The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 4

In his past life, He Yanzhi would occasionally cook when he was free. However, since transmigrating into this book, he had lost the inclination for it. Consequently, it took some effort for him to adapt to the spatula and stove before him.

By the time he finally finished simmering a pot of porridge, the sky was beginning to brighten. He Yanzhi cleaned up and headed straight for the magistrate’s office.

The bailiffs began arriving for their shifts one after another. Following his usual routine, He Yanzhi ate a roasted flatbread while staring blankly at the riverbank.

Before long, Yang Kuan’s figure appeared, swaying as he walked. He Yanzhi called out to him.

“Big Yang.”

Yang Kuan was startled and hurriedly rubbed his eyes. “Brother He? It is only a quarter to six in the morning! Why are you already here?”

“It is early morning. Why are you swearing?” He Yanzhi patted a chair, signaling for him to sit. “I said I would treat you to flatbread, so naturally, I had to arrive early.”

Seeing two warm flatbreads laid out on the table, Yang Kuan approached with a grin. “Brother He, tell me the truth. Did you even sleep at all?”

He Yanzhi did not answer. He raised his eyes to scan the other man and noticed that the dark circles under Yang Kuan’s eyes were so deep they looked like ink. It was clear he had stayed up all night.

He Yanzhi could not help but remark, “The Xiao family’s munitions were hidden quite deeply indeed.”

The moment he heard the word “munitions,” Yang Kuan let out a massive yawn. “Do not even bring it up. The brothers searched all night and found nothing. But do you know what happened?”

He Yanzhi responded good-naturedly, “What happened?”

“When I was coming back, I had an urgent need to relieve myself. I stopped by the bridge to take care of business, and surprisingly, the soil there would not let the liquid sink in. I dug it up, and hey, there was the stash of munitions! Talk about a coincidence!”

He Yanzhi took a quiet bite of his bread and said, “Yes, quite a coincidence. So, are you rushing to report back?”

Yang Kuan nodded, but then shook his head. “The matter was reported yesterday. The Prefect was very satisfied and even promoted me by one rank. I, Yang, am now the head bailiff of this office.”

Seeing his miserable expression, He Yanzhi asked in confusion, “What is the matter? Are you not happy about the promotion?”

“Happy? A head bailiff only earns a few extra coins, yet I have to clock in at dawn every day with the rest of you. I would rather spend that time lying down.” Yang Kuan let out another yawn and stuffed a piece of flatbread into his mouth to keep quiet.

He Yanzhi remembered something. “So, are those munitions currently being held at the magistrate’s office?”

Yang Kuan nodded and said with his mouth full, “Why do you ask, Brother He? Are you interested in them?”

He Yanzhi did not deny it. “Does Head Bailiff Yang have a way to get us in?”

Yang Kuan laughed. “That is nothing. They are just piled in the warehouse. You can look whenever you want.”

They agreed to go take a look once their shift ended.

Once it passed five in the evening, He Yanzhi followed Yang Kuan to the warehouse. He saw that the previously empty floor was now filled with eighty crates of swords and arrows, along with thirty crates of gunpowder.

Yang Kuan told He Yanzhi that they had transported the munitions immediately after digging them up. Therefore, the weapons were still covered in damp soil and grass. The crates sat there out in the open, with no one seemingly guarding them.

“Is it not locked?” He Yanzhi casually picked up a sword and ran two fingers along the blade.

“Oh, who would dare steal stolen goods? That is just asking to be executed.” Yang Kuan patted a lid, getting grass debris all over his hand.

Since it was evidence of a crime, it was deemed better to let everyone see it.

He Yanzhi looked at his fingers; they were not cut by the blade. He had intentionally used enough force to be cut, yet the weapons were surprisingly crude. He gripped the hilt and exerted an outward force. The sword spun three times in the air before he caught it and placed it back into the crate.

“These swords have already rusted. They are essentially useless.” He pointed out the red rust spots to Yang Kuan.

