Chapter 16: A Dark and Windy Night for Murder (Part 1)

  Chu Lie felt a great disappointment and turned to blame Yu Linglong, saying: "I think this young couple is gentle and elegant, understanding and reasonable, you are too suspicious."

  Yu Linglong, 30 years old, is the treasured daughter of Yu Zhongxiao, the master of the Huibei Bureau, and also the wife of Xia Peiheng, another deputy head of the General Bureau, known as "Knife Breaks Tongjiang".

  Chu Lie scolded himself repeatedly, and she smiled slightly: "When we're out, being careful can't hurt."

  Xiao Si, who was secretly in favor of Yu Linglong's approach, interrupted and said: "Master Chu, Yu Zongbiao, they've already left, let's go find a place to eat instead."

  Wan Er snorted softly and didn't speak, but her expression seemed to be mocking Xiao Si as a glutton who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun.

  Xiao Si's heart was filled with great anger, but she turned her head and pretended not to see her.

  At the moment, four people brought a few familiar escorts out of Hongfu Inn, had dinner in the wine building in the town, and strolled along the street at leisure because it was still early.

  Xiao Si discovered that Chu Lie, Yu Linglong and others seemed to be walking casually through the streets, but they had actually thoroughly searched every nook and cranny of the entire small town, not missing a single passerby in their sight.

  He suddenly came to his senses. An old Jianghu is indeed an old Jianghu. Whoever thinks that Chu Lie is just a rough and unrefined man will eventually suffer the consequences.

  Everyone walked around in a circle and didn't find anything unusual in the town. Seeing that it was already dark, they headed towards Hongfu Inn.

  Suddenly a commotion broke out on the street, and someone shouted: "Murder! Murder!"

  Xiao Siyi was shocked and looked up to see that at the east end of the street, people were in an uproar. The couple with the surname Chai, whom he had met earlier, were being surrounded by seven or eight men in black clothes. The two of them fought back while retreating, stumbling towards the Hongfu Inn.

  Chai Gongzi's cultivation was extremely powerful, but unfortunately, his two fists were no match for the four hands of his opponents. He also had to divide his attention to protect his beloved wife, and he suffered from two knife wounds, making his situation precarious. On the other hand, Chai Furen was safe and sound under her husband's sacrifice, but she was also fighting hard with her sword against the enemy, hoping to reduce the burden on Chai Gongzi.

  Wan'er saw this and frowned, saying: "Those black-clothed men took advantage of their numbers to bully the few, and their methods were ruthless and poisonous. They're definitely not good people!"

  "Right, let's save him first and ask questions later!" Chu Lie drew out his treasured sword "Lihuo", shouted loudly: "Chai Gongzi, come this way!" and rushed forward to meet him.

  Yu Linglong silently sighed and no longer tried to stop him, also drawing out her sword to follow Chu Lie into the battle.

  Those bodyguards saw that the two leaders had made a move and didn't dare to be polite anymore, one by one they rushed forward to kill.

  Wan'er glanced at Xiao Si and said: "Fourth Uncle, why don't you take action?"

  Xiao Si smiled and said: "If I went, what would happen to Old Man Chu and the others?"

  "Hmph!" Yuanyu cursed under her breath and ignored him, drawing her sword as she rushed over.

  Xiao Si arrived unhurriedly, the fight on the street had already ended. Those black-clad men who were chasing Bai Gongzi and his wife couldn't withstand the fierce attack of the escorts from Tongtong Escort Bureau. Fortunately, Yuling and Chu Lie didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so they let them escape with their tails between their legs.

  Mrs. Chai bandaged her husband's wound while thanking the crowd: "Thanks to everyone for drawing their swords to help, otherwise my foolish husband and I would have been killed by these thieves today."

  "Wan'er said: 'Madam, don't be polite. Under the bright sky and in broad daylight, these thieves dare to commit robbery on the street, it's really outrageous!'"

  Before he had even finished speaking, Xiao Si stood at the outer circle with his hands behind his back and his head raised to gaze at the sky, saying: "Ah, this sky is really bright!"

  At this time, the sun had already set, and the night was dark with sparse stars, how could it be related to a bright word.

