The Passerby Hidden Guard Picked Up the Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 9

“A-Yin?”

He Yanzhi was somewhat surprised. Seeing Xiao Hongyin in such a state, it appeared as though he had run away. He asked, “What happened?”

Xiao Hongyin grabbed his sleeve, his voice carrying a slight sob as he whispered, “Someone, someone is trying to catch me.”

Just as He Yanzhi was about to ask who it was, Xiao Hongyin’s eyes suddenly filled with terror, and he instantly threw himself into He Yanzhi’s arms.

He Yanzhi instinctively caught him. At that exact moment, the two men with the unusual behavior passed right by them. He Yanzhi understood the situation immediately and shifted his body to completely shield Xiao Hongyin from view.

He Yanzhi tried his best to act naturally, but the two men noticed them anyway. Thinking quickly, He Yanzhi shouted at Xiao Hongyin, “What money? I do not have any money for your schooling! Get lost right now!”

The two men were startled by He Yanzhi’s sudden outburst and stood still, watching them.

After his shout, He Yanzhi made a show of forcefully pushing Xiao Hongyin. In reality, he was adjusting his angle to ensure the boy’s face would not be exposed during the struggle.

Xiao Hongyin helplessly clung to He Yanzhi’s waist. No matter how much He Yanzhi pushed or shoved, the boy would not loosen his grip even slightly.

With the alcohol rushing to his head, He Yanzhi completely ignored the fact that they were on a public street. He shouted with even more vigor, “I am your brother, not your father! Go find whoever gave birth to you if you want money! If that old man does not care for you, why should I? Go, go, go! Do not stand in the way of my drinking!”

Dazed shopkeepers, hearing the commotion, poked their heads out to watch the scene. Some even held up umbrellas and formed a crowd about ten feet away, waiting to see what would happen next.

The two men were pushed to the back by the gathering crowd and could not get close. They exchanged glances, appearing to hesitate.

He Yanzhi doubled his efforts. Still holding the wine jar in the hand he used to push Xiao Hongyin, he intentionally shifted his force at the last second. The jar traced an arc through the air, flew over the crowd, and shattered right in front of the two men, causing a significant stir among the onlookers.

“If you want to argue, just argue! Why are you acting like a madman?” “He is just a drunkard who does not even care for his own brother! Bah!” “Tsk, tsk. What a sin.”

Taking advantage of the chaos, He Yanzhi scooped Xiao Hongyin up and fled into a deep alley with the speed of the wind.

The crowd kept the two men pinned in place. Some onlookers, seeing the men soaked in wine, began enthusiastically recommending bathhouses, clothing shops, and ginger tea. This delayed them for a good ten minutes. By the time the two men finally broke free, He Yanzhi and Xiao Hongyin were nowhere to be found.

Inside the deep alley, two figures, one tall and one short, circled around twice before leaping from the ground onto the rooftops. After covering some distance quickly, they chose an inconspicuous path to exit the alley.

“How do you feel?” He Yanzhi released Xiao Hongyin and let him sit on a step to rest.

Xiao Hongyin shook his head. “I am fine.”

There was no blood seeping through his clothes, so there was likely no serious harm. However, He Yanzhi noticed he was still dressed thinly, his frail body shivering in the cold wind. He could not help but ask, “How is it that you did not receive the clothes? Did Master Chen not give them to you?”

Xiao Hongyin lowered his head and stammered, “He, he gave them to me.”

“Then why are you not wearing them? Why did you run away? Does the academy not have guards?” He Yanzhi maintained a wooden expression, his tone serious, as if he were interrogating a prisoner.

“I am.”

Xiao Hongyin fought back tears, not daring to speak.

He had waited outside the academy early that day, full of hope that He Yanzhi would appear. Instead, he was met by Master Chen and a heavy bundle of cold clothing. He asked Master Chen why He Yanzhi had not come, and the teacher only said He Yanzhi was busy with a case and told Xiao Hongyin to stay at the academy.

What Master Chen did not know was that two hidden guards sent by He Yu had already infiltrated the academy, and today was the third day since they had come to take him away. Out of necessity, Xiao Hongyin told a lie, claiming people were fighting in the academy to distract Master Chen, and used the opportunity to escape.

