Chapter 105: Tearing and Biting
A carriage rolled through the empty streets under the cover of night. In the distant western part of the city, a fire had broken out, filling the air with clamorous uproar, while the households in the east remained eerily silent.
Pei Song sat inside the carriage, eyes closed, concentrating deeply.
The coachman, a former Hawk Hound, lightly flicked the horsewhip, careful not to disturb him, even suppressing his urging calls to a whisper.
Between the dark, shadowy houses lining the streets, a strange crow suddenly cawed in alarm. The coachman had just lifted his gaze when a gleaming long blade slashed down diagonally. His pupils contracted sharply; he didn’t even have time to let out a startled cry. Instinctively, he drew his blade to block, but the weapon in his hand shattered like brittle ice, cleaved cleanly in two.
The coachman was thrown backward by the impact, barely evading the mountain-splitting, river-severing strike. A roar finally burst from his chest: "Protect the master!"
As his frantic shout echoed, the nearly four-foot-long blade continued its relentless arc, slicing toward the carriage wall. The high-quality hardwood, sturdy as it was, now seemed as soft as tofu. Half the doorframe and part of the roof were instantly shredded into splinters as the attacker twisted the blade.
The startled horses bolted forward, neighing wildly.
In the fleeting chaos, Pei Song opened his eyes. The cold gleam of the blade reflected on his face like a sinister death warrant.
Hawk Hounds lurking in the shadows leaped out, raising their blades as they descended from the high walls behind the assailant. But the horses’ sudden sprint had left them lagging. A lantern that had fallen from the carriage eaves caught fire, and in the flickering light of flames and darkness, Pei Song met a pair of eyes brimming with boundless killing intent and hatred. For the first time in a long while, he felt a jolt of alarm and a sudden tingling in his scalp.
With just one glance, he deduced the other’s identity.
It felt as if all the blood in his body surged faster in that instant, his fingertips tingling slightly—not from fear, but from a sense of inevitability, as if fate had destined him to face this person in a confrontation.
The other’s eyes were blood-red, like a savage deity, as he swung his blade again. The carriage compartment was cramped, and Pei Song had no time to draw his sword. Instead, he lifted the entire scabbard, using it as a shield.
The moment the two weapons collided, Pei Song felt a numbing shock in his tiger’s mouth. He tried to brace himself against the carriage, stomping hard on the floor, but only succeeded in stomping a hole through it. Unable to steady himself, he was forced backward, his back slamming against the rear wall with such force that cracks spiderwebbed across it.
Xiao Li’s blade pressed dangerously close to Pei Song’s face, the hatred in his eyes so palpable it seemed to solidify. He demanded like a vengeful spirit, "Why did you kill my mother?"
The coachman, who had been thrown into the carriage earlier by the force of Xiao Li’s strike, now regained his composure. He picked up his broken sword and lunged to stab Xiao Li. Without even blinking, Xiao Li stomped down hard, crushing the man’s abdomen and shattering the floorboards beneath, sending the coachman tumbling down amid the debris.
The confined space of the carriage left Pei Song constrained, unable to fully draw his sword. Seizing the opportunity, he freed one arm and struck the left carriage wall, cracking the wooden panels. With a powerful kick, he sent the entire left wall crashing outward. Simultaneously, he drew his sword and swung it at Xiao Li, retorting coldly, "The fact that you’re here questioning me is proof enough of your incompetence."
The Hawk Hounds chasing frantically from behind began hurling grappling hooks attached to mechanical steel cables, latching onto the carriage walls to swing themselves closer.Upon hearing Pei Song's words, Xiao Li's eyes grew even more bloodshot. He used his scabbard to parry the venomous snake-like strike of Pei Song's sword, then pressed his elbow down and twisted the blade, scraping it along the scabbard to send a shower of sparks flying as he slashed directly toward Pei Song's neck. Pei Song hastily used his sword to brace against the scabbard and block the incoming blade, but Xiao Li followed with a heavy kick to his abdomen. Unable to dodge, Pei Song took the blow head-on and fell backward along with the already crumbling carriage wall.