Yang Kuan picked up a few to examine them. Indeed, they were rusted. He also weighed them and found they were much lighter than a standard sword. He tossed the sword back in disgust. “He was a Chancellor, after all. How could he not have a single good sword? This is all second-rate junk.”

He Yanzhi shook his head. “The blade is light and has excellent flexibility. These are rare, high-quality swords. It is just that the edges were poorly sharpened, and they were buried in a damp environment for at least six years. That is why they have become scrap metal.”

Hearing this, Yang Kuan picked up a sword again to look closer. “That truly is a pity. I did not expect the Xiao family to have treasonous intentions so long ago.”

He Yanzhi remained noncommittal. He casually wiped a bit of damp soil from a crate and held it up.

Yang Kuan felt a bit awkward. That specific crate happened to be the one he found while relieving himself. However, seeing He Yanzhi’s serious expression, he asked cautiously, “Brother He, have you noticed something else?”

He Yanzhi’s expression remained calm. “There are old black soil stains on the crates, yet this new damp soil is red. It looks like they were buried only a few days ago before being dug up again.”

These were dangerous words to speak. Yang Kuan quickly closed the warehouse door. As the sunlight was shut out, a sudden chill rose within the warehouse.

Yang Kuan lowered his voice. “Brother He, do you mean to say the Xiao family was framed, and these munitions do not belong to them?”

He Yanzhi did not answer; he only looked at him silently.

Those eyes were hauntingly beautiful, radiating a dangerous, bewitching aura. Stared down, Yang Kuan retreated a few steps and hugged himself tightly. His voice trembled slightly. “Brother He, are you… are you on another job to kill a witness? I know a lot, but I have never spoken a word out of turn!”

The corners of He Yanzhi’s mouth curled upward.

Yang Kuan was dazed for a moment, then his expression turned solemn. “Forget it. My life was saved by you, Brother He. If you want to take it, then take it! Just for the sake of our friendship, please leave some buns at my grave after I am gone. Make sure they are big meat buns; I am sick of flatbread.”

Seeing his “ready to die” expression, He Yanzhi paused. He walked up to him and patted his back. “In your dreams.”

Yang Kuan let out a sigh of relief and grinned. He knew He Yanzhi was only joking with him.

“Do you still remember the water bandits who attacked you on the night I saved you?”

He Yanzhi gave him a hint. Yang Kuan was stumped by the sudden question. “Of course I remember. Those people were rowing a boat in the middle of the night instead of sleeping. It would be strange if there was nothing wrong with them.”

He Yanzhi continued, “Do you still have the sword they stabbed into your leg?”

Being a bailiff for many years, Yang Kuan quickly understood what He Yanzhi was implying. “I remember you mentioned the sword at the time. No wonder what you just said sounded familiar. The water bandits’ sword and these munitions came from the same source.”

He slapped his thigh and said indignantly, “I will definitely catch those bastards! Brother He, what do you think we should do?”

He Yanzhi said, “Since they are water bandits, they must have dealings with the Canal Gang. When the court session begins, we will act according to the situation.”

Yang Kuan naturally agreed and dragged He Yanzhi off to eat buns.

“As for the Xiao family matter…” He looked back once, then shook his head. “Forget it, we cannot manage that.”

He Yanzhi walked straight out of the magistrate’s office and went to a bun shop to order several large meat buns.

Seeing that the hand he used to take the buns was perfectly clean, Yang Kuan doubted his own eyes. By the time he rubbed them, He Yanzhi had already walked far away.

“Why is he in such a hurry? Does he have a wife at home?”

Yang Kuan muttered to himself. He took his buns and was about to leave when the old woman selling them suddenly cried out, “Oh dear! That officer just now left without taking his change! What should I do?”

“It is no big deal, stop shouting. Give it to me, I will deliver it to my brother.” With that, Yang Kuan hurried off to catch up with He Yanzhi.

When Xiao Hongyin woke up, he felt surrounded by a faint, lingering fragrance. He moved his limbs and realized his entire body had been carefully wrapped in bandages.

