The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 10

He Yanzhi told Xiao Hongyin to hold his breath. He held the hair he had pulled from the corpse before his eyes, using the reflection of the firelight to observe the direction in which the strands drifted.

Due to years of wielding a sword, He Yanzhi’s hand was exceptionally steady, and the hair held mid-air remained motionless.

Xiao Hongyin’s gaze shifted from the hair to He Yanzhi’s face.

He Yanzhi lowered his head slightly. His fair skin emitted a faint glow under the candlelight. The side of his face revealed beneath his bangs possessed smooth lines and an elegant contour, like a pearl gliding over silk.

He Yanzhi focused all his attention on the hair. Suddenly, the tips of the strands drifted slightly toward the east. He Yanzhi blew out the oil lamp and looked toward the west.

“A-Yin, come here.”

The western wall was also constructed of thick wooden planks. He Yanzhi found the wormhole upon it.

He turned back to find a cotton robe in the warehouse for Xiao Hongyin to wear. Then, he pulled a large saber from a shelf and told Xiao Hongyin to hide in the corner.

“Whatever you do, do not poke your head out.”

As soon as He Yanzhi finished speaking, the saber slammed into the wooden wall, creating a massive crash. An indescribable sense of pressure instantly rose within the small warehouse.

Xiao Hongyin could hear his own heartbeat, which felt especially prominent in the cramped corner.

“Bang! Bang! Crack!”

After three strikes, the wooden wall split apart. Light poured in, revealing the true state of the warehouse.

He Yanzhi felt the hole was not large enough and added a kick, creating an opening half the height of a person. He tossed the saber aside and beckoned to Xiao Hongyin.

Outside, a drizzling rain had begun to fall. The cool scent of damp earth made Xiao Hongyin let out an involuntary sneeze.

He wrapped the cotton robe tightly around himself. He noticed that He Yanzhi wore only a few layers of thin clothing, yet he seemed entirely unaffected by the cold wind.

Several bailiffs arrived after hearing the commotion. Upon seeing He Yanzhi, they were left bewildered by the scene before them.

He Yanzhi briefly explained what had happened, told them to report back to the yamen, and instructed them to handle the corpse inside.

“Where is Head Bailiff Yang?”

He Yanzhi sent someone to fetch Yang Kuan.

“Good heavens, Brother He! You have wiped out a Red Turban Gang contact point!” Yang Kuan rushed over upon hearing the news and was equally shocked and excited. He curiously leaned in to inspect the corpse.

“Tsk, why did you strike so hard? We have not even interrogated him properly yet. Brother He, you were far too impatient.”

“Brother Yan did not do it. He was already dead when we found him,” Xiao Hongyin retorted to Yang Kuan.

The latter froze for a moment before reacting. He leaned toward the boy. “A-Yin? You are supposed to be at the academy. How did you get out? Let me guess; you must have angered the Master and came out to dodge a punishment.”

“No,” Xiao Hongyin said, taking a disgusted step back and retreating behind He Yanzhi.

However, Yang Kuan did not notice Xiao Hongyin’s disgust at all. Thinking the boy was feeling guilty, he wanted to tease him further, but He Yanzhi cut him off.

“His clothes did not fit, so I brought him to the shop to change. Who would have thought that by a stroke of luck, we would discover this contact point?”

He Yanzhi told Yang Kuan to focus on the task at hand and fetch a dog from the yamen.

Yang Kuan asked in confusion, “What do you need a dog for?”

“Someone silenced him first and stole that wooden plaque under a false identity. The rain makes the roads slippery and travel slow. If we go now, we can still catch him.”

Agarwood possesses a natural fragrance. Once a large yellow dog was brought over, He Yanzhi held out the hand that had touched the wooden plaque to let the dog sniff it.

With the yellow dog leading the way, He Yanzhi and the others followed the trail from the market all the way to Baoque Mountain.

The mist on the rainy day was thick and white, and there were many obstacles in the forest. The group was forced to slow their pace, but He Yanzhi appeared particularly anxious.

Leather Hat was agile and swift. If they pursued him at this sluggish pace, they would likely catch nothing but shadows.

He Yanzhi could not help but say to Yang Kuan, “It is too slow this way. You take A-Yin and wait here while I pursue him alone.”

Yang Kuan looked at the path ahead and disagreed. “How can I let you go after them alone, Brother He? What if they have an ambush? Let Little Liu and the others take A-Yin back to the academy. I will go with you!”

He Yanzhi thought this was acceptable, but Xiao Hongyin was unhappy. He said aggrievedly, “A-Yin understands the path ahead is dangerous and I should not be a burden to Brother Yan. But that villain is cunning and cruel. If I encounter him again on the way back, Brother Yan, rest assured, even if I die, I will never betray you!”

The two of them gave He Yanzhi a headache. It seemed that leaving either of them behind would lead to trouble.

He Yanzhi rubbed his temples and thought for a moment. “Big Yang, carry A-Yin on your back. We will increase our speed.”

Yang Kuan agreed happily. He grabbed Xiao Hongyin and hoisted him onto his back. Xiao Hongyin was struck with pain, and his brow furrowed deeply.

The three of them led the way, with the bailiffs following closely behind.

Throughout the journey, Yang Kuan leaped and bounded about. Xiao Hongyin, forced to cling to his back, felt more miserable than if he were riding a horse.

He silently reached out a hand, grabbed a low-hanging branch, and pulled himself off the man’s back, taking the opportunity to fall onto the gravel-covered ground.

Xiao Hongyin did not scream; he only let out a small cry of pain. He Yanzhi immediately stopped his footsteps.

