The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 26

Zhou Yun shouted for a long while without receiving a response. Fearing that something had happened to He Yanzhi, he said, “Has Lord He encountered some trouble? I shall be coming in then.”

Still, there was no answer. Zhou Yun gathered his courage and pushed at the door, only to find it yielded easily.

He stepped inside and looked around, but He Yanzhi was nowhere to be seen.

“Lord He? Lord”

Before he could finish, Zhou Yun felt a sudden numbness at the back of his neck and collapsed unconscious onto the floor. He Yanzhi emerged from behind the door, hoisted Sun Ruilin onto his back again, and fled the house.

In any case, Zhou Xie would certainly grow suspicious once Sun Ruilin was found missing; adding Zhou Yun to the list of disappearances would not make much difference.

He Yanzhi finally located the base of the perimeter wall while carrying his burden. After a quick scan of the surroundings, he pushed off the ground and vaulted over the wall. Upon landing, he quickly found the carriage and instructed the driver to take the man back to the Court of Judicial Review immediately.

The driver was another of Zhao Ji’s specialized arrangements. Besides being skilled in martial arts, he understood the gravity of the situation. He took custody of Sun Ruilin and vanished into the alley.

Another carriage was parked further down the alleyway. After exchanging secret signals with the second driver, he switched positions with him.

The carriage remaining outside the Zhou residence appeared to be the original one, though the driver was no longer the same man.

He Yanzhi watched the carriage carrying Sun Ruilin disappear into the distance, then flipped back over the wall into the courtyard to find Xiao Hongyin.

The Flower-Seeking Banquet continued amidst sounds of joy and laughter. Zhou Xie was in the garden playing pitch-pot with the guests when a servant quietly approached him and whispered a few words. Zhou Xie’s expression shifted instantly.

“Is Lord Zhou dissatisfied with the outcome? How about another round?” a guest said cheerfully. Zhou Xie set down his arrows and cupped his hands. “My son is headstrong and has somehow wandered off. Please excuse me, I must take my leave.”

Guided by the servant, Zhou Xie left the rear courtyard and headed straight for the Orchid Pavilion.

He Yanzhi returned to the small atrium. He reached the carvings easily but could not figure out the mechanism to enter. In his haste, he instinctively reached for his dagger to pry up the floor tiles.

At that moment, he felt a faint vibration coming from underground, as if something had come loose.

He judged the direction of the vibration and realized it was spreading from beneath his feet toward the west. To the west lay the lotus pond.

“Ah Yin!”

Panic seized him, and he bolted toward the west.

Xiao Hongyin had led the guards on several loops through the dungeon. Estimating that enough time had passed, he returned to the surface and sped toward the lotus pond.

Seeing that they could not catch him, the guards rushed to call for reinforcements. Then, remembering that Zhou Yun was missing, they began a frantic search for the young master.

In that short window of time, Xiao Hongyin reached the edge of the lotus pond.

Lotus flowers and leaves as tall as a man obstructed his view. Xiao Hongyin wanted to find the device that triggered the mechanism, but the pond was so vast that if he searched every inch, he might not be able to escape unscathed, let alone destroy the dungeon.

Xiao Hongyin stood perfectly still, holding his breath to focus his senses.

The sound of voices drifted from nearby, carried to his ears by the wind. He moved toward the source without making a sound.

Through the gaps between the lotus leaves, Xiao Hongyin caught sight of two guards.

They were stationed on a patch of sandy ground in the middle of the pond, staring at the sky out of sheer boredom and occasionally grumbling to one another. On the open ground by their feet was a small, raised mound of earth. It was inconspicuous, but Xiao Hongyin spotted it instantly.

How should he draw them away?

Xiao Hongyin picked up a pebble and tossed it into the lake. They only glanced at it, assuming it was a fish, and went back to staring at the sky.

Xiao Hongyin had no choice but to keep throwing pebbles at the same spot until he finally caught their attention.

The guard with the long beard nudged the other guard, who had a sharp, pointed face. “What is going on over there? Go check it out.”

Sharp-face was reluctant. “Why should I go? You go!”

Beard was also too lazy to move, so he offered a compromise. “How about we go together? It is just a pile of dirt anyway; it is not going to vanish in a few moments.”

Sharp-face agreed. “You go first then.”

Beard rolled his eyes. “So petty.”

Hidden behind the lotus flowers, Xiao Hongyin waited for them to leave. He seized the opportunity to leap onto the sandy patch, dug into the mound, and found the iron ring that activated the mechanism.

“Bold thief!”

Xiao Hongyin had only pulled the ring halfway when several sword blades whistled past his neck. He released the ring just in time to dodge the attack. Once he steadied himself, he saw Beard and Sharp-face surrounding him with cold sneers.

They had sensed something was wrong long ago and had intentionally moved away to lure Xiao Hongyin into a trap. Now, attacking from both front and back, they were determined not to let him escape.

“You do not look like someone from this manor, Young Master. Might I ask which Lord you snuck in with?” Sharp-face sneered as he approached. Before he could speak again, Xiao Hongyin drew his dagger and engaged him in combat.

Xiao Hongyin’s movements were as fast as the wind. Sharp-face had barely blocked one strike when another blade flashed past his side. Not only was the opponent fast, but his strength was also lethal; every strike was intended to kill.

Seeing that Sharp-face was struggling to hold his ground, Beard drew his sword and joined the fray. The three of them collided like three hurricanes, their blades clashing and sending sparks flying.

With a loud clang, Beard’s sword was knocked back by an unseen object. He blinked and looked at Xiao Hongyin, who also looked slightly surprised, his eyes darting behind Beard.

Beard instinctively turned his head, catching a glimpse of a handsome profile just as a sudden, sharp pain shot through his legs. He was then flipped into the pond and sank beneath the water.

