Chapter 40#
Chaos: Little Pei Goes South of the River (VII)#
The main gate of the Bai residence was wide open, with no one around.
“Ma Bi” stopped the carriage in front of the gate, smiled slightly at the sight, and said, “So what if they cleared the roads? With just one word from me, my friends will invite the folks outside to come and watch the show.”
The sound of turning wheels came from behind the gate. Bai Yunduan pushed a wheelchair out slowly. The young man in the wheelchair wore a light-colored plain garment, with a handsome face and a calm expression.
“Is that the Bai family’s legitimate grandson, Bai Yunluo?” Pei Xiting crouched on a rooftop not far away, poking his head out to examine the young man in the wheelchair. “He’s young, but he looks much more composed than his parents.”
Yuan Fang crouched beside him and said, “Bai Yunluo has always been steady and intelligent. If it weren’t for his leg ailment, he would have been the first choice for the position of Bai family head.”
Pei Xiting said, “A leg ailment is still better than being brain-dead.”
“No need to trouble yourself. I can give you what you want.” Bai Yunluo looked at “Ma Bi.” “But I need to confirm my younger sister’s safety first.”
Upon hearing this, “Ma Bi” knocked on the carriage window. The person inside brought out the unconscious Bai San. He pinched Bai San’s face, smiled at Bai Yunluo, and said, “Take a look, Miss Bai San is still alive. I haven’t touched her.”
Bai Yunduan watched his sister being touched casually. His hands gripping the wheelchair handles tightened fiercely, almost breaking the wooden handles.
Bai Yunluo’s gaze also darkened. He said, “Yunduan.”
“Here.” Bai Yunduan stepped forward, signaling the guards behind him to open the long case. “Take a good look. This is the draft copy of the Mountain and River Scroll. We’ll trade person for item.”
“Ma Bi” scrutinized the long scroll from beginning to end, carefully, before saying, “Naturally.”
The person holding Bai San stepped forward. Bai Yunduan also waved his hand to signal the guard behind him holding the long case to step forward. Both sides watched each other intently, ready to give the order to exchange. Suddenly, a shout came from behind the gate: “Stop!”
The three branches of the Bai family arrived one after another. The elder Mr. Bai glanced at the long case, then looked at Bai Yunluo, and said, “The old master told you the location of the secret chamber because he trusted you, not so you could take out a precious treasure and give it away!”
“Yes, Yunluo, how could you be so reckless?” Madam Da leaned in to persuade Bai Yunluo. “If you hand it over, won’t you infuriate your grandfather? Such unfilial behavior—how will others see us? How will we explain it to the family?”
“Our second branch doesn’t need any explanation.” Second Master Bai patted his round belly. “The draft copy is precious, but that doesn’t mean we can stand by and let Zhi’er die.”
“Exactly!” Bai Yunduan said.
Upon hearing this, Third Master Bai also said, “Our third branch feels the same.”
They say that, but who knows what they’re really thinking—probably just watching the fun! Elder Mr. Bai said displeasedly, “This is no time for you to add to the chaos!”
“Us, add to the chaos?” Second Master Bai sneered. “Our second branch is also part of the Bai family. We have the right to express our opinions and stance! Unlike you, who would rather watch your own daughter die to protect your image in front of the old master and your so-called reputation. With such cold hearts, won’t the shop managers under you feel disheartened when they hear about this?”
Bai Yunduan said, “Exactly!”
Elder Master Bai and Second Master Bai had long-standing grievances, and they quickly started arguing. Third Master Bai hid to the side, silent, like an outsider.
“Ma Bi” listened for a moment, then said impatiently, “Enough! So your family hasn’t even reached a consensus yet? Are you playing games?”
“I am the legitimate son of the eldest branch. In the head of the family’s absence, I speak.” Elder Master Bai immediately said, “The draft copy is the honor of our Bai family. I absolutely will not hand it over to you!”
“The honor of the Bai family relies on the exquisite craftsmanship of our predecessors who cooperated to create the Mountain and River Scroll, on the trade routes we traveled far and wide, on the convenience brought by the marriage alliance with our aunt and uncle—not on a lifeless object.” Bai Yunluo said. “Over the years, Third Sister has drawn patterns and designed garments, contributing to the prosperity of the Hundred Brocade Shop. She is not just the third young mistress of the Bai family. Abandoning her will surely chill the hearts of those beneath us. Moreover, since the draft copy has already brought trouble, why force ourselves to keep it? Father, don’t you understand the principle of ‘an innocent man gains a pearl, and crime ensues’?”
