The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 5

He Yanzhi was unexpectedly hit by a full embrace. Fortunately, he held on tight; otherwise, the buns in his hands would have scattered all over the ground.

“You brat, why are you running out instead of recovering from your injuries?” He recognized it was Xiao Hongyin and was about to pull the boy off him when another person approached from ahead.

“Big Yang?”

“Brother He, you left in such a hurry that you did not even want your silver? I had to go through the trouble of making this trip for you.” Yang Kuang walked toward him with a smile, playfully gesturing a few martial arts moves. “I did not see you on the way. It seems my footwork is faster after all. Brother He, are you perhaps losing your touch?”

Yang Kuang tossed the loose silver to him, and He Yanzhi caught it casually.

He had originally intended to go straight home after buying the buns, but remembering that the boy at home had no clothes to wear, he had made a trip to the clothing store, which caused a slight delay.

As they spoke, Yang Kuang noticed the youth in He Yanzhi’s arms and let out a cry of surprise. “Gosh, this could not be your son, could it? He is already so big! Brother He, you have been busy!”

The sudden loud noise startled Xiao Hongyin, causing him to shiver. Despite his frail appearance, his two arms were like iron hoops around He Yanzhi’s waist. He suddenly tightened his grip, nearly knocking the breath out of He Yanzhi.

He Yanzhi endured the pain and pulled the boy closer into his arms, correcting Yang Kuang. “He is my distant cousin. He is shy, so keep your voice down.”

Yang Kuang immediately shut his mouth.

“Brother Yan.”

The youth seemed greatly frightened. He hid in He Yanzhi’s embrace and refused to lift his head, calling out in a muffled voice. He Yanzhi’s breath hitched. He moved the paper bundles to his left hand and used his right hand to gently pat the youth’s back; the contact felt damp and warm.

“Running so fast that your wounds have split open. Apply the medicine yourself when we get back.”

Yang Kuang also saw that the youth was bleeding and could not help but express concern. “Is your younger brother injured?” He then quickly covered his mouth.

He Yanzhi gave a short “Mhm” and led Xiao Hongyin slowly toward home. “The floods in Fangzhou were severe. His home was buried by a landslide.”

Yang Kuang could not bear to hear such things and became sentimental. “Sigh, he is a child of misfortune as well.”

He Yanzhi did not respond. Once they returned to the courtyard, he signaled for Xiao Hongyin to let go of him first.

As soon as Xiao Hongyin let go, he felt a gaze fixed intently upon him.

When Yang Kuang first saw Xiao Hongyin, he had only caught a brief glimpse and did not remember what he looked like, especially since Xiao Hongyin’s face had been covered in blood and dirt back then.

Now seeing the youth’s appearance, he truly took him for He Yanzhi’s cousin and praised him repeatedly. “Good heavens, how did all the good looks end up in your family!”

Xiao Hongyin felt somewhat awkward being stared at and kept casting pleading glances at He Yanzhi. The latter understood and stepped between the two of them.

“What is this? Have you taken a liking to my cousin?” He Yanzhi spoke casually, while behind him, someone grabbed his belt tightly.

“Nonsense. However, if Brother He has any female cousins, feel free to introduce them to me.” Yang Kuang laughed heartily and walked into the hall unreservedly, picking a chair to sit down and drink some water.

Once he was seated, He Yanzhi took Xiao Hongyin back to the bedroom.

Inside the room, the youth sat at the edge of the bed with his brow furrowed.

“Relax, he did not come to arrest you. Your family’s case is already closed.”

He Yanzhi opened the paper bundle and handed the newly bought clothes to Xiao Hongyin.

However, after taking the clothes, the youth fell into deep thought.

Whether the wound was too painful or the last sentence had stung him, Xiao Hongyin was pale, his hands deathly tight on the hem of his garment.

He Yanzhi silently looked away.

Even if he was the antagonist, he was still just an inexperienced child.

He should have lived a life of luxury, but a sudden disaster had destroyed his family and home. Anyone would go mad. If it were He Yanzhi’s own temperament, upon learning the truth, his reaction would likely be far more severe than just slaughtering a city.

Xiao Hongyin’s emotions gradually spiraled out of control, and the blood from his wounds seeped through even more. He Yanzhi reached out to help him remove his upper garment.

