Xiaodao thanked her, then stepped forward, picked up the girl, and gently wrapped her in his robe. He then led these tenants who had hurriedly walked all the way from Yushan Villa towards the city's Chinese medicine clinic.
"Brother!" Ayin suddenly called out. She stood inside the door, one hand on the door frame, watching the adults leave, tears streaming down her red eyes.
Children are very sensitive and attentive. They may not understand what has happened, or the tragedy of separation between life and death, but they can sense the uneasiness and fear in the air.
Her other hand loosened, and the brightly colored nine-linked ring fell to the side.
Wen Yao took two steps into the house, picked her up, gently touched her face, patted her small back, and comforted her: "Don't be afraid, your brother has gone to rescue people and will be back soon."
"Uncle, sister..." A Yin leaned on Wen Yao's shoulder, clutching her clothes tightly with her hands, sobbing: "What's wrong with sister, what's wrong with sister."
As expected, Xiaodao Ayin got acquainted with the tenant farmers of Yushan Villa.
"Sister is sick, uncle is taking her to see a doctor." Wen Yao put his palm close to the back of A Yin's head and said softly, "I'll be back soon."
Zhao Xuanxu came from behind, leaned over, picked up the Nine-Link Rings, and placed it on the table. There were a few dishes of side dishes and rice and soup nearby, and a few chopsticks had tumbled onto the tabletop.
Wen Yao carried Ayin into the bedroom and put her on the bed.
The child had stopped crying and was wiping tears from his eyes, sobbing softly as he tried to catch his breath. Wen Yao stood up and took two steps back, his back foot unexpectedly bumping into something hard, smooth, and thick.
She turned and looked down, and saw a large jar filled with water, with a smaller jar stacked in the middle. It was not cold in the room at that time, but the small jar was covered with a thick layer of ice.
...It turns out that saltpeter was bought to make ice like hers, not to treat hemorrhoids.
Wen Yao frowned and stared at the jar of ice for a while. After a while, he looked away and said, "I'm going to the clinic. Wu Peiming needs to reply to Shaoshan. You can look after the child."
Zhao Xuanxu raised his eyebrows and looked at Ayin who was standing beside him, and responded calmly.
Wen Yao patted his arm and turned to chase after him.
There were more than one clinic close to the alley, but Wen Yao didn't have to guess which one Xiaodao and the others were going to. She stood outside the alley, watching the pedestrians whispering and rushing in one direction.
Circles of people gathered around the clinic with a yellow flag hanging on it, and hoarse cries and pleas could be heard from inside.
Wen Yao pushed through the crowd from the corner and walked up. He saw Xiaodao standing aside. The old woman held the doctor's hand tightly, knelt down several times, and was pulled up by the helpless doctor.
"There's really nothing I can do, there's really nothing I can do." The doctor looked at the girl lying on the wooden bed behind the door and sighed. A doctor's heart is full of compassion. He had been practicing medicine for many years and had never seen such a vicious wound on a woman. He felt sympathy and pity for her.
"Your beloved was seriously injured, and it was too late to bring her back. She had already passed away."
The person is already dead, and there is no way to bring a dead person back to life even if he doesn't have the heart to do so.
The old woman's spirits instantly vanished, and she slid limply to the ground. The old man pulled his wife up, and they stood beside the raggedly dressed tenant farmer, pleading incoherently. Their bodies were hunched, and their exposed necks and forearms were scarred. A young woman's hand dangled from the bedstead, her fingertips bloodied, and several nails completely broken off. The scene was horrific and miserable.
Wen Yao was speechless, and his heart suddenly felt numb and bitter.
She had thought…she had thought that once she dealt with those troublemakers, they would be safe for the time being. The Supervisory Office was almost on the verge of finding the Xu family's hidden account books and the government's fish scale register. This was all about to end.
Wen Yao suddenly remembered that this girl was close to her sister. Now that something happened, the little girl must be shocked, frightened, and terrified. Her parents had lost their daughter, and her sister had lost her elder sister. What would happen to this family in the future?
Under broad daylight, more and more people gathered on the bustling street. The chorus of sympathetic and curious conversations died down when someone blurted out, "Xu's tenants," and a strange silence fell over the crowd.
Yanling is not far away from the emperor compared to Bianliang, but the Xu family has a daughter who is a princess. She is a true royal relative and a behemoth that ordinary people dare not even imagine.
"Alas," someone said softly, "there was one a while ago, his legs were broken when he was thrown out of the government office."
This sentence was like a drop of water falling into a frying pan, instantly causing a thousand waves.
"The Xu family is really going too far."
"So what if they're bullying us? Even the county magistrate doesn't dare to intervene. What can we say? If we go to Bianliang to file a complaint, we'll probably die on the way..."
"That's right, who dares to control the Xu family?"
"Didn't they say that a powerful prince came to Bianliang?"