The Hawk Hounds, who had hooked their grappling hooks onto the rear carriage wall, abruptly landed with him and rushed forward to support Pei Song.
Xiao Li leaped down from the shattered carriage, gripping his long blade as he advanced toward the group with a deathly gaze.
Several Hawk Hounds raised their blades warily and moved to intercept him. Suppressing the metallic taste rising in his throat from the kick, Pei Song shook off his guards' support and brandished his sword, shouting, "Stand down!"
The guards urgently protested, "Master, your old injuries haven't healed—you mustn't engage in fierce combat!"
But Pei Song's killing intent was palpable as he raised his sword and clashed with Xiao Li once more.
He seldom acted on impulse, but this man had been personally trained by Qin Yi.
Since he hadn't died and had appeared before him, Pei Song would see just how capable the "son" Qin Yi had taught for over a decade really was!
The night wind carried an lingering, scorching heat, and a crescent moon hung high in the sky. The exchanges between the two were so swift that only glints of moonlight reflecting off their blades were visible, the clashing of steel ringing so loudly it buzzed in their ears.
Embers from the distant fire were swept over by the wind, drifting down like a light snowfall.
Xiao Li's blade strikes were wild and ruthless, each slash carrying unstoppable force. He made no attempt to defend, attacking with a self-destructive ferocity throughout. The flesh burned in the fire cracked as his muscles tensed, blood seeping out and splattering with every swing of his blade—a truly harrowing sight.
Even the Hawk Hounds, accustomed to death matches under Pei Song's command, felt a visceral unease at this moment.
In the distance, state troops searching for Zhou Sui and his men heard the commotion and hurried over, their hoofbeats and shouts already audible from afar.
The two combatants paid no heed, locked in a frenzied struggle like two enraged wolves, intent on fighting to the death. Whenever one was wounded, they immediately retaliated in kind. But Xiao Li had already fought two battles that night, bearing unhealed arrow wounds and fresh burns in multiple places. Driven solely by hatred, he relentlessly hacked and slashed, depleting his stamina rapidly.
Seizing an opening, Pei Song pressed his sword against Xiao Li's long blade, forcing him back several dozen steps, and sneered, "I thought you'd learned something remarkable from the old man, but it seems you're nothing special."
"Your mother should have died by Xing Lie's blade. I saved her, granting her those extra years. The life I gave her, I can just as easily take back!"
Sweat and blood streamed from Xiao Li's temple over his eyelids, stinging sharply, yet he didn't even blink. Glaring viciously at Pei Song, he let out a roar and traded injury for a killing blow. Tilting his blade abruptly, he allowed Pei Song's descending sword to sink into the flesh of his shoulder. As if feeling no pain, he slammed the hilt of his blade into Pei Song's left scapula, forcing a grunt from him as he staggered back several steps. Then, Xiao Li thrust the tip of his blade straight toward Pei Song's heart."Master!" The Hawk Hounds nearby exclaimed in alarm, swiftly throwing out grappling hooks that dug deep into Xiao Li's shoulders from both sides, pulling taut.
Such bone-piercing pain and the backward dragging force slowed Xiao Li's blade thrust by a split second. Pei Song managed to dodge the vital strike, though the blade still grazed his arm. The neatly cut fabric instantly soaked through with blood.
Pei Song's expression turned extremely grim. Meanwhile, Xiao Li had exhausted his strength, now restrained by two Hawk Hounds who had pierced his shoulder blades with grappling hooks. He could only roar at Pei Song like a dying beast: "I will kill you!"
Just as Pei Song was about to speak, several plum blossom darts suddenly shot out from nowhere, all aimed at him. The Hawk Hounds hastily drew their swords to form a protective circle, deflecting the hidden weapons.
Of the two Hawk Hounds restraining Xiao Li with the grappling hook chains, one was struck dead by a plum blossom dart through the throat, while the other rolled clumsily to evade. Two figures in common short coarse robes leaped down from the rooftop, their faces covered with cloth masks. They flanked Xiao Li and immediately fled with him.