As the layers of bandages were unwound, the flesh underneath was once again a bloody mess.

He Yanzhi concentrated on applying the medicine, but Xiao Hongyin suddenly lifted his head, his amber pupils meeting He Yanzhi’s pitch-black eyes.

“Brother Yan, we were framed.”

His voice was gentle and calm, yet it trembled slightly, as if it were a long-suppressed defense mixed with a hint of testing.

He Yanzhi naturally knew the truth, so he gave a casual “Mhm” with a steady expression.

“Does Brother Yan truly believe we are innocent?” Xiao Hongyin’s eyes were moist and the corners were red, as if he could not believe someone would take the side of a disgraced official’s family, or perhaps he feared He Yanzhi was merely humoring him.

“I do not.”

He Yanzhi uttered those two words without hesitation. This expressionless look was exactly the same as it had been on the city walls in their past life.

Xiao Hongyin silently clenched his fists, a flash of ruthlessness appearing in his eyes for an instant.

He Yanzhi was looking down to wrap the bandages and did not notice the change. He continued, “How could the Xiao family be innocent? Being too prominent is a crime, being stubborn is a crime, and blind loyalty to a faint-hearted Emperor is even more of a crime. Based on any one of those, you should have died many times over.”

Xiao Hongyin released his grip on the crumpled garment. “So, we deserve this?”

He Yanzhi took the clothes from his hands, shook them out, and lifted his arm to slide on a sleeve. “Whether you deserve it or not is for you to decide.”

Xiao Hongyin froze, staring blankly at He Yanzhi.

One reaps what one sows.

He Yanzhi did not care what became of him in the future. Now that he was both saving and raising this brat, his only wish was that the boy would not bring him trouble later.

“Stay in the room. You are not allowed out without my permission.”

He Yanzhi stuffed the buns into the boy’s arms and walked straight out of the room. In the hall, Yang Kuang was staring blankly at the rabbit doll.

“Not leaving yet?” He Yanzhi tossed aside the cloth he used to wipe his hands.

“This rabbit is ugly but quite cute. Why not give it to your cousin to play with?”

Yang Kuang pinched one ear and was about to lift it when the rabbit’s ear and head separated in the next moment. He hurried to clear his name. “Hey, I did not do this! Brother He, you saw it yourself, it fell off on its own! You cannot blame me!”

He Yanzhi glanced at him sideways, snatched the rabbit ear, and pushed it back on. “He does not like it.”

Yang Kuang nodded understandingly and then pulled He Yanzhi down to sit.

“I just remembered something. You said the Transport Gang lost the birthday gifts sent by the Crown Prince to the Emperor. Why is such a big matter not handled by the Court of Judicial Review but given to us to investigate instead?”

“The journey from the capital to Xizhou takes at least several months by fast horse, and the birthday banquet is in thirty days. If we wait for the Court of Judicial Review to send people, not only will it be too late, but the Crown Prince will be finished.”

Yang Kuang found this logical and then sighed. “A few days ago, I heard Old Li, the jailer, mention that the leader of the Transport Gang, Jiang Beihai, is truly a tough nut to crack. From the start, he insisted the goods were hijacked. No matter how much they beat him, he would not change his story. When asked who hijacked them, he could not give a straight answer. Old Li used every method available, and for the last few sessions, he did not utter a single word.”

As he spoke, a trace of admiration appeared in his eyes. “I took a moment to go see him. That guy has been tortured beyond recognition, yet he still refuses to confess even if it kills him. I reckon we will not be able to get anything out of him.”

He Yanzhi was dismissive, saying calmly, “That might not be the case.”

Yang Kuang immediately wore an expression that said “I knew you had a way,” smiling as he poured him a cup of water. “Brother He is indeed Brother He, the one with the cruelest hand and the most wicked spirit in Xizhou.”

While Yang Kuang was teasing him, He Yanzhi recalled the description from the original novel.

The Transport Gang had long been a powerful force, controlling the largest water transport routes from Dongzhou to the capital for nearly thirty years.