When the two guards saw him run, they pursued him.

While trying to evade them, Xiao Hongyin had discarded the bundle of clothes to mislead them. However, such a trick could not fool the guards for long. Xiao Hongyin was forced to run toward the crowded market, where he unexpectedly and luckily ran into He Yanzhi.

Realizing he was being too harsh, He Yanzhi changed his questioning style. “Does Master Chen know you ran away?”

Xiao Hongyin shook his head, his hands resting on his knees as he fidgeted with his fingers.

Seeing his pitiful appearance, He Yanzhi rubbed his brow. He truly did not know what to do with this boy.

He Yanzhi let out a helpless sigh. “Forget it.”

He looked around for a clothing store but found the shops in the area were sparse. The closest place to them was a pawnshop. A pawnshop might have pawned clothes; even a second hand set would be better than nothing for now.

He Yanzhi led Xiao Hongyin toward the shop.

It was just an ordinary looking store. The moment they stepped inside, a strange yet familiar fragrance hit them. He Yanzhi’s footsteps faltered. This scent was mysteriously similar to the smell of that corpse. It was not a matter of whether it was pleasant or foul, but rather that specific, peculiar olfactory sensation. There had to be a connection.

“Stay close to me,” He Yanzhi whispered to Xiao Hongyin, who gripped his hand tighter.

Hearing the commotion, a figure slowly appeared behind the carved window. The man had thin cheeks, wore a leather hat, and smiled at He Yanzhi.

“What item would you like to pawn, guest?”

He Yanzhi took the fish shaped wooden token from his robe and held it up.

“Please bring it closer, guest, so I may see it clearly.”

He Yanzhi extended his arm. The man in the leather hat leaned forward until he was almost touching the wooden token. Still claiming he could not see well, he eventually took it in his hand and flipped it over several times.

He Yanzhi watched him. The man sighed and said, “This wood is indeed high quality agarwood, but the carving is crude and the shape is uneven. It is a pity; the price will likely have to be thirty percent lower.”

Hearing this, He Yanzhi did not rush to argue. He said, “This is a memento from my late father. If my family were not so destitute, I would never use it to trade for clothes for my brother.”

His eyes were hollow and his tone was calm, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Because of this, the man in the leather hat began to look them over. Both of them had delicate skin and extraordinary looks. Seeing He Yanzhi reeking of alcohol, the man guessed most of the story. He figured they were likely young masters from a wealthy family that had fallen on hard times. Falling from the clouds into the mud, they spent their days drinking away their sorrows. Having run out of money and with the cold weather approaching, they had no choice but to pawn an heirloom.

Since he was in the pawn business, there was no reason not to take advantage of them.

The man in the leather hat immediately put on a look of sympathy. “To be honest, guest, this shop has not had business for many days, and I do not have enough cash on hand to trade for this wood. However, since you want warm clothes, I happen to have a few pieces here. Why do we not do an exchange? What do you think, guest?”

He spoke sincerely and his expression was convincing. He Yanzhi had no reason to refuse.

“Good, good. I will go and get them right now.”

The man ducked under the window, exited through a side door, and lit an oil lamp from a nearby table. He was about to go inside when he suddenly remembered something and said to He Yanzhi, “The warehouse is quite cluttered. I am the only one in the shop, and searching will be time consuming. I am afraid you two will be waiting a long time. Could I trouble you to help me hold the light?”

He Yanzhi took the oil lamp. The man slowly opened the door and signaled for He Yanzhi and Xiao Hongyin to follow him inside.

The interior was pitch black, and they could not see their own hands. He Yanzhi held the oil lamp in front while Xiao Hongyin stayed close to his side, his breathing becoming increasingly audible. The tiny circle of light could not illuminate their surroundings. Standing in the warehouse felt like standing at the edge of an abyss.

In the darkness, the flame flickered.

A gust of wind came from behind. He Yanzhi perceived it sharply, dodged to the side, and threw the oil lamp behind him.

“Duck!”