The Hawk Hounds gave chase, but more plum blossom darts and arrows shot out from the shadows to hinder them. One of the masked rescuers even flung a handful of white powder. The two Hawk Hounds pursuing most closely, fearing it was poison, had to halt abruptly and hold their breath.
Meanwhile, several horses unexpectedly galloped toward them on the previously empty long street. Two men helped Xiao Li mount a horse before swiftly riding away.
One Hawk Hound who accidentally inhaled traces of the white powder in the air suddenly exclaimed, "It's lime."
Realizing they had been tricked, the Hawk Hounds' faces flushed with anger and shame.
Pei Song remained silent, only tossing his sword to a nearby Hawk Hound before grimly raising his arm to slap the one who had used the grappling hook to pierce Xiao Li's shoulder: "Do not take unnecessary actions without my permission as Minister of War."
The struck Hawk Hound humbly bowed his head, not daring to show any resentment.
Pei Song then commanded: "Pursue them."
The Hawk Hounds quickly vanished into the night. The state troops conducting the citywide search only arrived on horseback then. The squad leader on horseback, seeing Pei Song, hurriedly dismounted and bowed with clasped fists: "Minister of War."
Noticing the signs of struggle on Pei Song and fearing it resulted from an encounter with the group that rescued Zhou Sui, the squad leader's back was already drenched in cold sweat. Maintaining his bowed posture with clasped fists, he dared not ask anything, awaiting Pei Song's reaction.
The old injury in Pei Song's shoulder meridians still throbbed faintly after being struck hard by Xiao Li's hilt. Extremely displeased, he initially had no intention of speaking further with this minor squad leader whose name he didn't even know. But as he was about to order a citywide lockdown to capture Xiao Li's rescuers, he noticed the squad leader's forehead was covered in cold sweat. His eyes narrowed abruptly: "How goes the extermination of the remaining Zhou family members?"
Xiao Li, covered in blood, was brought into the Drunken Red Chamber through its back alley by Song Qin, Zheng Hu, and their group. While everywhere else had extinguished candles and lights for the night, the Drunken Red Chamber remained brightly lit.
Avoiding the establishment's attendants, they familiarly carried Xiao Li into a guest room. Song Qin laid the semi-conscious Xiao Li face down on the bedding, using scissors to cut away the clothing stuck to his shoulders by blood and sweat. Seeing the wounds from the grappling hooks with flesh torn open and bones faintly visible, Song Qin urgently shouted to his subordinates: "Fetch a basin of water!"
Zheng Hu, eyes reddened, cursed: "Those sons of bitches!"The subordinate opened the door just as Mudan, having heard the commotion, arrived. She was startled to see Xiao Li lying on the bed covered in blood: "What happened to Ah Huan? Should we call a physician?"
After the gambling house Proprietor Han Tangzong and the He family fell from power, the Drunken Red Chamber—one of Han Tangzong's properties—was temporarily sealed. The former madam had committed numerous atrocities, even having several lives on her hands, and was imprisoned along with the others.
Mudan became the new owner of the Drunken Red Chamber. She returned the contracts of freedom to the courtesans who wished to leave and hired new servants to reopen the establishment.
Unlike its previous incarnation, the current Drunken Red Chamber was an elegant place. Its patrons, if not officials or wealthy merchants, were all people of status and reputation.
Back when Song Qin worked at the gambling house, the two had built a friendship. Later, after Song Qin started his escort agency, he often visited the establishment to gather information from the underworld, reserving this room as a permanent meeting space.
After hastily wiping the blood from Xiao Li's body, Song Qin sprinkled wound-healing powder on his festering shoulders and snapped, "No physicians! The Pei dogs are hunting us everywhere!"
No sooner had he spoken than a young courtesan frantically knocked on Mudan's door, reporting that soldiers had suddenly stormed in.
