The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 20

After being forced apart from Xiao Hongyin, He Yanzhi felt as though a tether had snapped. The hand holding his sword lost all sensation; even as scalding blood splattered across his knuckles, he remained unresponsive.

As more secret guards arrived, the allies surrounding He Yanzhi dwindled. After what felt like an eternity, he finally stepped over a field of corpses to search for Xiao Hongyin.

“Ah Yin?!”

Obstacles in the form of remaining guards continued to block his path. He Yanzhi cut them down while calling out for Xiao Hongyin. Finally, as he passed a grove of trees, a response echoed back.

Xiao Hongyin emerged from the woods. He Yanzhi scanned him from head to toe for injuries, but seeing his clothes as pristine as before, he felt a wave of relief.

“How are your injuries?”

Noticing that He Yanzhi’s entire arm was stained crimson, Xiao Hongyin stepped forward to pull back his sleeve and inspect the wound. He Yanzhi held him back. “They will catch up soon. We need to leave now.”

Xiao Hongyin had managed to lure the majority of the secret guards into the forest to finish them off, thinking they could catch their breath. However, looking back, he saw the guards were already reforming their perimeter.

“Go.” Xiao Hongyin grabbed He Yanzhi’s hand, and they broke through the encirclement before the guards could block the path.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over He Yanzhi. His legs began to fail him, and his pace gradually slowed.

Xiao Hongyin noticed the abnormality. Turning back to see He Yanzhi’s face as pale as paper, he simply swept an arm around the man’s waist, used his light-body technique to leap onto the rooftops, and then dropped into a narrow, deep alleyway.

Darkness momentarily concealed them. Xiao Hongyin stopped to let He Yanzhi catch his breath, but the latter urged him to keep moving.

“It is you they want. Go quickly, do not worry about me.” Recognizing the reality of their situation, He Yanzhi tried to push him away, only to have his hands gripped tight.

Ignoring his words, Xiao Hongyin pulled He Yanzhi’s arms over his shoulders and hoisted him onto his back. He grumbled a reproach. “This is what happens when you are lazy with your training; now you cannot even run.”

“Ah Yin!”

No matter how much He Yanzhi pleaded, Xiao Hongyin ignored him, focusing entirely on the movements outside the alley.

The sound of the guards’ footsteps searching the rooftops was subtle yet grating, like stray cats scurrying at midnight. Xiao Hongyin felt a desperate urge to cut them all down.

For now, he could only place his hopes on daybreak. The secret guards would not dare seize anyone in front of the common folk, which would grant them a temporary reprieve.

But the worst happened. Just as Xiao Hongyin rounded a corner with He Yanzhi on his back, a guard spotted them and leaped straight into the alley, blocking their path.

Xiao Hongyin spun around, only to find the exit already cut off. For a moment, they were trapped.

“Hold tight.”

Xiao Hongyin told He Yanzhi to cling to him, intending to carve a path through the guards by force.

In his daze, He Yanzhi tightened his grip. His gaze inadvertently fell upon the adjacent wall.

This looked like the Prefect’s manor.

Xiao Hongyin was too preoccupied with the guards to hear He Yanzhi calling him. It was not until his neck was squeezed slightly that he realized He Yanzhi was speaking.

“Jump inside! Quick!”

Without hesitation, Xiao Hongyin forced the guards back and pushed off the ground, vaulting over the wall. He had expected an empty courtyard, but upon landing, he came face-to-face with a group of private guards.

“Who goes there?!”

With that shout, the entire courtyard lit up with torches. Soldiers immediately surrounded them, their spears, swords, and bows all trained on the pair.

Xiao Hongyin’s eyes were like those of a cornered beast. Facing dozens of opponents, he looked ready to go down fighting. However, He Yanzhi forced himself down from Xiao Hongyin’s back and addressed the crowd.

“He Yanzhi requests an audience with Lord Zhao!”

