Chapter 13

“Where are they?”

“What was that noise just now?”

When the soldiers guarding the General’s mansion rushed over from that side, this area was completely empty.

A group searched around and only saw a man passed out on the ground, with a shattered wine jar beside him and a faint smell of urine lingering in the air—nothing else.

One of them, full of disdain, kicked the man and spat, “Damn it—this must be some drunkard passed out from getting wasted.”

The man beside him said in a deep tone, “Don’t get complacent; we’re ordered to guard the Xiao family. If anyone really manages to escape, we’ll all lose our heads! Hurry up and search everywhere, and make sure nothing is overlooked.”

Su Jinyuan’s heart pounded wildly. Crouched atop the beam, she did her best to shrink into the shadows. When she sensed someone’s gaze directed her way, her palms began to sweat.

After a while, it seemed the man had not noticed her and shifted his gaze away. The group searched the nearby area and found no one else except for the drunken man. One of them said, “Boss, there’s no one else around here. It’s probably just this drunk fool acting up.”

Another man, his face dark, asked, “Boss, what should we do with him?”

“Don’t worry about him. We only need to make sure nothing goes wrong at the Xiao family’s end. Let’s head back!”

After all, a common drunkard dying is of no consequence to them.

The others quietly dispersed, and only when Su Jinyuan, who had been hiding on the rooftop, saw them leave did she finally exhale a heavy sigh, her limbs trembling as she clutched the eaves. Then a soft laugh came from behind her: “With guts like yours, you still dare meddle in the affairs of the Xiao family?”

Only then did Su Jinyuan remember the person who had brought her up earlier. She quickly turned around and looked back to see a man in white lightly swaying a Xiangfei bamboo folding fan in his hand, his peach-blossom eyes glimmering mischievously.

“Xi Junning?” Su Jinyuan recognized him instantly. In the very next moment, she tensed and demanded, “Why are you here?”

Xi Junning chuckled, “What, just because I saved you a moment ago, you’re already planning to turn your back on me?”

Recalling the earlier events, Su Jinyuan took a deep breath and said, “Thank you, Master Xi, for saving my life…”

“A great favor needs no thanks—five hundred taels as sincere reward.”

Xi Junning spread his fair palm in front of her.

Su Jinyuan : ….

The words of gratitude that almost escaped her mouth were immediately swallowed back. With a blank expression, she replied, “Master Xi, have you ever heard the saying ‘A calm heart reveals one’s true ambitions, but sheer tranquility will get you nowhere’?”

“Hmm?” asked Xi Junning, puzzled.

Su Jinyuan replied, “In common parlance, it means ‘no money’!”

She was still short on silver—she’d have loved nothing better than to have someone else strong-arm a little extra money out of her. This man was utterly fixated on getting silver from her; he was mad for money.

Su Jinyuan, standing on the eaves, cast a glance downward. The height was a bit dizzying. Originally, she had planned to call on Xi Junning to help her get down, but judging by his look—the kind of look that screamed “I want money no matter what”—she was sure that if she actually asked him to escort her, he would immediately open his mouth and demand silver.

At the moment, Su Jinyuan’s total carried wealth was no more than a thousand taels of silver—and that money had other uses. She couldn’t very well order around a rich young master.

Leaning against the rooftop, Xi Junning watched as the little girl turned and crawled along the side wall. Then she glanced downward, clutched a beam like a nimble monkey, and slid down; just before landing, she let go and rolled onto the ground.

Laughing teasingly, he remarked, “Miss, what kind of technique are you practicing? You’re quite elegant.”

Expressionless, Su Jinyuan rose from the ground, opened her mouth to spit out the dust, brushed off the withered straw clinging to her hair, and turned on her heel to leave.

Gliding lightly down from the roof, Xi Junning called after her, “Aren’t you going to take care of this guy? Aren’t you afraid you might beat him to death?”

“He won’t die.” Su Jinyuan had once spent a time hustling in the back alleys. Although she never formally learned martial arts, she had picked up plenty of underhanded tricks. Though her earlier attack had been ruthless, she had been careful with her force. At most, he’d simply be knocked out for a little while before coming to, and she had more important matters to attend to than wasting time here.

Raising an eyebrow, Xi Junning trailed behind her.

After a few steps, noticing his persistent following, Su Jinyuan couldn’t help but frown and ask, “Is Xinglin Hall about to collapse? Why aren’t you going back to properly watch over the apothecary instead of following me?”

With a slight smirk, Xi Junning answered, “The road is wide and it just so happens to be on my way.”

“Then, Master Xi, please lead on.” Su Jinyuan paused and waved her hand dismissively.

Seeing he remain unmoved, her face hardened as she demanded, “Master Xi, what exactly do you intend to do?”

“Since you know I’m from the Xiao family, you must be aware of our current predicament. I have no time to indulge in guesswork or playful banter with you. If you have any business, speak plainly; if not, don’t get in my way.”

Her expression turned cold, and the once clear eyes now bore a hint of icy frost. “Surely you wouldn’t want Xinglin Hall to be embroiled in any trouble, would you?”

A mild threat that should have been laughable, yet Xi Junning suddenly sensed that this little girl was more than just an empty threat.

Abandoning his joking smile, he said, “I have a history with the Xiao family—and I’m even on speaking terms with Sixth Xie. When I learned that you were from the Xiao family, I merely intended to lend you a hand. I mean you no harm.”

Su Jinyuan squinted at him and said, “Do you know Xie Yunyan?”

“Of course—I mean, who doesn’t?” replied Xi Junning seriously. “He’s a very good friend of mine. When trouble befell the Xiao family earlier, he suddenly left the capital, and I only just learned that he’s been taken to the Ministry of Justice’s prison.”

“You’re out so late and taking care not to be seen; I suppose you’re planning to meet Sixth Xie. How about I help you?”

Su Jinyuan, however, didn’t entirely trust his words. “How exactly do you intend to help me?”

Xi Junning met her gaze. “The prison is heavily guarded—there are soldiers inside and outside. It’s impossible to simply break someone out by force. You must have another way of getting in, right?”

“You’re just a delicate young lady who isn’t exactly strong enough to tie up a chicken. How about I serve as your muscle?”

At that moment, Su Jinyuan thought that such a windfall rarely fell into her lap. But with this man persistently hanging on, she had little choice. Besides, if she were to go to Danfu Lane to track someone down, taking on Yang Hong might very well end up in actual violence. Originally, she had planned to hire a few hoodlums to intimidate Yang Hong, yet if Xi Junning were really willing to help, that would save her the trouble. As for whether he might later turn against her, she wasn’t worried—once he was dragged into her scheme, unless he was courting death himself, abandoning ship would only doom everyone.

Su Jinyuan’s expression softened. “Master Xi, do you really intend to help me?”

“Indeed.”

She relaxed her brows and said, “Very well, come with me.”

When an opportunity lands on your lap like a meat bun delivered on a silver platter, you don’t let it go to waste!

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Outside, the night was still young. There were people lingering at the mouth of Danfu Lane, and several shops were still open. After spending a few small silver coins and some effort, Su Jinyuan finally managed to find out where Yang Hong’s mistress was hiding. As she led Xi Junning over, they happened to run into Assistant Minister Yang as well.

The two crept along the wall into the courtyard, and from inside, they could hear a man laughing heartily as he cradled a child.

“Who’s that?”

“Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice—Yang Hong.”

Xi Junning raised an eyebrow. Su Jinyuan, however, did not rush in; instead, they both waited in a darkened spot within the courtyard. After nearly half an hour, as dusk fully settled and the sky turned completely dark, a middle-aged man finally emerged from one of the rooms.