Everyone in the room was alarmed. Mudan quickly took down a key and tossed it to Song Qin: "I'll stall them. Hide in the cellar immediately."
The group hurried to the cellar, taking the bloodstained bedding with them. Zheng Hu cursed angrily: "Those bastards arrived faster than expected!"
After escaping on horseback with Xiao Li, they soon abandoned their mounts. Two former subordinates sent by Zhou Sui led the Yongzhou soldiers on a chase while they brought the severely injured Xiao Li to hide at the Drunken Red Chamber.
Only after the cellar door closed did Song Qin say grimly, "Young Master Zhou has escaped, and Second Brother's identity was exposed to Pei Song. I fear all Yongzhou will be turned upside down tonight."
Zheng Hu said with lingering fear, "Thank goodness Mother Yuegui and the others were sent out of the city earlier. But Lady Xiao... that damned Pei dog!"
At the memory of the Xiao family fire, Zheng Hu's eyes reddened with rage.
Xiao Li's three godmothers had been sent out of Yongcheng after he returned asking about Xiao Huiniang. Sensing something amiss, Song Qin had already dismissed all miscellaneous staff from the escort agency, keeping only brothers who had survived life-and-death situations to await Xiao Li's orders.
But fearing he would implicate them, Xiao Li had chosen to go alone when he saw the fire at the Zhou residence tonight.
Song Qin looked at Xiao Li, who had passed out completely after being medicated, and sighed: "Half a year ago, what happened to Lady Xiao became Second Brother's heartache. Now with this new disaster, I fear it will never be resolved."
—
Xiao Li was trapped in a dream.
His entire body burned as if scorched by fire. Struggling to rise, he found himself back in the brazier he had fallen into at age four. The glowing charcoal seared him painfully, and just as in his memory, he was crying—yet his eyes were too dry and sore to produce tears.
Through his wavering vision, the drifting red silks parted as the young Xiao Huiniang gently lifted him, examining his burns with heartache: "Don't cry, Huan'er. Mother will blow on it and the pain will go away..."
It was a tenderness he had never seen on the face of the young Xiao Huiniang.Xiao Li’s chest ached sharply. He opened his mouth, desperate to call out "Mother," but his throat was as hoarse as if clogged with sand, unable to utter a sound no matter how hard he tried.
"Don’t cry, don’t cry…"
Xiao Huiniang held him close, soothing him softly, yet the red silks drifting from the beams seemed to ignite, transforming their surroundings into the blazing west-city Xiao residence engulfed in flames.
"Mother!" He struggled awake from the dream, breathing rapidly, his face as pale as paper.
Zheng Hu, dozing by the bedside, jolted awake, nearly weeping with relief. "Second Brother, you’re finally awake!"
Seeing him, Xiao Li gripped Zheng Hu tightly and demanded, "Where’s my mother?"
Zheng Hu’s eyes clouded with pain, unable to answer.
Lying on the bed, Xiao Li’s consciousness seemed to fully return. His pale, cracked lips twisted into a self-mocking smile as he released Zheng Hu’s arm and said, "Right. Mother is already dead."
Zheng Hu’s heart ached at the sight. He was about to comfort Xiao Li when he saw him, deathly pale, propping himself up on his arms to rise.
Zheng Hu hastily pressed him back down. "Second Brother, with your old wounds layered with new ones, you can’t get out of bed now."
Xiao Li shoved him away, gripping his sword as he stood, eyes blazing crimson, and roared hoarsely, "I’m going to kill Pei Song to avenge Mother!"
Zheng Hu quickly wrapped his arms around Xiao Li’s waist, shouting for help from outside the stone chamber while pleading, "Revenge can wait until you’ve healed! That bastard Pei Song is surrounded by layers of experts now—not even a mosquito could get close. We can’t walk right into his trap…"
Song Qin rushed in with a group of brothers, and it took seven or eight of them pressing down on his limbs to force Xiao Li back onto the bed.