As the morning light filtered through the windows, the common people were roused from their dreams to begin their daily labor.

The secret guards, having returned empty-handed after the night’s events, lingered resentfully outside the Prefect’s manor.

Meanwhile, inside a carriage traveling out of the city, He Yanzhi had long since collapsed into an exhausted sleep. Xiao Hongyin was meticulously tending to the wounds on his hands.

“Xizhou is still several months’ journey from the capital. Master He should rest well; if you need anything, do not hesitate to ask.” Zhao Ji was an official under Zhao Mengjie, sent to deliver wound medicine to He Yanzhi.

Xiao Hongyin took the medicine, offered his thanks, and asked where the convoy currently was.

Zhao Ji replied, “Replying to the Young Master, we have already left Xizhou City and are heading toward Zhongzhou.”

Xiao Hongyin nodded and dismissed him.

Recalling yesterday, He Yanzhi’s demand to see Zhao Mengjie in front of everyone had nearly gotten them shot as intruders. Fortunately, the Prefect had arrived just in time to take them away.

Zhao Mengjie, who disliked staying at official inns, was temporarily residing at the Prefect’s manor. When someone requested an audience in the middle of the night, he was visibly surprised to see He Yanzhi covered in blood.

“We have not met for a day, yet Master He has ended up in such a state?”

He Yanzhi gave a bitter smile. “Pursued by enemies. I ask for your lordship’s assistance.”

Zhao Mengjie nodded slightly but sounded hesitant. “It is not impossible for this official to protect you both, but there must be a proper justification.”

Understanding his meaning, He Yanzhi said, “It is only natural for a superior to protect his subordinates. Others will have nothing to say.”

By this, he meant he agreed to follow Zhao Mengjie to the capital.

Zhao Mengjie beamed immediately. He gave orders to erase all traces of He Yanzhi and used the pretext of searching for thieves to surround the manor, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.

The manor remained brightly lit, and the secret guards, unable to approach easily, were kept at bay.

However, a temporary fix was not a permanent solution. Following He Yanzhi’s suggestion, everyone packed their belongings and left the city overnight amidst the confusion. Under Zhao Mengjie’s name, they successfully opened the gates and escaped Xizhou.

There were no seats in the carriage, only soft cushions laid upon the floor. He Yanzhi slept with a furrowed brow while Xiao Hongyin stayed by his side, never leaving for a moment.

Several hours later, He Yanzhi gradually woke up. The first thing he saw was the faint dark circles under Xiao Hongyin’s eyes.

“You’re awake.” Sensing his movement, Xiao Hongyin’s drowsy mind cleared. He poured a cup of water from the table and held it to He Yanzhi’s lips.

He Yanzhi felt utterly powerless. Too tired to even lift his hand, he took a few sips from the cup and slumped back down.

“You lost too much blood. Sit up and eat something before you sleep more.”

The pastries on the table had become cold and hard from sitting out. Xiao Hongyin took a clean handkerchief, broke the pastry into small pieces, and warmed them in his palm before feeding them to He Yanzhi.

The dry texture made He Yanzhi cough, so Xiao Hongyin quickly poured him more water.

Because the party had departed in such a hurry, they had not prepared proper food; the convoy only carried dry rations and pastries that kept well. Furthermore, Xizhou was quite isolated, with almost no other towns nearby. It would take at least half a month to reach the nearest city, Dongzhou, meaning they would be eating cold food for at least fifteen days.

He Yanzhi ate only a few bites before stopping, curling back into the blankets to continue his slumber.

As the carriage jolted along the deserted road, Xiao Hongyin let He Yanzhi rest his head on his lap to keep him from being battered by the bumps.

Calculating the time, it should have been the afternoon of the second day, yet the light remained dim.

Xiao Hongyin leaned against the wall and dozed for a while, only to be jolted awake by the sound of heavy pounding surrounding the carriage.