He Yanzhi shouted. Xiao Hongyin did so immediately. Almost at the same time, the sound of breaking wind sliced through the air above the boy.

He Yanzhi delivered a kick that struck a body. A few steps away, following several cries of pain, came the clattering sound of breaking equipment.

“Cough, cough, cough.” The man in the leather hat had been kicked hard and coughed up some blood.

He Yanzhi picked up a rod and moved toward him. However, the man was very agile; he slipped out of the warehouse before the rod could land and locked the door from the outside. He Yanzhi kicked the door forcefully twice.

The door was made of an unknown material; it was as hard as iron and did not budge after several kicks.

From outside came the man’s laughter. “Guest, do not waste your strength. Whoever you are, I advise you to mind your own business, or you will not even know how you died.”

The man’s voice faded away. No matter how much He Yanzhi tried, the door remained undamaged. They were completely trapped.

The discarded oil lamp had rolled into a corner. He Yanzhi tore a piece of cloth from his garment, soaked it in the spilled oil, and lit it. He could barely see Xiao Hongyin in front of him.

In the dark warehouse, the two of them looked at each other.

“Was it the owner who attacked us just now?” Xiao Hongyin moved to sit beside He Yanzhi.

“Yes.” He Yanzhi placed the cloth into the oil lamp and used the light to scan their surroundings while explaining. “Every pawnshop has its tricks. That man was too polite; he certainly was not the real owner. Moreover, he asked what we were pawning as soon as he spoke, which shows he had been waiting here for a long time.”

Xiao Hongyin nodded, a layer of playfulness appearing in his eyes as he looked at He Yanzhi, yet his words were full of self reproach. “Brother Yan is so incredible to see through that fake. It is my fault; I should not have held you back.”

He Yanzhi had no intention of blaming him. Suddenly, using the firelight, he looked at the shelf opposite them. It seemed as though someone was standing directly facing them. He Yanzhi’s back tensed. He said to Xiao Hongyin, “Stay here and do not move. I am going to take a look.”

“Alright. Be careful, Brother Yan.”

He Yanzhi approached the figure warily. Under the illumination of the light, the outline became clear.

What he saw was a dark head with hair braided into three strands and coiled atop the skull. This person did not look like someone from the Dali nation. He was facing the wall, his shoulders and head resting against the shelf to keep him upright. The person was completely lifeless.

He Yanzhi reached out to turn the body over. As the light gradually illuminated the entire form, he caught sight of the overlapping collar. His hand paused. He lowered the oil lamp; a pair of toes were pointing directly at him.

He realized suddenly that this person was facing him.

He Yanzhi noticed that the man’s neck was much thinner than a normal person’s. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the neck had been forcefully twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, coiled like a twisted dough stick.

He grabbed the corpse by the hair, intending to wrench the head back. However, without support, the head rolled uncontrollably off the shoulders and onto the floor, leaving a trail of blood and foam.

Holding the severed hair, He Yanzhi once again smelled that specific scent amidst the stench of blood.

“He was the real owner of the pawnshop and the contact person for the Red Turban Gang.”

So, the man in the leather hat had murdered the contact, hidden the body in the warehouse, and impersonated the shopkeeper to lie in wait. The purpose was to sever the lead to the Red Turban Gang. Without their explanation, Jiang Beihai was destined to take the blame. Once Jiang Beihai was dead, no one would ever ask about or find the location of the Birthday Gifts.

At this thought, He Yanzhi let out a cold snort. With the Crown Prince losing the Birthday Gifts, who else could be happier than He Yu?

Xiao Hongyin could not stand sitting idly. Seeing the commotion, he came up behind He Yanzhi, peeked at the scene, and quietly shrank back.

Feeling a tug on his hem, He Yanzhi led Xiao Hongyin away from the corpse. Returning to their original spot, Xiao Hongyin looked up at He Yanzhi and whispered, “Brother Yan, are we unable to get out?”

Seeing the worry in the boy’s eyes, He Yanzhi snapped out of his thoughts and straightened his back.

To trap them? In their dreams.

He scanned the surroundings, his eyes locking onto several locations. A slight smile played on his lips. “How could that be? Your Brother Yan will take you out right now.”