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In which thereâs a small scuffle.
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When Ye You came out, those elders had also already left the discipline room next door, and upon seeing him, as one, they immediately looked over â at the end, Li Huaâs voice had been too small, so none of them had been able to hear it.
Ye You said, âFulai Inn, Mr. Xiao.â
Those elders instantly revealed happy expressions on their faces and hurried to arrange for this personâs capture.
Sect Leader Xuanyang was uneasy and asked, âCould she be lying to you?â
Ye You confidently said, âNo.â
Fuping had too many people as guards, and along with the dual protections of his identity as a male entertainer and that command token, he didnât believe that Fuping would do more than was required and add anything else like a password or whatnot. Whatâs more, many of those black-clothed men have never had an education, and some have even been fed the drug, so if these coarse and rugged men forgot the password, then wouldnât it simply serve to delay matters?
So only he and the white pieceâs people knew how truly hefty that jade pendant was.
And to Li Hua, she probably also thought that even if they had captured Fuping, they wouldnât have been able to make the other talk in such a short amount of time, so she immediately believed the lie.
He said, âI was looking at her eyes the whole time, and I donât think she was lying. If the elders trust me, then thereâs no harm in trying.â
Sect Leader Xuanyang nodded and discussed a few words with Abbot Ciyuan before deciding to send people from Wudang and Shaolin to capture that mister who was surnamed Xiao. Bodhi Prison had encountered a tragedy right underneath their eyes, so for the sake of obtaining justice, they were determined to participate in this chess game until the very end.
Ye You said, âLet me go along.â
Everyone looked at him.
Ye You explained, âIf Sir Zhong truly was kidnapped by them, they might transfer him to somewhere else this very night. We can only wait until the time comes to know the exact situation.â
âYes, let Sir Xiao go along. Heâs very quick-witted.â Academy Master Ge appreciated this youth very much, and he couldnât help but give him a helping hand.
Abbot Ciyuan and Sect Leader Xuanyang had long heard about Sir Xiaoâs deeds, and since this matter was also something he ferreted out, they didnât oppose him. They even chose people for him, deciding that they might as well just let him lead the team.
Ye You gave his Senior Brother a glance. Wenren Heng understood his meaning and chose to remain behind.
The white piece still had not been found, so Shaolin and Wudangâs way of doing things right now was clearly to prevent anyone from meddling. And although Wenren Hengâs Shuangji Sect could not be considered long-established, in the end, it had still belonged to the Jianghu sects for ten years. As a Sect Master, at this time, the only thing he could do was not participate like the other elders.
Wei Jiangyue looked at Sir Xiao. âIâll go with you.â
Ye You made a sound in acknowledgement and took the initiative to head outside. Midway, he saw Ding Xilai and carelessly asked, âHow about you? Coming?â
Ding Xilai was dumbfounded, and didnât react for a while.
Ye You said, âI saw how worried you were about Sir Zhong before, so I thought you really wanted to know about his safety.â
Ding Xilai immediately said, âYes, Iâll go with you!â
Ye You stepped onto the carriage. âLetâs go. When the time comes, donât run around too much. Listen to my instructions.â
âDonât worry. I understand the situation.â Ding Xilai had a lot of confidence.
They had this many people just to catch one person; no matter what happened, theyâd succeed! This time, he definitely wouldnât mess up!
Seeing that he was again full of that fighting cock spirit, Wei Jiangyue didnât care to pay the other any attention. They quickly went down the mountain, and when they arrived at the small county town, the night had already entered its fourth period[1].
The streets were devoid of people, and the majority of the shops were immersed in darkness. Only the inns and taverns still had bright red lanterns hung outside their doors, and with the autumn moonlight, they looked distinctly and endlessly cold.
Ye You brought them to steal slowly near the inn, stopping at a corner and immediately not going any further.
Ding Xilai said, âWhy arenât you directly surrounding it?â
âHow rude would it be if we make too much noise and disturb other peopleâs sleep. We need to surround them stealthily.â As Ye You spoke, he indicated for Shaolin and Wudangâs people to detour quietly, little by little, to surround the inn, while also noting that they shouldnât appear yet and should simply remain on guard, hidden in the dark. If they saw a person jumping out the window or running outside, they should immediately capture whoever it was.
He waited for them to finish getting into their positions before finally coming out of that corner, preparing to knock on the door of the inn.
