Chapter 17#
Guard Yuan Fang.#
The next afternoon, Pei Xiting went to Baiyou Mountain again.
The door curtain of the Braised Rabbit Champion hung down, with a bamboo chair placed in front. The landlady lounged lazily on it, one hand holding a book, the other cracking melon seeds, looking quite at ease.
Pei Xiting met her gaze from five steps away as she turned her head. The wariness and coldness in her handsome eyes instantly dissipated, replaced by a seductive charm. The landlady smiled, and he smiled too, saying, “I’m looking for someone. Could you point me in the right direction, sister?”
The landlady half sat up, leaning bonelessly against the chair back. “Who?”
“Manager Qi.”
“Didn’t you see him yesterday?” The landlady noticed Pei Xiting’s knowing expression and said with a smile, “A fine young master like you—why meddle in this?”
“I’d love to enjoy an easy life, eating, drinking, and having fun, but it seems my life is fated to be troubled. No matter where I turn, I run into ghosts.” Pei Xiting waved his hand. “Thanks for the directions, sister. I’m off.”
He familiarized himself with the path and found the small shop selling Crispy Bone Fish. The stove in front was clean, not yet lit. He lifted the curtain to look inside—the owner was lying on a bamboo chair, snoring loudly. (Were these bamboo chairs sold wholesale? Every shopkeeper here seemed to have one.)
Pei Xiting didn’t wake the owner. Just as he was about to wander off, the man on the chair spoke without opening his eyes. “You’re early today, sir. I haven’t started work yet.”
“I’m not here for fish. I’m looking for someone.” Pei Xiting said. “Sorry to disturb Manager Qi.”
Hearing this, the owner cracked open one eyelid. “Who are you looking for?”
Pei Xiting took out the coin-sized wooden token and tossed it over.
Manager Qi caught it, glanced at it, then opened both eyes wide. He said leisurely, “Third Young Master Pei, you’ve got some nerve.”
“If I had nerve, I wouldn’t be here. I’d just stay home and wait to die.” Pei Xiting walked over, stepped onto the footrest, forcing Manager Qi to spread his legs slightly, and raised an eyebrow at him.
Pei Xiting bent slightly, pressed one hand on the armrest, and said softly, “Manager Qi sells fish in the afternoon, but the rest of the time, you’re in your true trade, aren’t you? Baiyou Mountain is a mix of all kinds of people—anyone can be found here, any information can be bought and sold. And you’re the one weaving this spiderweb.”
Manager Qi gave a pleading smile. “Just making a living, you know.”
“Manager Qi, you’re resourceful. I’d appreciate it if you could find the person for me as soon as possible.” Pei Xiting pretended to complain. “He stole something and ran off quickly, leaving me in a fog and stirring up trouble. Is that any way to act?”
Manager Qi said, “Someone who dares to steal from Young Marquis Shangguan—what kind of good person could he be? Would he care about your life or safety?”
“He didn’t kill me or touch me that day. I’m guessing he’s not a vicious person, so I came to try my luck. If I’m wrong, no matter.” Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Starting today, I’ll move in with you. I’ll buy your fish every day. How about that?”
Perhaps it was the first time he’d met someone so “self-willed,” Manager Qi paused for a moment, then laughed. “I’d be absolutely delighted to have a beauty accompany me—but why? What’s the reason?”
Pei Xiting said, “You sold me out once. Can’t I take advantage of you in return?”
Manager Qi paused solemnly, then said, “It’s all for making a living!”
Pei Xiting snorted coldly.
“But how did you know?” Manager Qi asked, puzzled.
“I guessed.” Pei Xiting gave a slight smile under the other man’s bewildered and then resentful stare. “Recently, someone must have come to you to buy information. You’re well-informed—it’s possible you actually knew what happened at the Fumeng Pavilion that day. We’re not related, so you had no qualms about selling me out. Wasn’t it easy to get you to admit it?”
Manager Qi wiped his face, let out a bitter laugh, then cupped his hands toward Pei Xiting, looked up devoutly, and said, “Third Young Master Pei, your cold expression makes you even more handsome.”
“Thanks for the compliment.” Pei Xiting straightened up, crossed his arms, and looked at him. “Like what you see? Enjoy it—I won’t charge you. But about that person?”
“I’ll help you find him.” Manager Qi gave his word. “Soon.”
Pei Xiting cupped his hands in thanks, then turned and lifted the curtain to leave.
Manager Qi rocked his chair, lost in thought. Suddenly remembering something, he chased after the tall retreating figure and shouted, “You didn’t pay me!”
“I forgot my money. I’ll give it to you next time.” Pei Xiting didn’t look back as he turned a corner and walked away. A few steps later, a young beggar approached him, stopped in front of him, and looked up at him.
Pei Xiting stared back at him. “I don’t have any money today.”
“I’m not here to steal your pouch,” the young beggar said.
“So you know it’s stealing, huh.” Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow.
The young beggar answered honestly, “A boss told me to steal it and run. He said if I ran fast enough, he’d give me a tael of silver.”
That must have been that shameless Shangguan Jie—using a diversion to leave him alone. Pei Xiting said, “Where’s the pouch?”