Zhou Sui, who had come to the Drunken Red Chamber to rendezvous with Song Qin and the others after his former subordinates reported back, entered and observed the scene. Removing his hood, he said to Song Qin and the rest, "Let me speak with General Xiao."
After Song Qin and his men withdrew from the stone chamber in the cellar, Zhou Sui looked at Xiao Li, who was now tied to the bed, and began, "I understand the pain in your heart, General."
Having just escaped a massacre that wiped out his family, he too was gaunt and emaciated. "When my mother died before my father’s spirit tablet, I was inconsolable, willing to sacrifice my own life to avenge her. But I later realized that even giving my life wouldn’t be enough to kill Pei Song. As Uncle Fang said, if I died, there would truly be no one left to avenge my mother and the hundreds of our Zhou Family."
He smiled bitterly. "Call it self-deception or cowardice, but now I choose to live. The one who slaughtered my entire Zhou Family wasn’t just Pei Song—it was also the crushing power he wields, treating people like ants. How can someone like him deserve to rule this land? I’ve been hiding in Yongcheng, waiting for the day when the princess marches north to overthrow him. Contributing to that cause will be my revenge."
He gazed earnestly at Xiao Li. "General, you are far more capable than I. You must not throw your life away in a rash act. In the future, thwarting Pei Song’s campaigns on the battlefield, dismantling his merciless army, and then taking his head—isn’t that also revenge?"
Xiao Li’s struggles against the ropes had reopened many of his bandaged wounds, staining the gauze with fresh blood. He stared blankly at one spot, silent and numb, before rasping out two words: "Untie me."Song Qin and his men had tied the knots tightly; Zhou Sui couldn't undo the ropes and called Song Qin's group back in. Zheng Hu hesitated upon seeing Xiao Li's condition, but Song Qin silently untied him without a word.
Xiao Li's eyes were numb and hollow, but at least he didn't mention seeking revenge against Pei Song again. He called out to Song Qin, "Elder Brother, is there any food?"
The entire room was momentarily stunned.
Xiao Li said, "I'm a bit hungry."
Zheng Hu's nose tingled with emotion upon hearing this, and Song Qin also felt a pang of discomfort, but he quickly responded, "Yes! Wait here, I'll bring it to you right away."
After waking from two days of unconsciousness, Xiao Li ate three bowls of rice. In the following days, he maintained this appetite but spoke very little.
Thanks to his exceptionally robust physique and timely nourishment, his wounds—which would have taken an ordinary person ten days to half a month to recover from—began to improve rapidly.
The state soldiers had been searching for days without finding anyone and were growing impatient. Convinced that the fugitives couldn't have escaped the city, they sealed the four main gates, posted wanted notices, and began combing through households inch by inch, tapping floors to uncover any hidden cellars or secret rooms.
During another search of the Drunken Red Chamber by the state soldiers, Madam Xu arrived to catch her husband, Squire Xu, in the act of philandering. Wielding a rolling pin, she chased him downstairs. Squire Xu scurried around the main hall, ducking behind guests or servants, and eventually hid behind the petty officer in charge of searching the Drunken Red Chamber. Furious, Madam Xu swung her rolling pin left and right while cursing, accidentally striking the officer in the face and giving him a black eye.
The commotion caused quite a stir. Madam Xu, filled with remorse, quickly dropped the rolling pin to apologize, and Mudan stepped out to calm the situation.
Though the petty officer was seething inwardly, Madam Xu guiltily pressed two gold ingots into his hand. Moreover, his superior often visited the Drunken Red Chamber to see Mudan, so he couldn't make a scene on her turf.
Once order was restored and the soldiers resumed their search, Madam Xu apologized to the officer again before picking up her rolling pin, still fuming, and driving her husband into their carriage, ordering the coachman to return home.
This incident became a laughingstock throughout Yongzhou City, but the state soldiers turned the Drunken Red Chamber upside down and found nothing.
—Xiao Li had already taken advantage of the chaos caused by Madam Xu and Squire Xu in the main hall to disguise himself as a servant and slip out of the Drunken Red Chamber, hiding in the Xu family's carriage.