There were many brothers in the gang, nearly one hundred and twenty thousand of them. Their leader, Jiang Beihai, had originally been in the Salt Gang trading smuggled salt. Somehow, he offended the previous leader of the Transport Gang, Old Man Weng, and killed him with a single stroke, taking over the Transport Gang ever since.

Jiang Beihai considered himself a crude man and usually handled the fighting inside and outside the gang, while all other business dealings were managed by the deputy leader, Jin Lanye.

And this Jin Lanye was said to be from the Miao territory.

He Yanzhi set down the water cup, his jade-white fingertips slowly tracing the rim.

Now that the birthday gifts were stolen, it should have been Jin Lanye who went to prison, yet they only caught Jiang Beihai and the brothers who escorted the gifts this time. So, where is Jin Lanye hiding now? If Jiang Beihai loses his life, what would his plans be?

“Actually, getting stabbed is fine. What man has not taken a few hits? It is just that these water bandits are rampant. If they are not eliminated, the commoners will not be able to sleep peacefully for a single day, and I feel uneasy all over.”

Yang Kuang used water in place of wine, drinking with a profound sense of life’s grievances. Seeing He Yanzhi deep in thought, he asked curiously, “Hey, Brother He, you care so much about this case. Could it be you have taken another job?”

Based on his knowledge of He Yanzhi, unless it involved silver, he found it a hassle to even look twice at anything else. His willingness to investigate the case with him this time meant he must have received benefits from someone.

He Yanzhi did not deny it.

Although no one had approached him yet, he expected it would happen by tomorrow. But even if no one sought him out, he had to make a trip to the Transport Gang regardless.

Yang Kuang chattered for a long time until He Yanzhi grew tired of listening. “Not leaving yet? There is no place for you to sleep here.”

“Tsk, Brother He, do not be in such a hurry. I have one more thing to say.” Yang Kuang tilted his chin, signaling him to look behind.

He Yanzhi was sitting with his back to the bedroom. When he turned his head, the eyes in the door crack blinked twice in a fright.

“Brother Yan, I… I did not mean to eavesdrop on your conversation… it is just so late.”

He Yanzhi told him to come out, and Xiao Hongyin stood silently at his side.

Yang Kuang grinned. “What is your name, cousin? How old are you?”

Perhaps because his expression did not look like a good person’s, Xiao Hongyin hid behind He Yanzhi.

He Yanzhi said, “A-Yin is shy. What exactly did you want to say?”

Yang Kuang stopped beating around the bush and said directly, “We will be out investigating this case for at least a few days. Are you comfortable leaving A-Yin home alone?”

He Yanzhi told him to continue.

“I just ran into Master Chen on my way here. He asked me about the student from Qingsong Academy who drowned, so we chatted for a bit. Now that I think about it, the academy has a vacancy because of that. Why not consider letting A-Yin enroll there?”

Enrolling was naturally a good thing, but Xiao Hongyin’s identity was sensitive. The Xiao family’s case had just concluded, and it was unknown if the Crown Prince’s people had left. One had to be cautious.

He Yanzhi thought for a moment and asked Yang Kuang, “Does the academy need a servant?”

Yang Kuang thought about it. “Master Chen seemed to mention they needed someone for sweeping and cleaning. But Brother He, A-Yin is still injured. Studying is better than working, isn’t it? You could not be stingy with that little bit of silver, could you?”

He Yanzhi did not respond and simply told him to make the arrangements.

Yang Kuang looked at Xiao Hongyin with pity. The youth had bright eyes and showed no sign of refusal. Yang Kuang let out a helpless sigh.

The next day, Yang Kuang told Master Chen about the matter, specifically asking him to look after Xiao Hongyin because of his injuries and not give him work that was too heavy. Master Chen had received favors from him before, so he naturally agreed.

The night before the court session, He Yanzhi led Xiao Hongyin to Qingsong Academy. Before leaving, he tucked another silver ingot into Master Chen’s hand.

Xiao Hongyin stood before the academy gate, watching him depart. The wind blew, and the green pine outside the courtyard gate scattered a few needles that landed on his shoulder.

He Yanzhi did not look back. After leaving the academy, he leaped into an abandoned courtyard under the cover of night.

A person slowly walked out from the darkness. He Yanzhi folded his arms and looked at him, saying in a deep voice, “One hundred taels, not a cent less.”