Hearing the commotion, Sharp-face held his sword across his chest in a defensive stance, only to be kicked into the pond from behind. Before disappearing, he shouted, “You used a sneak attack! You have no martial honor! Glug, glug”

He Yanzhi brushed the dust off his hands with an air of indifference and turned to Xiao Hongyin, who had already pulled the iron ring.

“Go!”

The lotus pond began to vibrate violently. Xiao Hongyin swept He Yanzhi into his arms and leapt to the shore, pulling him toward the manor exit.

At the same time, the thunderous sound of a collapse echoed from the pond. Zhou Xie arrived on the scene, his face ashen, and ordered the servants to evacuate the guests immediately.

In a matter of moments, the once serene and elegant pond caved in. Mud rose to the surface, clouding the clear water, and a foul, rolling stench erupted, gradually spreading across the surrounding area.

Some startled guests could not help but approach out of curiosity. Zhou Xie ordered them all to be kept back and then said to the steward, “Go notify the King of Xizhou immediately.”

The Flower-Seeking Banquet had been ruined. Zhou Xie was so furious he could barely stand. He looked down and happened to see Beard, who had been washed up by the pond water.

Ordering someone to pry open the guard’s palm, a golden pearl rolled onto the ground. Zhou Xie’s eyes turned cold.

“Court. Justice. Lord.”

He spoke the four words through gritted teeth and then sent men to investigate He Yanzhi’s background.

Xiao Hongyin pulled He Yanzhi through the crowded streets. Once they were outside the Zhou residence and inside the carriage, he finally looked back at the situation within the manor.

The commotion from the Zhou residence was massive, causing the common folk on the streets to stop and watch. They gossiped while covering their noses, crowding the streets until they were impassable.

The driver was forced to crack his whip to disperse the crowd. The carriage had to stop abruptly every so often, making He Yanzhi feel quite dizzy.

He tried to grab the window sill to steady himself, but realized his hand was still being held by the other man. He quietly pulled it away.

“Did I not tell you to leave first? Why did you come back?” Xiao Hongyin was in a good mood, leaning against the window with interest.

He Yanzhi glanced at him sideways. “What, did you want to fight those two until the end of time?”

Xiao Hongyin smiled. “At most, I would have been stalled by them for a while. I only want to be with you until the end of time.”

He Yanzhi kicked him. “Glib tongue.” Xiao Hongyin let out a soft cry of pain, but the smile remained on his face as he looked at He Yanzhi.

After finally squeezing out of the market streets, the driver accelerated back to the Court of Judicial Review. Upon getting off the carriage, the two went straight to find Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji told them the man had been settled in a wing for medical treatment and there was no need to worry.

“This matter has become too big. Zhou Xie will certainly trace it back to us.”

He Yanzhi was worried about how to respond. Xiao Hongyin comforted him, saying, “This matter was never meant to be publicized. Even if he knows it was us, he would not dare to act lightly for fear of dragging himself down with us.”

“That may be so, but Zhou Xie has the King of Xizhou behind him. How can we guarantee we can defeat him?” Zhao Ji was pleased they had successfully rescued Sun Ruilin, but he had not expected such a massive mess. If He Yu insisted on settling the score, the Crown Prince would not be able to handle it.

“The Crown Prince is the master of the Eastern Palace, after all. How is it that he cannot even oppose the King of Xizhou now?” He Yanzhi clearly remembered that according to the original plot of the book, the Crown Prince should not have been suppressed to this extent at this point.

“Alas, ever since the birthday gift incident three years ago, the Crown Prince’s status has not been what it used to be,” Zhao Ji sighed gloomily.

He Yanzhi instinctively looked at Xiao Hongyin and asked Zhao Ji, “What do you mean by that?”

“Back then, thanks to the two of you finding the birthday gifts, the authorities rushed them to the capital. The Crown Prince was originally confident he would win top honors on the Emperor’s birthday. However, when the gifts were presented, it was discovered that a piece was missing from a corner of the originally intact coral stone. The Emperor was furious and ordered the Crown Prince to be confined, while the King of Xizhou, who was involved in the matter, was fined three years of his salary,” Zhao Ji explained.

“A piece was missing?” He Yanzhi had not paid much attention at the time. He looked at Xiao Hongyin, who shook his head to indicate he did not know.

“Perhaps the water bandits did it,” Xiao Hongyin suggested feignedly. His expression was calm, but he was secretly gloating.

If the birthday gift had been presented as planned to win the Emperor’s favor, then everything that followed would have lost its meaning. Therefore, he had deliberately hidden a piece of the coral stone. No matter the outcome, he had managed to trip up He Yu.

He Yanzhi dismissed his theory. “They had no reason to do that.”

He Yu was a man, not a god; he could not have known the future. Even if he had made backup plans, he would not have shot himself in the foot. Perhaps the coral stone was damaged simply due to bumps on the road.

What happened in the past was in the past; now they could only take things one step at a time.

The three fell into silence. There was a knock at the study door; a registrar had arrived to deliver documents.

“By the way, my Lords, regarding the city vagrants mentioned earlier. I had originally intended to send men to settle them, but those people have vanished without a trace over the past few days.”

Zhao Ji handed the document to He Yanzhi. He Yanzhi remembered what Zhou Xie had said.

“Could it be his doing?”

Those people were already homeless; there was no telling how Zhou Xie had dealt with them.

“We should still send people to find them. We need to find them, whether they are alive or dead.”

He Yanzhi rubbed his temples. After the others withdrew, he lay down on the couch and fell asleep.

Xiao Hongyin stayed by his side, watching his sleeping face. He leaned against the table and gradually closed his eyes as well.