  Everyone heard him teasing Wan'er and they all smiled, the atmosphere also relaxed a bit.

  Wan'er shot a glance at Xiao Siyi, this guy always took the opportunity to retaliate against himself, it can be seen that this person is so petty and vengeful.

  Yu Linglong asked: "Madam Chai, that group of black-clad men are not low in cultivation. What is their origin?"

  Mrs. Chai hesitated for a moment, looking at her husband. Mr. Chai nodded slightly and said, "Ning Mei, since our whereabouts have already been exposed, there's no need to hide it anymore. It's better if we treat people with sincerity."

  It seems that Xiao Si has figured it out, and it turns out that this young couple has a clear division of labor. For small matters, they listen to the wife, and for big matters, they listen to the husband. It seems that Chai Gongzi is not entirely under his wife's control.

  Mrs. Chai nodded and said in a low voice: "My husband's surname is Chai, with the single name Shao. My younger sister Li Xiuning is the daughter of Tang Guogong of Jin Yangfu."

  Yu Linglong was shocked and said: "It turns out that the two of you are Cheshire horse couple, I apologize for my previous offense, please forgive me."

  It is known that since ancient times, the people have not fought against the officials. Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang, sat in Jin Yang, with brave generals and tens of thousands of elite soldiers under his command, making him a top-ranking official of the current dynasty. Although Tong Bao Bureau was considered the golden signboard of the first-class courier station in Bashu, it still had many concerns when facing the mighty power of the officials.

  Li Xiuning hastily said: "General Yu, no need to be so polite. My husband and I will always remember the kindness you all have shown us in saving our lives. We will definitely repay it heavily someday."

  Everyone returned to Hongfu Inn and sat down in the main room to continue chatting.

  Li Xiuning said, "This time my husband and I followed our father's orders to visit our younger brother Yuan Ba at Qingcheng Mountain. We didn't expect to be ambushed on the way back. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out who these people were, but it must have been due to some old feud from Father's past."

  Chu Lie said: "Those black-clothed men may still make a comeback, the county master and his wife need to be more vigilant."

  "Thanks for your concern, Old Chu. Once we pass the Great Ba Mountain and enter Shaanxi Province, there will be no problem."

  Chu Lie and Yu Linglong exchanged a glance, both understanding that the Chai Shao couple must have arranged for their reception within Shaanxi province in advance. The two also did not want to get involved, firstly because they still had the heavy task of attacking the Da Ba Mountain Tiger Gorge stronghold, secondly because the ancient noble families' grudges and enmities were unpredictable, it was better to avoid getting entangled like the case with the Willows Bureau, and instead keep a distance from the disputes.

  Wan'er, however, didn't think that far ahead and worriedly said: "From Yunyang to Shaanxi, there are still several hundred miles of mountain roads, and Chai Jun's horse is injured again. What if bandits come to attack?"

  Xiao Si smiled and said, "We're not just heading to Daba Mountain, are we? If Chai Jun Ma doesn't mind, let's escort the two of you along the way. Of course, the reward for this trip will still be decided by Master Chu and Yu Zongbiao."

  Yu Linglong was taken aback, but after careful consideration, she couldn't help but nod in admiration. This way, the fact that everyone had rescued the Chai family from the black-clad assassin's knife would be turned into a story of being entrusted with protecting someone's wealth and eliminating their troubles. No one could say anything about it, as no one knew what kind of backing the black-clad man had. If he were to show up one day, it might even require the Tang Guogong to intervene. Now, selling him such a huge favor would be beneficial without any harm.

  She was originally a female strategist who claimed to be able to communicate with the Bureau, but it took her a long time to carefully consider and understand the sinister relationship behind this matter. However, Xīao Sì spoke casually, his cleverness and agility were such that it's no wonder Gěi Nán Yì and Chǔ Liè would look at him differently.

  Yu Linglong took over and said: "We are also a labor of love, how can we bear to accept payment again?"

  Li Xiuning looked at Chai Shao as usual, saw him nodding silently, and smiled: "The escort is the escort, private affairs are private affairs, we must give rewards, otherwise when we return to Jin Yang, Second Brother will know, and it's inevitable that he'll blame me for not understanding things."