Wei Jiangyue was worried about him so chased after him in order to go together. Ding Xilai remained nestled in that hidden place, and when he looked left and right, he saw that only Ren Shaotian was left to accompany him. Looking at those two in front of him, he felt as if he was acting far too timid, so even with his heart suspended in the air, he decided to also follow along, doing his best to puff out his chest.
Wei Jiangyue gave him a look, and Ding Xilai puffed up his chest even more, bearing a grave and tense face. Wei Jiangyue coldly ignored him. Upon seeing the inn getting closer and closer, Wei Jiangyue couldnât help but look towards the Sir Xiao next to them, examining what was visible of the otherâs eyes, and asked, âYou arenât worried that he has left already?â
âI donât think heâd leave quite yet,â Ye You said, âFuping was around nearby to oversee Bodhi Prison, while the small county town had Li Hua, and within Bodhi Prison was also the miracle doctor and his people. These subordinates arranged by the white piece should have been enough, so Iâm guessing that every time Fuping sent information down the line, he directly gave it to Li Hua. And since this Mr. Xiao knows the white pieceâs identity, his position is definitely very high. Most likely, he had just hurried over when we headed towards Bodhi Prison or changed locations to Shaolin Temple.â
Wei Jiangyue sorted through these relationships and made a sound in acknowledgement.
Ye You said, âWhen he reached the small county town, he definitely needed a way to connect with Fuping so as to let Fuping know where to hand over information to him. We went to Xiangxing City the second day after capturing Li Hua. In this short amount of time, if he wanted to continue receiving information, he most likely wouldnât move locations. Furthermore, heâs familiar with Li Huaâs temper so he probably wouldnât think that, right after being captured, Li Hua would be cheated into revealing where heâs been staying, right?â
Wei Jiangyue said, âThatâs true.â
Ye You said, âBut if Sir Zhong really was captured by them, then the white piece must have some unknown scheme, so if heâs not here, then no matter what we did, we wouldâve been too late regardless.â
Wei Jiangyue nodded and then saw the other calling Ding Xilai over and couldnât help but be astonished.
Ding Xilai was even more astonished than him and walked over without understanding why. Ye You muttered a few sentences to him before smiling and patting his shoulder. Ding Xilai then quickly changed into the airs he used to talk to his old man to indicate that he understood.
Wei Jiangyue was very curious and was about to ask when he saw Sir Xiao pushing open the door and entering the inn, so he instead switched to being more on guard.
With a yawn, the waiter drifted over, but when his gaze was met with that frightening âwhite lanternâ, he was immediately startled awake. He stared for a moment to ascertain that it wasnât a ghost before then finally asking if they were planning on staying at the inn.
Ding Xilai took the initiative to walk in front and insipidly asked, âIs the best room here still available?â
The waiter looked at their bearings and the clothes they were wearing and knew they had quite a bit of money. His smile immediately became brilliant. âWe have only two rooms left, but the beds are very big. If these masters arenât opposed, then you can squeeze in together.â
Ding Xilai said, âHow many rooms were there originally?â
The waiter was startled and cautiously said, âFive rooms.â
Ding Xilai gave him a hefty tip and asked, âWho is staying in the remaining three rooms? Iâm meeting an old friend here. If heâs already arrived, then Iâll go squeeze in with him, and the remaining two rooms can go to these two.â
Wei Jiangyue knew that this had been taught by Sir Xiao and thought it strange that the other had to find Ding Xilai to do this.
Ad since matters were urgent, this thought was in his head for only a moment before he moved past it. The waiter said that, of those three rooms, a husband and wife was staying in one, a young Jianghu adventurer was staying in another, and a merchant who was over forty-years-old was staying in the last. The waiter didnât know which one could be Ding Xilaiâs friend.
Ding Xilai said, âI already know. You just tell me where each of those last two people are living, and Iâll go find him myself. I want to give him a nice surprise.â
The waiter said, âThe adventurer is in the first room[2], while the merchant is in the third room.â
Ding Xilai said a calm, âYes,â and brought them upstairs, preparing to first go and reminisce with his old friend first before later coming to find them in their own two rooms.