Both Zhou Sui and the Xu family were pieces Wen Yu had placed in Yongzhou, with Zhou Sui acting openly and the Xu family operating in secret. On the night Zhou Sui's residence was raided, he managed to evade Pei Song's search thanks to the Xu family's assistance.
As for Song Qin and the others, the state soldiers had never seen their faces, and Pei Song always believed that those who rescued Xiao Li that night were Zhou Sui's men. The wanted notices posted at the city gates featured only Xiao Li and Zhou Sui's former subordinates. By changing their attire slightly, Song Qin and Zheng Hu could easily avoid the soldiers' scrutiny.
When Pei Song sent the first batch of supplies to Jinzhou, Xiao Li and Zhou Sui left Yongzhou via the Xu family's cargo ship, traveling by water.When Pei Song first arrived in Yongzhou, Xu Jia had already given General Pei, who remained to oversee affairs in Yongzhou, a substantial sum of tribute money. Later, when Pei Song struggled to collect grain and intended to crack down on merchants, Madam Xu shrewdly "donated" the grain she had stockpiled early on, setting a model example. Among Yongzhou's merchants, she was exceptionally well-regarded by the local authorities.
To reroute military provisions from Yongzhou to Jinzhou, Pei Song needed to requisition numerous merchant ships, including those from Xu Jia.
Leveraging the Yongzhou government's waterway transit permits, Xiao Li and his companions, along with Zhou Sui's subordinates, disguised themselves as laborers on Xu Jia's cargo ships and openly exited the heavily besieged provincial borders.
A few days later, the cargo ship briefly docked at a ferry port. While the laborers went ashore to purchase supplies, Xiao Li and Zhou Sui's party entered a local shop owned by Xu Jia. When they departed through the shop's back door, they were all dressed in civilian clothes, while Xu Jia's actual servants changed into the laborers' uniforms and returned to the ship with the purchased supplies.
The ship set sail again after merely two hours at port. Xiao Li and Zhou Sui stood on a cliff overlooking the entire Qing River below, watching Yongzhou's fleet sail into the distance. Turning his head toward Zhou Sui, Xiao Li said, "Thank you for your assistance during our time in Yongzhou. This is where we part ways."
Zhou Sui found these words somewhat strange upon hearing them, but assuming Xiao Li needed to first settle his godmothers, he hurriedly replied, "General Xiao saved my life. How could I dare accept your thanks? I shall go ahead to Pingzhou to await the General's arrival. When you bring the esteemed ladies, I will personally visit to express my gratitude."
Xiao Li had already gathered the reins to leave, but upon hearing this, he suddenly turned back to look at Zhou Sui. "If you don't want trouble in Pingzhou," he said, "don't mention having seen me in Yongzhou."
Zhou Sui grew increasingly uneasy. "What does the General mean by that?" he pressed.
The dull pain in his shoulder persisted, though Xiao Li could no longer distinguish whether it stemmed from the Poison Arrow in Jinzhou or the recent wound from the grappling hook. Gripping the reins tightly, he spurred his horse forward and called back, "In Pingzhou, I am a traitorous general."
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2024-06-28 23:59:32 and 2024-07-02 23:59:30~
Special thanks to: Xuanji Miaoyu Sheng Lingyuan for the landmine~
Gratitude for nutrient solutions from: Yinghuajiang (38 bottles), Feixu (24 bottles), kfpy_L (20 bottles), Gongqiu Shiliuye (11 bottles), Muzi Shuoshu & Taiyang Nuanyangyang (10 bottles each), Zhongshi Zizai (8 bottles), Xiaozhao, Ani, & Yihou Ai Chi Zhuzi (3 bottles each), Shiye Youcheng Sanxiaojie & ll (2 bottles each), and shinecherry, 59914551, Suisui Tao Yan Suisui, Gaimingba, Pang Huli, 53109145, Babao Zhou, & Bian (1 bottle each)~
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