Yang Kuan realized he had caused trouble and opened his mouth wide. “I did not! He, I…”

However, meeting He Yanzhi’s gaze, Yang Kuan swallowed his explanation.

“Where are you hurt?” He Yanzhi rushed to Xiao Hongyin’s side to check his injuries. Xiao Hongyin claimed he was fine, but when he tried to stand, he was too pained to move.

He Yanzhi did not speak. He took Xiao Hongyin’s arms, draped them over his own shoulders, and lifted the boy onto his back. He stood up steadily and continued forward.

“Clear the way.”

This was directed at Yang Kuan.

He Yanzhi focused on the path ahead. The person on his back, however, silently turned up the corners of his mouth in triumph.

Yang Kuan helplessly led the way with the dog. Midway through, the yellow dog stopped. It sniffed the left and right sides for a long time before finally running toward the left.

A quarter of an hour later, the three were blocked by a pile of rubble.

Yang Kuan tugged the leash, but the yellow dog refused to move.

Yang Kuan looked at the dog with a skeptical gaze. “This does not look like a place where anyone would be. Big Yellow, have you made a mistake?”

The yellow dog barked at him.

“Not necessarily. Look around.”

He Yanzhi and Yang Kuan checked in different directions. They searched every sturdy tree, large rock, and thick thicket, but there was not even a single footprint.

Xiao Hongyin reached out to wipe the sweat from He Yanzhi’s cheek. He Yanzhi instinctively looked back, and his gaze landed on that pile of rubble.

“Big Yang.”

“Yes?”

“Clear it.”

He Yanzhi tilted his chin, indicating the pile of rubble.

“You mean it is under this pile of stones?”

Yang Kuan did not quite understand, but he followed the instructions.

He Yanzhi could not help because he was carrying Xiao Hongyin. When the bailiffs arrived, he had them help clear the rubble together.

After another quarter of an hour, through their combined efforts, the rubble was entirely removed, revealing a hidden cave.

An indescribable odor drifted from the cave, and the group was shocked by the scene inside.

Dozens of corpses were piled within the cave, filling the entire space. Numerous poisonous insects crawled among the bodies to feed and breed.

He Yanzhi backed away a distance and told Xiao Hongyin to close his eyes.

Even the bailiffs, who were used to seeing dead people, were afraid to step forward in the face of such a scene.

Ultimately, it was Yang Kuan who plucked up the courage to go inside and search. He brought out several red headbands and a few fish-shaped wooden plaques.

“Look, Brother He. Big Yellow must have been affected by these, which is why he brought us here.” Yang Kuan found a cloth to wrap the items, intending to submit them as evidence.

He Yanzhi glanced into the cave. “Did you see the birthday gifts?”

“No, there are only corpses inside.” Yang Kuan shook his head with a frown. He did a rough count. Based on the records of known members, almost the entire gang was here. He remarked in surprise, “Their entire gang has been wiped out!”

The lead had gone cold again.

“The birthday gifts were hijacked by the Red Turban Gang, but now the Red Turban Gang has been cleaned out by another force. Where are we supposed to look now?” After searching for so long, Yang Kuan was exhausted.

He Yanzhi, however, was more concerned about Leather Hat.

Although they had stumbled upon the murdered Red Turban Gang by accident, the time they had lost meant Leather Hat had likely escaped to parts unknown.

But on second thought, since Leather Hat dared to run into the deep mountains and old forests, he might have a place to stay.

Thus, He Yanzhi had Yang Kuan let Big Yellow sniff the wooden plaques again before leading the dog further into the forest.

He remembered that Big Yellow had hesitated at a certain spot earlier. Perhaps Leather Hat had run in that direction.

As expected, Big Yellow led He Yanzhi in another direction. Before long, they emerged from the forest and arrived at the stretch of waterway where the birthday gifts had been hijacked.

The footprints he and Yang Kuan had left earlier were still on the shore.

“How can this be?”

There were no other exits nearby. If Leather Hat wanted to hide, he would have to go into the water.

He Yanzhi looked into the water. The calm surface reflected his cold face.

He set Xiao Hongyin down and said to him, “Stay here. Tell Big Yang and the others that if I have not returned in forty-five minutes, they should prepare a straw mat.”

Xiao Hongyin immediately grabbed his hand. “I can swim. I will go down too.”

“Nonsense! You are not allowed to follow.”

Saying this, He Yanzhi handed his outer robe to the boy. After testing the depth of the water, he jumped directly into the river.

As expected of late autumn, the freezing river water was so sharp that he lost consciousness for a split second. Fortunately, he quickly cleared his head, took a deep breath, and dove to the bottom.

Xiao Hongyin clutched the clothes and stared intently at the surface where He Yanzhi had disappeared.

“Brother Yan!”

Although he wanted to kill He Yanzhi, if He Yanzhi died like this, how could he use him to get close to He Yu?

Xiao Hongyin now wanted to stay on the shore, but he also wanted to call Yang Kuan and the others. He hesitated, caught in indecision.

The water surface had returned to its calm state, as if He Yanzhi had never appeared. Xiao Hongyin paced back and forth on the shore, irritably kicking at the stones.

Meanwhile, underwater, He Yanzhi moved through the current, trying to steady himself.

The lack of light combined with the murky water meant He Yanzhi could see almost nothing of his surroundings.

He was forced to close his eyes and feel the slight changes in the current.

A massive surge of water pushed him along the riverbed, but a tiny trickle branched off ahead, leading toward an unknown destination.

He Yanzhi floated in the water. He reached out his right hand to touch that stream of water as if holding a physical, thin rope, and slowly felt his way forward.