The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 24

“So… so that is how it is. Are you alright, Lord He?” Zhou Yun’s brow smoothed as he stared at He Yanzhi with concern, blaming himself. “It is all my fault. If I had not suddenly called out to you, you would not have fallen.”

Xiao Hongyin shot him a sidelong glance of disdain. He had originally intended to check He Yanzhi’s injury, but after hearing Zhou Yun’s words, he silently withdrew his hand and lowered his head. “Please punish me, Master.”

“I am fine. How are you?”

He Yanzhi could not bring himself to punish him. Just looking at the bruise made his heart ache; he wanted nothing more than to find some medicine immediately. Seeing Xiao Hongyin shake his head, He Yanzhi composed himself and looked at Zhou Yun. “Why is Master Zhou here?”

The question sounded somewhat rude; after all, a man can go wherever he pleases in his own home. Zhou Yun was momentarily stunned, but he maintained his good temper and explained, “I had nothing to do, so I was wandering about. Who would have thought I would be so fortunate as to run into Lord He here?”

He Yanzhi nodded and was about to take his leave when Zhou Yun called out to him. Xiao Hongyin stepped between the two, his gaze cold enough to freeze someone to death, but Zhou Yun spoke up boldly. “The Silver River of a Thousand Threads at Lanting is quite novel and beautiful. I wonder if Lord He would be willing to go and see it with me?”

It was nothing more than colorful ropes, and He Yanzhi had no interest in them. However, he then thought that he might be able to use this to get rid of Zhou Yun, so he said, “Let us go.”

Feeling Xiao Hongyin’s resistance, He Yanzhi pulled him along toward Lanting. A look of unexpected joy appeared on Zhou Yun’s face as he happily followed them.

Inside Lanting, the young ladies had finished their needlework and retired indoors to avoid being seen. The gentlemen were busy searching for their preferred wooden boxes among the Silver River of a Thousand Threads.

He Yanzhi leaned over and whispered to Xiao Hongyin, “I will slip away first. After you stall Zhou Yun, follow this red rope to find me.” Xiao Hongyin identified the rope and nodded.

He Yanzhi suddenly quickened his pace, darting into the crowd and vanishing like a phantom. Zhou Yun, unaware of what had happened, was about to give chase when Xiao Hongyin blocked his path.

“What exactly do you want?” Zhou Yun finally showed a look of annoyance, frowning as he glared at Xiao Hongyin. The latter crossed his arms and let out a cold laugh. “That is a question I should be asking you, Master Zhou.”

Zhou Yun tried to move around him, but it was clearly futile. He said angrily, “How dare a mere servant like you block my way? Move aside!”

Seeing his exasperation, Xiao Hongyin felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Recalling the way Zhou Yun had been pestering He Yanzhi, a thought occurred to him.

“My Master wants to play a game with you.”

Zhou Yun was confused. “What game?”

“Do you see that yellow rope? My Master said he is waiting for you at the end of it.”

Xiao Hongyin had noticed another gentleman following the yellow rope earlier. If Zhou Yun hurried, he might even catch up to someone. Zhou Yun immediately broke into a smile. “Did he truly say that?”

Xiao Hongyin did not care to answer and turned to leave. Zhou Yun, seeing his attitude, figured it must be true and happily began following the rope. Once he was gone, Xiao Hongyin drew his sword, cut the red rope, and gathered it as he went to find He Yanzhi.

He walked through intersecting corridors and several small courtyards. The further he went, the colder and quieter the surroundings became. Fewer and fewer people were around until he was the only one left. He tugged on the rope and felt resistance. After a few more steps, he arrived at a tree. The other end of the red rope was tied to the trunk, but He Yanzhi was nowhere to be seen.

Xiao Hongyin pulled the red rope down and searched the area. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finally spotted He Yanzhi crouching under the eaves of a building.

“Why are you sweating? Was Zhou Yun that difficult to deal with?” He Yanzhi looked up and saw Xiao Hongyin’s dark expression. He stood up and walked closer to check on him.

“No.” Xiao Hongyin composed himself, feeling puzzled. “Why are you crouching here?”

He Yanzhi pulled him down to crouch as well and said mysteriously, “Do you see anything?”

Xiao Hongyin looked toward the corner of the wall. “Nothing.”

“Come closer and look again.” He Yanzhi moved him nearer until their shoulders were touching. Xiao Hongyin still shook his head. “Then even closer. Look at that crack.”

He Yanzhi pressed the boy’s head toward his own. Xiao Hongyin finally saw it. Several buildings were arranged in a way that formed a narrow gap between the walls. From this angle, one could see a crisscrossing web of colorful ropes on the other side, covered in small bells. It looked like an array of silver bells designed to catch thieves.

“Those ropes are not connected to the rest of Lanting Villa. They are cordoning off a separate space,” He Yanzhi said, looking at Xiao Hongyin. While waiting by the tree, he had been bored and went looking for a place to sit, accidentally discovering this spot.

“Yes, let us go see.” Xiao Hongyin suddenly turned his head, his eyes meeting He Yanzhi’s. Their faces were extremely close. This proximity made He Yanzhi freeze for a moment. Once he regained his senses, he pulled away. “Let us go.”

He Yanzhi stood up, pretending nothing had happened. He looked at the direction of the wall gap and estimated it was still a considerable distance away. As he lowered his head to figure out how to get there, Xiao Hongyin put an arm around his waist and used his light work to leap onto the roof. In the blink of an eye, he carried him down to the ground on the other side.