Elder Master Bai said, “But have you thought about how your grandfather will react when he finds out!”
“The draft copy was given by me. If Grandfather wants to rage or resent, it will be directed at me. Father, why worry?” Bai Yunluo said.
Elder Master Bai was furious. “Unfilial son! I am your father. If you do wrong, how can I stand by and do nothing?”
Bai Yunluo didn’t want to argue further. He looked at “Ma Bi” and said, “Let’s exchange.”
“Young man, much more decisive than your father.” “Ma Bi” raised his hand in signal. The person beside him immediately carried Bai San forward. The Bai family guard also stepped down the stairs. The two met and passed each other. Everyone watched intently, afraid the other side might suddenly back out.
Only when Bai San was in front of him did Bai Yunduan immediately reach out and catch her, letting out a sigh of relief.
Weighing her in his arms, Bai Yunduan said to Bai Yunluo, “Third Sister has suffered. She looks thinner.”
Bai Yunluo glanced at his sister and said, “Have the physician examine her when we get back.”
Bai Yunduan acknowledged with an “Mm” and was about to turn around when he suddenly heard a sharp shout. A string of throwing knives had come from who-knows-where, shooting toward “Ma Bi.” “Ma Bi” held the long case in one hand and with the other, he drew his waist knife and knocked the throwing knives away. He yelled, “Who is it!”
“Your grandfathers!” Two figures landed simultaneously in front of “Ma Bi”—one tall and thin, one short and fat, both bristling with fury.
“It’s those two.” Pei Xiting recognized them. “I ran into them at the Dream Tower that day. They were also looking for the Broken Lin, and they mentioned some ‘Sect Leader.’”
The thin-fat duo was already locked in combat with “Ma Bi.” People who had been hiding in the shadows revealed themselves one after another. For a moment, blades flashed and it was a lively scene.
Yuan Fang said, “Both sides were well prepared, appearing at the same time.”
“These are all ruthless people, killers who don’t bat an eye. If the Bai family had insisted on not handing it over, they might have faced annihilation.” Pei Xiting watched Bai Yunluo direct everyone to retreat behind the threshold, then heard the “bang” as the gate slammed shut. He couldn’t help but smile. “I know who the next head of the Bai family will be.”
Yuan Fang said, “What?”
Just as Pei Xiting was about to speak, a silver flash suddenly appeared before his eyes, moving at incredible speed, heading straight for his eyes!
There was no time to dodge. But the next moment, his vision went dark as a hand wearing black gloves blocked his sight. The hand raised two fingers and actually caught that “silver flash” out of thin air.
Pei Xiting stiffly turned his neck, tilted his head to look at Yuan Fang’s side profile—so ordinary yet so captivating—and praised, “Cool!”
“I’m not crying.” Yuan Fang replied irrelevantly, looking at the hidden weapon between his fingers. “Plum blossom sleeve arrow.”
The small sleeve arrow struggled against the external force holding it, trying to break free. Yuan Fang let out a soft snort, twisted his wrist, and the silver thread at the arrow’s tail pulled taut.
Seeing this, Pei Xiting turned his head and said to the person below the eaves, “The plum blossom sleeve arrow has appeared. Your Highness, shouldn’t you go catch them?”
The Crown Prince, standing under the eaves admiring potted plants, said, “Isn’t that why I have you?”
Damn boss, really knows how to squeeze work out of people.
Pei Xiting silently cursed in his heart, then turned to Yuan Fang and asked, “Will it be dangerous for you to go?”
“No.”
Such a simple and confident answer made Pei Xiting feel very reassured. He patted Yuan Fang on the shoulder and said, “Go, Fang.”
Yuan Fang grunted in acknowledgment. Before Pei Xiting could react, he had already leaped off the rooftop and vanished in an instant.
Pei Xiting stared blankly for a moment. “So cool.”
He changed direction, crept to the edge of the eaves, and said to the person below, “Your Highness, can you catch me? I can’t get down.”
“Jump down,” the Crown Prince said.
As a fan of period dramas, Pei Xiting’s mind immediately filled with many corresponding scenes from TV shows. He asked with a hint of expectation, “You’ll catch me, right?”
“No,” the Crown Prince said flatly. “It’s only a little over ten feet. You won’t break anything.”
Pei Xiting shook his head, walked to one side, wrapped his legs around a pillar, and slid all the way down.
Yuan Fang flipped out from behind a tree. The dagger in his hand seemed to be controlled by a thread as it knocked away two sleeve arrows and quickly grazed the masked woman’s face. The veil shattered, revealing a fair and delicate face.