Wei Jiangyue suddenly gained some free time, and approaching Sir Xiao, he asked, âJust now, was this the only thing you taught him?â
âYouâre asking why I looked for him, right? Itâs simple. My current indecent and improper appearance would too easily frighten someone, and your entirely cold face is also quite scary.â Ye You pointed at Ding Xilai, all smiles. âLook at him, so reliable with his righteous airs. Itâll easily cause other people to lower their guards.â
Wei Jiangyue, ââŚâ
This was the first time in Ding Xilaiâs life that he had ever heard someone call him reliable, and he was almost moved to tears. He especially wanted to grab Sir Xiaoâs hand and ask the other if there was any other place where he could be of use, but before he could put these thoughts into action, he heard Ren Shaotian suddenly say, âThereâs movement.â
Ye You also had long already heard it and hastily quickened his steps up the stairs, not forgetting to shoot Ren Shaotian a glance. The latter didnât need him to speak and made straight for the corner room. Upon going through the door, the other saw two black-clothed men appearing in a flash from the roof beams, holding swords and rushing right at them.
Ren Shaotianâs lips raised slightly, and he waved his sword and, with a clang of metals, stopped them in their tracks, managing to block two people with only a single personâs force.
Wei Jiangyue gave this scene a look and also entered the fray. These four people fought from the door to the window, and when Ren Shaotian forced those two people out the window, he returned to Sir Xiao and Ding Xilaiâs side as a guard, in case there were other people lurking in the surroundings.
Ding Xilai followed Sir Xiao and entered the room extremely cautiously, asking, âNot chasing? This is the merchantâs room, so where is he?â
Ye You said, âIf you listen carefully, youâll know.â
Ding Xilai immediately remembered the arrangements made downstairs and ran over to look out the window, seeing Shaolin and Wudangâs people already fighting with those trying to escape.
Ye You unhurriedly walked over and looked down, and his gaze quickly found a certain person in the crowd who was wearing long robes. He let out a laugh and said, in a bright voice, âAs expected, the moment they saw us, they ran. Itâs truly simple and predictable, without a single spark of originality.â
That person bit his lips, not having the time to rebut, continuing to contend with those people.
Ye You said, âYes. Li Hua was captured first, and then an incident happened in Xiangxing City. With things happening one after another, it definitely caught these people unawares. His identity was also special, and he needed to stay in touch with the white piece. While he hasnât yet sussed out our strength, heâd definitely regard preserving his life as the most important. So if he truly was still living here, he wouldnât recklessly fight us without regard for the consequences.â
âAh, thatâs rightâŚâ Ding Xilai was enlightened, inwardly thinking that this was clearly something simple yet he wasnât able to think of it himself, and he couldnât help but look admiringly at Sir Xiao. He sincerely and earnestly praised, âYouâre truly clever.â
Ye You said, âIf you earnestly try and learn, you can also be this clever.â
He looked towards the fight.
Those black-clothed men were all the cream of the crop and were truly incredible, but it was a pity that they were lacking in people. Wudang and Shaolin also sent a group of elites this time, so those people were probably not able to endure for much longer.
He looked for a while longer before bringing them downstairs.
By this time, that waiter had realized that they hadnât come here for any good reason and so was hiding behind the counter, not daring to show his face. Ye You also didnât deliberately frighten the other, but it was probably that Ding Xilai was too used to doing good and so actually couldnât help but run over to apologize before finally leaving.
The fight had already finished. That person had also been captured, and even the black-clothed men were all tied up. Upon seeing that theyâve tightly bound that person, Ding Xilai ran over to ask, âWhere is Xiao-Zhong? Where did you guys take him?â
That person originally didnât have the desire to pay him any attention, but upon hearing what he said, the person frowned. âWhat?â
Ding Xilai urgently asked, âWasnât he kidnapped by you guys? Stop pretending. Where exactly is he? How is he right now?â
âIt wasnât me.â As that person spoke, he looked towards a person standing nearby with a face covered in bandages. âWho are you?â
Ye You gave him a distant smile, although it wasnât very clear in the dark of the night, and said, âYouâll know once you get to Shaolin.â
As Ye You finished speaking, he turned around and got on the carriage, indicating for them to go back to report. Ding Xilai was still worried and ran over to ask him what to do about Xiao-Zhong. Ye You said, âRight now, itâs still unclear if it was him who sent people as kidnappers. If it really is him, heâs currently in our grasp, so are you still afraid that heâd harm Sir Zhong?â
Ding Xilai asked, âThen what if they use Xiao-Zhongâs life to threaten us?â
Ye You said, âThat also doesnât matter. He knows who the white piece is. We can first capture the white piece and then use the white piece to exchange prisoners. Right now, they wouldnât dare to touch Sir Zhong since Sir Zhong is only useful to them while heâs still alive.â
Ding Xilai inwardly thought that that made sense and became more well-behaved.
