The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 29

He Yanzhi raised a hand to rub his chin, his brow furrowed in deep thought. “Just now, we kept avoiding the footprints as we walked. Logically, we should have arrived at a place neither of us has stepped yet. Now, this spot is completely surrounded by footprints. Is it possible we have walked across this entire area already?”

Xiao Hongyin speculated, “Perhaps. Let us try walking a bit further.”

He Yanzhi pointed in a direction, and the two headed that way.

Within the layers of hanging colorful banners, the light was absorbed by the vibrant hues, making it increasingly difficult to see the surroundings clearly.

After staring for too long, He Yanzhi felt his eyes grow sore and swollen. He instinctively raised a hand to rub them, but after a few rubs, they began to itch. Seeing this, Xiao Hongyin stopped him.

“Do not do that,” Xiao Hongyin said, catching his hand to keep him still.

He Yanzhi knew he should not rub his eyes, but the discomfort was overwhelming. He could only squeeze his eyes shut tightly, trying to alleviate the itch.

Xiao Hongyin used his left hand to restrain both of He Yanzhi’s hands, freeing his right to cup He Yanzhi’s face. He leaned in close and gently blew air into his eyes.

“Is that any better?” Xiao Hongyin asked softly.

He Yanzhi tried to blink and found that the discomfort lingered, so he shook his head.

Xiao Hongyin blew again. Only then did He Yanzhi slowly open his eyes, seeing the other man’s face magnified directly in front of him.

At this moment, the two were nearly pressed together; He Yanzhi could even see the fine downy hair on Xiao Hongyin’s skin.

Long, thick eyelashes brushed against He Yanzhi’s forehead. Amber eyes shimmered with a liquid light, as gentle and lingering as a breeze through willows. It was a gaze that made one want to sink into it, but before he could lose himself completely, the other man blinked.

“Yanzhi? Can you see clearly yet?”

Seeing He Yanzhi’s vacant stare, Xiao Hongyin thought his vision was failing. He held He Yanzhi’s face and looked him up and down, taking the opportunity to pinch the flesh of his cheeks.

“I can see. Stop shaking me.”

He Yanzhi struggled out of his grip, casting a resentful look at him.

Xiao Hongyin laughed lightheartedly, clearly wanting to tease him more. He Yanzhi, naturally, would not let himself be bullied, and in an instant, the two were playfully scuffling.

Just as He Yanzhi’s hand was about to successfully pinch Xiao Hongyin’s face, the latter suddenly stopped smiling.

“What is it?”

He Yanzhi reluctantly withdrew his hand and followed his gaze. He found Xiao Hongyin staring at a set of footprints.

“The gait is unsteady and floating. The left foot is heavy at the front and light at the back. Both you and I are martial artists with steady strides; we would never leave such marks.” The footprints on the ground were chaotic and messy. Xiao Hongyin pointed out the most conspicuous pair for He Yanzhi, who immediately became alert.

“There is a third person, or perhaps these were left by someone who was here before.”

They had seen no one else when they entered the temple, and despite being here for a long time, they had not caught a glimpse of anyone. Where did these mysteriously appearing footprints come from?

He Yanzhi examined the ground nearby and found that this person’s footprints were mixed into almost every place they had walked. An ominous thought arose.

“We are being watched.”

The moment the words left He Yanzhi’s mouth, Xiao Hongyin made a gesture for silence.

They held their breath. In the absolute silence of the dim environment, the sound of footsteps, which they had previously ignored, rang out.

That person was not far away.

Xiao Hongyin drew his sword and traced a circle on the ground. He said to He Yanzhi, “Stay here and do not move. I will go take a look.”

Looking at the circle on the ground, He Yanzhi felt a strange sense of familiarity. “Is your surname by any chance Sun?”

Xiao Hongyin did not understand. “Hmm? What did you say?”

He Yanzhi shook his head, driving the strange image from his mind. He said seriously, “Nothing. Be careful.”

Xiao Hongyin gave an affirmative “Nn” and followed the sound of the footsteps.

Staying in place with nothing to do, He Yanzhi decided to squat down and study the footprints.

Judging by the size, the person was likely a man. The right foot being heavy at the front and light at the back indicated an injury to the right leg that restricted his movement.

The surroundings were silent, and his thoughts were undisturbed. He Yanzhi became so absorbed in his study that he began to move, following the trail of footprints.

Following the prints to a relatively clean area of the floor, He Yanzhi realized they had not been here before. On the ground covered in incense ash, there were only that person’s chaotic footprints. He finally understood why the two of them had been walking in circles.

He Yanzhi recalled their previous actions.

Initially, they tried to avoid the footprints, which caused them to keep backtracking. The light grew brighter as they walked, meaning they were nearing the exit.

However, once they changed direction, the light grew dimmer, so dim it caused eye strain. This indicated they were actually heading deeper into the temple.

The reason was that the person had been carefully tailing them. Just as the two were about to turn, the person would step ahead onto his own footprints to confuse them, forcing them to loop back to the same spot.

He wanted to use this method to force them to leave.

He Yanzhi stood up and brushed the dust off his hem. He figured that since the person used this method to drive them away, his strength must be weak and insufficient to confront strangers. Therefore, with Xiao Hongyin facing him alone, He Yanzhi had nothing to worry about.

“Where is the circle?”