Yuan Fang’s body movements were extremely fast. He circled around the woman once, gripped his dagger, and sized her up. This woman’s martial arts were mediocre, her strength lay in hidden weapons, but in the open, she was out of her league.
The woman tightened her grip on her crossbow and said, “You shouldn’t be one of the government officials. Why meddle in this?”
Yuan Fang said, “You nearly ruined my young master’s eyes.”
The woman said, “He doesn’t know martial arts, yet he climbs walls to spy. How can you blame me for striking decisively?”
“You have mediocre martial arts, yet you sneak attack from the shadows. How can you blame me for striking decisively?” As Yuan Fang’s words fell, the woman fired three arrows in quick succession, all aimed at his vital points. He dodged swiftly, reached out to grab one sleeve arrow, yanked the woman in front of him, and suddenly seized her neck.
The woman groaned in pain and said, “Who the hell are you?”
Yuan Fang struck the woman unconscious with the back of his hand, hoisted her over his shoulder, and confiscated her crossbow. He weighed it in his hand—light and handy. He’d take it back for Pei Xiting to use.
On the other side, the melee continued.
“Ma Bi” was outmatched fighting two opponents and had already taken a slash to the waist. Seeing that he couldn’t keep the case, he whistled. Two men in white immediately gathered around, took the case from his hands, and quickly ran off.
“Where do you think you’re going!” The thin-fat duo shouted and immediately tried to give chase, but “Ma Bi” blocked them with his blade, and they were locked in combat again.
The two men in white, protecting the case, darted swiftly through the alleys, clearly familiar with the terrain. At the end of the street, they vaulted over a back wall in quick succession. Outside the wall, a carriage was waiting. The driver on the seat said, “Get on!”
The two men in white quickly boarded. The driver pulled the reins, turned the carriage around, and drove all the way to the city gate.
The minor official on duty stopped the carriage as per procedure. The driver grinned, pulled out an identification token from his chest, and handed it over. “We’re delivering goods.”
“Ah, it’s the Bai family.” The minor official pushed open the carriage door. Seeing two rough-clothed servants inside and a chest of silk fabrics, with nothing unusual, he returned the token. “Alright, you can go.”
The driver acknowledged with an “Eh,” thanked him, and drove the carriage out of the city. After traveling smoothly for a while, he turned off the main road into a forested area.
They had prepared ahead in the forest—several fast horses were tied up. As the three went to untie the reins, the horses suddenly reared, agitated as if frightened.
The driver’s eyes sharpened. He leaped onto the carriage and drew a blade from the chest. Just then, the carriage shuddered as if split apart by a brute force. He raised his blade to block horizontally, only to have a whip coil around the blade. The two struggled for a moment before both let go.
The startled horses bolted. The driver leaped down midair, and the two men in white immediately gathered around him, blades drawn, warily watching the front.
“Come out!” the driver shouted.
Three people emerged from the forest. Two held sabers. The woman in black in the middle gripped her whip handle, cold as ice. “Leave the case, and I’ll spare your dog’s life.”
The driver’s expression was dark. “Just the three of you?”
The woman didn’t waste words. She swung her whip and attacked the three. Six people immediately engaged in battle, fighting in the forest, rustling the trees and making the wind howl. One by one, their subordinates fell. If they kept fighting, neither side would gain anything. The driver shook his sleeve, threw down two smoke bombs, and sprinted into the forest behind him.
The woman retreated several yards. When she opened her eyes again, the driver was gone. And the forest stretched in all directions—nowhere to chase.
“Damn it.” The woman frowned and disappeared back into the forest.
The driver fled swiftly. Suddenly, he flipped backward to dodge a sweeping blade. He landed on one knee, panting, and looked at the person who had suddenly appeared in front of him. He sneered, “The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. As expected of the Crown Prince.”
“If you want something that isn’t yours, you have to pay a price.” Yu Shaoyun said no more. He twisted his wrist, gathered his qi, leaped in front of the driver, and slashed down fiercely.
This blow was heavy. The driver’s wrist trembled, and he almost couldn’t hold his blade. Yu Shaoyun smiled slightly at the sight, then kicked the man flying. After a brief exchange, Yu Shaoyun easily overpowered the man. But just as he was about to knock him unconscious and capture him alive, the driver’s throat moved, and he spat out a mouthful of poisoned blood—dead.
He had bitten the poison capsule hidden in his mouth.
Yu Shaoyun released the driver’s chin, stared at the dead face for a moment, then turned and left.
Bai Yunduan carried Third Sister back to her room and was about to call for a physician when Miss Bai San suddenly woke up. Seeing a strange man approaching her, her face instantly changed, and she hugged her head, screaming in terror.