He Yanzhi was shocked. To go leaping over roofs in broad daylight in someone else’s mansion; how would they explain it if they were caught? Xiao Hongyin remained indifferent and comforted him, “Do not worry. This place is remote; no one will notice.”

At this moment, his expression made it look as if he were in his own home. He Yanzhi could do nothing with him and whispered, “Your wings really have grown strong.”

Before them was a courtyard enclosed by four walls. Almost every carved window frame, eave, and pillar was tied with thin strings. It looked like dozens of spiderwebs layered on top of each other. He Yanzhi and Xiao Hongyin could not take a single step forward.

“If I am not mistaken, Zhou Xie buying so many ropes and bells was not just for the Qixi Festival at Lanting, but also to provide cover so he could set up this net to guard against thieves.” He Yanzhi observed the scene, tapping his chin.

Xiao Hongyin agreed and pointed toward the center of the courtyard. Usually, when wealthy families had such a space, they would build a pond, a rockery, or plant a tree. Zhou Xie had done the same, carving an image of Two Fish Playing into the floor tiles at the center.

He Yanzhi examined the brick carving. The two fish were lifted by splashes of water, half hidden among lotus flowers and leaves. They looked incredibly lifelike, but otherwise, there seemed to be nothing unusual.

Xiao Hongyin asked, “Do you see it?”

He Yanzhi shook his head. “What is wrong with it?”

“Come closer and look carefully.” Xiao Hongyin pulled He Yanzhi toward him by the shoulder. He Yanzhi stumbled slightly and ended up leaning into Xiao Hongyin’s embrace. “And now?”

Xiao Hongyin was the same height as He Yanzhi, but since He Yanzhi was not standing straight, the boy’s voice traveled from above directly into his ear, making him feel a strange itch.

“No, just say it.” He Yanzhi was not falling for his tricks and stepped back out of his arms. He could tell Xiao Hongyin was teasing him. Earlier, the boy had deliberately kept him in suspense about the wall gap, and now he was playing the silent type again.

Seeing He Yanzhi’s dissatisfied expression, Xiao Hongyin let out a soft laugh. “I did not see anything either, unless you have a way to let me get closer.” As he spoke, he once again moved inconspicuously back to He Yanzhi’s side.

“That is not difficult.” He Yanzhi had circled the perimeter of the courtyard earlier, checking the density of the rope net from different angles to find a path a person could pass through. “Follow me.”

To avoid hitting the silver bells, He Yanzhi tucked his hem into his belt and gathered his large sleeves in his hands, easily stepping over the bottom strings and entering the net. Xiao Hongyin followed behind, watching how he moved his body flexibly to dodge the ropes.

Xiao Hongyin’s throat felt dry. He let out a suppressed cough, and as he ducked through two thin strings, he accidentally pressed against He Yanzhi’s back.

“We are here. Take a careful look.”

In the middle of the rope net, there was only a tiny space to stand near the brick carving. He Yanzhi steadied himself and moved to the side as much as possible so as not to block Xiao Hongyin’s view. Xiao Hongyin’s Adam’s apple moved. His gaze fell upon He Yanzhi’s profile and he could no longer look away. Since they could not move much inside the net, He Yanzhi assumed Xiao Hongyin was examining the floor and did not turn around.

After a period of silence that felt too long, He Yanzhi could not help but ask, “Have you seen enough? What did you find?”

“Beauty.”

“Nothing? You looked for so long, you little brat! Now that you are grown, you have learned how to play tricks on people!”

He Yanzhi was truly a bit angry. He raised his hand to punch him, but the sleeve he had been holding slipped from his palm. Lacking restraint, it began to swing toward the thin strings. Xiao Hongyin moved with lightning speed, his left arm wrapping around He Yanzhi’s slender waist while his right hand caught the man’s wrist. In a flash, the two were held tightly together.

Despite Xiao Hongyin’s quick movements, the sleeve still brushed lightly against a string. The bells on the rope emitted a clear, crisp sound. Leaning against the boy’s shoulder, He Yanzhi’s heart pounded like thunder. Accompanied by the light ringing of the bells, his breath hitched for a moment as he heard the approaching footsteps of someone nearby.

“Who is there?!”

Just as the person was about to discover them, Xiao Hongyin kicked the right eye of the Yang fish. A large hole immediately appeared beneath their feet, and Xiao Hongyin jumped down, taking He Yanzhi with him.

After they descended, the floor tile slid back into place. The guard who arrived saw no one. Just then, a bird flew into the rope net, its fluttering triggering a flurry of bell sounds.

After landing, He Yanzhi was still shaken, leaning on Xiao Hongyin to steady his breathing. In the darkness, the tactile sensation beneath his hands became even clearer, causing Xiao Hongyin’s Adam’s apple to bob. Once he had recovered, He Yanzhi pushed him away and began walking ahead on his own.

“Yanzhi, I was wrong. Please do not be angry, alright?”

Xiao Hongyin hurried to follow. After all, He Yanzhi was unfamiliar with this secret passage, and it would be bad if he triggered a trap. He Yanzhi was currently fuming and did not want to talk to him. When Xiao Hongyin grabbed his arm, he turned around and threw a punch.

The punch was not light. Xiao Hongyin took the hit squarely and stumbled back a few steps, clutching his chest. “Yanzhi.”

He could not see the other’s face in the dark, but He Yanzhi knew exactly what expression Xiao Hongyin was making. Since now was not the time for a scene, he would settle the score properly after they got out.

He said in a harsh tone, “Lead the way.”

Xiao Hongyin knew he would not truly hold a grudge. He said a few sweet words and pulled the red rope he had gathered earlier from his robe, taking He Yanzhi’s hand and tying it to his own.