The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 17

After He Yanzhi finished speaking, he intended to turn and leave. However, for some reason, once his back was turned to Xiao Hongyin, he found himself unable to take that step forward.

Behind him, it was quiet, much like a late autumn night.

He Yanzhi’s hands gradually clenched into fists. He did not wish to hear the sound of the other person sobbing, and if Xiao Hongyin truly begged him in tears, he would certainly have to harden his heart to refuse.

The process was agonizing. He Yanzhi waited and waited, finally hearing a slight movement behind him. It sounded like someone stepping gently across the grass, picking up a bamboo basket, and walking toward him.

Xiao Hongyin finally spoke. “Brother Yan, these are the fish I just caught. Thank you for taking care of me. A-Yin was wrong; A-Yin should not have caused you so much trouble.”

Hearing the bamboo basket being set down, He Yanzhi immediately spun around. Xiao Hongyin had not yet had time to withdraw the hand that set the items down, revealing striking, stinging bloodstains upon it.

“What happened?”

He Yanzhi grabbed his wrist in one swift motion. The bloodstains were clearly fresh wounds; the raw flesh was steadily seeping beads of blood, obviously caused by a sharp, thin hook.

Xiao Hongyin quickly pulled his hand back and hid it behind his back. “I did it by accident. It is nothing.”

He Yanzhi had not thought much of it at first, but the moment Xiao Hongyin withdrew his hand, he caught a glimmer of the truth.

“To lose your grip multiple times in a single day, could it be you did this on purpose, hoping to use it to make me let you stay?”

He Yanzhi was not so foolish that he could not see through it. Since he had taken Xiao Hongyin in, this person had used his soft-heartedness more than once.

Xiao Hongyin’s body trembled slightly. Although his face did not show it, he still exposed the unease of having his thoughts revealed.

The carp in the bamboo basket seemed to have lost its strength and stopped struggling, only the tip of its tail twitching occasionally. He Yanzhi stood right in front of him, waiting to see what excuse he would make. Xiao Hongyin remained silent for a while before looking up to meet his gaze.

“I just want to follow Brother Yan forever. You are the only person in this world I can trust.”

The youth’s voice was like a pebble falling into a clear spring, stirring circles of ripples on the calm water’s surface. He Yanzhi had not expected him to admit it so readily. The amber pupils were spotless, and as they met his own pitch-black eyes, He Yanzhi instinctively looked away.

Seeing him avoid his gaze, Xiao Hongyin thought he still intended to send him away and said anxiously, “Brother Yan, rest assured, A-Yin will not cause you any more trouble. I will walk properly every day, eat properly, and will not break any dishes! I can also assist you, clean the courtyard, and I can catch fish for you every day! I promise they are not poisonous!”

As he spoke, the fish in the bamboo basket made a timely, forceful leap, jumping out of the opening and landing right by He Yanzhi’s feet. It must be said that this fish was quite heavy; being hit by it so suddenly actually caused a slight pang of pain.

He Yanzhi looked at Xiao Hongyin, then glanced at the fish, and finally said, “We will talk about this when we get back,” before walking away.

Xiao Hongyin breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Talk about this when we get back. Those words represented neither agreement nor refusal, but at least there was still hope.

Xiao Hongyin hurried to put the fish back into the bamboo basket, packed his things, and followed He Yanzhi. One tall and one small, they crossed half the city and returned to the courtyard they knew so well.

He Yanzhi stepped over the broken broom and told Xiao Hongyin to bring the fish over. That evening, He Yanzhi handled the carp with swift strokes of his knife, set up a grill, and made a grilled fish with sauce. The aroma filled the entire neighborhood.

He Yanzhi cut off a large piece of meat and served it to Xiao Hongyin. Xiao Hongyin did not dare to eat much, stuffing small mouthfuls in, and then heard He Yanzhi say, “You will continue going to Qingsong Academy tomorrow.”

Xiao Hongyin froze for a moment and then nodded. Seeing that he did not seem interested in the grilled fish, He Yanzhi asked, “Is it not good?”

Xiao Hongyin shook his head frantically. “It is delicious.”