He Yanzhi was still sleeping in the same position. Xiao Hongyin lifted a corner of the curtain; as far as the eye could see, the world was obscured by a thick curtain of rain.

Cold wind carrying raindrops jumped through the window. He Yanzhi curled up, shuffling closer to Xiao Hongyin.

“Manager Zhao.”

Zhao Ji, riding through the downpour to deliver a cloak to Zhao Mengjie, was called over and immediately understood what Xiao Hongyin needed.

“Please wait a moment, Young Master. I will bring a blanket right away.”

“Much obliged.”

Zhao Ji ran to the front of the convoy. After a short wait, another servant brought over a thick blanket.

When Xiao Hongyin shook it out, he was surprised to find a large hole in it. His brow twitched slightly, but he silently folded it back up and laid it over He Yanzhi.

The rain intensified. Within moments, the convoy could no longer proceed. Zhao Mengjie had no choice but to order his men to find shelter in two nearby caves for the night.

There were two caves, one large and one small. The smaller one was just big enough for two people.

Xiao Hongyin did not wake He Yanzhi, but the latter woke up on his own. Dazed, he stumbled out of the carriage and nearly missed his footing. Xiao Hongyin caught his hand just in time, noticing how icy cold it felt.

The group moved into the caves, starting fires to dry their soaked clothes and heating up dry rations to eat with water.

As soon as He Yanzhi entered the cave, he huddled in a corner, inseparable from his blanket. Xiao Hongyin felt his forehead; it was terrifyingly hot.

Xiao Hongyin moved the fire closer to the corner, then found an old pot in the carriage and disappeared into the rain.

Outside, the rain fell with such force it felt as though the sky were collapsing; inside, however, it was exceptionally quiet, save for the crackling of the fire.

He Yanzhi’s head felt heavy and muddled. The more he slept, the more exhausted he felt, so he forced his eyes open.

Where is he?

He clearly remembered Xiao Hongyin being by his side just a moment ago. How had he vanished in such a short time?

Could the secret guards have caught up?!

As this terrifying thought took hold, He Yanzhi struggled to push himself up against the stone wall. For a moment, the world spun.

His steps were unsteady; as he walked, he bumped into the cavern wall and had to grope his way slowly toward the entrance.

As icy raindrops hit his burning, flushed face, the cold poison within his body seemed to wake abruptly. He Yanzhi wanted to call for help from the next cave, but a dull pain throbbed in his brain, and he collapsed to the ground once more.

A figure ran out from the curtain of rain. Seeing the person collapsed at the cave entrance, he dropped what he was holding and frantically carried him back inside.

The dying fire was rekindled. Xiao Hongyin stripped off He Yanzhi’s outer robe, hanging it by the fire to dry, and wrapped him tightly in the blanket before checking his forehead again.

He was even hotter.

Xiao Hongyin started another fire, used the pot to catch some water, and began boiling a soup with the fish he had prepared. Suddenly, He Yanzhi let out a sound of extreme suppressed pain.

Rushing to his side, Xiao Hongyin saw that the hair at He Yanzhi’s temples was soaked with cold sweat. His brow was knitted in agony, his hands were clenched tightly around the blanket, and his entire body was curled into a ball.

“Yanzhi!”

Terrified by his appearance, Xiao Hongyin was about to brave the rain to find a doctor when He Yanzhi grabbed him, gesturing for him to bring his bundle.

Every bone in He Yanzhi’s body felt as though it were being scraped by a blade. Once the bundle was brought over, his trembling hands fished out the rabbit doll. He pulled back the ears, poured out a pill from within, and swallowed it.

For the sake of the escape, he had brought the medicine He Yu had given him. It proved useful now.

After taking the medicine, the cold poison was gradually suppressed, and He Yanzhi slowly began to feel better. Opening his heavy eyelids, he saw Xiao Hongyin staring blankly at the rabbit doll.

“Where did you go just now?” he asked.