The Child Emperor

Chapter 91: Escape in the Night

The sound of dice and curses from the neighboring room suddenly disappeared. Du Chuanyun reacted quickly, turning off the oil lamp, rushing to the side of Weary Marquis, prepared for anything.

In the courtyard, Ironhead Hu San’er’s loud voice rang out, “Du Chuanyun, you little brat, get your ass out here…” followed by a string of curses.

Although people in the pugilist world were familiar with each other and casual in their interactions, Hu San’er went a bit too far. Du Chuanyun whispered to the Weary Marquis, “Stay here, don’t go out.” Then he raised his voice to exchange insults with Hu San’er and walked out of the room.

Soon, the cursing sounds moved to the neighboring room, and the gamblers obediently left, as if they had encountered someone especially fearsome.

Finally, Han Ruzi heard the voice of that person. Hoarse, with an accent from an unknown place, it was somewhat unclear, but as soon as he spoke, both Hu San’er and Du Chuanyun fell silent.

“If you ask me, this is just a misunderstanding. Old Master Du is a well-known figure in the pugilist world; he wouldn’t do such a thing. Little Du, why don’t you explain?”

Du Chuanyun was not very familiar with this person, so he was polite, “Hello, Uncle Houwu. I didn’t expect this small matter to trouble you. If I had known, I wouldn’t have dared to step forward and would have rather endured any humiliation.”

“Hmm, you clever little Du, small in stature but sharp with words. In the Capital, under the Emperor’s watchful eye, what kind of humiliation would you have sufffered?”

Du Chuanyun sighed, “Since Uncle Houwu has asked me to speak, then I will speak freely. This Mr Lin… You’re really Mr Lin?”

“I am surnamed Lin, and my name is Beiyou.”

Han Ruzi vaguely recognized this as Lin Kunshan’s voice. He leaned against the wall and listened carefully. It seemed there were several people in the neighboring room, most of them keeping quiet. Uncle Houwu, however, was clearly capable of controlling the situation. Du Chuanyun had boasted in the carriage about how he knew many heroes in the capital, but he had never mentioned this person.

“Do you remember me, Mr Lin?” Du Chuanyun’s voice inquired.

“Even if I have poor eyesight, who in the world doesn’t know the name of Sword Immortal Du? Unfortunately, I haven’t had the honor of meeting you. I don’t know how I have offended you.”

Du Chuanyun snorted. “Let me remind you, yesterday, the No Return Inn.”

“Oh, you’re one of the followers of the deposed Emperor!”

“That’s right.”

“Is Master Du also in the deposed Emperor’s manor?”

“Of course.”

“Master Du has always been hostile to the government, constantly opposing them. How could he…”

“It’s your specialty; don’t you understand?,” Du Chuanyun replied.

Lin Beiyou’s voice changed with surprise. “Master Du has joined our profession as well?”

“Only on occasion, when the big fish practically jumps into the net itself. We can’t just let it go, can we? Uncle Houwu, do you understand now? That’s how it is. We were there first, and Mr Lin didn’t follow the rules.”

“Well… I didn’t know that Master Du… and this young Du didn’t even greet me properly yesterday.”

The two of them argued back and forth, and Han Ruzi understood the gist of it. Du Chuanyun was pretending to be a swindler himself and was accusing the other swindler, Lin Beiyou, of encroaching on his territory.

As Han Ruzi listened, something suddenly flew through the window in his room, hitting him square in the neck. He couldn’t help but be shocked, but then he felt a familiar turbid qi within him, and his excitement overcame his initial surprise.

Han Ruzi didn’t hesitate any longer. He lightly jumped out of the window, and found himself in a vegetable field. The moonlight was bright, and there was no sign of anyone around, leaving him puzzled. Suddenly, he heard the door of the room open and quickly crouched down under the window.

“No one. That Du kid was not lying.”

“Search carefully, just in case there’s a big fish. Don’t let anything slip.”