With that, he began to eat the fish in large mouthfuls, but seeing that He Yanzhi was staring at him, he suddenly remembered something and slowed down to chew and swallow carefully. He Yanzhi withdrew his gaze and finished his meal quickly.

The next morning, after sending Xiao Hongyin to the academy, he wandered aimlessly through the streets alone, picking him up to take him home in the evening.

A period of time passed in this manner. One day, when He Yanzhi went to the academy to pick up Xiao Hongyin, he found a crowd gathered at the entrance as if watching a spectacle. He Yanzhi walked inside on his own, only to be met by a messenger telling him to go to the study immediately.

Upon pushing open the study door, the first thing he saw were two faces covered in bruises. He Yanzhi took a few steps forward and noticed someone else sitting in a chair by the desk. Xiao Hongyin and Wang Dafu each stood in a corner as punishment, each with a basin of water balanced on their head.

When Master Chen saw He Yanzhi arrive, he told the punished Xiao Hongyin and Wang Dafu to come forward.

“As you both can see, I have failed in my duty as a teacher. I was negligent and allowed the two young masters to have a verbal dispute, and I failed to stop them in time before they came to blows. I offer my apologies to both of you.”

Master Chen bowed to He Yanzhi and the person in the chair. He Yanzhi reached out to help him up, while the person in the chair spoke at the right moment. “What verbal dispute? It was clearly that boy who bullied my son! Look at how badly he was beaten!”

Hearing this, He Yanzhi looked at the two of them and saw that Wang Dafu’s face was covered in purple bruises, swollen like a ball. In contrast, Xiao Hongyin only had a fingernail scratch on his neck and some dusty marks.

Looking at it this way, it indeed appeared as if Xiao Hongyin had unilaterally beaten Wang Dafu, but given the physical size of the two, such a claim was somewhat difficult to believe.

Master Chen asked Master Wang to calm his anger. He Yanzhi walked up to Xiao Hongyin and asked, “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Xiao Hongyin knew he had caused trouble and did not dare look up at him.

“The reason?”

“He spoke out of turn.”

“What did he say?”

Xiao Hongyin bit his lips tightly and remained silent.

Before He Yanzhi could continue questioning him, Master Wang stood up from his chair and crowded into He Yanzhi’s space. He spoke with spit flying everywhere. “You are his brother? Heh, you truly are a brood of whores. I tell you the truth! Your little beast beat my son like this; you have to give me an explanation no matter what!”

With Master Wang’s support, Wang Dafu let out a loud wail. “Father! He hit me! He almost beat me to death, Father!”

At this shout, Master Wang’s anger flared. “Did you hear that! He wanted to beat someone to death; believe it or not, I will report this to the authorities!”

Xiao Hongyin stared deathly at the two of them. If He Yanzhi had not been there, he would have twisted Master Wang’s head off. And as for Wang Dafu, if it were not for the sake of not exposing his identity, why would he have stopped at just beating his face swollen?

“A-Yin.” He Yanzhi called Xiao Hongyin back to his senses, and the latter silently withdrew his gaze. He Yanzhi turned to Master Wang with a chilling smile. “According to Master Wang, how would you like me to explain?”

“Five hundred taels! Not a cent less, otherwise we go to the yamen.”

Master Chen stood to the side wiping cold sweat. Five hundred taels was truly an exorbitant demand. Master Wang naturally had his own plans. He originally thought he was going to make a fortune, but who could have guessed that batch of goods would get entangled with the Transport Gang? Not only was his family property seized, but his business could no longer continue. In his desperation, a scapegoat had appeared, and he intended to use the chance to fleece him and make a comeback.

“Fine, five hundred taels it is.”

No one expected He Yanzhi to agree so readily.

“Brother Yan!” Xiao Hongyin grew anxious. Beside him, Wang Dafu very triumphantly made a face at him, making him feel instantly disgusted.

Master Wang was also somewhat surprised and regretted not asking for a higher number. “In that case, bring the silver.”

He Yanzhi smiled at him, walked up to him, and in front of everyone, grabbed him by the collar and landed a punch on his face. Master Wang let out a miserable cry. After regaining his senses, he shouted, “What are you doing?!”

He Yanzhi looked at him coldly. “Paying you back. One hundred taels per punch.”