The physician was startled and didn’t dare approach. He turned to Bai Yunduan. “Young Master Yunduan, what do you think…”
“Third Sister, it’s me. Don’t be afraid…” Bai Yunduan walked to the bedside, but seeing his sister becoming more frightened, almost curling into the bed, he stood there helplessly.
Bai Yunzhi hugged herself, her face covered in tears, shivering and murmuring something. Bai Yunduan listened a few times before understanding: she was saying “Big Brother.” He immediately went to the door to call Bai Yunluo.
The guards pushed Bai Yunluo inside. Approaching the bed, Bai Yunluo asked the physician to leave first. Then he leaned forward slightly, reached out toward Bai Yunzhi, and said gently, “Third Sister, Big Brother is here.”
After a moment, Bai Yunzhi timidly glanced towards the bedside. Bai Yunluo’s expression was gentle, with no trace of impatience or urging. She bit her lip, not daring to move, but also stopped retreating further inside. Seeing this, Bai Yunluo spoke softly again. She then carefully moved outwards towards the edge of the bed while studying his expression.
“Big… Brother…” Bai Yunzhi finally touched Bai Yunluo’s hand. The grievances of the past days poured down like a torrential rain. With tears streaming, she threw herself into his embrace.
Just as the sibling reunion seemed to be smoothing out and comforting was about to begin, a sudden change occurred. Bai Yunduan, standing behind, eyes sharpening, instinctively shouted, “Watch out—”
But it was too late. Before he could finish speaking, Bai Yunluo’s whole body shuddered. He looked down incredulously at the knife that had stabbed directly into his heart.
“Big Brother!” Bai Yunduan and the guards reacted at the same time. They pushed Bai Yunluo’s wheelchair back. A guard stepped forward and, drawing his blade, slashed at Bai Yunzhi. But Miss Bai San nimbly retreated, dodging the blow.
“You’re not Third Sister!” Bai Yunduan stood in front of Bai Yunluo, glaring furiously at “Bai Yunzhi.” “Who the hell are you!”
“Bai Yunzhi” let out a laugh. She waved her sleeve to cover her face; when her hand dropped, her true face was finally revealed. She looked at Bai Yunluo behind Bai Yunduan and spoke, still in Bai Yunzhi’s voice, “How do you like the gift Zhi’er gave you, Big Brother?”
Bai Yunluo clutched his blood-soaked chest and said calmly, “Quite an elaborate scheme.”
As he spoke, his breath was steady. The woman’s face changed. “Impossible! Even if that blow couldn’t kill you, the poison on the blade should have taken effect by now!”
Bai Yunluo looked at the woman’s shocked expression. He moved his sleeve slightly and calmly pulled out something from his chest—a prepared blood pack and a piece of pig heart.
“You… how is that possible? You were prepared all along!” The woman glared at Bai Yunluo. A dagger slid out of her sleeve, and she viciously lunged at him.
But the guard parried with his blade, sending the woman stumbling back. However, even the specially assigned guard for Bai Yunluo couldn’t have possessed such fierce strength and martial skill. The woman finally sensed something was wrong, but it was too late. The guard struck her wrist with his blade, twirled the blade dexterously around her wrist, and in the next moment, she was pinned face-down against the bedpost, revealing the pale nape of her neck and the small mole on the edge of her left ear.
“Got you,” the guard said.
The woman’s face slammed into the bedpost. Unable to move, she snarled, “You’re from the Crane Prison Bureau?!”
The guard said nothing. He struck the woman unconscious with a knife-hand blow. Her body went limp and fell to the floor with a thud.
The guard stepped back and said, “Men.”
Two plainclothes Crane Guards immediately entered the room, bound the woman tightly, and dragged her out.
The guard flexed his wrists, reached up, and tore off his fake thick eyebrows and beard, revealing his true face—it was You Zong. He glanced at Bai Yunluo and said, “Go change into clean clothes.”
Bai Yunluo cupped his hands in acknowledgment and said, “May I ask where my younger sister is now?”
“Rest assured, she’s on her way,” You Zong said.
Bai Yunluo let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He glanced at Bai Yunduan, who immediately pushed the wheelchair around and out of the room.
“Ah! The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; darken the Chen position and cross the Wei at night; counterplot with a counterplot; and trade a brick for a jade—what a play!” Pei Xiting walked around the Crown Prince once, snapped his fan shut, and gently tapped it on the Crown Prince’s chest. “I knew you came to Ningzhou for a reason—to act out your own play and watch it yourself.”