The young beggar pulled an embroidered silk pouch from his sleeve and held it up. Pei Xiting took it, counted the money inside, and said, “Hmm, good kid. Next time I see you, I’ll buy you some candy.”
“Another boss gave me money to invite you.” The young beggar turned and pointed to the rock wall at the end of the road. “He’s waiting for you behind there. He also mentioned something about a ‘descendants-destroying kick.’”
Pei Xiting understood the code. After dismissing the young beggar, he walked to the rock wall, where a strong smell of roast duck hit him. He sniffed, went around the wall, and said to the person crouched in the corner gnawing on a roast duck leg, “Good thing I didn’t pay Manager Qi in advance, or I’d be losing money.”
The masked young man wasn’t wearing his mask, revealing a fair, handsome face. Generously, he handed a roast duck leg to Pei Xiting and mumbled, “I need to talk to you.”
“Perfect, I need to talk to you too.” Pei Xiting crouched down and tore off half the oil paper. “I need a guard.”
“You need a guard?”
—Both voices spoke almost simultaneously.
Their eyes met. Pei Xiting raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “Why me?”
The masked young man said, “First, people are searching for me everywhere, so I need a place to hide. Your Pei family isn’t too high or too low, few in number—if I stay with you, I won’t go without food or clothes, and there aren’t too many disputes in the mansion. Second, you’re straightforward; you won’t talk too much or pry into my personal affairs. Third, you’re pretty bold, so you’d probably dare to take me in, someone of unknown origin. Fourth, what happened at the Fumeng Pavilion that day was partly my fault for dragging you into trouble. At the very least, I should protect you for a while.”
Pei Xiting accepted the reasons and said honestly, “But the Eastern Palace has asked for your portrait, and it seems they’ve recognized you. It might not be safe for you to stay by my side.”
“Nowhere is safe.” The masked young man took a big bite of meat.
Pei Xiting said, “Under the emperor’s nose, the Eastern Palace finding you would be like catching a turtle in a jar. The world is vast—why don’t you leave Yeijing?”
“I can’t leave Yeijing.” The masked young man paused, then said insightfully, “There’s a saying: ‘The darkest place is under the lamppost.’”
“Makes sense.” Pei Xiting said, “I won’t pry into your identity, but you have to tell me: what conspiracy is involved in the Po Yin Lin theft?”
“I don’t know either.” The masked young man looked a bit regretful. “I was just trying to earn a big payout. I thought it was just stealing a forbidden palace weapon, but things turned out to be more complicated. These past days, it’s not just Shangguan Jie’s people looking for me—others are also asking about me. I even found the buyer’s body in the outskirts, and then the Longque Division took the corpse away.”
“The buyer is dead?” Pei Xiting seemed thoughtful. “Now there’s only one problem: if you stay by my side, you might run into the Eastern Palace’s men; if you’re too far away, you can’t protect me.”
“I have a plan.” The masked young man finished gnawing the duck leg, patted his hands, and stood up. “I’ll come find you tonight. Wait for me.”
Pei Xiting: “Alright.”
He had someone send the pouch back to the Duke Wenguo’s mansion. That night, the masked young man came as promised, still in night clothes, but his face had changed to a rough, ordinary appearance.
Pei Xiting put down his brush, stood up, and approached the man at the desk, looking him over left and right. “Is there really such a thing as disguise? Is that a human skin mask?”
“No, it’s a special material mask from the Western Regions. First, you apply it to someone’s face, wait about three hours, then peel it off and stick it on your own face. It’s expensive.” The masked young man touched his face. “What do you think? Can you tell?”
For some reason, he noticed a flicker of surprise and sudden realization on Pei Xiting’s face, as if a question had just been answered. But then Pei Xiting returned to his normal expression and said, “At a glance, no. If you look closely, it seems a bit off, but not a big deal.”
The masked young man didn’t think much of it. “It’ll do. Human skin masks are stuffy and creepy.”
“Follow me first.” Pei Xiting pushed open the door a few steps behind his desk. “The study connects to the bedroom. There’s a low couch in the study—not as good as my bed, but still comfortable. If you don’t mind, you can sleep there for tonight. I’ll think of a proper solution.”
“No need to trouble yourself. I can sleep under a bridge or on a tree branch. This clean, cozy room is more than enough.” The masked young man looked up at the rafters and nodded. “As long as there are no martial arts experts in your courtyard, no one will find out I’m here.”
“It’s still inconvenient. I’m not married and haven’t established a career, so I have no reason to move out. Let me think of another way.” As he spoke, Pei Xiting turned to the cabinet, took out a thin blanket, and placed it on the low couch. “By the way, what should I call you?”
The masked young man answered honestly, “It’s not convenient to tell you my real name. Call me whatever you like.”
“Alright.” Pei Xiting said. “Then I’ll call you Yuan Fang.”
The masked young man saw hope and expectation in Pei Xiting’s eyes, and suddenly felt a heavy burden on his shoulders. “…Does that name have some deep meaning?”
“It’s because I hope you’ll protect me—someone with no martial arts skills, weak and easily bullied.” Pei Xiting clasped his hands together sincerely. “If you don’t like it, I can also call you Zhan Hufa.”
The masked young man thought seriously for a moment, then said, “Then Yuan Fang it is.”