He Yanzhi noticed the circle on the ground was gone, only then realizing he had walked out of it unconsciously. He intended to follow the footprints back, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of an iron incense burner leg peeking out from under a colorful banner.

“Is this an incense burner?”

He Yanzhi stepped closer and lifted the obstructing banner, revealing the full incense burner.

The head sized burner lay on its side in the corner. The interior, which should have held ash, was empty, save for a few half burnt sticks of incense scattered around.

He Yanzhi leaned down to look closely and saw dried, dark red blood clinging to the three legs of the burner.

“There is actually blood.”

He gripped the rim of the burner and lifted it to eye level. The bloodstains were splattered, suggesting it had been used to strike someone’s head.

He Yanzhi set the burner aside and noticed the signs of a struggle on the ground nearby.

Dozens of pairs of footprints of various sizes and shapes were mixed together. Even a cursory glance revealed the presence of women, children, and the elderly. Drag marks on the ground extended from this spot toward the right.

He Yanzhi began lifting the banners to the right. The further he went, the more bloodstains he found on the fabric. After lifting five or six banners, his vision was consumed by startling blade marks on the floor and blood everywhere.

His throat felt dry and raspy. He Yanzhi’s fists clenched. Just as he took a step forward, the banner opposite him was suddenly lifted. He Yanzhi quickly pulled a dagger from his sleeve. With a flick of his finger, a half rotten peach on the ground split into four pieces.

“Stop right there!”

The banner swayed, and the person fled.

He Yanzhi immediately gave chase. Amidst the sounds of footsteps, he saw a figure flash by to his front left and lunged.

His left shoulder slammed into something hard. He Yanzhi’s balance wavered, and he stumbled to the side. Turning his head, he saw Xiao Hongyin’s face, which held a mix of surprise and helplessness.

He Yanzhi had not expected them to collide so coincidentally. Just as he was about to explain that he had not come out on purpose, Xiao Hongyin interrupted him. “I will settle the score with you when we get back.”

Xiao Hongyin had already sheathed his sword. In the time it took for them to collide, the person had already disappeared. They could only use sound to judge the direction.

“Did you see the person clearly?” He Yanzhi asked curiously.

“A cripple who moves with ease.”

Xiao Hongyin knew there was something odd about that description, but he had to admit it was the truth.

“By the way, I found an incense burner just now. There was blood all over the ground and signs of a violent struggle. It must have been left by the murdered refugees.”

He Yanzhi briefly recounted what he had seen. Xiao Hongyin nodded. “It seems my guess was correct.”

“What?”

“The refugees were murdered on Zhou Xie’s orders, and there is one fish that escaped the net. He is currently scurrying right under our noses.”

Understanding dawned on He Yanzhi. “This fish currently mistakes us for Zhou Xie’s accomplices. How do we lure him out?”

Xiao Hongyin looked at him and smiled without speaking.

Being stared at made He Yanzhi’s face feel hot. He frowned. “Stop being mysterious. If you have something to say, say it.”

“A honey trap.”

Xiao Hongyin said those three words very seriously. He Yanzhi immediately felt goosebumps all over his body.

“You, say that again.”

Anger rose in his heart. The hand holding the dagger trembled slightly, as if it might strike at any second. However, Xiao Hongyin remained calm. “A honey trap. Is something wrong?”

As he spoke, he turned sideways to look for something, completely oblivious to the fact that the fire beside him was about to hit the ceiling. Just before He Yanzhi reached his breaking point, Xiao Hongyin finally pulled out an embroidered shoe.

“Look, Yanzhi. I found where that person was staying just now and brought this along. I expect this embroidered shoe belonged to his wife. We might as well use this to lure him out.”

Xiao Hongyin waved the shoe in his hand. Noticing the strange look on He Yanzhi’s face, he asked worriedly, “Yanzhi? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I am fine.”

So it was a misunderstanding.

He Yanzhi took a deep breath, slowly calming his emotions.

Seeing his pale face, Xiao Hongyin watched him carefully. Once He Yanzhi’s complexion returned to normal, he heard him say, “He will surely know at a glance that this shoe belongs to him. How are you going to lure him into the trap?”

“We will not know until we try.” Xiao Hongyin took He Yanzhi’s hand, using the warmth of his palm to envelope the cold fingertips.

The two returned to the vicinity of the footsteps, placed the embroidered shoe on the ground, and retreated ten paces to hide quietly.

To avoid colliding again, Xiao Hongyin held He Yanzhi’s hand this time, and they agreed that Xiao Hongyin would be the one to catch the person.

In the soundless silence, He Yanzhi’s hand was tightly clasped with the other’s. The slight pulsing from the palm made it impossible for him to judge the passage of time.

The time it took to finish a cup of tea felt as long as several seasons. When the sound of someone picking something up came from nearby, Xiao Hongyin appeared like a ghost and grabbed the person’s collar with one hand.

He Yanzhi acted quickly, striking the incense burner from the person’s hand and blocking a blow for Xiao Hongyin.

“I will fight you to the end!”

Losing his weapon, the man tried to headbutt them. Xiao Hongyin grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, pinning him down.

Held on the ground and unable to move, the man continued to mutter under his breath. He Yanzhi squatted in front of him, stifled a yawn, and said, “Old man, if you keep making a scene, we will have to silence you.”