  Yu Linglong quietly praised her and said "What a clever and sensible girl", and then she also went along with the situation and no longer declined.

  In short, how much one is paid doesn't matter, but this opening is a must for the Tonghuang Bureau.

  Everyone had made up their minds, so Chai Shao and his wife also stopped looking for another place to stay and settled down at the Hongfu Inn for the night.

  Chu Lie had originally planned to vacate the upstairs room where he and Xiao Si lived, but Chai Shao refused to agree no matter what. In the end, it was Li Xiuning who came up with a solution, suggesting that Chai Shao move in with Chu Lie and Xiao Si, while she herself would sleep in the room with Yu Linglong and Wan'er, thus avoiding the need to vacate any rooms while still being able to keep an eye on each other.

  That night, Xiao Si and Chu Lie had a midnight conversation with Chai Shao, talking about the strange stories and legends of Bashu, Qin and Jin, and the more they talked, the more they hit it off.

  Chai Shao was born with a wooden and introverted personality, not liking to talk much, but his experience and knowledge were in no way inferior to those of Chu Lie, an old Jianghu. Moreover, as the son-in-law of the Guo Gong Fu, he lived under the same roof with this old man and young master without any airs, which made people feel good about him.

  Xiao Si got excited and jumped off the bed, saying: "I'll go to the kitchen to see if there's any midnight snack, and if I'm lucky, I'll bring back two jars of good wine."

  He pushed the door out of the house and went straight to the kitchen, but when he passed through a corridor by the water, he suddenly felt that something was wrong, slowly backing back, standing under the eaves, staring intently.

  Suddenly, I heard Wen'er calling from behind: "Hey, what are you sneaking around and trying to do something bad again?"

  Xiao Si was startled and turned around to see it was Wan'er. He quickly put his index finger to his lips and made a soft "shh" sound.

  Wan'er stood still for a moment, walked to Xiao Si's side, imitated his gesture and looked around, but found nothing, and couldn't help humming: "Xiao Si, what are you up to?"

  He glanced around, making sure there was no one else nearby, before lowering his voice and saying: "Count the number of lanterns hanging in the corridor, then estimate the distance between them and the difference in distance between them and the pillars."

  Wan'er's curiosity was piqued, and she carefully observed the scene according to Xiao Si's guidance. She lowered her voice and said: "There are fourteen lanterns on both sides of the long corridor, hanging in pairs with a distance of about one zhang four chi between each pair. It seems that every two pillars have three lanterns, adding up to twelve lanterns, and the other two lanterns are just above our heads. What's strange is that you've noticed something?"

  Xiao Si Chong smiled at her and said: "No matter how strange it is, it can't be stranger than you."

  Without waiting for Wen Er's anger to subside, he continued: "This is a variation of the Qimen Dunjia formation, corresponding to the seven stars treading on the moon above and combining with the four images locking the sun below. Once trapped inside, even if you don't die, you'll lose a layer of skin."

  Wan'er looked at Xiao Si doubtfully and said, "Are you trying to deceive people again? We've already sent someone to investigate this inn a long time ago, it's impossible for it to be a black shop."

  "You fool, do you think the paintings on the lanterns and pillars are just flowers, grass, insects, and birds?" Xiao Si cursed in a low voice: "Ordinary thieves in a black shop can't understand the Seven Stars Stepping on the Moon, Four Symbols Locking the Sun? If Old Man Geng were here, he would have identified it at a glance and had the shopkeeper arrested for questioning."

  Wan Er angrily said: "Who are you calling an idiot? What business is it of yours if someone hangs a few lanterns, just like to pretend to be mysterious and make people admire you."

  Xiao Si said: "I don't need Miss Ke to admire me either. Do you dare walk back and forth under the long corridor?"

  Wan Er had actually believed 70-80% of Xiao Si's words, but she was unwilling to admit defeat to this kid. So she raised her head and said: "If you want to leave, then let's go together!" After speaking, she grabbed Xiao Si's arm and walked towards the long corridor.

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