The voices were right above him. Han Ruzi pressed himself against the wall, wrapping himself in his cloak, hoping it would conceal him from their view.

Luckily, the two men didn’t bend down to scrutinize closely; they just looked into the distance.

“No fresh footprints on the ground.”

“Then let’s go outside and take a look. Don’t let anyone say we’re incompetent.”

The two men jumped out of the window, both carrying knives. One of them happened to step on the corner of Han Ruzi’s cloak. He held his breath and didn’t dare to move a muscle.

“You go left, I’ll go right,” they said as they turned, planning to circle around the building.

As they took a step, the man who had stepped on the cloak realized something was wrong. He looked down, and his eyes met the pair of eyes under the window.

Han Ruzi’s blood ran cold, and though he wanted to make a desperate move, his body remained as stiff as a stone.

The man froze, his chest heaving, about to shout, but he couldn’t utter a sound. His entire body slowly slumped against the wall.

The other man had just taken a step when he sensed something was amiss. He turned around and swung his knife, luckily missing Han Ruzi, but the blade scraped the top of his head, leaving a trail of debris on the earthen wall. Then he too fell to the ground, leaning against the wall.

With one person on each side, Han Ruzi was trapped in the middle, unable to stand up. His heart raced, almost ready to burst from his chest.

A figure jumped down from the roof and extended a hand to Han Ruzi.

Grasping that hand, Han Ruzi finally managed to stand up.

The person in black clothing and a mask led Han Ruzi a few steps forward, then stopped and signaled for him to remove his cloak.

The cloak was indeed a hindrance, so Han Ruzi slowly unwrapped it, trying not to make any noise, and held it bundled in his arms. He continued following the person in black as they moved forward.

The two of them walked along the wall and fence for a while, and then the person in black opened a wooden door, motioning for Han Ruzi to go out first.

Outside, there was an extremely narrow path, and it felt relatively safe here. Han Ruzi whispered softly, “Meng E, I know it’s you.”

The person in black walked out, closed the wooden door, and grunted in response.

“Du Chuanyun and Brother Hu San are still inside; we can’t leave them behind.”

“They’re safer without you around,” it was indeed Meng E’s voice.

“But…” Han Ruzi wanted to say that the bodies of the two men would cause trouble, but Meng E had already started moving, so he had to temporarily set aside his concerns. “You haven’t come for a long time. I’ve been practicing the inner qi techniques you taught me.”

Meng E remained silent. At the end of the small path was an alley, and she pointed ahead, saying, “There are people waiting for you over there. Don’t mention me to them.” With that, she started to leave.

“Wait. Will you still come to teach me inner qi techniques?”

Meng E stared at him for a moment. “On the third, thirteenth, and twenty-third of each month, sleep in the study, and I might come.”

Meng E swiftly moved along the shadows cast by the wall, with Han Ruzi following closely. After a few steps, he lost sight of her, and he had to temporarily suppress his doubts.

Just as he reached the exit of the alley, someone suddenly emerged from the side, one hand holding Han Ruzi in a grip, and the other covering his mouth.

Then three more people appeared, and one of them whispered, “Let go, it’s the Marquis.”

“Master Du!” Han Ruzi recognized the speaker, and his heart eased a bit. “Du Chuanyun is still inside…”

“Don’t worry about him. Lord Marquis, come with me quickly.”

Two of them supported Han Ruzi, while the other two went to fetch their horses. Han Ruzi offered no resistance, and it wasn’t until they had ridden a distance that he asked again, “Are Du Chuanyun and Brother Hu San really okay?”

“That skinny monkey Houwu owes me a favor, so he wouldn’t harm Chuanyun,” said Du Moutian.

“Skinny Monkey Houwu” was evidently the “Uncle Houwu” in the room. However, Han Ruzi was still uneasy. “I may have… accidentally killed two people behind the house.”