The Crown Prince used his own fan to push Pei Xiting’s fan away. “And you know that now.”
“I do know.” Pei Xiting lightly tapped the Crown Prince’s fan handle and squinted slightly. “Those two groups making trouble today—do you know who they are?”
The Crown Prince said, “What business is it of yours?”
Pei Xiting chuckled softly. “Avoiding the question means there’s definitely something fishy.”
These words sounded very familiar. The Crown Prince lowered his eyes but didn’t, like Pei Xiting, eagerly try to prove himself. He only said, “Oh, so what?”
Pei Xiting rolled his eyes blatantly, humphed lightly, turned, and walked away.
The Crown Prince followed. “Since you’re so smart, tell me why ‘Bai Yunzhi’ wanted to kill Bai Yunluo.”
“Because Bai Yunluo is the descendant the old Master Bai values most—so much so that even with his leg ailment, he hasn’t been excluded from candidate for family head. And even if Bai Yunluo doesn’t end up as the head, he’s practically the ‘Regent’ of the Bai family. So for anyone who wants to be the next family head, Bai Yunluo is the strongest competitor.
But Bai Yunluo is cautious and seldom leaves the house due to his leg ailment, making it hard to strike. So this person made a deal with ‘Bai Yunzhi’: let her use the identity of ‘Bai Yunzhi’ to get close to Bai Yunluo and strike when he’s unguarded. This way, the threat is eliminated without any suspicion falling on them.”
Pei Xiting spoke while tilting his head to look at the Crown Prince beside him. “Am I right?”
The Crown Prince said, “Continue.”
“The little imperial grandson must rarely get praise from you.” Pei Xiting shook his head, then continued, “As for the exchange condition, I guess that this person promised that if he could succeed as family head, he would provide ‘Bai Yunzhi’s’ faction with large amounts of gold and silver.”
The Crown Prince said, “How did you think of that?”
“I got inspiration from the old case of the Jiangnan Wang family. The plum blossom sleeve arrows and the gang’s habit of stealing valuables after killing—they need a lot of money to support their members’ living needs and organizational operations, and to hire mercenaries or professionals.” Pei Xiting snapped his fingers. “What do you think, am I right?”
The Crown Prince asked, “Do you really want my affirmation that badly?”
“Not really,” Pei Xiting twirled his fan once and shrugged. “I’m just a passerby making a random guess. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong.”
“Congratulations, passerby. You’re right,” the Crown Prince said.
Pei Xiting smiled and added, “Your Highness, Yuan Fang did his part today. You should credit him, right?”
The Crown Prince said, “What are you up to?”
“I’m willing to provide information, no reward needed, as long as you agree to one condition.” The Crown Prince looked at him without speaking. Pei Xiting studied that calm face but couldn’t read anything, so he said, “You have to promise me first.”
The Crown Prince said, “Threatening me?”
“Wouldn’t dare,” Pei Xiting said. “Just a friendly exchange.”
The Crown Prince didn’t commit. “State your condition first.”
“This piece of information was given to me by Yuan Fang. I’m willing to offer it to you, and in return I hope you’ll pretend you never saw Yuan Fang and look after him a bit in the capital.” Pei Xiting said, “He’s hiding from his creditors.”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince already guessed what the information was. He said, “I thought letting him off for stealing the Broken Lin was already lenient. Now you want me to look after him?”
Pei Xiting couldn’t refute that and weakly argued, “The capital is the imperial city. Letting martial artists kill and maim freely—wouldn’t that tarnish your esteemed face?”
The Crown Prince didn’t comment. “Tell me what it is.”
Pei Xiting gave a thumbs-up. “You really are the best person in the world.”
“Then where does He Ying rank now?” the Crown Prince asked.
Pei Xiting pondered and said, “Temporarily knocked down a spot by you.”
The Crown Prince gave a faint, skeptical smile. “Hardly any sincerity.”
“There’s still a bit of genuine sincerity,” Pei Xiting retorted, taking out a portrait folded into a small square from his sleeve pocket. “The mysterious employer.”
The Crown Prince looked at the portrait. “Dong Palace Secretary, Liao Yuan.”
Pei Xiting was taken aback. “The Dong Palace Secretary is named Lin, isn’t he? I saw him at the Crane Prison Bureau—a handsome and refined young man.”
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince glanced at him. Pei Xiting didn’t feel he’d said anything wrong to deserve that look, nor could he decipher its meaning.
Just as he was about to ask, the Crown Prince said, “He was the Dong Palace Secretary during the reign of Crown Prince Yuanhe.”