Startled, he sat up in bed, letting out a faint groan of pain as the movement pulled at his wounds. He looked down to see he had been dressed in an oversized inner garment. He did not need to think to know who had done it.

He had been so exhausted last night that he had fallen asleep involuntarily. Despite the man’s claims that he would not care for him, he had actually done everything. Xiao Hongyin’s cheeks felt slightly hot, and his feelings toward He Yanzhi became a degree more complex.

Thinking back on his experiences in his previous life, he wondered if this was just He Yanzhi’s outward disguise.

He clenched his fists secretly, thinking, I will not be bought by his kindness. He sat on the couch with his arms crossed, looking cold and aloof.

Wafts of fragrance floated from the kitchen into the bedroom like an enticing hand. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Hongyin was standing in front of the stove.

He opened the steaming pot lid; the porridge kept inside was still hot.

“He Yanzhi made this porridge?”

Xiao Hongyin stirred it with a ladle. There was even well-cooked pig liver in the porridge, which was perfect for someone who had lost a lot of blood.

“He made this specifically for me.”

Xiao Hongyin suddenly felt a bit dazed. The coldness he had planned earlier vanished completely. He took a cautious taste of the porridge, and fifteen minutes later, the entire pot was empty.

The taste was quite good.

After eating his fill, he rested in the house for a while before taking a walk in the courtyard.

Xiao Hongyin stood by the pond, watching the red carp swim back and forth. He began to wonder why the fish were poisonous, why they were being kept if they were toxic, and what they could be used for. He also wondered if he should stay by He Yanzhi’s side after his injuries healed.

Since He Yanzhi was one of He Yu’s men, staying with him might provide a faster opportunity to get close to He Yu.

Moreover, He Yanzhi’s impression of him was not bad, so it should not be difficult to become someone close to him.

Xiao Hongyin made a silent decision. He watched the fish for a while, then prepared to clean the pots and bowls in the kitchen. Passing through the main hall, he noticed the bunny doll on the temporary bed still staring at him with its red bean eyes.

“Ugly rabbit.”

After cleaning the kitchen, Xiao Hongyin tidied up the other rooms to appear well-behaved. He sat in the courtyard to wait for He Yanzhi’s return.

As the sun began to set, there was a knock at the courtyard gate. Xiao Hongyin was about to get up to open it when he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

He looked through the crack in the door warily and saw a stranger standing there. The man was dressed in a bailiff’s uniform with a broadsword at his waist. Although he was nearly seven feet tall, his hands were strangely short and stout as he pounded on the wooden door.

Xiao Hongyin made no sound and immediately retreated into the house.

Could this person be here to arrest him?

He Yanzhi had clearly arranged his “fake death” very strictly; how could the news have leaked?

Another suspicion crossed Xiao Hongyin’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He was not yet involved with He Yu, so He Yanzhi would have no reason to expose him intentionally. If He Yanzhi wanted him dead, there would have been no point in saving him.

The knocking grew louder, as if the person were about to break down the door.

Xiao Hongyin did not have time to think. He ran to the corner of the courtyard, estimated the height of the wall, and leaped up to grab the top.

Having practiced both academics and martial arts since childhood, he did not find climbing walls difficult. However, his body was currently wrapped in bandages, which greatly restricted his movement.

The simple act of raising his arms strained the wound at his waist. The half-healed injury tore open immediately, and the pain was so intense he almost let go. By the time he finally managed to sit atop the wall, his abdomen was soaked in blood and sweat.

Xiao Hongyin looked down to find a landing spot, but his vision suddenly blurred. He fell straight off the wall and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

In a daze, he heard the person notice the commotion and start walking toward him. Xiao Hongyin did not dare delay. He struggled to stand and ran toward the exit of the alley.

The labyrinthine alleys seemed endless. Xiao Hongyin did not know how long he had been running, but just as he was about to collapse, He Yanzhi finally appeared in his line of sight. In a moment of desperation, Xiao Hongyin accelerated and threw himself into He Yanzhi’s arms.