“Accidentally?” Du Moutian reined in his horse and stared at Weary Marquis in surprise. “Accidentally?”

“It was too dark, and I couldn’t see clearly…”

“It wasn’t Skinny Monkey Houwu, was it?”

“Definitely not,” Han Ruzi hurriedly shook his head. He could still hear the hoarse voice from inside the house when he left.

“Then it’s alright,” Du Moutian patted his horse and continued forward.

Upon entering the northern part of the city, Du Moutian dismounted and handed his horse over to the other three individuals. He thanked them in a hushed tone and then walked alongside the Weary Marquis, avoiding the patrolling soldiers in the streets. They made their way back to the narrow alley behind the Marquis’s residence.

The back door opened, and Zhang Youcai, with a trembling voice, said, “Thank the heavens, the master has finally returned.”

“Please, Lord Marquis, stay within the manor today and do not go outside,” Du Motian said. After seeing the Weary Marquis nod, he closed the door from the outside.

“What about Du Chuanyun?” Zhang Youcai took the cloak from the Weary Marquis.

“He’s on the way,” Han Ruzi replied. Du Motian had clearly gone to fetch his grandson from a dangerous situation.

Once inside the study, Han Ruzi had a cup of tea to steady his nerves. He told Zhang Youcai, “You can rest now. It’s all fine.”

“Fine? This is far from ‘fine.’ I wouldn’t dare let the master go out at night even if you threatened to kill me,” Zhang Youcai said, as if he had also gone through an adventure. He suddenly remembered something. “And it wasn’t me who informed Master Du. By the time he found me, he already knew everything.”

“I understand,” Han Ruzi smiled slightly. The informant was most likely the coachman, as Du Chuanyun had shared too much information during their journey. “I’ll take a short nap here. Wake me up when it’s daylight.”

The Weary Marquis needed to rest, so Zhang Youcai reluctantly left the room.

The simple small bed in the study was still there. Han Ruzi sat down on it but didn’t lie down. He was worried about the safety of Du Chuanyun and Ironhead Hu San’er, and he was also reflecting on his own reckless behavior. He had underestimated the complexities of the pugilist world and had a naive view of what “within ten steps” meant.

Finally, he thought of Meng E. She was a very peculiar person, out of place in the palace and seemingly not quite at home in the pugilist world either. Her actions were mysterious, and she always seemed to appear at the most dangerous moments.

As the sky began to brighten, Han Ruzi couldn’t hold out any longer. He collapsed onto the bed, hoping for a short nap, but when he opened his eyes, it was already broad daylight. He sat up abruptly, feeling disoriented, and asked, “What time is it?”

Zhang Youcai was standing nearby and replied, “It’s almost noon. Would you like to have breakfast or lunch?”

Han Ruzi had no appetite. “Has Du Chuanyun and Master Du returned?”

“Not yet. Don’t worry, Master. They both have excellent martial skills, so even if they can’t win, they can escape. I expect they’ll be back soon.” Zhang Youcai was actually a bit concerned but didn’t want to show it in front of his master.

Han Ruzi’s heart sank, but he couldn’t glean any more information from Zhang Youcai. “Has the lady sent for me?”

“Yes, the lady’s maid came. I told her that you were resting after practicing too hard last night.”

“Very well. You may leave for now. If Master Du and his grandson return, bring them to see me immediately.”

“Yes, Master. Would you like to have something to eat? It’s all ready.”

Han Ruzi nodded. A plate of food was placed on the writing des but he couldn’t bring himself to eat. He felt more restless than he did when he was trapped in the palace. Every time Zhang Youcai knocked on the door, he would be excited, but upon seeing the young eunuch enter alone, his disappointment would be palpable.

As twilight approached, Zhang Youcai knocked on the door once again. This time, he finally brought someone, but it wasn’t Du Motian and his grandson.

Yang Feng entered the study, glanced around, and said, “The Lord Marquis has quite the nerve.”

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