"We're a family, here to help the Xu family investigate a case. Haven't you heard—" The man trailed off, "Many people from the Xu family have died, and we can't find out who killed them. Their deaths are exactly the same as in the 'Yanwang's Blue Seal Case.' I think Yama couldn't stand these people bullying us, so he's teaching them a lesson."
The Xu family, feeling guilty, dared not make a big noise to attract the attention of the court. Furthermore, since only some of the deceased were officials, they did their best to suppress the news. However, there is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable, and some people in Yanling City still knew about the strange events that took place at Yushan Villa.
"It doesn't matter if it's a human or a ghost! Kill them well, those people deserve to die!"
The clamor outside the clinic and the crying inside didn't seem to affect Xiao Dao at all. Wen Yao looked at him, his face cold and sullen, revealing a calmness he had never seen before.
He paid the doctor the fee despite his refusal, then carefully wrapped the girl in his robe again and carried her on his back. He walked out the door, followed by the tenants who were supporting each other, and walked past the crowd who had inexplicably parted ways in silence, step by step towards the coffin shop on the corner of East Street.
It was getting dark earlier and earlier. Wen Yao came back from the clinic and boiled water for A Yin to bathe and feed her some soup. It was only then that Xiao Dao came back.
He walked silently to the bed and looked at his sleeping sister, then thanked Wen Yao and Zhao Xuanxu who were standing beside him.
He must have sent the girl back home. The journey was long and he looked extremely tired.
Wen Yao shook her head and didn't stay any longer, returning to her own courtyard with Zhao Xuanxu. Almost as soon as she left, the candle in Xiaodao's room quickly went out.
Wen Yao stood in the courtyard, looking at the dark and silent courtyard next door, and suddenly said, "There was a lot of commotion outside the clinic today."
She pursed her lips and sneered, "The streets are completely blocked, and the patrol officers who usually show off their might haven't shown up today."
The world is muddy, it's just like that.
Wen Yao was accustomed to the injustices of the world, but perhaps because she had been so carefree for so long, she couldn't suppress her rage when she saw these things. She didn't fall asleep after returning home. She changed into the nightgown she had kept at the bottom of a box since arriving in Yanling City, sat by the window, legs bent, and polished the Xingyi Sword.
There was no wind outside, and the moon, obscured by the dark clouds, was completely dull. Even in the faint light, the Xingyi Sword still shone with a piercing coldness, its pattern like a swimming dragon, making anyone's heart tremble.
It was not until the second half of the night that the sound of footsteps could be heard faintly on the path outside the fence.
Wen Yao's expression froze, and his hands stopped moving. After a while, he suddenly let out a breath.
Ever since she suspected Xiaodao was "Yanluo," she had sought confirmation many times, her emotions fluctuating. Seeing the jar of ice today had given her another suspicion, and now she finally had a definite answer.
Wen Yao threw away the white cloth in his hand, turned over and landed on the ground silently, his toes touched the fence and landed lightly on the treetop outside the door.
Qianying, who was originally looking down at the person walking under the tree, paused, turned around and saw Wen Yao's face approaching.
"Commander Wen."
"I'll follow him." Wen Yao wasn't wearing the human skin mask. He held the Xingyi Sword on his knees, his brows lowered, his eyes sharp. "Go get a horse and bring it here."
"yes."
Wen Yao nodded, turned around and immersed himself in the thick and indissoluble night.
The next moment, the previously closed door in the courtyard opened. Zhao Xuanxu's cold, dark hair hung down, and the slightly longer hem of his dark robe dragged on the ground. He pushed open the door, walked into the courtyard, and paused, looking in the direction Wen Yao had left.
Zhao Xuanxu suddenly asked, "What did Ah Yao say?"
Qianying jumped down from the tree, knelt on one knee and bowed her head, saying, "Commander Wen ordered to prepare a horse and bring it here to wait."
"Well, then go ahead." Zhao Xuanxu said calmly, "The fish scale book and account books haven't been delivered yet."
"We've already got the Fish Scale Book, but we can't pry any words out of the captured person about the Xu family's account books. They probably really don't know anything." Qianying felt annoyed, thinking it was all because of her own poor handling of the matter. She pursed her lips and continued, "It's possible that it's Xu Feng and myself."
"Guang Qingyu is currently with the Xu family and Meng Gao, and he has several assassins with him. We were afraid of alerting them, so we didn't approach him rashly."
Meng Gao was the magistrate of Yanling County and a native of Bianliang. When he participated in the Autumn Examination, the invigilator was none other than Xu Zhihuai, the Grand Secretary and father of Princess Xu of Yong. Because of this master-disciple relationship, his relationship with the Xu family in Yanling grew even closer after he arrived as a local official in Yanling.
Zhao Xuanxu sneered and threw a waist badge to Qianying: "Go over and tell Gao Shaoshan to arrest the person. If Guang Qingyu uses tricks, kill him. The same goes for the Xu family. Get the account book before dawn today."
Qianying received the order and was about to leave, but was stopped again.
"never mind."
Zhao Xuanxu paused, and his voice suddenly became gloomy and sinister.
"I'll go myself."
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