When they returned to Shaolin, the horizon had already turned gray and misty, and the sun was about to rise. Abbot Ciyuan and the others had spent a sleepless night waiting for them. Upon seeing that they had succeeded in capturing the person back, everyone felt their faces loosen.
Wenren Heng walked towards his Junior Brother, and with the reasoning that his Junior Brotherâs health wasnât good, he wanted to first take the other back to rest.
Before leaving, Ye You looked at the Abbot. âItâs extremely possible that he knows whoâs the white piece, so you must absolutely not allow him to be silenced.â
Abbot Ciyuan said an, âAmitabha,â and nodded. âDonât worry, Benefactor Xiao.â
Ye You made a sound in response and only then did he obediently followed his Senior Brother back to the small courtyard.
Wenren Heng asked, âAre you tired?â
Ye You raised the corners of his mouth. âIâm not tired.â
In his heart, Wenren Heng thought of course. This person had succeeded in learning a miraculous martial art and had sat in the carriage the whole way, while also not having to lift a finger to fight, so naturally wouldnât be tired. He brought the other into the room and used a hand to close the door before asking, âWant to sleep for a while?â
The moment he entered the room, Ye You poured a cup of water for himself and happily took a sip. When he heard those words, he looked over and slowly remembered the time when he had been pressured by the other. He said, âIâm all right either way. Senior Brother has been sitting around waiting for us for half the night, so do you want to sleep for a while?â
âThen letâs lie down for a while. Maintaining a healthy spirit will make it easier to do the next steps,â Wenren Heng gently said and walked forward to help him unravel the bandages, ordering subordinates to bring water so as to give his face a simple wipe, before finally getting on the bed with him. Then, Wenren Heng reached out a hand and pulled the person into an embrace.
Ye You lifted his head to look at him and instantly met his gentle gaze.
The two looked at one another for a moment. Ye You saw him lean slightly forward and couldnât help scooting backwards a bit.
Wenren Heng stopped, and upon glimpsing that the other had on a faint, indistinct smile, he moved forward, neither quickly nor slowly, to trap the person against a wall. He pushed down the otherâs wrist, pressing the other down, and asked, âBefore, I promised you that Iâd try with you. Why are you running away?â
Ye You let out a light laugh and used his free hand to pull at his collar, dragging out the sound. With a languid and lazy tone, he asked, âSenior Brother, this is a place where Buddhists cultivate spirituality. Isnât it not good⌠to be like this?â
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[1] ĺć´ 1am-3am, essentially. Long explanation: so, in ancient China, they divided the day into 12 hours (instead of 24), which is why the term ćčž° (shichen) exists, to denote these 2-hour time intervals. (Fun fact: an hour in Chinese is referred to as ĺ°ć, lit. âlittle/small timeâ, probably in reference to the fact that itâs smaller than ćčž°.) So, for them, nighttime begins at 7pm and lasts until 5am, so dusk until dawn essentially. This means that thereâs five shichens in nighttime, and ĺć´ literally means the fourth part of this night period, thus referring to 1am-3am (ä¸ć is its formal term). I really didnât want to leave this in pinyin so I translated it literally. :T
[2] This is a note to myself because I know Iâm going to forget this for sure, so Iâd be shit out of luck if they ever mention it again. So the text here for the room numbers say: 夊ĺä¸č and 夊ĺä¸č respectively. The 夊 in this case is actually an ye olde way of referring to the first row of something, since itâs a reference to ăĺĺćă, specifically the line ă夊ĺ°çéťă. Since 夊 is the first word, it signifies the first row (and ĺ° is the second row, etc). So 夊ĺä¸č means âfirst row, room oneâ or, as whatâs most commonly written for classrooms nowadays: A-1. I just wrote âfirst roomâ here since they didnât reference any other rows or whatnot.
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Ding Xilai⌠so cute⌠trying to save his friend⌠but being really bad at itâŚ
Also, next chapter is pretty good, so hopefully I can get it out tomorrow.