Upon hearing this, Master Wang wanted to flee, but he could not break free no matter how he struggled. He was punched five times in a row by He Yanzhi and fell to the ground in a daze. Master Chen did not even dare to breathe; he knew all too well what He Yanzhi used to do, so he naturally did not dare to step forward to stop him.

After finishing the beating, He Yanzhi loosened his muscles, pulled the man up from the ground, and said with a faint smile, “I will give you a discount and throw in one more punch for free.”

“Stop, stop hitting! I do not want the silver anymore. Help!” Master Wang pleaded feebly.

Seeing his father being beaten, Wang Dafu was so scared that he wet his pants. The water basin on his head crashed to the ground, and Xiao Hongyin stepped away in disgust.

“Enough, enough! Young Master He, for my sake, please stay your hand!” Master Chen plucked up the courage to stop He Yanzhi. If he kept hitting, someone was going to die!

He Yanzhi had only intended to scare Master Wang anyway. He took the opportunity to back down, letting go and allowing Master Wang to fall back to the ground, and then threw a silver ingot to him.

“Now, are you satisfied?”

“Satisfied.”

He Yanzhi clapped his hands and then led Xiao Hongyin out of the study. The crowd outside the academy was still watching. He Yanzhi noticed the signs of a fight at the gate and silently led the boy out of the academy.

Along the way, Xiao Hongyin kept recalling the way He Yanzhi had hit the man, and a sense of satisfaction rose in his heart. He had been very wary of his methods in his past life, yet now he felt an inexplicable sense of security.

Xiao Hongyin did not notice the upward curve of his own lips, nor did he watch where he was going, crashing straight into He Yanzhi’s back.

“Brother Yan, I am sorry. I have caused you trouble again.”

Seeing that his apology was sincere but his face was actually wearing a cheeky grin, He Yanzhi could not help but give him a kick. “Speak, what exactly happened?”

The kick was not heavy. Xiao Hongyin swayed slightly and then began to mumble. “He mocked me for having no parents, saying I was raised by a prostitute and that you were as well. I lost my temper for a moment and gave him a beating.”

Xiao Hongyin had not intended to argue with him, but Wang Dafu acted as if he were possessed, insisting on saying foul words. Xiao Hongyin had originally wanted to knock him down with one punch and be done with it, but Wang Dafu clung to him and would not go away even when hit, so in the end, he could only resort to force.

Xiao Hongyin did not want to make it too obvious and deliberately let him land a few moves. Who would have thought Wang Dafu could only manage to scratch him once, without even drawing blood? In the end, he was the one blamed.

After finishing his explanation, Xiao Hongyin silently waited for He Yanzhi’s scolding, but the other party suddenly said, “You know martial arts.”

Xiao Hongyin’s body stiffened, and then he nodded gently. “I learned a bit in the past.”

His voice grew softer as he spoke until the last word was almost inaudible. He Yanzhi did not respond. The two stood like that, silent for a long time.

Suddenly, a trace of coolness came from above. Xiao Hongyin looked up; it had actually started to snow. He Yanzhi also looked around. After the sky darkened, colorful lanterns were hung high in the marketplace, illuminating the originally cold riverbank.

Today was New Year’s Eve.

Painted pleasure boats were launched one by one, drifting down the river toward them. He Yanzhi then realized they were standing in the middle of a stone bridge.

He Yanzhi suddenly spoke. “I have no parents either.”

Xiao Hongyin did not react for a moment.

“They were killed by rebels when I was young.”

“Brother Yan.”

“I can teach you martial arts. Whatever you want to do in the future is up to you.”

Xiao Hongyin thought he had heard wrong and looked at He Yanzhi with wide eyes. “Brother Yan is willing to let me stay!”

He Yanzhi felt somewhat awkward being stared at by his gaze and coughed. “Whether you stay or go is up to you.”

The next second, he was pulled by Xiao Hongyin to join the crowd. Walking through the lively marketplace, the lanterns hanging on both sides were a feast for the eyes. The bustling crowd let out bursts of cheers. He Yanzhi and Xiao Hongyin looked up; several fireworks bloomed in the night sky.

“Brother Yan, I want to eat grilled fish.”

“Mhm. After eating, go to school tomorrow.”

“Oh.”